Monday, June 17, 2013

It's Always Something. . .

There are moments in my life when I think to myself, "it's always something..." Today is one of those days.

Last week I started experiencing pain in my leg again, so naturally I shut it down in the activity department and tried to get in to see my sports doc at U of M. I will spare you the details of how that call went, but suffice it to say it did not go well and I ended up scheduling a second opinion with my original sports doc at MSU instead. (The one that handled the great stress fracture of 2011) They were able to get me in this morning and after a round of x-rays we learned that my stress fracture was not totally healed and the U of M doc had released me too soon. So, I am back to not running, again. The good news is that it is mostly healed, just not completely. (Thus the pain) I have to take off the rest of this month to let the aggravation calm down and then when July hits I can start xtraining again. I have a follow up on July 23rd at which time the doc feels confident I can resume my R2R v2.0 again. In the meantime I'm trying to get my bone stimulator recharged to help things along.



I am {understandably} a little frustrated and disappointed with this setback, but it's not the end of the world and at least I don't have to go back in Das Boot or anything. So that is that, I'm back to the sidelines for now, but hopefully not for too long.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Monday Musings

It's Monday! How is it Monday already? Over the weekend Spike and I were freaking b-u-s-y and it's shaping up to be an equally busy week. In the event you care, here's a quick recap, and peak ahead, at all the goings-on in our world:

  • Racetacular: Spike ran the Kona Run 10k Saturday morning and then cheered on H.U.R.T. friends and some fam who ran the 5k. (I was hosting a work event so I missed out on the fun, but it went great and that is always a good thing!) Sunday morning we cheered on another H.U.R.T. runner in his first Half marathon at the Ann Arbor Marathon. Spike knocked it out of the ball park again with this witty sign:
    His commentary to go with the sign was even better.
  • H.U.R.T.: Tonight we've got the group run; we're hoping for another good turn out but the weather is not looking promising. I swear we've had bad weather every other week since we got it going. In other H.U.R.T. news, I've officially scheduled our first "Beer Run;" demand was there and a bar in town was all for it! Can I just say again how stoked I am that this thing is taking off?!!?
  • Game of Thrones: Tomorrow Sun Runner and I have our weekly tv date night and I can't wait to watch the season finale of Game of Thrones. I'm curious to see if they can top last weeks "Red Wedding." *NO SPOILERS PLEASE* (Yes, I've already read all the books so I know what's going to happen but I LOVE seeing it play out in the show!!!) Anyone else a GoT addict?
  • Spirit of the Marathon: Wednesday is the release of the Spirit of the Marathon II.  (Click the link to find a showing near you!) I remember watching the first "Spirit", over and over before I ran my first marathon in Chicago in 2009 because it featured runners prepping for the 2008 Chicago Marathon. "Spirit II" will be highlighting runners preparing for the Rome marathon, with running resumes that span the spectrum from novice to Olympian. Are any of you going to see it?!?
  • Pink! Thursday is the annual "Pink Party" for breast cancer awareness where my downtown is outfitted in all shades of pastel and hot pink and everyone comes out to show their support and raise funds for the cause.
    Paint the town pink!
    So that's what's going on in my world, what's going on in yours?!?!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

National Running Day and The Plan

Happy National Running Day! Did you celebrate? I did, with a mile run around the track this morning. For those that can't log any miles due to injury or otherwise, I want to direct you to my post from last year, For Those That Can't, This Run's For You. Kinda crazy that a year later, I'm once again celebrating coming off an injury. Here's hoping all you sidelined are back out there again soon!

Moving on, last week after announcing R2R v2.0 had officially kicked off, a few of you asked about my plan, so here it is: a break down of how I'm going to return to running, again. It's a modified version of my original R2R plan that I used back in 2012 after the great stress fracture of 2011. The plan was created by my sports doc and worked so well that by the time I was done I was able to go on and PR every single race distance I aimed for that year.   
5k in 5 Weeks 
(Clicking will direct you to a copy of the spreadsheet I use,
ask to share and I will set you up with your own copy
)
I do modify this plan day to day by either breaking up the run/walk sections into larger or smaller sections (half miles vs. quarter miles) or by doing the running sections as one block, if I'm feeling up for it. The big consistent is not running back-to-back or more then three times a week. My doc also stressed that I should base every run by how I'm feeling, especially the increases; if things aren't feeling right, I don't increase and/or I repeat the week. I also make sure to do every single one of these workouts on a track or trail so as not to aggravate my injury by running on hard surfaces right out of the gate. 

As I said above, this worked for me brilliantly last go around, so I trust it. Obviously everyone is different, so what works for me may not work for you; consulting your doc to assess your situation is always best. If you have any questions about this or my stress fracture recovery (past or present) feel free to ask in the comments or drop me a line: redheadrunning (@) gmail 

Monday, June 3, 2013

Stiltsville

A little over a mile off the coast, nestled in Biscayne Bay, with a breathtaking view of the city of Miami, is a hidden Florida gem called Stiltsville; a group of seven houses built on pilings/stilts on the flats of the north end of Biscayne National Park, just south of the tip of Key Biscayne. To be able to visit one of these houses you either have to apply for a permit, be an owner, or be friends with someone who is. I happen to fall in the later category as my great friend Rach's hubs is a member of the Miami Springs Power Boat Club, which own one of the houses, and they took us there this past weekend for a "camping" trip. If you were too lazy to click on the Wiki link above to learn more about the houses, here are some pics which make telling about them a little easier:
Arrival via boat
Our view of the other houses and Miami
I used my map locator to take these screen shots
and the satellite feature even had an aerial view!
I have been out to Stiltsville a few times in the past, but this was Spike and a few of my Orlando/Sarasota friends' first time; I loved seeing their faces light up as the houses started appearing on the horizon and reliving the experience of a first visit through their excitement when we finally arrived. By chance alone we lucked out and had the place all to ourselves, a first thanks to the questionable weather throughout most of the morning, but our persistence paid off!
Empty docks, unheard of in the summer!
We spent the rest of the day grilling out, playing in the water, on the waterslide, jumping off the railings/roof, fishing, enjoying adult beverages, and just generally relaxing and taking in the view of the sunset. The bottom level is completely open, giving a panoramic view, and the second level is a large enclosed room, kinda like a barrack, that is really only used for storage, sleeping, and escaping inclement weather. (There are also two working bathrooms and fresh water showers [boiled rain water] a generator for electricity, although we never flipped it on because the solar powered lights were more than sufficient for what we needed.) 
Good times, great friends
That night, after some shark fishing and drinking games, we finally retired to the upper decks to sleep, the weather having been too perfect to sleep indoors. Because it's so far out in the bay, it's quiet as can be with only the sounds of the occasional marine life swimming or flying about and come early morning, we woke to this beautiful sunrise:
Breathtaking! 
Love how this shot turned out of the back deck

So serene
After grilling up some breakfast, other members of the club started to arrive, so we cleaned up, enjoyed a little more fun in the sun, and then called it a trip. We cannot wait to go back next year, as it was unanimously decided it should become an annual event.
Love these peeps!
(And yes, I know I seriously need a tan.) 

And that is that, a runless weekend worth blogging about if only because the locale is too awesome not to share. If you ever get a chance to visit this crazy cool place, make sure you do! There are charters in the area that give tours around all the houses, which I've heard are pretty neat. You can also learn more about them HERE and HERE.



I hope you enjoyed the photos and had great weekends yourselves! Now I'm off to prepare for tonight's weekly running of the H.U.R.T., we finally have some good weather and I'm excited to go ONE MILE! :)

Friday, May 31, 2013

May Recap/Stats

Ran:   M - Hooray for being able to add this in again! 

Xtraining: This month has been really, really busy and all my xtraining has been mostly unrecorded walking about.

Races (Spectated or Otherwise): None.  

Paintings Completed: Sadly, none. But, here are the three I couldn't share at the end of last month:
Sun Runner's kitteh's: Boo, Big D, and Smelvin
Current Reads: (Reading) The Paris Wife by Paula McLain; The story of Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley, I've only just cracked it's spine, so no opinions as of yet.
(Listening to) A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving; "I am doomed to remember a boy witha  wrecked voice--not becuase of his voice, or because he was the smalest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany." - This one is a Spike-family favorite; it's a little on the spiritual/political side, but well worth the read no matter your affiliation because of it's perfect blend of humor and sorrow. The story of strange little Owen Meany is one that simply must be read.

(Finished) Rules of Civility by Amor Towles; "Set in New York City in 1938, Rules of Civility tells the story of a watershed year in the life of an uncompromising twenty-five-year- old named Katey Kontent. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, Katey embarks on a journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool through the upper echelons of New York society in search of a brighter future." - This is my third "Surprise Book Club of the Month" selection and I loved this book. The author captures the era brilliantly, the story-line is very captivating, and I loved all the key players.

Dance of Dragons by George R.R. Martin; Book 5 of the Fire and Ice or "Game of Thrones" series. Holy eff!!! I don't know why people disliked this on Goodreads, because Spike and I were left flabbergasted. Hurry up and finish the next book George!!!
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert; My fifth classic for the year and it was clearly very well written if I detested the main character as much as I did! 

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I have been too busy for any guilty pleasures.

Current Obsession: Again, just too damn busy for nonsense.

Current Song: ?!?!?

Current Wish-List: A long summer to match the long winter we finally got past.

Current Need: Hmmm... can't really think of anything. 

Current Triumph: Having an extremely kick-ass kickoff run of the H.U.R.T. and being able to begin R2R v2.0!!!

Current Bane of my Existence: Things are pretty fantastic these days, no complaints.

Current Goal: To return to running safely without re-injury and to continue growing the H.U.R.T.

Current Indulgence: Can I say running yet? :)

Current Blessings: That I am surrounded by so many amazing people who love life (and me) and live it to it's fullest.

Current Excitement: I'm pretty stoked to be spending this weekend camping in Stiltsville with some of my besties and also looking forward to a low key June after all the traveling I've been doing lately.

How'd your May shape up?!?!

Running is what you make of it, make it an Adventure!™
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