April Recap/Stats

Miles Planned/Ran: 202± M (Pre-stress fracture obviously) / A big fat ZERO!
(My first ever zero mileage month since I began running three years ago in what should have been my first ever 200± M month. D@mn you stress fracture for ruining everything!)

Rest Days Planned/Taken: How ever many needed / 10

Highest NTC App Badge Acquired: 240 Min - The "Bar Raiser"

Xtraining Workouts Planned/Ran: As many as possible / 20

Most hardcore Workout: Aqua slogging 16 lengths of the pool (800 meters) in just shy of an hour. When you're injured you have to do what you can to keep things interesting.

Favorite Post(s) Written: It's a toss up between the "Boston Marathon Spectating Recap" and the "Ask the Redhead Answer Fest."

Least Favorite Post(s) Written: "The Truth about being Injured" only because being injured is by far my least favorite thing to be.

Current Reads: (Reading) CHI Running by Danny Dreyer; Thanks for letting me borrow Bethany! I am loving this so far and really excited to implement the things I've learned when I return to running. I'm also reading; Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman, I love me a good medieval read and this one is starting to get good...

(Finished) On Agate Hill by Lee Smith; I hated the opening narrative but once the story started I was riveted. Running on Empty by Marshall Ulrich, review (and giveaway) to come!

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: That which we will not speak of.

Current Obsessions: Chunky necklaces. Why do I love them so?!?!

Current Drink: Water & Milk FTW

Current Song: "Walking on Sunshine" Katrina and the Waves - Heard this during "Motown Monday" at the pool, the old folks were getting their aqua fitness on and when I heard it I thought to myself, "I'm totally going to be singing this song on the tops of my lungs when I can finally run again!"

Current Wish-List: For my stress fracture to be 100% healed.

Current Need: See above.

Current Triumph: Walking crutch free!!! It's slow going but at least I'm mobile again! Look mom, no hands!

Current Bane of my Existence: The gloomy sky. It's finally Spring so what's with all the doom and gloom Michigan?!?!?

Current Goal: (STILL) To stay positive and focused on active recovery/xtraining so I can hit the ground running sooner rather than later.

Current Indulgence: I have rediscovered my long lost love, popcorn.

Current Blessings: Life, love, and friendship.

Current Excitement: B.o.B's impending trip to visit me and the associated trip to Cleveland to spectate all my peeps running the Cleveland Marathon.

How'd your April shape up?!?!

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

3 Things Thursday

1. You know you're a runner when... your friends send you pictures of their foot when you're having an email exchange about injuries. "It hurts right here..."
   



2. Slow Walker... Although I'm officially back among the mobile, it is slow going. I'm not intentionally ambling mind you, I just can't manage a brisk pace. Through my travels in Boston I have learned to "pull over" to the side to allow others to pass me but I still seem to enrage impatient folks wherever I go and it appears I'm not the only one. Did you know there's a FB page called "I hate slow walkers?" It seems there's a whole epidemic occurring and I've just added to the slow @ss population. FML. If there are those of you out there that suffer from Pedestrian Aggression Syndrome, I would like to inform you that I am not a slow walker by choice and kindly direct you to these tips on how to deal with a slow walker.
   



3. Good Luck... This weekend two of my favorite blog peeps are embarking on some serious feats; First up we have my beloved B.o.B who will be tackling her first Olympic Tri at St. Anthony's, and then we have my LDR-Schmooper Running Laur who is heading out for her first 50 miler!!! Good luck to both of my lovely ladies, I know you'll do great and I can't wait to hear all about it! I'll be waiting anxiously for your finish texts!!! Dream strong, swim/bike/run fast, and make every moment count!

"Ask the Redhead" Answer Fest

First and foremost thanks to all who had a question to ask. I feel like I don't have much to say right now since I'm not running and appreciate your humoring me and continued interest in my non-running life. Love you guys!- Red
P.S. Thanks for all the compliments on the guns! LOL!

And now on to the Q & A:

Danielle said...Helloooo Muscles!!You two are so cute together.I don't have any questions but I'm probably going to stalk everyone else who asks. Stalker, I know. I still have 8 days before I can get back to running/working out so I have time to kill!!!
This is not a question. FAIL Danielle! But I forgive you because I know what injury brain does to you. LOL!

Coach EK said...1. What's the best thing about your bloggy followers?
The support and friendship they offer me 24/7. I could pick any major city in the U.S. and have someone to run a race with and I could also pick up a phone and call many of them for advice, a shoulder to lean on, or a vent session.
2. What's the most annoying thing about your bloggy followers?Skimmers whose comments clearly show they have done so. (We’re all guilty of this at some point though… it's just annoying when it happens on posts you spent a lot of time writing, excluding this one which is more for fun than anything else!)
3. "Master of Puppets" or "Seek and Destroy"?Master of Puppets all the way.


L.B. said...Seek and Destroy rules.The only thing I want to know is why are you so awesome? :)
I puffy red heart you LB! I’m not awesome, I’m just me.

Sam Felsenfeld said...Do you think it's better to squeeze toothpaste from the bottom of the tube or the top? Me and my wife have different opinions on this matter.
I squeeze from the middle actually, until it gets low then from the bottom. But since Spike is a crazy, use every single drop of it kind of guy, when it's really hard to get I make him do it.

Jason said...Can you pls tell the story of falling out of the window again? Please?!?!?!?!?!Nope. You’re lucky I even emailed you it! :P
Outside of that how can Spike only be #2 on your most listed labels behind 3 things Thursday and just a few ahead of B.O.B.?Spike is #2 because for a very long time I referred to him as “Running Spike,” his blog name. This obviously changed after we started dating and unless I ever get the urge to go back and change all those older posts it’s going to stay that way. B.o.B would actually have a higher number too if I went back and changed older posts where I referred to her as “Crazy B” and “Discombobulated Running.”

Joanna said...It's a really dumb question, but I can't figure out whether Morgan is your first, middle, or last name. My legal name confused the *&$# out of people, so it's all good.
Morgan is my last name. I have at least eight friends I can think of right off the top of my head with the same first name (and about a zillion other bloggers) so we all started going by our last name’s (some family members even refer to me by Morgan). That was about 10+ years ago and honestly, I think it fits my personality better so that’s why I stuck with it when I started this blog.

Annette@(running)In the Right Direction said...Question- what was your injury, when did it happen, what have you been doing for it and when you start to run again is it supposed to be totally pain free? Can you tell I am recovering from an injury? lol BTW...nice muscle!
I have a tibial stress fracture and unlike most people, I know exactly when it happened, during an attempted 20 miler on March 12^th. You can read a full account about it how it all played out HERE. Since then I have been rehabbing the injury by aqua jogging (more info on that further down in to the post questions), adding zero resistance cycling when I was able, and doing way too much core and upper body workouts to stay active. I was on crutches full time for three and a half full weeks and was finally able to phase down to one last week and will finally go off them full time tomorrow. (Been rocking one this week to err on the side of caution.) From all the Internet research I’ve done and talking to others who have already had a stress fracture it seems like the general consensus is that upon return it is typical to still feel some residual pain in the area and it could take many months before that pain goes away but you shouldn’t feel actual pain from running, just pushing on the spot where the fracture is located. Good luck with your recovery and if you want to pick my brain any further please email me anytime! redheadrunning (@) gmail.
RunningLaur said...Holy guns! No questions at the moment. hmm... I'm sure I will later, and I'm sure Adam will have a few extra that you could always count for me. (Since he only blog comments while at work, his questions are really only coming from 6 miles further away, so they totally count for me too.)Question FAIL for you too! LOL!

SquirrelHead said...I have an odd question for you. Sometimes when I am jogging I get a stitch/pinch/pain (something) behind my shoulder blade. I can't figure out what triggers it but it is unpleasant to say the least. Any thought?I have a similar issue with this and it’s caused by my scoliosis/spine being out of alignment. It might be worth your while to get an assessment done with a chiro.

XLMIC said...
Do you live on the mitten or the UP?Mitten, Mid-Mitten to be exact.
What catches your attention in a good way on someone else's blog?Obviously I favor the runners, especially those that don't take themselves to seriously and can poke fun at themselves, but writing style has a lot to do with it too.
How weird is Spike anyway? :PThe other day I said to him, “when did your weirdness become normal to me?” He is very strange but that’s part of the reason I love him so much, he makes every day interesting.
Do you like Peeps?No, I hate marshmallows. Blah!
That's all for now :)

Aneta said...I love how cute u guys are!
I do have a question. u mentioned water slogging, aka water jogging. i recently made the move to the pool and would love some suggestions on workouts or drills in the pool. thnx
I haven’t done any of the drills I’ve found; instead I’ve focused on form, breathing, and getting in as many laps of the pool as I can. (Last night I hit 16 lengths of the pool and back in 56 minutes! Exciting stuff. LOL!) But here are a few links with actual workouts that you could use to mix things up:
http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/A-New-Kind-of-Brick_-Try-Aquajogging-to-Boost-Your-Run.htm
http://www.pfitzinger.com/labreports/water.shtml
http://www.howtobefit.com/aqua-jogging-for-recovery.html
http://runningtimes.com/Print.aspx?articleID=6032 (This one has an actual 9-week training program to use at the bottom!)http://www.aquajogger.com/blog/?page_id=128 (This is page one of a downloadable handbook on all things water running and where I learned about form and what not…)

Neophyte TriDuRun said...Two questions...Do you have the appropriate licensure for those guns? I've heard redheads don't fare well in prisonGood call, I better go get them licensed STAT! LOL!
When are we getting together for dinner again? It's getting to be BBQ season!We’ll have to get on that soon!

Doug W said...Sam, my wife and I have differing opinions too! I am a bottom squeezer! I say there are two types of people in this World... Morgan, why did I not meet you and Spike while you were in Boston? I'm all agro about that...
More importantly why weren't you on the spreadsheet of peeps that were there?!?!? Dang it! Next year for sure!!!
And definitely "Master" out of those two choices. But personally, I'm a "Ride the Lightning" kind of guy.

Sarah said...
My question is when do I get to see you again!? hehe.Just as soon as you book that trip to the D to catch a Tigers game! The spare bedroom is awaiting your arrival!

Ulyana said...I want to have a redheaded child... will it happen? (my husband's father is a redhead, so i'm really serious with this question)It depends on whether or not you have redheads in your lineage, as both parents need to carry the mutation. Yup, redheads are essentially mutants. True story.


Jess said...You guys are too cute! My question is how do you stay motivated? I am seriously lacking in that department!
Right now I have no choice but to stay motivated because I want to overcome this injury and get right back out there running. (And so help me god if that saying “third time’s a charm” isn’t true I will scream. My next marathon will be my third attempt at my third marathon.)

Emily said...What are the worst and best things Spike has done during your relationship? I would like to both "awwww" and "ewwwww".Awww: Spike answered the phone “Hello Beautiful” the first time I ever called him, before we even started dating, and has always done so ever since.
Ewww: In case you haven’t noticed he is a human garbage disposal and regularly eats things that absolutely disgust me. For instance there is the Cheezits & Chocolate Frosting from a Wordless Wednesday I posted awhile back and more recently he’s discovered he likes to put garlic salt on his peanut butter toast. WTH?!?!

Denise said...I had this discussion recently with some people, let's see what you think...if you can't see, how do you know your butt is clean? i personally don't think you can tell by sense alone...Um... baby wipes? Moist towellettes?


Bethany + Ryan said...Your biceps are looking good! Did you enjoy Fenway Park? Was it the tiniest park you've ever been in? Hope you liked it!I didn’t actually go to the game; Spike did so I’ll have to ask him

Marlene said...Laughing at Denise's question!SOOO are you coming to Philly? That is my first question.
That trip is still up in the air but I'm working on it!!!
Name ONE thing you do (a habit or whatever) that bothers Spike. There must be something!!It drives him crazy that I want to unpack everything immediately when we return from trips, but I assure you there's more… LOL!
I'll even answer my own question for you. Mark hates that I am constantly putting things away when he is still using them (i.e. cleaning up the kitchen when he's in the middle of making lunch/dinner/etc.) I can't help it, I'm a bit of a neat freak. Oh, and I'm a noisy sleeper.

Gator said...Coach EK - It is a trick question, the answer is "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
Where do you see yourself as an athlete in 10 years? 30 years?
In 10 and even 30 years I see myself still running regularly and racing when I can. My goal is to run until I am that little old lady at age 80 winning her age group for being dead last. :)

Navy Steve said...Where is your hand in that picture with Spike, and is Spike looking away due to the sheer force caused by your massive guns??My hand is located in an inappropriate place of course and he is looking away because he is trying to resist my charms cuz we're in public. ;)
Also - I have always wanted to know, why is it that they say "redheads are more fun."I thought they said that about Blondes? If they say it about redheads it’s probably because we got the “fire!” but you can always ask Coach Tom! LOL!

Luau said......and I thought I had some guns!
Another non-question. FAIL.

Katie said...ha, I also got nothing, see today's post about my bathroom cabinet. erm. i will have to THINK HARD about this question thing.
And another question FAIL. Come one Katie, I expected more from you!!!

Jen said...I feel you on the pool running. sucks. But those are some pretty great guns!
I'd just like to know how you adjusted to moving.
Moving was tough. I had a rough time adjusting to not having a job right away, not having my friends a few minutes’ drive away (even though they were always a phone call away), and living with someone that wasn’t used to my habits. I’m not going to lie, there were def some bumps in the road but Spike went out of his way to make things as easy as possible for me. It had to have been hard on him too; coming home to find I had rearranged everything in my boredom or finding me in tears looking at a photo album or at not having heard from any potential employers that day. The first month was the hardest but after that, we settled in to a routine, I got my job, and life was/is good. I still get homesick from time to time and the winter was a HUGE adjustment but I’ve never regretted my decision.

B.o.B. said...Hm. Let's see....1. Chicken or the egg?
Egg
2. Best trip you've ever taken
This is a tough one! Man! I’ve had some most excellent trips to Chicago, Vegas, San Fran, Denver, Boston, and Chattanooga… I don’t know how I’d pick from all these!
3. How much do you miss your Boo and how excited are you for her impending trip?I miss my Boo SO MUCH, and Spike has already been given chores that need to be completed before you arrive and I keep staring at the calendar willing it to be May 13^th already!!!

Jon Gilchrist said...GUN SHOW!!
Another question FAIL. Come one guys!

Jim ... 50after40 said...Pic #3 ... get a room!Pic #2 ... are you flexing?Pic #1 ... what the?
Yes I’m flexing and pic 1 is me ambushing the girls as they checked their phones. :)

Harold said...Toilet paper over or under?
Over.
Do girls still not poop, according to you?Nope. We still just pee for a very long time. :)

Alicia said...Did you like growing up a redhead? I have a redhead and I wonder what it's like from the Red perspective. He's only 5 so no real opinions as of yet.No I hated it. As children we are typically very awkward looking, although adorable to all adults, and other kids can be very mean. But I def grew to love it by high school and wouldn’t have it any other way now!
What's your next BIG running goal?To run again. I’m keeping it simple for now until I am back to 100%.
BTW, thank you SO much for your generous donation to my Train4Autism page. You seriously rock! Thanks for the support! (And another huge thank you for being the blog where I first heard of T4A. Your work with Operation Jack was my inspiration.)
Anytime friend! So excited for you!!!

Anonymous said...
Have you gained weight as a result of being injured? If so how are you dealing with that?
Obviously not being as active, and eating too many cookies, took its toll but nothing crazy. I simply went from being my “in-training” weight to my “regular” weight. If you’re looking for numbers I’ll say this, I’ve never weighed more than 120 pds in my life and I've got more than a few pounds before I get there again, copious amounts of cookies ate and all, because I’ve continued to stay as active as possible while being injured.

Heather @ Dietitian on the Run said...You two are awesome! Come hang out with us in Colorado again ;)We’ll be there at Thanksgiving!
question time! What's your core routine? That six-pack has made an appearance, we know it's there! And I get bored with doing planks and crunches (and only have the QiRyder guys kick my a$$ once or twice a week)!I've been doing a lot of the Nike Training Club app along with the usual planks, Russian twists, and crunches. I don’t really do anything too out of the ordinary I’m just blessed with good ab genes.

angryrunner said...
With risk of being overly broad: What are your favorite and most hated forms of x-training?
Honestly, I don’t mind xtraining one bit, I just find it boring. I have always made sure I have it in my training routine and usually stick to cycling and elliptical. With this stress fracture I’ve had to be a bit more creative so that is why aqua slogging has been added into the mix. It’s even more boring and probably my least favorite of the xtraining next to recumbent bike cycling (I feel like I’m going to fall asleep!) but I'd still choose it any day over a treadmill.

Jen B. said...
Since Harold beat me to the punch, I asked Ella if there is anything she would like to you know about you. "Is she a mermaid?" *sigh*

Bahahaha I love her. Tell her these days I am! LOL!

Adam said...Ok, here is/are my questions (depending on how much I can get in here before I get tired....)1. If you had to eat one food on Friday for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Sushi!
2. Do you ever feel like you have to "defend" the way that you met Spike? I think that it is awesome, but I could see how some people might throw a condescending remark in there.At first I know there were a lot of people that were skeptical about us but it’s been almost two years and I think all of those people believe in our relationship now. I've always been very open about how we met and no one seems to bat an eye about it anymore.
3. (This one is for RunningLaur I suppose) Since you and Spike are going to eventually get married and have red haired, taco bell obsessed, sub 3 hour marathon babies, what do you think of all of the Royal Wedding hooha?
I think it’s out of control. I’m a simple girl and would never want or need a big to-do like that. Although I guess if we could afford it, the craziest thing I’d want to do is to invite all my blog peeps!
4. Would you rather.... (love that game) Write a blog that 10,000 people would read every day however NO feedback would ever be received or write a blog where only 5 people read but commented multiple times on each post? On the one hand, you could reach TONS more people and bring more people the the running sport, however on the other hand you could develop some really meaningful friendships....I actually had some serious discussions along these lines while in Boston and honestly, I’d rather have the 5 reliable people. In acquiring more and more readers I have found it so hard to keep up with them all and create those intimate bonds I have with many of my long-time readers. I don’t ever want my readership to feel like I’m “too big” to comment on their blogs or anything. I try to comment on blogs regularly and when I see new names pop up in my comments I make it a point to try to visit their blogs with in the week. No one ever tells you when you start blogging that there comes a point where it’s hard to keep up with everyone!
PS - I'm about 10 days behind on blogs. Forgive me blog gods for I have sinned.....I hear ya buddy, I had about 900+ posts when I returned from Boston, no worries!

Kandi said...What does the future hold for your running? Do you have any idea of when you'll be back in business?
Right now I’m just focusing on one day at time and rejoicing the small victory of walking. Obviously this recovery took significantly longer than expected (10 days does not = 4 weeks) so my return to running has been subsequently delayed. Based on the original forecast I expected to attempt my first run next week and that is clearly not going to happen. My hope now is for the first run to be between the middle to end of May and from there I will slowly and smartly make my comeback. My goal for the fall is to focus on recovery and train for and race a half marathon, or three, and from there make my third attempt of my third marathon in the Spring of 2012.

Nicole @ "Haute Runner" said...Who takes all your photos? I see some are self portrait but what about the ones that you are fully in? Do you have your own personal photographer that follows you around? :)
I have no shame asking anyone around me to take pictures for/of me. ;)
Do you carry a camera around with you everywhere?
Pretty much.
I like all your posts, running related or not!
Thank you so much for saying so! As I’m sure most of you have noticed, I keep things solely focused on running around here because it’s my place to just be a runnerd and not annoy my friends and family with it. When I’m not running I always worry y’all will get bored of me and move on to more exciting blogs.

Steel Springs said...Would you accept one million dollars if it meant that you couldn't ever use the internet again (except for strictly work purposes)?
Ooohhh that’s a good one! I do love me some online but I think I could be bought off if it meant I could finally pay off my student loans and be debt free. Sorry guys, I love ya, but I’d love to have all that extra cash to plan running trips! The good news is I already know most of you so I could come visit! :)

Thanks again guys this was so much fun!!! Catch y'all back here tomorrow for "3 Things Thursday!"