PF the Most Annoying Injury Ever (Ok ITB might be more annoying)

One of the readers asked if I would talk about Plantar Fasciitis so, here goes:  Tara's Take on PF.  I am sure I don't need to say this but I will anyway.  I am by no means an expert, I just run a lot, lol.  So take my advice for what it is worth. 

I have ended up with a super common over use injury a bunch of times now.  Yes folks I get Plantar Faciitis.  It is super annoying.  If you have never had it consider yourself lucky.  I have had bouts with it lately due to that stupid Metatarsal Head that is banged up.  Because it is a tendon issue it really only bothers me in the morning when I wake up, after a few steps I am ready to rock and roll.  But, just because it doesn't annoy me all day doesn't mean I can ignore it.  Right now I have been big on icing my foot (specifically the MH1 region) and then using the ball pictured below to roll out all the stiffness in the bottom of my foot.  The ball ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! My brother gave it to me for Christmas and day have I been in love ever since.  I keep the ball at my desk so I can massage my feet whenever I like (yes I am massaging now, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the simple joys in life).  I find that when my PF is really flaring up  I need to stand up and apply my full body weight to the massage.  Oh man does that feel good.  So if I were to recommend one thing to buy for PF it would be this ball which I bet a golf ball would replicate nicely.  Also a frozen water bottle is miracle worker.  As soon as you get home from running pop that sucker out of the freezer and get massaging.  You just roll it back and forth under your foot, it massages and ices at the same time.  You can also try a sling like I have shown below.  I got one a few years back and really liked it for my PF then but haven't been using it much lately (I left it at my sisters for a while).  No mater how you treat your PF, DO NOT forget to stretch that Achilles Tendon.  The PF attaches and wraps all the way up and you need to make sure to keep the Achilles stretched.  You can stretch however you prefer but I wouldn't leave that part out of the plan.  It is nuts.  

The wonder ball of PF

Just roll your foot over a frozen bottle of water, you get the massage and icing action all at once.  Every mom likes a multi tasker.

This is the sling that I have and use



 Bottom line is if you have PF, you need to ice your foot, massage it and stretch your Achilles.  Those are the basics.  Let up on the miles if you have to but many people once they start up with icing and massage can truck on through and it goes away.  If it gets worse or remains the same I would lay off for a week, that doesn't mean not run I would just back off a bunch work hard on the icing and massage and then try and gradually put the miles back on. 

I hope this helped. 

Happy Running All!

Sproing!!!!

Well I had a fun run on Saturday.  By Friday I already had 102 miles for the week and was pretty darn pleased with how my whole body was feeling.  I am not sure if it is the hills around here, that my body is getting better at handling mileage, or something else but it does seem to be getting easier to handle the high mileage.  Oh yah, back to Saturday.  I wanted to just go out and do a few miles and have some fun so, I put on a pair of ZCoiL shoes and had a ball.  I wrote a post in September about the shoes and the owner Al.  Al is an amazing guy and runner.  He has been working with me since that time to get this shoe right for me and boy howdy did these babies work.  Oh man, I had a great time running in them.  I will have to build my miles in them because they aren't at all like my normal neutral running shoes but, boy were they fun.  I had a ball bouncing along.  The downhills were dicey on my first try but after I got the hang of it they were fun.  I am going to start adding these into the arsenal and see if they can help me up my mileage with less stress on the joints.  I will let you know how it goes.  

Race to Cure Diabetes (Virtual 5K) is still on for 24-27 June.  Registration should open on Wednesday this week.  Registration will be paid directly to JDRF.  I will keep an updated list of entrants on the blog so you can see who else is running and make sure you, your family and friends all are entered.  Then starting June 24th you can run/walk your 5K during that 4day window.  Once you are done post your time and I will keep and updated list of finishers.  Completion of the 5K regardless of your time is how you enter the Raffle, you can also gain one extra entry for sending me a picture of your race.  I will have one raffle Saturday the 25th with the Friday finishers, then another raffle Sunday for the Friday and Saturday finishers and so on.  You can see it is better to get your race done early.  Then starting Tuesday I will start a mass raffle of all the prizes remaining.  We have some great gear.  Boy are we lucky.  So far the following companies have offered up gear to raffle off to you.
1. A necklace by Liz Day

2. RazzyRoo Headbands

3. HeadSweats

4. Injinji

5. Tallygear

6. Sweaty Bands

7.A  Felt Creation

And I have emails out to many other companies.  BTW if you know of companies who you think would donate please let me know and I will contact them immediately.  I really think this 5K can be a big success. 

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!  Take a moment and remember those who gave their lives for this awesome country. 



The Marathon Show

Well something cool happened today. Not only did I run 23.6 miles taking my week over 100 with 2 days to spare but I also got to talk to Joe Taricani of the Marathon Show. As you know I love listening to his podcast when I run so, it was an honor for me to get to be on the podcast. I also had the opportunity to get the world out about the Race to Cure Diabetes (Virtual 5K), the dates are now set. June 24-27th. You will be able to register next week once the JDRF donation site for the race is finalized.

A link for the Podcast is below.  Wooot Wooot.

Listen to internet radio with The Marathon Show on Blog Talk Radio



Runners High and 5K Plans

I know I posted yesterday so what the heck am I doing posting again today???? Well forgive me but, I am on a super runners high.  Wahoooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! That is right. Despite almost getting hit by a car I had the best run today.  I was beginning to freak out about mileage and my legs being sore and what not but, as it turns out I just needed a night off from my 2-a-day work outs.  This morning I just chugged up and down the hills/mountains like they were nothing.  I finally cracked 20 miles while Chloe was at school.  I have been so close everyday but, you know how that goes.  19.5, 19.75, 19.2 they all just get annoying when you really want the satisfaction of seeing 20.?? on the Garmin.  Today I ran into the parking lot to get Chloe and Garmin said 20.15 miles, oh man was I happy.  My legs feel awesome.  So maybe these back to back to back to back 20 milers are going to work after all, I am just going to have to play the second runs by ear, if my legs are dead I won't hit the TM at night.  I hope this training will get me ready for Headlands.  I want to be strong going into the race but, I find it so hard to know what is enough when training for a 100 mile race. 

On another note:
Race to Cure Diabetes (Virtual 5K)
is in the works.  I have contacted companies to start getting items to raffle off to entrants and plan to host the race for an entire week in June.  I already have one item donated.  Yes ladies you already have a chance to win an awesome necklace.  Wooot Wooot.  Thank you to my awesome friend Liz for that donation.  I am still thinking the entry fee will be $10 if anyone thinks that is off please let me know now.  I am super excited about this. 

Happy Running All!

Fundraising, Socks and Bonking

Drymax

Injinji

Oh why not...I will start off with something I have noticed about my socks.  My plan was to start with fundraising but, then the pictures didn't enter the blog that way and they are a pain to move around.  So socks...no, I was not cheating on my Injinji's I was simply trying out another option.  You see at my first ultra two ladies turned me onto the Injinji's and ever since I have been a fan, they do in fact keep the blisters down if not keep that at bay all together.  However, they are not without their faults, they have zero padding.  After I excellently smashed my MH1 (Metatarsal Head 1) to smithereens I have been looking for a sock with a bit of padding.  I decided to try the insanely expensive Drymax sock.  Many of the top Ultra Runners use it and rave about it.  I had wanted to try it for a while but it costs somewhere around $30 for a pair of socks, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Any who I have one pair and have been trying them.  Dang they are awesome at whicking your sweat and keeping you blister free.  But if it is raining cats and dogs leave them at home.  Lately it has been raining nonstop here in CT.  That hasn't stopped me from running but, it has meant for some seriously wet gear and feet.  Last week I tried out my various socks as an experiment.  Hands down the Injinji's were better in the rain.  My feet were darn near dry at the end of the run whereas on the day I wore my Drymax socks my feet were prunes and beginning to hurt.  Lesson here is that both socks rock, they just have their specific place in my arsenal.  


And now...onto fundraising.  In my last post I explained I am looking for a way to earn money and raise awareness for Type 1 Diabetes.  I think the majority of folks thought some sort of virtual 5K would work best for raising money so, that is what I will begin working on.  Someone suggested a $10 entry fee, I think that is totally doable.  I will see what running companies are willing to donate gear and I will raffle that off using a random number generator.  I think I should give a pretty wide time frame.  Does a week sound good?  Do you think there needs to be some sort of award for fastest or should I just stick to the random generator?  I think I can have people donate directly to my JDRF page and that will take care of entry fees.  Donate $10 and you are entered in the race.  I was thinking we need folks to post pictures of them at their "race" but how would I post them here or should I make a FB page for this or something?  I think this is a great way to raise money but to raise awareness I think I am going to go for something like my "Marathon a day for a Month" idea, I just might have to put it off until after my 100 mile race. 

Bridget, Chloe and I at Joe's Walk this year

Chloe, Joe and Bridget before the walk

 And finally Bonking... Oh man was my 19.25 miles tough this AM. First I only took 2 bananas with me, that is clearly not enough but, secondly I think my legs are starting to get a little snippy about this training. I wanted to press through to the end of Chloe's School year with 100 mile weeks but, I might have to take a week off to let my legs and foot rest a bit, booooooooooooooo. No one likes to rest but, it may be a necessity. 

Happy Running All! Will let you know what I figure out about a rest week. Bleck!



Diabetes

Has anyone noticed the kid flipping you off on the side of my blog?  That is my nephew Joe.  Joe wasn't really flipping anyone off, he is a super sweet kid and would never do such a thing.  Here is the thing, that super sweet kid was showing his Dad (I think) a cut on his finger, a cut that took weeks and weeks to heal.  Why?  Joe has Type 1 Diabetes.  He was diagnosed around the age of 3 1/2.  I know a ton of my followers are moms, can you imagine telling your 3yr old, no snacks now you can't have more carbohydrates, can you imagine sticking your 3yr old 15-20 times a day (on a good day) to check his blood sugar, can you imagine holding him down to change the site where his insulin pump is connected to his booty every two days (as long as nothing goes wrong).  I can't.  I can't imagine.  I watch my sister take care of Joe and my heart breaks.  I watch Joe handle it all like he is an adult and it breaks my heart.  How is it that we have cures for so many things but no one knows why some kids pancreases go belly up.  WTF?  How do we not at least know how this organ stops working correctly.  My sister is now a human pancreas, I am not kidding, she plays the role of the organ that is effectively dead in her son in order to keep him alive.  There is no magic pill for Type 1 Diabetes.  There is no cure, there isn't even a closed loop system set up to take over for the pancreas. And there are tons of kids like Joe out there.  I want to do something.  I want to raise money for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and raise awareness.

Joe and Bridget heading to Walk for the Cure of Diabetes

 So folks, any thoughts on some sort of totally insane running thing I can do to raise money and awareness? I know with Chloe I can't do anything yet, like run across the US but what about attempting a marathon a day for a month?  Or something like that.  What ideas do you have?  Remember for over 50% of the time I am parenting solo.  I would like to find a way to both raise awareness for Type 1 specifically (it is very different from Type 2, why in the heck some moron named the same thing is beyond me) and raise money for research on what causes it and how to stop those beta cells from dying off.  I really have no idea if any of this could help my nephew but it could help some other kid.  It is a sucky disease and there will never be an end for him unless some smart dude (dudette) stuck in a lab somewhere can figure out either how to turn his pancreas back on (beta cells) or someone at least comes up with a closed loop system for management of the disease.  Come on runners what can I do?  Come up with something crazy.  I am game for trying almost anything. 

Chloe, Joe and Bridget being kids. 

Oh if you want more information or more accurate information on Diabetes and the care of a Type 1 kid, head over to my sisters blog.  She is the bomb.  Well she is after all, a wife, a supermom and the best damn pancreas around. 

Happy Running Everyone! Hope the weather holds for everyone.  Stay tuned for my post on socks, figured out which of my million running socks do best in the rain.  :). 

The Master Gazelle

Say What...A Gazelle? In my mind I see certain runners as Gazelles, some people have a gift and it just looks so beautiful as they float by.  I am finding that this area is full of Gazelles, it is awesome.  So the other day I was running along and this guy that I pass (by pass I mean we run by each other) almost everyday wasn't running with his usual buddy and yelled out "you training for something?" I say "yes." And then I decided I had to know more about this gazelle so, I did a u-turn and began running with this guy.  I had noticed before as he ran by that his muscles have muscles and assumed that he was an ultra runner (boy was I wrong). Turns out his name is Francis and he is way way way more nuts than I am.  LOL.  Well nuts and super duper amazing.  He runs on a level I can only dream of.  He not only works hard but is gifted and as you know that combination makes for one outstanding runner.  Ole Francis is 46 yrs old and runs a mile in 4:30 give or take 5s, he was quite embarrassed of that number and reminded me multiple times that he is older.  WHAT?????????????? Dude who says they run a 4:30 and is embarrassed?  Nuts, way nuts.  We continued talking and I find out his 5k time is 15min flat.  WTF!! Ok and here is where he blew my mind.  He doesn't do any and I mean any, none, nada, zero, zip, zilch, no speed work.  He runs Long and Slow everyday, no days off, around  100 miles a week every single week.  He got this idea from legendary New Zealand running coach named Arthur Lydiard.  Lydiard made all of his runners even his sprinters have a base of 100 miles a week.  Ok back to Francis, he considers a taper taking a day off the day before the race and yes he races.  He regularly competes in the top races for masters around the US.  Of course he does he can run a 15 min 5k.  I had such a good time running with him.  Oh and the bonus: His normal running buddy is a legendary ultra runner.  She has one VT100 three times.  So definitely need to track them down someday soon and get more stories. 

Arthur Lydiard legendary New Zealand coach



Had an awesome run with Francis and a ridiculously great week of running.  Hit 102 miles last week and felt great.  I took the weekend off and am back at it this week. 

A Blessing

From the top:  As most of you know a few weeks ago I busted my ankle running on the trails behind my new place in CT.  That was a huge bummer since I have/had a 50 mile race this weekend.  I was up and walking pretty soon after and have been able to put in some good miles on the roads.  The Doc and the PT warned against trails but they both thought I had a shot at running the race.  This week my ankle was still feeling off, it freaks if I step even slightly off balance and, it is tough to get into a squatting position because it is so stiff and well it is still swollen.  All of those things didn't lead me to the logical conclusion that, I shouldn't run the race they led me to the idea of a trial trail run (say that fast three times, no really it is fun).  So on Tuesday I headed out onto the easiest trail ever known to man.  Ok it isn't quite a dirt road but it is one of those groomed trails that they have for the masses.  For the first mile all was going well but I was being super careful and then on what I thought was a level area I somehow rolled the ankle again.  I still have no idea how I rolled it running on an almost level surface, I wasn't jumping, I wasn't going fast, there weren't roots there, nothing, nada, zip...and yet the ankle rolled.  I got off the trail by the nearest exit and headed home on the roads.  When I got home I brainstormed how I could make the race happen.  Could I run with the brace the Doc had given me?  How much skin would I loose doing that?  Could I walk every technical section and run hard on the other areas?  blah blah blah.... I posted on FB about this and some of my good running friends stepped in.  Two ladies I truly respect said "Don't do it."  I knew in my gut I shouldn't do it but I just didn't want to hear it.  When I saw them write it, it clicked, I was out.  This race was for fun there was no reason to permanently injure myself over it.  The Race Director was super nice and allowed me to transfer my entry to one of the other races in the series,  wooot woooot.  So now I get to run in Atlanta in October.

Why is this a blessing you ask?  Well this sort of works out great for me.  I have a dear friend from college who lives there, Doug's brother and his wife live there and my Grandma Joyce lives there.  It is the perfect spot for an ultra.  I get to run and see friends and have babysitters.  Wahooooooooooooooooooo.  I don't know why I even planned on doing the NY race the Atlanta one has so much to offer.  Oh well the NY one was an hour from my house but besides that.  Super excited to head to Atlanta in October. 

I have no plans for doing much trail running for quite some time.  I am going to build my mileage up on the dirt roads around here and then consider trails again in a few months.

Oh one more thing:  I have found a 100 miler I want to do.  Headlands 100 in San Francisco in August.  Wahoooooo!!! It looks awesome and Mama Cathy is there.  She has already signed on to be Crew Chief so now I just need two pacers and I am ready to rock and roll.  Super excited and I think that will set me up for the October race nicely :).

Happy Running All and watch your ankles.