speed bump.

last week was the start of my new running schedule. and as i said before, tuesdays were the day that i would be doing my speedwork. it was very different for me and i'm not quite a fan of it yet. however, when i did my first 100m sprint it sucked and i felt a sharp pain shoot down my right thigh...but i still continued and finished out my 6. oh..and just to stick this in there--i did stretch, and did a good warm up of a 20min run, etc. but i've never run like this before and i think that's why i got hurt. either way, i iced it, rested, etc. anyway, it was still a bit sore when i warmed up with the 20min run this morning, but nothing major. so after that it was time for sprints. i was a little nervous to start because i didn't want to get hurt..i guess i should have listened to myself because that's exactly what happened. i started my first sprint and not even a few steps into it a shooting pain down the back of my left leg (which has been sore off and on for weeks now--i've been icing that too.) so i took a deep breath, talked to my running buddy for a few minutes and got myself together. i prepared to try it again, but planned to start slower and work my way up to speed. and just as last time, no more than another few steps into it i felt a shooting pain down my leg. but this time it was HORRIBLE and it was the top of my right thigh.
that was it for me. i called it quits. i know that i should have done that after the run, but i really wanted to stay on schedule. now, because of my eagerness, strictness, obsession, etc..i've hurt myself pretty badly. my hamstring on my left leg isn't that bad, but my quad on my right leg is terrible. it's sore just touching it. i've been icing both of them, taking aleve and trying to keep off of my feet as much as i can...which is almost impossible with my "job!" so..ever since then i've been researching as to what exact muscles i hurt, and what to do to "fix" them and to get back on my schedule as quick and painlessly as possible. i've come across quite a few links and sites explaining in detail how to take care of it by icing, resting, elevating and what stretches and exercises to do to help myself mend.. (btw..anyone reading this that has any suggestions, advice or whatever, please feel free to share!)
so with that..i'm not sure what to do tomorrow. should i run? should i take a recovery day? it also got me thinking that each set of my 10wk running schedules thus far i've encountered some type of injury or setback. the first set i broke one of my toes. i didn't break it by running, but by hitting it on a silly baby gate. so that injury wasn't running related. the last 10wks i hurt my heel somehow and now have plantar fasciitis..which i ended up going to the doctor for and got a steroid shot in my foot so that's pretty much a non-issue now. and now the most recent 10wks..i hurt/pull/tear (whatever you want to call it or whatever it is i did..) my right quad and left hamstring muscles. seriously? what the eff? i am a firm believer in the whole "everything happens for a reason" and definitely a firm believer in karma...so what gives God? universe? what kind of message or sign is this? how far do i read into this or do i just chalk it up to a typical runner's thing and get over it?
i'm at a loss right now. i'm just thrown off and feel really dumpy about it all. i feel like i thought i knew what my passion was and then the alarm went off, i woke up and realized it was all a dream. or that you really truly believe something, just to find out that it was all a lie. i feel let down, pissed off, frustrated, sad and confused.


more on this later..comments definitely welcome. thanks for reading...and no, this wasn't meant to be a pity party or a pitch for an ego boost...just me, clearing my head.




oh and ps..i was really proud of myself today for running despite the 35mph winds that should have deterred me. (and yes, that was my own ego boost..that was definitely deserved!)

another set.

my second set of 10wk goals came to a close last week and i'm sad to report that i didn't run nearly as many miles (78.51) as the first 10wks of the year. however, i'm making up for that by creating a rigorous and challenging schedule for these next 10wks! i'm excited, a bit sore already (a good thing!) and pretty proud of myself for pushing myself harder than i ever have before and for challenging myself for no other reason other than i just want to.  :) that makes me happy, proud and excited. i'm really happy that i have a workout buddy! and on some days i even have 2 workout buddies!
so here's a quick overview of what my weeks will look like (keep in mind the mileage numbers will go up as the weeks go on):
monday-run 3miles
tues- run 20mins/6x100's
wed-run 3 miles
thurs-xt
friday-run 3 miles
saturday-family walk
sunday-recovery day

i've dedicated mondays, wednesday and fridays to be my hard, all out run days (the miles will increase in the following weeks) and the speed work will possibly increase in numbers too.
speaking of speedwork, this is the first time i've ever really put that into my workout days and i'm hoping to get better at it and as i get better, hopefully i'll like it more!
so there's the update on the last set of 10wks and an update as to what's in store for me in the weeks to come.
oh and ps..even though i'm not training for a race right now, i've set myself up to be able to run 6.2 miles the last week of the schedule. and as a great friend and running buddy pointed out to me--that's half of a half marathon!
yes, it may sound geeky, but I'M EXCITED! running is my passion and i get giddy thinking about all that i've accomplished and will be accomplishing in the future!

new balance.

well, let's see..it's been almost a month since i started having my babysitter come over while i workout. i didn't think i'd like the change as much as i do, so i'm pleasantly surprised. it's nice to sleep a little longer in the mornings, but i'm still anxious to get going sooner than the sitter wants to come over, but there's not much i can do about that.
it's nice to go to the gym alone. and soon, i'll be have my workout buddy back and we'll see how that goes too. but as far as the last month goes, it's been great. running and cross-training are still going well, totally loving my runner's world magazine and still keeping my run schedule log. the only thing that's come up in the past few weeks is a heel issue. my left heel has been really hurting so i went to the doctor today to confirm what i thought..plantar fasciitis. i thought i'd need a referral to a sports or foot doctor, but instead i was fixed up right then and there! i ended up opting for the steroid shot in my foot (inner part, near my heel) and was ok'd to get back and running on wednesday. yay! i've done a bunch of research about plantar fasciitis, how to help it, etc, plus the doctor printed out a huge packet of info for me too. so....that's that.
things are going well and i'm excited for more RUNNING!