Side stitches never sounded so good

Hey guys! First up, to all the smarty-pants YANKEES who might have noticed Brent using a garden shovel to "clear" our sidewalk - it's true, we don't actually own a snow shovel. We live on the wild side and tend to ignore whatever snow accumulates for the two snows we get a year that actually last longer than 10 minutes. However, for the low price of $6.99 just about every store has had a snow shovel display out front. So, if we ever move up north one of you guys is responsible for sending us a snow shovel as a housewarming gift. Deal???

I've had better days. If you're looking for a happy happy "running is my anti-drug" post this is not going to be it. Here's how the week has gone:

Monday - Monday is a cross training day for me now that the M is history. Normally that would mean using our elliptical with some toning/yoga. But, our elliptical makes some frightening clank-clanking sounds right now so we've taken it completely apart, stared at moving parts and forged an agreement to ignore it in general for the moment because we're completely baffled. Instead I did my Killer Butt DVD. I am a white girl with a ghetto butt, but I'm working on that. Although she did not kill me, she did leave for me dead. It would have been so much easier if she killed me. By the end of the 45 minute DVD my leg muscles were absolutely quivering. I've only done this tape a few times and each time I'm miserable the following day.

Tuesday - I hate Killer Butt woman and if I saw her I would run her over with my large SUV just to make her feel this same pain. Devil woman!! After work we geared up for a normal 6 mile run. It had warmed up to the low 40's, so all the snow was gone. I wore thin tights and a long sleeve shirt, but the air still felt a little chilly for me. We ran out of the subdivision, up a side road with a steep hill and then turned back around at the top for a nice downhill. There's a fairly large farm smack in the middle of the subdivision, with cows and the works. One cow was right next to the fence, next to this fairly busy road. We yelled "hi!" and "moooo" at him going and coming. He seemed slightly amused. I was having a terrible time finding my form. I felt like my feet were slapping the concrete. Normally I have a very quiet running form, and often run up on walkers who are astonished and scared to death when I pass by. (In those instances I feel like they should be required to hand me their wallet and personal valuables just because they are oblivious.) Not so Tuesday, I could hear my feet smacking above my ipod music. Around Mile 3 I finally felt comfortable, and we started picking up some speed. One lap through the park, back past the middle school and one full lap around the hospital. About .75 miles from our house my foot started hurting. I should not have worn the shoes I wore yesterday. The heel is worn down so much on these chunky boots that it's ridiculous. The shoes look great, but the heel is worn the same way my running shoes end up. By the end of the day not only were my glutes sore but the area below my big toe (the meaty part of the foot) was sore in a way very similar to the way my feet hurt during M training. I think I was overcompensating for that - during the last part of the run my foot was hurting on the other side. If you're looking at your right foot, with every foot step sharp pains were coming from the middle part of the right side of my right foot. I wanted to keep going, but every step hurt just a little more than the one before it. Because we had sort of changed up the run it would have been about 6.25 miles, I stopped right around mile 6.

I don't remember the last time I have stopped running. I want to, a LOT. But actually stop? I really don't remember. In December there was a 23 miler I ended up stopping at 21 miles because I was sick of running, but nothing hurt. I've been very lucky to not have major aches and pains, and I think that makes me think it CAN'T happen to me. (I wish!) Brent had pulled just ahead of me around mile 5.8, so he didn't notice I stopped until he turned the corner back onto our street and I was nowhere nearby. He came back looking for me, and even offered to go get the car. I told him I could walk it, but every step hurt more than the one before it. Suck. We got home and he yelled at me to sit down for a while. We had dinner and I set out to clean out a bathroom cabinet that's an absolute disaster. He screamed at me to rest. I iced my foot and hoped it would all be fine today.

Wed - Errrr, no such luck. I decided not to walk Pippin this morning. I thought my foot might be feeling better, but after a few steps the sharp pain was back. Going down stairs kills. Walking backwards actually feels pretty nice. It's the curving motion your foot makes during the last part of each step that hurts so much. Brent offered to drop me off at the front door at work today, but I wouldn't let him. Then he yelled at me not to be such a bad ass when I wanted to get my own glass of water at work. I did have him make some mango tea for me later that morning though. =). It's not that I'm a bad ass, it's just that I'm not a good rester. I like to exercise, I like to work out, I like to be active. It's not fair that the active people get injured, most Americans just sit on the couch. Why can't THEY be injured??

So tonight I am being one of THEM. If I'm doing it I'm doing it right. We had pizza AND cheese sticks for dinner. I have hardly moved off the couch, except to get an ice pack. (WHICH, by the way Pippin is quite obsessed with. He was clawing at it, broke it open, and ran off with several pieces of ice to eat. He got away with quite a stash of ice before I realized what was going on! Goober!!) And right now I have a glass of soda (and a glass of ice water). I feel incredibly full and gross. Sometimes I think it feels better and sometimes I don't. I know I should enjoy this rest but I just don't. We have a 4 mile fun run on Saturday, but that's not looking so hot right now. If I can't do it (and considering the level of pain I've got.....it doesn't look so good) then I'll just go and cheer Brent on and take some pics. The next race we have is Tom King (1/2 M) on March 18th and the stair climbing thing on March 11th.

So maybe tomorrow when I wake up this will all be gone and we can do our normal 6-mile Thurs night run.......

Exercise-
Monday - 45 minutes Killer Butt, 10 min Killer Abs
Tues - 1 mile am walk with Pippin, 6 mile run w/Brent
Wed - Nothing. Except long and painful walks to and from the bathroom at work. does that count??