Back to my Natal State

nkrichards wrote:

Julie wrote:She ran the Newport Marathon.

As of right now I will probably run Lincoln marathon in May since it's local. And probably nothing organized before then to give me time to heal and then focus on weight loss and speed.  My left knee still hurts. I've been walking 4.8miles a day since Monday. Not sure when I'll be ready to run. 

Sleep is still off but getting better.  I'm a little surprised how tired I still am but I'm really glad I did it. It was good to challenge myself in a new way.

Newport is highly recommended.  I almost did it once...can't remember why I wasn't able to.  Someday.

You're doing well if you're walking that much already.  And planning on another marathon in May! 

I'm not surprised you're so tired.  

I hear good things about Newport, and there's always the Eugene (Track City!) Marathon or the Portland Marathon. Columbia River Gorge Marathon is quite pretty, too.

As far as Washington goes, there is a marathon in Vancouver... it's run in honor of a dead apple tree or something like that. 

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Julie wrote:She ran the Newport Marathon.

As of right now I will probably run Lincoln marathon in May since it's local. And probably nothing organized before then to give me time to heal and then focus on weight loss and speed.  My left knee still hurts. I've been walking 4.8miles a day since Monday. Not sure when I'll be ready to run. 

Sleep is still off but getting better.  I'm a little surprised how tired I still am but I'm really glad I did it. It was good to challenge myself in a new way.

Newport is highly recommended.  I almost did it once...can't remember why I wasn't able to.  Someday.

You're doing well if you're walking that much already.  And planning on another marathon in May! 

I'm not surprised you're so tired.  

I hear good things about Newport, and there's always the Eugene (Track City!) Marathon or the Portland Marathon. Columbia River Gorge Marathon is quite pretty, too.

As far as Washington goes, there is a marathon in Vancouver... it's run in honor of a dead apple tree or something like that. 

I ran a half in Eugene and it was awesome to finish in the stadium...with the marathon winner...even though I'm a Beaver not a Duck.  
Portland is okay...I ran/walked it with Katie.  It's not a bad course for a city course.
There are several fantastic options for runs in the gorge...some may be just half marathons...but watch out for the elevation.  Even the runs along the river have elevation issues. But the views are well worth it.
You could add Vancouver and earn two pins on your map. 

I love dreaming about new courses while in recovery mode.

My PT running friend Tiffany thinks I have patella-femoral pain aka runner's knee. I have run a little bit here and there but it does hurt and I think it's best for me to be sticking to walking and really focusing on my hip exercises.

Julie wrote:My PT running friend Tiffany thinks I have patella-femoral pain aka runner's knee. I have run a little bit here and there but it does hurt and I think it's best for me to be sticking to walking and really focusing on my hip exercises.

I haven't heard that term for a few years.  Tiffany will be watching you!!!

Is it outdated? She said palleta-femoral pain and when I looked it up online it said aka runner's knee. Anyway, it's still sore. I have been doing my hip exercises from PT and walking. I did run almost a mile broken up this morning and it did make it hurt more. It's been almost 2 weeks since I ran the last marathon. Hoping I can be back at it before too long. Yeah, Tiffany's great! I'm getting out of the loop with my running friends with these weeks off.

I am planning a 50 states completion party for my friend Michelle. She's finishing in July. If anyone has ideas, I'm open to suggestions. Plan to have an ice cream social with our running friends at my house.

Julie wrote:Is it outdated? She said palleta-femoral pain and when I looked it up online it said aka runner's knee. Anyway, it's still sore. I have been doing my hip exercises from PT and walking. I did run almost a mile broken up this morning and it did make it hurt more. It's been almost 2 weeks since I ran the last marathon. Hoping I can be back at it before too long. Yeah, Tiffany's great! I'm getting out of the loop with my running friends with these weeks off.

I am planning a 50 states completion party for my friend Michelle. She's finishing in July. If anyone has ideas, I'm open to suggestions. Plan to have an ice cream social with our running friends at my house.

Sounds like fun no matter what you decide to do to celebrate with your friend.  Aren't running friends awesome!

Seems like some injuries just seem to hang on.  My hamstring still whines at times but it is better than it was. Hope the knee settles down quickly.

Thanks Nancy! Knee is definitely improving. I am going to try to run with my friends tomorrow. And Jocelyn (my oldest who will be 14 in a few weeks) is interested in running a half marathon with me in October, so if that works out, I think it'll be really fun.

Julie wrote:Thanks Nancy! Knee is definitely improving. I am going to try to run with my friends tomorrow. And Jocelyn (my oldest who will be 14 in a few weeks) is interested in running a half marathon with me in October, so if that works out, I think it'll be really fun.

Running with our daughter would be so much fun!  I can't believe she's already 14!!  I ran my first half with my son but he was already an adult and was my inspiration to run longer.  And I ran/walked the Portland marathon with my daughter.  I still have special memories of those races.

Hope the run with friends went well.

Thanks Nancy! Unfortunately for running we had thunderstorms. But it was good because we're in the worst grade of drought and need all the rain we can get. I'm debating setting my alarm for tomorrow since we have storms again forecasted but when I don't set my alarm I usually wake up and find out I'm just late enough to not meet my friends and the storm is just pushed back enough for me to really miss running.
Knee felt pretty good yesterday for 4.8 miles. I did tape it.

Julie wrote:Thanks Nancy! Unfortunately for running we had thunderstorms. But it was good because we're in the worst grade of drought and need all the rain we can get. I'm debating setting my alarm for tomorrow since we have storms again forecasted but when I don't set my alarm I usually wake up and find out I'm just late enough to not meet my friends and the storm is just pushed back enough for me to really miss running.
Knee felt pretty good yesterday for 4.8 miles. I did tape it.

Hope the knee is continuing to improve and that you've received much needed moisture but that you've been able to schedule some running with friends around the storms.  It's always more fun to run with friends. 

Thanks Nancy! Actually we ended up blessed by rain for much of early July and our exceptional drought has been downgraded to severe. It'll go back up this week with near or at 100 degree temps and dry all week but that's how it goes.

My knee was pretty good then I overdid it with a 13 miler on Wednesday and then Thurs 5 miles in my right knee and shin started really hurting to the point that I had to limp my way home. I ran almost a mile this morning before walking my friend's dog but my hip and knee both hurt to the point that it's hurting just sitting or walking around the house. I think I overdid the hip strengthening exercises that were supposed to make it harder for me to injure my knee.

But I have been doing well avoiding sugar and have lost 3 lbs since the triple marathons, and that's really good for me. It's hard for me to bother getting started and with as much as I eat with all the running, it's hard to realize that I can make a difference by cutting back a little without going extreme then making my running and sleeping suffer. Then that makes me mad at myself and I go back to eating whatever, kinda.

Just quick check in, ran 4.8 miles Tues and 7.6 this morning after resting Sat-Mon due to knee and actually shin pain Friday which was quite bad.

We're thick in fair preparation. Static exhibits go up Tuesday morning and rabbits on Thursday morning then rabbit contests Thurs-Sat, awards Sunday, and pick up static exhibits Monday. Also the half marathon training with Jocelyn is supposed to start on Sunday. I will hold next week kinda loosely since it's basically our busiest week of the year. 

Julie wrote:Just quick check in, ran 4.8 miles Tues and 7.6 this morning after resting Sat-Mon due to knee and actually shin pain Friday which was quite bad.

We're thick in fair preparation. Static exhibits go up Tuesday morning and rabbits on Thursday morning then rabbit contests Thurs-Sat, awards Sunday, and pick up static exhibits Monday. Also the half marathon training with Jocelyn is supposed to start on Sunday. I will hold next week kinda loosely since it's basically our busiest week of the year. 

The ice man will make a mint, next week.  Good luck and maybe have some fun.

Hi Julie!

In case you missed it from my blog, here's the best advice I can give you on ultra training: 

 I followed a plan by a coach in Los Angeles who started the Ultraladies running group. It focused on building miles over time, without a lot of big back-to-back runs like you see in other training approaches, like irunfar and others. She told me that her approach doesn't tend to result in fast finishes, but it does yield a high number of finishes with fewer injuries. That was good enough for me. And I'd say she was right. I didn't burn up the field, not by a long shot - I was DFL - but I did finish. Just not as quickly as I thought I would. (I blame fueling and hydration problems and poor ankle conditioning for that.) In fact, I was pretty irritated that my throbbing ankles kept me from using the energy I could feel was ready to be used and move down that trail faster. But that's ultras - something always goes wrong, and it's usually the thing you don't expect that gets you.


Hope that helps!

Thanks Doug! 

Thanks Mark! I am looking at a 50 miler October of 2024. Spring ultras (or anything) are tricky for me because of the ice and snow and my difficulty getting long runs done on the treadmill.

Right now Jocelyn and I just have 20 days til her first half marathon. Training has been OK-ish. When we had really hot days she didn't run very much because getting up at 6 was making her too tired. But hopefully we get a few good runs in the next week weeks, at least. Last Saturday (8 days ago) she had a good 8 miler. Then I got a bad cold and haven't been up to much. The coughing keeps me awake at night so running has not been great. We walked a few times and walk-ran once or twice.

Anyway, I'll update at least after the half marathon. She just turned 14 in July. I did run a full marathon very very early in my pregnancy with her, and a half marathon when I was 30 weeks with her and she kept me company on many many jogging stroller runs so this seems extra special. And I am very happy that she enjoys running and it's been a good time for us to have conversation without little siblings interrupting.

Julie wrote:Thanks Doug! 

Thanks Mark! I am looking at a 50 miler October of 2024. Spring ultras (or anything) are tricky for me because of the ice and snow and my difficulty getting long runs done on the treadmill.

Right now Jocelyn and I just have 20 days til her first half marathon. Training has been OK-ish. When we had really hot days she didn't run very much because getting up at 6 was making her too tired. But hopefully we get a few good runs in the next week weeks, at least. Last Saturday (8 days ago) she had a good 8 miler. Then I got a bad cold and haven't been up to much. The coughing keeps me awake at night so running has not been great. We walked a few times and walk-ran once or twice.

Anyway, I'll update at least after the half marathon. She just turned 14 in July. I did run a full marathon very very early in my pregnancy with her, and a half marathon when I was 30 weeks with her and she kept me company on many many jogging stroller runs so this seems extra special. And I am very happy that she enjoys running and it's been a good time for us to have conversation without little siblings interrupting.

That's a great story, Julie.  I'm sure you'll be that little voice in her head regarding all of the things first timers think about before, during, and after a race or the day before or even the day(s) before that.

Good luck to you both!

Julie wrote:Thanks Doug! 

Thanks Mark! I am looking at a 50 miler October of 2024. Spring ultras (or anything) are tricky for me because of the ice and snow and my difficulty getting long runs done on the treadmill.

Right now Jocelyn and I just have 20 days til her first half marathon. Training has been OK-ish. When we had really hot days she didn't run very much because getting up at 6 was making her too tired. But hopefully we get a few good runs in the next week weeks, at least. Last Saturday (8 days ago) she had a good 8 miler. Then I got a bad cold and haven't been up to much. The coughing keeps me awake at night so running has not been great. We walked a few times and walk-ran once or twice.

Anyway, I'll update at least after the half marathon. She just turned 14 in July. I did run a full marathon very very early in my pregnancy with her, and a half marathon when I was 30 weeks with her and she kept me company on many many jogging stroller runs so this seems extra special. And I am very happy that she enjoys running and it's been a good time for us to have conversation without little siblings interrupting.

I'm so impressed with you goal to run an ultra!  

And even more excited to see you running with Jocelyn.  What a special relationship/experience.  Let us know how she does in her first half.  

Enjoy the fall weather.  Stay safe this winter.

Thank you! I will write more later but Jocelyn and I had a nice half marathon this morning. She did very well and although we didn't notice all of the mile plaques (they're just small, and permanent along the trail) so my watch splits are fairly useless/untelling, I think we paced ourselves well. I don't see official results yet but I think we were around 2:31:something or right around 11:30 pace. Nobody passed us after we initially got into our groove except for a couple that we later passed before the turnaround. We did pass a few people the last half, including a guy a few yards from the finish (that was actually pretty satisfying as we kicked it in really hard for the finish).
  - Noah was asking me to include the bunny.

Just hopping in quickly to say running has not been amazing. I was doing pretty well with the off and on shin pain that my PT friend things is a stress reaction, then in late January my right knee started buckling. I have really not run much in the last 5 ish weeks. But going for walks. I am not sure if I am going to run an organized race this year. If I do  it would have to be in the fall. 
I have an appointment with an interventional radiologist this afternoon for a consult regarding my painful varicose veins of both legs (never were great, progressively worse each pregnancy, especially twins in spite of daily compression stocking wearing). So I am really hoping that he is willing to do something for me and hopefully before too long. But if I do that, I think that's a couple of weeks off running anyway, so it seems like good timing.

Julie wrote:Just hopping in quickly to say running has not been amazing. I was doing pretty well with the off and on shin pain that my PT friend things is a stress reaction, then in late January my right knee started buckling. I have really not run much in the last 5 ish weeks. But going for walks. I am not sure if I am going to run an organized race this year. If I do  it would have to be in the fall. 
I have an appointment with an interventional radiologist this afternoon for a consult regarding my painful varicose veins of both legs (never were great, progressively worse each pregnancy, especially twins in spite of daily compression stocking wearing). So I am really hoping that he is willing to do something for me and hopefully before too long. But if I do that, I think that's a couple of weeks off running anyway, so it seems like good timing.

Hey Julie...great to hear from you.  Sorry to hear that running isn't going so great at the moment.  Hope the appointment went well and they are able to do something to help.  

Keep up the walking as you're able.  Hope you're back to the activity level you enjoy sooner rather than later.

Take care.

nkrichards wrote:

Julie wrote:Just hopping in quickly to say running has not been amazing. I was doing pretty well with the off and on shin pain that my PT friend things is a stress reaction, then in late January my right knee started buckling. I have really not run much in the last 5 ish weeks. But going for walks. I am not sure if I am going to run an organized race this year. If I do  it would have to be in the fall. 
I have an appointment with an interventional radiologist this afternoon for a consult regarding my painful varicose veins of both legs (never were great, progressively worse each pregnancy, especially twins in spite of daily compression stocking wearing). So I am really hoping that he is willing to do something for me and hopefully before too long. But if I do that, I think that's a couple of weeks off running anyway, so it seems like good timing.

Hey Julie...great to hear from you.  Sorry to hear that running isn't going so great at the moment.  Hope the appointment went well and they are able to do something to help.  

Keep up the walking as you're able.  Hope you're back to the activity level you enjoy sooner rather than later.

Take care.

Well, that's a punch in the gut, Julie. My only opinion on your predicament is that mobility is far more important than running. FAR more important, especially with all of the single-digit rugrats in your home. My apologies for giving you another punch.

Thanks Nancy and Doug.

I went in for a free  PT knee assessment with a coworker of my friend Tiffany's. She said basically what Tiffany said in 2012. Tight right hip , inwardly rotating (this is just how it was made) and it's putting a lot of strain on my knee. So I need to get my hips stronger so my knees get a break. I tried running this morning, ran-walk-limped 4.8 miles but I'd say ran 2 of them. Just really not doing well and it hurts. But nothing really badly torn or anything, MCL sore but not wretched. 

Tomorrow Jocelyn and I head to Italy for 13 days and will be doing a lot of walking but no running. We get back Sunday night then my first vein ablation/surgery Tues, then 2 weeks of no running, then another vein ablation and another 2 weeks off. So no running til May 21 but I need to be really diligent with my strengthening exercises. I was going to try to fit PT in this past week but didn't get referral from doctor and ended up being extra busy with 2 dentist appointments and all that stuff, trip prep, etc.

So that's been my life. Italy should be fun, though! Jocelyn has never been out of the country and I haven't been out  in the last 20 years (went to Poland at ages 16 and 20). Thanks for reading! 

Oh and on another personal note, my plucky 97.5 year old grandma fell at home this week and fractured her left hip. She had had  a good run at living at home and really wanted to die there but looks like nursing home is in her very near future (as soon as things get straightened out, she's still in the hospital but came out of surgery fine). She has been making us all nervous, especially the last year, for her safety in being alone so this is a good thing really.

We kids have to watch our knees and hips just all of the time.  I think if I had taken my 66 year old self back in time to my pre-teens (tweener?) and said that you need to become more active or you'll die like your grandmother (widowmaker MI) will, it might have made a difference.  Not really sure. Going when I was a freshman in high school probably would have made more of an impression on me.

Well, your grandma had a good run at being independent.  Get her as active as you can, once she's in the nursing home.

Enjoy Italy.  I hear they eat pasta over there.

Seems like we all post more about PT and medical appointments than about running.  Oh well...at least we still have a few run/walk activities in our lives.

Hope you and Jocelyn had a fun trip.  Those trips are a pretty special time to make lasting memories.  Glad you're willing/able to take the time to spend with her.  Pretty awesome year for the two of your...her first half and a trip to Italy within the past 12 months if I remember correctly.

Hope your vein ablations and recovery are going well.  I'm sure you'll be itching to run again when you're allowed. 

Take care of yourself and enjoy your family time...they won't be young forever.