Are you gellin?

Hello Friends and Family,
I have officially finished my first “For Real” marathon training week and am on my way to finishing week #2 and #3! (I haven’t updated in a while…sorry about that!) A lot has happened since I last posted.
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First, I would like to say that Dance Marathon has been doing a great job of sending us weekly emails with our training schedule, running groups/maps, healthy tips, and stretching exercises, etc. Very Helpful – Kudos to Dance Marathon Training group! I’m not sure that I would make it through this journey without the help of them.
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Second, I have met with a nutritionist who works for the University of Iowa. She is FREE –which is my favorite thing about it! She has given lots of great tips about what to eat, when to eat, how to eat and all of those yummy things. If you’re interested check out this website: mypyramid.gov – lots of helpful facts and information there.
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Third, I tried out the new shoes that I bought from Running Wild. They felt good, but I was still having trouble with the foot going numb. Actually not just the original foot anymore, but now my toes on my other foot were going numb as well! Can’t a girl get a break! I chalked it up to being that they didn’t have enough room in the toe area and they were getting smashed??? I would stop every so often and take my shoe off, rub/massage the bottom of my foot and start all over again, frustration on the verge of every numbing step. So once again, Cheri had a mental breakdown on the couch downstairs…sometimes a girl just needs to have a good cry – that’s how I flush the system!
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One thing I did not realize when I decide to sign up for this marathon, was that my emotional spirit would also be taken on a journey as well. I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn’t realize how draining it would be on my psyche. This will only make me stronger, repeat as needed!
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I did go back to Running Wild and talked to a different guy who had a lot of great tips and actually fitted me with a shoe that had more support opposed to the only cushioned shoe I had before….I haven’t tried them yet but I will this weekend. He said that these will be better with my shin splints.
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Last bit of information is that I had an appointment with a Podiatrist, Dr. Scholz. Oh yes, that is her name! I had to laugh when I realized that, and couldn’t help but wonder if she legally changed her name to that?? She seems to think that I have carpal tunnel in my ankle which then causes the foot to go numb. Something to the effect of a nerve or artery is getting pinched and then cuts off circulation? I don’t know – she talked like Vanessa Huxtable’s friend Kara – so fast I only heard her ending words...she gave me inserts to put in my shoes that are supposed to force my foot to run on the outside instead of the inside, and then she mentioned something about SHOTS- If the inserts do not work!…I HATE SHOTS!
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Ran a 5k on Saturday in Coralville for the 4th Fest, it was ok…once again I finished another race with a completely numb foot praying to God that I wouldn’t biff it at the finish line in front of 50 people! Thankfully I kept it together! Not sure what my next move is…guess I’m going to keep trying out the new inserts for the recommended 2 weeks by Dr. Sholz and go from there.
So now I am on my 4th official week of Marathon Training. I have borrowed my sister-in-laws treadmill which I am happy to have on the 95 degree days. Although, running on a treadmill is terribly boring and I think I may fall off due to boredom. It feels like it takes so much longer to run a 3mile run on a treadmill than outside. Maybe I can get one of those simulation screens so it feels like I’m going somewhere! =)
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I head off to Mexico this week on Thursday, the husband said he will run with me while we are there…we’ll see how that works out! I’m not worried about him, I’m more worried about myself…
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Audios Amigos!
RFTK
Cheri

Shin Splint This! Where the Sun Don't Shine!

One of two things are happening with the incessant injuries I have accumulated...

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1) It is possible that God is testing my very short limits. He knows that there is plenty of DVR'd reruns and Lifetime movies for me to watch, but thought that he would instill this crazy idea that running and training for a marathon would be the best thing for me to do during my summer!
OR

2) My Body is allowing every possible flippin' injury known to mankind happen to me- ON PURPOSE! The only injuries left to make my experience complete would be a stab wound and a concussion. I may be close to both. My body is apparently trying to show me how good I had it, before I started training for a Marathon. I believe it is safe to say that my body is laughing in my face right now.

Seriously ENOUGH already with the injuries!

Oh so in case you couldn't tell by the title of this lovely entry...I believe I now have a shin splint on my left leg. If you have never experienced one of these lovely delights - let me just tell ya! They hurt with every step or pound you make. I may have to result to crawling...

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So I've done a little research on shin splints (such a dirty duo that name is). Basically, they suck and apparently I was supposed to be preventing all along and should have known that they were coming. This is going to sound really dumb but, I always thought a shin splint was like a "bone spur" i guess...splint - spur...see the similarities. I KNOW, Right?? But in smart people terms or wikipedia:

Although the term shin splints is often used to describe a variety of lower leg
problems, it actually refers specifically to a condition called Medial Tibial
Stress Syndrome (MTSS). To better understand shin splints, or
MTSS, Specifically, the pain associated with shin splints is a result of
fatigue and trauma to the muscle's tendons where they attach themselves to the
tibia. In an effort to keep the foot, ankle and lower leg stable, the muscles
exert a great force on the tibia. This excessive force can result in the tendons
being partially torn away from the bone

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Neat Huh? So my muscle is pulling away! From the Bone!

So apparently since I didn't PREVENT my injury, cause i check out my disengaged muscles at least once a week...i need to pop Ibuprofen - Check, Ice the injury - Check, Rest and elevate, Check! hopefully it will be good once again! Probably some time next year but hey least I have goals!
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On to other news...I think I may have figured out a solution to my ever increased thirst during my long runs. And since there really aren't any trails that provide water throughout our routes I have taken it upon myself to figure something out for the greater good. If you are a family member or friend of mine, I am sure you have been Hawkeye Tailgating once in your lifetime. I saw the coolest thing last year as I weaved in and out of a sea of black & gold - A MOTORIZED COOLER!... Yes folks, i would like to get a motorized cooler to follow me on my long runs...well maybe it should be ahead of me so i have a reason to keep running! Now how cool would that be? And they have comfortable seats that you can purchase and a special bar so you can pop a wheelie...see pictures below:

Look at this thing! Who wants to be my driver??!!! this is total genius! In fact I may hold auditions because I know quite a few people who would be sooooo willing to drive this for me! :)

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So anyways enough kidding around! I start officially on my 16 week training program this Monday, June 8. 16 weeks will take me to the Marathon...That sounds so little an amount of time...I am very nervous because I will be running with the DM group and don't feel as if I am up to par...My injuries have kept me from doing my best, but this should only make me try harder, right? So on forward I go...This will be the first week with my new shoes too...I'll have to get back to ya on that subject to let you know if Running Wild fixed my problem or not!

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Signing off....RFTK

Cheri

Get In My Belly!

I have finished week 7 of Early Bird training! One more week left before I officially start my Marathon Training. I have seen a lot of positive changes this last week!

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One, I am constantly hungry! No this is a good thing - i love to eat! And what better way than to burn an incessant amount of calories and then to be able to eat whatever the hell I want! ESPECIALLY CARBS! I love bread, pasta, crackers, fruit...must I say more! My metabolism must be going a mile a minute (a lot faster than I run) - because I can't seem to feed myself fast enough!

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Two, My body is changing. In a good way - things are tightening up. yeah bikini season! Never thought i would utter those words. I'm starting to think that this marathon idea wasn't so crazy after all. I will get back to this thought in a few weeks :0)

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Three, My endurance is climbing every day....Sunday I had a 6 mile run. This is the longest i have ever attempted. I did OK...I did better than i thought i would. I was just starving for water the last half of my run! and seriously contemplated and calculated the disease and germ factor if I were to take a few drinks from the creek flowing beside us. Where are the drinking fountains, City of Coralville??? uhhhh..so thirsty....uhhh Just so you know...6 miles is a really long way when you are on foot! Seriously - I can drive that 6 miles in 3 minutes opposed to the hour and 10 minutes of huffing and puffing I did! Oh well - it's all for the greater good, right??!!!?? (yes Cheri, keep telling yourself that!)

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Other happenings this week.... I went to Running Wild RIGHT after our run on Sunday. Still having issues with the foot so I felt I should consult Running Wild which is a store in Coralville that specializes in running shoes. They really do know their stuff and are very thorough when "prescribing" a type of shoe to a customer. They ask that you bring in your current running shoes so they can inspect your tread - this apparently helps them figure out how you place your foot while walking/running. They also make you walk up and down the length of the store several times as they watch how you place your feet when you take steps-all the while dodging other customers.
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From just these few happenings, they can decide what type of shoe would fit you best. So after they get it narrowed down to a few different styles for you to try on...they have you jog down the sidewalk and back in the new shoes, all the the while, trying to focus on the feel and if they are hitting you in the right place. Remember... I had told you we went to Running Wild AFTER the 6 mile run...Good God, I thought I was done with heavy breathing for the day! During all of this they asked me a lot of questions about; Where the numbness starts? How it effects me? and is there any pain afterwards? and so on...
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None the less the experience was interesting - I was informed that Footlocker scammed me into buying an insert that i really didn't need -SHOCKER! (Yes Yes...stupid me for going there in the first place). They also said that my arch in my shoe may be too high which could be causing my discomfort, AND I got to spend over a $100 on running shoes and 3 pairs of socks - AWESOME! but hey, the way i see it -if it makes me feel better when i run it was totally worth it. I do have 2 weeks to try them out and if they don't work I can come back and they can analyze me some more! I am not completely convinced that the new shoes will fix my problem, but i am wishing really really hard that it does fix it.

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The second cool thing that happened last week...The University of Iowa has a program called "LiveWELL". It is geared toward keeping the employees healthy and making good life choices, instill a good diet, stress management, etc. Basically every 6 months you can fill out their survey which goes over the previous points i listed. The added bonus to taking this survey is that they ACTUALLY PAY YOU WHEN YOU TAKE IT! SCORE! So I got a call last week from a health coach...i made an appointment, she asked what i wanted to work on if anything - and I informed her that i need help with Diet and nutrition. The Husband and I get "C"'s in this department. He's a farm boy -meat and potato's and i have grown up in the Midwest my whole life. We are not terrible eaters - we're just not educated! So this is the deal - i will meet with this dietitian and learn about BMI and the food groups and all that good stuff. AND it's FREEEEEEEE! i am very excited - it's like finding a good bargain! what better time could this have happened for me.
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So needless to say my spirits are high as I enter my last week of Early Bird training. I haven't tried out the new shoes yet - my right foot has been really sore to the point where it's difficult to walk and i have officially become a ibuprofen pill popper. But Hey I'm still positive - this will all work out!
~ Running For The Kids
Cheri