Life Past 30

I am finally beginning to shed the blues I had during the extremely cold winter we had.  After suffering from cold, stiff fingers, a numb nose, and mean winds, I volunteer to be the first person to bid winter goodbye!  I happily wore a jacket today and left the coat behind.  It felt good.  Now that Spring is here, my spirit is soaring and yearning for a change of scenery.  Lately, I have been dreaming of taking a nice vacation where the weather is warm, the water is blue, and the night breezes are mild.  Rejuvenation is what I crave and any island will do right now.

This summer will be the perfect time to take a break between training for this year’s Marine Corps Marathon and running it.  An island break is my prescription for getting rid of heavy clothes and forgetting dreary skies.  One thing I miss about being in Okinawa is being able to go to the nearest beach, have a few drinks, and watch the sun rise.  Okinawa is where I was able to truly relax and take in the scenery.  I plan on rekindling a bit of that this year!

It has been approximately 5 months since I completed last year’s Marine Corps Marathon.  Since that day, I have been looking forward to running the 2009 MCM, but with better preparation than last year.  I now know what I need to do prevent the extreme soreness I had for the four days following race day.  I realized soon after that day that I should have worn running pants, instead of shorts, a hat, and thin jacket to keep my temperature up.  Upon completing the course, I was quite chilly and I am sure that contributed to the muscle tightness and pain.

This year, however, will be a lot different.   My running plan is more solid and I have found a pair of running shoes that will no doubt help propel me past the last grueling 6.2 miles.  Mental conditioning has never been a problem for me, so finding the motivation necessary to keep me going will be easy.  Once again, I am finding myself excited to embark upon yet another personal challenge.  If all goes well with the marathon, I will also be participating in the American Heart Association Walk in November.

Since running the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon, I have enjoyed eating what I want and even started eating red meat again.  I have found roast beef quite enjoyable, but still won’t eat it too often.  Besides that, I have consumed my favorite food, homemade french fries, countless times.  To be honest, I have not worked out much and have been enjoying life without daily training.  The extremely cold weather was one factor that kept me inside most of the time with the exception of going out with my family and going to work.

However, running has been on my mind every day and I have been creating a training plan that will be better than last year’s plan.  Of course, this year’s goal is to run the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon on October 25 at or under five hours.  I have completed a few small runs to assess my current level and now that the weather is mild enough to not cause extreme “lung burn”, I am ready for more training.  The past three months have been challenging in the fact that I have not been able to run as much as I wanted, but now that I’m completely healed, I will commence working toward my goal.

I am excited, but not nervous like I was last year because I know what to expect.  This year, my weaknesses will be obliterated and I will be 100% ready to take on the challenge of running 26.2 miles again.  Just writing about it is enough motivation!

For the past three days, I have been experiencing a nagging pain in the back of my right knee.  That is the knee I had surgery on 10 years ago and for some reason, the pain is exacerbated by sitting for long periods of time.  Another thing I have noticed, besides the pain, is some accompanying swelling.  This is more than likely the cause of the pain behind my knee.  Stretching and massaging the area mitigates the discomfort, but only temporarily.  I am quite sure this is the result of running the marathon, but I do not know why it is affecting me now.  It is almost like it was lying-in-wait until I was ready to start training again.  An ambush.  I am sitting here now and constantly shifting in my chair because movement while sitting helps a little. 

I understand perfectly that marathon running puts a lot of strain on the body and that the healing process can sometimes take longer than expected.  Up until three days ago, everything was feeling great and then this new pain showed itself.  I wish it would go back to where ever it came from.  Its presence is only telling me that I need to run a little and soon!  The only thing I can do between now and Thursday is continue to stretch the area and deal with the discomfort the best way I know how.  Did I mention that my knee issues get under my skin sometimes?   

I must rescind the “Worst Morning” award given to yesterday’s morning rush hour.  THIS morning was the worst, but crocheting helped me deal with it.  As I progressed in making the scarf I plan on wearing out of here this evening, I stopped caring about the traffic and was happy to have the seat beside me remain empty all the way to the downtown area.  Not one person interrupted me while I crocheted and my ears were not assailed by the screaming of young children.  Don’t get me wrong, I love children, but I cannot tolerate uncontrolled outbursts and fits.  That is just one reason why I do not go to Chuck E. Cheese’s.  Overall, the bus was very quiet and that is always a great thing.   

I woke up in a great mood this morning because, for the first time in a long time, I was able to snag 9 hours of sleep last night.  I honestly cannot recall the last time I was able to do that.  I stayed away from the computer when I got home and was not tempted in the least to log on.  Feeling good as I write this post, my mind is racing with thoughts of running again.  December 1st will be here before I know it and the prospect of hitting the pavement and clearing my head is so welcoming.  I have been perusing a few sites that sell workout clothing and found a few items that will be perfect for running in the cold.  The shoes I wore during the marathon still have a lot of miles on them, but I plan on buying another pair soon.  With the number of miles I plan on running, the new shoes will come in handy.  Now, if only I could find a way to fast forward through the next couple of weeks. 

I thought this morning would be a normal beginning to a work day.  As usual, I showered, got dressed, fixed my hair, and worked out the budget for breakfast and lunch.  I use public transportation because it is easier than driving.  Tooling around in a car in Washington, DC during morning rush hour traffic is not my idea of fun, so I choose to use the bus.  This allows me to think, read, or crochet during my trek to work.  As I was walking up the street to get to the bus stop, I saw my bus approaching the stop quickly, so I did what is normal and sprinted.  This was the first time I ran since running the Marine Corps Marathon and it felt weird, but I did it.  I made it to the bus, got on, paid my fare and sat down for what would be a 20-30 minute ride.  When I got up to debark the bus at my stop, I did not expect to feel some not-so-nice pain in my feet and ankles.  I got off the bus and had to walk slowly for the first five minutes just to help my feet feel normal again.  I am now convinced that the little sprint to the bus was the cause of the pain.  I will continue to walk like I have been and try not to sprint for anymore buses any time soon.

For those who don’t already know, I completed the 26.2 mile Marine Corps Marathon on October 26, 2008.  Immediately following the finish, I was in pain and ate everything I could to help speed up muscle recovery.  Since then, I have been taking it easy, walking a lot, and watching my diet.  All this aided in helping me become pain-free by Halloween.  Up until yesterday, I was feeling wonderful and decided to go for an evening walk after work.  The pace was normal for me, which is fast, however, I began feeling a little pain in the back of my right knee.  This is the knee I had surgery on 10 years ago.  Luckily, it was not pain associated with an injury, but rather of fluid build up.  I slowed my pace to isolate the exact origin of the pain, soon realizing that the back of the knee was slightly swollen.  When I got home, I immediately began massaging the area and then propped my feet up on a pillow.  From that point on, I relaxed until it was time to go to bed.  The last thing I want is an injury and will take extra care when walking to prevent one.  The walking will continue at a slightly slower pace than my usual until whatever is irritated in my knee heals itself.  When I start training again in three weeks, it will be slow and methodical, yet beneficial.

Here it is, one week after the marathon and I am starting to feel like my old self again.  My walking pace is back to normal, my muscles are no longer sore, and my nutrition has been constant.  I’m planning on starting a training routine in around three weeks, but if I am not feeling up to it by then, I will wait until I’m ready.  As for my post-race diet, I have been eating veggies, fruit, pasta, potatoes, and brown rice.  Rewarding myself with a bag of chips was, of course, necessary and I included a couple of packs of GU for quicker muscle recovery.  Other than that, I have been watching what I eat because I don’t want to undue the benefits I’m reaping as a a result of completing the marathon.  I have been craving seafood, specifically shrimp and scallops, very badly and have been to the grocery store in search of something that will fill this void.  Last night, I ate a small dish of Alfredo pasta with carrots, red peppers, and shrimp, but it wasn’t enough.  My goal today is to find good seafood in an adequate portion. 

Since April of this year, I had run almost non-stop with activity ranging from work, parenting, training for the marathon, and attending social gatherings.  Now, one week after the marathon, I’m finally getting a break from training and socializing.  My muscles are no longer sore, my knees feel great, and my body feels good.  I have slept better in the past week than I have in the past two months!  Everyone needs a break every now and then to regroup, physically and mentally.  I’m taking that opportunity now.  Taking a break allows one to rebuild energy and get back in touch with themselves without having to carve out inadequate bits of time.  Now that I’m not training and won’t be for at least another three weeks, I can take the extra time to complete crochet projects I was not able to get to before.  The key is to enjoy each day and all it has to offer.

During my time in Marine Corps boot camp, I injured my right knee when I fell on cement flooring in what we called a “sea-hut”.  It was 19 degrees outside and the only thing separating us from the cold were screens all around the building.  Determined to graduate from Parris Island on time, I continued to run and train as usual.  From that day on, my knee hurt and I dealt with it.  In 1998, I had knee surgery to correct the problem and felt better for a couple of years.  However, the relief I got from the surgery was short-lived because sometime in early 2001, my knee began hurting again, although I had not been doing anything strenuous.

Over the years, the pain got progressively worse and I would, on occasion, take pain medication for it.  I also used heating treatments and sports creams to alleviate the pain.  This continued until I started taking Osteo Bi-Flex last year.  After one week, most of the knee pain was gone and the swelling had subsided significantly.  I couldn’t believe it!  After one month, all of my knee pain had disappeared and I felt like I did before the initial injury.  If it was not for Osteo Bi-Flex, I would not have been able to run 5 miles, let alone the 26.2 miles of the marathon and I’m glad I started using it.  It was a wise decision.