Training for the Portland Marathon - Weeks 10 and 11

My sister and I are in the final month of training for the Portland Marathon! It has been a busy, dedicated summer for the two of us. We are focused on crossing that finish line in the Rose City on Sunday, October 5. If you've been reading this Hub series so far, you'll know that we've both run local races, battled illness, achieved work deadlines and worked to meet varied family obligations - all while following a training schedule for our first marathon! As of the date of this publication, there are less than three weeks to go. In case you missed any of the excitement of our marathon training, here are links to the preceding weeks:

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week One

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Two

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Three

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Four

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Five

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Six

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Seven

Training for the Portland Marathon - Weeks Eight and Nine

Jeanette and I are both registered for the race and we have a hotel room in Portland for the big weekend. We have been fine-tuning our iPod playlists and our running gear, making sure that our shoes fit and have adequate support for the long run. As I am headed towards a milestone birthday in December, a life goal of mine was to complete a marathon before 40. Unfortunately, my legs, knees and back are no longer 20 years old. At the beginning of Week Ten, I suffered an injury that threatened to dash my hopes of completing a marathon before Christmas. Read on to find out more about the diagnosis, prognosis and the steps I've been taking to stay in shape for the race.

Jeanette is several years younger than me, but not immune to the injury fairy. A week after I got hurt, Jeanette also hurt her knee during a 20-mile run. We are proceeding very cautiously in our continued training to make sure that we keep our endurance levels up, while protecting our legs from further injury. We are determined to complete the marathon run!

Sunday 8/31 -Pete went golfing this morning and I have so many things to get done before school starts (and we leave for Hawaii) that I didn't want to wait until later in the day to run. So, I got on my treadmill for the first time in AGES. Wow - the first 1/2 mile, I kept mis-stepping and nearly fell. I was just not used to running on it. Plus, my treadmill is old and is stuck on an incline, so it kicked my butt! I only made it 4 miles. But that's better than nothing. Tomorrow, I will get out for a quick loop before a homeowners association meeting. Then... the first day of school on Tuesday! Wow. Cannot believe summer is basically over.

Monday 9/1 - So, I am very worried. I injured myself (probably yesterday while trying not to fall of the treadmill). While walking down steps yesterday, I noticed that the muscles above my right knee, on the inside, were very stiff and sore. I took a bunch of ibuprofen and hoped for the best. In the morning, it seemed to feel fine, so I went out for my 6.2 mile loop. First three miles were fine, then I turned and ran up hill in miles 4-5. By about 4.7 miles, my leg was killing me. I walked the last few miles home, limping in pain most of the way. I took more ibuprofen at home and iced it a bit. Hours later, I can hardly walk up and down the stairs. I went to Footzone to see if it might be my shoes and they agreed that since I had been running in my shoes for over a month and had no issues after my 18-mile run that it was quite likely the treadmill. I will do one or both of the following - go to the doctor and/or go back to Footzone on Tuesday evening when they have a PT/massage therapist specialist there. Of course, I will have to rest for a few days. I really hope that this resolves itself quickly so I can still run the marathon!

Tuesday 9/2 - My leg is still very stiff and sore. I went to the doctor over my lunch hour, who referred me to physical therapy. She called it a medial vastus injury. I Googled the term and discovered that it is an inside of the leg muscle above the knee, that is part of the quadriceps. Looks like I strained the muscle. What I really want to find out from PT is what can I do (if anything) to speed the healing and when can I start running again without injuring it further? In the meantime, I'm dosing up on Ibuprofen (800 mg every 5-6 hours) and when I get home from work, I'll ice it again.

Wednesday 9/3 - At physical therapy today, the PT asked me if I had ever been diagnosed with scoliosis? It appears that my back is messed up which, like the alignment of a car, is causing bad tread on my "tires."We went through some exercises and he looked at my shoes. The PT agreed that I needed to use shoes with more support instead of my relatively new Nikes. I was relieved when I left, having some answers. No wonder I pop my back every night when I'm in bed! And last winter, I had a great deal of back pain that almost (and should have) sent me to a chiropractor. Keeping my fingers crossed that the marathon is not off the table...

Thursday 9/4 - Today was a busy day - a number of meetings and things to get out. We're leaving to drive to Portland, from which we will fly to Hawaii on Friday for my friend Dianne's wedding!! Normally, I would have made sure to get a run in, but I am in rest mode obviously. I've still been anxious and a bit depressed about my leg. I was a good girl though, and went through my exercises. We left around 4:00 for Portland. It was an easy drive with the weather and I took some photos of Mt. Hood, which cheered me up. Crappy airport hotel, but it worked. Pete and I had dinner at the in-house restaurant and called it a day around 10:00 p.m.

Friday 9/5 - Out the front door of the hotel around 7:45 for a shuttle to the airport. Our flight was leaving at 10:15, but we didn't want to wait 1/2 hour for the next shuttle. VERY easy check-in at the Hawaiian counter. There were 3 older Hawaiian men who were super friendly, typed in our code for the check-in, complimented my camera and cheered us on our way. Seriously, I have not had such great customer service in a long time! We ate at a little cafe by the gate and I logged on to check emails, etc. The plane boarded around 9:45 and we were on our way for a 5-plus hour flight. My leg is definitely doing better, but I'm not going to rush back into running yet. I figure I will try around Tuesday or Wednesday next week, depending on how things are going. We flew to Maui, then got a connecting flight to Kona. Not too bad getting our bags, picking up the rental car and getting the keys to the condo. GORGEOUS condo too!!! We stopped by the grocery store and picked up POG and vodka for some homemade cocktails. And of course, I got some photos of the Hawaiian sunset.

Saturday 9/6 - Woke up bright and early. OK, it was just early because the sun was not up yet. Hawaii is 3 hours behind Oregon, so although it was 5:30 a.m. here, it was "really" 8:30 a.m. to my body. We had a big day planned! Beautiful morning, hardly any clouds. We set out around 7:00 a.m. to drive to the southern-most point in the United States (literally, South Point). We arrived around 8:30 and had a lot of time to explore, take photos and just marvel about the fact that we were actually on vacation, in Hawaii, without our kids! After South Point, we went another 12 miles to a black sand beach. Sea turtles had emerged (and were still coming in) from the ocean to rest on the beach. Really an amazing sight! It was a wonderful morning. We had lunch at an excellent sweet bread bakery (touting itself as the furthest south bakery in the U.S.) and drove back north. Next, we stopped at the Place of Refuge and started touring the grounds. All of a sudden the rain started. We got soaked to the bone! But its a warm rain... We explored a bit more, checking out some famous points referenced in our tour book (including sites concerning Captain Cook and, also, King Kamehameha). We visited a gorgeous painted church too. Finally, we stopped at a coffee plantation for Kona coffee tasting. Excellent!! I am going to figure I walked at least 2 miles. My leg is not hurting. A very good sign.

Stephanie's Week Ten Grand Total: 10.2 running, plus 2 miles walking (yeah, Jeanette, no worries about low mileage!!)

Sunday 8/31 - So, I'm feeling VERY weird that I'm "off" schedule and not doing a long run today. But I'm running in a half-marathon tomorrow, so I decided it would be best to give myself a break today. Instead of running, I enjoyed my last kid-free day!! I got up early (yes, early!) and went to church. After church, I helped Kurt get up and get showered. Then he finally decided he was ready to leave the house. We had a grown up brunch at our local tavern...yum! Of course, all that activity wore him out (you know, getting into and out of the car and sitting down and eating?!?). So, we came back home. I spent the rest of the day working and putting out my fall decor. With all this cloudy and cool weather, it almost feels like October here!! I wish I were going to Hawaii .... !!

Monday 9/1 - My goal for the half-marathon today is to finish in 2.0 hours (essentially running a 9.1/mile on average). This will be tough for me, but doable if I don't stop to walk or hit the potty! My time for my first (and only) half-marathon back in March was 2:09, and that was on a very hilly course. And I'd like to think that I've improved dramatically since then. So we shall see!! Ta Da!!! I DID IT! I don't have the "official" results yet, but according to my Garmin, I ran the course in 1:56 (must be lucky bib number 857)!!!!! This is just fantastic for me!! The race was just wonderful--cool and cloudy day and a relatively flat course. The first 6.5 miles I averaged a pace of 8:21, which was way too fast. Then, I stopped to pee, eat some GU, and slowed my pace down a bit. My average for the entire run was 8:46/mile. I wasn't sure I would be able to maintain a 9:00/mile pace, so this was stupendous for me. My friend, Chelese, was there to cheer and it was SO nice to see a friendly face in the crowds. It's going to be hard to rein it in at Portland and avoid going out too fast. But knowing how I feel now, there's no way I can remotely run this fast for 26.2 miles.

Tuesday 9/2 - I'm taking today off...obviously. All in all, I'm feeling really good. My legs stiffened up quite a bit by yesterday evening, so I was worried that I would be quite sore today. But I'm not too bad! I certainly feel stiff walking up and down the stairs, but otherwise I feel fine. During the run I felt a blister starting to form on my left foot, but even that feels fine today. By tomorrow I should be just fine to run my regular 5-mile route. Now I just need to start channeling all my good feelings to Stephanie so she recovers quickly!!! On another note, I just checked the official results from the race yesterday. I completed the race in 1:56:21 and finished 59/156 in my age group. I finished 457/882 overall (so right smack in the middle of the pack). I still think I did pretty well overall!

Wednesday 9/3 - Even though I planned to run today, life got the better of me. Both kids start back to school on Monday, and I'm swamped with all sorts of preschool obligations (I'm on the board of the school, so I'm busy helping get the year kicked off). Also, I have a huge work project due tonight. And, most importantly, I want to stay in for the evening and catch the speeches at the GOP convention. YEAH SARAH!!!!

Thursday 9/4 - I am just POOPED today. I stayed up working until after 1:00 a.m. Then, just as I got to sleep, Hailey woke me up (she wet the bed). Great timing!! I had to get up early today to get downtown Seattle to meet with the second law firm I'm helping out right now. After picking up the kids and getting them a quick lunch, it was time to take them to Patti's (a play center they'll be attending this year on Tuesdays/Thursdays while I work). I dropped them off and headed out for a run. I ran 5 miles at a 9:00/pace and walked another .5 mile. Nice and easy, which is what I needed. Now it's off to preschool orientation/ice cream social. WHEN WILL THE MADNESS STOP!?!? :)

Friday 9/5 -I took today off from running...yet again. I spent the day doing some last minute things for next week (the big back to school week). Also, I went out to the Foot Zone in Issaquah and got a new outfit for the marathon and some GU. I want to be all prepped and ready to go on Sunday. My friend/coach, Chelese, says to do your longest run before the marathon exactly like you would for the actual marathon.

Saturday 9/6 - Today is the first UW Husky home football game. We are huge Dawg fans around here and every year we take my in-law's motor home to the first game for a mack-daddy tailgate!! Unfortunately for me, it's the day before my longest run. So no drinking or partying for me. But it will still be a fun, long day. No time for a run today either, unfortunately. A VERY low mileage week for me.

Jeanette's Week Ten Grand Total: 18.1 miles (TERRIBLE!)

Sunday 9/7 - I am still holding off from running due to my injury last weekend. Pete and I are in Hawaii (the big island) for my friend Dianne's wedding. After a busy day sightseeing yesterday, we pulled out the handy-dandy guidebook and started out for more adventures! Since we're three hours behind the West Coast, getting an early start has been quite easy. On our way out of Kona, I saw the sign at the point where they start and finish the Ironman! Very cool and inspirational. We headed north this time, to the opposite end of the island. One of our primary goals was to get to and see the Polulu Valley, and hike down and back from the black sand beach there. It was amazing! The trip down was tough - roots and rocks on the trail (about 3/4 mile down). We hung out for a while, took lots of photos, then.... I felt like my blood sugar was getting low. Did NOT plan ahead. So, back up the extremely steep hill towards the car, with Pete freaking out and hounding me literally every step of the way. Blood glucose level at the top: 35 (yes, he had reason to be worried). After that, we got some delicious Hawaiian ice cream and drove back along the western shoreline, stopping a few more times at special beaches and sites. While I did not run, I'm going to count approx. 2 miles of cross training for hiking and walking.

Monday 9/8 - My leg is doing much better. Climbing the stairs in our condo, I only feel a very slight ache these days. A far cry from a week ago. I am considering running tomorrow, or Wednesday to get back in the swing for the marathon. I got up this morning and logged in my entries for last week and am VERY stressed about Jeanette's potential injury!!!! This has not been a good couple of weeks. I will send her good, healing thoughts and we should both have a low-key week, I think. Today, Pete and I drove down to Kilauea Volcano(2 hours each way) and did some incredible sightseeing. We read up and planned ahead (after yesterday's blood sugar incident). We bought a backpack and filled it with bottled water, sandwiches, M&Ms and my test kit and sugar tabs. $10 later (the entry fee to the park), we picked up a map and headed out on some serious hiking!! Down and up out of two separate craters and along several trails, through a lava tube and a rainforest. Based on the park's maps, we hiked 6.8 miles. The best part is that my leg wasn't hurting (in fact my "real" bad knee - my left knee injured from gymnastics years ago) bothered me more than anything else. We literally climbed stairs to get out of the craters! Pete and I are both exhausted and I am happy to have gotten some cross-training in. We'll see if I will run tomorrow. Dianne's wedding is at 5:30 p.m., and I will likely go help her get ready around 3:00. That will still give us most of the day. :)

Tuesday 9/9 - Pete talked me into waiting again today to prevent re-injury or further injury. We spent a slow day around the pool, and then ran errands to get ready for the wedding (undergarments, etc). We had lunch at the Kona Brewing Company, which was very nice! I called Jeanette to get the update on her injury and am very hopeful that both of us are merely suffering slight hiccups in our training. I headed over to Dianne's condo around 2:00 to help her get ready, then we left around 4:00 to head up to the beach for the ceremony. It was lovely, with the sun setting behind the two of them. Sea Turtles came up to the beach too - insane!! We had a low-key "reception" back at the condo and called it a night on the early side.

Wednesday 9/10 - After "sleeping in" until 7:30, we decided, kind of last minute, to drive to the other side of the Island to see Hilo and some waterfalls. Another 1.5 to 2 hour drive. We saw some spectacular sights and more gorgeous beaches. A place where a giant 1946 tsunami killed 18 children and 3 adults, and basically wiped out a lot of other things (railway, sugar plantation, etc). We looked down into a valley where some people actually live - down a 25% grade road - and without any electricity (other than solar or wind), no TV, phones, cells, etc. Talk about crazy! We also went to a gorgeous botanical garden, with 1.5 miles of trails. Got a lot of great photos! We ended the day going through Waimea, the site of the largest ranch in the United States. Lots of cowboy stuff there, which is kind of funny. I figured I walked about 2.5 miles, including the loop we did at Akaka Falls and Kahuna Falls. Fun, tiring day.

Thursday 9/11 - I am very bummed that my leg is hurting again, in the same place where I injured it 10 days ago. It is likely from the walking/hiking we've been doing. But I want to RUN again!!! I faithfully did my back exercises today and am looking forward to getting back home to talk to my PT. I don't want to wait more than a few more days to start running. But I CANNOT injure myself to the point that there is no chance for the marathon. UGH. Later in the day, we decided to do a "flat" hike, instead of one that goes into and out of canyons and craters. Our guide book talked about "golden pools" along a 4-mile loop. What it did not say is that the trail was literally across lava fields. It was a long, slow walk - carefully over big rocks. But my leg did fine! Chalk up another day of cross-training.

Friday 9/12 - We traveled most of the day today, leaving Kona around noon and arriving in Portland at 11:15 p.m. (3 hours time difference). Because it was "only" 8:15 in Hawaii, we decided that we could drive back to Bend instead of spending the night there. So..... arrived at 3:00 a.m. back home. It was a long and tiring day, but even though I was sad our vacation was over, I was very excited to see the kids!

Saturday 9/13 - Cautiously, I set out for my first run in 12 days. I took my cell phone, even though I was only going out 2 1/4 miles and back. I tried out Jeanette's hand-me-down Asics that were too big for her. Perfect!!! The only problem is that I started to get a blister on the side of my left foot, inside the arch. The run felt great, except that I forgot to use my inhaler before headng out. So, I wheezed most of the run and it was difficult after the first mile. Plus, it was a bit hot in the afternoon. I did my stretching exercises both before and afterwards! Total: 4.5 miles. Will this be the final turning point towards finishing the marathon? I sure hope so!

Stephanie's Week Eleven Grand Total: 4.5 miles running, plus 15.3 miles hiking/walking (19.9 total)

If you are as excited as I am about the "green" aspects of the Portland Marathon, you can read many more environmental articles at www.peachygreen.com. I'll see you over there!