So It Begins....

2017 is here. I went out of town for the New Year. To California. Where it rained. Not nice warmish rain... COLD HORRIBLE RAIN. Bleh. Which is what I left in Arizona. RAIN - slightly warmer RAIN. Bleh. My plan was to run January 1st. However... I did not run. After driving all day in the rain the day before the whole crappy weather business kind of just sucked the fun out of the run idea.

Fortunately.... I have the lovely FitStar Yoga app. It is wonderful! I pay for premium so I get a lot more yoga session available to me but you can download the app for free and there are free sessions on there... And the company switches the sessions up so there are new ones to choice from. All different lengths. I did one that I had never done before. Since I drove 6 hours the day before I picked a session that focused on stretching my lower half.

About 40 minutes, called Light & Limber. Its a free one!

Light & Limber is about 40 minutes. It was more stretching then strength kind of session. The cool thing about this app is that it shows you all the poses before starting the session and if you pause it during a pose you can mark it easy, just right, or too hard. The app takes that into account next time you do a session. It modifies it to you.

Test it out! Its free. Its also a good way to learn some yoga moves at a slower pace. I really enjoy it. I have it on my iphone but I can also put it on my iPad!



Ciao
USMCdaffy

PS. I did my first run today, PearSports 30 minutes. Okay, first one of 2017

Two years? Welcome 2017 because 2016 can GTFO

Its been two years since I wrote a blog. Wow. So much has happened. So much that I could not possibly write down everything that has happened. I can put down some highlights....

2015 - moved to Phoenix AZ. It was time for a change... However.... I had no idea how much my life would change. It was NOT the hardest year of my life. Change is scary but always good even if you don't think so at the time. Good things happened this year but.... then 2016 happened.





2016 - worst year of my life. Bar none. Everything that could go wrong did. Loss. Heartache. Scares beyond comprehension at times... It showed me that I am so much stronger then I realized. I am so very glad there are only a few days left in 2016....







So I decided on two things for 2017. To take better care of myself and have more fun. It is quiet easy to get bogged down in "adulting" stop having fun and stop taking care of yourself. That is what 2016 did to me. Well, what I did to myself during the course of 2016.

WELCOME 2017 BECAUSE 2016 CAN GTFO.

USMCdaffy ❤

Marine Corps Marathon....

Taking a page from the Carrie Bradshaw blogging format..... Is it a fail if you don't finish?

No. It is not a fail.

I went to the Marine Corps Marathon. I did not finish. There were just too many obstacles for me to overcome. Sickness, time change, long flights, unfamiliar with the area, on my own, flipping from night to day living, not enough outside running, & never run any race before, etc.... When I was running along and realized there was just no way I was going to be able to "beat the bridge" by the allotted time I changed my goal from finishing to getting to mile 17. I did make my goal of mile 17. I had to decide what was more important... my ego? or my health? The race would eventually be over and I would go home. It was not worth the possible damage to myself that became important. I was and am at peace with this finish. The experience was worth it and I met a lot of really cool people.

I had already decided that one marathon in a lifetime was enough for me. There is no burning desire to do another. Not even the MCM. I learned a lot this year and not just about running & marathon training. There is so much I would and will do differently when it comes to running AND training. I feel like a half marathon distance is as long as I'll be doing from this point on. I'm already planning on doing the Seattle Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon in June. I nearly signed up for the one in Arizona for January! And I was STILL achy & sore from MCM! Craziness! If I can do 17 miles with all the BS I endured for MCM then I'm SURE I can do 13.1 miles in my own state across the mountain....

Im already thinking about next year. The MCM has a 10k the same day. So maybe I'll do the 10k and volunteer at the Expo & along the run for SemperFi Fund Charity... Sounds wayyyyy more fun then running 26.2 miles.

Really though.. Who knows.... I might just get to June and decide to try again.

I'm taking a break from running and I'm going to be doing kickboxing classes (out of my comfort zone)- ACTUAL classes.... Practicing my yoga which I missed dearly during MCM training. And definitely doing way more weight resistance. Im going to change it up and do much more cross training. I missed it.

You should always grow from an experience. I've come a very long way since starting this journey October 2013.

Ciao
USMCdaffy

A new part of the journey.... Injury.

My hip is a weak part of my body. Its not just a physical injury but an emotional one.. I'm a Marine and my hip injury many years ago is why I had to cut my career short. Very short. 

At 23 years old I was told that I couldn't stay in because I have a underdeveloped hip so the hip joint doesn't fit properly. I was born this way and never had a hint of a hip issue my whole life until had a small pulled muscle on my leg on the other side. Through that silly pulled muscle I began to favor the other leg, the other hip. I was running and doing everything and had this nagging hip pain. It would not go away. No matter what I did nothing helped. In the USMC if you are injured you are basically useless. This was a time when the federal government was downsizing military. So after MRIs and X-rays, they decided to med-board me out. It was devastating. A failure. Its something I don't like to talk about. 

For nearly 20 years, Ive always questioned that time in my life. Should I have fought it? Should I have just pretended that I was okay? Was I just a big crybaby sis that couldn't handle it? Its a haunting feeling. It hovers over you.

Training for this marathon. My hip hurts. I went from running 25 miles a week to barely running a 1/2 mile last week. I thought "Not again. Not this weak stupid hip." It takes me right back to the day they said it was over for me... 1997. All those feelings and emotions still there. Just buried. 

After trying everything to heal myself I knew it was time to see the doctor. I had to decide to go and see him so he can tell me his medical opinion about going on with this marathon training or stop. I figured if I get a cortisone shot to get rid of the inflammation and get me to the marathon,  I would stop running if he told me that was the best for me. I can't have one event in my life ruin the rest of my life by constant pain. Am I doing permanent damage? I had already decided this was the only marathon I was going to run.

It was good news (in my eyes)! I have tendinitis of the IT Band at the Hip. I have a new training plan and healing plan. I'll be doing physical therapy and trying acupuncture. Heat and cold treatment. So I can train for this marathon and get there AND finish! 

Just don't give up. Sometimes you have to take an alternate route from the one you planned bc its just better for you.

Ciao 

USMCdaffy

PS. I got my answer. It was the right thing to do, to get out. Because this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now.

So. Its been awhile....

May was the last time I wrote a blog? Oh. I've been busy. Super busy! Working dayshift, training, & parenting takes up ALL my time. And I'll be honest and say that I had no idea how much time it takes to train for a marathon. It takes up any extra time I have... Everything revolves around running. I even told work that I can only do overtime on rest days!


Wow. I was totally obsessed with training. Until I couldn't finish my longer runs and I started to get leg pain especially hip pain. So I tool a break. I took a week long break. This week was my first week back to running. Last week my leg/hip pain was so bad I could barely run 2 out of 7 miles. I was so upset and overwhelmed by this. This last week I did yoga, a little Turbofire, and some Les Mills Combat. It's workouts but using muscles differently. I also got a massage.


I have been training for Marine Corps Marathon for 3 months. The Nike+ training program is great but it was becoming too many miles a week. I was up to 30 miles a week. It was a lot of miles but not effective miles and I discovered this is a big difference. I have a history of hip problems so I have to be very careful of what I do and how I do it especially when it comes to running. Ive decided to start again and use Hal Higdon's Novice Marathon Training program (www.halhigdon.com). I started at week 3. I  do have 4.5 months until the Marathon and this program is 18 weeks. I have time to change my training. I also added Piyo from BeachBody by Chalene Johnson.

I think for me these 2 new programs will workout for me. I'm taking better care of myself. I'm using my foam roller nearly every day. I've been taking Motrin and icing my leg. I think Piyo is going to help with flexibility and strength without adding high impact cardio. I still am getting sweaty doing piyo!

Ciao
USMCdaffy

I can't do this…..

When I started writing this blog specifically about my training journey to the Marine Corps Marathon, I decided I would be totally honest on here no matter what I was feeling. For me to sit down and 'blog it' I really have to feel it. I just don't sit down in front of my laptop and just toss out ideas. There is a lot of feeling and passion behind each post.



Saturday.
Saturday was my first 7 mile run. I was ready for it and I had been following along with my marathon training but I missed last week because I was sick. Instead of repeating last week since I missed it I decided to just push forward. If anything I have determination and sometimes PURE unhinged stubbornness. Its really what pushes me. I was tired. It was my second trip down south. I was up at 0400 to get ready for work, I worked a full 8 hour shift that was decently busy. I went home and took a nap. I was also on day 4 of my new food/nutrients regiment. I felt okay to start. I decided that I would run 4 miles and then if I needed a break I would take a 30 second rest/stretch and finish the 3 miles. Ive ran 6 miles in a row before so I knew I wouldn't die…

3 miles and felt tired so I took a small break with some water. No biggie, Ive been running 3-4 mile runs for months. Then my app started spazzing out. 4.4 miles.  I stop, adjust. Running again. 4.6 miles my app starts spazzing again. Now, Im looking at the clock, listening to my pace on the app, feeling stress. Fix it again. Running again. Looking at the clock….

6.1 miles. App acts up again. Again I stop. I pull it off my arm out of the sleeve. I set it down & it signs me off saying I completed my run. That is when I had a total meltdown. On the treadmill. I'm livid. I'm frustrated. I put my head on the front of the treadmill and I say to myself (in total seriousness) "I can't do this." And I started crying with my face buried in my soppy sweat soaked towel. I just stand there for a few minutes face buried. I give one big sigh.

I wiped my face off and looked at the clock on the gym wall. I straightened my towel and took some sips of water. I picked up my phone and restarted my 7 mile run scheduled day. My new plan was the run my last mile. I was going to run until it said I had gotten to one mile. It was what I had left. Those 4 songs…. I have to finish this one mile. Then my app said "half way done…" What? It started where I had left off, that one stupid mile. The stupid mile that tried to break me.


This blog post is really for all those people that think  I never want to give up. That I never want to stop. I do. All the time. Quitting is like accepting defeat. And Im not gonna let it take me down.

Monday. 4 miles on the schedule.

Ciao
USMCdaffy….

Marathon Training….. And, What a Product Snob!

I started WEEK4 of Marathon training through Nike+ (www.nikeplus.nike.com). I was going to go through Hal Higdon (www.HalHigdon.com) marathon training program. He is the king of teaching marathons. Once you get into running and ANY kind of racing - marathon, half marathon, etc. you will hear his name - a lot. And you should. He has amazing tips and he follows a lot of marathons plus he has books and well… a lot of experience. And I hear he is also a great guy! I do follow him on Facebook and I do enjoy his tips and information about training. The only reason I am using Nike+ and not Hal is because his app is new and with Nike+ I KNOW it works on a treadmill. Although I use Nike+ I am still reading up on Hal stuff and anything else I can find about preparing for marathon - I'm into research. Big. Time. 

I first want to say that I love Beachbody and I love Shakeology and I love all their products. Beachbody is an amazing company and I am very happy to be part of this company. I love all the people I have met and they have all in their own way changed my life for the better. And I will always be a life long fan AND customer of Beachbody.

That being said. Ive been quite a little product snob. Ohhhhh yes. I have turned up my nose to many many products. Well, I was talking to my friend at the gym and she said she has been using a products from a company that I have heard about, oh about a MILLION times and I have in fact resisted. So after talking to my friend and doing research on my own Ive decided to try out these products. So from May 1st- May30th Ill be testing this company out to see how well these products work. I'm still going to be drinking my Shakeology of course because it is THE BEST drink EV_ER. Im just trying not be a total product snob. I want to see if I can have some success with new products. Marathon training is no joke and I'm taking it very seriously so I have to be serious about all aspects of health including food and supplements (other healthy stuff).

At the end of my little experiment/experience I'll give my full review. 

Ciao

USMCdaffy