So Much to Say

Update
I want to say thanks to everyone who left such kind and encouraging words about my dad. It was so nice to read your comments.

My dad is doing better. He is still in the skilled nursing facility, but hopes to get out next week. He has been receiving physical therapy twice a day and pretty much has his fine motor skills back. Walking is still a struggle, which isn't surprising since he was still recovering from back surgery when he had the TIA.

I really appreciated all your well-wishes and prayers! What an amazing group of people you are, Running Blogger Friends!


I Said I Was Not... But I Did
Last week, I blogged that I was not going to run until the marathon in order to give my knee and heel a chance to recover. Well, today I broke down and ran. I felt I needed it since it's been such a stressful week and because I'm dealing with the how-the-heck-am-I-going-to-do-this-marathon-if-I-don't-run jitters.

My group was scheduled to do six miles today. My kids spent the night at their grandma's house on Friday so I took the opportunity to sleep in. And I did. Until 10:30, my friends... just like my pre-kids days.

After I woke up (on my own sweet time), I had my coffee and cereal and headed to the gym. I ended up doing three miles on the treadmill. I figured that would be a good number to give my knee and heel a little work without doing too much damage.


The Treadmill Blues
I don't like running on the treadmill. Who's with me on this? Running on the treadmill is trudgery for me. Boring. Monotonous. Repetitive. Predictable. All the things I dislike in life and in running. I had to keep telling myself to not feel discouraged... that the marathon will be much better and seem like less work because of the crowds, energy, and being outside. I hope I'm right because three miles on the treadmill was pretty miserable!


*I found this picture on another blogger's site: Check it out...


My Aches & Pains
Great news! My knee/leg is probably about 95% better. It did not bother me at all during the week last week or during my run. I decided against giving a 100% because it felt a little twingy for a while after my run. The twingies are gone now, though. Yipee!

My heel, on the other hand... well, let's just say that after reading your comments on a previous posting, I'm pretty sure I've got a mild and/or beginning case of plantar fasciitis. I've been taking a lot of your advice and have been icing, stretching, rolling, resting, and pleading with it. It felt better during the week, especially yesterday. After my run today, however, it is tender. I'm going to fight this because I don't want it to keep me out of the marathon.

I've seen this funny-looking contraption at a few different sports stores:

Have any of you tried this? Did it help? Is it worth the $35?


This is a picture of the Pro-Tec Plantar Fasciitis Night Splint. There are quite a few different night splints out there... any other recommendations?


One More Week!
I can't believe the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is a week away! I am excited... and I am scared. I have lots of thoughts and emotions whisking around in my head regarding the race. I will share them on my next blog... after I get them rounded up and under control.


By the way... Irene, that blog title is for you! What song is it? I didn't intend to do that but it fits!

Comments

Kelly said…
Glad to hear your dad is doing better. I completely agree about the treadmill. Unfortunately, it's a lot easier on my knee which I also have some issues with, so I try to suffer through it on some of my runs...however it is really boring. I am trying to get my fiance to run the cable into the room we have our treadmill in so I can at least watch some TV!
Unknown said…
I'm really glad to hear that your dad is doing better.

Oh.My.Gosh. R&R is only a week out. You are going to have such a good time!!

I do not like the treadmill either. I can only tolerate it for a half hour. I start getting bored before 20mins is up!!
Anonymous said…
So happy to hear your dad is better. Must be tough to deal with the emotional pain and the physical injury at once. Hang tight!

By the way; if you never run the mill, I wouldn't start it now. It's very different thing and might confuse your body. Mills have the tendency to pull. But that's just my experience - I have been injured just running on them.(not to scare you;-)
Unknown said…
Sara, if you're doing much treadmill work, I'd really encourage you to check out, "Treadmill Training for Runners" by Rick Morris. It's the best collection of programs to make the hell of treadmill running a little more heavenly (it's not that good, but it's better than just slogging along!). Mark
Aka Alice said…
OMG Sara...in the flurry that was my week last week, I completely skipped your post about your dad. I'm so sorry he is having health problems. I'm going through the same (albeit different) thing with my mom right now. It's tough.

I'm glad he's doing better. He is blessed to have you as a daughter.

As for the treadmill. I run on the 'mill usually once a week. I've found that if I run on a little bit of an incline (.5% or 1%) it's easier on my Achilles (and thus the PF) than running at 0%, which, from what I've read is akin to running downhill...I tend to run slower with the incline, but it seems to help. I can do more than 30 minutes only when I do something like speedwork (800 repeats w/400 recovery laps) or something like that. If I'm straight running? 30 minutes is tops.

When my PF was at it's worst, I bought one of those sock thingy's (the kind that pull your toes back and stretch the PF Tendon). As far as I could tell, it didn't help me one bit. The ice, massage, stretch, no-flip-flops (oh, and ibuprofen) combo is what helped me get over it. I don't know about the boot, but it seems like it's going to do the same thing as the sock.

Oh...I also went to a PT for awhile. He did some magic stretching and massage that worked wonders. I'm about to go back to him since the PF is flaring up in the OTHER foot now!

Take it easy this week. I know it's hard to not run, especially when we have other things going on in our lives that make running a sort of therapy.
Irene said…
LOL...

I cheated and looked it up, but it IS Dave Matthews! I'm not big into Dave Matthews, but I do like some of his songs. :)

I'm glad your father is doing better. It's so hard to see our parents get sick or hurt.

The treadmill: Here's the ONLY way I use the treadmill. I always do high intensity interval training (HIIT)on the treadmill for 20 to 30 minutes, plus a 2 minute cool down per the treadmill I use at the gym. I start off at 4.0 for about a minute or two, then up it to 5.0, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, then finally one minute of 7.5, then drop right back down to 4.0. I do that for as many times I can fit it in with in the 20 or 30 minutes. The last interval peak is supposed to be an all out effort, but I'm not quite ready to go past 7.5 yet. When I first started doing HIIT workouts on the treadmill I started off at 3.0 and topped it off with about a 5.5. Doing HIIT keeps the treadmill workout from being drab, plus I make sure I have some pumpin' tunes on my iPod to make the ride more bearable. I'm toast when I'm done.
Irene said…
PS...
on the HIIT, each mph increase (or decrease) is one minute long.
I am totally with you on the treadmill...however my issues are more wrapped around my height and lack of grace...I feel like I can't stride and I FEEL every step. IT SUCKS!!

WOW your marathon is sooo soon.
Melanie Tait said…
Hey Sara - great to hear you're Dad's doing better!

I hear ya regarding the tready. I hate it too now, I think. This morning, I really wanted to go in and do some weights, so I thought "it's okay, I'll just do my run on the treadmill", but couldn't handle the thought.

So funny because just over a month ago I was doing almost all my runs on a treadmill. What a difference a few outside runs make!

Yay that you're feeling better for the marathon! Wow I can't wait to hear how it goes...
Hey! Sorry I've neglected your blog. Glad to see your Dad's doing better. I can comment on the night splint: Buy it and start using it ASAP! It worked for me when I had the plantar fasciitis. As far as "dreadmills," I just don't use them. Be wary of them, since my podiatrist said it's the worst thing for an injured runner to use. If all else fails, remember that run-walk-run works also!
Brian said…
I've never used any kind of night splint myself, but I've personally known 2-3 people (all soccer players) who swore by it. When I had a mild case of PF, I just focused on lying in bed on my back with my calves extended. Usually, the friction of the sheets was enough to hold my feet in place - assuming I fell asleep in that position.

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