Rewind for Week 2

Weekly Recap-Marathon Training Week 2

This recap comes a wee bit late. Nonetheless, I feel it is an essential piece of the puzzle along my journey to my first marathon. 

No Run....Makes me go......nuts!

I was coming off a great running high from completing my first week of training. Things could go up from there, right?! As my luck would have it things did not go up, but they rather went downhill. 

My injury was continuing to bother me. It seemed like the pain was becoming more intense and I wanted relief as soon as possible. Foam rolling, stretching, ice, ibuprofen....what more could I do? A possible solution came after a conversation I had with a coworker. My coworker mentioned seeking treatment from a chiropractor. A few of my running friends mentioned they have utilized a chiropractor a time or two. At this point I wanted relief so I decided to check one out. My coworker provided me with the name and number for his chiropractor. Like most people I researched the doctor before I decided to schedule my appointment. Finding no shocking reviews, I was pleased with the types of therapy she provided and it didn't hurt that she was a runner too.

Is my spine supposed to move that way?

After missing three days of running I was becoming more restless and hoping my visit to the chiropractor would help provide relief and get me ready for my race that I was scheduled to run on Saturday. I did not want to drop out of the race since I paid for it, but I did not want to cause any more injury that could further derail my training. 

I met with the doctor the evening before my race. The office was pleasant and inviting. After being greeted by the staff I took a seat in the lobby and waited to see the doctor. In waiting I noticed the doctor had my all time favorite comic strip books on the coffee table, Calvin and Hobbes. I swear Bill Waterson was spot on with penning Calvin's brilliantly precocious mind.

I did not have to wait long to see the doctor. After she called me back we sat and chatted for my initial assessment. I was glad she did this, so many times I feel like previous healthcare providers don't listen. She the proceed with treatment which included an adjustment and commenced with my laying on the motorized massage table with ice packs. I was in some pain initially. It has been ages since I was last adjusted and I sure could tell. She wanted to see me back in a week and provided me with at home instructions for treatment. 

Running with Flowers

I woke up on race morning feeling much better. I had slight pain in my back, but none in my hip or neck. I knew my body would need time to get used to the adjustments. I was happy that it wasn't worse and I felt good enough to run my race that morning. 

After gathering my belongings I was ready to head out for my race. I signed up for the 10K because it fit perfectly into my training plan's week 2 long run. I was also looking forward to the race since it began near the Arboretum. The Arboretum has a really nice glass sculpture exhibit that I was looking forward to seeing. After the race we would have the opportunity to explore the grounds and enjoy in the post run festivities. 

Prior to the race, I warmed up with a light jog and stretching. I wanted to really make sure my body would be ready to run and not cause any injury. I began the race slow and cautious due to my tendency to get caught up in the race start frenzy. I completed my first mile in 12:33, which was faster than what I wanted to begin with. I felt good and my body was telling me I was fine. I kept going and completed my next mile 12:21. I felt great. As I headed close to mile three I caught up with a woman that I saw running in a previous race. She is an older woman, but she ran with such determination that I was motivated to keep up with her in both races. I spoke and we ended up run/walking and chatting for a mile and a half. She passed me during the brief hilly period of the race. Speaking of hills, I swear once again I was shown an area of improvement that I sorely need to work on. 

As the race progressed I pressed on, thankful that the weather was not to hot, but just right for our race. The sun came in and out that morning. Getting closer to the end I felt as if my legs were becoming tired and I started to feel my knee more than I wanted to. I decided to slow down and walk some along the way. At my slowest my pace reached 13:17. Coming up to the end I turned up the pace a bit and pulled out a strong finish. In the end, according to my lovely Atalantis (Garmin 410) I completed the race in 1:19:27.9. I can live with that. 

At the finish line I was greeted to cheers from my new race friends. Having people cheer you along the way feels great. It gave me that extra push I needed to ZOOM on into the finish. For that, I am thankful.

Post Race Food...massage....Chihuly

After the race I was more than ready to enjoy the post race festivities. (Food....Fun....Music....Fellowship). The weather was a bit chilly, but I did not care. The goodies were plentiful. Pizza from Pizza Hut, Cookies from Tiff's Treats, Popsicles, chocolate cake balls, breakfast burritos, pumpkin bread, and more. What is a girl to do with all that goodness around her?! Yep only one thing to do.....indulge. Indulge I did. I shall spare the boring details of what I had. No need to go on about the tantalizing scrumptious cookies I had or the old school freeze lemon lime freeze pop I had. Nah no need for that.

A new first for me after this race was I received my first post race sports massage. Now if you're like me I usually prefer to not go near anyone after a race. I'm like a sweaty swine after a race. If I can spare leaving my sweat all over the place I would, but with my recent injuries I figured what could hurt. I'm sure it was not the first time the the massage therapist has worked with a sweaty athlete. I told Chris, the massage therapist, the main injury I wanted to focus on and he went to work. He took my knee in his hands and began to administer some much needed therapy. Chris then decided to kick the party into high gear by working out the deeper kinks in my knee and IT band. Oh my.....this is what a sports massage felt like. Just as I decided that Chris and I were not going to be friends if he kept up his therapeutic shenanigans, the massage was over. It only 10 minutes, but to me it felt like an eternity. Moral of the story was yeppers....let's do that again.

It was great to explore the Chihuly exhibit afterward. In the day the sculptures were excellent to view. One of my favorite pieces was a the "Sun". The beautiful reds, oranges, are so bright and vibrant to see even in the day. I could only imagine what it looks like at night. It amazed me how an artist could work to create such a piece like this and the others in the exhibit. I did explore a few more pieces before I had to catch the shuttle back to my car.

In the end the race was a great one. Might have to a new yearly run for sure.