Minor setback

Three Sundays ago I did a 12 mile GTS run at the river. It was great- other than the grueling hill up Johnson’s Ferry. I swear it felt like I was running in place up that hill! It felt great to get that 12 miles in and afterwards I felt fine. I took the day off on Monday and then on Tuesday I noticed the top of my left foot was a little sore but I didn't think anything of it. I was in Kentucky for work with no option but to run on the tread mill so I set out to do 4 miles. My foot began hurting a little worse as I ran and then about an hour afterwards there was a little swelling and bruising on the top. I decided not to run Wed. on Thurs. and then when I got back in town on Friday I faxed a Team In Training form to the recommended podiatrist. I got a phone call that same morning and had an appointment set up for the afternoon. I am very impressed with the response time! Anyway, to make a long story short, they took some x-rays and I might have a stress fracture on the 3rd metatarsal :( They gave me a walking cast to wear for two weeks after which I will go back for another round of x-rays to see how the healing is progressing and then I'll either get to stop wearing the cast and start running again or the x-rays could reveal a true fracture and I will not be able to run for a while:( In the meantime I am able to exercise on the stationary bike or swim. I don't have easy access to a lap pool so I've been riding the stationary bike for the past 2 weeks. It is so boring but better than nothing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be running again by this Saturday but we'll see. I’ll report back after my appointment on Friday:)

First 10 miles!!

I'm at home in Albany this weekend to celebrate Easter with the family. My training schedule for this weekend says it is time for my first ten miler so I went to my favorite website for finding running routes this morning, favoriterun.com , and mapped out a 10 route near our farm in Sasser. I knew I wasn't going to be able to do this one alone so I recruited some great supporters, my Dad and Kurt. Kurt rode a bike behind me and my Dad was my mobile water station, driving his truck through the country side stopping about every two miles or so and waiting for me with bottles of water. I couldn't have asked for a better set up! Oh, I almost forgot two other very important supporters, Sweetie (my parent's dog) and their new puppy, Tate. Sweetie ran the whole 10 miles with me, in front, and never got tired. Once we got back to the farm she was wide open running though the fields for another hour. Tate on the other hand, being so young, rode in the back of the truck and watched.

So the first 9 miles were not bad at all but the last one was rough. My dad parked on the side of the road at the end of the 10th mile. When I got there we all jumped in the truck and my Dad, Kurt, Tate, Sweetie and I headed back to the farm. It was a perfect day for running through the country side. A cool 40 degrees, very unusual for this time of year, with beautiful sunny skies and not a cloud in site.



Sweetie and me running, Kurt riding the bike


Tate is pooped after watching me run:)




Happy Easter!:)