Happy Days

The Fat Ass 50k schedule I've been following has been working out really well. I've managed to get my average kilometers per week back up to 40+ so I've been very happy about that. On top of that I managed to get my pace per km down into the 6:30-7 minute range, which, if you had asked me a year ago, I wouldn't have thought possible with knee OA.
Has every run been a joy? No, and yes, sometimes I feel the bone slamming on bone feeling in my knee and other times it feels like someone is filling up a balloon on top of my knee. Neither is so painful to make me stop running and usually if I adjust my gait the pain or sensation goes away. So I progress forward.
I've also amped up my protein intake a lot so I think that's helping. I am tracking calories, fat, etc. and that's also going well. I had a few cheat days/meals but I try hard to stay on track. My husband even commented last night that I seem to have lost some weight (yay!).
So I'm feeling very positive about a 50-60km comeback next spring. My husband seems to think I'm crazy but I think I'll get him to come around in a few months, especially if I can manage to stay injury free. I complain much, much less now about my knee simply because it has stopped hurting as much.
Funny how activity, while it hurt for a long while, has actually helped stop much of the constant pain I was feeling. I still can't run in the morning, my worst time of day for pain, and I still can tell you a few days out if its going to rain, but I have my beloved activity back and slowly I'm feeling more and more like my pre OA diagnosis self.
As Buzz lightyear would say, onward and upward!

I take 2 days off from running...!#@$%!@!

Knee OA is a cruel, cruel bitch. I had a fantastic week of training last week but because my husband had to work and my daughter had a full roster of dance activities I couldn't squeeze in a run all weekend. I did do over an hour of strength training but apparently my leg would prefer if I kept up the running since this morning I woke up to stabbing and burning pain in my knee.
I'd blame the chocolate cake or the Halloween candy but that's too easy. Yeah, I'm pretty sure excessive sugar consumption isn't good for my knee but I doubt it is solely responsible for me whining and slow breathing through pain in bed at 5am. I wasn't even sure I could walk, it was that bad.
Even now, after a hot shower and 2 extra strength liquid Advil and some light walking, my knee is still burning and getting the odd stabbing pain.
But, despite that, I brought my running gear because by 3pm this could feel fine. To be totally honest though, right now I just want to crawl back to bed. Today's plan calls for at least 4 miles. Here's hoping by 3pm I feel totally different.

Should I be more afraid then I am?

My training for the Wasskally Wrabbit Ultra next year is going pretty well. I've incorporated a good strength routine, upped my protein intake and am logging more miles than the past two years. Some injury weight has come off, but there's still a long way to go. My long run is also getting longer so I've been caught running with a flashlight to finish up a run at 7pm and running out and backs to make sure I make it out of the trails before dark, because, you know, Big Foot.
So I was online the other day, reading through running posts when I saw one that caught my eye. One of the local runners asked if anyone ran alone out on my favorite trail system. I said I did and that often I never see another living soul out there. Then came to barrage of posts from other runners (all women) who said how unsafe that was, that they never run alone, that they wouldn't go out into the trails by themselves and (gasp) close to nightfall. When I read that I questioned myself. Am I being too lax with my safety? Am I taking huge risks by running alone as a woman?
I thought about what I do to "protect" myself. I always carry my phone (not really for safety but because it has my music, my running app and my camera on it, but sure I can call someone or 911 if I needed to). I usually carry my car keys with me (which, with the amount of crap I have on that key ring I'm pretty sure it qualifies as a weapon). And on top of that I've taken judo (blue belt) and self defense workshops. I feel confident I can defend myself.
I also thought about where I run. It seems to me any attacks on women runners in my area have happened within the city. I run a good distance outside of the main city core and it is inaccessible to anyone without a vehicle. Then there's also the distance I'm usually out. I'm not hugging the entrance, I'm usually a good 5km from where anyone would walk up to or park.
To be honest, the only time I have been harassed out on a run, either physically (pushed) or verbally (usually idiots screaming from cars) has been in urban areas. If I run within the city I stick to the main roads. If a venture through a green belt trail then I do it before dark and usually when I know other people are likely to be around walking their kids from school or walking a pet. I realized I actually take more precautions when I run on the road.
So are these other women runners wimps? Do they come from upbringings where women were sheltered and feared for their safety so they feel they have to run with someone else or not at all? My own mother is the mother of risk takers. From a young age I watched her travelling the world, to places like Columbia, Bosnia and northern Africa BY HERSELF. She had amazing adventures and at the age of 60 is currently planning a solo trip to Romania. So I'm pretty sure that's where my attitude about venturing out on my own comes from. Thanks Mom. Thanks for not making me fearful of everyone and everything around me. Thank you for giving me the confidence to go for a solo run on the trails by myself without batting an eye. I can't imagine achieving what I have in running without the confidence to go and get my goals for myself, by myself.

This is IT

I had an epiphany this weekend. I decided to focus on my ultimate goal race for next year, the Wasskally Wrabbit 65km. Not only is it a new distance for me but it will also mark my (hopefully) triumphant return to the Ultra scene since my accident almost 2 years ago. I am ALL IN. I buckled down on my high protein diet and make sure I have what I need to succeed.
A big part of that is my fitness. My running is coming along pretty well. I've managed to get in my long runs and most of my shorter runs dictated in the Fat Ass training plan. To compliment that I've also added the P90X lean program. I would be open to other strength programs but I know this one works and I already have all of the dvds ;-) Yesterday I started with the Core Synergistic routine and today my butt, core and hamstrings are humming like I just did a hill workout. So far so good.
Today I've got a double dose of cardio in store. An easy 6km run followed by an hour of Cardio X (the easier cardio workout in the P90x library). I think I had better get used to protein drinks and humming hamstrings.

Why Can't They All Be Like THIS?

Yesterday I felt like proper crap, down with a viral flu going around. However, the sun was shining and it was unseasonably warm so I popped a couple of advil and hit the trail as my daughter danced for 3 hours. I told myself I could turn around after a couple of kilometers if I felt really crappy but as I ran I felt, good! Really good. I ran up hills I normally walk and sped down the salt marsh trail flat sections. I realized the sun was going down much faster than last week when I turned around on one section and the sun was already touching the tops of the trees. Not wanting to cut this bliss-filled run short I raced through the last 4km section, scaring the living hell out of a partridge and it scaring me as I was trying to figure out what all the commotion was about in the trees, praying it wasn't anything larger than a fox. As I climbed out of the woods (I could still hear the partridge squawking in anger) I realized I was the only one left on the trail (or at least that section). I used my fear of the dark woods to my advantage and sped down through a field to make my last climb. The last section of trees has a heavy canopy and the leaf covered ground was next to impossible to see at that point so I made sure to lift my feet and ran as hard as I could to avoid the boogie man.
Back at my car I patted myself on the back for an awesome 11 km/7 mile run. Why can't they all be like this one?

Caution: Hectic Week Ahead!

This week is going to be challenging. Aside from my standard full-time Mom, employee and professional car-pooler duties, it's my darling daughter's 10th birthday.
We have a small party planned out for Saturday, with out-of-town guests arriving either Friday or Saturday (they never do us the kindness of telling us their plans outside of 24 hours prior), then my daughter and I plan to get our nails done following the party. This year though everything is planned and set for her big day. The only point of anxiety I've got is my dreaded MIL. Her post-retirement tantrums have ramped up to the point now where she and my husband are barely speaking. To say I'm looking forward to her visit is like saying I'm looking forward to a root canal. Without the freezing. Heaven help her if she has one of her tantrums on my 10 year olds birthday.
So to starve off the anxiety I'm diving into my ultra training plan. I've got the mileage built up now so I can feel confident building my ultra base up. This week consists of three 4 milers, a 6 miler long run and a 5 mile recovery run. To complete my grand plan I'm switching into a ketosis diet, one that I've used before with a lot of success. It takes a bit more planning and I have to start treating bread like a treat instead of a staple but it works.
The sun is shining and while it isn't warm it's the perfect mix of fall coolness to go for a run. Today my husband is off so I'm relieved from my carpool duties for the day-an odd treat for me (him...not so much ;-)). On that note I'll try to squeeze in my 6 miler if I can so it's out of the way and I'm not stressing about it come Friday when I may or may not have guests I may or may not need to have supper ready for. Awesome. 

Klutzy Moments

I'm clumsy. The first step is admitting it, right? Yesterday's run was great, except when I did a face plant. It was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon with summer-like temperatures. I was cruising along, taking a detour behind the bus terminal on a paved trail path when my good leg hit a bump in the pavement and my bad leg didn't/couldn't react fast enough to stop myself from falling. All I could think about in the 0.00005 seconds I had was which body part I wanted to hit the ground first. I remember thinking "Don't land on your knees!" so I stuck out my hands, which skidded me to a stop. Rolling over I was glad not to feel any sharp pain. I stood up as fast as possible with a 10lb backpack (yes I resembled a turtle on its shell) and examined the damage. My hands had some road rash (and later I realized so did my forearms) and my bad leg had a bright red blotch on it, just below my already swollen knee bursa. Nothing was swelling up or sticking out so I figured I might as well keep going. I ran for another few kilometers then stopped. Stopping hurt more than running. The pain settled in and OMG my knee was not a happy camper. It got to the point last night where it felt like my knee bones were crushing together when I walked around. I was not entirely sure if I would be able to walk today but thankfully it wasn't too much worse than a regular day. My leg feels like crap but I can walk.
So Google says people with hip and knee OA are more likely to fall. I always figured it would be in cases where the knee gives out but I guess a slower reaction time counts too. What a royal pain! I'll see how this pans out over the upcoming long weekend. If I'm still in a lot of pain on Monday I might use a drop in clinic or see if my doctor can squeeze me in. For what I can tell, unless I damaged something in my knee all they'll tell me to do is ice it and rest. What a klutz!