Author: Sloan

Gotta…

/ Sloan / Leave a comment

The Boston Marathon is Monday. Anyone running that race, FYI: you are a bad ass! Congrats, run hard, run fast, run smoothly. I wish you the best, you’ve trained hard all winter, this is where it matters.

I’ve been out for… hell, I’ve lost count. I don’t even know what running feels like any more, I’ve forgotten the feeling. I have been at the gym, I have been working out, I’m lifting, cross training, I went stand up paddle boarding with an account the other day—it was fabulous. But nothing beats the feeling of the wind in my hair, my legs moving swiftly, smoothly, effortlessly through the city or on the trail.

I’m waiting. Still waiting for that wave, still waiting to feel better than I feel now, I’m sure I could run but I don’t want to push it. I’m at the point where listening to my body isn’t the right option. Listening to my body would have me running and back tracking faster than I can lace up my running shoes. I’m listening to my body and then adding a week of cross training again, I want to be sure. I want to be sure I can run and not have to stop.

Because sometimes you just gotta run…

…run and keep going.

My Wave is Coming.

/ Sloan / 3 Comments

I’ve been avoiding writing a blog for a week or two due to the fact that once I really write about it, it makes it real-er. What is ‘it’? ‘It’ is the stress fracture that my doctor saw on the MRI I got. A stress fracture in my sacrum—which, according to my almost-doctor-roommate, doctor friend, and actual doctor I went to see—it’s a hard bone to fracture. I guess I’m just that talented! So besides going crazy what am I doing, you ask? I’ve been lifting, biking, sleeping in, listening to my body. I’ve had to listen reallllly hard. Usually I ignore those aches and pains and power through the pain and just attribute it to soreness—but this time it’s different, I truly need to let my body heal. And this is going to take time. Today is week 6.

 A while ago a man I met on the road gave me a book. He’s a fellow runner and athlete and gave me the book called The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean. Nothing to do with running really, but about the people in Hawaii chasing the biggest wave they can find. Catching that high that makes them get up in the morning, head to the beach and get on their board to surf this crazy ocean that seems angry, the water gets so big and so powerful I wonder why anyone would want to put themselves in the middle of that fight.

The book is great, I’m fascinated with this lifestyle. But then I hear about how these men, all of them, have suffered broken bones, impalings on the reefs, cuts, bruises, sprains, stitches and concussions. Yet they still go back. They heal, they bounce back and maybe they’re better for it. They’re out for weeks, maybe months healing, watching their friends catch the big waves and supporting them while they have to sit on the beach and watch. That’s me. I’m sitting out. Every week I get an email from my running group, Bob tells the group how far they need to run to be in condition for their spring time marathon, where and when they’re meeting. Then I text my friend and wish her a good run, and she texts me back saying she’ll miss my company on the run but “get healthy!”

The running community is a great support. I’m lucky to be a part of it, but I’m broken right now but I will be back, I will train for that rogue, freak or giant that is out there for me to conquer. This time off is just going to make me stronger for it…

Off to the recumbent bike and some weights! For those of you training, those of you who have been supportive to me in my craziness—thank you. Good luck in your races! I’ll be cheering for you!!!

The Waiting Game

/ Sloan / 3 Comments

I’ve entered the waiting game. It’s a game that tests my patience, my strength, my creativity and sees how well I can follow directions. So far the game is tied: 1-1.

The Doctor took and X-ray and saw nothing, she then told me not to run, (duh, I can barely walk) not to do squats, lunges or thigh machines. I shouldn’t do the elliptical if it hurts, but the bike is okay. In the mean time I got an MRI (holy loud and claustrophobia!) and am trying to keep myself busy at the gym with weights and ab workouts—and now I wait, I wait 48 hours (now we’re at about 34 hours) until the doctor is supposed to call me and tell me if she sees a stress fracture or not. Stress. Fracture. Two of the most dreaded words a runner can hear.

Before I left her office Monday she told me I needed more calcium, (I grew up with a phobia of milk) so, lady runners, please start taking a supplement NOW The chocolate chew things are a nice sweet ending to a meal that gives you your daily calcium!

Now I’m left in limbo. Floating in this middle area where I’m afraid that if I push it I will permanently damage something or some bone that is important, and in this area where I lose my level of productivity if I’m not getting in some sort of workout daily. I’m scrambling something to satisfy what both my mind and body needs.

So what am I doing?  How am I taking control? I’m looking back, reevaluating my fitness routine and adding in weights. I used to lift often and then got obsessed with cardio and running. I’m finding if I pump the iron before I attempt some sort of cardio I get a great 30-45 minutes weight lifting working out in! Lift first, attempt cardio second, (I say attempt because if it hurts I DON’T DO IT!)

I am going to win this game. Enough said. My Dad used to have a t-shirt that said “ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING” it’s generally not programmed into my personality to be super positive, in this case I’m pulling a George and doing what I normally wouldn’t do—I’m staying ridiculously positive that I WILL be running again, I WILLwalk normal, I WILLbe able to pull my jeans on without having to sit down.  My Dad also had a t-shirt that said “NO PAIN—NO GAIN” I know it’s going to be hard, it was hard to get out of bed at 6:30 this morning just to get on the bike I miss running, I miss going fast outside, I miss it.

1-1.  Injury’s point came when the pain was so great that I couldn’t get on the elliptical (my last grasp at sorta feeling like I was running,) my point came when I got creative: hot yoga, intervals on the bike and a killer ab workout. Any tips or workout suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Now, I wait… and if you know me at all: I’m not very patient.