Rollercoaster 10K

Or maybe I should call this the 'inadvertent interval' run instead? :)

The good stuff first:

- I ran a 10K - woo hoo! I will be happier when I start running in the double digits a little more often than what I am doing now, but until then, this will do. :)

- It didn't rain on me and the path was well salted by the city so my concern about potential ice was alleviated.

- The dogs were great; they were very serious about running today. When I stopped to walk, they were like horses chomping at the bit, which was good, because my walking intervals were kept very short as a result. I'm finding that my first km is now faster than my second km just because they are excited and anxious to start running - it takes them a km distance to settle into pace. :)

The odd stuff:

- I have been concentrating on my breathing, incorporating the diaphragm breathing learned from yoga and pilates, and as per the discussion in Chi Running/Walking. It really works! I'm enjoying it, too. However, it just wasn't easy to incorporate today for some reason, probably because of what I am about to write next ...

- My pace was all over the map. I acknowledge that I wrote on this blog recently that I was not going to focus on speed so much, and this still is my true intention. However, I couldn't help, but notice last week that I was hitting paces much faster than at the peak of my training program last fall!?! At first I thought it was a fluke, but after tracking it on a few subsequent runs, I'm seeing it more consistently. Huh! Maybe this focus on posture and breathing is already working ... or maybe I am too distracted paying attention to my posture and breathing that I don't realize I am running faster (Angus is at his peak form in the winter so I can also attribute the faster pace to his happier running). Just something I am noticing and making note of ...

Running Update

I haven't been blogging my runs like I usually do.

Usually I am following some sort of training program. I blog my runs as a way of keeping track of how well I am following my chosen program. And throughout 2010, I was pretty faithful. :)

But these days, I am not following a training program. I'm in what I like to call post-injury 'recovery.' :) Therefore, every run has been conducted with the mentality of a gradual return, acutely paying attention to how my calf feels, stopping myself on purpose to walk for a minute to rest the leg, and essentially playing it by ear, one run at a time.

Fortunately, my last three runs have been very, very good and I think I am ready to start stepping it up. :) There is significant improvement and I can feel myself getting back into the groove. I have focused on breathing and my posture, thanks in part to reading the book, "ChiRunning," and these small adjustments, just on their own, has helped. I'm not quite sure what I was doing 'before' but now, the running is easier, the pace is much quicker, and I'm hitting more stretches in which I feel like I can run effortlessly for a long time (before I hit my designated landmark and force myself to walk to give the calf muscle a break).

And so, as of Monday, January 30th, I plan to start another round on a training program. I have a spring half marathon at the end of April (that I just want to be able to participate in) and a tentative half marathon in early June. In order to achieve these goals, I will need to be more focused with my running. This will likely prove to me within a matter of weeks if a half marathon in April is do-able, or if I need to scale it back, adjust my goals, and then wait until later in the year to start ramping it up.

A Pass on Joining an HM Clinic For Now ...

I have mentioned several times in this blog throughout 2011 that I was interested in joining a running group/half marathon clinic. I wrote in December that I was hoping for the 'okay' to run from my physiotherapist in time for me to join the group I had in mind which was starting in January.

Well, it is now the 22nd and the group I wanted to join started a few weeks ago. As the start date approached, I realized that my enthusiasm had waned. I wasn't too keen on joining while I was still recovering, and felt that perhaps this might push me to do at a time when it wasn't smart to be pushed. I'm not running more than three times a week at the moment, and my mileage has yet to exceed 10K. My calf muscle has no issue while running, but I am feeling tenderness in my muscle on my rest days. I was warned about this - my scarred tissue is being stretched so it's not unexpected. I also notice it more when there is a significant change in the weather/temperature.

So - no group running/HM clinic - yet. Just solo, steady running to strengthen the calf muscle again. When I am ready to do so, I will add more runs to my week and then more mileage to my individual runs. Another half marathon clinic is offered in early June (the goal race is the Springbank HM that I listed as a 2012 goal). We'll see. :)

Running Goals for 2012

1. To run injury-free!

I have made this my number one running goal without fail for the last few years. Unfortunately (fortunately?), I have experienced the true value of this goal twice. Grrrrr! I am being careful as I ease back into regular running, cognizant of how my calf muscle is feeling and letting go of some of the goals that I was considering making prior to this injury. I'm moving ahead with making additional goals for the year ahead, but with the caveat that I may need to adjust/change them depending on how well my calf responds to increased mileage, workouts, etc.

2. To run in all six (6) London Honda Series races.

I participated in 4 races in 2010, 5 races in 2011, and I am aiming to make 2012 the year in which I run in all six. :) I have volunteered to help the organizer this year with the Series by offering to be the individual who attaches all the disposable chip/foam strips to the back of all the race bibs. I am looking forward to contributing to this terrific local Series in this small way. :)

3. To run in the 10K @ the Really Chilly Road Races in February.

An offshoot of goal #2. In 2010, I was not in running shape to participate in this event. In 2011, I was happy to run in the 5K; I had just returned to running a few weeks prior. This year, I would feel very good about running in the 10K - no PR goal - but just being able to run a 10K for the first time so early in the calendar year.

4. To run in all eight (8) Runpiker Series races.

A little busy on weekends in the spring and in the fall, but I truly enjoy the healthy excuse to drive out of the city and run in some very pretty towns around Southwestern Ontario. They usually have a sweet community vibe to them and they are simply just good fun. :) They are well worth adjusting any training program to accommodate. For me, this is what puts the fun into running. When I had to cancel my goal HM, it was a true bummer, but it was easier to deal with because of the fun I experienced throughout the running season at all these races. If that HM had been my one and only race planned for the season, I probably would have had greater difficulty dealing with my disappointment.

5. To run in the half marathon in the Forest City Road Races in April.

This goal can be tracked on my blog. In 2010, I ran in the 5K, my earliest 5K in the calendar year at the time. I was very pleased. :) In 2011, I ran in the 10K, my earliest 10K in the calendar year at the time. I was so proud. :) (see blog header photo - that's the event). No PR goals - it was just about being able to run that respective distance so early in the year. For several years, I have aimed to run in the half marathon in 2012. And yes, I am going to go for it. :) I have my half marathon training program scheduled already.

However, it is all about being able to run it from start to finish. There is no PR goal in mind. Similar to the previous two races, it's just about being physically able to run a race with this mileage so early in the calendar year. If my running progresses from this point forward the way I have it planned, I'll be able to do this. However, if my running level/mileage develops more slowly than anticipated, I will change it to another 10K, and aim for the half marathon next year.

This year is the 30th anniversary of the road races. I have already submitted my name online to be a volunteer for kit distribution (no response back from the organizer as of yet).

6. To run in the Run for Retina 10K again.

I had it in my head last year that I would like to run in the half marathon in this event in 2012 ... to use it as a trial run before the Forest City Road Races since the race is held on the same running paths that I use regularly. However, the dates are different from last year, making it too close for me to the FCRR. The half marathon might be a consideration for 2013.

The swag was terrific last year. I wear my running jacket all the time as a regular jacket and all finishers receive the same large, colourful, and very solid medal.

7. Aim for a half marathon in Niagara Falls in June.

A yoga classmate who runs multiple destination half marathons annually told me that she and several friends were planning to participate in a women-only half marathon together in June. When I asked her if this was the Toronto event, she was a little confused and said that she thought it was in Niagara Falls; she wasn't sure because she just agreed to do it, but hadn't looked into it further. I checked online when I arrived home and there was no such thing (??). I assumed that she was mistaken. However, a week later, I was PM'ed by a DailyMile user who was promoting a new event - a half marathon for women in Niagara Falls in June! How funny is that? The following week, the new website went live. And the swag includes a bottle of wine! Ha ha! :)

There are so many reasons to do this:

1. Running in Niagara Falls along the parkway is very cool. This HM is similar to, but not the same as, the NFIM route, which I know is a good one.

2. It would be fun to participate in a women-only half marathon, especially an inaugural one. I would enjoy being a part of it.

3. If Ben were to come with me, it's the type of event he can handle - LOL! Ben hates crowds and busy traffic. I love Toronto; he does not. :) He doesn't mind Niagara Falls.

4. Did I mention the bottle of wine as swag? :)

5. This is a consolation for the lost NFIM HM last fall. :) :)

6. Considering where I am at with my running, this is more do-able than the FCRR. It gives me an alternative - I can handle the decision not to run in the HM in April (we'll see) if I have a substitute to fall back on.

I purposely wrote "aim" in my goal line because as I type, Ben and I are both experiencing precarious work situations so our financial situation closer to the date will determine whether a trip away to Niagara Falls is do-able at the time. This is not worth doing unless there is available funds. :)

8. To run in the Springbank Road Races Half Marathon again. :)

Another offshoot of Goal #2 (part of the London Honda Series. This was the race I did sooooo well in right up until the 18K mark when my left calf painfully seized up and I ended up limping the rest of the race to the finish line. Rematch! :) And another attempt at using it as a training race for my 2012 goal race ....

9. My goal race of the year is the Niagara Falls International Marathon Half Marathon.

No surprise here. :) My ultimate running goal for the year is to run in this race and to run it well. :)

*****

Mainly repeats from last year ... some new additions. :) This gives my running purpose and hopefully there are not too many outside factors or health/injury issues that will prevent me from attaining these goals. :) :)

Review of 2011 Goals

I have a separate page on my blog where I track my goals. I have a few 2010 "carry-over" goals (ones I didn't achieve so I added them to either my 2011 or 2012 lists), my 2011 goals, and then a work-in-progress list of my 2012 goals.

For clarification, before I post the following - I am not the type of person who gets upset about missed running goals. I use my yearly goals more as a guideline than a must-achieve list. Although I am pleased when I meet my goal, I don't freak out or get overly negative when I don't. This is not how I approach running. I feel disappointment sometimes - for example, it took me awhile after my race in Stratford to wrap my head around the fact that my goal race, the Niagara Falls half marathon, was not do-able - but my disappointment didn't last for very long. I really try to keep it all in perspective and to keep moving forward. I am pretty sure the posts on my blog over the last 1+years reflects this about me, too.

Without further ado, here is my review of my 2011 goals before posting my 2012 list:

2011

1. First and foremost, to run this year injury-free !!!

I accomplished this ... until September when I injured my left calf muscle during the Springbank Half Marathon and then tore it during the Festival City 10K. :(

As someone who always warms up and cools down with every run, stretches properly after her runs, started doing yoga 1-2/week, and who tends to err on the conservative side when training and pushing myself, this was very, very frustrating. It was something I discussed in detail with both my sports doctor and my physiotherapist - I thought I was doing everything 'right'. However, this second injury was the catalyst for learning about the bio-mechanical issue I have with my left leg, which was behind my left achilles tendon injury at the end of 2010 and again this year with my left calf muscle. The upside to this is that it's not a result of something that I was doing 'wrong' per se, but a pre-existing issue that I am now aware of and need to pay attention to in order to prevent another injury in my left leg in 2012. It has instigated my recent interest in exploring running beyond training plans & programs, and I'm finding it quite interesting. :)

2. To continue improving upon my running speed so that my average pace is consistently in the 6-minute zone whenever I run. I was on the cusp in December, but will no doubt be solidly in the 7-minute zone when I return to running regularly (I am making this resolution when I am off from running with an achilles tendon injury :( ...).

I am pretty sure that when I initially wrote this, I had my 'every day' runs in mind. It's hard to recall what I was thinking because my mindset has changed quite a bit since I wrote it! I achieved this goal in the sense that all my races in 2011 were in the 6-minute zone, but this pace zone was a hit & miss in my training runs. I used a 5K and a half marathon training program from the same book last year, and the coach/author emphasizes the importance of easy runs for the first 8 weeks being just that - easy. I took it to heart and spent 16-17 weeks just easy running, and building up my half marathon mileage. I like my lessened dependency on watching my Garmin and I plan to keep this up.

Truthfully, I think my pace will naturally gravitate into the 6-ish minute pace zone on a regular basis on its own as I become lighter on my feet (i.e. lose some weight). I'm not going to carry this goal over to 2012 because it's not my focus, but I'm speculating that it will happen anyway as a natural result of other things that I plan to focus on. We'll see. :)

3. To participate in all six (6) London Honda Running Series races and place in the top five (5) in my age group as a result of my perseverance and improved pace. :)

My potential prize for 5th place? A $10 gift certificate to the Runner's Choice in London - LOL! :) :)

I placed 7th and was on the injury list for the last race so I ran in 5 out of the 6 races. "If" I had been able to run in the last race, my probable age placement points and the extra bonus points I would have received for running in 6/6 would have bumped me up to 6th place - LOL! Close, but no cigar. :) There were age categories in which only one runner or three runners met the Series' criteria. My age group happened to be one which was heavily contested. :)

4. To participate in seven (7) out of eight (8) Runpiker Series races.

The Toronto Women's Half Marathon is on the same date as the first Runpiker Series race - the Dairy Capital Run. I ran the 5K in 2010 and would love to run in the 10K this year (it was a very fun, well-organized event). However, my heart is really into the half marathon with only women in Toronto, and I set it as my next half marathon goal after completing Niagara Falls.

UPDATE (March 2011): I was unable to start running again until February so training for this half marathon in time is no longer possible. Therefore, I will participate in all eight (8) Runpiker Series and seek out another third half marathon to run.

Achieved! I ran in all eight races and had a great time doing so! :) As for my 'heart' being into in all women's half marathon race, there is a new one this year :) but I will cover that in my 2012 goal list.

5. To be registered in a minimum of two (2) races at all times.

Once I have finished running one race, I will proceed to register myself for the next one as a method of keeping me motivated and looking forward.

For the most part I did this. What ended up determining this more for me was deadlines for race t-shirts. :) In one instance, I registered for one race that was 'two races' away because they sent a reminder email that only those registered by a certain date would receive a t-shirt - ha! At the time that I wrote this, I was wondering if I would lose enthusiasm for the race series as the year progressed if I didn't do this. This didn't happen at all - I am just as enthusiastic for it in 2012 as I was in the two years previous so this now looks like a moot point.

6. To run in a minimum of one (1) race per month.

I will need to fudge this a bit and start in February as there are no January races scheduled within my driving radius, but otherwise, when I look at my 2011 list, this is do-able!

January - 0 (Snowmaggedon & injured left achilles)

February - 1

March - 0

April - 3

May - 3

June - 3

July - 1

August - 2

September - 1

October -1 (2 planned races cancelled due to calf muscle tear)

November - injury list

December - injury list

I made 'hay' in the spring (April - June), but didn't find a local March race after all. I then had to abandon this goal by November. Another 'it is what is' - I ran in more than 12 races anyway so that's good enough in my books. :)

7. To participate in a minimum of three half marathons this year.

1. Toronto Women's Half Marathon - May 29th (change – achilles tendon injury prevented training)

2. Springbank Road Races Half Marathon - London, September 11th

3. Niagara Falls International Marathon (Half Marathon) - October 23rd - REMATCH !! :)

4. Road2Hope (Half Marathon) - November 6th

This is open to change and/or addition. If I am able to convince my sister to run a half marathon with me sometime this year, I am looking at The Chocolate Half Marathon in August or the Run for the Grapes in September with her.

My sister ended up having a horrible year at work and this had a negative impact on her running; therefore, I didn't push the idea of running in the Chocolate HM or the Run for the Grapes together. I still like the idea so I will likely let it simmer in the back of my head for the next few years as a fun thing to do with her. As for my list of half marathons, I accomplished the Springbank HM as planned, but was forced to drop out of my goal Niagara Falls HM. I was not in a financial position at the time to add a third, out-of-town HM so my focus on adding this race to my list was rapidly losing steam by the end of the summer anyway. I'm still adding three half marathons to my goal list for 2012. :)

Monthly Review - DECEMBER 2011

0 km :(

Unfortunately, due to my torn calf muscle, December 2011 matches my mileage for November 2011 and January 2011.

Physiotherapy month!

One Year Ago Today ...

Yesterday, when I realized that it was December 4th, I realized that this date has some significance to me. Here is my post from one year ago - my last race of 2010 when I realized I needed to stop running because I had painful achilles tendonitis. It was also the last day of 'light' snow - within 24 hours of this posting, "Snowmageddon" struck our area with great force. This is one of the reasons I now have a gym membership - so I can keep running all winter when we are snowbound again (it's going to happen - all these warmer temperatures over the Great Lakes means a heavier snowfall for us at some point).

It has been raining here non-stop for the last 24 hours. If it were colder, we would probably have another Snowmageddon on our hands!

A year ago, I had just completed my first 13K run without any walk breaks and Week #4 of my half marathon training. I was at Week #14 this time before ending my training with a torn calf muscle. One of these days, I will complete a half marathon training program from start to finish without injury - LOL!

My calf has felt better since my last physiotherapy session; I think I am ready to try short distance running again and will discuss this with my PT, Brian, at this Friday's PT session. He told me that it would not be "him" telling me when I could start running again, but that it would be "me" - that I would know when I could. I now understand what he meant. The last few days, it finally feels ready. I will keep doing my assigned strengthening/stretching exercises and check in with him to see if I can try running next week.

Fingers crossed !!

Monthly Review - NOVEMBER 2011

0 km :(

Unfortunately, due to my torn calf muscle, November 2011 matches my mileage for January 2011.

Bummer! That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right? Ha! :)

My Torn Calf Muscle - Part II: My Sports Doctor Appointment

My Torn Calf Muscle - Part I: Doctor Referral

November 3rd - Initial Appointment with a Sports Doctor

Funny to feel happy about seeing a doctor!

I was assigned to Dr. J. I arrived at my appointment armed with plenty of questions and a calendar record of all my runs, my injury dates, etc. The doctor laughed at my preparedness and we got down to business.

The highlights:

• I made an error in judgment running "too soon" after my injury at the half marathon. She reprimanded me this - LOL! However, I defended myself by telling her that if my calf had hurt, I would never have continued running. Unfortunately, it only felt like a tight muscle at the time, a cramp, rather than an injury. She agreed that hindsight is 20/20. :)

• I explained that in the time between my walk-in clinic appointment and this one, my left calf had actually 'worsened.' I experienced sharp, shooting pains up my leg when cooking at Thanksgiving (on my feet in the kitchen for a longer-than-normal time period), and that it bothered me (ached; shooting pains; tightening along the calf in waves), usually after I walked the dogs and after yoga, even though it felt fine while participating in physical activity.

• I repeated to her what the walk-in clinic doctor had advised me. She frowned and made a few facial expressions, indicating her disapproval of this advice. However, she didn't say anything negative about it, but simply said that I was able to be pro-active about my healing.

• My absence from running will be for a longer period of time. :( I was 4-1/2 weeks into my "6 weeks off" advice from the walk-in clinic. Dr. J told me that I would need to be off longer, that it would be closer to 8-9 weeks before I could run again on a treadmill with a physiotherapist in a controlled setting. I didn't like hearing that, but I admit it made sense to me. My calf/leg has hurt more in the last two weeks that it did while I was running on it (!!) so I could feel that it wasn't going to be read for a return to running within another week or so.

• Dr. J spent more time studying and touching my calf, and said that she could feel the difference between my right and left calf. She could also see an area on my hurt leg that was lightly protruding (swelling). She also poked around my calf, establishing where it hurt and where it did not.

• When I told Dr. J about my achilles tendon injury from last year, and how I had been reading about injuries stemming from a previous injury or connected to another problem area in the leg. She was interested in this, asked me several questions about it, and spent a little time poking around my left achilles tendon.

So this is where I am at ... I have:

• an ultrasound booked in a week for my calf and achilles tendon
• a physiotherapy appointment booked for the day after my ultrasound
• a follow-up appointment with Dr. J in two weeks from my initial appointment with her.

I was told that my leg will heal and that I will run again. :) However, this part of my leg might be a little bit of an issue for me in the future, in that I will need to really warm it up in the future (pay extra attention to ensuring it is warmed up well before a run).

I am feeling much better about my leg. I have gone from being told "nothing you can do about it" to an ultrasound (to see what it really looks like in there), several appointments with a doctor specializing in sports medicine, and a series of physiotherapy appointments. I am especially pleased with the ultrasound because I want a picture of what has happened to my muscle.

Physiotherapy Referral Notes:

DIAGNOSIS - L calf strain 7-1/2 weeks ago; suspect partial tear at MTJ 4-1/2 weeks ago

L Achilles pain 1 year ago - resolved on it own

WEIGHT BEARING STATUS: full

INVESTIGATIONS AND RESULTS: US ordered

COMMENTS: stretches; strengthening; ROM, proprioception; modalities

NEXT PHYSICIAN APPOINTMENT: 10 days post US

My Torn Calf Muscle - Part I: Doctor Referral

I am sooooo behind on my posts. :( Funny how my running injury has killed my desire to post on my blog, too. :(

I have three race posts to edit and publish: my Springbank Half Marathon from September, my Festival City 10K, and my missed 10K in Grand Bend - the Pinery Provincial Park Run. I keep promising to get this done!

However, I am also behind on my posts on doctor's appointments, physio, etc. so I am going to jump in at this point. because my race reports are already five weeks+ late. I should get the more 'timely' posts done first and then catch up on the others when I can. That's my theory anyway! :)

OCTOBER 19th - Walk-in Clinic Doctor Visit

In London, we are extremely fortunate to have the Fowler-Kennedy Clinic. From the moment that I realized I truly had an injury, I knew that I wanted to be treated by the FKC.

I called the clinic and was told that I needed a referral from my doctor. Because they still had a few appointments available at the end of the week, I went to a walk-in clinic that day rather than booking an appointment with my family doctor. I wanted a quick referral. :)

My appointment with the doctor at the walk-in clinic was quick. He barely looked at my calf, putting his hand around it and squeezing it a few times. We spent our time together discussing my injury. He was nice, but dismissive of referring me to the FKC - "They are only going to tell you what I am about to tell you." The doctor told me that runners hurt themselves 'all the time' in this area, that it was a common injury, and all that I needed to do was to stop running for 6 weeks and my leg would be fine. I told him that I was interested in facilitating the healing, that there must be something I could do besides ice packs/heating packs (which is what he also advised). He showed me the basic calf stretch most runners are familiar with - the lean against the wall , bend one leg, keep the other leg straight and stretch. He said if I had extended benefits, I could take advantage of physiotherapy and then wrote me a physio referral.

However, I did stress that I still wanted to see a sports doctor about my torn calf muscle, and a referral to the FKC was the main reason I had come into the clinic. He had no problem with my request for a second opinion, but it did leave me feeling a little mixed. My gut feeling is that my left achilles tendon injury at this time last year is connected to my current torn calf muscle on the same leg. I could follow this doctor's advice, and just not run for six weeks (with the caveat of seeing him again in six weeks if it was still bothering me), similar to what I did last year (the "do-nothing-but-rest-and-no-running" approach), or I could see this as a sign that my left leg needs to be treated professionally.

As it turns out, it took a week for the FKC to call me with an appointment with a sports doctor. In the interim, I started thinking that my referral was going to be 'refused.' :( Silly of me, I know, but this reflects how the seeds of doubt were planted by the walk-in clinic doctor that I might be making this injury more serious than it really was.

London Honda Series 2011

The Series came to an official close last night for 2011. :)

Anyone who follows this blog knows that I participate in two different running series based out of our local Runners' Choice - the Runpiker Series (8 races outside of London throughout SW Ontario)* and the London Honda Series (6 races in London). To close the Series, there is a social/awards night held at a downtown bar/restaurant, The Honest Lawyer. Ben and I met my racing friend and her BF for drinks to celebrate the end of local summer racing, and to cheer all the winners from the different age categories. If interested in how the points are accumulated, check it out here. Again, anyone who follows this blog might remember that one of my goals for the year was to place 5th in my age category so I could win a $10 gift certificate to the store - woo hoo! :) I knew I wasn't fast enough to place in the top positions, but by participating in all the races, a runner can get an additional 30 points, and this is what I was counting on to bump me up in the rankings. :) I was on track until I injured myself at the 5th race - the Springbank Half Marathon. As a result, I could not run in the Halloween Haunting race a few weeks back, and ended up 'losing' potential points that would've made me a contender - LOL! I ended up in 8th place instead. Oh well - it's all in good fun. :) Maybe I can place 5th place next year. :) As it turns out, I have a very competitive age group. :)

Highlights from the evening:

• Although the races attracted approximately the same number of runners as last year, twice as much money was raised this year over last year's "best-to-date." The organizer/store owner attributed this to the internet. When runners registered for a race, their name was automatically "linked" to a donation page. This made it easier for runners to solicit donations from others. Just awesome!
• My name may not have been drawn for the Las Vegas trip top prize, but I did win a beautiful long sleeved winter running shirt. Love it! :)
• Leslie Sexton won for her age group and it was then pointed out that she WON the half marathon in the Scotiabank Half Marathon in Toronto a month ago. VERY COOL! Ben and my racing friend's BF both reacted when she walked up to the microphone to accept her award - Oh her! We know her - she always crosses the finish line first! :) My racing friend and I just laughed because we don't know her - we are usually far behind her in these races. :)
• Kudos to Runners' Choice - they already have next year's races planned and registration online will be ready within a few weeks. I have already added these dates to my calendar and can start planning for 2012. Love that! :)

As sad as it is to see the season close, it is just as well for me since I can't run just yet and I have some recovery weeks ahead of me before I can start training again. I am still seriously considering joining the half marathon clinic in January 2012 for the Forest City Road Races HM in April. I think this is do-able, but can't state that confidently until I know more about my torn calf muscle and where I am at with it.

I still enjoy the daydreaming about it. :)

*For participating in the Runpiker Series, I received a complimentary running shirt at the last race in Grand Bend. I mentioned this in my draft blog post that I have yet to publish! :(

10, 000 Blog Hits

This blog reached 10,000 hits earlier today. Very, very cool! Thank you for contributing to this number of views since I started tracking them. :)

Unfortunately, I have been a poor blogger of late. I am also waaaaaay behind on checking my favourite blogs, too. :( There's not much to say on a blog which tracks my personal running experiences when I haven't been able to run for 5 weeks! :( I will try to be better at it from this point forward. As one of my DM friends pointed out to me through a PM, recovering from a running injury should be considered a part of training. I was encouraged to think of it this way so I am taking it to heart and will add my recovery notes to my running diary/blog.

Months ago, I spent some time writing and scheduling the twice weekly "Food Rules" posts for up until the end of October (when my race schedule was pretty much wrapping up for 2011). These posts were intended for my days off from running so that there would still be a daily post when I didn't have a regular run or race to post about. However, I didn't have an "in-case-of-injury" contingency plan prepared. :( I am putting a pause on it for now (essentially for the months of November and December), and will resume them (there are 60+ Food Rules in total) once my next round of training starts. I am still trying to figure out what is realistic for me ...

I have a few posts I need to catch up on - my Springbank Half Marathon post which was written ages ago, but went MIA when life became too busy and my home computer died for a few weeks. Time to finish those edits ... I will get this done. :) I have a doctor / ultrasound / physiotherapy update to report on and an overdue Festival City Run draft post, too. Last weekend, I volunteered at the Halloween Haunting Run so I have to get crackin' on this.

So here's to 10,000 hits and counting. :) Cheers!

BI-YEARLY REVIEW: May 2011 - October 2011

2011

May = 151.4 km

June = 138.6 km

July = 220.3 km (my highest month-to-date by 40 km)

August = 203.4 km (my second highest month-to-date)

September = 169.2 km (initial injury month)

October = 19.8 km (torn calf muscle month)

TOTAL KM = 902.7 km

Previous Bi-Yearly Review: November 2010 - April 2011

TOTAL KM = 521.1 km

Previous Bi-Yearly Review: May 2010 - October 2010

TOTAL KM = 752.66 km