July Dingoes ~ Running into the Sun - Page 36

[JenLove]

Daddy has V, so I am having some tea and catching up on the nets.

poppy ~ Sending that knee of yours some healing vibes.

Gaye ~ Have fun at your playdate. :

DrJen ~ That list needs to be saved somewhere (ya know just in case I ever have a baby #2 or #3.....). That doesn't mean stalking starts now - TRUST.ME.

Plady ~ You really do look great in those photos! Beautiful as always!

real ~ Sending lots of feel good vibes. I wish I lived closer to help.

I got out with Val for a short walk yesterday, and it seems if I just do *something* each day I feel so much better. I'm still struggling with the amount of food I need in a day. I finally gave up and bought deli meat for sandwiches yesterday. That seems to hold me over really well and it's easy to make. I have energy bars in the fridge cooling now, and I'm sure I got the recipe here. Whoever it was.. thanks for sharing.

I guess I should run. James' gparents are here from SC, and we are going to visit them at his parent's house today. I need to get Val down for her morning nap, shower, and pack all of our goodies for the day.

[Plady]

Originally Posted by kerc

Lay on your back with your feet resting on something so that they can be at 90 degrees and lay that way for 20 minutes. It feels heavenly. Probably won't solve your problem, but hey it's a damn good reason to lay motionless for 20 minutes.

[: Oh yes, that does feel good! Thanks for the reminder!]

Yep, I think she might get it now. Of course it's totally pleasing me to know that she's of course struggling. That makes me kinda mean.

[Nah, just normal, if she came to you for real advice and not just to tell you how hard *her* situation is I'm sure you'd be truly helpful and kind.]

I'm beginning to think we need another no-dinglet meetup sometime.

[Yes! Yesyesyesyesyes! : I know I'm just hot off of one but it was so unbelievably rejuvenating. I would love to do one every year.]

I've been attending this yoga class on Thursdays. I LOVE it. I mean seriously, if you could channel all the dingo moms into one room and extend us generationally by about 30 years -- that's the group of women. I feel so welcome and so a part of the class even though I just joined it. I'm already sad because I have a conflict on Thursdays this fall.

[Yay! You have a IRL group! Bummer about the conflict but maybe you can rearrange for the spring semester and if they're anything like the dingos it will be like no time has passed when you go back]

Originally Posted by Penelope

TMI: why am I getting cramps and fairly serious diarrhea after running? I think it's probably dehydration-linked, but dang, this has never happened before the last week or so (on my 11m last week, and today). The cramps took me out for most of last Saturday - I just lay in bed feeling miserable. I don't usually gu/blok/whatever on long runs, but I'm considering some Gatorade or something on Saturday when I'm supposed to do 13. Could it be something else I should be troubleshooting?

I don't know but just wanted to say I had something like that happen to me during the training and after a couple weeks it went away again. But it was awful while it was going on. And I did notice that as my mileage crept up my AF cramps got a lot worse, which of course made me : since all the glossy mags say that exercise is the cure to everything. But I will : for you that it goes away as mysteriously as it came and never return!

Real - Wow, I can't imagine how awful that must feel! I hope that among all the ideas these wise ladies have there are some that work. : for you that all the discomfort (I know, that word doesn't scratch the surface) goes away.

Poppy - Here's a little scene I thought you'd enjoy hearing about, yesterday I told Chiara that we were going back to reading time=tv/video time. That had been the rule before I left but of course it got loosened up while dh was alone and she was not happy to hear that I remembered so she said, "Fine! Then I'm leaving!" and she got her roller bag and put some clothes in it and took off down the gravel driveway (good sound effect if any children out there are curious). I managed to talk her down and eventually she came back but boy was I thinking of S with his Half Blood Prince just reading away like a champ. :
And, can we see your pix anyway?

Gaye - Ohh, enjoy your ride! You are one strong mama! I don't think I could even consider trying to do that ride, even with my cheater bike!

JenLove - That's a great idea! Maybe some mod (BBM? You still a mod? Shanti? You around?) could make DrJen's post a sticky for the pregnancy boards.

The heat wave has broken here which is kind of nice. Yesterday we tried out a new swimming hole which was just about the most perfect place I've ever swum and so I'm a little sad to think it might be too cool to go back, but it was pretty insanely hot, I don't know how you ATL and VA and OH mamas handle it since I know that's pretty normal for y'all. But who knows? The pond was so sweet that I might just buck up and take myself over just to do laps. And it's exactly 1.7 miles from my house so it's a perfect spot to run to and from once I'm back at it. I was definitely entertaining triathlon thoughts there yesterday.
Okay, time to feed kiddos and get going. :

[1jooj]

Can you see them? Bib 9130, LN Phillip
Gar. A couple are reaaaaalllyy awful, but whatevs. I finished.

Real, I just hope it wanes as fast as it hit you. Feel better, grow baby!

My mom is over. We were thinking of going rummaging, but I STILL have the spins (it's improving though), and I also have loads of vegetables to deal with. I think I will do the shred and freeze with zucchini. I made ratatouille last night for dinner, yum. Have another load of broc and enough cukes to do a fridge pickle with hot peppers, and I suppose tomorrow will be green beans again. Froze about a bushel yesterday. I am looking forward to the cheap grocery bills come winter when we're on one income.

kerc, I hope you get your stuff back. :

poppy, I was digging your kiddos too. I was thinking Satch and Noah would probably be pals IRL. Both pretty laid back and unafraid of weird.

My kids have both been hugging me like crazy since I got back. I'll take it.

Of course, so are the goats, and I am loving that, too. :

Soon as the spinning stops, I swear I am going for a run. Actually got 2 invites from friends to do an Aug 8 fun run (10K). Think I am going to.

Open invite, btw, should any Dingo ever be passing through this way...We actually have quite a pocket, between UP/WI/Chicagoland, I think...

[poppywise]

this ain't no reb photo shoot, that's for sure
birch/33067


see poppy walking in pain! see poppy check her iphone to make sure her GPS is turned on! see poppy try to shaka her way through the race!

:

[Mommabelle]

No fm this week. My right glute really aches. Foam roller is in the mail to my house! My plan is to go back to the chiro on Monday and run on tues or wed. I really hope I can get back soon.

Love the picutres!

[Penelope]

Reb, thanks. It's good to know it might just depart at some point. I am really badly off still - was up until midnight, up again at six, finally took OTC medication which has helped a lot. Consulted with my dad, who's a pediatrician but not a runner, and he's going to ask the gastroenterologist about it on my behalf (anonymously! ) Blood from unusual places freaks me out.

I'm going to try some Gatorade on my next long run in case it's an electrolyte imbalance - I had some of the orange kind at my last half and kept it down fine. I can't figure out any other obvious commonalities between the two episodes, except that I was outside (and thus possibly slightly dehydrated) both times.

My IT band seems to be getting better.

[Runningmommy]

Originally Posted by Geofizz

LisaLLL It was great seeing you again! Miss you already. Elliot was so surprised and trilled. He's telling everyone about his new bike.

Yay, so glad to hear that he likes the bike!! It was wonderful to see you, thank you soooo much for sitting and visiting with me. Any time with dingoes makes me : and . Glad you made it home safe and sound.


Penelope~I get stomach cramps and diarrhea after runs that I have high exertion. Mostly races, but some regular runs too. It changes with what I eat post run and what I use during run, prerun, etc. Experiment to find what's right. Good luck.

No RR today, but the kids have had me on the trampoline both morning and afternoon today and I'm drenched in sweat.

[tjsmama]

I'm just back from our mini-epic adventure. 41 miles on the bike total, pulling the trailer. Whew. And the first 20 was mostly uphill, which I hadn't realized (although I would have, had I actually thought about it at any point ). I was pretty tired by the time we got to my bf's house, but four hours of hanging out, chitchatting, and watching the kids play was good enough to get me back home. Well, that and the downhill. I dropped DS off at X's house, since it's literally right along the trail and biked the last 4 miles home pulling an empty trailer. Which should have been easier, except that the wind picked up right then and it was a crazy head/crosswind. The last .75 mile is totally downhill and I couldn't get over 9 mph!

So, ladies, I need to pull out the dingo forces with all the positive thoughts, prayers, goodvibes, whatever else you can send...my good friend Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer this week. She's 36 weeks pregnant with DS2. She doesn't have a ton of information yet because they haven't been able to do thorough testing due to the pregnancy. The lump is small (she said pea sized) and definitely cancerous, but they don't know if it's spread at all. She was meeting with the breast surgeon this afternoon to hopefully get more information. She'll probably be induced within the next two weeks so they can start treatment. Her doctors wanted to induce her ASAP but she's pushing to wait as long as she can to give the baby a better start. She's incredible strong (of all my friends, if anyone could kick cancer's a$$, she can), but I just can't imagine what she and the rest of her family are going through right now. This hits even harder for me because I have a friend who died of breast cancer in similar circumstances not quite two years ago. So, please, anything good you can send her way would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

[Mommabelle]

Gaye..so sorry!::

[Realrellim]

tjsmama--sending lots and lots of good vibes to your friend. I can't imagine. :

Penelope--hope you're feeling better soon too.

1jooj & poppy--thanks for letting us see pics!

My update: I took drjen's advice and hauled myself down to the hospital for some fluids this afternoon after nothing stayed down again and I felt like death. That helped some and will hopefully hold me through until Wednesday's appointment, when I can push for something more effective. I don't want to become a frequent flyer at the infusion clinic, even if they were nice and the bed was comfy.

[1jooj]

Oh, Real! I really really hope this gets better fast.

And Gaye...luck and light and love to your friend. I hope she kicks BC's a$$.

Poppy, I like how we were both caught doing something other than running at the GG Park gate.

[tjsmama]

Sending some cheers out to this weekend's racers! Go materfamilias! Go drjen go!!! :

Just a quick update with some more news on Amy...she saw the surgeon this afternoon and things are somewhat promising. They're pretty confident it's only in the one breast, and the lump is small. There are also some calcifications that are suspicious, apparently. The plan is to induce at 38 weeks, get the rest of the testing done that week, and then do the mastectomy/reconstruction within 1-2 weeks. She's hopeful that she won't have to do radiation and may possibly avoid chemo, as well. She really wants to breastfeed as much as she possibly can, and her surgeon is supportive of that. :

Desperately trying to focus and do homework...

[poppywise]

gaye - so sorry to hear that, what an awful thing to face especially in the midst of preparing for baby. sending lots of kick cancer's a$$ vibes :

real - oh my that sounds miserable. i really hope you start feelin better soon :

plady - i can't wait to meet your C some day - she sounds full of strong will and kind of hilarious

jo - i know! where the heck was that GGpark photog hiding, in the bushes?

mandy- 6 weeks?? i know, i hear ya but i just don't to take that much time off again. i'm keeping a close eye on it though. i need to ice more than i'm doing. when is that big race where if you win you have to get a tattoo at the finish - did it already happen? i can't remember.

good luck drjen! (your race is this weekend, right?)

[poppywise]

*double post*

[cornflake girl]

We're finally home! : We took the scenic route back which resulted in 2 days of 7 hour car rides. : So glad to be back!

Gaye - : for your friend. It's so unfair that she has to deal with that now of all times.

[cornflake girl]

I didn't think I had very much to say, but somehow this RR turned out kind of long.

The SF marathon has 4,400 feet of climbing in the first half and 2,200 feet of climbing in the second half, a fact which is conveniently omitted from the race website. Had I known that beforehand, there is absolutely no way I would have chosen this for my first marathon. That’s like going up and down a tall mountain! No way. Thank goodness I didn’t find that out until after the race because now I’m just that much more proud of myself.

Because there is double the elevation gain in the first half, my goal was to run negative splits. I was hoping that if everything went perfectly I could run the first half in under 2:10 and hopefully try to be faster in the 2nd half. I read somewhere that marathon pace should feel ridiculously easy for the first half, comfortably hard for about the next 10k and pretty darn painful until the end, so that’s what I was aiming for.

The start of the race had the longest port o potty lines I’ve ever seen, so I decided to skip it and go later, which led to a 1:45 minute potty stop around mile 2. We started along the Embarcadero which is perfectly flat. I wasn’t sure how to pace myself here because I wanted to start slow and easy, but I also thought maybe I should take advantage of the flatness and bank some time since I doubted I’d see anymore flat stretches after this. My hunch was right, BTW, there was no more flat until the very end. Decided to take it easy which was probably a good choice since there were 25 more miles to go.

Running across the Golden Gate was amazing, almost surreal. Unfortunately, all of the fog made for slippery footing so I couldn’t sightsee too much, or I’d likely slip and fall. After the bridge it’s hill after hill after hill and I’m focusing on not looking at my pace so I can stay calm. Hills get to me mentally because I start to panic when I see my pace slowing down so much.

Around the halfway point we ran into Golden Gate park which was just beautiful. The only bummer part was that this was where the first half ended and we had to loop past their finish twice. How obnoxious! I hit the half in 2:09:11 which was right on schedule, now it was time to start picking up the pace. It was around this point that my Garmin lost satellite signal and never regained it for the remainder of the race. I am majorly Garmin dependent so I was like a little lost puppy for a bit there. Now I’ll always wonder if the race would have been different (could I have went sub-4??) had I had that crutch. Later on in the park we must have passed the 2nd half start because all of a sudden I had hit the 3 hr. pace group. Took me awhile to realize these were the 2nd halfers. It was really hard trying to dodge them all, I swear they were all linked arm in arm. At some point in the park I see this older guy who’s doing the full at a pretty good clip. I was starting to feel like I needed to latch onto someone and he told me he was shooting for a 10 min. pace. Now, since my watch lost signal I have no way of knowing my pace, but dude, I’m pretty sure this is way faster than 10 mm. He agreed with me, but kept up the pace so I tried best I could to stay with him.

I stayed with him all the way out of the park and down Haight St. until we hit some MAJOR downhill and I took off and never saw him again. I really wish I could have seen my pace down that hill because I was flying. I was passing people like crazy and I don’t remember a single person passing me. I’m sure this totally fried my quads because believe me, I paid for it the last 2 miles or so, but man, was it fun!

By about mile 24 I was just done. My legs were so incredibly tight that I knew it would hurt worse if I stopped to walk, so I just kept running. The pictures should be interesting, because by mile 25 I totally had my birthing face on. In fact, I was making birthing noises, too. I felt like I was crawling, but I was stoked that at least it was finally flat. People were passing, but not too many, I really wish I could see how much I slowed down here. Around this point they routed us all up onto a sidewalk, and I swear the curb was 18 inches high. My quads hurt so bad I had to stop and take it sideways. Couldn’t they at least have built a ramp or something? That was just plain rude! Somehow I ran the last 10k at an 8:52 pace.

I finally see the end and finish. I can’t believe I just ran my first marathon in 4:07:34 on these super hilly streets! I really had the perfect race. Everything went just as I had hoped in my best case scenario plans. I fueled perfectly and never hit any 'walls', I ran negative splits (2:09 and 1:58), and I never had any sort of injury type of pain. I guess it does pay to obsessively read everything I can re: marathoning. I can now confirm that running a marathon is like childbirth in that you forget the pain, because I’m almost ready to start thinking about my next one. Almost.

[Runningmommy]

CFG~oh,my.gosh. wonderful RACE and awesome report. You are amazing!!

[bec]

I'm so sad. In addition to my hellish week last week, my low back has been in agony! It's feeling a bit better after Monday's trip to the chiro. But I only managed about 2 miles of my 11 mile run today before quitting because of it. I'm so desperate for a run. I just feel defeated.

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by Geofizz

My hips Ok, I've now stumped my PT running buddy. She doesn't think it's my IT band, and she's not convinced it's my shoes. She can't figure out why it's so persistent. I figured strengthening the muscles would make things better, but so far, just worse. All she could figure is that it's something in my back. The only thing is that my back feels perfectly fine. She left it with "dunno, keep doing massage, stretch, ice." It's muscle pain. It's symmetric on both sides, 2x2" area on each side right at the top of my hips, just behind the crest. It doesn't hurt when I'm fully warmed up. It doesn't hurt sitting or standing, only when moving around. Any ideas?

I spent the last three days doing ice, massage, ib, stretch constantly. I also looked at my profile in the mirror and resumed situps and yoga. Specifically, I did all those triangle and warrior poses that keep things toned. Well, well, well, don't I know it. After two days of triangling and warrior, my SI joint flairs up as bad as it was when preg with K. Some of my DIY PT popped that sucker back into place. One more massage, and my hips haven't hurt since. They were tender after last night's run, but I did the yoga + DIY PT + massage, and I'm fine. :

I don't believe it. I've dealt with this for 6 months.

Off to a b-day party then work pool party + bbq (the first time in 5 years my family has been invited to any sort of party with work people).

[doctorjen]

I'm off to shower and then drive to Chicago to meet up with Balancin1, who is graciously hosting me and my 2 youngest children for my race tomorrow. My friend who is running with me is having a bad week - her dh who was supposed to come with her threw out his back and can barely walk, and she isn't sure yet if she's coming alone or bringing someone else, but she's bummed about him not being able to come. My whole goal for this half is to get her to the finish line!

cfg - great race report! I can't believe you were able to negative split after tackling all those hills! And by 11 minutes on top of it!

Geo - Yay for self cures!

tjsmama - I can't imagine going through the stress of breast cancer diagnosis while trying to prepare for a baby. All my best to your friend!