runrunkitkat

Yes, I’ve been neglecting this blog for quite some time, but I won’t apologize for it.

I’ve been pondering over what to do with my running blog.  Do I keep writing posts about my random running….does anyone even read this blog anymore???  Or do I say goodbye, send it to its grave and focus solely on our main blog?  I struggle to find the time to keep up with one blog, so having two is a bit of overload.

Well, my questions pretty much answered themselves when an opportunity arose that I couldn’t pass up.  The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (a local online newspaper) was looking for marathon runners to blog on their new running blog, so I jumped at the chance to be a contributing writer.

I’m really excited to branch out to a new audience and reach more readers.  I’ll be blogging less about my personal running ’stuff’ and focusing more on general running news and advice for new runners.  So for now, I’m saying good bye to runrunkitkat—but no need for sadness, you can follow me and my fellow co-contributors at Seattlepirun.

Happy Running!

I’m convinced that physical therapists actually know what they’re doing.  Not that I thought they were useless before, but I’d just never been to one and always tried to treat my injuries myself.  I know, how silly of me.  But when you have awesome medical insurance like we do, I don’t really think twice anymore about going to see a specialist when I know I won’t have to pay anything.

My therapist, whom I shall henceforth call P.T. Joe, has been a huge help in getting my knee rehabilitated while still letting me feed my need for running.  And actually for the injury that I have, P.T. Joe says its best to keep conditioning the knee through running, to keep the tendons regenerating and active.  Or something like that.

I won’t argue with that thought.  He put me on a daily regimen of squatting and hopping drills followed by icing (not the cake frosting, the cold solid water kind).  Basically, I’m going back to my elementary school days and doing hopscotch and standing long jump.  I get some weird looks when I’m at the park, but it seems to be helping, so I keep on hopping. 

We discussed my marathon training, and I love that he encouraged me in continuing my effort, as long as I do a run/walk method.  So that’s what I’ve been doing and it’s worked great. 

Today I did a 20 mile training run like this:

run 3, walk .5, run 3.5, walk .5, run 4, walk .5, run 3.5, walk .5, run 3, walk 1

Not only did my knee hold up well, but it made the distance not seem as far, knowing that I’d get a walk break soon.  This shall be my plan for the marathon.  I’m not worried at all about a finishing time, but at least now I’m optimistic that me knee will be okay.  (Hopefully.) 

I came home from today’s run over 3 hours later and Todd had an ice bath ready for me.  Such a sweetie It sounds torturous, but it’s absolutely necessary after that long of a run and I could not wait to get home and take one.  Oh, it felt so good.  He even had a freshly warmed towel for me when I finished showering.  I couldn’t ask for a more supportive husband. 

So 4 weeks left to go, I think I’m finally ready to do this thing.

It doesn’t hurt to remove the ol’ toenail polish every once and awhile. You might be surprised at what you find.

Oooh! A black toenail!

Makes me still feel like a runner even despite my injury.

I think I’ll let him fall off on his own. Then paint him bright pink.

Uh, so remember just a couple weeks ago when I said I’m Back in the Game ? Yeah, well apparently I was lying.

Sadly, I can’t seem to get my knee pain under control, so I’ve been staying off the streets again and doing 100% of my running in the water.  (I logged TWO HOURS in the pool on Saturday….talk about wrinkly hands)

But as much as I’ve come to enjoy my time in the pool, this injury is frustrating, frustrating, frustrating. 

I go back to see my physical therapist this week, so hopefully he can figure out what’s going on.  Meanwhile, I’ll keep waterjogging and doing the elliptical. 

There’s a lot of questions going on in my head about the marathon in (ugh) 5 1/2 weeks.  Should I consider my race entry fee a donation and forego this marathon altogether?  Should I avoid doing any road running until race day (my doctor said she’s had friends do this with success)?  Should I do a jog/walk method?  Should I cut back to just the half marathon?  To me, there’s a HUGE difference in the jump from 13.1 to 26.2 miles.  I could run a half marathon today with this injury and not have any worries.  Sure it’d probably be painful, but I’d be done in 2 hours. 

Husband suggests that I should stick with the full marathon and just take my precious time. Walk when I need to, stop and do squats, don’t worry about the clock.  [He seems to have developed a keen understanding of how my mental state and 'pleasantness to be around' are affected in a negative way if I don't follow through with a running goal.] 

My concern with trying to run long training distances now is that I’ll hurt my knee worse and not be able to run the marathon at all.  But if I can just take it easy until then, I’m okay with running through the pain for 26.2 miles and fully recovering the rest of the summer.  I just need to keep focused on getting myself as prepared as possible to run for over 4 hours, without actually running that far beforehand.

Besides, I can make my new goal to just beat my current marathon PR (an awful 6 hours and something) and still come out of this feeling somewhat happy. Simple enough, right?  Ha.

It’s a minor goal in my life to be a sponsored runner.  

Obviously, I need a company who doesn’t require their runners to be super fast and win races.  A company who just wants to sponsor a normal, active, ‘middle of the pack’ girl like me.  

To my joy, I got an email a couple months ago inviting me to apply to be on ‘Team Bear Naked 2009′—a group of 100 athletes from different sports who serve as brand ambassadors for Bear Naked.  Bear Naked is a fairly new company who makes natural, minimally processed, healthy granola. 

It’s deliciously good stuff.  

I have no idea how they got my email or if they just sent an invite out to anyone and everyone who has registered for a race in the past year (if so, don’t tell me, b/c I felt pretty special feeling ’selected’).  With nothing to lose, I went ahead and filled out the extensive application.  There were questions about past competitive experience, race plans for 2009, community involvement, willingness to be a brand ambassador, favorite granola flavor, etc. etc.

I knew it was a long shot to make the team, but boy, would I have loved to be accepted! 

Instead, I got this email last week:

Bummer.  Rejected.

I tell myself the thing that got me cut was that I’m not a part of a running club, with easy access to promote their products to large groups of athletes.  So I need to join a club.  And maybe next year I’ll get sponsored

I guess I owe an update on my knee. 

Good News:  I’ve started running again!  On hard surfaces!

Bad News: I’ve missed out on several long runs, so my training schedule is all chaotic right now. So I’m a little nervous about getting back in good condition for the marathon in 7 weeks.

Last week, I had my first visit ever with a physical therapist.  I’m beginning to like going to doctors.  Both my personal physician and my therapist said I was ‘very smart’ about my post-injury actions and taking myself to the pool right away.  A+ for Katie!

We analyzed my leg movements, I jumped up and down on my injured leg a lot, practiced my squatting form, got a nice knee massage, discussed my running rehabilitation and schedule, and then I was on my way with the go ahead to get back out on the streets.

Keep on icing, keep on doing lots of squats, and gradually ease back into running while supplementing it with water jogging.  I think the hardest part of this all will be for me to get back on track with my training, and to ease back into the running on concrete. 

I tested my knee with a 2 mile jog on Friday, and then went out for a 10 mile run last night.  A little overambitious? yes.  I’m not sure my therapist would be happy, BUT, my knee was feeling good until the last half mile, so I kept going. Thankfully, the knee feels fine today.

I’ve been very conscious about my running form and running as much as possible on softer surfaces such as grass and gravel, and limiting my concrete and asphalt surfaces.  That’s not always easy to do living in the city, but thankfully the Burke-Gilman trail is close by. 

Overall, I’m happy to be back to running, but I’m a little nervous about being 3 weeks behind in my long runs and potentially overdoing it again as I try to catch up.  Patience is not my strongest virtue.

Since I’ve been spending so much time in the pool, I decided it was time I updated my swimming wardrobe and get a new ’sporty’ suit.  But, since I’m not really an avid swimmer, I didn’t want to spend much money on something I’d likely only be wearing in the gym’s pool.  

I bit the bullet and ordered a swimsuit from SwimOutlet.com.  But not just any swimsuit— a grab bag swimsuit.  

Basically, you tell them your size and what brand you want, and they pick a random discontinued style and send it to you for like, 75% off the regular cost of ‘this years’ model.  I’d read reviews of people being disappointed by the crazy print patterns, but what did I care?  I only paid $14 for it.  That’s right. $14.  

It was kind of like Christmas, waiting with great anticipation to see what my present was.   

When my special delivery arrived, I was pleased beyond all expectations.  I may have even squealed with excitement.  It was like hoping for a pony and getting a racehorse.  

Behold, my shiny new REVERSIBLE, non-gaudy, totally awesome, totally “look at me, I swim!” suit:

It’s like getting TWO suits for the price of ONE! Again, $14.  

I’m in love with it and I’m actually more motivated to go to the pool now that I look like a swimmer, instead of some random girl taking up valuable lane space in a bikini. 

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll become a swimmer.

Nah….I’m a runner, just confined to a pool. I’ve yet to even put my head underwater