Confessions of an Amateur Athlete

Disclaimer: I received a free entry into the North Olympic Discovery Marathon to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! I'm not throwing in the towel, but I am making some changes to my goals for the upcoming North Olympic Discovery Marathon on June 4th.

Disclaimer: I received a pair of LEGEND Compression Leg Sleeves to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! I'm determined to make 2017 not only my come-back year, but a year of training harder and stronger than ever before. My goal: to live LEGEND-... wait for it... -DARY! So it seems only fitting that I'd check out the compression sleeves from LEGEND compression . 

ANOTHER running injury. Tons of big races and big goals on the horizon.  I've been thrown quite the obstacle, but it's time to face the facts and get back on track!

After months of stress, injury, and wondering when/where my next race would be... the pieces all fall together by chance! I basically feel like I've won the running lottery!

As many of you may already know, I threw in the towel on my big Montreal Half-Marathon.  Injury has sidelined me for months and I just didn't think it was a smart move to do it.  However, I DID still go on the trip with several friends who were running.  This probably made my first DNS (Did Not Start) even tougher.

So even though I haven't had a chance to run lately (dang Plantar Fasciitis!) I at least have been doing more hiking and walking.  I was contacted by Cardiostrong to test out their Vanquish energy gels and put them to the test!

I'd like to introduce you to a fellow Arizona runner, blogger, and all around inspiration!  Meet Daniel, aka, Blessed Runner.  He's a pro at balancing running and being a dad.  Both alone are full-time jobs!  He and I partnered in our #RunEatTweetAZ blog swap (you can read my post and more from Daniel over on  http://blessedrunners.com ) Now let's go on a Training Journey with Blessed Runner !

A lot of friends/followers have been asking how my plantar fasciitis held up during the race after my cortisone shot.  (Back Story HERE ) Days leading up to the race, I was still sore.  On race day, when walking to the start line I was still feeling a dull pain.  The kind you get around mile 20 of a marathon.  So my stomach was doing flops.  This wasn't going to be easy! How did it go?  I believe a picture is worth a thousand words... so here's the answer: Mile 25 Needless to say, it HURT!  I managed to keep up with the 3:55 pace group with only slight discomfort, until Mile 18. That's when the $&@! hit the fan.  I could feel the tendon in my foot tight and throbbing something major.  I also knew that with the cortisone shot, I was opening up myself to risk of rupturing the tendon for life.  So I limped/walked the last few miles.   It definitely was painful.  Not just physical pain, but mental.  Runners...

gogorunning.com So one week out from The San Francisco Marathon , and I was feeling good. Was doing everything right... and getting excited. Until Monday I woke up and could barely put pressure on my heel. Plantar Fasciitis had struck... with a vengeance! Apparently my foot had had quite enough and was fed up. (Here's a great article on PLANTAR FASCIITIS for more detail on this injury) I iced my foot, stretched it, took plenty of ibuprofen... It was getting "tolerable" but I could tell there was no way it was going to be Marathon-ready in just five days. So I weighed my options. If my race were local, I'd resort to just cheering from the sidelines. But I've been eagerly waiting for this race for the past YEAR! Running across the Golden Gate Bridge has always been on my bucket list, and this was supposed to be my "fun" marathon of 2014!   s1.hubimg.com Friends had told me about getting a Cortisone shot. I'd never gotten o...

I'm running the San Francisco Marathon  next weekend, and I have finally reached the final stage of my Tapering: Acceptance. As many of us runners know, as we end our marathon training and start backing off our mileage, we go through a series of emotions.  Let me break it down for you. STAGE ONE: EUPHORIA p.gr-assets.com You've put the mileage in. You're feeling good.  Legs are sore, but it's a good sore.  Now you can just sit back and wait for the race...which you're going to ROCK of course! Everything is AWESOME!   STAGE TWO:  ANGER sharegif.com Dang it! You need to go run! And your IT Band/Knee/Hip/Foot feels achy.  You'd better NOT be getting injured.  It's too late in the game!  And you feel fat.  Just FAT.  Now...who hid the @&#*#@ Cookies!?! STAGE THREE: DEPRESSION 31.media.tumblr.com Yep.  This race is going to be horrible.  What if you don't finish?! Did y...

Who knows running in the heat better than those of us who brave triple digits here in the desert?  I've shared some of my tips to surviving the Hellish Heat , but I thought this time I'd ask my new group of running/blogging gurus to offer their advice!  green.autoblog.com Check out #RunEatTweetAZ runners and their tips to pounding the miles on pavement that can cook an egg!       Kristin: http://cookandrunwithkristin.com/ I fill up my handheld water bottle entirely with ice and then fill any extra space with cold water! It's great for drinking and spraying some on your face! At least if you start with ice it'll become cold water during your run! If you start with cold or luke warm water it will turn to hot broth lol!   Or you can run along the beach and get your feet wet! JESSICA: http://www.sweatismysanity.com/     Change Your Expectations - Maintaining and even improving your pace through the ...

Peak-Week over!  Time to Taper!  In other words, I finished up my last "really long run" before the San Francisco Marathon in Three weeks! I'll still run, but nothing over 12-15 until Race Day!  The excitement is building. Most of the questions I get from friends, family, and followers revolve around my routine BEFORE and AFTER my long runs.  So I thought I'd take some time to focus on what I did the night before my 22-miler, and my routine afterwards for recovery.  In order to beat the heat, or at least, beat the SUN, I had to START my run around 5am. So I had to go to bed super early.  On a Saturday night.  Oh the sacrifices we runners make! lol.  Anyway, some people ask "what sort of exercise do you do the day before a long run like that?"  Well, I try to usually keep it light.  This time I did some light strength training and ab work.  Also, I took to my foam roller to work out any tight-spots like my IT band and d...

It was a HOT 20 Miler this weekend!!! *HOT* doesn't even describe it!  I started at 6:30am but it was already into the high 80's at that point.  And by the time I ended, it was skyrocketing past 100+.  I felt like Johnny Storm from Fantastic Four, just minus the speed! (yes, I'm a comic book geek) I took the pup out for the first few miles just so she could get some exercise in before the triple digits hit.  Even SHE was getting too hot already, and the sun wasn't even blaring YET! Nevertheless, it was slow, it was hot, but I got it done! A lot of people ask me how I survive training Arizona's relentless summer temps.  You can check out some of my tips here:  Surviving the Hellish Heat  saltsticks.com But for the most part, I made sure I had extra water, and ran a route where I could fill up at fountains when I needed.  Also, I had my hat doused in cold water, and salt sticks to keep my electrolytes up. ...