When I used to work at summer camp we would have the girls do "rose and thorn" as a bedtime activity to wrap up the day and calm them down and inch them towards going to bed. They would have to come up with a "rose" of the day (or the best part) and a "thorn" of the day (or the worst part). It helped them think positively and also problem solve their thorns. So, my rose and thorn of the weekend:
Rose: I ran 10 miles on Sunday morning!
Thorn: my sister is injured and out indefinitely. No Hilly Hobble, no Stowe 8 miler, no 1/2. BIG thorn.
First, the thorn. Emily had been complaining of knee pain on and off for a while and seemed to be taking pretty good care of herself (she got new shoes with insoles, was icing and foam rolling). At the Run for Empowerment she complained of more intense pain and after we got up from the table where we had lunch she couldn't even walk home. She rested her knees and then tried running again in the middle of the week. No luck - the pain came right back. She made an appointment with the doctor who told her that she had "Runner's Knee" or patellofemoral pain. She called me in tears after her appointment because the doctor told her that she would have to take "more than a few weeks off" from running. What a bummer!
I am skeptical of the whole thing because she visited a random doctor in our primary practice who has no specific expertise in orthopedic or sports medicine. Granted - this is often a first necessary step for insurance purposes, but as a major proponent of chiropractic and holistic care, I am pretty skeptical of a general practitioner who offers a blanket diagnosis, gives photocopied sheets of exercises, suggests a brace purchased at the drug store and suggests "more than a few weeks off."
I am a big believer in listening to your body, but I'm also a big believer in pushing yourself to the limit. I feel very badly for Emily and her injury, as I know it is frustrating for her - but if it was me I would seek out further instruction and solution than just one doctor. As I said, I'm a huge believer in chiropractic care, but I know there are lots of other options out there.
So....I guess I'm going at this alone! Which brings me to my rose - I ran 10 miles on Sunday! I started at 8:30 with my water bottle belt and 2 frozen bottles, a vanilla Gu and a Clif lime gel (this sounds very unappetizing but I had gotten it free in a race bag and figured I'd try it if I needed it), my phone and headphones and a super cute outfit (lululemon running skirt and tank). It was supposed to be a warm day but I was running along the bikepath and starting early, so I wasn't concerned.
The first half was pretty standard - breaks of sun in between shaded path, good music, comfortable temperature. I sipped on water the whole time and it stayed icy cold, which was refreshing. I made it to my designated halfway point, took my vanilla gu and finished off the first of the water bottle. I started back towards my house and continued to feel good, but it got progressively hotter, especially as I went through a fully sunny stretch during miles 7 and 8. I was sipping my second water bottle more frequently this time, and filled both bottles up at the only water fountain along my route at about mile 7.5. I immediately dumped an entire bottle on the back of my head, which provided some good relieve but made me look like a bit of a mess for a few minutes until the water started drying.
As I made my way along the final 2.5 miles the water was tasting less appetizing because it was lukewarm, so most of it was poured on my - on my head, down my front, on my neck, the whole 9 yards. My cute outfit was drenched in both sweat and water, but I kept relatively cool until the last mile, which was a real struggle. I slowed to a 12+ minute pace and just tried to muster the willpower to not walk. With about .5 left I did walk for about a minute just to gather my breath, take a few drinks to calm down and psych myself up for the final push. I'm glad I did that because I finished the final .5 without too much trouble.
I made it back to my apartment, immediately drank 2 giant glasses of water and stretched. I was still sweating profusely and my muscled were definitely tightening up. I stretched for awhile and when I had mostly stopped sweating I jumped in the shower for a much needed rinse off!
I am proud of my 10 miles! I'm feeling good today (I went to BodyPump at 6:00 AM and will go to yoga tonight at 7:00 PM). I iced my knees last night and will plan to foam roll and ice both knees after yoga. This half marathon is creeping closer and closer...and I'm more and more ready!!
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