Princess Runner

Earlier this week I had an appointment with a podiatrist to discuss my increasingly painful and inconvenient bunions. It is a hereditary trait in my family, as my mom, aunt, and great aunt have all dealt with them. I have them on both sides of both feet (apparently the ones on the outside of the feet are called tailor’s bunions or “bunionettes,” which I prefer because it sounds so dainty and lady-like).

I got to the appointment and was directed into a room and told to take of my shoes and socks and put my feet up (the chair was sort of like a mini recliner). My feet were to be placed on a removable piece of paper, similar to what you sit on at the primary care doctor’s office, but with one striking difference: The Feet Cartoons . . .

I sort of regret not stealing some from the cabinet when I was there. They would have made great Christmas gifts.

Eventually the doctor came in and looked at my feet and asked about my issues. Then I had my feet x-rayed. The X-rays showed that my right foot is worse than my left and I also have a bone spur on the right foot by the big toe in addition to the bunions. He recommended surgery, as I was sure that he would. He showed me on a chart where my feet fell in the deformity spectrum and I was in the middle. Then he showed me on the X-rays how he would fix my feet, using works like shaving, re-aligning, and pins. Fun! He said that it would be an outpatient procedure and I would have to wear a boot or walking cast for 6-8 weeks. And he does not recommend doing both feet at once, so it would be up to four months from start to finish to get both feet taken care of.

Have any of you had corrective bunion surgery or known anyone who has? Would you recommend it to others?

My fitness achievements have been pretty non-existent the past few weeks. Except for the Wii and some tennis a few weeks ago, I have been pretty lazy. I did sign up for a 5k toward the end of October (the same one I did last year), but even that has not motivated me to be very active because I keep saying it is only 5k. It was only four years ago that a 5k race was my goal race. How far I have come.

I read a lot of running blogs and a lot of general blogs where people talk about their fitness. A lot of people have been talking about doing the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred DVD. Dawn wrote that even her armpits hurt the day after her first workout, but then Zoot was “pleasantly surprised to find myself not-to-sore today” so I thought maybe it would not be so bad, as long as I used smaller weights.

I just finished level one, using 2 pound weights and my arms are already sore. It is not even tomorrow yet. As I am writing this post, I have not even showered yet (and I need to after that workout) because my arms are too tired to lift up to wash my hair. (I just re-read Dawn’s post and realized that she had the same problem of not being able to wash her hair. I had forgotten that part.)

I knew that my fitness level had dropped, especially my arms which have never been that strong, but this is a bit sad. I should also say that besides being a good workout, I liked the DVD because it did three circuits of strength, cardio, and abs. The variety was nice and it got me through the strength parts knowing the cardio was coming.

NOTE: I will be talking about results of several events at the Olympics. If you still have footage in your TiVo or haven’t gotten around to watching events online, consider yourself forewarned.

Watching the Olympic Games this year was different than it has been in the past because this was the first summer games that I have watched since I became an athlete. I just passed the 4th anniversary of that fateful day that I started to try running. As a result, while I still marvel at the competitors and their amazing physical abilities, there is also a sense of “I can do that.” No, I don’t mean that I can swim as fast as they can and certainly not run as fast as they can, but I can run, I can swim, I can cycle.

I watched the marathon and triathlon with a different perspective. No longer did I think “How can she run that far?” but rather “I wonder what her training schedule is like.” and “I wonder what they eat.” When there was a crash during the bike portion of the women’s triathlon, I could feel for them, having crashed myself (although luckily not in a race and thankfully not resulting in serious injury). It was a strange sense of camaraderie that I felt with the distance runners and the triathletes, because I know at least a little bit of what they were going through.

However, I could not really relate to Ryta Turava from Belarus who competed in the 20k women’s race walking event. Although she was in the top three for a large portion of the race, at some point she must have begun to start getting an upset tummy because several times she stopped and shoved several fingers into her mouth in an attempt to make herself vomit. I recognize that there are times when you feel so ill that vomiting is the only way that you will feel better. However, I cannot imagine it ever being bad enough that I would try to induce vomiting. I suppose if it was me, I would have continued at that blazing pace (the leaders in the event averaged about 7 minute miles) and the vomit would have happened on its own. The worst part of the whole thing was that the cameras kept focusing on the poor woman every time she stopped and stuck her fingers in her mouth. They were really hoping to catch her puking. Is that great television?

The race walking to me, overall, was fascinating. I imagine that it is extremely difficult to walk that fast and keep that particular form. They had to have at least one foot on the ground at all times and have their leg fully extended when that foot was on the ground. The women who broke form were given stern warnings by having judges run up to them and shove a yellow paddle in their faces. Several women were disqualified for breaking form too many times. I cannot imagine the stress of having to worry about form, in addition to pace, breathing, fluids, and nutrition. Did I mention that the weather for the event alternated between torrential downpour and blazing humidity?

Although the winner of the event was never in doubt, Russia’s (95 pound) Olga Kaniskina was way in front from the very beginning, I thought it was entertaining to watch. However, that does not explain while immediately after the showing on Universal HD, they started showing the race again from the beginning. Entertaining, yes, but not that entertaining.

Although I can think of quite a few celebrities who have run marathons, I do not know of any who have done a triathlon. I just saw this video of Jennifer Lopez who is training to do the Nautica Malibu Triathlon in September.

Since my triathlon, I have been rather inactive. This past weekend, however, I did lots of activities. I went swimming at the beach with my nephews three days in a row and on Saturday morning I played tennis with my brother and parents. Add to that lots of games of hide and go seek, baseball, and carrying around a 15 pound weight (baby nephew) and I had quite a physical weekend.

However, now that I am back home, I am again struck with the same case of the lazies that I had before I left. Is it just that there is no one here to go swimming with or play tennis with? No one to drag me outside despite the hot temperatures? Do I need that kind of thing when I don’t have a training schedule to keep me on track? I am not sure, but I do know that I don’t even have the energy to play Wii Fit and that is pretty sad.

Dawn from A Marathon Leap, who is thinking of trying a triathlon after she finishes her latest adventure of having a baby, asked me my thoughts on the difference between marathon training and triathlon training. Although it is not quite an equal comparison considering I only did a sprint triathlon, there are some similarities. In both experiences, I became acutely focused on the goal and had a specific schedule I needed to follow. However, I guess because the distances in each segment of the triathlon were short in comparison with a marathon, I did not freak out if I missed a training session. Triathlon training also gives you an opportunity to stress one sport over another. I focused most on swimming and it showed it my time. I slacked somewhat with the running because I was most confident in that sport and that also showed in my time. Training for a marathon does not really allow you to slack at all.

One great thing about the triathlon training, that I think could apply to even higher levels of the sport, is that if I woke up one day and I felt like swimming and not biking, I could swap days and do biking the next day. However, during marathon training, if I woke up and did not feel like running, there was not much I could do. Marathon training was a lot less expensive than triathlon training, however. For the marathon, I only needed some new shoes, running clothes, and lots of Body Glide. For the triathlon, I needed a swim membership at the gym, a bicycle, goggles, a swim cap, helmet, gloves, new bike seat, pedals, bike shoes, etc., in addition to the aforementioned running gear. And the costs for triathlon only go up the more serious you get: fancier bike, aero bars, wetsuit, etc.

EDITED TO ADD: I forgot one in important thing. During my marathon training, all those miles put a lot of strain on my body and ended up with frequent blister issues as well as knee and hip pain through various parts of the training. With the triathlon training, I had no blisters and no injuries. While that could be in large part to the shorter training times compared to the marathon, I also think it has a lot to do with the switching up of activities from day to day.

What is the most notable similarity between training for the triathlon and a marathon were the feelings I had a few days afterward, when the elation and excitement had worn off. That “Okay, what now?” feeling. I had spent many months of my life with one fixated goal and now that it was reached, I was lost as to what to do next. That feeling after last year’s marathon led to the triathlon training. So where I will head now? Prince E joked I should try decathlon, but, in addition to be very impractical, I don’t think I can even lift a shot put. The next gradual step would be a longer distance triathlon, but I don’t know if I will have the training time that a longer event will require, especially with the upcoming changes at work that will be lessening my free time. I also wonder if I would need some sort of coaching to in get me to be good enough in all three sports at that new distance to (1) finish and (2) not be last. That was the comfort that Danskin brought. I knew that no matter how long it took me, I would never be last and the course would not be packed up ahead of me and I would never be told I had to stop because I was too slow. If only Danskin would sponsor a longer distance triathlon!

This is part two of my Danskin Chicagoland experience. To read part one, go here: Danskin Chicagoland Part I.

During the night, I kept waking up every few hours, something I do anytime I have to get up early for something. The alarm had been set for 4:00 a.m. because I was worried that we would encounter the insane amount of traffic that we had on Saturday and didn’t want to miss out on having plenty of time to set up my transition area, which would close at 6:30. However, I woke up at 2:45 and could not fall back asleep so I went into the other room (it was a small suite) and watched two episodes of Roseanne (David secretly moves in with Darlene and Dan has lunch with an old flame) while having some food. I then put on my sunscreen, freaked out a bit when my number ran down my arm, and then got dressed. I re-checked my bag three times before waking Prince E up at 3:50am as visions of a full parking lot danced in my head.

We left pretty shortly after that, maybe 4:15 or so. Back in February when I originally signed up for the Danskin Triathlon, I remembered thinking of how potentially hot the weather could be come July 13th. I was shocked that the high for the day was in the 70s and I was actually chilly prior to the event. I remarked to Prince E the irony that an event in July would be approximately 20 degrees cooler than the marathon last year which was in October. Weather is a strange thing.

We went to get on the highway (the hotel was a few exits away from the mall/parking lot) only to discover that the on-ramp was closed! It was not that big of a deal, though, because there was an access road that paralleled the highway and we were able to get where we needed to be. Although I had envisioned a parking lot filled with hyper women, when we got to the mall it was practically empty. There were maybe 25 cars there.

We quickly got all of our things together and began the mile and half or so walk to the race start area. It was not soon after we began that I realized that despite my extensive planning, there was one thing I forgot: insect repellent. Given that we were walking down a highway next to a marshy area, it was still pitch black out, and I had on sweet smelling sunscreen, I was a prime target for the mosquitoes. We walked and swatted bugs away left and right. Prince E had an emergency rain jacket in his bag, so he was a bit more protected than I was. I tried jogging, but the mosquitoes still ate me and it made it more difficult to swat them. We finally got to the race site, but not before I had acquired 23 bites (yes, we counted). There were several on my neck which would get a horrified reaction from the EMT at the medical tent when I inquired about anti-itch cream (they didn’t have any because their supplies had not yet arrived, given that it was not even 5:30 yet).
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My Danskin Chicagoland 2008 experience is so chocked-full of exciting goodness, I had to break it into two parts. This is part one, which covers the events of the day before the race. To just skip to the race report, go here.

Although the event is billed as “Chicagoland,” it is actually in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. I did not realize it until we got there, but I have actually been to Pleasant Prairie once before. Prince E and I stopped there on our way home from Milwaukee in May 2006 to visit the Jelly Belly Factory. The bike course of the event actually passed by the Jelly Belly building, but it was too early in the day to stop off for some candy.

On Saturday, we had to go to the race site to pick up my race packet. The race website had all of these rules about when you could pick-up packets and all of these warnings about the importance of the course talk. According to these rules (which were not followed at all), I would not be able to get my packet until 12:30, based on my last name. I decided to go to the 10:30 course talk and so we planned to arrive at the site at 10. Which we did. Which would have been fine, but there were thousands of other people there and we had to park 1/2 mile away. Coincidentally enough we parked right by where the next day’s swim start would be, although I didn’t know it at the time.

We walked the half mile to the building, me quickly weaving my bike in and out of everyone else walking the same way because I did not want to be late to the all important course talk. When we got there, I could not take my bike into the building, so I propped it up on something outside, which is what everyone else did. I thought everyone was so trusting and left Prince E to guard my bike while I went inside. I was immediately directed to go pick up my packet (even though it was only 10:20 and my last name starts from A-M!!) There was no waiting at all. I then called Prince E and had him come in to hear the course talk because it was too hot outside for him to be waiting with my bike and I thought there would be IMPORTANT THINGS discussed that he, as my official photographer should hear.

The course talk was not so much a course talk, but a 20 minute lesson on how and where to park on Sunday. He went over all the different options repeatedly and made me really stress out about something as simple as parking. He then said that most of the roads were closed during the bike course, but a couple were not (which caused me to worry more, even though I was not passed by a single car during the race). He said there was a patch of road that was rough and then mentioned that the course was nice with rolling hills, so it won’t be boring and flat. As though hills are fun. The talk was really a waste of my time. I had reviewed the maps online and that, coupled with driving the bike course later, was more than enough info on the course.

After the talk, I went and got my body marked with my race number and picked up the above shirt, tote bag, and special chip holder (that I had completely forgotten that I had ordered when I registered). Getting my body marked on Saturday was another waste of my time, because I had to get it re-marked on Sunday morning because my spray sunscreen made the whole thing run down my arm. I racked my bike, following Running Jayhawk’s advice and getting as close as I could to the bike in/bike out. (By the way, she had a fabulous race and shaved TWENTY FOUR minutes off her time from last year). Racking my bike there was definitely a plus, because I cannot move very fast when wearing my bike shoes and you have to run with your bike inside the transition area.

After leaving the mayhem that was packet pick-up we went and had lunch and then went to the Prime Outlet because that is where we had decided to park at the next day. We realized that we had been at the mall before on that previous Jelly Belly trip. We then went out and drove the bike course. It was hillier than I expected and I took note of the one rough patch that the course director had mentioned and knew it would not be fun the next day.

We then went to our hotel and later went out to dinner at Cracker Barrel, where I got this fabulous hat for 80% off, meaning it was only $5. I wore it the rest of the night and I don’t think that Pleasant Prairie was ready for such fabulousness.

Back at the hotel, I decided I should go to bed at 9:00, but probably did not fall asleep until around 10:00 p.m. Sunday’s events are in Part II.

Details to come soon.

I was not kidding when I wrote that there is way more gear involved in triathlon than in running. Here is photographic proof (I stole the photo idea from Sherry, whose blog I found when I was searching for Danskin blog recaps).

Swim

Bike

Run

Extra Stuff