Left side

Bursitis of my Iliotibial Band was the diagnosis I heard from Dr. Palmgrin yesterday at the Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center. No other knee issues and everything on the x-rays looked great......that was the good news. Being patient and starting back slowly after taking some more time off from running.....that was the news that is harder for me to put into practice!

I have come to the conclusion that the left side of my body continues to be in a full on revolution to rid me of this healthy habit I have picked up called running. From plantar facitisis, or a funky toenail that needs to be removed, to nagging hip/groin pain.....if it involves pain or an injury, you can bet it will be on the left side of my body! My left side evidently would perfer to me to sedintary and overweight. But I am determined that I will make the left side of my body comply and conform! I like what running does for me.....physically I like the smaller clothing sizes it has allowed me to buy. The stress relief and sense of accomplishment it has given me also boads well for my mental health.

So of course, when I hear that I need to take more time to rest and then slowly start back....a part of me goes into panic mode. Patience is something that can be a struggle for me. Sure, I could go ahead and get a cortizone shot in the knee to speed the healing process along, but then we would have to go into my irrational fear of needles that I've had for the past few years! So I guess I will settle for patience.

In the grand sceme of things, this is just another small bump in the road. I will try my best to be a good patient. Rest, ice, stretch and hopefully start back on the treadmill slowly at the beginning of next week.

The Lazy T Ranch

This past weekend we took the boys to the Lazy T Ranch just outside of Manhattan for some fun fall adventures. We got this great family photo on the old Farmall tractor that I think Collin had to ride at least a half dozen times before we left!

Mitchell and Collin exploring the hay bail maze at the Lazy T Ranch south of Manhattan.

The boys were very excited to feed the animals! Mitchell giggled each time he fed them....Collin on the other hand was all about getting the feed, but he wasn't about to let them eat it out of his hand! He made them each a nice little pile on the ground and said "there you go now" each time he went to feed them. When you asked him to let the animals eat it out of his hand he would just look at you and say "no thank you!"

Collin's first ride on a horse!!! Most of you know Collin's LOVE of horses....he can't get enough of them in books, magazines, toys....you name it! In the past when he has seen horses up close he has jabbered away at them, but wanted no part of touching them....let alone riding one! But Saturday he had nothing but excitement about it and loved the experience!

Collin waiting for his first ride on a horse! He was thrilled and could hardly wait for his turn. When I told him this was a pony and not a horse he was sure to tell us "no, it IS a horsie!"

We ended our morning adventures with the boys on the tractor ride around part of the farm grounds. It was perfect weather and fun way to spend a fall Saturday morning together.

Knee Pain

Both Chad and I are having issues with a knee. It is so aggravating for me because I had none during my training for the 1/2 and no pain during the race at all. This past Saturday afternoon I went for a short 3 mile run after taking 6 full days off after the 1/2 marathon. With about two blocks to go, I had some knee pain. It was a little sore the rest of the day, but not bad. Sunday morning, Chad and I went for a run and even with stretching....I had knee pain from the side of my left knee that would also radiate up into my hip. I ended up walking a good portion of the last mile of my 5 mile run that morning. Ever since Sunday, I've had knee pain and it sucks! I haven't ran since, I've been icing and stretching, with no difference. :(

I am signed up to run the KSU Homecoming 5K on Sunday, but at this point it looks like I'll have to sit this one out.

Official Race Pictures

Of course I can't just download and save this pictures to my computer...but here is a link to see a picture of Chad and I each toward the end of the 1/2 marathon.

Chad:
http://gpphoto.zenfolio.com/p528044013/h34dcae2f#h34dcae2f


Angela:

http://gpphoto.zenfolio.com/p528044013/h34dcae2f#ha7daa
(I'm in the background of this one)

Sadly...no official pictures of us crossing the finish line. :( I found a shot of each of our hands as we crossed but we both finished with a group so we are hidden in all the finishing shots.

2nd Half Marathon of 2010!!!

Chad and I after completing the Prairie Fire Half Marathon in Wichita, KS on 10-10-10. Another goal accomplished!!! Together we have completed two half marathons in a little over 5 months.

Our second half marathon is in the books!!! I finished just short of my original time in Lincoln....just 20 seconds off setting a PR. My official time was 2:08:45 and I again averaged a 9:50 mile pace. Chad did amazing! He had a PR by over 7 minutes and finished with a time of 2:05:30!!! Even though we were just 3 minutes apart in finishing...there were over 200 people in between our finishes! Over 1800 people ran the 1/2 marathon.

Chad walking down to the start of the race as the sun was rising on 10-10-10. Our hotel was literally steps away from the start/finish and all the events to take in after the race.

Chad and I before the 1/2 marathon.

We again lucked out with perfect weather for the race!
It was a great course going thru some very nice old neighborhoods in Wichita as well as the newly renovated old downtown. However, we both agreed that we did not enjoy the sections of the course that were on brick streets....everyone was looking for level strips of concrete to run on!

Striking a silly pose before the race while checking out the finish line.

This race was more of a struggle than my first half marathon experience. I ran most of the race solo and woke up with some tummy issues that seemed to haunt me most of the race (and the rest of the day for that matter.) At one point when I saw the marker for mile 9.....I pretty much hated my life and the thought of going on another 4.1 miles! Needless to say, mind games plagued me most of the race....but thankfully I didn't let my pity party win out and I made it thru just slightly behind my original 1/2 marathon time.

Will there be another 1/2 marathon in my future.....absolutely! However, I believe it will have to wait until 2011. I have been putting off getting a funky toenail removed....and after today, I am ready to be rid of it! I plan to run the KSU Homecoming 5K in a few weeks, the 5 mile Turkey Trot in Kearney, NE and will hopefully crush my first ever 10K time running the December Winterunland in Manhattan.

As I continue to look for new goals and keep running, we will also be cheering on Chad as he trains for a FULL MARATHON (that's 26.2 miles folks) the week before Thanksgiving this year! This is incredible and we will be so proud to see him accomplish his goal of running his 2nd full marathon!

Get Ready....

Collin at the Manhattan Library taking in the latest book about Horses that we checked out for him. I wish I would have taken video of this! His sear delight was heard by all as he discovered page after page of his favorite......HORSIES!!!!

Here is a not so great shot of Mitchell playing in his fall soccer league. He is the one by the goal about ready to kick the ball. He is doing great and continues to love playing....even after some slight drama involving a bloody tooth which happened while going after the ball and falling to the ground in the massive group of 5 to 6 year olds.

Ready or not.....the 1/2 marathon is just a few days away!!!!

Most weeks are busy in our house, but this week was a notch above the others. Along with the usual hectic schedule of work, school, soccer practice/games and swimming lessons, Chad has had a meeting and is now heavily involved in his Planning Conference at Manhattan for the rest of the week. To add to all this...the LAST Kansas State vs Nebraska game is a Thursday night game!!! Of course we are keeping up our tradition with the Croghan's and will tailgate with them (and the kids this year) and go to the game together. I will post our latest red vs purple pictures later!!! It is always great to have them down and we are sad to see this tradition end with them.

Saturday Chad and I will take off for Wichita after his parents arrive to watch the boys for the weekend (which we are tremedously grateful for them keeping the boys of course!) We are staying at a hotel that is just steps away from the start line for the 1/2 marathon and will hopefully make it down in time to enjoy a nice meal alone together before preparing for the 8 a.m. start time on Sunday morning.

Both Chad and I have hardly had the chance to do any running during the week....hopefully we will have fresh legs and be ready for the 13.1 mile course on 10-10-10! Chad is currently training for a full marathon in November and ran 18 miles (gasp) this past Sunday.....so he is sure to blow this race out of the water!! :)

It is time to charge up the MP3 player, gather all my must have running neccities and tackle my 2nd 1/2 marathon in less than a year........I know I have said this before, but just writing that statement is truly incredible to me. For a person like me who never ran a shred before just a few years ago......and to gain this kind of confidence to do something as crazy as to run 13+ miles?! I owe so much of this to my amazing husband. My inspiration and my motivation!