Monday, August 31, 2009
Breaking the (blog) Silence
It's been so long since I've posted, but I need to ask for your help. Please, please, please pray for little Brianna and her parents and sister. Brianna has full Trisomy 18, and is battling for her life right now. Her smile makes you melt and she just exudes happiness. Her mom Brenda is a.maz.ing and such a wonderful person. This little girl gave me such hope and inspiration while I was pregnant with Brienna and I wish there was more I could do for them ... my heart aches to think of what they are going through ... so please, help me pray for Brianna and her family.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Week Two
Since I didn't really do much in terms of training during week one, I have nothing to report. Week 2 however, was a success! I ran with Bailey all week, and she is hands down, the best running partner I've ever had!
I'm following Hal Higdon's plan for novices and thus far, I think it suits me. There are only three days of required running, which is perfect for my knee. Running days are Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. As the runs get longer, I imagine my sister and I will run them together and will most likely run them on Saturdays.
I've done a lot of reading on walk breaks, and am going to most definitely incorporate them into my training. I think it's the only way I'll be able to finish. I run about a ten-minute mile, so I'll break down my runs as #minutes run/# minutes walked/# minutes run, etc.
Tuesday - 3 mile run: 20/5/10. I could feel my ITB starting to get sore on the second leg of running. Sure enough, I got home and couldn't walk down the stairs without pain. Not a good sign.
Thursday - 3 mile run: 10/3/10/3/10. Much better! I had some ITB discomfort, but otherwise was okay. Made sure to ice it all day and have been very careful on the stairs.
Sunday - 4 mile long run: 14/3/14/4/12. SO excited I ran 4 miles! I haven't done that in well over a year. I felt some discomfort, but adjusted my stride and it seemed to get better. I also ordered a Patt Strap, and am crossing my fingers that it enables me to run for longer distances at a time. I hate that when I'm in a groove and feeling good, I have to stop and walk. But my goal is to finish this race and if means walking, I'm going to do it. I was encouraged that I felt pretty good during the run. I love that point about 6-7 minutes into a run when you feel like you could run forever. I so hope I have more of that ...
Week 2 was definitely a success. I am pretty happy, which is rare for me these days. I love knowing that I am doing this for Brienna. She will give me the strength to continue!
I'm following Hal Higdon's plan for novices and thus far, I think it suits me. There are only three days of required running, which is perfect for my knee. Running days are Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. As the runs get longer, I imagine my sister and I will run them together and will most likely run them on Saturdays.
I've done a lot of reading on walk breaks, and am going to most definitely incorporate them into my training. I think it's the only way I'll be able to finish. I run about a ten-minute mile, so I'll break down my runs as #minutes run/# minutes walked/# minutes run, etc.
Tuesday - 3 mile run: 20/5/10. I could feel my ITB starting to get sore on the second leg of running. Sure enough, I got home and couldn't walk down the stairs without pain. Not a good sign.
Thursday - 3 mile run: 10/3/10/3/10. Much better! I had some ITB discomfort, but otherwise was okay. Made sure to ice it all day and have been very careful on the stairs.
Sunday - 4 mile long run: 14/3/14/4/12. SO excited I ran 4 miles! I haven't done that in well over a year. I felt some discomfort, but adjusted my stride and it seemed to get better. I also ordered a Patt Strap, and am crossing my fingers that it enables me to run for longer distances at a time. I hate that when I'm in a groove and feeling good, I have to stop and walk. But my goal is to finish this race and if means walking, I'm going to do it. I was encouraged that I felt pretty good during the run. I love that point about 6-7 minutes into a run when you feel like you could run forever. I so hope I have more of that ...
Week 2 was definitely a success. I am pretty happy, which is rare for me these days. I love knowing that I am doing this for Brienna. She will give me the strength to continue!
Background Info
I created this blog to track my progress as I train for the Seacoast Half Marathon on November 8, 2009. My sister Kristen and I are running in memory of my daughter, Brienna Marie. Brienna suffered from Trisomy 18 - a chromosomal abnormality - and was born still on June 2, 2009. My husband Patrick and I knew by the 18th week of my pregnancy she had T18, but hoped and prayed that we would have even just a few moments with her ... the five hours we spent holding her, rocking her and loving her were the greatest, saddest, happiest five hours of my life. I miss my sweet baby girl more than I could ever express in words.
I want to ensure that Brienna's legacy lives on. She taught me more about love in the 41 weeks she was in my belly than any other person I know. She touched so many lives, and I am so proud of her. Running this half marathon is hopefully just the start of many races to come, all in her memory.
My running background is nothing special. I played sports in high school, ran track all 4 years and ran in college (for fun, not competitively), but ended up with ITBS my sophomore year. It has plagued me ever since. I had surgery back in 2000 to try and correct it, but it's just never been great. Every time I get over 3-4 miles, I end up in pain and have to stop my training. I almost always increase my mileage too quickly, so this time I'm trying to be smart. It will be a true test of my patience!
Wish me luck :)
I want to ensure that Brienna's legacy lives on. She taught me more about love in the 41 weeks she was in my belly than any other person I know. She touched so many lives, and I am so proud of her. Running this half marathon is hopefully just the start of many races to come, all in her memory.
My running background is nothing special. I played sports in high school, ran track all 4 years and ran in college (for fun, not competitively), but ended up with ITBS my sophomore year. It has plagued me ever since. I had surgery back in 2000 to try and correct it, but it's just never been great. Every time I get over 3-4 miles, I end up in pain and have to stop my training. I almost always increase my mileage too quickly, so this time I'm trying to be smart. It will be a true test of my patience!
Wish me luck :)
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