Dodged a bullet on that one....

I really had my doubts I could pull it off this time, but I did.  I made it through another semester, and I didn't even have to pull the one-less-organ card.

I passed!  so, guess what I did.......I SUBMITTED MY GRADUATION APPLICATION!!!!!
One semester to go folks.  One more freaking semester to go.

And just in case you were curious, as far as this list goes? I've done the 1st, 3rd, 6th and last bullet points thus far!


In other news....
I ran my "longest" post-surgery run on Sunday and only almost-died twice.  I'm calling that a WIN!

Safe to say that I'm getting back to my old shenanigans.
I do love shenanigans...

Words for Wednesday

I can't wait to get my belly button back.

- Me

Unstoppable

I was supposed to be on a plane this morning.

I was supposed to be traveling to a city unknown.

The long overdue excitement finally hit me.  I was ready.  SO READY!  I was ready for my own little adventure, to break out of my little bubble and anxious to explore and experience the Windy City on my own, so completely focused on running the best 26.2 miles I have ever run.  I was looking forward to challenging myself and blow apart one of my goals and possibly meet the wouldn't-it-be-freaking-awesome-if goal; you know,  the one you only tell a select few about.

I was ready.

I'll tell you what I wasn't ready for.

I wasn't ready to stop.  I wasn't ready to end my season just yet.  I made it through an entire winter and spring of Ironman 70.3 training and a summer cycle of marathon training injury free.  Any athlete will tell you that making it to the start line injury free is more than half the battle.  I was at my peak and in the best shape of my life.  Or so I thought.

I was't ready for my internal organs to revolt and attack me.
Stupid non-essential organs.

Not an uncommon surgery, but a major surgery nonetheless.   As the good doc said, after he told me to chill the heck out, "small incisions do not mean small surgery."  Small incisions big enough to put me out of commission for a month.  Big enough to watch the Chicago Marathon pass me by.

I know what you're thinking.
Quit your moping.  It's just a race.  It's only a month.  Put your big girl panties on.

And you are right!

Now that the anesthesia and all the pain killers that end in 'codon are out of my system, I'm up and walking 2 miles a day instead of wiping drool from face.  I'm back laughing (I'm talking about those good 'ol belly, laugh-till-you-snort-or-pee-your-pants moments) with my peeps at the coffee shop. I'm feeling like my sassy self more and more every day.

And even though Chicago might be passing me by, I'll be looking ahead to what's coming up.  I have a session in a few weeks to map out my master plan for 2015.  I'm on a freaking AWESOME new triathlon team (HOLLA Tri Team Ignite!!!) and get the opportunity to get to know some pretty fantastic sponsors with top notch services and quality products that I get to learn about.  After I'm cleared for duty, I'll have had a month's rest and because my season is over, there is no urgency to jump all in.  I can ease back slowly and safely, building a strong base to take me into next season.

I may have been stopped short this year,
but next year I will be unstoppable!

And a quick note to Chicago Peeps:
Good luck to everyone running on Sunday.  Hate to miss it, but my heart is with you.  
May your feet be swift and gels be tasty!

It's kinda like Christmas...

Hi folks.  Lots have happened since my last post.  Well, lots of miles anyway; 26.2 to be exact.  And there are lots of words to say and pictures to show, but we'll get to all that in time.

Right now, I thought we'd talk about a little thing called "recovery."

I was prepared for a lot of things; pain, celebration beer, mile 20, fatigue, porta potties....
And I was not prepared for a lot of things; the number of men seen peeing on the side of the road (really, no shame), the mob of people, the actual amount of shot blocks and hammer gels I would actually consume....
And I was not prepared for the days following. Physically, I was fine by Wednesday.  Stairs and toilets were no longer my enemy.  But mentally? Well folks, I'll be honest with you.  It wasn't pretty.  

Do you remember, when you were a kid, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on tv?  Seeing all the floats and marching bands go by, picking out the big balloons and dancing like a Rockette in your living room?  Okay, I may have been the only one practicing her kick line...but nonetheless, we all got excited when that last float came into view.  You know, the one with the jolly old man himself!  It marked the beginning of the holiday season.  You got your Sears Wish Book or the Toys R Us catalog in the mail...you made your "What I Want for Christmas" list, you waited, counted down the days, anticipating, dreaming.  And then Christmas Eve came and you could hardly sleep.  You just knew that jolly man was downstairs filling up the stockings, piling up the presents under the tree....You've been waiting for this day for WEEKS, and then, just like that

it was over.

No more cookies.  No more candy.  No more special hot cocoa with the peppermint stick.  No more parties. All the branches of your family tree returned to their own forests.  You're left.  All alone. Among the ripped wrappings and the once shiny bows that now have lost their luster.

Yea.  That's what my recovery was like.
Folks...I didn't even want peanut butter.  Now you know it had to be bad!

I've heard recovery is different for everybody.  People closest to me kept saying..."don't worry, it's normal."  No way in HELL was this normal!  All I wanted to do was lay in a fetal position and watch NCIS re-runs.  And I did.  And I felt horrible about it, but I still couldn't seem to pick myself up.  And then the flashbacks started.  Back to the times when I was happy laying on the couch feeding my face with Hershey Nuggets with Toffee, watching movies or the entire collection of X-Files, and I got scared.  So scared.  I began to wonder if I'd be able to get out of the spiral before I ended up like that again.  What's next?  What will I do now?  I don't have a plan.  I always have a plan.

I wanted to cry, but I didn't have tears.  I wanted to get up, but I didn't have the desire.  I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't close my eyes.  Before I knew it, my "vacation" was over.  Friday came and I had to get back to work.  I had to get back to something.  And then hour by hour, the haze began to clear.  I started feeling okay again.  I started to feel back to normal.  I could smile.  I saw a picture of myself crossing the finish and then it all rushed back to me.  That feeling of accomplishment, of pride, my sense of self.  And without even realizing it, my fingers typed that email...

Hi Coach Sarah -
So.  What's next :)

Bottom line.  Training is different for everyone.  And now I understand that recovery is different for everyone.  I wasn't expecting this depression, this grief.  I'm writing this today to tell you, Fellow Newbie That Might Be Reading, that no, not everyone experiences this; but if you do, it's okay.  Don't panic.  And a small warning...you're going to want to punch people when they tell you "allow yourself a few days,"  but before you throw down you need to remember these three words....they are right.

Allow yourself a few days, and before you know it, you'll be making that "What I Want List...."  Mine may or may not include a road bike ;)

Some Thoughts and Food: Salad a la leftovers

I had a GREAT run this morning, thanks for asking!  

So, as you may have noticed from the weird title, this is a little combo blog entry with a small update and a Food for Thought entry.

I've had to lay off the training for the past couple weeks due to an ouchy and overworked left forefoot.  Which is REALLY bad for me since that is my most comfortable foot strike.  AND it's doubly bad since I have to lay off my new snazzy (AND FREAKING FAST!) shoes for a time...which makes me sad.  We have added on to my name and am now known as Little Lung who Runs with Bum Foot.  I do, however, expect to will definitely resume training come Monday.

Side note...why is it I get named when I'm either sick or injured?  Why can't it be when I got it going on like a ninja?  T. Van Vooooo, I'm talking to you!

So, with my lack of activity, I have been stuffing my face.  A Lot.  And I'm getting a little squishy.  A few hours after my great run (7.8 miles on the Dreadmill in 75 minutes, thank you very much), it's time for lunch.  But, pickin's in the good 'ol Frigidaire is gettin' a bit slim (crap.  time to get to the grocery).  Of course there was the easy yummy stuff, but I didn't want to undo all the do that I did by doing the stuff I'm not supposed to do (hahaha, yes, I'm laughing at myself for the do/don't/doing do wa diddy).

Yes.  That is a mixing bowl.
You'll find nothing but class here...

And then my kitchen illuminated from the suns of the heavens and the angels sang as I reached for some leftover baby spinach, leftover grilled salmon from the dinner I had last night at the Brickhouse Tavern, sliced some strawberries I happened to buy during the week for no apparent reason other than they looked good at the time, a little feta cheese and a bit of chopped walnuts I keep on hand for the occasional bowl of oatmeal.  Add some (fat free) balsamic vinaigrette and viola!  Yummy, tasty, filling and has GOT to clock in around 300 calories.  

Booyah people, Boo. Yah.

p.s. 

a BIG shout out to my friend Jyl who is running the Princess Half Marathon this weekend.  Yea.  She's pretty awesome  :)

Progress Update

So.  Today marks the third week back to running after that pesky little injury.  I had a nice 4 miler on Saturday morning.  North Carolina is still a little muggy, but it was a pretty day in the Piedmont.  I'm not one for personal photo ops, but I recognize that they add a little somethin' somethin' (and I'm secretly beginning to like it but don't tell anyone).  So I may look it, but I'm really not in pain.  My hand was all sweaty and almost dropped my phone.

Today?  I'm up to 4.5 this morning! (and the crowds roar with applause and cheers).  The goal?  To run this dag nabit 10K next Saturday slow, steady, healthy and happy.  Feeling pretty good people, feeling pretty good!

Now...it's possible that I may have picked up (I hope) a few readers over from the Do Lifers (LOVE THEM) on Facebook.  Which would really help since I feel like I'm talking to myself all the time....

So, I'd like to take a moment to say: Welcome, laugh, tell me I'm dork, laugh more, and let us all Do Life together...because THAT my friends, is what it's about, don't you think?

Today I leave you with my Top 5 random thoughts (in no particular order)

1. Tornado warnings are interesting on a college campus.
2. Do those Tempur-Pedic pillows really help? 
3. Stability balls are still dangerous.
4. Did you know that you can make clothes out of thread recycled from plastic bottles?  
5. I love Jelly Belly Jelly Beans.  (citrus mix to be 100% exact in case you wanted to send some)

TTFN!

My Feet Had Wings...If Only My Lungs Had Air...

Today was my first day running after that stupid little fracture.  What a beautiful morning it was.  I was out of bed and dressed at 7:30, kissed the hubby goodbye and out the door I went.  Destination:  The track at Richardson Stadium at Davidson College.

It was suprisingly busy for a Sunday morning.  I thought I'd have the whole track to myself, which was my intention in case I had a nervous breakdown or something.  Anyway, two 'ol Gents were chatting away as they walked lap after lap, another woman all in white walked like the demon was chasing her and another woman ran a lap and would then do stairs, and repeat. Alot.  I had experienced admiration in between thoughts that she was  insane.  But I digress. 

I laced up my snazzy new shoes, played with my watch to get all the components to work and the sun began to shine.  Very bright.

 And then I was off!  I can't say I ran like the wind.  In fact, if I had to compare, it was more like the doldrums.  The pace was slow (very), but the legs felt strong and the foot/toe hung in there.  I mean it's still attached so that's good.  Today's workout was to be .5 - 1 mile. The legs could go all day; but my lungs decided that they were done after .75.  I hung in there for the mile though.  I didn't break any PRs or the sound barrier or anything, but I'm a happy girl :-)

TTFN! 

Progress....

First, I'd like to send a big shout-out to my big sister, Lisa DeFlamingos!  Welcome to the blogging world!  Follow her.  She's hysterical, mindful and a whole bunch of loveable :-)

And now, an update on progress.  I'm two weeks in to my new routine and things are slowly getting better....meaning I can walk and turn over in bed without  my muscles screaming at me.  So, I'm putting that in the "win" column.  I have one more week of nothing but cross training and then we start running .  I'd like to think I'm starting to feel stronger, but then again, it has been only two weeks...how much stronger can I be?  Anyway, it makes me feel better, so i'll keep thinking it .

Today, I'll close out with:

The Top 5 Things I'm Learning
1)  Stability balls are dangerous.
2)  Resistance bands are evil.
3)  4oz of cooked chicken is NOT the same as 4oz of uncooked chicken.
4)  Chocolate Vitamuffins are a product sent from heaven.
5)  Summers go by faster every year.

TTFN!

Getting Back on Track

So, a bit has happened in the past few weeks.  The hubby and I took off to the west coast.  A couple nights in San Francisco, trekked up north to a creepy town called Arcata and from there drove close to the Oregon border. Then back south to Mountain View and made some great Pano and Google friends.  A whirlwind trip to say the least...AND...I did it all in my boot.  Anyway, if you'd like to see some pictures of where our adventures were, you're welcome to take a look!  http://www.panoramio.com/user/hopeamber.

I have been sans boot for two weeks now.  The first week I had to reteach myself how to walk.  This past week started a new workout schedule.  I've decided to get some help and enlisted the expertise of triathlete, Kelly Fillnow from Upgrade Lifestyle.  Doctor's orders still insist on no running for two more weeks, but that doesn't mean Kelly is taking it easy on me ;-)  I'll be honest, it feels good to have sore muscles again!  The foot is a little sore and that has me a little nervous, but I'm still "recovering", so we'll see how it goes.

The 5 things I'm most battling are:
1)  getting up early in mornings again.
2)  core exercises.  I still don't have any core, and if I don't have it, how the hell can she expect me to do some of these dang exercises!
3)  avoiding my most favorite foods.  Carbs and Chocolate.
4)  drumming up the courage to do exercises that look really dorky in front of people.
5)  I still don't want to clean my house.  Can I just throw EVERYTHING out and start over?  I need another building just to store all this crap....

TTFN!
(or as Tigger would say, "Ta ta for now!")

Top 5 Good Things About my Peg Leg

1. one leg is mosquito bite free.
2. I get to walk almost literally to the beat of my own drum.
3. excuse to go to bed earlier (since that is the only acceptable time to be sans boot!).
4. something about me is a size small.
5. early aircraft boarding for those "that need assistance or a little extra time"...most of the time.

2 down, 2 to go

2 weeks in the boot, and I think I'm getting the hang of things.  I won't deny I've been out of sorts, but I've come to terms with it.

On one of my low days, I picked up my Runner's World that came in the mail hoping it might pull me out of my funk.  This edition did a feature on runners who were also cancer survivors.  I say it like that because they didn't want to be defined by their disease.  They are runners who overcame hellish obstacles.  And here I am, complaining about a boot and a little stress fracture.  It was at that moment I made a decision.  Stop complaining!

So, I'm taking this In-between to rest, be a little lazy, eat some chocolate and indulge in some guilty pleasures.  I can do this because I know I'll get back on the road.  I wasn't so sure I would, and I think that is where most of my anxiety has been coming from.  But, I've found myself day dreaming, making plans...BIG plans.  And that is when I realized I don't have to worry anymore. 

I'll make it back. 

It'll be a long road, but I've got BIG plans.  Eager to get started! 

But for now.........where's my jelly beans?