Quick post to say CONGRATS to my sister who ran her first 800m of the season at Indoor Nationals today in 2:18.02, a 3 second PR, a school record, and placed her 30th in the country among high school girls today. WOo Hoo Jane!
Here is the video from her race. She is wearing all black and hip number 5 (fourth on the starting line)
I think she is fit enough to run 2:16 low, but she has not figured out how to run in a crowd yet. As a sophomore in HS, she still has time! 
Go Jane!
After one day of sleeping on and off from the anesthetic, I am finally awake enough to function. My abdomen is swollen and sore, but that is really all I can complain of right now. Depending on how I move, or if I lift, or bend over, I might get a twinge of pain here or there. Dr. Richard Cattey was the surgeon who performed my second, and hopefully (fingers crossed) last surgery. He fixed bi lateral sports hernias, and a small inguinal hernia on the right side (all in under an hour), impressive, I know. Of all the surgeons I have seen, he was by far the most knowledgeable, and spent the most time with me. He spent over an hour with me in my pre-operation appointment! (This is pretty much unheard of if you know most surgeons). I was impressed that he really took the time to explain everything to me, and I was more impressed that he came to see me two times after surgery, and was running AHEAD of schedule in his surgeries…a surgeon that runs ahead? Yeah, I guess he is as special as they make him out to be.
I am honestly writing this blog in case anyone googles sports hernia doctors and finds my page. For anyone with sports hernias, I would highly recommend this surgeon. He was well worth the wait and the trip out to Wisconsin. And I have seen a lot of surgeons. If you have symptoms of hip FAI or labral tears, I would also suggest seeing him. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL AFTER THEY DO YOUR HIP SURGERY –> GO SEE DR. CATTEY, you will not regret it! He works on many, many professional athletes, and Chris in his office is so helpful, and the facility you get the surgery at is one of the best. He is even worth fighting with the insurance over for hours on end to get them to allow you to see an out of state doctor (and almost nothing is worth arguing with an insurance company over).
I will have nothing to update about for the next 14 days because I am in complete rest phase of my recovery, but I promise to be checking in on everyone else. After 14 days, I can start aqua jogging and cycling again, and then two weeks after that…god-willing…jogging. Depending on how I feel as I start to run, I am considering running either the Detroit Free Press Half, or the Chicago Marathon, so over the next few weeks and months, I will contemplate. Thoughts on people who have ran them?
In my last blog post, I wrote about my disappointing 6k and 5k races. Why can’t I run faster than 6:15 pace? … Instead of letting it eat at me and derail my training, I just made a commitment to focus on consistent and safe training. I say safe training because sometimes in an effort to be really consistent, I do something stupid- like run while it’s dumping snow on us, or run when I’m dehydrated and sick with the flu, or run when I haven’t had any sleep because I had too much to do for my full time job and/or my part time job, or run when I just needed a mental health day! … and then I get hurt, or burnt out, or even more sick than I would have been if I rested. I’ve been pretty safe with my training, and as a result I’ve stayed (mostly) injury/illness free and can maintain consistency. In the past, I didn’t believe in safe training. If I was in that training zone I was going all out, not missing a day, and not missing a split… and therefore training ebbed and flowed. When I was on-I was on… but when I was off… well, I was off. I thought that maybe if I pushed it harder more often I would get better faster; maybe if I ran more miles I’d get stronger sooner; and maybe that’s true… but at what expense? I have paid the price one time too many and I just don’t want to train really hard, race beyond what I believed I could do for a few races, and then crumble, recoup, and repeat. I need something more these days.
My injury is not in the past, it is very much a part of me and the decisions I make now. The only reason I got to the level I was at in 2008 (which, in hindsight, isn’t as impressive as I thought) was because I was consistently healthy and therefore consistently running. Yes, I do believe at some point pace, and intensity, and even mileage matters… but even being 8 months removed from the last sign of back pain, I am in no position to be considering any training goal beyond “consistency”
The 6k and 5k bugged me. How the hell did I run a 10k in 6:04 pace and then I can’t run a 6k or 5k in at least the same? This made me really worried about the half the third week of March. I realize I don’t need to carry a faster pace than 6:15ish (what I ran in my 5k and 6k) but my confidence had pretty much evaporated from those two sub-par races…. after todays workout, it’s back.
I felt great. I did a 12.8 mile loop. First 30 minutes were easy. 30-50 were supposed to be around half marathon pace (I wanted to hit 6:25-6:30/mi), Next 20 were just recovery/regular running, then 5 hard (I wanted to hit 6:00/mi), then easy running to the finish. I honestly was nervous about this. I don’t do 12+ mile runs often, and especially not with the added intensity. So because of my anxiousness, I wanted to run on the conservative side for the first 10 minutes of the tempo, and just gradually increase effort. I felt smooth, relaxed, and… comfortable (with the exception of being overdressed, and nervous about the thin layer of black ice blanketing the streets). I actually felt so good during the “recovery” time that I swore there was no way I hit 6:30 pace. It was way too easy…. I felt pretty good on the 5 minutes… but I had to cross an icy bridge at this time and was intentionally cutting off traffic to avoid the ice… so I was not relaxed… but then once again, after the pick up was over I felt as fresh as a daisy. I must have been too slow.
But low and behold, after mapping my pick ups, I ran 6:23 pace for the 20 minutes half marathon pace, and 5:53 pace for the 5 minutes hard. Woo Hoo! I had so much energy, I did 30 minutes of drills (Jay Johnsons Myrtl and and some other stuff I learned at PT.)
Now, I feel like I can take on the half. Not sure if I can run faster than 1:25:51… but I’m at least in the right mindset to go for it now. It’s one of my worst personal bests (the only half I have ever run)… so it’s a good distance to tackle at this stage in the game. Speed will come with consistency. Below are graphs from my training since my back has healed. 
There are still some holes in the training because of small injuries, illness, and mental health… but overall I’m heading in the right direction. Still not at the level this lady is at. (Congrats Meggan! So amazing!) but in time I don’t see why I can’t be.
For more details on my training (since I never blog) here is a public link to my running log: http://www.running2win.com/community/public-log.asp?m=cclark1121&k=Blog
Well, CClark is right it has been a long time since we have updated. We have not been dedicated bloggers, but honestly, I am going to make an excuse for us: WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON RIGHT NOW! I feel more guilty about only sporadically checking in on my fellow bloggers, and not leaving any comments to let them know that I was there! I am still here, I still check on you, and hopefully, I will be back to blogging and running regularly in the near future.
Okay, so before I go writing about my boring life, let me bump a few stories for you guys who are fans of running (and since I don’t actually run enough anymore to be considered a runner, you might find these more interesting). Actually, I know a lot of amazing people in the running community. So first, I am going to bump Mike Rutt’s blog for those of you who don’t know (or have been living under a rock) Mike Rutt just made the USA Team for the 800m — He used to come out and run for a small club team I ran on just for fun with some of his buddies. “Michael Rutt continued his training for a USA Olympic bid with a fine 2nd place finish at the USTAF Indoor Championships. Rutt ran 1:49.90, well off his best, in a tactical race.” You can check out the team website, who my friend Brian Gagnon also runs for, or check out Mike Rutt’s interview.
Also, the Boston Marathon is fast approaching all runners, so check out Matthew Germaine’s blog (which does not have everything to do with running, but still some cool stuff on it and has been bumped from our blog before).
On to the much less interesting topic of what is new with me running-related. It is true I have been running a little bit since my hip surgery. I have also been lifting, rehabbing, swimming, and aqua jogging every day; this might come as a shock to some people who know me because I loath working out in the pool. I doubt my college coach or my college teammates would believe I am working out in the pool everyday, but alas, it is true.
Post hip-surgery, my hip is doing great, however, I am still having problems with my abdomen. It was still very painful for the longest time until I started taking this herbal supplement that is suppose to “cures hernias and abdomen tears”. (I was desperate, what do you want from me?). Anyway, I kid you not, since Day #1 of taking the supplement, I have been able to run. I still am sore, there is still a bump in my pelvis (though it has gone down), and the area still aches, but a lot of the pain has been cleared up. This supplement is suppose to increase blood flow to the abdomen, support natural flow of your Chi, and help fascia and organs move back to their normal positions. — Do I think this supplement is magic and has healed me? No, I don’t. But I am functioning at about 50%, and running, so that is more than I can say pre-supplement — and so, I am still seeing the specialist in Wisconsin on Tuesday, and I have surgery scheduled for Wednesday, pending what the Doctor thinks when he sees me.
I guess one would question why I would go through with the surgery, if the supplement is making me better, and I guess the truth is though I believe weird supplements like this have a positive effect on the body, I do not believe I can get back to 100%. I just believe in modern medicine and surgery too much. Initially, I was diagnosed with a labral tear/hip FAI, a sports hernia, and torn abdomenals, and well, I believe that’s what I have. I have had enough doctors, PTs, massage therapists, rehabilitation specialists, and radiologist look at all of images, which include but are not limited to: bone scans, multiple x-rays, MRI, 3d CT Scan, ect…ect…and it is clear there is tearing of the abdomenal wall, and I trust this doctor to fix me to 100% with a final surgery. Also, it is difficult to tell what has really worked throughout this whole process: tireless strengthening, tireless stretching/yoga, realignment, massage therapy, acupuncture, eating better, taking ridiculous supplements, the actual hip surgery, who knows what has been the real contributors throughout this whole process. — All you can really do is trust yourself to know what is best for you.
I had a lot of people tell me not to get the hip surgery done, and a lot of people who said to go ahead with it, but in the end, I am just trusting myself, and I am dedicating myself to rehabilitation. I have 0% doubt that I will come back to 100%.
For now, I will end here. I will have two weeks off after the surgery Wednesday, and I will be sure to update for everyone who is interested in the recovery or is having problems similar to Hip FAI. Right now, I am wishing all my fellow runners lots of luck in their upcoming spring races, and marathons. I wish I was out there fighting the good fight with you! God Speed.
There’s a good chance no one is out there anymore… but I’m still here and running, and ayedubbs is also RUNNING! woot!
I’m a busy person though, What can I say?
So I’ve “raced” twice since that race on New Years… and despite the more focused and committed training…. It looks as if I have gone backwards…
On February 11th I ran in the Bradford Valentines 6k race. I did this rinky-dink race for a couple reasons:
Long story short, I’m way off. I wanted to be at least within a minute of my 21:43 from 2008, but I was way off with a 23:09. Ten seconds faster and MAYBE I would have been happy, but to not even crack 23 was just a joke. My coach was pleased though. I had the stomach bug a week or so before and missed 3 days of training (and even once I started training, it was a bit shaky at first)… Not to mention I was still limping, and swollen from my fall… (I shit you not, I LITERALLY thought I shattered my patella that day, so I’ll take the 3 weeks of swelling) so he was expecting 23:30′s… that was actually somewhat encouraging. The course is very challenging, but it’s the same course from a few years ago…. so that excuse doesn’t fly with me. One thing I did learn from the demanding course is how terribly weak my core is, and how easily I cave on uphills these days. I have taken immediate action to rectify this problem, so that’s the positive I took from this tragic excuse for a race. … Oh yeah, I got to out kick a guy and run with Billy Squires JR, That was kinda fun.
The second “race” I ran is really not a race at all. I was SUPPOSED to do the ten miler in Amherst, and was feeling ready for it. I had done pace runs at about 6:15-6:20 so I was feeling up to it. I was going to try and PR on the course. I ran 1:04:14 in 2010 and was in decent shape that year. That year, I used the ten miler as a pace run leading into my first Half Marathon. So this year, since I’m running the same half marathon for the second time, I wanted to race the same ten miler and see how my training compared as I approach The New Bedford Half 2 years later…. Fortunately, My sister qualified for the State Championship… but Unfortunately, it was held on the day of the 10 miler. I scrambled to look for a race to take it’s place on the day before, but there was literally nothing happening except the CMS weekly 5k, and the Fudgcicle 5k (3.17) series. Both of these races have an entry fee of less than 5 dollars….. so I’m sure you can imagine the field I’m presented with. Despite the fact that I have run the CMS course more times than I can count, I went with the Fudgcicle for convenience (and price. $0). It’s marked well, and I did the course one other time so I knew what to expect. The first time I ran it in 20:01 as a workout (It was below zero temperatures, I had two pairs of pants on, under armor, a long sleeve, a sweatshirt, and a jacket on with two pairs of gloves) So I was expecting much better. Low 19′s to high 18′s… But alas, I barely broke my previous time… I finished with 19:52. 
Ironically my first mile for this race was the same as the Valentine race. 6:04. I believe the average paces were nearly the same as well if you factor in the course being .07 long
On both accounts I felt great at points, and then terrible at others… Then Great, then terrible… I’m at a point now where I know my training isn’t going to click on the Half Marathon date, and that’s okay. I’m just going to keep training, keep adjusting as needed, and keep a positive attitude. The key for me is going to be consistency… and I find that when I get worked up about times and races, I’m more likely to do something stupid and get injured….
One Step at a Time.
This is me at the Fudgecicle last year… before I got injured. Not sure if racing in sub zero temps was a good idea. Frozen eyelashes, frozen skin, ugh… Cold, cold toes.
It’s snowing right now. I’m hoping we get our first snow day of the year tomorrow! C’mon! I need a cancellation right now!
Hey all!
Just checking in. I’ve had so much going on in the World Wide Web, I haven’t had time for all of it! I suppose I should update on how I’m doing with my goals. Yes, I had a lot of goals, an No I’m not accomplishing all of them at the moment… But like my friend John said, You don’t have to wait until New Years to set a goal….
Areas I’ve slacked the most: ChiRunning looseners, and Core Class. I’ve been on and off with the looseners. Sometimes I just forget to do them! I don’t have anyone there to remind me, and if I”m in a hurry I forget! Or I’ll remember while I’m running and say “I’ll do them when I’m done”… and sort of miss the whole point… And just occasionally I have stopped mid run and have done them. But Ryan is a big fan of gradual progress… and that’s kind of the idea behind ChiRunning… SO this is okay.
The core class thing? there have only been three weeks, and I missed the first two. This is because we didn’t have school on Mondays, and so I didn’t meet Ashley, and so I procrastinated. This week I didn’t meet Ashley, but I got in some yoga on my own. I think I may need to redefine this one, and figure out what exactly counts as a core workout if I can’t get to a class. Gradual Progress
Areas I’ve been Successful: Green Smoothies everyday and No Sugar.This has just become part of my routine. Part of why I think this has been so successful is because I was working it in prior to the New Year which gave me a chance to iron out the kinks.
Things in Progress: I made a spreadsheet to keep track of my finances… and as an experiment I’ve really just bought whatever I felt like this month (within reason) and as a result I spent nearly $500 on food so far! No doubt I’ll hit $500 by February. Sort of impulse buying gives me a chance to see how to rework some of the numbers. I need a lot more for food than I originally thought (maybe not THAT much… but more than I budget for) and I need a lot less for other things… like gas believe it or not… and utilities. I’ll get a lot back on my taxes next month and that will help me clean things up a bit.
Big Surprise: I said I wouldn’t launch my website until July thinking I wouldn’t have time or energy to put anything up… BUT I’ve been featured in TWO wedding magazines. One made the cover! So not only have I launched my website by I also have a facebook fan page, and a twitter account (don’t ask me how to use that thing. I just have it auto update from facebook. Twitter scares me.) Please Please, PLEASE visit my site and become a fan! Share it with your blogs, your friends, the world! Then I wont need to worry as much about the food budget. 
Last but not least, Running: I’ve become happily complacent lately. I’m not excited to run, I’m not dreading a run either. I’m just… doing it… which I think is healthy for me right now. Last week I ran my long run at 1:00am because I was unable to sleep.Best Run Ever!
Which is ironic because The week before that I fell really bad on my long run and had about a 12 inch bruise just from the impact radiating down from my knee. WORST Fall EVER.
and through it all…I’ve just been taking it one step at a time. The brakes have gone on for a few days though. I just finished recovering from a TERRIBLE stomach bug that kept me out of school 3 days. My mom actually rushed over one morning to check if I were alive (I had my cell phone off), because I had called my sister in the middle of the night completely delirious and dehydrated… and unable to hold any fluids in. I wasn’t able to eat, but I kept licking the salt off of pretzels hoping that I would retain fluid better that way. My biggest fear was passing out and being alone. Which is why (I think) I called my sister… but I never passed out. My mom’s first reaction was “You need sugar!” but I never had it. I told her I would definitely have some if the coconut water didn’t help… but it did. I was able to do some yoga the second day… just real gentle twists and childs pose to help my stomach.
Tomorrow I shall pick up where I left off. I’m feeling pretty good now. Happy to be healthy again and ready to get back on with it.
So, THAT’S THAT!
I should have made a goal about posting on my blog. Clearly… I did not. and neither did AyeDee.
Last night was the annual Goal Summit for the SISU Project. Basically we all present our goals, get feedback, and have supportive people to hold us accountable. AyeDee actually was “at” the goal summit last night since a member of our team videoed her and her husbands goals via Skype and played them on the DVD (as well as Mike Griffin’s goals… yup Aye… You missed Mike Griffin in high def.)
I didn’t have much to share about 2011 in terms of the goals I had set for myself…. but it was a big year of transformation. There was a moment this year where I was no longer defined as a runner. There was a moment where I was so far removed from running that I could finally escape from the burden… and it was that moment where I wrote “My Relationship With Running” and realized that although I am much more than a runner– I AM a runner. This was my greatest accomplishment this year… but this was an interesting year 2012 will be great. Below are my 2012 goals as I presented them on posters last night. It is ambitious, and it is a lot… but I’ve already started, so as of right now, I’m not really overwhelmed…. Yet.
I feel like these are sustainable goals. I’m putting the biggest emphasis on the Green– those are the primary objectives. The secondary objectives are things I feel will stem off from the primary objectives… or will be a good way to achieve the primary objective (I wasn’t really consistent with my outline process… I apologize)I want to race at least 12 times this year (which isn’t actually a lot for me, but considering 2011… 12 is plenty)… Already got one done!
NUTRITION GOALS:
These seem like the toughest to most people… But I actually do all of these already and have been for over a month.. all except “Grow Herbs”… I often end up buying some, using it, then it goes bad and I waste, so growing will be better… I also decided there were going to be a few cases where I would eat sugar: 1. If it would be rude not to 2. If the choice is “starve to death” or “eat added sugar” I won’t starve… but will still make sure to choose the best possible option for me.
CAREER GOALS:
I have two careers, so these goals reflect teaching and photography. The first two are completely for teaching, the third one is mostly for teaching (but hey… if I win an iPad for Autism, I can use it for photography, too) and the last two are for photography. Help me win an iPad by buying an autism awareness product from the iPad Challenge! Put my name down (Caitlyn A. Clark) as the Challenger. I need 60 points to win, and I have 22. It will help in my class so much!
FINANCIAL GOALS:
Plain and simple… I’m not good with money. I always manage, but I waste a lot with late fees, and stupid additional charges (like $10 extra on todays race for post registration… not off to a good start)… I just don’t keep track of things as much as I should, and I think if I save receipts etc it might just bring my awareness up a bit. I make enough to get by, but that won’t always be enough. This is all just to collect baseline data to make better goals next year.
So today is my first day… I did the ChiRunning looseness first thing. Had a green smoothie on my way to my first race, Raced the 10k in a new PR (37:44.6) I’m extremely happy with this considering in the past 8 weeks I’ve only run one week over 37 miles. Not Too Shabby. Ate a beans, rice, and veggie wrap with Matt… The wrap itself probably had added sugar… but I was starving, Matt was starving… and we were on our way somewhere else. This was actually a GOOD thing for me, because I’ve been quite anal with the no sugar added goal thus far, and part of my goal was to make this whole process more functional… I’m not going to stave myself over 1g of sugar. We came home, I worked on photography… (to help improve my photography skills I’m doing a 365 photos project with a daily photo challenge), ate a brown rice meal with a bunch of amazing leftovers (not even a gram of sugar added this time), Made green smoothie #2, and am sitting here typing this up. Probably should be paying bills… but, I guess that’s next.
Successful Day!
What are your goals this year?
Photo 1 of 365
This post is untitled because at the moment I am not sure where it is going; not unlike I have been feeling about my life. The entry feels like it will have no purpose in the end; not unlike I have been feeling about my life. I did not mean to write that same sentence twice — It just came out like that.
Updates.
Rehabilitation has come to a screeching halt, as I cannot bear the pain in my lower abdomen any longer, and my left side is getting worst. So, it has been back to the doctor for me. I see my second surgeon the first week in January. So much for starting 2012 off on a positive note. My vitamin of choice (formerly Vitamin I) has since been replaced with Vitamin V.
Goals.
I have tried to make a renewed commitment to being positive, and I am making small strides (See: instead of writing “I am failing,” I have tried to replace it with a positive statement, even though it means the same thing to me). 
Misc.
Besides running, it seems like everything in my life has been affected by these injuries. It makes getting up everyday painful, and though I have tried to keep a level demeanor, it has drained me of what seems like everything. On Christmas day I was in so much pain I just laid on the couch crying for a couple hours. I think over the last year, I have cried more than in my whole life combined. I went into work today, but no one was there, so I left. I am supposed to go in tomorrow morning, but I am contemplating quitting — just the old “not show up,” and write an e-mail, saying “see ya’ never.“ It hurts to sit, and sitting at work, and sitting at school has made everything even more unbearable. It has come to the point where sitting gives me anxiety. Just the thought of sitting makes me cringe.
2011.
At the start of 2011, I told myself that I had spent all of 2010 making mistakes it would take me all of 2011 to correct. I was wrong — I underestimated the mistakes of 2010. There is now 5 days left before 2012, and I have yet to scuff the surface of correcting these mistakes.
I have sat down to write so many times in the last couple weeks, but there has been so much to do, and nothing creative to write about has come to mind. Tuesday is my last final, and this has been one hell of a semester to get through. I will be glad to wave to 2011 in my rear-view window, as I watch it fade away (of course, ‘Facebook Timeline’ will make it a lot easier for me to revisit the pain anytime I feel like it).
I am nine weeks post-operation, and I have been tirelessly doing Physical Therapy. Strength, stabilization, and stretching, everything you would expect. I have good days, and I have bad days. My left side hurts on and off, and it worries me a lot; I do not want to have it operated on.
I have no power coming from my right abdominal muscles right now, so I have been doing things to try to get them to fire, and work. Right now, the efforts have been all futile.
I can walk though; not as good as the Physical Therapists wants me to, but I am slowly correcting my gate. I know it will not eve
r be perfect, but hopefully some day it will be close to perfect. I wish I could post a video of how I used to walk, but I do not really have any film of myself. I have some running footage, but you can’t see the defect as well when I run. Anyone who knows me though is all too familiar with the funny little gate. – It’s been a part of me for so long that sometimes I think people won’t even recognize me anymore without it. – Ian has been video taping me walking, so I can see what I am doing wrong, and this helps me ‘correct’ it.
I have two more follow-up appointments in January. I cannot wait for the day that I do not have to be in doctor’s offices anymore. Sometimes I think that I’ll just wake up normal again; that in a couple of weeks or something all the rehabilitation over the passed nine months will finally kick in, and I can put one foot in front of the other and run. Like, I’ll just run out the door, and not stop running, maybe like Forrest Gump or something.
I got this from a blog friend Lindsay who has a real popular blog and she’s got a great sense of humor. I saw this and had to share!
My favorite part about the post above is that they call it as it is. When you are fat, you are fat. Seems like now-a-days we’re so PC that we’re actually lying. Fat is fat. Unhealthy is unhealthy…. And excuses are excuses. That’s just a side note though…. and that’s, like you know, how our society is. We have no conviction anymore to avoid controversy or something… This guy will tell you…
Back to sitting: SITTING IS LETHAL! But not just because it makes you, you know, fat. A huge part of my injury: Sitting; a huge part of Ayedubbs injury: sitting. When you sit, you shorten the tendons in your hips and lengthen the ones in your butt… then your biomechanics get all sorts of screwed up, and a physical therapist needs to bail you out and teach you to walk again. Yes, that’s right… WALK again.
Walk correctly, that is. I’d write more, but I’ve been sitting for too long. Time to run.
Get off your butt and do something!
