Because I believe...

...that every long run deserves a blog entry.

(This is Kristin by the way.)

I am way behind in my blogging here.  Yay for the new Blogger changes- especially the return of spell check!  Woot.  If I have not visited your blog lately, I am catching up on that too.  Don't worry, I have not abandoned you, by bloggy friends. 

Let me start catch up with my most recent long run.  I 15-miler with Danna.  I only made it through like 14.  Rough at the end- I even got light headed.

Danna and I have been a little lazy with our running lately- especially at Girls' Camp.  I was especially out of shape and gaining some nice new fat deposits is seems.  Well, this 15 miler started around 6 and was hot and muggy!!  We went through a ton of water and Gatorade (both for drinking, and pouring on ourselves.  I even accidentally poured Gatorade all over myself at the very end). 

We ran into Larry Payne around mile 9 and he joined us for the final few miles.  At first I refused him.  "No way Larry- I'm pooped.  I can not run at your pace today."  Well, he insisted and went at our pace, and was great entertainment, and a helpful distraction for the rest of the run!  He even did the final mile+ with Danna when I got light headed and stopped. 

After the run, I iced at my house in the way I always do.  Sticking my feet right on the ice packs.  I know they always say not to do this, but have you ever put a towel (even a paper one) on your ice and still had the cold get through adequately?  I have never had a problem just icing directly.  Until now.

So, I'm embarrassed to say- I got a cold injury.  Does it classify as frost bite?  Not sure, but I got it bilaterally on my heels and a couple toes.  It was totally scary and freaked me out.  Then it got super painful- just like a bur, and I couldn't walk on it for a few days.  Who else does this happen to?  No one!  I have never heard of a cold injury among my real life acquaintances, friends, or family.  Unless it was a legitimate winter-time thing.

I made D come over and assess my injury (she's a nurse) and it had a freaky discoloration and blisterage.  After a few days the crazy pain quit- thank heavens!!!  And now I am walking normal again. 

Oh dear.  Please be careful icers.  I have learned that chemical cold packs get colder than regular ice, and if you insist on direct contact, just use ice in a Ziploc.  This advice came from the guys at the wound clinic.  Also, a foot in a bucket of ice water is perfect! 

I still believe in icing.  It makes a big difference. But I also believe in non-amputation.

Love, K
XOXO

Water Running and Elliptical Cross Training

Hey! It is Suzy. I've been out of the running loop since the awesome Ogden Half-Marathon (anyone for the Ogden full next year?). I was disappointed that once I pinned my number on my pregnant belly, it was difficult to tell I was pregnant from the front. I was sure to mention it as we passed people. As well as yell it out at the end so people would cheer for me and I wouldn't stop and walk.
I went on a 4 mile run the Tuesday after and my legs felt like jelly. I tried to jog about a week later and found that my belly had increased exponentially in size during that week off. Too much pull on the muscles to run comfortably any more. So where does that leave me? No more runs with Danna and Kristin. :( Just a lot of water running and elliptical cross training.
Why those two activities? Danna and Kristin once told me that those two exercises are equivalent to running. For elliptical work, mileage is a one to one ratio. For water running, time is a one to one ratio. I don't know if that is really true but it makes me feel good about my exercise as I wait for my little one to arrive.
When I water run, I use the same water belt that many use for water aerobics. I have a hard time telling how hard I am "running" because I don't sweat. It also takes me a minute or two to try to get the right running motion down instead of a swimming kick. One day I "ran" next to another lady in the pool. She was pretty fast. I asked her what her secret was and she told me she was "riding a bike." No wonder she was so much faster than me!
I can only manage about an hour long water run. (I think I once did an hour and a half) I just don't have a waterproof ipod to listen to and no friends to talk to. Boohoo for me. I do like the weightless feeling and the time to relax my pregnancy muscles. Yeah for me.
Danna and Kristin, of course, miss me terribly. They ran Ragnar with my husband just because they miss me so much. (It was a good choice. He runs much faster than me and isn't even close to being as emotional as I am at this point.)
I am curious to see how labor will go and my recovery will be after consistently exercising. And maybe 16 years from now, we will have a cross country star in our family.