Stress Fracture

My tibia is not a cloud. It is, in fact, a rigid matrix of osseous-stuff that doesn't like to run so much. Apparently.

My friend Sharon, who is studying to be a physical therapist, recommended before my race that I should imagine that my Left Calf was a cloud. I tried doing this around Mile 6 in Florida, and it didn't exactly work.

My strategy for pain-during-long-runs is: Ignore It. Don't turn it into a fluffy cloud or a pink pony. Just pretend it's not there, and it will go away.

I used to think the whole "runner's high" thing was probably a myth. The euphoric haze from running never hit me, and I've always been jealous of people who claimed to experience it. As it turns out, I've probably been experiencing runner's highs all along. Evidence? After my CT half marathon, my shoe was covered in blood. One of my toes was sliced open and it had bled through my sock and shoe. Nasty. But did I feel it? No. Did I feel that cut the next day? Yes! Man, it was a nasty cut! During the run, though, no pain. As it turns out, my runner's high is more like Ibuprofen than Crack. Which is ok with me. I like Ibuprofen a lot.

So, at Mile 6, my Left Calf hurt, and I was like, "are you a fluffy cloud?" and it was like "no, I'm your Left Calf, and I can cuttabitch." And I was like, MUTE Button! And then I didn't hear from my calf again.

Until 2 minutes after the race was over. Then all of a sudden I couldn't walk. Well, I could, but it really hurt. And it hurt like that for a few days. But the pain slowly subsided. Now it only hurts when I go up or down stairs, sit down, stand up, or when the dumb chihuahua-thing locates the spot that hurts and tries to dig through my skin and muscle with her ridiculous, spiky little feet. (I love you, LuLu)

So I'm cured! Right? No. Since I'm married to that doctor guy, he made me get an appointment to see a doctor, get an MRI, the whole bit. Of course the MRI showed a stress fracture...

Which I got to see! So cool! It was like looking at my leg from the inside out!

...Anyway, orthopedic surgeon says, "Foot in boot, crutches, lots of weeks, no- you can't run, bye!"

So... I guess that's it for the running this season. More time for beer?

Success! Maybe?

My fifth half is complete!!! On Sunday morning I ran the "Halfathon" from Madeira Beach, FL to Largo, FL in 2 hours 10 minutes and 58 seconds! That put me at exactly 10-minute miles for the entire 13.1-mile race. Goal Reached! Success! Except...

Here's the catch: official race times have my chip-time the same as gun-time, even though it took me about 10 seconds to cross the start line at the beginning of the race. So, my official time was 2:11:09... averaging a 10:01-minute mile. DOH!

Oh well, I'll call it a win anyway. It was my fastest time by about 7 minutes, and it felt really good! I enjoyed the whole thing, and never felt too tired. I even talked to a couple of fellow racers along the way. I'm actually really surprised I was able to run 10-minute miles and hold conversations. I even ran so fast by the finish line that Vick didn't see me! It took us 6 minutes to find each other at the end because he was still staring down the final stretch wondering where I was. I was stumbling around at the finish trying to decide which I wanted to do first- look for Vick or eat. (Surprisingly, I chose to look for Vick... followed by an intense gorging)

Unfortunately, Left Calf was really unhappy with the whole ordeal. About 2 minutes after I stopped running, it froze up. It feels like thousands of ice picks if I move it wrong. MRI tomorrow night.

Back to happier things! I got to spend two and a half days with Vick! It was so great to be with him, especially since he hadn't had a single day off in two weeks. It was like a mini vacation together. We got pretty lucky about how everything went, too. Between the layovers, the two hotel rooms, the rental car, and the race, I figured something would have to go terribly wrong. But the worst thing that happened was a 2-hour delay getting home. No big deal! We were still at home by 10pm on Sunday.

One of the coolest parts of this race was that I was randomly assigned number 726. That's my birthday! I wonder how often that happens. And we stayed in hotel room 515 in Tampa, which is Vick's birthday! What a serendipitous weekend!

I'd do it again in a heart beat. Don't tell Left Calf.

Carb Loading

I have to say, I'm really excited for this weekend!

Firstly, it's my first race that requires real "traveling". Sure, we had to drive a few hours to get to the ones in Connecticut and New Hampshire. And, yes, Vick and I stayed overnight in Maine for the last race. But I'm going on a plane tomorrow! My Florida race requires four planes (2 layovers in Atl), a rental car, two hotel rooms, and a dog-sitter (Mom).

Also, this MAY be my first race with 10-minute miles. Maybe. I've been training at 10-minute/miles or less on the treadmill, but I don't know what real life will do. With my hurt calf, who knows what will happen. I'll still be excited to finish no matter what.

Tomorrow we leave in the afternoon. So, clearly, today was a good day to begin Carb Loading :)

Some amazing people at work, Sam C and Sarah F, suggested that we go out for a celebratory beer (after some crazy weeks at work). It was Sam C's birthday! YAY Sam C! Yay Beer! Shira CL, Sam P, Jen A, and Julie K joined us as well.

Pita Chips, French Fries, and Beer were some excellent pre-race carb-loading. But I think the best part was spending some excellent, stress-less, quality time with a group of amazing ladies from work! You're all great! Thanks for the love and support at work and the well wishes on my race! See you on Monday.

Ouch = Ice + Ibuprofen

I didn't post much in the month of November. In part, this was due to how busy I was. A lot of my busy-ness had to do with preparing for my half marathon, though. Training could have provided me with miles and miles of blog material. I could have posted about my new found love for the terrible music they play at Body Pump class at 5:45am on Mondays. Or about how I'm glad I don't pay for cable tv because, while running on the treadmills, I get to watch enough "16 and Pregnant" on MTV to last a lifetime. Or, and most excitingly, how nice it is to be running faster than that buff guy on the machine next to me :)

But I haven't posted about any of things because, inevitably, if I started to write about how my running is going, I would have to mention my Left Calf. I feared that if I mentioned Left Calf in my blog, that would make Left Calf's issues "real". I believed that if I ignored Left Calf, then all would be fine, and I would run this Sunday without any problems.

Being married to a doctor can be difficult. He wants me to be all "medically responsible" and stuff. So, I made a deal with Hubby that I would see a doctor and have the dumb leg looked at after the half marathon in Florida. Knowing that my schedule at work fills up quickly, I decided to call yesterday to make an appointment for next week. Worst idea ever.

The doctor's office made me come in TODAY to get it looked at. Blood tests and radiology... blargh.

Anyway, as of right now, I'm allowed to run on Sunday. (Thank goodness my doctor is a runner and understood that I was going to run the half regardless of her advice.) But I had to promise to stay off my leg as much as possible for 3 weeks after the half marathon. UGH.

Knowing that I'm not supposed to be running makes it hurt more. There was a reason I was pretending there was nothing wrong! Now it's official. Left Calf is a stupid limb of pain. I'm considering disowning it.

5 days! I'm glad I get to run on Sunday, and hopefully I remember how to ignore Left Calf again.

#30 Sam Adams Chocolate Bock

I haven't felt like posting much recently. Tonight's not really an exception, so it will probably be a short one. My brain has pretty much stopped thinking in full sentences. It's full of snippets of information, thoughts, and feelings, but nothing coherent.

Work was busy last week. Vick is studying for big tests.

BUT! It's Christmas time! I love Christmas time! I love Christmas songs. YAY YAY YAY!

To go along with sweet, sweet Christmas spirit, let me introduce you to Sam Adams Chocolate Bock.

I've had sweet beer before, and it made me want to vomit. This wasn't quite so vomitously sweet. Its a dark beer with a strong chocolate flavor. Very yummy. Though, if I had a do-over, I wouldn't have paired it with my chicken dinner. It would have gone better with dessert. Mmm dessert.

Half Marathon is less than 9 days away.

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Putting Life in Perspective

The very minute I published my last post, an email arrived from my childhood friend Garen.

A little over a year ago, Garen's mom passed away from ALS. His mom, Leslie, was an amazing person who I was blessed to have in my life. In addition to being good friends and wonderful neighbors, Garen's family has been like my family for as long as I can remember. It was Garen's dad, Rod, who got me interested in biology. It was Leslie who taught my brother how to drive stick shift in her little red Miata.

In honor of his mother, and to fund research for a cure to ALS, Garen has been training to complete an Ironman in Cozumel. His fundraising goal was $20,000, and 19 days before his race, he's exceeded that goal by $600. While this is an enormous amount of money, it's not nearly enough. 

Throughout his training, Garen has really put life into perspective. He's using a difficult time in his life to do something incredible. Half marathons are difficult (for me, at least), and an Ironman is REALLY difficult. In the email he just sent out to all of his friends and family, he pointed out that compared to the battle his mother fought, the Ironman is completely doable. The strength his mother showed in the final year of her life and the strength that Garen is showing now is humbling.

I don't often ask people to donate to causes, but I want to at least make everyone aware of this one. Please check out the website below, and consider supporting research for a cure for ALS.

www.firstgiving.com/garen

And GO GAREN! I'm proud to have you as a friend! I'll be thinking of you in Cozumel :)

You Know It's Bad When....

I've had a lot of stuff going on. Work has driven me a little insane recently, and Vick has been a bit stressed over his impending exams and fellowship applications. Our home has been invaded by Peanut-Love-Bug, a foster cat from a terrible hoarding situation. And while Mr. Peanut is adorable beyond words, my own cats are quite unhappy with his presence. My daily cuddles from Petri have been replaced by hissing fits whenever Petri sees me. He's a little pissed off. Pepper is probably pissed off too, but she's always pissed off, so it's hard to tell the difference.

I'm in a funk. Normally a nice cold beer would make me feel better. Yet, when I opened up one of my Atlantic Brewing Company Ginger Beers (which scored an 8/10 on the Casey Scale), I only took 2 sips before pouring the rest down the drain. Sigh. Not even a beer can fix this.

I've decided to take my negative energy and put it to good use. I've worked-out for 7 out of the past 8 days. I've been trying to channel all of that grumbly-frustration towards my legs, and it seems to be working. Today I ran 5 miles and averaged 9 minutes and 55 seconds per mile. Perhaps my 10-minute mile goal is manageable. Look out Florida! I'm lumbering your way at a moderately brisk pace!

Hopefully beer will taste good again by Friday.

Madeira Beach, Here I Come!

I devoted a lot of time in October to my noble beerquest, and kind of forgot about running. Minutes after my last post, I realized that I really needed to sign up for a half-marathon. My intentions of "staying in shape" by keeping up my running regimen without registering for a race were short lived. Actually, perhaps they never lived. I ran 2 times between my October 3rd race and November 1st. Oops.

The Madeira Beach Half Marathon in Florida is less than a month and a half away! So, it's time to get my butt in gear. I paid for the race before I figured out how many weeks were between now and then. Apparently, I better be ready to run 8 miles this weekend! And my goal for this race- run every mile in 10 minutes or less.

Considering how slow I am, 10-minute miles are a huge-normous goal. I'm excited to report that this week I've run 5 miles two times. Each time has taken me less than 51 minutes! Go meee! Lets see how my 8-mile run goes on Friday...

24 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

In the past two months, I have tried 24 different flavors of beer. The fact that I’ve had so much beer recently leads me to a few conclusions about life.

1. Things have been really stressful!

In general, beer is more necessary when life is crazy. Man-oh-man, things have been crazy recently! Mostly it’s just work things. Vick and I have too much to do. In fact, it’s Halloween-Saturday and I’ve been home all night working on work stuff and helping Vick write a Letter of Intent for a fellowship. I missed a Halloween party because of it. Terribleness.

2. I should start running again.
I’ve taken the past 4 weeks off from running. I need to get to it again before my beer gut grows any bigger. I need to start training for something. Is there a half soon? Anyone?

I tried two new beers this weekend (well, Thursday). I was especially excited to try the Atlantic Brewing Company’s Mount Desert Island Ginger Beer. It was described as a wheat beer with ginger, which got me all excited. I opened it up and it smelled like ginger. Mmm. But then, when I tasted it, it was as if all the ginger disappeared. It tasted like a wheat beer, with minimal carbonation and no extra ginger flavor. I was a little disappointed to say the least. Casey Score: 7/10.

The other beer I got was the Sam Adams Latitude 48. I honestly had low expectations. I like Sam Adams beers a lot, but I am a much bigger fan of wheat beers in general. It claimed to be extremely hop-flavored, and my experience with tons of hops has been mixed. I took a whiff before tasting it, and it smelled like a leafy plant. I tried to get Vick’s opinion on the smell, but he just thought it smelled like beer (useful).

It was better than expected. It had a strong hop flavor, but it was all around tasty. Just the right amount of carbonation, crisp, a little sweet, very drinkable- it made my work woes temporarily subside. Ahh. Goodness. Casey Score: 9/10

On Friday I decide to resample the Mount Desert Island Ginger, and it had much more ginger flavor than I remembered from the night before. So, it’s moving up from 7 to an 8 in my book.

Back to work… Does anyone know of an excellent half this winter? I need to get back to running ASAP!

#18 Ipswich Harvest Ale

In addition to raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, one of my favorite things is having a nice, cold beer after a hockey game. My team, the Cheetahs, usually plays late on Sunday nights, and the beer is a nice cushion between freedom and Monday. I look forward to that cold, hoppy goodness so much that I peel off my 40-pounds of equipment in 10 minutes or less. Get me to the beer!

This past weekend, the Cheetahs had two games. One at 9:30pm on Saturday and the second at 6pm on Sunday. We tied both games (which is really good for us!). And we only had one sub on the bench for the Sunday game. So much skating. Wants Beer!

I was excited, too, because I had purchased a random assortment 6-pack before the weekend. New Beers!

Alas, it was not an excellent weekend for beer sampling. I tried 3 beers- the Haverhill Brewery Leatherlips Pale Ale, Guinness Extra Stout, and the Ipswich Harvest Ale. Honestly, the only one worth trying was the Ipswich Harvest Ale (in my humble-ish opinion).

The Harvest Ale was tasty, but it didn’t have the “harvest” flavor that’s in so many Fall beers. It lacked any hint of spice that reminds me of pies. Instead it was full of hop flavor and had hints of citrus. On the Casey scale, it rated a 7 out of 10. I’d drink it again, and I’d even recommend it.

As for the other two after-hockey beers I sampled, I have something to say to you, too… The Cheetah’s 2^nd Period Team Cheer: “1, 2, 3 SUCK LESS!”

Maine Half Marathon

Eight days ago I ran a half marathon in Portland, Maine. Vick, magically, had enough time off that he was able to drive to Maine with me on Saturday. We loaded the car with both dogs, and the cats cheered as we pulled away from the house.

I have to say, I was a little apprehensive about taking both dogs on our first overnight road-trip. LuLu and I had made the cross-country trek in 2008, but she's the most brilliant, well-behaved terrier, chihuahua, Chinese-crested, Mexican-hairless, poodle-thing that anyone could ever ask for. George, the purebred cocker spaniel, on the other hand.... Well, let's just say, he may be one of the dullest crayons I've encountered. He definitely has his strengths. He's got stunning good looks, a happy go-lucky demeanor, the desire to cuddle everyone at every moment, and the ability to clean up dropped food before it hits the ground.

Unfortunately, our George often lacks control of his own bodily functions. We managed to make it through the weekend with only two accidents. The first was a car-sick George in the back of Vick's car. Poor baby. The second, and most endearingly, was when he jumped on my lap for cuddles and peed all over me. Cute.

Otherwise, the weekend went off without a hitch. We spent a lovely afternoon walking around Old Port with the puppies, then checked into the seedy hotel for some rest and relaxation. Vick, the best husband ever, let me chill out and shower while he scavenged for a big pasta dinner and cleaning supplies to fix George's accidents.

Bright and early the next morning, we headed over to University of Southern Maine for the start of the race. For everyone who has called me crazy, weird, or stupid for running: This is my favorite story of the weekend. In line for the porta-potty (yum), I met a woman who was running the full marathon. She was explaining to us that she was trying to run a marathon in every state. She had run the New Hampshire marathon the DAY before! And she said that she recognized a lot of people who had run with her the previous day as well. Runners are crazy, weird, and stupid- but she's a prime example of why I do not consider myself to be a runner. I rest for at least a week before I begin training again, let alone run another race. I am not that crazy, weird, or stupid.

The temperature was probably in the upper 40s or lower 50s. The sun was out though, and the course was beautiful. We trotted around a cove and over a bridge before entering some nice residential neighborhoods in Falmouth, Maine. Only two small hills to climb, in striking contrast to the treacherous New Hampshire half marathon I ran in August. Then we turned and headed back. All in all, a lovely run.

I finished in 2:20. My time was about a minute slower than my fastest so far. I was elated, though, to have finished relatively unscathed. I was tired, but able to drive myself out for ice cream after Vick left for work on Sunday evening. My quads and calves were only sore for three days. Unfortunately, my left calf seems to have been strained, as I'm still not able to run without an ice-pick sensation. Dr. Vick believes it will be all healed in 4-6 weeks. I'm thinking it will be all better by, um, tomorrow?

#11 Gritty McDuff's Halloween Ale

By Tuesday, it was clear that it was going to be a trying week at work. Luckily, I had a nice evening of drinks planned with some amazing people. Brandon, Jen, Sam C, and I headed down to Cantina to catch up.

Growing up, Brandon (aka Broder- but only I can call him that...) was a typical younger brother. By that I mean that we feuded over everything. On half days in elementary school, we would return home to an empty house for a few hours. My only memories of those days involve intense arguing over everything, from which shows to watch on television to how to correctly microwave a bowl of soup.

Now, though, Broder and I consider ourselves friends. The reason for this change: Beer. Ever since we realized that we both like beer, we've had something to bond over. It's pretty good stuff. Broder is also preparing to get married to a wonderful lady. One reason why Jen is so wonderful is that she makes sure Broder stumbles home safely after a night of sibling bonding.

Anyway, we're at Cantina on a Tuesday evening, with Sam C. Sam C is a great person from high school, who now works with me and Jen (because, it's a small world after all). This is where they've convinced me that I should blog about this beer-adventure, and I've discussed my goals and strategies. After deciding to focus my attention on seasonal brews, I get a Gritty McDuff's Halloween Ale... with cinnamon-sugar on the rim!!!

In any other situation, cinnamon and sugar with a beer sounds absolutely awful. Something about Halloween-flavored beer makes it all okay. In fact, it was better than okay, it was fantastic! Casey Rating: 9 out of 10 points. The beer reminded me of all the things I like about Halloween. It was a little bit spicy, with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg that herald the season of Thanksgiving pies. It was crisp, just like the dry air in the fall that makes leaves turn dead and chaps my lips. The cinnamon-sugared rim made me think of the Halloween candy that children are preparing to obtain and eat until they are sick.

Without the cinnamon-sugar rim, this beer would have been totally fine. The additional sweetness made it great! It had been a long two days of work, and I was in need of a happy moment. Three awesome friends and a beer that tasted like pumpkin pie were perfect for the occasion. Yahoo! for good beer and fantastic people!

The Plan

I can't say that I feel very old. I still get mistaken for a student at some schools. Last year, a mother at Parent Orientation for the program I teach demanded to know my age before I taught her kid. When I tell people that I own a house with my husband, I generally get two reactions. 1) Aren't you too young to own a house, or 2) Aren't you too young to be married.

That being said, I may only be 26, but most of my friends are turning 30-years-old soon. Thirty sounds very, very old to me. I managed to marry my sweetie when he was 29.33. Yet, it's quite possible that I may turn 30 some day too. Sigh.

I have to say, there's a piece of me that is caught up in the meme of 30 before 30. It's comforting to have that final list of youthful, even juvenile, experiences to justify last ditch efforts to act like a fool. Because, as we all know, the minute you turn 30, all you've got is a mortgage and a long to-do list. I'm pretty sure that the world turns black and white like a reverse-Wizard-of-Oz.

I think I decided to write my 30 before 30 list because I'm competitive. If others could write a list, so could I! And gosh-darnit, I'll finish it too!

I could write about my list- Bucket List or Buried Life style, but honestly, most of it's boring. I want to see a moose in Maine, I want to teach my dumb cocker spaniel three new tricks, and I want to finish five quilts. No one wants to hear about those things. And if they do, they need a hobby. Or they need to come to my house and try to teach the dumb cocker spaniel because I'm pretty sure that will be the most difficult task.

I've decided that I should focus this blog on two pieces of my list. The first is to run a half marathon in every state, and maybe Washington DC, and maybe Puerto Rico. The second is my noble quest to try and record 500 different beers.

I am not a runner. Runners like to run, and they get runner's highs. I do not like to run, but I feel a sense of accomplishment when I am done. I will not run all of the states before I turn 30. That would make me dead. I would like to finish 13 more half marathons in the next 3.5 years. I've already finished 4, which I will post about at some point.

I may not be a runner, but I am a beer drinker. Not a connoisseur, mind you. I just like the stuff. A lot. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to post about each of these beers, but I do hope that these posts will always be enjoyable and lucid. Bear with me.

 I went to Maine last weekend. Didn't see a moose.