Highs and Lows

Did you ever play a game/icebreaker called "Highs and Lows?" This is how it works, every one goes around the room and says one high point of their week and one low point of their week. So, here's my version- I'll give you two highs and a low.

Good news first: I got my first Enell Ambassador package in the mail Wednesday! It included an Enell Sport in Scuba Duba Blue- the newest limited edition color; a tech t-shirt; a tech long sleeved zip up jacket; a hat; and some other little goodies. I am so excited to run the Harrisburg Half Marathon this weekend as an official ambassador!

More good news: I got featured on the #runchat blog! You can find it here as part of the 2014 Running Blogs Month. Pretty cool, huh?

Ok, now here's the low. There's something weird going on with my right foot. For almost a year, I've had intermittent top-of-foot-pain accompanied by some swelling. I've seen two doctors for it- one physical therapist, one orthopedist. Both told me that the most likely problem was shoelaces that were too tight- they didn't see any signs of a fracture or something more serious.

June X-Rays

But after last week, when I ran four days in a row, my right foot and ankle were swollen and hurting again. The swelling is almost all gone and the pain comes and goes. My x-rays in June were fine and the doctor wasn't worried. However, he told me to come back if it flared up again. I recently started lacing my shoes differently and I'm praying that the previous lacing was the problem. It could be nothing, it could be a stress fracture, it could be extensor tendonitis. I have an appointment with the orthopedist next week. Please keep your fingers crossed that all is ok and I won't need to take weeks/months off of running :-/ Matthew (who is just a wonderful man, by the way) keeps telling me not to freak out and that we'll figure something out. But I am freaking out. A little.

There you have it- two highs and a low. I'll keep you all updated with the foot situation as it unfolds.

QOTD: What's your high and low for this week?


Disclaimer: I received the clothing items shown in the photograph above as part of my participation in the Enell Ambassador program. I received no other form of monetary compensation. As always, all opinions are my own. 

Meet the #runAkron Team: Chelsea

Welcome to the third of four "Meet the #runAkron Team!" guest posts! As you might know from Lauren and Steff's posts, Chelsea has agreed to share some of her story here. Chelsea is a crazy-inspiring athlete who runs and bikes like a beast. And she's super sweet, funny, and incredibly gracious- an all-around awesome teammate :-) I can't wait to run Akron with her in just a few months!

Name: Chelsea Prior

Location: Pittsburgh, PA 

Favorite Race Distance: 10 miler

Races on your “Bucket List”: a marathon, but hopefully that will be crossed off in 2015!

How did you start running? 

One night in November in 2011, I just went out for a run. That night I ended up running just over 2 miles and loved it. I signed up for my first 5k, Turkey Trot 5k and after I completed that, I thought I could run a half marathon, so I signed up. I haven’t looked back since. 

What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you/weirdest thing you've seen while out on the road? 

Can’t say I've really had any weird experiences. I typically just put my head down and go. I’m not much of a runner to be looking around. [Sarah's note- she's not looking around because she's kicking serious ass! This girl is fast!]

I can’t run without...

My GPS watch. If I ever forget it, It throws me off like no other! 

What’s the best piece of running advice you've been given? 

I think the most important advice was to always have fun. People have told me all the time to make sure you do or do that, but when it comes down to it, if you aren't having fun, why do it? The advice I didn't get until my first big race was “don’t eat the Gu on the stick”. During my first half marathon, I finally realized that they meant by that, and don’t worry, I didn't eat the Gu on the stick. [Sarah's note- it's not Gu on the stick, it's Vaseline.] 

In the starting corral for a race you can find me...

On the side, headphones out and completed zoned out. I typically start in the middle of the pack. 

If you could go back in time, what’s one thing you wish you’d known before you started running? 

That is not an inexpensive thing to do! People always said, "Just run, it’s cheap and good for you." Let me tell you... it is not cheap. Shoes, clothing, races, etc. add up! 

When I’m not running, I’m...

Going to crossfit. I supplement my training with crossfit and recently added Olympic Lifting to the mix as well. When I’m not working out at all, I am traveling as much as I can for fun or for work. 

What’s your favorite post-race food? 

If I feel that I can eat, I will eat anything and everything handed to me. If it is available, I do like a nice glass of almond chocolate milk after a run. 

My running mantra is...

Hard Work. Dedication. Never give up. 

If you could run with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? 

My old self. I hated running and even though I played sports my whole life, I always tried to dodge the running. I wish I could go back and tell myself it was OK and fun to run and that it wouldn't kill me. 

About Chelsea:

I moved to Pittsburgh seven years ago after graduating from Washington College. I came out to Pittsburgh to coach rowing for three months and ended up falling in love with the city and everything it had to offer- so I stayed. Currently, I live in downtown Pittsburgh and love that I get to call this city home. When I am not off running a race or training, I am probably running to catch a plane as I love to travel. I now love that I can incorporate my running and love for travel into one. You can follow me on twitter @PghCityGirl.

Meet the #runAkron Team: Lauren

Welcome to the second of four "Meet the #runAkron Team!" guest posts! My Akron Marathon Relay teammates have graciously agreed to contribute some of their running story to my blog. Today, you'll get to know Lauren, the funniest, sweetest, and most bad-ass person I know :-) Enjoy!

Name:  Lauren Nicole Reighard Bailey

Location:  Sigh.  Gaithersburg, MD.  I just go with the greater DC metro area. 

Favorite Race Distance:  26.2

Races on your “Bucket List”:  Since Big Sur was it, I haven't figured out which is next.  My knee jerk- London, but maybe Maui.  

How did you start running?  

I started running in college to relieve stress and scare away any extra weight courtesy of the chicken fingers dipped in cheese that I was so fond of :)

What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you/weirdest thing you've seen while out on the road?  

I think that some people would say that the weirdest thing in race was when I came in dead last at Big Sur, but that was truly my proudest.  The actual weirdest thing that's happened was I was in NYC with friends during my last cycle. We were running Central Park (which by the way is a MUST DO for runners!!)  and I was telling my friend about Team in Training.  This woman, OUT OF NOWHERE, starts telling me how she started TnT, like founded it.  I played along but then started to pull ahead of her to stop the crazy. Spoiler alert. TnT was founded by Bruce Cleland (in NYC I'll give her that): 

http://www.teamintraining.org/ct/firsttimehere/themissionandhistory/

I can’t run without...

A good night's sleep.  Seriously.  It's a function of getting old but I literally can't get out there for my training runs unless I've logged MINIMUM 7 hours sleep.

What’s the best piece of running advice you've been given? 

When I failed at the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2012, Miles (@askmiles) tweeted me "live to run another day" which I take to heart.  Sure it would be great to kill it every time but what good is there if you might never have anything left in the tank for your next run?

In the starting corral for a race you can find me...

Dancing, bopping around, clapping and waving :)

If you could go back in time, what’s one thing you wish you’d known before you started running?  

That I would eventually want to do it all the time and do it well.  

When I’m not running, I'm...
Eating.

What’s your favorite post-race food?  

Ohhh you know -- anything edible!  I like to start with sweets -- doughnuts, cookies and then graduate to burritos, pizza, egg sandwiches, burger, chips and salsa, you name it!

My running mantra is...

Because I can.  I repeat this over and over to myself because I know there as so many people who would kill for the advantage of working legs, hearts and lungs.  

If you could run with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?  

Kate Middleton.  She seems like a fun person to do something athletic/anything with.  

You can keep up with Lauren's running adventures here:

Blog: http://lnrbformiles.wordpress.com

Twitter: @lnrbailey

Instagram: lnrbailey

#runchat Holiday-to-Holiday Scavenger Hunt

So let me be really honest with you- training for a marathon in the mid-atlantic region during the winter months (November- March) is a nightmare. It's dark from 4:30 pm- 7:30 am. It's often between 20- 35 degrees. There's a lot of wind. And snow. And freezing rain.

Last night, I ran with a headlamp and a reflector vest- it was only 6:30 pm. This morning's run started at a balmy 16 degrees. My sunglasses fogged up and then condensation actually froze on the inside of the lenses making it virtually impossible to see through them. I took them off and then my eyelashes froze.

Headlamps are kinda cool.

Naturally, finding any little bit of anything that will motivate me to leave my warm bed/house/car and run in the tundra is greatly appreciated.

Enter the #runchat Holiday-to-Holiday Scavenger Hunt. Basically, it's a scavenger hunt for runners. Find certain things on your run in a certain timeframe and be entered to win awesome, runner-friendly prizes. All you need to do is tweet or instagram pictures of those items with the hashtag #runchathunt. This holiday edition runs from Thanksgiving until the day after Christmas. You can learn all the rules and regulations here.

Source

This is just the remedy for those winter running blues! Since there's over 30 miles on the training schedule this week, I have been excitedly planning routes where I think I'll find some of these items. So far, I have five:

"Port-a-potty"

"Runner I don't know" at the Shippensburg Turkey Trot!

"Inflatable holiday decorations"

"Body of water"- Lake Four Seasons, Drums, PA

"Snowman"

This really has been so much fun! I can't wait to find the rest of the items- it helps the miles to go by quickly and just helps the run be so much more enjoyable. I'll keep this post updated as I find the rest of the items.

Hope your holiday- and your running- has been awesome!

***Update: Found four more items at yesterday's Christmas Dash for Cash (12/7)!

"Animals on a farm"

"Mile marker'

"Railroad" Bonus- with a train!! 

"Santa (or someone in a Santa hat)"