Feeling the Effects of Training...

Training is temporarily on hold.  

When I was 16 I broke my right ankle, no big fanfare, just slipped on a patch of ice and that was that...all seemed fine until two weeks later when they decided that I needed to have surgery to put a screw in my ankle.  So off I went to Red Deer that same day, to have emergency surgery to install the necessary hardware.  About four years later, I noticed that I didn't really have any support in that ankle due to the ligaments having been torn during the break.  I was referred to another surgeon, who removed the screw since it was no longer needed, and used tendons in my leg to secure the outside of my ankle.  I was never offered any physiotherapy at the time (that I can rememeber).  I've had very limited range of motion in that ankle ever since, which hasn't affected my daily activities at all...so no big deal.  Until now.  I went for a run February 28th, and when I was done I hurt.  I hurt bad.  My ankle was killing me.  It hurt to lift my foot up onto the ottoman.  I iced it, and tensored it, and went to the doctor the next day, worrying that I had a stress fracture, from all my training.  X-rays happened Monday morning, and Tuesday I got the results.  Better than what was feared.  Apparently there are calcified bone fragments on the outer side of my ankle, that are irritating my tendon that is holding my ankle steady.  I went for physio at Diversified Health Clinic ( I LOVE THIS PLACE) and got the whole shebang.  Laser, ultrasound and electro-therapy, and a nice little massage on my ankle, some KT Tape and everything felt great.  Nicole gave me stretches to do at home and told me to go for a run the following Sunday.  And that I did.  I could feel the irritation in my ankle, but it wasn't unbearable.  That night however, the intense pain and swelling were back.  Good thing I had another physio appointment early the next day!  Another round of therapies and I was out the door like a hot damn, with instructions to NOT RUN until further notice.  I am officially behind in my training, which scares me alot, but I will get through this.  I go back again tomorrow for some more physio....hope it goes well.  

So, that's why I haven't been writing...It's hard to write about running when you can't run.  Don't give up on me.  I need your support more now than ever...I will finish this damn marathon, even if I have to walk the whole thing.  

I saw Spirit of the West (my all time favorite band) with my best friend Gina last night, at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.  It was a spectacular show and we got to see John Mann awarded with the Beautiful Heart Award, and the entire band inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame.  It was a special night.  We even got in a quick chat with Vince at the end of the night.  Got to show off my turtle tattoo (SOTW logo) to Vince and Tobin.  It was a fantastic night and I'm glad I got to share it with my best friend.  

And now, its time to sign off and get a good night's sleep!!  If you are bored, could you send the ankle gods a little prayer so that I can start training again.  Much appreciated.

Apologies are due....

Ok, so I know I've been shitty with the whole blogging thing lately....I'M SORRY!!!

My running has been going well...not training as much as my schedule calls for, but I'm still on track as far as times and distances go.  I'm finding that my 8km/1 hour runs are quite comfortable now, which amazes me.  Tomorrow night shall be a run night.  Last night was spent at my sister's place, to watch the premiere of Survivor (season 5000)....I haven't missed a single season and I'm not about to start now!  I've even gone so far as to book myself in for only day shifts on Wednesdays.  I stayed overnight at Jen's, since I had to open this morning, and I was too lazy to even consider biking home at 10:30pm.

Tonight, I got to spend the evening enjoying some great music made by some really funny guys.  Ryan McMahon, Christopher Arruda and Cory Woodward, more commonly known as (not in the proper order) The Lion, The Bear, The Fox played at Andy's house tonight.  Fantastic show.  I had the immense pleasure of hosting Ryan for a small show at my place on Saturday.  It was a great evening, with my pal, Jason Verners performing some crazy magic before Ryan took center stage.  A small group of friends and family made the night super enjoyable and cozy.  Big thanks to Keith Encinas of South Island House Concerts, for helping out with seating and planning/advertising.  The weather halted some guests in their tracks (Sorry Scotty!) which meant less people, but overall a good night was had.  Ryan will be playing here again on October 24th, which I couldn't be any more excited about!!

I'm hoping that as my marathon date draws closer (101 days to go), that all you lovely people will send a few bucks into the SRABC to help make their services more prominent and accessible to folks like Kori, who I might add is doing wonderfully!

I had a nice visit with Kori the other night out at VGH.  Spent a few hours just chatting, sharing a few tears, talking about rehab strategies.  It is amazing to see the determination that he has to get back to his life.  He leaves the hospital for a visit home tomorrow, then is back Sunday, and officially leaves VGH on March 5th.  I'm sad to see him go, but his therapists here have run their course and it's time for a change.  I know Kori is excited to get home and keep pushing himself in his therapies and rehab.

Well, that's about all I can spout off about for now....I'll be back, sooner than later!

So I've Been Slacking....

Yep, I'll admit it.  I haven't really felt like running this past week...it's quite sad.  I have also not been feeling much like sharing my world.

Today, that changed.  I visited Kori in the hospital tonight, and it was amazing to see how well he is doing.  His outlook is so positive and he pushes himself everyday.  He has really high goals, and I know he will reach them.  With Mary's support, and the support of friends and family around him, he will do it.  He is looking forward to a couple of weekends at home to see how things go...sounds like he won't be here in Victoria too much longer!!  YAY!!!

As far as my running goes.....I've only been for 3 runs this month.  Yikes!  I keep reminding myself that I am way ahead of my training schedule, but at the same time, that can't be an excuse to not get out and run.  That being said, I completed my longest run ever on February 4th.  I set out for my goal of 35 minutes...easy peasy....but got lost and ended up running 7.3 miles in 1 hour and 32 minutes.  So forgive me for taking some time off...I may have died a little bit on that run.

I'm planning on running after work tomorrow, which should be fun.  I'm going to send an email out to Tim @ SRABC tonight, and see if he has any fundraising info for me yet...

If you haven't checked out the links on the right hand side of this page...you really should!!!!!  Fun stuff over there!!

Short and sweet....time to deal with real life things, like laundry and dishes.

127 Days....Not that I'm counting

It's been a crazy week.  Really, no more so than normal, but I struggled to "go with the flow" this week.  Worked an 11 hour day on Wednesday, then 9 hours on Thursday...Thankfully, I was able to go home after only 5 hours on Friday.  My benefits kicked in on Tuesday, so that's exciting.  Time to get my eyes checked!  Last time they were checked was 2009!!  I'm probably way more blind that I think.

Today was my glorious day off, and according to my training schedule, the day for my long run.  Until mid February, I am on timed runs, as opposed to distance runs, so the goal for today was 45 minutes.  I nailed it, setting up a new route in my running app (MapMyFitness) and tackling a hill that I've been dreading.  I've only managed to bike up it once, but running it was no problem!!  This new route will probably become a favorite because it includes hill training (up and down), different terrain (asphalt, concrete and dirt) and new views.

I finished off January with 51.95 miles under my feet, and I'm looking forward to kicking that number right outta the water in February, and every month after that.  I took it pretty easy in January, with injury and illness taking a toll, now it's time to buckle down and keep on track with my schedule.

In Kori news....here's a link to his Facebook fan page....my sister managed to get a video of Kori being a show off, and it makes me smile everytime I see it.   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kori-Lynchs-Fan-Club/693646614001739

I'm hoping to get to see Mary next time she is in town, which should be next weekend.  She is here this weekend but I didn't get a chance to connect.

Some of you may know, I participated in the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay Run in 2012, and was so incredibly proud to be able to be a part of such a community driven event.  I sent the Rick Hansen Foundation a bit of info about my fundraising and they featured me in a Tweet...kinda made my day.  We can use all the fanfare and support we can get.

Well, work calls in the morning, so I should probably close these tired eyes, or else I'll end up going for a run.

And GO TIME!!!!!

What a wonderful day it has been so far.  I really enjoy my days off from work, but only when they are split up...if they are together then I manage to accomplish nothing at all, but when I have two separate days off then I get everything done in half the time, trying to maximize my days!  Weird, I know.

I went biking today, first decent ride in awhile, and it was a short one.  Only 17.8km, but it was good to get back on my bike.  Then I finished off with a 2.7km run near my sister's house, since we are having pizza dinner and games night!!  It will likely be my last night with my niece, Ayla, until she returns from her worldly adventure.  She is headed to Asia and Australia for at least a year, with plans for two years.  She will be missed for sure.

I finally got in touch with Tim from the Stroke Recovery Association of BC today...my fault for the delay, I've been slacking.  He has issued the official go-ahead for fundraising, and posted on their Twitter and Facebook accounts about my efforts...I feel special and am feeling a renewed sense of go-get-em today!  

So, now you want to know how to donate...it's really really simple I promise.  If you want to donate online, go to this page http://strokerecoverybc.ca/donate-to-srabc/.  You'll see there is a note about directing your donation to a specific branch...in order for them to keep track of my fundraising, please include only the following in your special instructions ‘Kim Cameron Marathon Appeal’ as this is what they will be looking for when tabulating and receiving the funds!

There are instructions for donating by cheque and snail mail as well, using the same special instructions as above.  If you want to donate cash, and are in the Victoria area, feel free to stop by Warehouse One in Hillside Mall and I'll make sure the money gets where it needs to go!!

I'm also being featured in the next SRABC newsletter, which comes out on February 10th and can be found here: http://strokerecoverybc.ca/snippets-2013/.

And in running news...I downloaded my Nike+ app on December 25th, since then I have suffered through completed 13 runs, for a total of 42.09 miles!!  I'm feeling good and strong now that my lungs are cleared and I'm super excited to keep training.  

Official training starts Sunday, and I'm already so far ahead of where the plan starts me...it will be nice to really keep track of what I'm doing and how much faster I'll be going!

Well folks, I'm going to pig out on pizza now!  Catch you on the flip side!!

Another day....

I keep telling myself that I just need another day off....no training...but then I remember that I have a lot of miles (yes, I use miles) to log before I get to the end of my training, let alone my marathon.

I ended up with a bacterial respiratory infection, which had me laying low for awhile.  Made it difficult to breathe while running.  Got meds from the doctor and I'm feeling much better.  The good thing is that it takes an average of two to three weeks to actually lose any ground you've gained when it comes to running.  I've managed two runs in a week which isn't as bad as I thought.

Time to kick it into high-gear though...fundraising needs to start ASAP, so that we can make a difference to Mary and Kori, and the community of Nanaimo.  Kori is going through his rehab here in Victoria, and has a daily schedule of different therapies.  Jen went to visit last week and Kori did his own laundry and is now walking a 10ft hallway three times during his therapy.  Amazing to hear about all the milestones.  Mary has returned to Nanaimo during the weekdays, and is here on weekends.  I'm sure it's hard on her to be away from Kori, but she needs some semblance of a normal life too.

I'm preparing myself mentally for the run I'm about to endure, and I think it's going to be a good one.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  I went for a run last night and my right tibialis anterior (http://thecyberdojo.brinkster.net/lowerleg_front.jpg) seized up about halfway through, which resulted in me running like a drunk elephant.  I'm sure half the city could hear my right foot crashing into the ground.  I've learned to stay light on my feet while running, as it is a real energy saver and allows me to run much farther, but when a muscle decides it doesn't want to function, that all comes to an end.

Not much else to report on the fitness front...just need to get my ass in gear!!

In case you haven't taken the time to listen to it...Here is the song that my title came from....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Dmilr2T10

I'm not a huge Hedley fan but this song really wakes me up and reminds me that I CAN do anything that I set my mind to.  I'm sure Kori hates them too, but I think if he at least read the lyrics, he would understand how a few words can change alot.

The shoes are calling......later!!

Runner's High??

We've all heard about it....the mythical Runner's High.  Is it real??  I'd like to think so.  Today, I'm not feeling that high.  Despite running longer and farther than I have in a long time, my body did not enjoy this run.  4.52 miles almost killed me tonight.  Since I started using my Nike+ app I've accumulated over 30 miles of running...I forgot to turn the app on one day, so my official total is at 26.93 miles.  I'm not gonna lie, I've enjoyed every mile of it, until today.

Being sick yesterday really took the wind out of my sails.  Slowed me down a lot, and my breathing is super wheezy tonight.  Chest feels ultra heavy, which probably isn't a good sign.  Might be time to take a day or two off and let my body catch up on rest.  Yeah, I know, that was a funny thought.  Take time off from training, as if.

I want to feel that Runner's High again, as I so often do...even when I come home totally exhausted from a run, I feel good and know that I deserve that nice hot bubble bath that follows most runs.  Every once in awhile I force myself into an ice water bath, as it really does help keep any troublesome inflammation down.

Why do I run??  Running gives me a sense on control, in a world where we have so little control over anything.  The thoughts running through my head while I run vary everyday, but at least half of them are "If I turn left here I could cut a few blocks off my run and be home sooner"...to which I reply "Not a chance dummy, you came out to run, so run."  Yes, I do realize that I talk to myself while I run.  I also decide what to have for dinner, and what to wear to work the next day.  It's a fairly productive time, while not doing anything but running.  Running puts me into a different head space, where nothing seems as bad as it did while I was sitting on the couch, it gives me the freedom to just escape if I need to.  I can't tell you how many miles I've run without realizing they were going by...because my mind just wanders.

I look forward to my run everyday, and while it isn't my only activity of the day (I bike 4km to and from work everyday) it is by far my favorite.  Knowing that my own strength and willpower is enough to keep me going is a great feeling.

And now it's time for food!!