Are you not entertained?

well, looks like I lost 14 followers over the past 12 days?! what gives,lol!







Eh, cant please em all I guess!
Kudos to those that still follow along this old blog of mine!
: )

training jan 18-24- a moment of sereinity

last week was pretty low key
Monday-rest. core work to include:
4x20 bridges, pelvic tilits, crunches,
3x15 roll outs and pikes on exercise ball
2x1 minute planks
5x30 second hold isometric contractions
Tuesday 45 minutes elliptical
Wednesday- 5 miles , 3 miles progressive during a pub run, core work same as monday
Thursday-45 minutes elliptical
Friday-rest. core work same as wednesday
Saturday- 12 mile run in the snow (8:46 pace)
sunday-rest


instead of doing track workout on Wednesday, the group met up with Fleet feet and did a pub run around downtown Summerville. it was a welcome relief from the evil oval, and I made it a point to do some slower paced progressive miles an my hip actually felt pretty good.


Saturday, a talk of the Jonas the blizzard was in full swing. we had a 30% chance to see some snow flurries,and those of us that were awake before dawn got to witness  a very rare sight in SC!!!!
The first 6 miles of the 12 were very serene,calm and just pretty. it brought me back to running in the snow in NC,IN and TN. I remember being 17 and driving to the battlefield to run. it had snowed a few inches the night before and no one was at the park, so I had it to myself. I remember running through the trails and coming across a large doe. She was so pretty! it seemed at that moment all the world seemed right, all the worries were gone and it was just me, mother nature and the peacefulness of the sunrise......
last Saturdays run wasn't quite like that and the last 6 miles we got caught with a terrible head wind that was super chilly! I wore 3 layers and was still chattering on the miles back.
also, my hip felt great the first 8-9 miles. I had put an extra insert in my left shoe to help out with the leg discrepancy. It worked for 8-9 miles. thole last few miles running back to my car sucked. I really had to think about form and gate pattern.


Ive been keeping up with stretching and core work. eventually I will be back in the gym. this week was supposed to be game on,but then this happened:

I am fostering a puppy until she gets adopted. The past few days have been making sure she is housetrained and playing well with reece. so far so good! I think I can leave her alone for more than an hour so I can go get some workouts in!
: )
Heres to good things this week!!!

Last week training, 5k recap and an "injury"

I'm a bit late on this
Training for 1/11-1/17
pretty much 2 days of elliptical and 1 speedwork.
4x core work ie planks, bridges,pelvic tilts, crunches, Russian twists, pikes.....
Wednesday track night was 6x400, 2x 200 and 1x 1600
Even though I had some pretty impressive numbers for the 400's and 200's, it was a mental battle more than anything. After a full week off of running I really wanted to get a good turnover-
After the first 4 400's I started to feel fatigued and really had to concentrate on my form and gait pattern. Lets just say I left the track pretty sore in my hip and not very confident that I could see 19:xx on the clock.
After I got home and looked at the actual numbers, and saw consistent paces that I haven't seen in a long time, I felt better about seeing 19:xx-if only my hip would cooperate on race day, I knew I stood a chance of winning it.
Friday before the race, I saw the chiro and got taped up.
Race day:
It had The good, the bad, the ugly-
I showed up about an hour before hand and was able to find a good parking spot, pick up my race packet and get in a mile warm up. My hip felt pretty good!
I see some friends from the track group and line up for the start.When asked about my race goal all I said was "not 4th!". It was a beautiful morning to race-upper 40's and sunny. I see 4 gals at the line who seemed like they were pretty speedy. Gun goes off and I knew I had to make my way up front and stay there.
The speedy gals took off like horses out of the gates and I felt like an old brood mare who had been left out to pasture. But after about a half mile in I pass one of the 4 gals ahead of me, ok that puts me in 4th place overall female. I was hoping to start closing the gap. I felt someone creep up behind me and out of the corner of my eye it looked like a female so I picked up my pace a bit. at this point, my hip feels good, I get my mind right, see the 3rd place gal and focus. I tell myself I got this, I got this....
and then I see Larry, an amazing amazing super speedy 60+ yr young guy (who happens to be injured at the moment) He is cheering me on, screaming at me "go MELISSA ,go get em!!! THAT moment was awesome. I put my head down and go-
my watch buzzes at me and I see mile 1 at 6:42.
I cursed out loud. WAAY to slow to meet my goal (I was wanting under 6:30's  per mile).
I make a surge and try a quicker turnover for the next half mile. Maybe it was a mistake on my part, maybe it was the slight inclines and turns on uneven surfaces but I could feel my hip get wonky, I felt the pain settle in my hip and my gait pattern became thrown off. I really had to FOCUS on my form in order to not hurt. Even though the 3rd place gal was still in my direct line of vision, mentally I didn't think I could catch her. My mind was wondering and self doubt creeps in-"Damnit im 4th!!!", "I know Im faster than this,wth hip?" "maybe im just getting too old for this mess", "I am so done with this", "Wheres the finish already?","I just want to stop and be done"


I hit mile 2 at 6:48. I say a few more curse words outloud, turn my ipod up louder and jut try to keep my form steady. about 2.5 miles I notice the gal ahead of me is slowing down or I am getting faster,(I am so going slower)  I hear several "go batgirl go!". I give a thumbs up and put my head down
Ozzy is screaming at me:
Take me higher
Crank me faster
Help me get the thrill im after
 One time to take away all pain, one more to turn myself insane, one shot to keep me high all day,Makes my reality fade away....
(his song "Silver")
I see a small glimmer of hope that I could make top 3 overall, but I had to make a move and do it NOW. I look at my watch and im at 2.91 miles- I had less than a 400 to catch her. I pick up my pace, forget about my hip and tell myself "not 4th, not 4th, nope, not today!!!" I see the final turn, I see the mile 3 marker, I see the gals soles of her shoes and pass her right at the final turn and last stretch. I give a strong kick at the end, I hear the announcer say "Here comes Melissa Cunningham from Summerville, SC rounding out the females top 3 finishers!!!!" The crowd is cheering like crazy. I throw my hands up as I cross the line. Thank goodness its over!! congrats, high fives at the finish and I actually meet a few pretty cool gals after the race. Becky introduced herself and we hung out to watch the half marathon finishes and  for the awards. She ended up getting 1rst in AG because I passed the gal in front of me
: )
Becky ran this race 6 days after the Disney marathon, but this crazy lady not only did the full marathon, she did the half marathon and 10k the 2 days prior to the full--who does that???????
Becky the Badass thats who!!! Its always fun to meet new people!
So the good, bad and ugly parts?
The good:
meeting new friends,
cheering for my friend Amy at the finish of the half and witnessing her land a PR she's been chasing
(her recap is HERE)
making top 3 overall, and NOT being 4th!

The bad:
positive mile splits- 6:44, 6:48, 6:54
way slower time than expected! I hit 21:02
The female winner came in at 20:12-which is frustrating knowing I could have ran that or faster based on my training times


The ugly:
The mental aspect during the race. I didn't focus enough on form and gait and focused too much on how i missed the mile splits i had planned. In my defense, last week i was pretty sleep deprived. My fit bit weekly report said i averaged 3hr and 07 minutes of sleep per night. Last week was stressful and i let it get me to me.
Left hip pain
My hip. I saw my xrays yesterday and its not pretty...Granted, its not a full blown "injury" and it is something i can run through so there are positives and silver lining here!


My "injury"
The root cause of y hip pain/SI joint/pirifornis issue is that my scoliosis has gotten worse, as with my leg length discrepancy. My left leg is a full 1/2 inch shorter than my right. This has caused me to overcompensate and all my muscles have tightened up,and have actually tilted my pelvis and twisted my sacrum, which has caused my SI joint to become "stuck". I do not have normal joint movement at this point. In addition to all that, my left hip is quite arthritic. It was blatantly obvious on the xray.


How do i get better?
First,a lift in my shoe. Getting adjusted 1-2x a week at the chiro. cross training with a focus on core work and lower body strength, stretching, foam rolling and kinesio taping......
This is a biomechanical "injury" that will be a life long issue. I will never have a straight spine, i will always have the leg length discrepancy but i can minimize the overcompensation by strengthening the surrounding muscles ,and the chiro adjustments will help get my joints unstuck. I just have to get stronger in order to keep my pelvis and sacrum stable.
What sucks about all this is that the reason this has happened is because i am simply "out of shape". Seriously, this is a far out of workout shape as i have been since having babies. This is just the reality check i need to get my arse back at it. Time to get back in Melissa mode and quit talking about it and just BE about it
Onward to better days ahead!

2015 Race stats and the best of 2015 running

16 races in 2015
Placements:
3- Overall
2 -2nd OA
1- 3rd OA
2- 4th OA (but 1rst in AG)
5- 1rst AG
2 -2nd AG
1- 3rd AG
1- no AG/placement


THE BEST OF RUNNING IN 2015:


The second best part about running in 2015  was meeting a local runners group and being able to meet up and run with like minded individuals at least 1-2x a week. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting in the miles, sweat and pain as well as being able to run in beautiful parts of Charleston and Summerville (that I wouldn't have ran if otherwise).The funny thing is, is that I met this group via blogger! I forgot how I found Amy's Blog, I know I was reading other blogs I follow and it was a link on one of their sidebars. Once I found out the tiny terror ran in my neck of the woods, I made a bold move and emailed her that I would love to run with the group at the track. Amy was so awesome in giving me the information I needed and when I showed up to run, I was greeted with open arms!
 I am so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and put myself out there.
I have made some significant improvements over the past 6 months and I am hoping there will be even more in the next 6 months! But even better than making improvements is making new friends that are as half crazy as I am.

Now THE BEST moment of running in 2015 had to be this:

Running with my daughter during her first 5k, watching her set a PR, watching her win 1rst place in her AG and seeing her determination to better herself with each race.


One of the other best parts of running in 2015, was setting a post 4th baby PR and then the next week hitting another post 4th baby 5k PR

and placing in those large races was pretty awesome too!!!


another highlight of running was running The Cooper River Bridge Run, the largest race I have ever ran (caps out at 40k) and one of the most well known races in the south east. This race brings in the elites as well as the locals, and was truly an experience!

I actually signed up for this race last month and I was able to be placed in he "competitive" A corral!

Will probably do a 2015 running recap soon.

Here's to a GREAT (injury free) running/racing seasn of 2016!

First Weekly training Log for 2016!

Well, I think I just may commit to posting weekly (or bi-weekly) workouts to hold myself accountable. This whole being "sort of but not entirely injured but close if I'm not careful" thing has made me more aware than ever of my lack of cross training. So its off to keeping myself healthy and injury free this year!
Training for the week of Jan 1rst--Jan 10th
Jan 1-5K
(first 2 miles felt great, last mile I really felt it in my SI joint and hip,)
No running from Jan 2nd-January 6th but did lots of stretching, foam rolling TENS unit and planks and other abdominal exercises.
Had first visit to chiropractor on 1/7. Turns out my SI joint is "stuck" and my piraformis has suffered as well as my hip. I do have a significant leg length discrepancy due to scoliosis so I am biomechanically predispositioned for this type of injury.Got adjusted and a massage and felt great!
Friday- 4.5 mile easy run (8:41 pace) Felt ok, tight after the run. Stretch, foam rolled, TENS and repeat.
Saturday- 5 mile tempo with middle miles @ 6:45 pace. I could feel tightness during the middle miles and felt my gait pattern was off. Had to really think about form and focus on not overcompensating. I was fully expecting to be sore afterwards but I wasn't. Just tightness and no pain.Stretch, foam rolled, TENS and repeat.
Sunday- Rest
I had full intentions to run, but my only excuse is that last week My husband and I have stayed up waaaaaaaaay to late watching seasons 1 and 2 of the Walking Dead. (We didn't start watching until season 4 so we have some ground to make up!)




It will be a low key running week due to a race coming up on Saturday. Planning on some speed work in the middle of the week but nothing crazy. Long runs will be started up again as well as strength training.  A stronger runner = a faster runner, and a stronger runner= less injury prone!


Heres to a great week!!!
And good luck to all those who are playing powerball!!!!!

The last week of 2015 and the first week of 2016...

I had a great post written out then all of a sudden-poof!-its gone!
So instead of the well written blog post, full of humor, whit and a touch of sarcasm, yall are getting the shorter version in bullet points
: )


The last week of 2015:
*all four of the kids were sick on Christmas day. It started with the youngest on the Tuesday before Christmas. Fever, cough, congestion and he broke out in hives all over his body. Christmas eve was anticlimactic because after we baked cookies for Santa, all the kids were ready for bed early. You know your kids aren't feeling well when there is no fuss at bedtime on Christmas eve!!!!!
*Christmas day the sickies were in full swing. Fevers, coughs, snotty noses....
At least the puppy had fun!

 *A couple days later my husband caught the kids cooties. I then had 5 patients to nurse back to health. At least one of the final sunsets of 2016 was really pretty to watch (The weather was unseasonably warm with record setting temps for the holidays)

*The last track workout for 2015 was 10x600 repeats with 200 jogs inbetween.
I rocked it out with a 6:10 pace for the first 6, then a little below a 6:30 pace the last 4. I *tried*to hang with a way faster than me runner, and did the first half of the workout,then pretty much gutted it out the last few. This was probably a very poor decision. The workout only aggravated my SI joint/piraformis and by the time I left the bar/grill after recovery beverages with friends, I felt the pain settle in my hip socket. With 36 hours before a new years day 5k, I questioned if I was on the verge of an injury. This has been an ongoing issue since December 12th, after I set a post 4th baby 5k PR and then got worse the following week after I hit a second post baby 5k PR.


* New years eve was spent foam rolling, stretching and using the TENS unit. We stayed awake long enough to watch the ball drop then it was straight to bed.


*I started new years day off on the right foot with a 5k! The theme of the race was renew, reuse and recycle. All of the race bibs, race shirts and awards/trophies were from previous races. Some of the Shirts and awards dated back to the early 90's. My bib was from 2012 and my shirt was from 2001.Several members of the track crew were there and it was nice to spend new years day with friends. The nice thing about this race is that awards go 5 deep, and we all placed! And there was cornbread and soup waiting for everyone after the finish. It was a win-win situation.
*Brief 5k recap:
I knew going in that I was not going to race due to still having the SI joint/hip niggle. My plan was to treat it as a tempo,and I did. I knew the course was a "slow" course due to all the bends and turns during mile 3,and wasn't expecting a PR.
Mile 1: I felt surprisingly good. I pace with a bald bearded dude and see 6:38
Mile 2: still felt good as far as the hip niggle. I could tell I slowed down a bit. I make a point to keep runner dude in my sight. I get this mile in 7:05.
Mile 3: Totally sucked. My hip felt fine until this mile. I don't know if it was the winding trail and bends/twists/turns in the path and the compensation it takes to navigate a course like that that triggered it or what! I see 7:05 for this mile as well and make the 0.05 at a 6 min mile pace. The course was slightly short but everytime I have ran this course its always been off by different figures. I'm sure its a legit 3.1 but due to most of the course being held in a densely forested area, I would assume most GPS's would be off. At least that's what I tell myself.
*I placed 2nd overall female with a time of 21:09
*I LOVE the medals we received after we finished!!!!!

* The award I picked is a poster that shows a road sign in front of a long and winding road. The sign says:
"26.2 miles to Hell and back"
While I have never ran a full marathon, that is exactly what I think of when I even think about attempting to tackle that distance!
*The first week of 2016:
Aside from the 5k, I also started January 1rst in the right direction by actually joined a runners club, like actually paying for a membership! I am hoping to get more involved in the running community this year,and that was a good first step to make.
*The rest of the week has been spent foam rolling, stretching,TENS unit and REST. I'm taking the first week of 2016 off from running. I'll also be seeing a chiropractor. I have a strong feeling my scoliosis has gotten worse and that the leg length discrepancy  has increased, which in effect has caused me to overcompensate.
*What's in store for 2016:
I am not going to make any grand statements or have grand plans to do x,y,z by the end of the year. Sure I have plenty of goals in mind, but the only resolution I have for this year is to make it a point to look at the year as
A WORK IN PROGRESS
Last year was full of ups and downs and was humbling both mentally and physically. This year I will heed the Serenity Prayer and keep it mind throughout the year



I will also keep the finishers medal in mind as well

Happy new year everyone! May 2016 be the best year yet!!!!