Sooo....

After seeing a terrible endocrinologist I saw a fabulous one, the other day, who admitted he has no idea why I continue to fracture my pelvis ha ha
While I left without any REAL answers I feel confident that I'm in good hands and things will be okay! 
After reviewing all my blood work, MRIs, going over my history, family history, etc. he said there's really no reason this should be happening.  Apparently I'm doing everything right...He thinks the fractures could be as simple as over training tho it doesn't REALLY explain WHY it's happening.  Prior to this appointment, with the help of a nutritionist I know, I had done my own research and came across The Female Athlete Triad as what I 'have".  After discussing this with my doctor he agrees I could have this tho, again, "FAT" is not the reason my pelvis continues to fracture. (Check back soon as I've started a post about Female Athlete Triad) 

In 2014, when I 1st fractured my pelvis and hip, I was told to get a bone density scan which came up totally fine.  At the ripe old age of 36 I will be getting a 2nd bone density scan this week to see if anything has changed....that's all my doctor could think to do beyond what's already been done...especially since everything is coming up perfect.  The doctor said (a few times) that I was really stumping him and he was going to consult some of his colleagues to discuss my case and get their thoughts.  He thought that as a very far reaching stretch, he could put me on bone density medication for osteopenia tho he thought that was a bit much as the medication has a lot of side effects, I'm so young, and my 2014 bone density scan showed no issues in my bone density.  After the scan I will see him again and reassess the situation.  

Wondering what Osteopinia is?  
Check out this WebMD article for a quick synopsis:  Osteopenia

I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. No matter what the injury - unless it's completely debilitating - I'm going to be the same player I've always been. I'll figure it out. I'll make some tweaks, some changes, but I'm still coming. -Kobe Bryant

You Got A Tattoo Of What?!?!

Tattoos are very personal and are forever-choose wisely!  

I think a lot about my running-Each day I'm growing both physically and mentally as a runner.  One thing I've truly learned to embrace is pride.  I am not the fastest runner, I'll never be an elite runner, or have sponsors, but I'm doing it and I'm proud of what I've accomplished.   

I've made reference to one of my running mentors (a former professor who is also a great professional mentor to me) who has said, on several occasions when I've lamented about not getting my BQ or a run not going exactly as planned, "be proud that you are doing it.  Running a marathon is a huge accomplishment no matter how it goes."  For tons of reasons people can't/don't run marathons and no matter how fast/slow, fun/miserable, or pretty/ugly it's a big deal to finish it.  
I took what my mentor said and made my pride official-with a tattoo of my times!  I consider this tattoo a work in progress.  Each time I run another marathon I will get the finishing time added.  Not everyone gets my love of running or tattoos and that's fine so when I see people give me "crazy face" when I show them my tattoo I don't get offended.  I love my tattoo!  

"Tattoos are like stories-they're symbolic of the important moments in your life." -Pamela Anderson

And Then There Was November 23rd...

So I made a deal with my orthopedist....
About 3 weeks before the marathon I went to see my doctor to talk about the pelvic pain I was experiencing and gave him all the reasons I felt it wasn't fractured and to see if he had any words of wisdom.  He thought my reasoning was legit and agreed that it was unlikely that I fractured my pelvis again.  Knowing that I was not willing to sit this marathon out again he asked me to agree to two things 1) to take the final few weeks of training a little easier and only run on tracks or treadmills as they both absorb a fair amount of impact and 2) to get an MRI the day after the marathon to be sure there wasn't a fracture..EASY!

I ran the final few weeks of my training, mostly, on treadmills...One run called for a split run where I run at two different times of the day.  I ran 16 miles on a treadmill in the morning then 3 miles on a track later in the day. 16 MILES ON A TREADMILL!  Who does that?!?!?!  (I think I should win an award ha ha)  I endured the torture on tracks and treadmills knowing that this small consolation was keeping me in the race.  I felt awesome both mentally and physically.  Nothing was getting in my way of getting to Philly.  As I mentioned, I ran the race without any issues.  My knee was sore/swollen the day after the race and I was tired but everyone who ran the marathon was tired with some aches the following day ha ha.

I showed up for my MRI and the tech said, "WOW!  Look at that knee, let's get that MRIed" So I said, "Oh no, that's fine, we're here for my hip/pelvis". To which he replied, "I'm sure I'll be seeing you again for that knee" ha ha  After and hour and a half I was done and it was time to wait until the doctor got the results.

The orthopedist's office called me a week or so later and said I needed to come in to review the results of the MRI.  I said, "no thanks...last year when I fractured my hip and my pelvis he told me right over the phone so if I need to come in that means it isn't fractured and it will be a waste of my time.  If the doctor needs to speak to me, he'll call me."  Later that day I had a detailed message from my doctor....My doctor used words like, "I'm shocked, not normal, not okay, and further testing".....you guessed it, I fractured my pelvis AGAIN!  I was told I needed to see and endocrinologist to get some answers as to why this happened again.  I'd like to say I have answers, but I don't.  I saw a terrible, terrible endocrinologist who left me angry and my head spinning so I'm in the process of finding a new endocrinologist....we shall see.  

People who know about my fractured pelvis ask me how I feel and the answer is, "AWESOME!"  I'm not in pain and I haven't been in pain since October when the pain first came back (and compared the pain of last year, this was NOTHING).  I haven't run in about 6 weeks, but I have worked out just about every day since the marathon.  Hot yoga was an amazing help in training and I feel it's part of the reason I'm not in pain in my recovery.   I have a 1/2 marathon in mid-March so I'm going to start my training up this week.  I will be doing all my training on tracks and treadmills (unfortunately).  My orthopedist said 8-10 weeks off from running if I'm in pain, but since I've been pain free for so long I think I'm good to go.  Famous last words ha ha  

"The more injuries you get, the smarter you get" 
-Mikhail Baryshnikov

Philly....better late than never

So it's been a while and, as I posted before the marathon, I usually get the post race blues and find myself with lots of time (previously spent running) to do things like blog..ha ha Not this time.  

The Philly Marathon was timed perfectly (the Sunday before Thanksgiving) so that I finished the race and had a few days before Thanksgiving.  "Luckily" for me my school district had parent/teacher conferences the week of Thanksgiving so I didn't have a second to be sad about missing running with the late nights and exhaustion of conferences. Before I knew it, it was Thanksgiving and we all now that once Thanksgiving happens the holidays are basically here and free time doesn't exist!  Long story short, I didn't experience the post race blues this time around.  

Back to the race....
Leading up to the race was not the superstitious set of routines it usually is.  I approached this race more relaxed and didn't deprive myself alcohol or caffeine the last month like I usually do and I think it helped me.  As I mentioned in previous posts, around October 14th (again) I felt similar (tho not as intense) pain in my pelvis.  I was smart about my injury..whatever it was.  I did some PT, 15 hours in the hyperbaric chamber (Yes, I still swear by the benefits of the hyperbaric chamber), and saw doctors.  It was decided that it was HIGHLY unlikely that I fractured my pelvis again, but there was pain so a little PT and scaled back training with lots of rest was encouraged.  Usually the idea of rest makes me twitch, but I followed the recommendations of my doctors and it seemed to help.  I felt calm, cool, and collected race weekend.  I was ready for this race mentally and physically.  (Additionally, it was agreed upon that I would get an MRI the day after the race...just in case).

Leading Up To The Race:
The day before the race my friend and I went to the expo to get our numbers and check out gear/vendors.  After the expo we just relaxed in our hotel room until our dinner reservation at 5:00-yup, 5:00!  ha ha The night before the race I couldn't sleep...part because of nerves and part because I went to bed with the sun still up ha ha. By the time I fell asleep the alarm was going off.  We watched the weather before we left and knew it would be great!  Walking outside we were surprised at just how great.   The weather on race day was AMAZING-slightly overcast and cool, but not cold.  We did have some wind that was intense at times.  

Plan Of Attack:
My plan of attack was negative splits.  The idea of negative splits is that your 1st 1/2 of the race is slower than the 2nd 1/2.  The purpose of a negative splits is to conserve energy.  Often runners start out too quickly and burn out.  Burning out early on has you getting slower and slower as the race progresses and when, like me, you're hoping to get a qualifying time doing an 8:23 mile (like I needed to do to qualify), for 26 miles is unlikely.  Negative splits are tricky mentally.  When you think about racing and needing a specific time running slower than the necessary time seems counterproductive.  When you are racing and are "forced" to run your first few miles at a 9:00 pace when you know you are capable of so much more you really need to be focused in sticking to that slower pace...the end justifies the means!  I was comfortable the entire race thanks to negative splits.  There wasn't even a thought about a "wall" or walking.  I can't imagine running another marathon without negative splits.  In addition to negative splits keeping me happy my cheer team was awesome!  I saw my family/friends all over Philly and in every photo they took I was smiling and looked very comfortable-Thanks Negative Splits!  

Post Race:
As I ended the race (still smiling) they handed out hot chicken broth.  After running for 3:46:15 (that's right, 6:15 off from my BQ) and drinking only water and Gatorade (tho @ mile 20 some people were handing out beers and I took one...best decision to change up all the sugar I was taking in) and eating sports beans and gels the chicken broth was AMAZING and probably the greatest thing I had ever consumed ha ha.  In addition to the salt tasting great the warmth of the broth was needed.  Once I stopped running I got very cold, very quickly.  Within minutes of finishing, my lips were blue and my teeth were chattering.  I met up with my cheer team, got warm/dry clothes on and headed out of Philly!  

CELEBRATE:
After the race I threw myself a little party with friends and family.  I decided, months earlier, to listen to one of my running mentors and celebrate the fact that I completed another marathon-regardless of whether or not I got my Boston Qualifier time.  Still smiling, it was great to have everyone out to help me ease into the off season ha ha

It's safe to say that November 22nd, 2015 was one of the greatest days of my life.  I am immensely proud of myself.  Nope, I didn't qualify but I came damn close!  I cut 8:18 off my best marathon time and I gained a renewed belief in myself and what I'm capable of!  Then came November 23rd....


"I've learned that finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement.  It's a state of mind that says anything is possible." 

And then there were five.......days until the marathon

It's five days until the marathon and I'm doing my last 2 1/2 hours in the hyperbaric chamber.  (This thing is great, btw.  Not only am I healing up, I come in here and can't leave.  I'm getting so much done in here ha ha).  

I'm a bunch of different emotions right now. I'm ready to run this race and see what happens.  Will my pelvis hold up?  Will I get my BQ?  This race is 2 years in the making, for me, after training so long and having to drop out a few weeks before Philly 2014 and doing the training all over again this year; I'm chomping at the bit waiting to get out there and get into my zone!  I'm full of endorphins, emotions, and excitement.   As much as I want to speed the days up to get me to the marathon sooner I want to slow time and keep the race away because I'm nervous and because I know when the race is done I'll begin my post marathon blues.  I'll start to miss training-hell, I already do miss it and I'm still, technically, training (tho it's my taper).  I'm going to miss coming to PT several times a week (tho my insurance company will be happy I'm done ha ha). I'm going to miss the way running dictates my time.  I like structure and routine-training gave me that and soon it'll be gone.  I'll miss the goal I'm working toward.....that far away date on the calendar that slowly creeps up on you.  I'm going to miss eating anything I want because my workouts were so tough I was able to burn food off faster than I was eating it.  Ha Ha

The post marathon blues are weird and while runners bitch about training most will agree that once you cross that finish line it's over and it's sad....I guess that's why once it ends we wonder, "when's the next race?" 

"Racing is the fun part; it's the reward of all the hard work." Kara Goucher

Keeping Positive!

Common distance running sayings are:

-long distance running is 90% mental and 10% physical 

and

-your mind quits before your body. 

I tend to agree with this thinking. 

When you are running a race that is taking several hours to complete you need to be in a good mental place, thinking positive thoughts.  Thinking negative thoughts during your marathon can easily derail all the hard work you put into training. 

Working on positive thinking is something that has taken me time and still gives me trouble now and again, but has REALLY improved.

Training for this marathon has been (for the most part) a positive experience for me as I've looked at it as my big return after last year's unfortunate end.  Do I want to qualify for Boston in 16 days? Without a doubt, but I'm realistic.  I have trained hard, I have put up some great numbers, but as of late, I've been dealing with an injury that could end up being another fractured pelvis (We'll find out when I get my MRI the day after the marathon).  
Dr. Jan (the greatest chiropractor/sports recovery doctor) saw me last year when I got hurt and has been working with me this year and has remarked on my positive mindset while dealing with this injury.  After being sidelined 5 weeks before the marathon last year I'm taking this injury in stride (no pun intended).  I'm being realistic about the race.  If I don't qualify, it's not the end of the world.  I just want to run it!  As a wise runner friend said to me, "running a marathon, no matter how many you've done, is an accomplishment.  The months and miles you've given to a few hours of running is something to be proud of....regardless of the time it takes."  I'm keeping that thought in the forefront as I approach the final 2 weeks of training.   My training has tapered off a bit sooner than it should these past few weeks because of the injury I'm working through, but my mental game is where it needs to be and I kind of think that's what's going to help me more on race day.  My fabulous support group of family, friends, an old professor who is big into running, and Dr. Jan are the ones I need and want in my head at the race.
I will run this race to best of my ability and be as smart as possible doing it! 

"Treat negative emotions like negative people. Acknowledge their presence and make whatever changes are required to remove them from your life." 

Thoughts From The Hyperbaric Chamber

How's the training going you might be wondering.....it's a little slow going these days, but I'm getting to the marathon!  

As I've mentioned a million times, I had some fractures that sidelined me from running in Philly 2014, but I got healthy and started attacking my goal of getting my BQ at the Philly 2015 Marathon.  Training is a lot on your body and some say that marathon training is too much abuse to your body.  My argument: it's better than smoking!  

I've felt great over the months of training but a few weeks ago the pain I experienced when I fractured my hip and pelvis returned.  While I say it returned in the same breath I'll say it wasn't as severe and wasn't EXACTLY the same.  

I'm not a doctor (tho I went to school for a long time ha ha) but I did some "tests" to see (w/o am actual MRI) if I had a fracture.  When I had this pain last year I couldn't stand on my left leg alone-this year I can.  Last year I couldn't run more than 4 minutes-this year I can!  See, no fractures!  (Insert your eye rolling and telling me to stop training).  To your eye rolling I say, "you don't get it.  You don't  get what it's like to give 1 race MONTHS of your life.  It's not just the running, it's the sacrifices you make, the love you have, the goal!  It's everything!   

Now you're saying, "ok, I guess, but get an MRI and find out for sure!" So to that I say, "I am-the day after the marathon!"  Don't shake your head!!! I'm under the care of trained professionals.  My doctor would not let me race if he thought I was in danger of doing permanent damage!  (See, I'm not a total moron...I'm seeing a doctor!)   I go to PT SEVERAL times a week and we are working on strengthening my core and the muscles around my hips and pelvis.  My doctor has me running less and resting and strengthening more.  

All this recovery and determination leads me to where I am currently-in a hyperbaric chamber.  At this time I'm at 4 atmospheres of pressure in 100% oxygen. (airplanes take you to about 1 atmosphere of pressure). What does a hyperbaric chamber do you might be wondering.  "Hyperbaric oxygen therapy saturates the patient's circulatory system with oxygen resulting in increased oxygen delivery to tissues." In the hyperbaric chamber you're in a tomb like capsule (best way to describe it) and are slowly brought to 4 atmospheres of pressure, receiving 100 percent oxygen. 

I guess it's kind of like legal blood doping.   

It increases the amount of oxygen to injured tissues or parts of your body with a poor blood supply.  

It reduces swelling.  

It promotes healing of wounds.  

It helps to fight infections in problem wounds.

It stimulates new bone formation when the bone is infected.

You might still be shaking your head saying this is ridiculous and to that I'll say, "you're welcome to your opinion, but with this nagging injury I'll try anything to get as healthy as possible before race day!" 

Now I'm sure you're wondering what it's like in here....I'll be honest, I was a bit nervous (but mostly excited). I have had some issues with claustrophobia and getting MRIs in the past, but this doesn't seem to bother me at all. I'm laying on a soft mattress with a fantastic pillow (I MUST find out where he got this pillow!) I have a good 1 1/2-2 feet beyond my feet and a good 1 1/2 feet behind my head. I can reach my arms straight up and can almost touch the top.  It's rounded on the sides but I'd say it's 3 feet across.  Here's my theory: my doctor has had pro football players in this thing.  If those big guys can fit in here without an issue I'll fit just fine.  My doctor slowly took me up to 4 atmospheres.  (It took about 45 minutes).  He came in to the room the machine is in and checked on me and increased the pressure.  Inside, I have a deflation valve if the pressure becomes too much and my phone to text or call him if I need to get out.  There's a window above my head that's slightly bigger than a plane windows and a couple of small porthole like windows on the 4 sides.  I was told it gets warm, but I'm quite comfortable.  I've been in here for about 2 hours and I will do about 3 more hours later this week.  I will continue to do 5 hours a week until the race.  

Will this help?  I have no idea.  My doctor has seen results in tons of SERIOUS athletes and it's not costing me a dime so I'll try it and see what happens.  

It's almost time to bring me back to sea level so I'll end this.  Stay tuned as my treatment continues.... 

"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan."

-Tom Landry