Tribute to the Gods of Running Run: 1/30

I needed a day off from running.  I needed a day to just sit on the couch and read a book.  I needed a long nap.  However, after spending most of the morning updating this very blog and browsing Netflix, I made the mistake of looking outside and realizing that it was close to 60 degrees.  Kids were playing outside, birds were chirping, and I knew that passing up a day like this would be tantamount to slapping the Running Gods right in the face!  So, I laced em' up and headed out to offer tribute because I feared that otherwise the Gods would send a plague upon me: Blister, Boils, Sprains, and Strains, along with all the other nastiness that we runners fear.  I wasn't really sure where I wanted to run, every time I thought of somewhere to go I came up with a good reason not to go there, so I just decided to pick a direction and let the traffic patterns guide me.  If I could cross a street I did, if not I turned the corner.  Quickly enough I ended up running on Hillsborough Street towards the NCSU Campus.  I hit the one mile mark as I was running in front of NCSU and was doing alright considering . . . I did the first mile in 9:58.58 and felt good about it. 

Shortly after passing the Library another runner started to gain on me and after about a block and a half she passed by me and I decided to let her decide my next turn.  Decided to do the opposite of what ever she did at the next intersection.  If she went straight I would turn and if she turned I would go straight.  However, she turned at the bell tower just before we got to the traffic circle, so I decided to just stay on the side walk and run into the campus along Pullen Road.  By this time, I was kind of getting into my run and enjoying the day, but it was a bit breezy, and I wished that I had warn a long sleeve shirt.  Once I crossed the bridge of the railroad tracks, I turned onto Dunn, then Jeteer, and again on Cates and found myself at approaching an intersection with a different runner.  He was a student and running at a much faster pace than I but he was going to get caught at the same light as I.  At the light we would have the choice of either staying on Cates and running up a slight rise followed by mostly flat areas of campus, from which I could get home and make this about a three mile run, or turn onto Morrill Drive, which would go up a larger hill before I turned for home and make the run about a four mile run.  I decided that I would follow the student.  He of course went up Morrill Drive . . . DAMN KIDS!  I did the second mile in  9:32.53

The third mile just kind of sucked.  I ran up Morrill turned left through the parking lots of the Buildings facing Western Blvd., took a right on Dan Allen and right on Sullivan which I took out to Gorman St.  By this time, I was starting to feel bad and not looking forward to running up the little hills around the Sullivan-Gorman intersection and the bridge going back over the railroad tracks.  Iwas able to push myself to keep going because I knew if I stopped and began walking that I wouldn't be able to get myself running again.  The third mile took 9:59.47, but it felt like 3 days. 

The last .88 was a suck-fest and as I ran toward the Hillsborough St. intersection on Gorman, I was praying for a long red light.  I would have no choice but to stop at the light if I wanted to go home.  As I approached the light it was Green I feared that it would turn red before I got to the intersection.  And not give me the time that I needed to rest.  I figured that If I stopped for the light and only the light then I would be able to force myself to run the rest of the way home because the stop would have been forced by fate.  But if I stopped by choice, my spirit would be broken and I wouldn't get going again, which would have been that bad considering how close I was to home.  But, this was becoming a point of pride with me and I wanted to finish this run.  Luckily the light didn't turn until just before I got to the corner and I got to enjoy on glorious cycle of the light including a green turn arrow before I started running again.  I did the last .88 in 8:49.39 which is 10:00 min. mile pace.  When I got home I was beat and dripping sweat.  Hiroko had just arrived home from work described my aptly as Gross, which was not only how I looked but also how I felt.  But, I had done my duty and paid tribute to the Gods of running by taking advantage of the bountiful day they had provided me.

NHL All Star 5k Race Report: 1/29/2011



Rockin' the Whalers at the NHL All Star 5k

 The NHL All Star Game was held in Raleigh this weekend, and as many of you may know . . . I am a huge hockey fan.  When it come to football, I love the Raiders, but I don't really watch Football just to watch football.  However, when it comes to Hockey, I'll watch just about any two teams play.  I just love the sport!  Therefore when the All Star 5k was announced, I knew that I had to be there.  I didn't really care about going to the All Star game itself because I am not a fan of All Star games in any sport.  Mainly because they aren't really playing a real game, but that is a whole different subject.  When it came to the race the only reason I was reluctant to sign up was that I knew that I would be flying back into town from Hawaii at the beginning of the week, jet lagged,  and exhausted on race day.  After going back and forth about signing up for awhile, I finally decided to sign up about a week before I left for Hawaii.  My logic was that I would more than likely run about 3 miles on that Saturday as a regular workout so I may as well join the race and show my hockey spirit -- sounds logical enough, right!?!

I knew that Hiroko would have to work on the day of the race, so I would be attending this race solo, and decided not to bring my camera for fear of dropping and breaking it.  On the morning of the race I felt like crap.  I felt really rundown and just had very little energy, but I pulled myself together and started getting ready for the race.  Even though I live in Raleigh, I am not a Hurricane fan -- I am a Caps fan.  However, I do kind of root for the Canes when they are not playing the Caps and I am at the game, but I do not wear ANY Canes gear to the games.  Instead I wear an old Hartford Whalers tee-shirt (The Hurricanes were the Whalers before moving to Raleigh.  For my non-hockey fan reader, so the shirt is actually appropriate), which I decided to wear over my running clothes. 

Another problem that I was having to deal with was about a 40 degree swing in temperatures.  Hawaii had been around 70 degrees at 7am when I ran in the Harold Chapson 8k on Sunday, but on Saturday the temp was about 34 degrees at the start of The NHL All Star 5k.  I was having a lot of problems getting adjusted and just couldn't get warmed up.  I really didn't want to expend a lot of energy trying to get warm and then be beat at the start of the race, so I just tried to keep moving before the start of the race.  Also, I hadn't run the course before, nor gone over it before the race.  I had looked over the course map but wasn't really sure about the inclines and declines.  The race was being held at the RBC Center, so I had some idea, but I thought that the course was more flat than it turned out. 

Course Map

Overall the organization of the race was well done.  The course was well marked, there were plenty of volunteers and tons of refreshments.  The race had timing devices at both the start and finish for a true chip time.  On the downside, there wasn't any tabling at the event and the start wasn't broken up between recreational runners and competitive, nor did they attempt to have people separate themselves by pace.  I noticed that this was the case and decided with over 2,000 participants, I should get close to the front if I didn't want to be weaving around people walking for the entire first mile.  I trusted myself to get out of the way of faster runners more than I trusted others to get out of my way, so I lined up with runners that I knew were at a much higher level than mine.  The downside of this was that it contributed to me running the first mile faster than I wanted or needed to run it. 

First mile mark!

The first mile was basically a lap around the RBC center and had the most significant decline of the race.  As I said I started the race with runners that were much faster than I, so I immediately moved over to the side and tried to stay out of the way, which wasn't hard until about the 3/4 mile mark when I caught up to the kids, who had sprinted from the start and were gassed just before the first mile.  I had to weave through them and actually did end up bumping someone that abruptly stopped running right in front of me.  However, I really didn't have nearly as many issues as in the past with a mass start. I think that the cold kept a lot of the non-runners inside the RBC center, until just before the start, and the road we were running on was pretty wide and didn't cause a lot of bunching that I have encountered at other races.  I did the first mile in  8:03.48, and felt like crap by the end of it.  My lungs and legs felt fine, with no effect from the cold at all, but my diaphragm was different matter.  It was having trouble expanding.  I felt as if I were running with someone pushing on my gut right above my stomach.

Things got worse during mile 2, and I really wasn't sure that I would be able to run the whole course.  Mile 2 was almost entirely uphill.  The inclines were not steep but just constant. we passed the starting line then ran through the parking lot road past Carter Finley Stadium and out onto Trinity Rd.  Trinity was a long straight run up a gradual incline.  It was boring, ugly, and just sucked.  My diaphragm was still giving me problems, and I started to feel a little tightness in my right quad as I turned onto Trinity, but it passed  quickly and was gone by the water station at the end of mile 2.  I got some water, but once again didn't drink it and just washed out my mouth.  I finished mile two in 9:26.24

Mile three was a mixed bag.  I finally started to feel something close to alright at the beginning of the third mile when we turned onto Blue Ridge Road.  My daiphragm felt better but the good feeling as a whole was short lived.  I felt good for all of Blue Ridge and most of West Chase Rd., but as I turned back into the parking lot I was really struggling and the last half of the third mile was horrid.  I was running alright but fighting not to stop or puke.  I know that this sounds contradictory, but I just kept my legs moving as fast as I could because I just wanted this race to end.  I did mile three in 8:18.72

Feelin's so rough that I can't turn off my watch correctly

The last 10th of a mile was harsh, I tried to pick up the pace, but just didn't have much of a kick.  I am not sure just how fast I ran it because I was so messed up when I crossed the finish line that I didn't stop my watch until well after my chip had been removed.  After the race I just stumble of to the side and lay down flat on my back for a good 5mins.  I stuck around to stretch and see the official results, which were posted almost as quickly as people finished, actually impressive how quickly they were up, and what was also impressive was that I was still ghostly pale and had dark zombie eyes when I got to my car.  Really, I looked ill!   Not like a person who had just spent a week sunning in Hawaii.  My official time for the race was 26:19, which is a time that is fine with me considering how bad I felt coming into this race!

Jetlagged Sports Conditioning and a Cat Alarm Clock: 1/27

Some people don't feel the effects of jet lag all that much.  I am not one of those lucky few.  Being as large as I am, a 10 hour flight across country is like a prison term.  After arriving in Raleigh early Tuesday, I felt like total hell.  On top of which, I had re-injured my ankle on Sunday following the race while walking down the street later in the afternoon.  Hiroko and I were walking along doing some shopping and I was looking back over my should to cross the street and didn't notice that the sidewalk was broken.  I stepped in whole and rolled my ankle again and was on the ground bleeding from both knees before realizing what had happened.  My knees were just scraped, but the ankle started to hurt immediately.  I walked on it for the remainder of the day, and it just felt craptastic for the remainder of my trip, but I was determined not to let it slow me down. 



Basil: 6lbs. fuzzy faced alarm clock . . .taken when he still had kitten teeth.



Upon retuning to Raleigh, I didn't even try to workout on Tuesday or Wednesday.  It was everything I could do to manage getting to work on Wednesday.  However, I was determined to get at least one workout in before Saturday because I had foolishly signed up to run in the NHL All Star 5k.  So I knew that I needed to either get in a run or a workout on Thursday.  The ankle was beginning to feel better and the abs were hitting a point where a comparison to bubble gum would be kind, so I decided that I needed to hit the morning class.  However, getting up at 4:15 in the morning is no easy task at anytime, let alone when you're jetlagged!  Luckily for me, I have a 6lb fuzzy faced alarm clock named Basil, who decided that he would lend me a paw or two in my attempt to get up.  Shortly after my alarm went off I got up and went to the bathroom before deciding that the gym, just wasn't going to happen.  I let basil into our bedroom on my way back to bed.  As I was about to fall back asleep Basil grabbed my arm with his claws, which weren't sharp because Hiroko and I had just cut them that night.  However, Basil decided to bite my arm as well, which would normally been alright because his kitten teeth had fallen out right before we left for Hawaii.  But during our week in Hawaii, Basil cute little teeth that were just barely coming in had become full on cat teeth and now hurt like a MOFO!~  Let's just say that I was now wide awake a totally motivated to go to the gym! 

Once i arrived at the gym everything was fine.  We did some sprints, push ups, a few abs, and other stuff.  the instructor did have us use the Bosu, which I refused to use and swapped out a step instead.  I hate the Bosu in general, but with a sprained ankle there was no way that was happening.  The class was 45mins. and right at the level that I needed for the state that I was in. 

Harold Chapson 8K: Honolulu, HI 1/23/2011

getting ready to start the Harold Chapson 8k

I got the idea of running in a race while I was in Hawaii as soon as Hiroko brought up the subject of going to her friends wedding.  Since the wedding would be on Saturday, I didn't think that I would be able to make it work.  I am crazy about running, but I wouldn't dream of running in a race the day of the wedding.  Luckily enough, I was able to find on race on Oahu during our stay, and it just so happened to be on Sunday the 23rd, which would be the day after the wedding.  I signed up for the race right after we finalized our travel plans.  At first, Hiroko was not very keen on the idea, but as time went on ,she warmed to the idea and even decided that she would run the race with me, which was shocking because she has never run in any races longer than a 5k.  But, she said that it would be boring just to stand around and wait for me, so she may as well run too.  I was excited when she told me that she wanted to run too and signed her up that day before she could change her mind.

Not what we wear to races in Jan. in NC

The Harold Chapson 8k is the middle race in the Aloha Readiness Series.  It was proceeded by Bob & Ron's 5k that was held on January 7th and is followed by the Johnny Faerber 10k on February 6th.  The Series is put on by the Mid-Pacific Road Runner Club to help runners prepare for the Great Aloha Run on February 21st, which is a 8.5 miler.  Which kind of explains why there wasn't a great deal of information about the THC 8K on the web and the website itself was rather sparse.  I don't think that the organizers gave much thought to people for outside of Oahu taking part in the race, and I can't say that I fault them.  Also, everything about where the race was help and the packet pickup was really easy to find.  I do wish that there had been a course map on the website rather than just a description, but part of me is a little glad that I didn't realize that I would be running up Diamond Head until the day before the race.  The pre-race packet pickup was held at The Running Room: a nice little running store just a few blocks away from Waikiki Beach.  If you are in Hawaii and in need of running supplies or need information about running in the area I would start with them. 

Hiroko and I as the race starts

The morning of the race Hiroko and I got a little bit of a late start, and I had a bit of a minor freak out because I didn't think that we were going to make it in time for the race, but we did and everything was fine.  There were a few things about the Harold Chapson 8k that were new to me.  One was that most of the roads were going to be open while we were running.  There would be some cones, police stopping traffic at crossroads, and some guides, but the streets were very much still in use by cars.  In fact as we ran up Diamond Head we were told to stay on the sidewalk as much as possible and not run in the street.  These directions weren't strictly followed for most of the runners on the return leg of the race because you could run facing traffic, but on the outward leg of the race most everyone stayed on the side walk.  Also, Diamond Head is a very popular place for people to run in the morning because the view is just stunning, so there were a lot of people running with the racers, who were not actually in the race, which made things interesting as well.  At first, I was a little taken aback by these thing because I have recently taken part in a race that was poorly organized and went of course in mid-race, but I could see that these things didn't seem to bother anyone and thought why should I get my panties in bunch . . . it is Hawaii and I am doing what I want to do, so I should just enjoy myself. 

Sharing the road

The race was an out and back course beginning in Kapiolani Park and going up Diamond Head Rd. to Triangle Park, around the park, and back down Diamond Head Rd to the Honolulu Marathon finish line at Kapiolani Park.  They did have a timing chip for the finish, but the start was a gun start with no timing mat at the beginning of the course, which wasn't important because there were only around 240 participants.  The race began at 7am just before sunrise, which was around 7:11am and meant that if you ran a good first mile you would be ascending Diamond Head right at sunrise and getting one of the greatest views that any race has to offer. 

The first mile view of Diamond Head

The first mile was fairly flat and took us from the park on to Kalakaua Ave. and ended just before we turned onto Diamond Head Rd.  Hiro and I took turns passing our camera back and forth and taking pictures as we ran.  Our plan was for Hiroko to carry the camera, but she fell behind me at about 3/4 of a mile while I was holding the camera, so I kept it hoping that I could pass it back to her as we passed each other at the beginning of my back portion and the end of her outward, but this wouldn't happen.   I was running pretty well during the first mile and most of the fear that I felt about not being able to run the entire race was quickly fading.  I didn't know how difficult the assent of Diamond Head was going to be but I was feeling solid and enjoying my run along the beach.  Also, once we turned off of Monsarrat Ave. we weren't having to run with cars in the road, which made me relax for most of the mile.  I did the first mile in 8:59.17 which was right on my goal pace of 9:00 mins.

Stunning Yard along the second mile

The second mile began the climb up Diamond Head Rd. and had us running along the sidewalk, which was a bit cramped at time, especially for taller runners like myself when low hanging tree branches from the houses along the road force you to duck or move over to one side.  But, the sidewalk just wasn't that big of an issue when you consider the stunning views that made this the least difficult hill that I have ever climbed even though in reality it was the steepest.  The houses were amazing and Diamond Head itself was incredible.  By the time we moved past the houses and ran along Diamond Head Beach Park, we were facing one of the most jaw dropping-ly stunning sunrise on this big blue world that we all call home.  I couldn't stop taking pictures or looking at the sunrise.  I truly had no problems with this hill at all.  I ran the 9:52.11, which was much faster than I had expected.

Sunrise at Diamond Head Beach Park

The third mile took us over the crest of Diamond Head Road down the other side a little bit, into and around Triangle (or Fort Ruger) Park, and back up to the crest that we had just crossed.  I had hoped to meet up with Hiroko after coming through the park and starting back up the hillside, but she wasn't too far behind me and I could see her entering the park as I was running along the backside of the triangle, which meant that or paths wouldn't cross, and I wouldn't see her again until the finish.  Climbing back up Diamond Head was more difficult than it had been the first time even though we hardly had to climb anything compared to the way up.  But I found it difficult because I wasn't focused on the view as much as I had been the first time.  The water station had been in the park, but I hadn't drank.  Instead, I just swished it around in my mouth to avoid drying out.  Most of the runners were now running in the street along with the oncoming traffic.  And, I have to say that the drivers seemed very polite.  I have been cussed and yelled at several races in Raleigh by drivers as we ran by even when the roads were coned off and traffic was being directed by police.  There were some police at this event but they were mainly working the intersections, and along the ascent and descent of Diamond Hear the runner were on their own, but no one seemed put out in the least, and I was impressed that everyone just took this a part of the routine.  I did my third mile in 9:07.72

Front runners heading back

Mile four was a dream!  We finished of the climb for the return part of the race and headed into the downhill just in time for me.  I was starting to feel the climbs and really need the downhill to take make up some time.  I was still taking pictures and trying to enjoy the sights, but for the first time I began to think about this as a race and focused more on my running.  I ran mostly in the street, but did duck onto the sidewalk a couple of times.  My ankle sprain became a little noticeable on the downhill but wasn't a problem as a whole. I did the fourth mile in 9:10.12

One last view from Diamond Head before the downhill

Mile five was just a thrill!  I was hurting, but was determined to finish strong, and once we turned off of Diamond Head Rd and on to the straight stretch along Kalakua Ave. I picked up my pace and tried to turn in the best time that I could.  I legged out the last .2ths of a mile and managed to pass several runners who had passed my earlier on the straight stretch.  I finished the race in a full sprint and did my last mile in 8:34 flat, which made it my fastest mile of the race.  I felt really good about the race and walked back to find Hiroko and run with her to the finish line.  She wasn't to far behind and finished really strong for her first 8k.  She had gotten a stitch in her side at the turn around but had managed it well.  I finished the race in 45:41 and Hiro Finish not long after in 48:25

Hiro at the finish

After the race we hung around, took some pictures, and went over to the beach to look at the ocean.  Afterward we broused throught the Flea Market that was being held in the park.  Eventually we decided to grab some quick showers, a bite to eat and return to the Flea Market to do a little shopping.  We were both thrilled to have done the race, and really happy that we signed up for it.  If you like running and go to Hawaii adding a race into you plans is a great addition to your agenda and a whole different way to experience the islands!

Post-race walk on the beach

Second Hawaii Run: Ala Moana Beach Park Day 2 --1/21

Hiro and I returned to Ala Moana Beach Park for our run the next day.  The day before had been a long fun filled day followed by a huge meal at Longhi's, but I was determined to catch the sunrise and get in one more run before the Harold Chapson 8k on Sunday.  Both of us stuggled mightly when the alarm clock went off, but we were able to shake off the cobwebs and catch the sunrise.  Our run was a bit rough and neither of us completed the 3 miles that we set out to run.  I did 2.5.  Hiroko walked parts of 2.5 but reached the distance for the most part.  The view was stunning and we took turns passing the camera to each other as we ran to take pictures.  After the run neither one of us was feeling overly confident about the race, but we were deterimined to enjoy ourselves.  I will let the pictures do the talking for me:

Frist Hawaii Run: Ala Moana Beach Park 1/20

Hiroko and I arrived in Hawaii on the 19th at around 4pm Hawaiian time.  We did all the hotel / car rental stuff and then went to dinner and did some shopping at the Ala Moana Shopping Center right next to our Hotel.  The shopping center is right across from the the Ala Moana Beach Park, and it houses the restaurant where we had our wedding reception 5 years ago.  The Restaurant, Longhi's, overlooks the beach park.  Our reception had been at sunset and Hiroko could see people walking in the park as we dined.  She had even commented to her sister at the time about how wonderful it would be to walk in that park.  Five years ago neither of us could imagine that we would we be back their and not just walking in the park together, but running!  At the time, I had lost a good deal of weight living in Japan, but was still in bad shape overall.  I had no idea what it would take to maintain my weight loss once I returned to the US, and soon after our wedding and our relocation to NC, my weight ballooned and general fitness level went all to hell. 

However, over the last year, I have gotten into much better shape and discovered my passion for running.  I have been dealing with a series of injuries since around July, which have set me back, but have not caused me to give up hope or alter my goals.  I continued to workout and run despite the frustration of dealing with lingering injuries.  I have run in six 5k's, an 8k, and a 10k, all while fighting with plantar faciitis, which has finally just begun to subside just in time for me to sprain my ankle a week and a half before my trip and two weeks before my second 8k, which I planned to run while on this vacation.  Still, I just decided that I was going to deal with it the best I could and not let it hold me back.  As Hiro and I were driving to our hotel we passed the park and I could see tons of people out running near the beach, and I just couldn't wait to join them.

After our dinner and some shopping we headed back to our hotel and called it a night.  It was near 11pm Hawaiian time, which meant for our bodies it was 4am East coast time.  We were beat, but we still managed to get up just before sun rise and head to the Ala Moana beach park just after sunrise around 7:11am.  To say that it was stunning is a vast understatement.  I felt so at ease with the world and touched by beauty of this big blue world of ours.  After taking some time to just soak in the moment.  Hiroko and I went for a three mile run through the park which had nice paved running paths that went through the park and along the beach.  The paths also go through the mark itself, which is not that big, maybe on square mile, but what a beautiful mile it is!  It is filled with Palm trees, and other tropical plants.  There were many people out for walks, jogging, fishing, surfing, and swimming, but like most parks in America, this park is also home for many unfortunate people who are without homes or have obvious mental problems.  I can't explain the feelings that I felt seeing these people and contrasting their misfortune with my good fortune.  It was humbling because I know that there but for the grace of god go I.  It wold be easy for me to have just ignored this part of the experience or to have just overlooked it in the blog post, but I think that I would be doing the experience a disservice because it made a profound contribution to my experience and helped to make me more aware of my amazing good fortune to find myself to be there is such a wonderful doing something that I love with the person who means the most to me in this world. 

Hiro and I ran three miles in the park and than walked along the paths next the beach back to our hotel to start the first full day of our vacation, which had already gotten off to the best start imaginable.  We id the first mile in 9:24.66, the second in 9:19.44, the third in 9:20.80.  My sprained ankle held up well, but my legs felt really sluggish and heavy with poor circulation from the plane ride.  Still, I enjoyed this run deep down in my soul.

Ankle Sprain Treadmill Run IV: Last Run Before Hawaii -- 1/17

This is how I felt before going to Hawaii

This run went well.  I did 30 mins. on the treadmill with minimal pain.  The taping and brace helped and my stamina was pretty good, so I decided not to push my luck and try to get in another workout before I left for my trip.  I had been pretty frazzled leading up to my vacation and the ankle injury, ice storms, and crappy workouts had only added to my frustrations, but this workout went well and helped to improve my frame of mind.  after the run.  I did a good ab workout, and some stretching, which I knew that I would need before cramming myself into my seat for the flight.  I left the gym feeling optimistic about my up coming trip.

Ankle Sprain Treadmill Run III: 1/15

I took a day off after my last treadmill run.  This time, I taped up my ankle much better and put on my ankle brace.  Both of these things helped with the ankle, but my conditioning felt really bad, and I struggled with this run just as much as the one prior to it.  However, this time I didn't let it get me down as much.  I ran 20mins. and walked 10mins.  After running I did a lot more abs and other exercises than I did after my last workout.  These runs were starting to make me think that I might not be able to run the entire 5k in Hawaii.  I just wasn't really sure if the ankle was going to let me run enough before the race to workout whatever kinks were sure to develop as a result of the long flight from Raleigh to Oahu through Atlanta.  I wanted to get in two more workouts before the trip started and luckily I didn't have to work again before the flight on Wednesday.

Sprained Ankle Treadmill Time part II: 1/13

My Ankle started to felt alright after running the day before, which gave me the bright idea to run on the treadmill again.  This time, however, things did not go as well as they did before.  I struggled a lot with this run and had a lot of pain on the inside of my ankle going up my shin.  At first I wanted to run for 30 mins.  Then, I decided that it would be better to run 15, then walk 5, and run 10.  However, after walking 5 mins.  It was all I could do to run another 5 mins. before I shut it down.  I decided that this had been a bad idea in general, and regretted going at all because it just got me down a bit mentally.  I did do some stretching and abs, but overall I would have been better off skipping this workout.

Sprained AnkleTreadmill Time: 1/12

I took off Sunday the 9th to rest my ankle after I sprained it.  It swelled up pretty good, and I knew that I needed to rest it.  Luckily for me, Raleigh had an ice storm on the 10th, which kept in stuck inside until the 12th.  This made me rest my ankle more than I would have otherwise because I am an idiot when it comes to injuries like this and never give myself the proper amount of rest.  When I could finally get out of the house, I did 3 miles on the treadmill.  Afterward I did some abs and stretching.  My ankle held up for the most part, which caused me to think that this might not be as bad of a sprain as it could have been.