quick update

I sit here still full from Thanksgiving (not the turkey dinner on Thursday, but rather our traditional Italian feast yesterday).  All healthy stuff, well, maybe not all of it, but super yummy and we make this meal only 3 times a year (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter). Anyways, that's all to say that my run today was not very enjoyable.

I'm doing the Runners World Holiday Streak, which is to run at least 1 mile every day between Thanksgiving day and New Years day.  I did 1.3 miles running on Thanksgiving morning around my 'hood.  Then 1.3 miles walking with Sis#1 yesterday.  And 3 miles on the TM at the gym today.

I'm loving this so far - the fact that I only have to fit in 1 mile, no pressure for more, just get out and do it - awesome.

And I've been doing very slow jogging, or walking, or run/walk intervals like today, to avoid aggravating my achilles/hip/IT Band that were all problems during my marathon.  so far so good.

looking ahead a bit

So back before my hip became a problem and my IT band flared in NYC, I threw my name into the lottery for the NYC Half in March 2014.  I'd guess it's a 50% chance of getting selected (I got in last year - and loved loved loved this race).

Anyways, although I'm not running right now, we're 16 weeks out from that race, and my plan is to start a training plan now so I have some structure to my workout schedule.  (I do best with some structure - otherwise I keep pushing stuff off).  I've got a 10 week plan and a 12 week plan, need to review them and make a choice.  Then stretch the plan out to 16 weeks, and walk the mileage for now while my hip hopefully improves.

And if I don't get selected for the NYC Half, I'll probably just stay at the 20-25 mpw level and gain my fitness back for a bit longer.  I am already registered for a half in July, and that allows me a lot of time to build back up safely.

recover/rehab

So, I haven't checked in here for quite some time.  Brief recap - my achilles tendonitis was a problem through my entire training cycle for NYC, then add in some hip pain, and some pretty bad race-day IT band pain, and I was a DNF at NYC Marathon this year.  I stopped just past mile 16, once I got into Manhattan  oy.

I've been walking for exercise since race day.  Tried running a few minutes over the weekend and my hip said no.  So walking it is, at least for now.  I'll mix things up a bit - walking, elliptical, and biking at the gym, and I have 3 more weeks of bootcamp class.  And a lot more focus on what I'm eating - less weight on my joints would most definitely help prevent recurrence of my stupid injuries.

Just short stuff planned for early 2014, then build to a HALF in October or November for MSKCC.