Bittersweet Barcelona

Greetings from reality! I can't honestly say I'm happy to be back in the real world, but I suppose I couldn't live on that balcony forever.

(Trust me, I would've if it were possible)

There are so many things I want to tell you about our trip to Barcelona, but because this is a blog and not the next great Russian novel, I'm going to break it up into a series of posts.

As many people already heard me constantly bitching and whining about know, the main purpose of this trip was to run the Barcelona Marathon. But after a case of anterior compartment syndrome and being prohibited from running and high heels, my marathon dreams were dashed (as opposed to me...who was hobbled. har har har). Going into the trip I knew there was no hope of me running the race, so I was surprised by how emotional I was when we arrived. There were tears involved. Quite a few of them.

After a few minutes of wallowing and self-pity, I dried my eyes and got a hold of myself. As part of my marathon registration, I was enrolled in a 4k Breakfast Run the morning before the big day. Even though 4k is nowhere near the 42k I was hoping for, Sean and I decided to wake up early in the morning of our first day in Barcelona and do the race.

I am so glad I did. The "race", albeit for fun rather than a medal, completely changed my attitude about everything.

I wanted a run in a foreign city that would forever change me and that's what I found, even if it was less than 3 miles long. Funny how life lessons are hidden in the strangest of places isn't it?

I will always remember this race for a number of reasons. First of all, there was this guy:

Oops, sorry. Wrong guy. But he's pretty cool, too. I meant this guy:

South Africa's representin! There was an insane amount of pride people had for their countries that weekend. As we stood at the starting line, announcements were made in a million different languages. They also played Mamma Mia to kick off the race. Who knew ABBA was the international anthem?

Here's our attempt at a video. It's only 11 seconds long, but I promise it'll be the most amazing 11 seconds of your life. (Errr, maybe. Depends on your quality of life I suppose)

Another cool aspect of this race? Women are outnumbered by 6 to 1. Not only does this make for superb eye candy while mid stride, but I totally felt like a bad ass leading a pack of men.

(See that one girl there? Yeah, I smoked her. I know, I know...it's supposed to be about enjoying the experience not your time, but sometimes you just can't control that competitive spirit)

Speaking of the views though, this was definitely the best part of the experience. Huffing up a hill isn't so hard when this is to your right:

The homestretch of the 4k had us entering through the Athlete's Tunnel of the 1992 Olympic stadium. It was so cool. Everyone started cheering and yelling. Sean managed to get a quick video of it:

Getting to be in the front of the crowd entering into an empty Olympic stadium is pretty darn nifty if you ask me. It was especially great getting to do it with Sean. A former marathoner himself, he hadn't run a race in six years due to a knee injury.


So getting to cross the finish line together, despite both of our injuries was something special. It was also really metaphoric for us. We've been struggling a lot lately with the stresses of living in a foreign country, being homesick, and having no money. In many ways, our time in London really put a damper on our spirits. As we watched our savings drain away to mere pennies and Sean spent many months out of work, we questioned our decisions. But as we crossed the finish line, hand in hand, we realized that we did it together.

We won our own private race. We're getting by and in many ways we are thriving. When you look at it, our time in London is like the 4k. It's shorter than we had anticipated and we may have been injured along the way, but we've accomplished something together. So I needed to quit the tears and appreciate what I did have instead of focusing so much on what I didn't. I no longer look at that breakfast run or our time in London as a 2nd rate consolation prize to the real race, it's simply another form of training...

because ultimately the marathon still awaits us. Marriage, jobs, babies: The whole schabang. And I know without a doubt that we'll cross that finish line together too.

(Well, except for the whole poopy diapers thing. That's all Sean)

Lesson learned the hard way

Number of bowls of leftover channa masala (WITH chickpeas!) I ate for lunch: 2

Number of "digestives" (chocolate covered tea cookies) I ate after lunch: 2

Number of miles I just attempted to run: 3.5

Number of outrageously disgusting burps I had along the way: 98452095734205

Number of times I thought I would spontaneously vomit: 98452095734205 + 1

The moral of the story: Don't eat Indian food before going for a run.

No matter how tasty it is.

Ever.

How NOT to train for a marathon

Two posts in a row about running? Who am I?

Let's jump straight into it, shall we?

My words of wisdom can be divided into three categories: training, diet, and lifestyle. I don't consider myself an expert on the topic, but as someone who obsessively compulsively researches things and considers Google to be the 2011 version of the big man upstairs, I want to share what I've learned. My hope is that someone can learn from the mistakes I have made and prevent injury to themselves in the future. Please feel free to include your own advice, input, concerns, or disagreements in the comments section. I'd love to hear other people's opinions on this topic!

1. Training plan

I based my training plan off Hal Higdon's Intermediate 18 week Schedule. You can find the Google doc of it here. The plan is more intense than other ones he offers, especially for someone who has never run more than 13 miles before. But because I want to eventually qualify for Boston and I tend to think I'm quite the bad ass, I pushed myself beyond what I was really ready for. This was my first mistake. The plan called for 4 days of running during the week, a long run on the weekend, and a cross-training day, only leaving me with one day of complete rest.

When I created my plan, I had intentions of doing hot yoga as my cross-training but classes were too expensive to carry on for the long haul. That, coupled with hesitancy from a track coach who advised me that the heat and excessive stretching could put extra strain on my muscles, led me to drop the cross-training completely. Because we do not have access to a gym here in London (unless I want to drop £65/mo. eeeeek!), I wasn't strength-training either. No cross-training, no strength-training, and 5 days in a week of running. No bueno. When I marathon train in the future (God willing), I will be sure to incorporate cycling, swimming, or the elliptical into my plan.

I was already running a lot, but on top of that, I was running very fast (in relation to my own standards). I didn't understand the concept of slow, easy, recovery runs. I viewed every run, even if it was for 3 miles, as a race to beat my previous time. Sure it was nice to brag that I ran 11 miles at an 8:07 pace, but I couldn't walk after that for 4 days. I know that speed work is an important part of marathon training, but there is a big difference between practicing speed work and being a speed demon dummy. I was the latter.

2. Diet

Running and food seem to go hand in hand. While training, I certainly took advantage of the extra calorie and carb intake. My pre-run fuel consisted of peanut butter toast with bananas...the official breakfast of every runner everywhere.


I stuck with Gu gels for any run over 6 miles and would typically have 1 Gu for every 5 or 6 miles depending on how long the run was. On my runs over 10 miles, I'd stop somewhere and grab a Powerade at the 9-10 mile mark.

Overall, I don't place a lot of fault into my diet. I generally eat pretty well and although chocolate makes an appearance quite frequently, I like to side with the belief that it's good for the heart. However, I wish I made a more concentrated effort in my calcium, iron, and other vitamin intake. I only drink almond milk and rarely eat yogurt, so the calcium in my diet is severely lacking (unless cheese plates count. and pizza. Do they? Can we talk to someone about making cheese pizza into an appropriate calcium source, because I can't seem to get enough).

In the future, I am going to be sure that I am upping my supplements during intense training periods and having a more balanced diet to ensure that my body heals properly from all the work I'm putting it through.

3. Lifestyle

I'm using the term lifestyle to encapsulate an array of different topics. First, it is important to make sure you are wearing the proper shoes and not running in ones you shouldn't be wearing anymore. I should've swapped my shoes after 300 miles and I estimated mine to be around 600 when I switched them up. Oops. I love my Saucony Kinvaras, but they are a "minimalist" shoe. My PT said that for the time being I need a shoe with more heel support to get over my injury. A lot of stores will offer a free Gait analysis. It is valuable to get one done and see how you run and figure out what shoes are right for your individual style.

Did you see my ice bath video? You probably should. It's kind of awesome. I sing the ultimate Mariah Carey song. Ice baths came into my life on my first double-digit run of this plan and I instantly fell in love with them. (Yes, you read that correctly)


They helped me recover from my long runs so much faster. However, when I was home in the States over Christmas I ran a 15 mile run on a Sunday and then an 11 mile run on a Friday (with 3 shorter runs in between) and didn't take an ice bath at any juncture. It was the morning after that 11 mile run that the shin pain began. I credit this injury to my lack of ice baths. My body had gotten used to them and I packed in two long runs in a week without any proper recovery.

Lastly and most unfortunately, one of the other main causes of my injury were my high heels.


(These Louboutins are for dramatic effect only. If I actually owned a pair of them I'd wear them EVERYWHERE. I'd probably shower in them. Doctors be damned)

This makes me the saddest of all. In the hours following my 11 mile run, I threw on a pair of 4 inch heels and strutted myself to the infamous New Year's Eve party. Now, I'm no mathematician but an 11 mile run - ice bath - proper stretching + 4 inch heels + dancing your ass off like a Spice Girl= disaster in waiting. Sigh. I avoided high heels for the 3 weeks after that (Although not actually on purpose, more because I am SUPER lame and had no where fun or cool to go). That was until this past Friday night, Sean and I went on a quadruple date to a fancy Chelsea restaurant and there was no way my Uggs were making an appearance. By the end of the night, my shin and ankle were so sore I could barely walk down the street. Major fail on my part. Along with no exercise for the next 2 weeks, I am on high heel restriction for much longer. Perhaps I'll just go barefoot like my girlfriend Brit Brit.

Just kidding.

Last, but certainly not least, the most important thing I've learned during this process is to never ignore an injury. I first felt pain in my leg on New Year's Day, but didn't get an x-ray until the 8th. After that, I spent two weeks off and on running. I even attempted 6 and 8 mile runs while in pain a majority of the time. It wasn't until January 20th that I finally sucked it up and realized this isn't going away any time soon and made another appointment. On January 24th, three and a half weeks later than the first time I felt pain, I finally faced up to the facts. I can't help but wonder, if I had taken the time to rest properly and spoken with someone sooner, where would I be now? There is something to be said for pushing through a mental or physical obstacle, but the important thing is to know your limits and know the difference between a "good sore" and an "oh shit, what did I just do to myself".

So there you have it. All the things I believe you should avoid doing when training for a marathon.

As I sit angrily on the couch, looking out the window scornfully at all the happy people running and frolicking about (dramatic, much?), I can't help but be a little pissed off at myself. In hindsight, a lot of the things on this list are fairly obvious. But maybe this is all part of it. It's a learning process. Back in the day, before healthy living blogs caught on like wildfire and marathons became equated with walking to the end of the driveway to get the mail, marathoners were considered to be h.a.r.d.c.o.r.e. They were few and far between and highly revered. There is a reason for that. Marathon training is hard. I knew it'd take a lot of physical effort, but I didn't realize how drastically it would impact the other facets of my life. Now I know and I'm going to carry all of this with me into my next training cycle.

Next time, I'm going to do it right. I don't know whether that will be in June, July, this fall, or 2012, but one thing is certain: one day, I will earn the title of marathoner.


(and when I do, I will be that obnoxious girl who wears her medal for like 3 days afterwards so people ask me about it. I'll also be sure to write a marathon recap post so profound that I'll have you simultaneously crying and peeing your pants with laughter. Get excited.)

Figuring out Plan B

They say when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade.

I say screw that. Give me a lime 'cause this homegirl needs a entire bottle shot of tequila. Pronto.

I know the "right" response to bad things happening is to say you're blessed for what you do have. To be humble about it and not whine too much. To look forward into the future and figure out your Plan B. But sometimes, well sometimes Plan B is just plain old crappy.

Like Sunday night for instance. Plan A was to make dinner with a side of green beans. Apparently that wasn't in the cards for me though. Mid stir, I found a maggot (EW!) in my veggies. (I'll spare you the picture of it, but rest assured we took one and promptly tweeted it to the grocery store we bought it from). Since I wasn't in the mood for bug-invested beans, Plan B called for frozen broccoli instead, which resulted in me spilling the pot of boiling water all. over. my. hand.


(I am aware of how completely ridiculous this looks. The first aid medic we spoke with told me saran wrap is a good alternative in the first hours because it allows you to soak the burn in cold water while still simultaneously having the antiseptic burn cream on there. Just a future tip in case you ever find yourself in this position. I'd also recommend actually washing your hair before allowing someone to take a picture of you and post it on the Internet. Ugh.)

So much for that Plan B.

My second dilemma comes in the form of my marathon training. Plan A was to run Barcelona on March 6th. Those of you who have read my marathon-related posts or follow me on Twitter know that I've been having a lot of problems with my shin. After a trip to the ER and several weeks of ice, elevate, repeat, there has been no improvement. I went to a sports therapist yesterday to get a better answer and it turns out I have "anterior compartment syndrome". From what I understand, the muscle has gotten too big for the sheath and is swelling. When I exert too much pressure on it (i.e. running), the swelling causes friction against the sheath and results in micro-tears along the muscle. ACS comes in two forms: acute and chronic. Because I've been running for two years, including half marathons, and this is my first instance of pain, we are hoping it is a one time thing. If it continues I will need surgery to cut holes into the sheath that allow the muscle to expand properly. While I love a good pampering as much as the next gal, the thought of surgery and being put out of the running game for that long makes me want to cry.

For now, my treatment is a lot of stretching. I am not allowed to do any form of impact exercise for at least the next 2 weeks. My only options are swimming and that weird arm spinning machine old people do at the gym. (Please tell me someone knows the machine I'm referring to. I tried finding pictures but typing "old people arm workout" into Google wasn't very efficient. Shocking)

I am a myriad of emotions at this point. I am angry, frustrated, disappointed, and relieved to name a few. I'm relieved to know that I'm not crazy. (Well concerning my leg anyway, the verdict's still out on my brain) I was beginning to think I was just being a big wimp about the pain. On the other hand, I'm frustrated and supremely bummed that I won't be accomplishing this huge goal I've set out to conquer. I know eventually I'll get to the point where I can tell myself to stop whining and be proud of the 12 weeks of training I did put in. I ran 15 miles in a blizzard in Boston. I shaved 6 minutes off my half marathon time. I've learned about muscles, proper running form, and training plans. All these are things to stand up and shout about and the logical part of me knows this...but every once in a while you just want to say screw it and throw yourself a pity party.

a pity party with chocolate. A LOT of chocolate.

I haven't figured out Plan B for this medical malady yet. I'd really like to do a marathon before Sean and I get married in September, so right now I've got my eye on either the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon on June 5th or the San Francisco Marathon on July 31st. I'm also considering a race closer to home, with a fantastically flat and fast course in hopes of rocking an amazing time. (*cough cough* Boston Marathon dreams *cough*) Nothing is set in stone. I need to give myself a chance to heal and ease back into things.


So there we have it. My official announcement: I will not be running the Barcelona Marathon. I suppose my follow up announcement should be: Since I've already spent $400 on plane tickets and my entry fee, I will still go to Barcelona and instead of running 26.2 miles, I will be drinking my body weight in sangria. (If I learned anything from marathon training, it is the importance of staying hydrated)

Stay tuned, tomorrow will feature a post I am aptly titling "How NOT to train for a marathon". I've gleaned a few tips and tricks from this process that I believe are helpful to preventing injury in the future.

Until then, I bid you adieu. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills are hosting today's pity party and I've heard Cadbury is sponsoring it. (and we all know those ladies aren't going to eat any of it)

Things I wish weren't true

• Snooki's book made the New York Times Bestseller list. Ummmm....this is the same girl who couldn't find the beach last week, right? Okay, just checking.
  
  
• The DVF wool cape jacket a la Blair Waldorf is on sale right now. For $400. It is also completely sold out.
  
  
  (source)
  Not that I'd actually buy it, even if it were available. But goshdarnit, if you tell me something is on sale and then won't even let me tempt myself with buying it, it simply makes me want it even more.
  
  
• My shin still hurts. Sick of hearing about it yet? Good, I'm sick of complaining about it. I have an appointment with a sports therapist on Monday. In the meantime, I am milking this whole "injury" thing for all it's worth. Sean, can you bring me some water? I can't get up, my shin hurts. Sean, will you do the dishes tonight? I can't stand at the sink that long, my shin hurts. Sean, can we please watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills tonight? It makes my shin feel better...you know, because it hurts. I'm pretty sure this is one of the things Sean, more than myself, wishes wasn't true.
  
  
• Callie being pregnant with McSteamy's baby Why God? Why?!
  
  
• My jar of Nutella looks like this:
  
  
  Empty. Sad.
  
  
• and the floor of my closet currently looks like this:
  
  
  Eek! Even sadder.
  
  
• The exchange rate from US Dollars to British Pounds is currently 0.62 for every 1. This means if I go to Hogwarts and give my homeboy Harry $100, he's only going to give me a little over sixty quid in return. £62.79 to be precise. Whacha doin with my extra 40 bucks there, Potter?
  
  
• Last time I checked, the FDA nor Surgeon General had released any reports showing that beer is, in fact, healthy for you.
  
  
  That's okay though, it certainly isn't stopping me.
  
  Your turn. Dish it out: what are a few things you wish weren't true?

The mentality of the marathoning

When you start training for any big race, there are a lot of things to prepare:

the right shoes, different flavors of Gu, updating the iPod playlists, mapping out runs...

but I feel like the hardest aspect of readying yourself for the big day is the one least talked about: the mentality of marathoning.


If mile 18 is usually when runners hit the infamous "wall" on race day, well then training week 12 is my mental wall. And it's made out of concrete. and steel. and a few bricks for good measure.

My training has been completely thrown off by the shin splints from hell I've been experiencing. I've switched shoes, I've cut my mileage way back, and I've been improving my form, but it is a slow road to recovery. As a result, I've missed two of my long runs and many of my shorter mid-week ones. (Side note: For those concerned, I have gone to the doctor and had x-rays, I am cleared to run. This post is NOT intended to encourage pushing through an injury or ignoring doctor's advice)

Today, I set out to do 8 miles...the longest distance I've run since December 31st. Physically, I was a little sore and a little rusty, but it was manageable. Mentally, I was a mess.

I am wracked with self-doubt. What if my shin doesn't get any better? What if I can't handle my long run this weekend? What if I've taken too much time off and it's hopeless? The thoughts were "racing" through my mind. (get it? racing? since I'm talking about running? aaahhhh, I slay me)

Around mile 6, I had a tough talk with myself. I needed to cut the crap and start thinking more positively if I ever wanted to pick up the marathon mojo again. I decided to pull out my secret motivation weapon. I zone out and start imagining what it's like to run the actual race. I close my ears to the doubt and the fear and picture Sean on the sideline with the camera, the medal around my neck at the finish line, calling my parents to scream with delight that I accomplished my goal. It may sound silly, but it helps me. a lot. (the promise of red wine when I get home does wonders too)

I finished the 8 miles, came home and took my first ice bath in several weeks, and made the next big step to getting back into marathon mode...I bought our plane tickets.


So here we are...less than 2 months away from the race. Number secure, plane tickets secure, accommodations secure. Me? Not so much.

I wish more people would talk about how scary a marathon is. I am scared. 26.2 miles is a long. freaking. way. to run. I can't imagine sitting somewhere for 4 hours, let alone running it. But I want to. Really badly.

While looking for motivational running quotes (Unfortunately, we can't always rely on chocolate and booze to push us through), I thought this one was perfect:

"The miracle isn’t that I finished; it’s that I had the courage to start."- John Bingham, The Penquin

Right on, John. I like this. I am courageous. I've already overcome the biggest hurdle of all, the decision to sign up for the race and commit myself to an 18 week training period.

I've got 6 weeks left before this race...that is plenty of time for me to make up the missed mileage (try saying that ten times fast). In the meantime though, I need to be nicer to myself. After all, it's just a run. A gosh darn long one, but still just a run. I won't be curing cancer or solving world hunger during those four hours, so I need to chill out.

I will spend these coming weeks doing everything I can, mentally and physically, to get ready for the marathon and we'll see what happens on March 6th.

Either way, I already think I'm awesome...


and really, isn't that what matters the most?

(worst case scenario, I'll just go to Barcelona and drink a margarita the size of a swimming pool. It's a win win if you ask me)

Beer versus Running, the ultimate show down.

Once upon a time, I wrote a blog post about being so hungover I wanted to die. Correction, I wanted to vomit repeatedly, bang my head against a wall a few times, and then die. The very next day on here I detailed the stresses of marathon training. The entry I wrote in a drinking-enduced haze received twice as many comments and hits than my training advice post. I wondered aloud to Sean why this was so.

His reply? Marie, people enjoy drinking a lot more than running.

duh. I should've known.

However, this leaves me in a tricky predicament. I'd like to write about some really interesting (well, to me anyway) running insights I've gathered over the past few weeks, but I don't want to scare all my non-running readers away. So in the spirit of compromise, I'll have a beer while I write this post. I mean, it's only fair right?


and if you'd like, think of this post like a mad-libs. Replace all the words "run, running, or ran" with "drink, drank, or drunk", switch out "running sneakers" with your "drinking shoes" and whenever I mention "heel striking" mentally picture "beer chugging". Deal?

I am a little more than halfway through my marathon training and I have learned a lot about running in these past couple weeks. Sounds kind of obvious doesn't it? Of course you learn about running when you're training to run, Marie. Silly girl. But seriously, there is a lot more to this whole running "thing" than I initially realized. Heel striking, forefoot striking, shoes, shin splints, ice baths, stretching, oy vey! So whether you're planning to run a marathon, a half marathon, a 5k, or just to the fridge to get another beer (cheers!), hopefully you'll find this helpful...

...or else you could end up spending 4 hours in the ER on a Saturday because you think you have a stress fracture.

after spending 8 hours on a red-eye flight from Boston to London.

and be forced to wear a hospital gown despite the fact you are simply getting an x-ray on your lower right shin.

and then have the radiologist get into a big fight with the doctor over which body part of yours to x-ray.


yeeeeaaah. not fun. One of the perks of living in London is free health care. The downside is that, for this very same reason, your GP will not do x-rays and you must go to the ER to get any tests done.

turns out I do not have a stress fracture, thank goodness. What I do have are some worn out sneakers and bad running form.

If you remember from my last marathon training post, my best friend's boyfriend is a running coach and helped me out with my knee problems, so I turned to him again for help with this shin dilemma. Once again, he was my knight in shining running sneakers. (ahem. I mean drinking shoes. Why don't you go ahead and take a sip of your alcoholic adult beverage now, okay? I will do the same). He offered me more fabulous advice and solutions to fix what ailed me.

I want to share what he wrote because I think it's really valuable for runners:

So I'll try to keep it simple. First of all, "shinsplints" is nebulous term that we assign to any simple lower leg pain. Since you are pretty new, it's likely that all of your muscle tissue is going through a process of breaking down in order to repair into a stronger, more durable version of itself. Every time you induce stress, you encourage adaptation, but you need time to adapt. This is likely a result of the same problem as before, a little too much, too soon.

This is a common problem for new female runners. Try to make a concerted effort to get more calcium and iron into your diet if they are lacking.

It's not that bad though. Really, from what I can tell, you are doing awesome so far.

Okay, so the last sentence probably wasn't completely for your benefit. But we all deserve a little pat on the back once in a while, eh? *brag brag brag*

He went on further to say:

Also, how many miles have you run in your current pair of shoes? Most shoes are good for 400 miles, but I always change mine after 300. If you are over 400 miles, change your shoes and your problem will be solved.

Ah hah! So perhaps this was the culprit for the extreme pain in my shin that sent me to the ER. Although, I secretly thought he was being a little ridiculous on the mileage. Only 300 to 400?! Really? But I decided to get new shoes anyway. I went with the exact same pair I have now, that I am totally obsessed with, the Saucony Kinvaras.


(a little disclaimer: I am NOT, in any way sponsored by Saucony to say these things. I wish. The only person who is paying for my shoes is me my dad who bought them for his darling daughter who he loves so much. Hey, sometimes it pays to be an only child)

It wasn't until I got home and compared my new and old pairs side by side that I realized what a drastic difference there was. Look at how worn down they are. Considering these are "minimalist" sneakers to begin with, losing that much tread makes quite a significant difference.


Speaking of looking worn out and tired...


What's wrong Katie Holmes? Ole' Tom Tom keeping you up too late with his freaky alien noises?

but seriously, take a look at these:


notice the difference? The tread on my sole is almost completely worn down on my heels. That is indicative of a much larger problem I've been having: heel striking. (errrrr, I mean beer chugging)


Besides my stunningly amazing beauty, you will notice in the picture above that I am definitely striking heel first. I've been doing a lot of research about this over the past few days in an attempt to pin point the cause of my pain and one fact struck me as very interesting. Essentially, when you strike the ground heel first, you are "putting on the brakes" and slowing your momentum and pace down. Jigga what?! This immediately pissed me off. If I'm lacing up and hitting the streets 4 days a week, sweating and cursing like a sailor, I certainly do not want to be stopping myself. Isn't the whole point to run?

Well, crap.

I was supposed to do 8 miles today, but opted to do 6 instead because of this nagging shin pain. I was sure to stay on trail and dirt for the majority of my run, but by mile 4 I began feeling a lot of tenderness in my foot/ankle/shin area. I decided to make a more concentrated effort to run with a forefoot striking motion and keep the pressure off my heels.


Oh. My. God. What a difference! The pressure and pain I was feeling immediately dissipated. I felt a bit like a 3 year old, Tinker Bell wanna-be, sprinting through a meadow of daisies as opposed to a big clunky thud running through the forest. For reals. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face by the end of the run if you tried.


(Sean, on the other hand, is apparently too cool for school and couldn't smile for this picture. Grrrrr he's so tough.)


Tomorrow we are going out again to run a shorter distance and really focus on changing my form before I tackle any more of my long distance training runs. We've been watching You Tube videos and practicing in the living room. (This is one of those moments I'm really glad you don't live with me...watching me fake run around the flat in my pajamas is a sight no one should have to witness)

If you're interested in learning more about heel vs forefoot striking I'd recommend these videos that I found to be particularly helpful!





This last one is more of a Vibram's publicity photoshoot than anything else, but it does show proper running technique that I found valuable. Also, a fair warning, it has horrible techno music accompanying it so get your fist-pumping hand ready before you watch.



Enjoy!

(Editor's note: for those particularly observant folks who happen to notice I'm wearing the same top and headband two posts in a row, please just close your eyes and imagine it's something different. Keep with the whole mad-libs schtick we've got going here and sub in "blue Nike running top Marie always wears" with "gorgeous Dolce and Gobanna wrap dress from the Spring '11 Collection" mmmkay?)

Top 10 of 2010

It's that time of year again...time to pick yourself up by the bootstraps, dust off that Christmas coma, and look towards the new year. 2011 is rapidly approaching and before I can make my list of half-hearted resolutions I'll probably forget by February, I want to reflect on everything that's happened over the past 12 months. 2010 has been a doozy and not just because so much of it was spent drinking tequila. A LOT has happened, in no particular order:

1. I made risotto (and other tasty things)


Risotto is a feisty bitch. It can be high-maintenance, aggressive, obsessive compulsive, and just a little bit needy. Basically its me, but in food form. I learned to make it for the first time in February and have been obsessed ever since. My favorite version is sausage and ramp risotto from Epicurious. (Really though, gimme any form of pasta with loads of parmesan cheese and I'm not going to complain)

2. I bought my first pair of shorts.


This is a big freaking deal, folks. I have never been a fan of shorts, I always felt so incredibly self-conscious in them. I never dreamed I'd ever go for a run, let alone in a pair of shorts. But after my first 5k in March, my confidence began to grow. With every run I took that spring, I felt myself becoming more comfortable with my body. By the time I was training for my half marathon in May, I was straight up hot. (as in sweaty. not as in supermodel) I knew I'd have to make amends with my disdain for shorts or else be the crazy lady passed out from heat stroke on the sidewalk. Now, I'm so into this whole shorts thing, I even bought another pair yesterday. in December. after a blizzard. Wordtoyomotha.

3. I blogged. and people actually read it! (This one still surprises me sometimes)
Quarterlife Quandary began as last year's resolution. A couple years ago I wrote a blog called Polos and Pearls, but never stuck with it.


After some loving nagging from my friends, I decided to jump back into the blog world. Over the past year, I've had some great opportunities through the blog. My post on British vocabulary was featured on Boston.com which swelled my ego to "epic" proportions. For that fleeting weekend, I could hardly carry on civil conversation with people, I was so obsessed with my stats and # of visitors. (Reality certainly hit hard that Monday morning when it went back to normal) More recently, I've been honored with the chance to be a contributing member of Hollaback Health. Not going to lie, being a Hollaback Health girl is more exciting than grad school, sorority rush, and happy hour combined...plus I get to sing Gwen Stefani every time I get an email from one of them.

4. I was the Maid of Honor for my best friend's wedding.


Being an only child, I figured my chances of being someone's maid of honor were slim. Lucky for me, God brought me a sister in the form of my best friend. Roommates in college and friends over the past 8 years, standing beside Laura on her big day was one of the highlights of my year. I am so excited she'll be there for me as my Maid of Honor in 2011.

5. Let's just keep the wedding ball rolling, with my own engagement



One of the hidden rules of blogging is not to brag about what you have, the same goes for gushing about who your with...no one wants to hear how wonderful and amazing your relationship is. Now, I could tell you the top moment of 2010 came the first time Sean farted in front of me or the first chance I got to do his laundry because these are the more realistic aspects of being in a long term relationship, but screw that. It's my blog. I want to profess my love for this man. I love him and I can't wait to marry him and put up with his farts for the rest of my life.

6. I almost murdered Mother Nature


When the volcano in Iceland ruined my birthday and the chance to go to Trinity Ball in Ireland, I was irate. When my second flight was cancelled because of that same damn volcano and I lost all chance of going anywhere on my vacation, I was ready for revenge. I took all my sound and fury out on the local businesses of Boston and had a shopping spree worthy of Dr. Phil levels of therapy.

7. First trip abroad, followed by a move to Europe!



Apparently my vacation to Ireland and Italy wasn't enough time spent abroad for me, so Sean and I decided to spend some more time there. Although, as I've said before, our decision to move to London hasn't been an easy one and we're not really happy there, I still consider it one of the top moments of the year. In fact, it's one of the top moments of my life so far. Making a decision like that is balls to the wall scary, but I did it and I know after this I'll be a stronger person as a result. I'll just be a stronger person without any furniture, a car, a job, or life savings. pshhhh minor details.

8. I quit my job


This was, by far, the scariest thing I've ever done. I still have dreams about the students I left behind, I still get emails from those same former students, and I still worry sometimes that I was an idiot to throw away the safety and security that accompanied those weekly paychecks...but that's all part of risk taking. I have faith that 2011 will bring a new job my way that further bolsters my belief I made the right decision to leave teaching.

9. I signed up for a marathon. in Barcelona, Spain.


Hey, go big or go home right? So the people will be cheering for me in a different language, that's okay. Lucky for me, sangria and tequila are the same in every language. Mas cerveza, por favor! Ole!

10. I fell in love. with myself.

2010 has been a crazy year. I had a psycho roommate and a psycho ex boyfriend who repeatedly made appearances in my life, I had 2 car accidents, and a sprained ankle. I cried A LOT. but I also laughed a lot. and smiled alot. and learned a lot. I've pushed myself and showed myself I'm capable of so much more than I ever thought possible. I've learned to stop hating the person I see in the mirror. She's pretty awesome, even if her thighs will never be like Marissa Miller's.

I cannot wait for all the things 2011 will bring: a wedding in September, a move back to the United States, and Britney Spears new album....


bring. it. on.