Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Add a little Blue Light ;)

"Slowly, but surely..."

Slowly, we are adding a little blue to the Yellow Light...and you know what that means. Soon, the mixture between blue and yellow will be perfect and a Green Light will shine!

Today, for the first time in a while I enjoyed a run outside in the sunshine and a balmy -5°C/23°F. I did  a 5 minute warm-up walk, followed by 4 X 2m run/1m walk and finish with another 5 minute walk. It went really well, only very minor intermitent pain in one little spot while running and none after. Definitely coming along...can't wait to be able to follow my marathon program, instead of this progressive back-to-running program!

Happy with my progress! Hope you're happy with yours!
Cheers!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Yellow light :)

“It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.”
Author unknown

PT has given the yellow light...I can run/walk progressively more each day and I'm a little disappointed very excited! Today I did 5 x 1min run/1min walk and it went very well. According to the PT, my form and cadence are good and my knees were lined up...YAY! She's given the okay for me to run 6 days this week adding one minute each day. My next appointment is next Tuesday and by then I should be up to 10 minutes. We will see how I'm doing by then and decide if I can progress a little faster. I can't wait to officially start my marathon program, but I do want to make sure I'm all good before I start adding up the miles.

I'm biking more to mantain my cardio and adding a little extra to my physio workout. When I really start my marathon program, hopefully in a week or two at the very latest, I will be ready and so will my body.
I need to get started accumulating the miles soon...

...more and more miles

This weekend is the Hypothermic Half-Marathon...Uber-H, Super SIL and my niece O, will be running. I'll be taking pictures and yelling out encouragement!

Cheers!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Update on my injury

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go”
Oscar Wilde
;)

Tuesday, my PT will decide whether I can start running again this week. The plan, if all works out, is to start my marathon training plan! I'm a little behind as this week is week 4 of an 18 week plan, which leaves me 14 weeks of training before my marathon. If all goes well, I'm confident that it will be enough. I can't wait to get started, I'm really excited!

Once again, I'd like to thank you for your touching comments regarding my brother's recent struggles and inspiring comeback. Hope you all had a nice weekend!
Cheers!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Quick update to last post!

"1 month out of hospital...
4 miles
Isn't life great!"
P



WARNING: This next video is not for the weak...also, if you are currently eating, I would wait.



This is what the leg looks like, a little over a month after the operation.



My brother, along with the rest of my family, was very touched by all your wonderful comments!
Thank you.

Cheers!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Life's Obstacles

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
Christopher Reeve

I'd like to share with you something scary that happened to my brother, P, over the Christmas holidays. Let's just say that this was not a restful holiday season for our family. First, let me tell you a little bit about my brother. We are only 11 months apart and we are very close.  P is one of the most devoted and loving fathers I know, he's super smart and extremely funny. He is a runner. 

Here he is last July on a training run.

Here he is with my Super-SIL after they both completed their first marathon.
September 2010

Only three months later, on December 24th, 2010,  my brother was admitted to the hospital with a swollen and painful knee, fever, and dizziness. The diagnosis: Flesh Eating Bacteria!

On December 25th, I went to see P and when I walked into his room, I took his hand, and with tears in his eyes, he looked at me and said, "I'm scared" and then pointed to the photos of his three kids.  

He spent Christmas in the ICU and New Year's on ward 6A. The first week, he was operated on four times and by the second operation they had made a cut all the way from his groin to his ankle (sparing the knee) deep enough to see the muscle. They do this because these bacteria do not survive well in oxygen and they wanted to save his leg. Thank goodness, he did not lose his leg. The last operation he had was on December 31st when they sewed him back up.

My brother, P, is a runner and like most of us runners, he is very determined and likes to do what he can to heal quickly. Some people would use this as a very legitimate excuse to take it easy for a while. Not P. On January 1st, the day after his last operation to sew up his whole leg, he was walking and making jokes. My SIL (J) called on the phone and P was with his BIL (D).
J, "How is he doing?"
D, "We're walking in the hall."
J, "What!"
P, "We're doing our laps in 5.04 mins." laughs
D, "We're doing 10/1."
P, "Walk ten steps and stop for a minute; then start again."
J, laughs

I was in awe...instead of staying in bed and complaining because his leg was all cut up, my brother was taking that one step.

He came home on January 6th after two whole weeks in the hospital. Within two days, he was training on the bike and walking on the treadmill.

On January 24th, exactly one month after entering the hospital, my brother called me, "I ran today!" He was so excited and I was so proud of him. He ran a little less than 1K, but the next day, it was a little more than 1Km. He's on his way. His goal: "I just want to be able to run for the rest of my life." I have a feeling he'll have no problems reaching his goal. I love you P and I am impressed by your determination and strength. I know how hard this had been for you, both physically and psychologically. Yet, you refused to let this obstacle push you down. Your perseverence has surpassed all expectations (especially those of your doctors)!

It is impossible to tell you about my brother, without telling you about my SIL, J, his wife. Throughout all this, she has been an absolute rock for her kids and especially for my brother. Thank you J, for being who you are.
Taken in September, carbo loading dinner with J & P before the Montreal Marathon!
I love you both very much.

Cheers!

Pour ceux qui lisent le français, on parle de moi sur l'excellent blogue de Maman Marathonienne.  

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Three Things Thursday!

“Luck is believing you're lucky.”
Tennessee Williams

1. I am awesomer ;)
A little while back I won a cool sticker from Matty of Matty Run Run and this is the sweet message that he wrote on the back of the enveloppe.

2. Here is the very cool sticker I received:
I stuck it on the first page of my agenda...I love this pink unicorn!
Thanks Matty!

3. Here are some pictures of the Kahtoola Microspikes I won from Abby at Have Dental Floss will Travel. I have not been able to try them on to run in, because I can't run yet (PT continues). Soon I will be able to give you some feedback on how they feel out there. There is one small problem...they may not be so great for my Saucony's.
Note how they are squishing my shoe, which is made of very light material.

However, they do fit well on the sole, but the sole is very thin and I can really feel the spikes when I walk on the carpet. It may be different out there in the snow. They're like mini-snowshoes :)

They fit great on the Asics though.
Whether it's on the Asics or the Saucony's, these microspikes will not slip off while I run!
The fit is nice and snug.

The Asics are a thicker shoe and if that's the kind of shoe you are wearing to run, you will feel good in the Kahtoola Microspikes. Thanks Abby!

*Edit. As mentioned in the comments, these spikes may be more for hiking and climbing...I will also try them for that, because I can do that even if I can't run :)

I'll be back again soon...have a great weekend!

Cheers!