"What is the hardest part?"

A few weeks ago, in reference to my "Summer of Run" challenge, my cousin Daniel asked me, "What is the hardest part?"

So in response to his question, I've made a list of possible answers to that very question.

Here is what I had contemplated as challenges before beginning a few weeks ago:

1. Getting up and running every day - Nope, not for me.

I try to make a point of running within an hour or less of waking up. I also try not to sleep past 8am on any given day so I can run early (except my 10+ hours I usually get each Fri. and Sat. night).

I know, I am getting a lot of sleep- but I am banking it while I can. Eventually kids will be part of the equation and I will NEVER sleep again.

A few days I've waited all day to run and I always regret it.

2. Having the energy to get through a mile - Nah, that's not it either.

A mile is not a big deal for me to complete. Trust me, it used to be! As I mentioned here- athletic people do not win the "Most Versatile" cheerleader award. I actually wish I were logging more than my average 1-2 miles each day and I think I could be if this hadn't happened. Oh well, I will add on sooner or later. As of today I still have 47 more days to go.....

3. Finding the time to run - Definitely not.

It is summer and I am a teacher, enough said.

4. Recovering from sore muscles/aches and pains - Bingo!

That has been the hardest part BY FAR and was compounded by my falling down stairs. My knees and hips ache daily. My left knee (the entirely too long post about that is here) has been feeling great! It is mostly my left and right hips that are the most sore. Well, the last week my back pain has superseded any other pain I've felt.

**Take my poll on the left side of the homepage to share what would be the biggest challenge for you!

So- other than the aches and pains from not having any rest days, I am running along just fine.

Although, a few times I've either had a dream in which I missed a day or I've had moments of panic at the end of a day thinking that I forgot to run. Crazy- I know.

I'll be back with a post later this week about how I deal with my aches and pains (the normal ones, not the ones from falling down wet stairs).

I thought I had to call it quits

So Wednesday, July 6th began like many mornings here at the McIntyre Household. The alarm went off at 5:15am reminding us that it was a gym morning- as normal we hit snooze a few times before finally getting up and out the door. We aim to work out together at least two mornings a week and since Brendan leaves for work at 7:30am, we normally workout from 5:45-6:30-ish.

After our workout I ran home from the gym (which is between 1.5-2 miles depending on the route I take). In hindsight, I am SO THANKFUL that we worked out that morning and that I had completed 1.5 miles before 7am. You will see why in a minute, I am getting there....

After eating breakfast, drinking my coffee, and perusing some of my favorite blogs (www.younghouselove.com and www.bowerpowerblog.com), I decided it was time to head to my Aunt Michelle and Uncle Ron's house to begin working on some furniture I was refinishing. They live here in Reston too and have garage space for me to work in.

I had worked for a little over an hour when it began to rain. There isn't a lot of room to work in the garage and since I am mostly working with spray paint, I decided it was best to haul the furniture inside and call it a day.

As I headed out the door and down the front stairs (3 stairs to be exact)- I slipped and fell (HARD) on my back/left side. My butt fell on the third step with my back hitting the edges of the other two stairs. I think it was the combination of my cheap $2 Old Navy flip-flops and wet stairs that are to blame. Anyways, I am thankful that I didn't hit my head and blackout because I was all alone at the house and there was not a soul on the street (I'm thankful for that too since no one saw me fall).

I gathered enough composure to stand, despite the searing pain in my back, and walked the length of the porch just to make sure I could walk. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, what if I couldn't run anymore? I knew I could walk but the pain was so bad that I feared the worst. I called Brendan in tears- he asked if I thought I could drive and I said yes. So he said to head home and apply some ice and see how it feels in the evening.

One painful 7 mile car ride home and the rest of the afternoon was spent on the floor of the living room with ice and Advil. My cousin and running partner Tom was kind enough to bring lunch and walk Brie for me. Around 2:00 the pain had not improved (despite 600 mg of Advil) so I called the doctor's office. They couldn't get me in that same day, but I was scheduled for 11:00am on Thursday. The nurse ensured me that since the lump forming on my back was soft that I probably had not broken anything. So- I did about all that I could do, took a muscle relaxer and headed to bed. I woke up long enough to get an ice pack, heat pad, and "get well soon" card from my husband and eat dinner. Then, it was back to La La Land.

I woke up Thursday in more pain than the day before so I am glad that I was scheduled to see the doctor at 11. Dr. Garvert took one look at my back and said that I definitely had some bruising and swelling. She then touched my spine and because it was so tender she ordered an x-ray.

Before heading to get my x-ray I told her about this blog and my bet. I confided that I had cried more about giving this goal up then about the pain I was in. She totally rocked my world when she said that I could run so long as my body felt okay and the x-ray showed that nothing was broken. She also promised that if I went right away for the x-rays that she'd have an answer by the end of the day (and I could potentially get my run in w/o missing a day).

Not ten minutes after leaving radiology center (where I had been for the last hour and a bit) the nurse called to say that nothing was broken! She also said that she heard about my goal from the doctor and thought it was awesome. I WAS CLEARED TO RUN!

I headed home to physically (laying on ice for the rest of the afternoon) and mentally prepare. I was still afraid that running would hurt like hell and I'd have to admit defeat. That night, I headed out for a mile...and it was not as painful as I had anticipated. As I ran the soreness and aching in my back muscles was intensified when my legs made impact with the ground. Bu thankfully no sharp, shooting pains. I made it through a mile (while only adding 20 seconds to my normal pace). This morning I made it another mile at a more normal 9:36 pace.

I am planning to stick with a mile until my back muscles loosen up and the bruising and swelling begin to fade, but I am so thankful that I didn't have to throw in the towel on this goal. It would have been a painful reminder of my experience giving up Navy Seal Team 6 when I realized I couldn't swim the length of an Olympic sized swimming pool while underwater.

Did I mention that since my summer vacation began not only have I fallen down the stairs, but I've locked myself on my patio for 1.5 hours and locked my keys in my car!

Don't you think that I am due for a break!?!

Part of the problem: cheap flip-flops + pouring rain on wooden steps

= one yucky back injury And this is what is keeping me in running form (got to show my love for CVS - I worked there in high school)

Almost 4 on the 4th

Happy 4th of July! Is everyone celebrating with a backyard bbq and fireworks like we are?

I am throwing in watermelon margaritas this year too! Yum!

I went out for a mid-morning 4th of July run. I slept in until 10:30am and didn't hit the road until close to noon. Not the best idea in hot, humid Virginia...but I had a 4 mile goal in mind for the 4th of July.

With some new tunes on my Ipod I was feeling pretty good. However, about 2 miles in I felt like I hit a wall- but I decided to run through it. I felt better at 2.5 miles but felt weak again as I approached mile #3. I decided to call is quits there. I've been struggling with muscle soreness in my legs and hips and did not want to push it.

I think my body is still adjusting to running every day without a rest. I definitely DO NOT want to injury myself, have to admit defeat, and buy four lunches for the naysayers out there. So- almost 4 on the 4th is okay with me.

Image taken from http://www.lowfares.com/blog/2009/06/28/top-july-4th-travel-destinations/

Buffalove

Well- my running continued during my brief trip home to Buffalo, NY. One of my very best friends from high school, Sarah Utzig, asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding and this past weekend was her bridal shower. Here is a picture of the two of us at the shower- isn't she going to be a beautiful bride?

I also got to see some other wonderful friends from high school.

Chrissy Schreiner, Vicki Kordasiewicz Schroeder, Sarah Utzig, and Katie Piwtorak

Here is a pic of the bride and groom to-be. Andy, Sarah's fiance, and I went to Canisius together for social studies education- he says I was the smart, goody two shoes always sitting in the front row and I said he was the laid back, slacker who was always in the back row :)

He is not slacker when it comes to Sarah, I know he will take good care of her!

I finally got to see the inside of my brother and sister-in-law's new home. I didn't snap any pictures but take my word, this house is going to be gorgeous! They bought a fixer upper and when they are done it is going to be the best house on the block. The few things they've done in two short weeks already look amazing.

I also got to hang out with these rascals-Conlan and Reagan. They are my cousin Renee's kids and Reagan is my goddaughter. Reagan shows her love for me by wiping chewed, gooey pretzels on me. I love these two kids and wish I were around more often to see them grow.

I spent some time with my cousin Andrew and his daughter Gabby. I was treated to a fantastic dinner by my friends Rachel and Jon Garra, while their one year old, Patrick, flirted and showed off his six pack abs. In addition to all this, I got in a golf game with Vicki, and spend many hours catching up with my moms (my mom and mother-in-law).

Most of my runs while home were short and sweet because (as you can see) my time is always jam-packed full of things to do and people to see. It is always crazy coming home for a visit, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

My Saturday run while home was a good one (probably my best yet)- I intended to go two miles but ended up completing almost 3.5 miles. I felt good so I kept going and I loved the route- running in the neighborhood my husband grew up in. I ran by Glen Falls (where Brendan and I took our engagement pics) and down Main Street (which I adore), then down Evans, Sheridan, back to Mill Street.

And most days were chilly and overcast- it was SO nice to run without humidity.

I'm looking forward to another, longer trip in August for the wedding festivities. Not just because of the time to spend with family and friends, but also for the non-humid runs that allow me to reminisce about the past and remember why there is so much Buffalove in my heart.

Run 2B Great

The quote from my shirt I put on this morning before heading out to run reads, "Run 2B Great." This got me thinking about what I wanted to write for today's post. There are many reasons why people run, but why do I run? This question was not easy to answer.

First of all, for those of you who knew me back in high school, I am sure that you will agree, I was not athletic in any sense of the word. I was a cheerleader from 7th grade through my freshman year of college. I will never forget my cheer award at the end of the year- "Most Versatile", aka not really good at anything so we are going to give her this award....

Then there was my experience running track each spring for four years during which I pole vaulted with a number of my good girlfriends. A typical practice was the group of pole vaulters lying on the mats watching a real runners train. When told to get moving out favorite line was, "pole vaulters aren't runners." And as a pole vaulter I think I may have cleared my own height (5'0'') one time.

So what have we learned...Katie WAS not athletic.

Where did the motivation to start running begin? I am not quite sure about that one. Perhaps it was the fact that running a 1/2 marathon was on my bucket list or that I married into a family where running Buffalo road races like the Turkey Trot and Shamrock Run were tradition or that I just simply wanted to be more athletic OR some crazy combination of all of them are drove me. Not let's be clear, as I have already stated in previous posts, I've always been terribly, horribly inconsistent with running, but so far this summer I am changing that.

So here are some reasons why I run:

to create a more athletic me, to cross something off my bucket list,

to bond with my family (especially my father-in-law who is an amazing runner and a big supporter of mine- although he did tell me to take a rest day throughout the summer- sorry Dad, no can do),

to be fit and in shape, to clear my mind, to be alone, to de-stress, to win a bet, to prove something to myself, and yeah- I guess 2B great too.

And this morning I ran to hang out with my cousin Tom. Thanks for a good run and for getting out of bed early to go- not sure how I feel about am runs with you yet.... ;)

Why do you run?

**I leave for Buffalo tomorrow for a few days (to celebrate the bridal shower of an amazing friend).

I am going to be (of course) running while there. I am not sure if I will be able to upload my Garmin runs each day from my mom's computer but will give it a try. If not, I will have lots of miles to add when I return.

Father's Day 5k

I saw this quote on a friend's Facebook wall this morning and though it was so appropriate.

"Many men have fathered a child, but real men become good, loving, and dedicated fathers." Happy Father's Day to all those men!

I did not run today's Father's Day 5k with my dad because,#1- he is in Buffalo, NY and I am in VA and #2- he is not a runner! But my husband, Brendan, ran the 5k with me and someday he is going to be an amazing father to our children. Here is a quick photo that I took of us after today's race. You can see part of the only "baby" we have right now, our Pomeranian Brie.

I ran this race in 28.57. I was hoping for around 27 minutes which is my best 5k time to date. However, my husband reminded me that the race I was thinking of was a flat Buffalo road race (compared to today's race on the Reston Pathways). Either way, my time is proof that races push me because I finished 4th in my age group. I am looking forward to some more this late summer/early fall. My goal is to complete another 1/2 marathon sometime this late fall. Perhaps the Richmond Suntrust 1/2 in November?

In another extreme couponing side note:

Last week I picked up a Schick Hydro razor and a 4 pack of refills for $3.46 (full price would've been close to $20). This razor is the mother of all razors as evidenced by the fight that we got into- clearly the razor won....

Introducing

My running partner Tom Robinson! I promised a post about him a while back so ladies, here he is:

Not the best picture of either one of us, but a better one is coming.

Let me tell you a few things you need to know about Tom:

1. He loves my cooking- especially pasta dinners

2. He is my running partner

3. He is always up for any run I suggest (length, route, day/time, etc.) and I really appreciate that about him

4. He is easy to talk to and a great listener, which make him an even better running partner

5. He has become quite fit in the last few months so he runs faster than me, then I have to push harder (not complaining- it is a good thing)

6. He lives in the same town as me (but on the "better" side of town)

7. He hates my dog, but I try to overlook that about him

8. He is one of my best friends

9. He has a good friend named Jack

10. He went to Hillsdale College (which you can gather from his shirt)

11. He is a HUGE DC sports fan

12. He is my cousin and I love him

That's all for now- except a better picture of Tom (the best one EVER- since he is wearing a Bills jersey). You will hear more about him throughout the summer, as our runs can get pretty crazy!