Comfort

Sometimes things don't go as planned. My last blog I talked about my excitement about running this summer with the We Run Huntsville weekday morning groups along with the Ainsley's Angels to keep me motivated. Unfortunately, the first weekend in the June, I fell (well, flew) off of an inter-tube at the lake, and I ended up straining/spraining my MCL. This is my first knee injury. OWWW.

I haven't been able to walk correctly or run since. I start my physical therapy next week, and I am still finding ways to stay active by exercising and challenging myself where I don't have to put stress or pressure on my knee. I have found so many helpful videos/workouts on youtube that have been challenging, but not painful for my knee.

Looking back on that day at the lake, I feel guilty about what happened. I feel guilty about making a choice to ride on an inter tube that obviously was getting pulled way too fast by a boat. I even had fallen off the tube multiple times before I even got truly injured. When I hurt my knee, I remember surfacing to the top of the lake, and the minute my head was out of the water, I felt that it was something serious. I was scared. Oddly enough, the first word that came to my mind was "comfort."

Comfort?

I definitely wasn't feeling comfort at that moment. My knee had this weird, fuzzy feeling to it along with the sharp pain the minute I resurfaced from the water. I embarrassingly had to limp home that day along with limping into a clinic the next day. I have not felt comfort while walking. I have not felt comfort sleeping, since it hurts to lay on that leg/knee. I haven't even felt comfort sitting, because if I sit for too long without elevating my leg, I began to feel pain in my knee along with a headache. I have not felt comfort standing.

I don't say all this for sympathy or anything like that, you know me. That word...comfort.

Do you know what I am thankful that I have comfort in? JESUS. And I couldn't be more thankful for that. I'm thankful that I wasn't more seriously injured than I could have/should have been. I was choosing to goof off on that lake, and I felt guilt for that the day after, but I know that God has forgiven me. I never want to take His comfort & protection for granted, and looking back, I know that I did that day by my "I'm invincible" choices. Am I saying be paranoid? Of course not. However, I am saying that SAFETY is important, and I know sometimes people, especially us "young'uns", tend to forget that at times.

This injury has reminded me of all those painful times, whether it was physical, mental, or emotional pain, God has given me comfort, even when I didn't feel deserving of it. In this crazy world with crazy people that we live in, I am thankful for God, my faith, and my Bible. I'm thankful for friends & family that believe in that, and I'm thankful for their encouragement & love as well. :) I am thankful this injury has given me time to reflect on God's love & forgiveness along with the peace & comfort that only He can provide. Am I saying I am happy that I am injured? Of course not! I'm ready the run the minute that physical therapy is over! HAHA!

It's been two weeks since I have ran, or walked, for that matter. I thought I would be somewhat depressed, but honestly, I am not! Not only have I still been exercising like I have mentioned above with circuit training that's easy on my knees, my fantastic running family keeps me motivated with their running/cycling successes! They also have been very kind and encouraging to me, which that helps a lot too! Today, at the Big Brothers Big Sisters 5k, I was able to help out the Ainsley's Angels Teams by taking pictures, and I also was able to see a few of my running friends from the We Run Huntsville Madison group runs. Seriously, today put me in such happy spirits, and I forgot for a while that my knee was even hurting! These people have gotten me through sooooooo many races and have been there for me for personal bests, bad runs/races, to challenge me, everything. I'm so thankful for them! :)

 

Some of the awesome WRH Panera Pounders crew! 

Awwwww...we match! ;-)

I talked about the Ainsley's Angels in my last blog (linked here), but seriously, if you are a runner, you are truly missing out on something special! This was my first event with them, and Mitch & Connie, the ambassadors for the Northeast Alabama team, are FANTASTIC! Their love and enthusiasm shows for the riders (captains) and the runners (angels)! If you want to be a runner, or if you know someone that would love to race & cross that finish line with a little help, sign up here. Again, you can look at my last blog for more details too! Here are just a few pictures from today! :) Way to go, Team Jake & Team MJ!!!! 

So, as of yesterday, the doctor says I could have anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks of possibly recovery time. I'm praying it's only three, but I will listen & learn at physical therapy along with taking it easy, which is difficult for a marathoner to do...it's easier said than done, but the last two weeks, I have done a wonderful job of icing, elevating, stretching, etc if I do say so myself! Hopefully my next blog will be about my comeback race...we shall see! I miss running, but I am enjoying being a spectator and volunteer for now!


Until next time, find YOUR active...hey, you might even be a runner! You can DO IT!!!!  :) :) :) As always, I'm a message away if you have any questions!

Runkeeper.com---get the free app today and find your Couch to 5k Plan!

Hal Higdon's Training Plans...do you want to walk or run for your first 5k?  

 A great list of what beginning runners need to know/do...a humorous/informative Runner's World post for beginners

Get the RIGHT running shoes for YOU. It's a BIG deal! 

-Holly

Race recaps, Ainsley's Angels, and...it's summer! :)

So...I usually blog monthly, but the month of May was so crazy busy for me, I guess I knew that blogging wasn't happening...and when I did have the time to type, all I wanted to do was REST. Whew, that last month of school completely drained me of my time and energy, even with my new B12 supplements that I have already seen GREAT results from taking them. I love my new family doctor! :)

So....summer is here for this teacher, and she is SUPER happy! :-D I don't have any huge summer plans as of yet, and I am totally fine with that! This first week out of work has been great...I've been doing some (late) spring cleaning, de-cluttering closets, trying out new recipes, spending time with my sweet husband along with seeing friends and family, you know, all the good stuff! :) :) I even have Rosetta Stone (Spanish) lessons to start next week, AND I am contemplating trying out some yoga classes in downtown Madison. I have done my own yoga routines at home, but I am wondering what it would be like to actually take classes...but I'm so clumsy, they might kick me out :-P

 Hey, and on some days, I even get to "sleep in"...all the way to 7:00 a.m.! ;)

 

So, since my last blog, I have ran in three races, so I definitely wanted to review them and share my experiences with you briefly! 

The Cookie Dash 5k! April 18th, 2015

I love this race for two very good reasons: it's a flat 5k and....COOKIES! There are sooooo many types of cookies after the race, and you know, I just love cookies! :-) I was able to shave off 20 seconds from my previous 5k PR...so I earned a new 5k Personal Record at this race. I will get under 25 minutes for a 5k one day...I am getting close! I loved seeing Katrina, Hanna, and Kayla at this race too! :) I love running with people that inspire me, and these two wonderful ladies inspire me more than they know! :)

Country Music Half Marathon! April 25th, 2015

I absolutely love this race. Last year, I ran the full marathon as a St Jude Hero, and this year, I ran the half marathon with two awesome ladies that completed their first 13.1 distance as a St. Jude Hero!

First off, I love the course. It does not stay flat, and there are plenty of turns and inclines/hills to keep you from getting bored. The spectators/volunteers are GREAT...they are so supportive and helpful. I also love how much St. Jude benefits from this. I also love that it's in Nashville...what a fun city!

The St. Jude Heroes tent and post race celebration was great...I have this race on my calendar again for next year, I'm still trying to decide if I want to do the full or half marathon course!

Kayla and Leslie, there is a half marathon in Huntsville that's nice and flat in November...you can come join me for your second half marathon race! :) :) :)

Viola Valley Half Marathon! May 16th, 2015

This race was actually a pretty last minute decision. I signed up for this race less than a month before it, and I am so happy that I did! The race was in May, so I was worried about it being hot. Not only that, it's hilly too! But...we lucked out on the weather, it rained and it stayed relatively cool throughout the race. I was so happy that Susan kept me company throughout the race:) The race itself was beautiful and scenic, and the aid stations were GREAT! However, this race was a challenge for me because I was having some shoe issues that ended up being a problem with how I laced my shoes. Ow, my right foot was killing me! People, how you lace your running shoes can make or break you! Here is a helpful article...Lacing Your Running Shoes

So, with different races along with 4 half marathons completed, this spring race season is over! Now, onto summer...which is the time of year where my mileage per week is not as much due to the Alabama humidity and heat! Half and full marathons will have to wait until the fall/winter/spring!

Ainsley's Angels
I only have two races that I am running this summer as of now, The "BIG" 5k at Bridgestreet on June 20th, and the Strong Girls 5k in Huntsville on July 11th, and I am excited about running with Ainsley's Angels for the first time! If you want to learn more about what they do or you want to become a runner or you know someone that would be a great captain/rider (which is inspiring and AMAZING!) click on the link. If you can help us fund raise for this cause (most likely to purchase racing strollers and other much needed racing gear for our captains/riders), following this link and donate!

DONATE HERE! :)

The money that you donate there will go directly to our captains/racers in our area! Runners, think about that feeling at your first race, a goal race, a PR race, etc...and how you FELT when you cross that finish line! There is nothing like it! And that's one of the many things that Ainsley's Angels of America is about...seriously, the summertime is usually when I start to make excuses to not run because it is soooo hot, but I know this will keep me motivated!

Since school's out, I am back to running with the Tuesday and Thursday a.m. Madison running groups from We Run Huntsville, and yes, you wake up early to meet at 5:15 a.m. to run, but wow, it really starts your day on a good note when you run with such nice and inspiring people! I am cranky when  my alarms goes off, but just like last summer, I never regret waking up early to run with this awesome crew! Also, in the summer (just like last summer), I lead (well, I wouldn't say lead since I'm somewhat of a slower pace, lol!) a longer run on Saturday mornings at Bridgestreet. I remember it being like only 5-10 people, and since then, it has grown dramatically! :)

Well, I can't wait to post my next blog about racing with the Ainsley's Angel's team!

Also, I signed up for the Rocket City Marathon! Marathon #3, baby! Woo hoo! 

I hope everyone has a safe and happy summer! Remember, you too can be a RUNNER! Yes, YOU!!! And as always, I am a facebook message/text/call away to answer any questions you have (there is no such thing as a stupid question!), and some helpful links are listed below!

Runkeeper.com---get the free app today and find your Couch to 5k Plan!

Hal Higdon's Training Plans...do you want to walk or run for your first 5k?  

 A great list of what beginning runners need to know/do...a humorous/informative Runner's World post for beginners

Get the RIGHT running shoes for YOU. It's a BIG deal! 

-Holly