"Trust your gut. You are your own best coach."- Ryan Hall, U.S. Marathoner

That quote in my header is true. You are your own best coach. I'm learning that every day I continue pushing myself to become a runner.

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I'm learning to love the roller!!

Since getting the foam roller, I'm learning how to work through my calf problems. My calves are the next obstacle to overcome in this journey to become a runner. Some people have knee issues, some people have tight hamstrings, but this is my Achilles heel (and my achilles tendons are decently tight too). Instead of crying over it, I'm doing every self massage, every foam roller technique, and lots of icing and hot baths to continue training, healing, and strengthening my weaknesses.

I decided to do a 2 mile run today (it was actually 2.27 to my surprise). I had a side stitch during 25 of the 30 minutes because I'm still getting back into the groove after a week and a half break. The past two runs have been really painful, but I push through because I'm not going to break now. I've come too far, pushed too hard, and achieved too much to let pain rule my life. My pace is slower than I'd like at 13:19, but I know in a few weeks I'll get back to where I was.

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I'm facing my second 5K at less than 100%. I may walk during part of it, especially if my calves start acting up. I'm taking my foam roller and will stretch beforehand to make sure I'll stay as loose as possible. After reading a ton of articles on working through different running issues, I've found that you're not always going to be 100% for every race. Learning how to run through this and having a bad race is going to be good for me. I'm learning more about myself running through 2 miles of pain than if every run was easy and effortless. All runners have days when running is a chore, and it makes you appreciate those days where you feel like you are floating. I've had too many good days. Now comes the time to separate the women from the girls.

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And I'm not a little girl anymore.

Besides getting back to running, I finally finished my first month of Insanity today. The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the workout was amazing. I actually did it! I actually made it to the halfway point of the program! Next week is recovery week and I am looking forward to that! I only have 3 more runs until the race and some extra stretching is more than welcome to make sure the muscles are primed and ready to rock!

Even though things have not been ideal so far, I'm excited to have accomplished so much. Running my second 5K in a week, getting halfway through Insanity, and getting my weight in the high 170s are three goals I'm very proud of. There's still plenty of work to do, but at least progress is being made!

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Yep, that's the pill I take too.

What accomplishments are you proud of so far? What hurdles have you overcome in order to reach your goals?

“In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” - A. Camus

Foam rollers are a wonderful gift to all athletes and wanna-be-athletes like myself.

I love you foam roller.
Mine is smaller for travel and such.

I received this wonderful gift to myself yesterday afternoon. It was an odd sensation rolling out my calves and legs in general. Foam rolling is constant pressure on your muscles until they loosen up. The fun comes when you have horrible knots and strains (like me!). I wouldn't say it hurts, per say, I'd just say it is uncomfortable. And you have to remember to breathe. The release and recovery is worth all the "pain."

I got to run 1.5 miles today. Yes, it was a slow run, but it was a run all the same. Without Insanity to keep my cardiovascular system in shape, I really felt the lack of conditioning over the past week and a half. I had a  side stitch for most of time, but managed to get the entire distance in. Gangnam Style helped me push through the pain and keep going when I wanted to quit. Of course at the end I wanted an extra 5 minutes, but I knew better than to overdo it. My right calf isn't exactly healed yet, but I just couldn't wait. I may rest tomorrow just to make sure the right calf continues to heal before the next 5K.

Also, I got to pick back up with Insanity! I did the Cardio Recovery, which was a lot of stretching and strength work. Just what the doctor ordered!

So now we wait and watch and hopefully recondition. The Color Run isn't timed so I won't have an exact measure of how I did. I'm glad it isn't timed since I'm not as conditioned as I was for my first 5K. I am looking forward to seeing my long lost high school friend and getting covered in color!

Fingers crossed the leg keeps on healing!