Run, Jane, Run

Didn't really do much most of the week after having the spinal block on Monday. Wednesday, I had my morning session with Steve. Needless to say I was REALLY apprehensive to do much of anything, I was just really worried about my back. Steve took it easy with me and we went slow through the stretches and the workout and it felt great to get in a workout and work up a bit of a sweat!

On Friday (My Birthday), I had my 2nd weekly session with Steve. He had me do a ton of stretching and then informed me we were going out for a short run and that he'd cancelled his 6am appointment. So off we went to this nice little 1/2 mile course, it was a little cool and the sun hadn't come up yet. We walked the course once, did some stretching and then off we went... I took it really easy and kept going over my checklist in my head: back, feels good; feet, feel good; shins, feel good ; back, still feels good; overall legs, feel strong; breathing, a little heavy need to calm down; back, still feels great. I must have repeated this checklist 20 times during the 1/2 mile run. Steve knew I was tense and nervous about running so every now and then he'd ask how i felt and then remind me to checkout the sunrise over Lake Erie. Before I knew it we were done with the 1/2 mile run and we walked the course once more. I was thrilled, everything felt great and I had done it! Yes, it's just a half mile...but it was MY half mile and I wasn't in pain, and my back felt fine! What a GREAT way to start my birthday off! Saw my chiro and told him about my little jaunt and he thought that was great and told me to just play it by ear on Sunday. Was supposed to call my pain mgmt doc to give him an update of how I felt and see if he gave me the go ahead to run on Sunday, thought about it at 8:30am (office not open yet) and then remembered again at 4:45pm (oops, a little to late).

Saturday involved lots of recovery from my birthday celebration on Friday night. As I laid in bed I thought about how a nice little run would feel great and would be a good way to get the blood flowing, but as I rolled over I felt it, my back had tightened up. Obviously not going for a run so I took it easy for the day and eventually my back felt better but there were moments throughout the day that there was the slightest twinge of something.

This morning was the day I've been waiting for, the Run, Jane, Run 5k/10k down at Edgewater Park to benefit Women's Center of Greater Cleveland. Rolled out of bed around 6:30am to try and be ready by the time my Mom showed up at 7:00am. Headed to Edgewater around 7:30am and still wasn't sure what I was going to do. Finally by 8:15am I decided I was going to run (ok, guess I really knew all along that I was going to run...not sure why I put myself through the agony of even toying with the idea of just walking the course). I ran the first mile in 10:03 and that took me to the base of the hill (obviously not a great time, but actually about my normal speed). Decided to try running as much of hill as possible since it was after the hill last time that my back gave out. I made it not quite half way, but I did turn it on strong at the base and passed about 6 folks along the way...suppose if I'd just maintained a steady pace I might have made it up the whole thing. Once to the top I ran until the water station, walked through that and walked while sipping my water before dumping the rest of it around my neck and down my back. Felt great and kept a good speed going down the hill until a side stitch kicked in and I found myself walking yet again, about this time my back knotted up a little so I stepped off to the side and stretched out for a few minutes and was given some great motivational "almost there's" by a few of the other runners so decided to get back to it! Stopped two more times to walk (argh) and then decided to just push myself through to the end since it wasn't my back causing me to stop, just overall fatigue from not having been out running for a couple of weeks. Teamed up with another gal who'd been walking some also and we both agreed we weren't fond of the finishing part that was in the grass. Asked her if she had any kick left in her, she said yes and off we went but she then decided she didn't have the sprint in her and finished off jogging in. Two other girls who were running must of heard my heavy breathing as I was sprinting and they moved off to the side a little (thanks girls!) and I sprinted my way through the gate...that felt great too! The first place 10k guy had just finished before me and was there to say thanks for all my cheering out on the course (yeah considering I saw the guy three different times during the course - LOL), he congratulated me on a strong finish which I found funny, but appreciated it all the same! Not certain of my final time I think it was around 35 or 36 minutes. My back is a little sore, but am resting it up and going to hit it with some ice. But I did it! I finished! And more importantly I remember how much I love the atmosphere of running a race -- even if I am not at the front of the pack or even the middle of the pack, I am still competing and I am still out there giving it my ALL; and there is no greater feeling than that!