[Christopher] 10 mile = Complete. That’s what was on schedule for our Saturday run. When I said to Mandy, “after mile 9, I was feeling pretty good” she asked me to repeat it. I admit I was a little skeptical about the 10 mile run. Yes, I had run it once before a few weeks back, but I also remember that it wasn’t all that effortless. This time I felt as if I could keep going. I did in fact run almost another half mile before I started thinking about what was in store for the next weekend; my longest run yet of 12 miles. I hit stop on the treadmill and stamped it good. I felt pretty good and still had plenty of stamina.

A couple of weeks ago, our friend Tom gave me his compression shin sleeves to try out and see if they would help out with the shin splints. I like them so much that I went out and bought another pair, Zensah Compression Leg Sleeves. Both sleeves are really helping my healing time with my shins, which allows the blood flow to improve healing time. The Zensah’s are really helpful because I can wear these to work, to bed or while working out. The material is specially knitted to help provide optimal support throughout the calf and cool enough to wear all the time. I highly recommend them and they run about $40 for the pair.

I have also invested in a pair of compression pants by 2XU. I felt like my legs were not healing quick enough before I had to run again, lift weights or the crosstraining. I also believe this is causing my shins splints pain. So I figured if the shin sleeves work that well, why not invest in some pants? These did not come all that cheap at $160, but well worth it if they help. I will try them out on Tuesday for my 8 mile Tempo run and see. I’m crossing my fingers that this is really gonna improve the healing time. Stay tuned!

[Mandy] Much like Christopher, I had a great 10 mile run on Saturday as well!  I made sure to eat a big dinner the night before and added some extra carbs to my breakfast that morning. It was just what I needed!  I could tell my body was still tight and sore from the workouts the preceding week, but the added fuel gave me the energy I needed to knock out those 10 miles with relative ease. I felt strong, confident, and like I could run forever. I made myself stop at 10 miles even though it felt like I could have ran farther; I knew mileage increased the next week and didn’t want to overdo it. I’ve been lucky that I haven’t had any injuries or problems while switching up our workouts.  My body is adjusting to the change, and I am LOVING feeling stronger than ever. I think I found a happy medium between running as much as I am and still getting in strong lifts and some fun cross-training. I think I might keep this up for a while!  If Christopher’s compression pants do wonders for him, I’m thinking of trying some out as well. I deal with some lower back and hip problems, and I would love if something as simple as that could help remedy the issue.  Until then I’m focused on stretching and recovering on my own as much as possible. I’m really looking forward to our 12 mile run this weekend!

M&C

We can’t even begin to tell you how much we were missing being out on our bikes; so when we heard that Sunday’s weather was going to be pretty spectacular, we planned on getting together for a casual ride.  We had both run over 8 miles the day before, so we weren’t planning on having a particularly long ride.  Tom met us at our house that morning, and we started with breakfast at Poco’s on Southwest Blvd.  After fueling up, we parked to our usual spot in Westport and made our way down to the Plaza and through Brookside.  Christopher and I decided to stop drinking alcohol until the end of March to focus on being healthier overall; we also want to see how far we can push ourselves physically in our workouts without the added effects of drinking.   Since it was starting on Monday, we had one last Irish Coffee at The Gaf to toast our way into our new-found goal of healthiness.  We were all pretty beat from the week before and were content to hang out and relax and enjoy the Sunday afternoon.  After our drinks at The Gaf, we decided to get in some more riding and headed up to85th Street before turning around and winding our way back through the neighborhoods to the Plaza.  It was cool but sunny, and there were so many people out running, walking dogs, and riding bikes.  It was the perfect afternoon to stop in at our favorite drink place in Westport for bubble teas: Tea Drops.  We ended up getting in almost 14 miles of riding that afternoon, and it was just we needed to stretch out the legs and relax our minds before the work week started.  We’ve been blessed with such awesome winter weather and have been thankful to be able to get out for bike rides as much as we have.  We’re crossing our fingers that it holds out!

M&C

[Christopher] The end of the 6th week of training went fairly well. I have learned that I need to be giving my legs a little more rest in between the long runs. Running three days a week, with some long runs scheduled, led my shins to ache a little more than I like. The calf sleeves that Tom gave me seem to be helping with the aching, but it certainly does not prevent them. Monday and Wednesday were my scheduled runs, but I decided to take off and do elliptical instead.  I stayed on the elliptical as long as I would have been running, and I kicked up the level as high as it would go to keep up the cardio and keep the heart rate up. Come time to run  the 8 miles on Saturday, I was happy that I was able to run it effortlessly. I was able to put in 8 miles in 1 hour and 17 minutes. I was happy with that and there was no aching or pain. Starting this week, I am taking off Monday from running and keeping up the cardio with the elliptical as usual, but will go ahead and run the 6 mile tempo on Wednesday and a 10 miler on Saturday.  I’m think I’m starting to get the hang of this training and I’m getting a better feel for my body and how it responds. I’m glad I did this mock training before the actual training of the half marathon. Now I know what I need to do, and I’m excited.

[Mandy] I feel like I’m finally starting to get the hang of switching gears and NOT running as much as I have been!  With Christopher’s help of reigning me in, I’ve been able to ease up a little on my mileage and to talk myself into believing that “it really is OK NOT to run a million miles a day.”  It took a little while to get comfortable with the idea that I can still get in a good workout without runs as long as I’ve been doing; I just needed to focus on giving those other cross-training and lifting days everything I had.  I’ve been sufficiently wearing myself out, and running shorter distances than I’m used to is really about all I can handle!  8 mile runs have turned into 4-5 mile runs, and I don’t think I’ve run anything longer than 10 miles in months.  It’s good for me, right?  Christopher has really helped push me in all areas, and it’s been a great feeling to be exhausted and tapped out at the end of the day.  Saturday’s long run of 8 miles actually turned into a 9.3 mile run.  I was feeling great (thanks to awesome workouts during the week and working out Friday earlier in the day) and decided to take advantage of it.  I did 9 miles in 1 hour and 18 minutes, which I’m pretty happy with.  These distances seem to agree with me and leave me with enough energy to try out some other exercises and workouts that I was missing out on during marathon training.  I’m feeling stronger than I have in a long time, and I love that feeling!

[Mandy]  With Christopher being out of town all last week for work, my workouts were a little bit lonely.  It was motivating to know that he was working out at the same time in Arizona, and we did our best to follow our routine as much as possible, even without my PIC next to me.  I was able to squeeze in an extra day of rest due to some family time, and my body was especially grateful!  I kept my two runs during the week at a strict 6.25 miles but made sure I did them both all out.  I felt strong, rested, and like I was running effortlessly.  In short, I felt like I was “back.”  By Saturday morning I was feeling pretty solid, having had a few great workouts under my belt.  Since Christopher got back into town Friday evening, we took the night off and opted for rest instead. The scheduled 10 mile run on Saturday went off without a hitch. I allowed myself the first 2-3 miles to warm up, and by the time I settled in I was moving at a pretty good clip.  I knocked out the last 4 miles in under 8 minute mile pace; by the time I hit 10 miles I was exhausted! I left every ounce of energy on the treadmill (along with every ounce of sweat) and was thoroughly surprised and impressed to see Christopher hammering it out next to me.  I’ll let him tell you all about his week and his 10 mile run, but the man never ceases to amaze me.  He looked strong, focused, and downright angry as he flew along next to me.  I have never doubted his ability to run like this, but I’ve been so impressed that he’s taken to this as quickly and as easily as he has!  He’s proving that he can do anything he puts his mind to! I couldn’t be more proud of his work effort and his ability to push himself farther than he ever thought possible. I know this half marathon will have nothing on him

[Christopher] Yup, 10 miles of running. Had someone told me that I would be running 10 miles a few years ago, I would have smirked and let it go in one ear and out the other.

All last week I had to take a business trip to Scottsdale Arizona. The weather was supposed to be nice and sunny with the highs of 65°, so I did my research so I could plan to run while out of town. I was determined to keep up my training no matter were I was. I found out that there was an area not far from my hotel that I could run called the Greenbelt and leads up to Chaparral Lake Park. As much as I was not looking forward to being without my PIC for a week, the change of scenery would help with the distraction. I couldn’t believe how effortless the run felt on Monday and that I was excited to get back out on Tuesday and then again on Wednesday. I was a little nervous that I was going to have shin splint pain, but it was never an issue. Monday I got in 7 miles, Tuesday I was able to get in 6.5 miles, and Wednesday I got in another 7 miles. I did experience some soreness that I have never felt before, but that was going to be a given with a newbie running that much three days in a row. I’m not really sure how I ran that much? Any normal week I would be wanting to take a break in between a 7 mile run.  Although I was very determined, running in a unfamiliar area helped the time fly by. It kept my mind off every step I made and more about enjoying the moment and taking it all in.

Saturday came and I was finally back with my PIC. 10 miles was on the schedule. I tried not to think about it, but honestly, I was a little intimidated. The longest I had gone was 8 miles. Sure it was only 2 more miles, but 2 more miles after already being exhausted can seem like 10 miles. “Just take it slow and easy and see how it goes”, is what I kept telling myself over and over again. Keep my head focused on what is important; no injuries and don’t gas out too soon. The first 5 miles I kept the pace at around 6 mph. I was surprised that I had no real pain issues, and I really wasn’t out of breath. Mandy had told me once, “you should be able to carry a conversation throughout the whole run,” which sounded like a lot of malarkey to me. Now after mile 5, I was feeling like a conversation would be easy. I got to 6 miles and pressed stop since the treadmill quits at 60 minutes. I took a short break to fill up my water bottle and a quick stretch and got back to it. Only 4 more miles. This should be cake. My iPod was fixed to only play A Perfect Circle, and the treadmill was set to 6.5 mph. I have always heard about the “autopilot” thing but never understood what that meant until I reached mile 8. With my music blaring in my ears and my eyes staring at the television, I hit that sweet spot or the “autopilot.” Everything around me got quiet. No sound of my breathing, no stomping on the treadmill, no television noise; I was lost in the music and floating on air. Is this the runners high that I was in? Feeling no pain or exhaustion, I bumped up the speed to 7.5 mph. I really felt like I was gliding along. After finding the song “Judith” on my iPod, the last mile went quickly with a 8.5 mph pace. It’s crazy how a song can give me that extra boost.  I finished my 10 mile run at 1:33:45 and a wave of emotion came over me that I cannot explain: it was the longest I have run yet and it felt pretty good. I definitely felt like I could have kept up on another 3.1 miles, but for now, I will settle for 10 and save the next big achievement for a later date.

M&C

P.S. If you are asking why we named this blog the way we did, well.. it’s a Slipknot thing and we thought it was appropriate for this blog.

[Christopher]What would have been the end of week 4 of training has now become the start of week 3. Week 1 and 2 started off really well, but on the 3rd Monday, I think I got a little sloppy with my run and caused some shin splint pain. It took a couple of weeks before I could even try to attempt a run. In the meantime, I nursed it with rest, ice, and Advil. I was able to keep up the cardio with pretty intense elliptical and stationary bike training, but nonetheless, it was still frustrating not being able to run like I had planned. Who would of thought that I, Christopher, would be upset by not being able to run? The hardcore weightlifter that looked at running as if I was being chased: “Run? Me? No way.” Yes, I was a little upset and pouting now that I could not run. For those like minded people who understand, once you put your mind to something, a goal, it’s pretty disappointing to have to  take a step back and heal or rest.  As an avid weightlifter and cyclist, I know the precautions that are needed to not injure yourself. Now I have experienced what a runner has to go through, and I am only scratching the surface here. It’s true what they say, “if it were easy, everybody would be doing it.”

Saturday morning, Mandy and I went to the gym to hopefully get in a decent run on the treadmill. I have taken two weeks off to let the shins rest and heal. Our friend Tom “0-100″  Hall, loaned me his compression shin sleeves that he had suggested that I try out. At this point, I was willing to try anything that might help with my run. Unsure and hesitant when I stepped onto the treadmill, I was pleasantly surprised  that I was able to crank out a 10K with no pain whatsoever. I was happy and relieved that I was back. Back to normal? Well, that is yet to be seen and I’m not holding my breath, but it sure felt good. Yea, I said, it felt good to run!

I should be back on track and going to fire up the training again starting with week three.

[Mandy]  With Christopher being side-lined and my own body feeling battered and bruised from the last few weeks of training, I was more than happy to also take a step back and heal.  I was feeling tired all the time, and each workout was feeling like it was taking twice as much effort. I had not run anything over 9 miles in weeks, and I knew my body was struggling to catch up to the change up in our training.  I gave myself “permission” to skip a couple runs and to focus on other forms of cardio like cycling, elliptical, and stair climbing.  I hit the weights hard and stayed pretty strict on my diet to ensure I didn’t gain a bunch of unnecessary weight.  Sure enough, last week I had a stellar 6 mile run, and I was able to crank out another 8 on Saturday.  It once again felt effortless and easy, just like old times!  I think I even smiled the whole way Now that Christopher and I are both feeling like our old selves, I’m excited to get back to our scheduled training program to see what we’re made of! I’m hoping that after this brief break we’ll come back faster, stronger, and healthier!

M&C