Sara Runs the Cape

Whoa! Time flies when you're running and having fun! I'm now officially 6 weeks out from the Rock n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon in September and I absolutely cannot wait! Not only do I get to run a great city with one of my favorite bands playing for us (Guster!), I get to do it with one of my best friends! Hooray for running friends! So how did the past 2 weeks go for me? Do you want the long answer or the short answer? The short answer is...sweaty! Though I chose to do most of my runs on the treadmill (something I never thought I'd say) because of the heat, I thought they all went pretty well and my foot felt good. My new pair of Oofos that I get to throw on after the runs didn't hurt anything either. Week 5: I'll keep it short: total miles- 16.5 miles with a long run on Sunday after work of 6 miles. Overall, a good week. I felt really good going in to my long run, and then decided to run outside after work and all hell broke loose. It was HOT eve...

Well, I got sick of waiting around to see if my plantar fasciitis would get better and I decided to just go for it. You need to actually train for a half marathon, right? So I thought I'd get back on the metaphorical horse this week. Monday- 4 miles Summer has truly hit. Holy cow it was hot. And disgusting. I think I guzzled more water/Nuun during that run than any other (including my half). My pace was decent (10:05 min/mi) but it was truly a hot one! OMG it's hot! Tuesday- Cross training: 35 minutes elliptical, core strengthening Hit the gym on Tuesday for some cross training on the elliptical (is that really cross training? I'm never sure) and some core strengthening. It was nice to be in air conditioning! Wednesday- Adaptive Cycling I LOVE my job and I am so lucky to get to participate in such awesome adaptive sports to help people with disabilities. Wednesday was adaptive cycling! Thursday- rest I decided to take a rest day to kick my feet up (litera...

Week 1:   As any training plan starts the mileage is low and the times are not particularly fast as you get back into the swing of things. It was no different for me. I probably went even slower than usual, trying to nurse my left foot into cooperation. My left heel has been bothering me for a couple of months now, not so much when I'm running but it can be horrible right after the run.  The people at Kendall GelThotics were kind enough to send me a pair of their gel orthotics to help me along with my training plan. I put them to use right away, wearing them in both my work shoes and then switching them over into my running shoes.  My heel felt awesome at work, no pain at all! It was truly amazing and work was a breeze. Running was a slightly different story, unfortunately.  I made it through my week 1 runs successfully, but I was hurting afterward. I wanted to keep going with my program but I decided that my end goal was more important in the long run....

Well, here I go again!  Today marks the first day of round 2 of half marathon training as I prepare for Rock n' Roll Philadelphia in September. As you might know, I've been dealing with a little case of plantar fasciitis for...3 months or so which has really put a damper on some things. But, I'm really throwing caution to the wind with this (stupid maybe...) and I'm going for it! So today was my first run- 3.5 miles in all. Nothing to write home about and I felt pretty good. But what I came home to is even more exciting to me! I came home to a lovely package in the mail from the AWESOME people at  Kendall GelThotics . I had gotten in contact with them when I read about their new insoles and how they provide the highest level of shock absorption and support for heel pain, plantar fasciitis, as well as some other foot problems. We talked for a little bit and I told them about my own bout with plantar fasciitis and how I'm starting to train again. And wouldn...

As a physical therapist I'm always in your corner. I work my butt off to help get you better while gently reminding you of some safety strategies and other ways to modify your activity so you might not get hurt again. What happens when the physical therapist gets injured though? That should be a slam dunk case, right? Oh, if only I were a good patient though! I am a NOTORIOUSLY bad patient. I think all therapists (or maybe like 99.9%) of them are. We know WHAT to do, but don't want to do it ourselves.  Should I stop running for a little? Yup.  Will I? Nope, this half marathon isn't going to train itself!  I've written in the past about listening to my body and being all zen with it and stuff. But what if I don't want to do that anymore? I just want to run damnit! Plantar fasciitis be damned!  So, moral of the story is...Be Like Bill. Be a good patient. Don't be a Sara :) Your therapist will thank you!  -Happy Running! 

Or maybe a better title for this post is "May Rehabbing Myself In The Gym Reflections." Ouch. Not at all how I wanted to come back after my race! So everyone remembers I finished my first half marathon on April 30th . Yay! So exciting, tears flowing, hugs everywhere. I couldn't wait to get back in my sneaks and hit the pavement. So the Tuesday Run Club seemed like a perfect way to get back in the swing, have a nice little 3 mile jaunt, and hang out with some cool people. And there in lies the problem. Instead of taking it easy like my still recovering muscles and joints probably needed (that's PT brain talking), my runner brain said " GOOOOOO! " and man, did I lay down my fastest 5k ever or what?! And I felt damn good doing it! No hints of soreness anywhere. But unfortunately, I think that laid the groundwork for some not so spectacular things in the near future. That Friday I went out on my usual 4 mile loop and felt great again for the first 2.5 mile...

Happy Runniversary to me!   I started running a year ago today. I can't believe it. It all started because I wanted to quit the gym and man, what a journey it's been!  In a year, I've gone from tolerating running for maybe 60 seconds at a time to finishing my first half marathon last month. I've had quite a few ups and downs, but I honestly wouldn't trade this past year for anything.  In honor of my runniversay, I want to give a shout out to everything that's kept me going this past year:  Altra and Hoka One One shoes: A good pair of shoes is a must. I wasn't too wise when I started running, but quickly found out the hard way. Though different in so many ways, I love my Altra and Hokas equally. They both kept me running strong this past year and I couldn't have done it without them.    Garmin watch: I love running, but I hated using my phone to track my runs. It killed my battery and it wasn't super accurate. Enter my su...