25 and counting.

This weekend I turned 25 and can't believe how time has flown. I joked with someone on Saturday that I swore by 25 I'd be married and have kids, however, I was 13 the last time I thought that was actually realistic.

On Saturday we had out team run and it was definitely cold, but I am getting used to cold weather running. I think I'll be in a bit of shock when it starts warming up, but that's still 2 months out. We ran 13 miles in the hills of Newton and I think this was the first time that I've run Heartbreak Hill fatigued. I've been having some Achilles soreness on my right leg, but nothing terribly painful as of yet - I unfortunately think this is a product of insufficient stretching and dodging ice on my Thursday run (Lauren and I had literally the worst run of our lives that morning). Saturday was also a bit icy, but not nearly as bad and I had a secret weapon (thanks to Lena!) to help me. I will post about this "secret weapon" and my favorite cold weather gear later this week.

Back to my soreness, coach Rick gave me some great advice to work through this hopefully short-term problem. First, he told me to stay away from anti-inflammatory drugs (I had taken some 30 minutes before talking to him, haha). He's absolutely right though in his advice because drugs mask the pain, which could then cause me to further injure myself. He saif that pineapple and papaya are actually natural anti-inflammatories - can't argue with that! Second, he told me to take it easy on my runs and avoid hills. I couldn't do that Saturday, but will definitely do so during the week. Finally, I should be very regimented post run. Light stretching and ice (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off for an hour or so). This should be done immediately after running. This definitely brings me back to my days of softball and the many injuries I had to nurse. I'll keep you updated on how this goes.

So this week, aside from a WONDERFUL birthday with great friends, was especially exciting because thanks to my donors I've reached my minimum fundraising goal! Thank you so much for your support everyone! I still have a bit to go, but I'm not going to stop until marathon day hits so I hope to surpass my goal :)

I took the day off today to rest, relax and rejuvenate - although it's about 2 degrees outside right now so I'm currently hibernating. I have a massage later today (thanks Kasi!) that couldn't come at a better time because that 13 miles kicked my ass.

Have a great Monday!