Racing Heart

So I just had my pre-op appointment this morning, and good news, I am cleared for surgery! Wooh! Wooh for being cleared to get my problems fixed, wooh for being able to run without pain (in like 3 months), wooh for being (somewhat) healthy. I am excited and nervous that I have a chance to solve my problems and be able to relieve the pain and numbness that I get when I run, walk, bike, and basically anything. I know, it will be a while before I am able to do another half, but honestly, I will wait. I just want to be tingling, pain, and discomfort free. I want to be able to put my new watch to the test. I just purchased the Garmin Forerunner 235, which I will be sharing my thoughts of it soon (or at least my opinions on the functions that I can use of it). I just want to use it for about a week before I give my opinions. I will say right now, it is pretty cool. So for now, I am counting down the days until May 10th, the day of my surgery. I will be updating everyone on my recovery, p...

Sunday, May 1st Run with the Wild 5k; Ames, IA;  Register The Sparkle Run; Ankeny, IA;  register Red Shoe Run; Iowa City, IA;  Register Stride for Shots 5k; Iowa City, IA;  register Running Wild 5k; Lisbon, IA;  register Colors of Cancer Fun Run; Mt Pleasant, IA;  register Wednesday, May 4th Klompen Classic 5k; Pella, IA;  Register Friday, May 6th AAZK Run Against Extinction; Honey Creek, IA;  Register Saturday, May 7th AHS DECA Business 5Kasual; Ames, IA;  register MACC 5k; Bondurant, IA;  register Run Like a Mother 4 Mile; Cedar Falls, IA;  register Girls on the Run Spring 5k; Cedar Rapids, IA;  Register Lace Up for Learning; Cedar Rapids, IA;  Register Color Out Cancer; Clinton, IA;  register Ganzo's Cinco De Mayo 5k; Davenport, IA;  register Give it Away 5k; Des Moines, IA;  Register Market to Market Relay; Des Moines, IA;  Register MVRA Heritage Trail Run; Dubu...

So as you guys know, I am not running right now and I won't be until I heal from my surgery (cross my fingers for June 21st date! (that'd be 6 weeks, supposedly the fastest healing time)). But its tough. I have learned a few things from not being able to run. Let me share them to you. When you don't run, you gain weight. This sucks. Not running for over half a year, including the dreaded holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, makes you put on weight. Since I can't run, bike, elliptical, or even speed walk/walk for a long period of time, and if I swim, I sink to the bottom, doing any sort of cardio is tough and when I go to the gym, its hard to lift if I cant warm up or if I am stuck looking at the treadmills/bikes the whole time.  Beautiful days are the worst. Knowing that everyone is out running or enjoying the weather, sucks. Waking up to see my phone saying 50-60 degrees and sunny and knowing that the trails are packed with people, is rough. I can put my runnin...

April 1st Kids Hustle; Muscatine, IA;  Register April 2n d Chamber Chill 5k; Ankeny, IA;  Register Beaster Bunny 5k; Burlington, IA;  register Prarie of Miracles; Cedar Rapids, IA;  register 4th Annual Puzzle 5k; Creston, IA;  Register Dahl Adult Day 5k; Des Moines, IA;  Register Make a Difference 5k; Dubuque, IA;  Register Red Shamrock Survivorship Trail Challenge; Iowa City, IA;  Register Hustle 5k; Muscatine, IA;  register New Hampton Cross Country 5k; New Hampton, IA;  register Roland Spring Training Run; Roland, IA;  Register Spring Thaw; Sioux City, IA;  Register Spencer Hy-Noon 5k/10k; Spencer, IA;  register April Fools 5k; Waterloo, IA;  register Panther Pride; Williamsburg, IA;  register April 3rd 35th Annual Pam Pray Memorial 4 mile; Clinton, IA;  register Friendly Sons of St. Patrick 10k & 5k; Des Moines, IA;  Register April 9th Live Healthy Iowa 5k; Vario...

So I have my surgery scheduled, woohoo! On May 10th, 2016, I will be going under the knife (endoscopically) to have my anterior fascias released in both legs. So whats the difference? Rather than a 6 inch incision on the outer portion of both legs, I will be left with a 2ish inch incision on the outside of both legs. Heres some images to best describe it (Heads up, the open fasciotomy picture is not very detailed, but I did that for a specific reason. Do not look up compartment syndrome fasciotomy on an empty stomach.) The open fasciotomy, again, I know its not very visual, but it gives you the right idea without being as gruesome as can be.  The endoscopic surgery. Much smaller incision.  So yeah, thats where I am at with my legs. I have to have one more appointment with a doctor to make sure I can deal with anesthetic but thats about it! Everyone heals at different paces with this, but my doctor said, typically, at worst, it might take 3 months, but some people h...

March 5th Freezin for a Reason 10k Trail Run; Garrison, IA;  register Johnston Running Club Scholarship Run 5k; Johnson, IA;  register Nearly Naked Mile and 5k; Iowa City, IA;  Register Solon Survivor Extreme 5k; Solon, IA;  Register WDTF 5k; West Dubuque, IA;  Register Miller Park Zoo Stampede; Bloomington, IL;  register Welsh Prairie Livewires 4-H Shamrock Shuffle; Cambria, WI;  register Coulee Chase 5k; La Crosse, WI;  Register Freezin for a Reason 5k; La Crosse, WI;  register March 6th Seas the Day, Be the Match 5k; Iowa City, IA;  Register Tropical Indoor Triathlon; Iowa City, IA;  register March 12th Kiwanis Shamrock Shuffle; Burlington, IA;  Register CB Shamrock Shuffle; Council Bluffs, IA;  Register CASI's 34th Annual St. Patrick's Day Race; Davenport, IA;  register Leprechaun Chase 10k; Des Moines, IA;  register Gaelic Gallop; Dyersville, IA;  Register Corridor Running'...

Hello Everyone. You may have noticed that I haven't made any race reviews in a while. I am here to tell you that I will not have another for a while. I, unfortunately, have been recently diagnosed with CECS or chronic exertional compartment syndrome (for short, I will be calling this CS). What is compartment syndrome? CS is a disorder that when you exercise, (for me, it occurs when I run, bike, walk, and elliptical), your muscles expand to a point where the compartment or fascia surrounding the muscle cannot take. When this occurs, the oxygen supply is cut off to the muscles and they fall asleep. The best way of thinking of this is to imagine a balloon in a waterbottle. The balloon is the muscle and the waterbottle is the surrounding fascia. When you inflate the balloon, this is showing the muscle expanding. The muscle can only expand so much. This is what is going on inside my legs. About a mile and a half in during a run, I lose feeling in my toes and feet and it works its w...