All I used to know is out the window...

I guess it's time to post; my mailbox is flooded with inquiries asking if I am still breathing.

For the most part, yes....but wow, what a busy couple weeks.

First, I have to say thank you for all the birthday wishes...um...three weeks ago (things have been a little manic here, sorry for not posting, nor reading.  End of the school year revving up and all and a big job interview I was prepping for (and didn't get *sigh* )...); my heart was truly moved by all the generous comments; you made my day! Just another example of kindred souls in this vast blog land; nothing like a blog to turn a mish-mashed group of runners and cyclist and triathletes into one big happy family. I am honored to have your faces in my mind as I write today. 

I started writing a post several days ago; between my laptop constantly locking up on me and the ever so unfriendly blogger, I accidentally posted a bunch of notes.  I quickly deleted it, so sorry for the confusion for all that saw it in the blog reader.  I wonder if there will ever be a day when blogger and I become friends.

In the meantime, I have so much news to share....

I have to start out with a little bragging about my son, Ryan, who yanked out a 5:05 mile on Thursday (many of you know this via FB - thanks for all your kind words there!).  I could not believe it - that was a 20 second PR!!  It was a really warm day and Ryan was a little unsettled with the new-found warmth Denver recently acquired and unsure how he'd fare.  I gave him the ole pep talk about how he was stronger than a little heat and I positioned myself on the infield after he took off so I could get as close to him as possible.  I screamed my heart out each lap and on the last lap I told him to go and fight for this, it was inside him.  He grunted and by golly he kicked it into high gear and cranked out a 1:12 last lap and finished in 8th place (he was ranked 20th).  That kid's gonna go places with his running (he's only a freshman!), he just needs to learn to pace each lap a little better, stop looking at his watch 400 times, stop wandering around his lane, and get a little muscle on his scrawny bod.  Anyhoo, so very proud of him.

Also in running related news: A HUGE congratulations to EMZ who rocked her 24-hour treadmill run.  She sent me a really great text later that night. "No sleep, lots of potty breaks, one IV, 3 pairs of shoes, 3 treadmill changes, and 100.16 miles."  Amazing, girl!!  There is still time donate to the Sojourner Center for battered woman, if you haven't already, the charity she ran those 100 sleepless miles for.  Click Here.  I proudly don my EMZ shirt in her honor!!!

In my attempt to evade my own sucky heel melancholy, I have been putting in major cycling miles (for me anyway) in an attempt to reclaim even a portion of my pre-heel injury fitness.  I have a very long way to go, but I think I am starting to make a small dent.

Everything I ever thought I knew about cycling has been totally ill-conceived - I know nothing.  For instance: My uber-cool free bike from Tara was way too small for me; the cycling shoes I own are actually mountain biking shoes; you do not dress like it is 20 degrees warmer than it is, like you do running; 20 miles is really nothing on a bike; you actually DO have to fuel while riding a bike for an extended period of time...51 miles with only half a Honey Stinger bar is not going to cut it; just because you are an ok hill climber running does not automatically make you a hill climber riding (I SUCK riding up step hills!!! - different muscles I guess); riding in 40-mph crosswinds is unbelievably obnoxious!!!!; it is perfectly acceptable to wipe snot on your bike gloves - 200 times; never ever ever ever ever ever shift gears mid-hill or you'll end up with your chain totally dismantled, you sprawled out across the entire road praying a car doesn't quickly make you road-kill, and left with a big boo-boo on your knee:

Is that sweet or what?? 

Though I am far from calling myself a true cyclist, I am learning and I have to agree with BDD when he told me as I first started out on this little cycling journey a couple months ago, "I bet you'll even like it."  Not so much at first, but yes...I actually DO enjoy it a little now (if we could remove the hills.  And the wind.).  What I love the most is just being out there and covering the distance and the amazing topography as the landscape can change drastically in the course of a very long ride.  You don't get that running much, not even running 26.2 miles.  I have met up, and ridden a few times with, this rock star, hill climbing, studette cycling woman: Pedestrian Runner Christi:

Taken a few weeks ago, Christi and I on our first ride together

Christi lives in Colorado Springs, I live in Denver - about an hour away, so we meet in a small town in between called Castle Rock and ride the the hills, more hills, and then some hills together.  We've even signed up for the famous Elephant Rock ride next month, a 64 mile ride combing the notorious hills we've been tackling the past few weeks.  Christi, in all her awesomenss, has been very patient with me, waiting at the top of every flipping hill and giving me tips galore.  I've deemed her "coach" and I just pray one day I can keep my sorry ass up with her.  Thanks, Christi, for not dumping me on day one!  Today we had a great ride as the temps hit the low 80s and it was one of those beautiful sun-shiny, bright blue-skied Colorado days! 

That'd be me, with Pike Peak in the background.  Wish the
picture did it justice, it's truly magnificent!

That'd be Christi.  Way in front of me.  As usual! :)

Only cuz I wanted to share the pics: recently, my other twin, Brendan, and I rode from our house to the flagship REI store downtown - about a 42 mile round trip ride. 


Brendan and I at the state park where I have logged well over
a thousand miles running in all these years.  Rockie mts. as our
backdrop - nice, huh!?

Brendan at our destination - the REI flagship store; awesome place!

A little break at Confluence Park by the REI store

I'm certain I will have tons of cycling stories to share as I enter a new chapter in my life....

.... but, as you all know, my heart belongs to my beloved running shoes and per the advice of Miss Zippy - to keep knocking on doors until you find an answer - I think I have finally found a breakthrough.  A cause for the heel pain, not the quick-fix to make the pain go away (though that'd be nice, I firmly believe it's not a solution ... if the cause persists, the pain will eventually return).  Through this little blog of mine, someone came to my rescue and is helping me understand my problem: 

Hello, my name is Jill, and I have a huge over-stride problem. 

Obviously, not me - last I checked, but
this is the problem I have

And you know what?  All this laying off running is actually hurting my plantar fasciitis and Achilles because  the muscles in my feet are becoming weaker... and I am to run.  Did y'all hear that???  I AM TO RUN!!!!

Not to build miles, not to base build - but rather, to re-learn how to run properly:  Shorten my stride, quick on my feet, and land on my forefoot, not my heel *gasp*.  All I used to know is now out the window ... I am re-learning, from scratch, how to do it all over again.

It's going to be a very long road, and I'm certain very frustrating - but I am willing to do what it takes - however long that is.  THIS is what I am most excited to be sharing with you in the upcoming posts - my journey back to running.  I have my PT on board and we're already making great strides in finding my imbalances to fix this nightmare (perhaps more enthralling PT videos???_...

....finally, I feel I've turned a huge corner, and my days of running, really running, are on the horizon.

Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.

- Harriet Beacher Stowe

Run strong, friends....I'll be joining you out there one day ...soon!