To Run or Not to Run?

In the beginning of 2012, I decided that I wanted to train for the Divas half marathon. I knuckled down and started following the Hal Higdon training schedule, and when time came for the race... I over slept! It was devastating!! It started at 6am, I woke up at 6am and flew down to Honolulu. I was way too late to start so I just did the 5K anyway and then cried my entire ride home. Horrible. But as soon as I got home, I decided that I was going to do the Honolulu Marathon December 2012. I signed up for that and a 5 race readiness series.

That was in April, a few weeks later, we found out we were pregtastic, so no more running for me because I was CRAZY morning sick. Now that I'm in the second trimester, however, I'm getting the bug again. I'm feeling much better, not sick at all. I'm also feeling an insane amount of cabin fever!

So the first run of the series was a 15k. Mind you I've been laying around on a couch for the past few months, but I did it anyway. My plan was to walk/jog take it easy and just take my time. So walkers got to start early, we were off and I was just pacing with a pretty old asian woman. Everything was going great until the hills around Diamond Head. I tried to use the downhill slope and my momentum to help me down and save some time. I think it was in that stretch that the relaxin in my body kicked in and started to loosen the ligaments in my pelvis. I decided at that point, I would just power walk.



I walked as fast as I could still being somewhat comfortable, but it seemed like the whole world was passing me. The old people, the super out of shape people. EVERYONE. Around mile 4 Paul sped past me and it was around mile 5  that I could feel my hip flexors give up. I literally had to kick my feet forward in order to move forward. I kept looking behind me and the crowd was getting smaller and smaller. It was also around that time that I could feel my fingers and hands swell up (they sometimes do when I exercise, more so now then they have in the past). I just kept trucking, kept walking. Even when the truck collecting the race cones passed me, I kept going. Other people not racing were cheering me on, "Go number 354! You're almost there!!" I finally got to the end and the people there were excited for me (probably more excited to get to go home!) but I had made it!!

I walked towards the car in a crazy amount of hip pain and when I was almost there, Paul was walking back towards the race. I forgot my phone at home so he couldn't call to make sure I was ok. Paul finished in 1:47. I, on the other hand, finished in 3:00. DEAD LAST!! HAHA! I was very proud of completing it!



When we got home, my hip flexors were still seised so I couldn't really walk. I had to hold on to my moms shoulders to get to the bathroom and such. The pain went on through the next day but after that I was fine.

The next weekend was an 8K memorial walk for fallen soldiers that I told Paul I would do if he walked with me, which he did. We finished at about 1:20, or 20 minute miles and I felt a little pelvis pain but nothing like the 15K. I think I'll stick to 5K races because I feel fine to 3 miles, it's after that were my body doesn't like it anymore.