Sew Half Crazy

7/03/2019

365 Days and Counting - A Post-Op Summary

Heather 7/03/2019 0 Comments

So here we are a full year after my ACL reconstruction and medial meniscectomy.

When I reflect back on this year there are clearly defined challenges, but not all of them relate to my knee, but maybe in a way they do, because I learned so much this year.

Obviously, the first month after surgery was difficult, and I did manage to write some blog posts about it - you can find them {HERE}, {HERE}, and {HERE}. Looking back at that month, the biggest take away is that while I was physically ready for this endeavor, my mental preparedness was less than stellar. I don't know how one would prepare mentally for this kind of thing, and I imagine that it's a very personal thing for everyone, so there wouldn't be a one-size-fits-all piece of advice. The biggest turning point for me was probably 6 weeks after surgery while taking a bath and I forgave myself for breaking my knee. I know this sounds a little wonky, but I was angry at myself, because my legs are probably my most favorite feature, and I messed the one up so forgiving myself was a huge step. There were tears and I came to terms with the new me. This was not a fast process. I might actually still be working on this, but it's gotten much better.

I made it through July and August, I went back to work in September but then ended up quitting in October. I felt like I had to make a choice between working and getting better, and I picked getting better. I wanted to get back to where I was, and standing on concrete for hours at a time was not going to help get me there. So I focused on me and improving my leg function. This is something I still work on, but I have clear goals, I do focus on minor things, like my stride length, but I have a much better idea of my performance now.

This carries us through until February, and when we went on vacation and ran the ACL 5k on the boat. My husband is still the very best man in the world for everything he did to celebrate this milestone. You can read about the ACL 5k {HERE}.

March and April were spent gearing up for the Rock 'N Roll Nashville Half and I totally rushed this training plan, but I also learned so much from this race. You can read about this trial by fire {HERE}.

The accomplishment of finishing this half, despite the pain and agony bolstered my self-confidence to finally start working on another dream. 5th Gen Apparel is a direct result of my knee. I never would have had the confidence or the courage to strike out on my own with the fervor and drive that I've done without having gone through this. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't do things by half measures. I don't believe in doing something unless you're going to do it to the best of your ability. You do it right or you go back and do the way you should have done. I have no shame in admitting that I drive some of my friends and most of my family a little crazy with this attitude. Dana is very adept at reminding me to take breaks and not over schedule myself in both my running and working.

So here we are in the here and now, and I'm currently 6 weeks into a 20 week half marathon training program that will hopefully help me lower average pace time from 17:08 m:m (my pace from Nashville) to 16:38 m:m so that I can run the Prince William Half at the end of September. I have been seeing consistent improvements in my times and my hips and knees. I tailor my workouts to trouble areas and remember to rest when needed - sometimes.

Thanks for reading!

5/31/2019

Mason Jar Lattes: Orange Mocha Latte

Heather 5/31/2019 2 Comments

I have been a very terrible blogger. I haven't shared what has easily become my favorite late night latte.

I know, I'm weird. I drink coffee late at night. It doesn't affect me. I can down a cup of coffee and then pass right out.

So this latte is a little different from the other recipes because it contains alcohol. What's even better about this latte is that it's a Lazy Girl Latte. You guys know I love my lazy girl lattes.

I have been in love with orange mocha lattes since Starbucks introduced them years ago. They were only around for one season, never to return again. It made me sad, but I was determined to find a way to recreate the magic, and boy did it take some trial and error. I couldn't get the simple syrup right for the orange flavoring, or the orange extract wasn't quite enough. It was always something, and then one night I got frustrated and just made a regular mocha. I wanted to add a little something-something to it, so into the liquor cabinet I went and I realized we had a small bottle of Grand Marnier left over from Christmas cooking baking! Sweet! So I poured about a shot's worth of liquor into my latte and then realized that there wasn't even half a shot left in the bottle, so I dumped that in too.

IT WAS AMAZING. This was the coffee I'd been trying to recreate for all those years. I am now going to (finally) share the recipe with you all.

Orange Mocha Latte

8 oz strong coffee or espresso
1 C milk**
1/8 C hot cocoa mix
1½ oz Grand Marnier or Triple Sec

Add the hot cocoa mix to the mug before brewing your coffee, after you've brewed the coffee stir until mixed. Add liquor. Follow the recipe for our original Mason Jar Latte {HERE} to froth the milk. Omit the sugar.

** Instead of using milk and hot cocoa mix, you could substitute 1 C chocolate milk and then just heat up the chocolate milk in the same manner as the milk.

And that, my friends, is the latte that Dana has been begging me to share for well over 6 months.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

5/20/2019

Really Huge, Gigantic, Amazing News...

Heather 5/20/2019 0 Comments

There are so many emotions right now. Thankfully the majority of them are good emotions, but I am super excited to share some really amazing, gigantic, huge news!

I am starting my own business!

I am super excited about this endeavor as well as completely terrified to introduce my brand to the world!

It's no secret that sewing, fashion, and my journey towards a healthier lifestyle have played a major role in my life for almost a decade, and I can do something that includes all of those loves.

When I need to motivate myself to workout, part of the challenge is alleviated by just getting dressed in my gym clothes and then tackling the day. I don't always like to wear capris or leggings though, and skirts were never in my wardrobe because none of them ever fit! This want is what planted the first seeds for 5th Gen Apparel.

5th Gen will provide athletic apparel for all body types and all types of sports, including the sport of running errands.

What makes my brand different from others?

Well, for one I'm runner so I've designed these pieces to solve not only common running wear problems but common activewear problems. Thigh chafe, lack of pockets, and generic styles are all real problems that anyone who has purchased activewear has dealt with. On top of that, the cost of quality activewear is sometimes prohibitive. You should be able to get healthy and look good affordably.

The next step of this journey involves you! Want to join me in this adventure?

Follow @5thgenapparel on Instagram for all the latest updates and goings on while we get ready for launch!
Join us on on our Facebook page for more in-depth updates.
Become a product tester! {CLICK HERE} to fill out the interest form.

If you have any questions or general comments, leave them in the comments below.

5/16/2019

The Long and Short of Rock 'N Roll Nashville 2019

Heather 5/16/2019 0 Comments

#13 is finally in the books! It wasn't pretty, graceful, or quick, but it's done and I couldn't be happier about it.

I even earned myself a PR! My slowest half ever! I say that a bit self-deprecatingly, but also proudly. I know that's a weird combo, but it's what's going on.

Now that I've had a week to process everything, I will say that I woke up Saturday morning knowing that I was going to accomplish my main goal - finish the race. I didn't know how that was going to get accomplished, but I knew it was going to get done and that's all I needed.

However, if you ask my husband he would not give you as nice or certain of an answer, because on Friday I was a hot mess. I was in my head. I was full of self-doubt and terrifyingly grim thoughts. So much so that I could barely enjoy the expo. He noticed and did try to help, but let's be honest nothing was going to help. No amount of good cheer, good tidings, or inspirational crap was going to help. What did help, was an athletic walk to lunch and enjoying the day with the hubs and sister.

Food has always been a great motivator for me, and the chicken and waffles we had from Milk & Honey was so delicious.

I digress.

So Friday, I was a mess. My knee was hurting, my calf was cramping, and I was in a lousy mood. Don't I sound like a fun time? It's ok, honestly, I know I was miserable.

Saturday dawned super early and found me sleeping through 2 alarms, and waking 30 minutes after I wanted to and 45 minutes before we needed to leave. It was odd, though, because I was calm. I went through everything I needed, made breakfast, checked up on Dana and Steve, ran through all the lists of things we needed to bring and what the plan for the day was. It was nice. It was comfortable and familiar.

We got to the stadium right on time and dozed in the car until 6. It was a bit chillier than any of us had anticipated, but it was still gorgeous.

We made our way over to First Baptist and attempted to take advantage of their generosity, but we cut it a little too short and Dana needed to make her way to her starting corral for the 5k. We walked with her and stood by her corral until she was off. I was able to keep track of her for longer than usual because of her green hair, but soon she was lost in the crowd and I still needed to rest so it was back to First Baptist. Luckily, I had an insider tip and the wait for the restrooms in the basement was a much shorter line.

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So after that little detour, it was off to our starting corrals. Steve's corral was 2 in front of mine, so we parted ways at his corral and wished each other good luck. Unbeknownst to us, we could have hung out together for another hour, because that's how long it took to work our way down the chute. I guess having the NFL draft the same weekend as the race, meant that there were a lot more racers than usual.

It was actually nice because I never really lost the pack of runners. It definitely thinned out towards the end of the race, but it was never really gone and when you're out on the course for almost 4 hours having people out there with you helps.

I'm not going to review the race like I usually do, mile by mile, but instead will just give you a brief play by play, because some of the miles were brutal, but there were running angels out on the course that day, and I will never know their names or be able to thank them, but I can tell you guys about what they did and just put it out in the universe that I appreciate these people.

I guess I should count my sister as the first running angel, we were maybe a tenth of a mile into the race and we'd rounded the corner headed to the start of where the 5k had been, and I almost missed her. I don't even know what made me turn my head and look to my left, almost behind me, but I heard her and her hollers. She was jumping up and down like a mad jackrabbit, but I was so excited to see her. I hollered and waved back, and then rounded the curve for the first of many hills.

The second running angel encounter was before we even reached the first-mile marker, we were running up the road that goes in front of the convention center, headed towards the naked ladies dancing statue, and the hill was a little brutal. I got into my head a bit and started wondering if I was going to be able to handle this task, but I put my head down and kept on task. About halfway up the hill, out of nowhere, this gent comes up on my right and says loud enough for me to hear over my music that "You've got this. You're awesome." I jerk my head towards him because he'd startled me and gave him the high five he was waiting for. He then sped up the hill and disappeared into the crowd. I don't know who he was, but he was definitely what I needed to hear at that moment.

I kept a pretty good pace, and decided to enjoy the course, my music, the spectators, and not call my sister yet. For anyone of you who know me or have read this blog for a while, then you know that one of my favorite things to do is to talk to Dana while I'm running. Really, I like to talk, and Dana is easily the most readily available, but she's also one of my fave people to talk to so its a win-win. I wanted to savor the moments I had because I felt really good during the first 4 miles of the race.

The spectators really upped their game. I don't think there was a single stretch of the course that didn't have someone cheering us on, and I am so happy to report that nobody ran out of food or water at any of the stations. That's a huge thing because anyone who's ever been a part of a race and come in towards the back knows that sometimes they run out and you don't get any. Not the best feeling when running a race.

This is early in the race. Look how happy I am!

At mile 4, Small Fry called me. He asked if I was done yet, and I had to chuckle at him because no, I was not done yet. Wasn't even half done. I don't honestly remember much of what we talked about but it was nice to catch up with him. Baby Girl popped into the conversation at one point and she asked if I was exhausted, and I told her not yet. I asked if she was exhausted and she responded with no, because she wasn't running. It's funny how your kids adapt to your hobbies. Talking about running and my progress with my 9 and 5-year old is a perfectly natural thing in my house, but I get that it can seem foreign, but I have exposed my kids to my hobbies and I'm not sorry. I talked with the kids for about a mile, and then I called Dana.

Dana and I talked for a good long bit and I told her about my running angel, described how the spectators had upped their game, gushed about her awesome race (I won't tell you how well she finished, but I'm super proud of her!), and just chatted. We ended up talking until I was just about halfway done, and then I told her I needed to stop running, or whatever it was that I was doing because power walking was sure to be faster. She told me that it was ok to walk and I was awesome. I was grateful for her encouragement even if I was judging myself.

I can't remember exactly where I was in the course when we stopped talking, but I do know it was because Small Fry was calling me back. So I switched over to him, and the first thing he asks is if I'm still running. Yes, I'm still running, but I'm more than halfway done, and starting to feel really down. I think this is where I had my first bit of tears. I was being really hard on myself and just a negative Nancy. I told him I was sad, and he asked why. So I told him that I had goals and expectations and I wasn't meeting them. I was failing at it, and my ever-so-sweet Small Fry told me that I as long as I finished whatever I did was good enough. How did my angel get to be so smart? He was my second running angel, by simply reminding me of everything I'd ever told him about goals and meeting them, my 9-year old was being my hero.

The next couple of miles were a blur. I did debate with myself about calling Dana back. I wanted to, but at the same time, I knew she was going to be annoyingly optimistic and peppy, the ideal cheerleader, I just didn't want a cheerleader right then. I was in the thick of it. Doubting everything. Hating how I was performing. Wondering if I was even going to finish. Quitting entered my head, but as soon as I contemplated it I threw it out because no matter how bad everything was at that moment, I knew that quitting would be so much worse. It was pretty bad out there though. I decided to concentrate on what I needed to improve on with my next training plan. My left foot was in agony. The arch felt like it was on fire. My hips were so tight and I knew my form was terrible. My lower back hurt. I was making rookie mistakes, but I couldn't seem to help it.

There was light in this miserable tunnel in the form of oranges. I think it was in mile 9 or maybe I was about to get to 9, but we were in a more commercial area and there were at least half a dozen people handing out orange wedges. They were amazing, the oranges and the people. I stopped at every person and thanked the ones that gave me two wedges a little more enthusiastically. Who knew that oranges would taste so good? After the oranges, I was able to pull myself together a bit more and found some more energy.

The next thing I clearly remember is coming up on the St. Jude section. I got teary again, but I'm ok with it. They had pictures up of the children when they were undergoing treatment and presumably when they were in remission because the ages between the two pictures were 5-8 years apart. That was a tough section and afterward, I called Dana back.

She was annoyingly good at being aggressively encouraging. I knew she would be, but after St. Jude I wanted to talk to her. She told me that she'd had a hard time there too, but then we chatted because I was finally along the same course as the 5k. She nattered on about god knows what. I think I grunted at the appropriate times. I think it was right after 10 miles that another running angel showed up. We were going under an overpass, and Dana was chattering away, and from behind me there was a couple that'd I'd seen a few times along the way, and she says to me that I've got this and to keep going. Don't give up. I think I smiled at her and told her I wasn't giving up yet, just moving slow.

I filled Dana in on my 3rd running angel, and unsurprisingly she got even more cheerleader-y (that should be a word). I asked how Steve had done, and he was hanging out with her. I heard him holler through the phone, cheering me on. I was very proud of him, which helped keep me going. We talked about the course change at some point, because I don't remember going all around Bicentennial Park the way we did. Those speed bumps almost did me in. How can they expect me to pick up my leg that high? Clearly, I'm joking but the dark side of my humor was showing more and we had some good chuckles over the clever and creative ways the race organizers were secretly trying to do us in. I also remember commenting on how I didn't like the course change, but I guess the NFL Draft had decided to take up where we usually finish the last mile of the race. Stupid NFL Draft.

Dana and Steve both got more excited as I neared the finish. I think at a mile out she kept screeching that I was so close, and I kept getting mad at her because I was still so far. I mean 5, 280 feet is a lot, especially when you're hurting and you probably should've been done at mile 8. I honestly don't remember when I got off the phone with her, but I know that I didn't talk to her as I crossed the finish line, and I wasn't talking with her when I was able to repay the kindness that one of my running angels had bestowed on me.

As I came to the final bridge, over the Cumberland River, off to the side, sitting on the curb was the very kind woman who'd cheered me on around mile 10. She was cradling her head and hunched over less than a half mile from the finish. I stopped and asked her if she was alright, she said she needed a minute. I told her she had this and that she was so very close. She could do this. I don't know if she realized that she'd cheered me on, but I was reinvigorated over being able to have paid back some of the kindnesses shown me that day. I trudged on with determination.

Not the prettiest finish, but it got done.

I wasn't going to be able to pull a rabbit out of my hat and start running, but I could move with stubborn determination, and that's just what I did. I put my head down and charged forward. I forced my legs to follow the pace that my arms set. The finish line was right there, people around me were starting to pick up the pace, but I didn't care. I started stretching out my legs more, using more of my hips and that actually felt good. Crossing over the finish line was freeing. I'd done it. It hadn't been pretty, but it was done.

I shuffle down the chute and hear Dana and Steve calling my name. I couldn't see anything but them. There was a chainlink fence between us, but I almost knocked it over when I sort of collapsed into Steve's arms and balled on his shoulder. So much emotion vacated my body at that moment, there wasn't talking. He just held me while I cried. Dana, I think, rubbed my shoulder, or maybe it was my pack falling because I'd unclipped it after I'd crossed the finish. Either way, we stood there for a good long bit, and then Stephen told me to look behind me. There were people still crossing the finish line. I wasn't last. I had done it.

We parted ways then so I could gather the rest of the goodies along the chute. I mean, I did need to find the obligatory banana and chocolate milk. They also had gushers. Gushers were my favorite gummy snack growing up. I asked if I could take two, the very best volunteer said yes. It's funny how the simplest things make you the happiest sometimes.

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I found Dana and Steve again, and then we sat. My right hamstring wouldn't release, so I sat with it straight out and let gravity work on it while I ate my goodies. I ended up arguing with Dana because I didn't want my banana, but she made me eat half of it. She fussed at me about my chocolate milk, but that had gotten drunk before I'd even started on the banana. There's something very satisfying in proving your sibling wrong. Anyone with siblings knows what I'm talking about, and I think that's about when I started laughing and relaxing. I was so happy. I was in pain, but I was happy. I was already cataloging the changes I needed to make for the next training plan. Going over what I needed to work on and how to improve, because while I was glad to be done with #13, #14 was going to be better.

So that's my recap. It's not necessarily a happy story or the race I wanted but it's real, and I'm excited to see the improvements on my next half.

Thanks for reading!

5/03/2019

More Inspirational Calendars for 2019

Heather 5/03/2019 0 Comments

How is it already May!?!

Where has this year gone? Why are we already 5 months into 2019?

Ok so that was a lot of questions all at once, but I'm a little dumbfounded.

I'm also a little dumbfounded at how little I've posted this year, but yet I have more content than I ever usually have. It's getting to the point where I'm going to have a huge heap of backlogged posts!
Today's post is more inspirational calendars for y'all. I made these for myself and my new training plan before I'd even finished the last training plan or running Nashville. I get ahead of myself sometimes. That's ok though. I like to have a plan.

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Ben Franklin

This is an adage that I regularly live by. I have even been accused of overplanning *gasp*

Whatever. I am who I am and I like having a plan. It helps me feel like I'm in control. I also had an inkling that the training I did for Nashville was not going to cut it for what my goals are, so I made a more thorough and comprehensive plan, and by saying I made, I really mean I consulted many, many, many training plans and came up with a 20 week plan that I think is going to really help me and my goals.

Just like the last inspirational training calendar post, I am not going to share my training plan. I made it for me, and I am not a professional. I'm hoping that this plan achieves what I want, but in reality, I know that I need time and to keep working at my goals. Getting back to where I was is not going to happen overnight and it may not even happen this year. Getting back to where I was is probably going to take years, and I'm struggling with that new reality. Some days are better than others, but there are moments and days where I'm frustrated and angry. There are moments and days where I've performed at a level less than what I want but I am nevertheless elated. I don't have a formula for what's going to work, but I have common sense, experience, and the drive and determination to keep going - to keep pushing until I've either achieved my goals or settled somewhere that's my best and that's all that matters.

All of that led me to a 20-week program that culminates with the running of the Prince William Half. My very favorite race, but there's a catch. Right now I'm slower than the minimum pace time. I have work to do, and it's luckily already started. I said I was going to take two weeks off after running Nashville, but that lasted a hot minute. I've already logged two workouts, and one was focused on hip strengthening which I am sorely lacking. I'm going to do a full write up of Nashville here in the next few days, so be on the lookout for that.

So without any more delay here are the calendars for May - September. Just click on the images and you'll be directed to my google drive where you can download the images.

Thank so much for stopping by!

3/14/2019

Pattern Review - Butterick 6582

Heather 3/14/2019 0 Comments

I'm finally getting around to sharing some of the outfits I made for our cruise back in February. Let me tell you - January was a whirlwind of sewing. I got so many new things sewn up that some didn't even get packed. I also forgot to take a lot of pictures of the outfits on the boat as well. Luckily, it's starting to warm up here in Virginia so I'll be able to snag some pictures of the outfits that need them.

The cruise had 8 informal nights and 2 formal nights, and I wore this crushed green taffeta number on the first of the two formal nights. The lovely thing about crushed taffeta is that it doesn't matter if it wrinkles because it's already wrinkly! Ha! It's the best thing for packing!

So back to the pattern, this pattern was super easy to sew up. It's a sheath style with some detailing at the neck and shoulders. I was able to alter it for me with no hiccups. The pleating at the shoulders is a nice touch and creates such an elegant neckline. It is a bateau style neckline, but with the way the front is pieced together, it adds a bit of a triangular shape to it rather than the traditional scoop.

I paired this fun 60's sheath with an old pair of Jessica Simpson snake print pumps and kept the jewelry classic, just pearls, and simple earrings. I love how the shoes, while fun, don't overshadow the dress.

I would say that this pattern would be good for someone who has sewn for a little bit and is ready for a bigger challenge. The zipper could give you some issues, but really the dress doesn't ask you do to do anything that is overly challenging.

I apologize for the lack of pictures, but this is the one and only picture of this dress that was taken.

Thanks for stopping by!

3/01/2019

Inspirational Training Calendars for 2019

Heather 3/01/2019 0 Comments

What is this? I'm posting again? What!?

The stars must've aligned, I may be getting back into a semblance of a rhythm, or I had a bad dream.

I'm going to go with the latter, Alex.

I had a bad dream. How, you may ask, does a bad dream equal another blog post?

Easy, I'll show you.

So, no, I didn't make these calendars in my sleep and they're not exactly new.

Let me first explain the bad dream. I dreamt that I was going in for surgery again, this time for my foot, and it was going to take 6 weeks to even start moving again. I freaked out in a big way.

What about my running?

The snarky dream doctor retorted back with, "What running?"

Well, eff you dream lady doctor. I woke up in a bit of a state. I was angry, agitated, and annoyed. I think I got all the A's covered, but the stark realization was that my subconscious was absolutely right. I haven't been running the way I know I need to to get ready for Nashville.

I know I'm scared. I'm scared of so many things, but apparently, the thing I'm most afraid of is never doing it again.

And all of this brings us back to today's post - New Inspirational Calendars.

So these are not "new" in the sense that you've never seen them before. They're not that new, but they're new in the fact that I added color, updated them for 2019, and added a training plan to them that I think I'll be able to stick to. The original post for these calendars is {HERE}.

No, I don't think I can run 5 days a week. I couldn't do that reliably before, so it'd be silly of me to expect it this time around. Not to mention, that my husband might murder me if I put that kind of pressure on myself and have it leak over to the family.

I woke up this morning knowing exactly what I needed to do. 3 runs a week, 2 days of cross-training, 2 rest days. Adjust as needed, but that long run needs to get done. Every. Single. Week.

A quick google search landed me on a doable training plan, that I tweaked for myself. The original plan is from Snacking in Sneakers {HERE}, but like I said, I changed mine. No, I'm not going to share it, because I don't know what works for y'all. I'm not even sure this is gonna work for me, but I'm gonna give it a go.

Here are blank copies of the calendar, in case you want to download your own copies and get started on your own training. Just click the pictures for the full-size version then right-click and save as.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

2/20/2019

The Long and Short of the ACL 5k

Heather 2/20/2019 0 Comments

So it's been a while since I've written a post, and it's not for lack of content. Since September there have been many, MANY, outfits made, coffees consumed, and even some training completed.

I'm here to talk to y'all about how sweet my husband is, and the recovery road I've been on since my last installment 6 months ago. Yes, I know, I've been a bad blogger.

In October, my PT ended and I was on my own for recovery and training. It was daunting, but also a little refreshing. I had no one to answer to but myself, and while I was frustrated with starting over it was good for me to retrain myself in self-discipline.

I'm not saying that I did a stellar job at it. There were way more days that I should've plowed through a workout rather than skipping it, but I will also say that I pushed harder on the days I worked out. I tried to put 100% out there each and every time, and I must say that I'm rather pleased with myself.

I judged myself on my numbers, even when I shouldn't have, but I also did some reflection after each run and figured out where I improved and where I still need to improve.

It used to be that I could head out on a run and reach pace and keep it there. I'd start off at the pace I was going to finish, and that is not the case anymore. It takes a good mile to 1.5 miles to fully warm up, but holy moly when I do warm up it's like opening up all 8 cylinders. Everything becomes smoother, easier, more fluid. My gait lengthens out and I start using more of my stride.

My stride length that has been one of the numbers bothering me. Before the injury, my stride length was almost a full meter long (39" or so for those not up on their metrics). After surgery, my stride length dropped to ~ 32" or .81 of a meter. That's 7" missing from each and every step! That's a lot of inches when you figure that on average I had been taking ~100 SPM (steps per minute). So if I'm shortening my stride by 7" each step, that's 700" or ~18 meters every minute. A mile is 1609 (1600 for sake of simplicity) and if I'm shortening my stride by 18 meters every minute and it's taking me 14 minutes to finish a mile, that means that I'm losing 234 meters a mile. I was losing 1/8th of a mile every mile because my stride length was shorter. Well, no wonder my mile time was slower. I mean other than the fact that I just had surgery as well, but I was not prepared for my stride length to be so greatly affected. So with this knowledge in hand, I knew that part of my focus during training was to regain my stride.

I got bored with the interval training plan that my PT had laid out for me, so I switched it up a bit and started a 5k training plan from Garmin. I went with the Garmin plan because 1) the coach I picked was a PT, 2) the workouts could be downloaded directly to my watch, 3) it was a plan I felt like I could stick to. I then deviated a little from the plan, because the intervals were boring. I did not want to be walking, so I switched up the walking bits to a slow jog, and then pushed it during the running bits. I ran as fast as I could sustain for the duration of the interval and it was hard. My warmup period is much longer now, and those first few short workouts were frustrating because I never did get warm, but towards the middle/end of training the workouts got fun. I hit my happy and my running bliss had been found.

I did discover that my feet had had a little too long to be pampered and all of my protective callouses were gone but they're coming back. My feet also don't look like runner's feet anymore. They've gotten a little soft and cushy, whereas before surgery they were lean and you could see the muscles and tendons in my feet. They looked like feet that knew how to work. At least to me. Maybe I'm a little crazy to be waxing poetic about my feet, but let's be honest, feet are pretty amazing.

There was an ironic comfort in all of the familiar aches and pains that came with training again. Yes, it was familiar but it also felt new. I was acutely aware of my knee and the muscles in the right leg. I knew when I was favoring the left and my hips complained. I missed it. I missed the proof of work. I missed the proof of progress. Having some glorious weather for some of the training runs also didn't hurt. Even the cold weather was nice, I do love me some cold running.

So the hubs and I discussed when the 5k should take place, and I told him that I'd like to do it while we were on the cruise. Fresh, sea air, sunshine, wind, what better things for my first distance race since July? We decided that our 2nd day at sea would be pretty ideal for the race and that was that.

We ran on the treadmill the day before the race. It was awful. I hate the treadmill. They're not long enough for me. It kept yelling at me. The undulating motion of the ship was making it worse. Hubs had no problem. I'm glad that his run went better than mine, but I'm a firm believer that a bad rehearsal can make for a great performance, and that run was definitely not one of my finest.

So the night before the race, we were getting back into our room, and the hubs says he has a surprise for me. He pulls out an envelope which I had almost seen while unpacking our bags two days before, but he had interrupted my unintentional snooping. Inside the folder was a race bib.

He made me a custom race bib. He had titled our race the Americal Caribbean League 5k and the number on the bib was 219. I didn't think much of the number because it was February 2019. He then explained that 2/7, race day, was 219 days since my surgery. I am not ashamed to admit that I teared up. This was one of the sweetest things he's ever done. I know that my training, my neurosis when I don't run, recovery, surgery, well all of it can drive him insane, but for him to do this was overwhelmingly poignant.

Race day dawned bright and early and I was ready. I was excited. I was nervous. He was sleepy, and maybe not as excited as I was. I was already in the right mindset. I was going to own this or give it my all while trying. Then we discovered that the gym was closed. It didn't open until 7 am. It was 6:30. We had a time schedule to keep. Breakfast was being delivered to the room around 8. We needed to be back by then, so then we headed out to the Promenade Deck (Deck 7) and the outside deck was closed. Well crap, we're going to have to go up to Deck 19 and run on that itty bitty track. Steve did the math. 16 laps around equaled a mile. It was going to take 50 laps to equal a 5k. Terrific. Well at least it was a gorgeous morning and I was spending it with my hubby.

We start running. Going in the opposite direction of the few walkers that were up there. My watch screwed up, ok I screwed up and hit the wrong setting, so then I had to restart the race, but race distances always vary, right? Then we were back to it.

We hit a mile done, and I was getting warm. My pace was 13:25 and I was pretty happy about that. It's where I've been running the first mile, and everything was starting to loosen up.

About halfway through the next mile, I found my happy. My stride opened way up and I took off. I felt like I was eating that track up. My legs felt good, even though I wasn't pushing. I was running what felt natural. It was glorious. The sun was coming up and more people were coming up to the deck. Most were walking, but some were up there to take pictures. I was happy as long as everyone stayed out of my way. I would've been more than willing to plow into someone. There was no way I was stopping for anyone. Steve was falling back, but he was holding up. The 2nd mile was done in 12:49.

The last mile went by so fast that I don't even remember most of it. Steve dropped out of the race because his knee was killing him. The concrete was hard on it. He stood at one end of the track talking with people and cheering me on. I focused on my form and using my full stride. Occasionally, cursing at people who were using the track as a photo op. There was another cruise ship on the port side. I asked if he'd seen what line it was, he hadn't. There was an odd comfort in the fact that the track was so little and I was going faster than I had been. I finish the 3rd mile in 12:25. Hell yea!

I ended the 5k with a time of 40:10, avg pace 12:52, avg SPM 138, and a stride length of .91 meters (36"). I am over the moon with all those numbers.

After the race, we walk back down to our room, where the hubs awards me the official ACL medal and we realize that we're not completely right in the head because our children are all still asleep, and we got up to run before the sun rose, while on vacation. It was pretty fantastic.

Breakfast gets delivered and we set it up for them. Small Fry wakes up then and we tell him that breakfast is here for them, and we're off to a celebratory breakfast.

We didn't run again while on the boat, but never fear I've already got the next plan ready and the hubs and I will be ready for RnR Nashville at the end of April!