Well, to say that my life is back to chaos at the moment would be correct. I’m a good week behind on blog reading and trying to catch up. I miss yall!  To say that it is very odd to have a running blog and have to take a running hiatus for almost 8 months is an understatement. Here are my tidbits on life:

My first traveling trip for work was a success with very little pain. I have no idea what has happened, but I have taken a turn for the MUCH BETTER. I can work a full day now with just a little pain. I’ve only had to take the muscle relaxer twice in a week and a half. I seriously want to lace up the shoes and hit the park but I know that isn’t an option. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a little sore but nothing like I was. When I was home this weekend my mom commented on how nice it was to see me walking. I almost forgot what it was like 5 weeks ago when she was helping me to the bathroom and giving me sponge baths!

Updates from 5 weeks Post-Op:

• The lady parts seem okay. No more numbness. Praise the Lord yall. That was scary.
• I’ve added what seems like a ton of new PT exercises (step ups, step downs, squats, speed skaters to name a few) this week and should get the approval to do the elliptical next week. I’ve never been more excited for cardio exercise in my life.
• I’m still doing my arm and ab workouts (triceps, biceps, and 20 situps).
• I haven’t gained any weight. YES!

Now for the tough part. I have gone back and forth and thought about this and felt it was only right to put it on the blog. Some things are left for my personal life (shocker, I know) but I didn’t feel right not mentioning it at all. You may or may not have noticed that P wasn’t around for my surgery. Well, that is because he wasn’t. He decided he needed his space about 2-3 weeks before the surgery and we ended our relationship. I will be brutely honest and say losing running and losing love and being stuck in the bed does not leave one feeling so hot about themselves or life. It was a very, very, VERY hard few weeks. I will always have respect for P and will always have nothing but positive thoughts and memories from our relationship.  I have faith and trust in God that one day I will find what I am looking for in a partner. Life has thrown me a flipping truckload of lemons lately. It honestly can only get better and I’m proud of my strength through it all. That is that.

So when I mentioned that I needed my girls wedding weekend last week, I wasn’t kidding. It hit the spot. It’s all still a little hazy and I had a blast.

Lauren, Amanda, Katie, Me at the Fairhope Brewery. Don’t remember much…

the beautiful bride, Ann Marie, and her new hubby John

yes, it’s very humid in LA (lower Alabama).

me and Tiff closing the bar down. kinda sums up my weekend.

I’m so thankful for these girls, you have no idea. There really is nothing like your oldest, best group of girlfriends. This weekend I head to the beach to hang out with my cousin and listen to a bit of music VIP style at the Hangout Festival.  I guess non running perks include doing what I want, when I want and not worrying about long runs and training, right??

Don’t get me wrong, as much as I joke about my travels/weekends away and loving them, I still get jealous at everyone running at Piedmont Park when I drive by at night/morning.  I also miss Pilates and Flywheel but I know that the old “physical” and “active” me will be back soon and in better shape than ever.

I’ve shed too many tears to mention over the past few weeks and I’m done feeling sorry for myself and allowing myself to sit in a pity party over everything in my life. I felt like nothing was going my way. I was in a funk. It is so very interesting to see how the mind and body work together. I had no idea that all of this would be this hard. It does seem as though me feeling better/moving around more is really helping my mental state. As the recovery goes on and I am allowed to do more physically, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m counting down till August. I know that terrible, cliche/annoying saying, that everything happens for a reason is true. Even with my many setbacks over the past few months, I’m enjoying life. I’m living it.  It doesn’t get much better than that-no matter how many obstacles are thrown my way.

Who are your “go-to” friends when life gets you down? Music festivals-love em or hate the crowds? Going to hangout fest by chance? 

Today is officially four weeks post op. It’s almost comical how much I downplayed this surgery in the beginning. I acted as if I was getting a cavity filled. Here is an update:

• My lady parts still aren’t 100% normal. They are better, but still don’t have all of the feeling back. Definitely not cool. I must be the small percentage that can go up to 6 weeks with numbness. 
• I am still trying to ice on a daily basis.
• I can still only work a few hours at a time without being in pain.
• I am now able to do PT exercises like the rocker board, and can use 6lbs of weight (ankle weight) for my exercises.
• I am officially allowed to do situps. But plain and simple ones and can’t lift above my shoulders. And I can only do 20 of them. Don’t get to excited yall. 

Holding a bridge position for 30 seconds (3 sets).

What has been the most interesting is the muscle spasms. My glutes literally sieze up and I have to massage my butt. Literally, stop in public and grab my ass. I’m sure people think I’ve lost it. The muscle spasms are completely normal, but they are painful and also end up altering my gait and I end up limping.  This happens every, single day.

The most annoying thing is about my pain meds. I don’t like them. Call me crazy, but feeling loopy and lazy is not one of my favorite things in the world. I have figured out (several weeks ago) that I only need a half a pill of both my muscle relaxer and pain med. The full pill makes me high as a kite, half a pill just a little buzzed and fuzzy. I was/am slightly worried that I was dependant on them to sleep.  For the past week or so I have only been taking a half a muscle relaxer, and I know that isn’t a lot, I just didn’t want it to be a crutch. I decided on Sunday to see how I would do without it. I slept okay, not great and had PT on Monday.

That no pill thing was a terrible idea…I honestly was in more pain yesterday than I have been in over 2 weeks. I had to go to a girlfriends house to get on a heating pad and work from her house until my last appointment (that was near her house).  My glute and hip muscles were so tight and wouldn’t relax. It was a rough day. So back to the pain meds.

I haven’t let the surgery keep me too down though. On the weekends I’ve tried to stay busy as best as I can.  I’ve learned I can do a few hours of something in the morning, take a break to rest and ice, and then do something again at night.

This weekend included my first ever Hawks game (and last of the season since they lost)

I did some shopping on Saturday in search for the perfect flats for a wedding that I will be heading to this weekend (I MISS HIGH HEELS). And then I headed to the first annual Shaky Knees Festival. Band of Horses is one of my all time favorite, okay favorite, bands and I’ve seen them live 6 or so times and I couldn’t pass up another show especially when it’s a mile from my house.

Did I mention it was raining all day Saturday? Yes, my girlfriend Kelsey was a trooper and we stood in the rain for several hours to hear them. It was a great show. I skipped the day concerts because of the weather and ended up skipping Sundays shows because of the weather too. One night of the mud was enough.I also managed to squeeze in time with my favorite little nugget last night before heading out of town for work today. I’m a little worried about the travel. I truly thought I would be better when I planned all of this.  I’m stopping to stretch every hour and bringing my ice machine with me and have told myself that I have to stop working when I start hurting. Here’s hoping it won’t be too bad. I’ve got several days on the road before heading home for the wedding I mentioned above-it’s one of my best friends from high schools big day, and I’m looking forward to some QT with the ladies that know me best.

How was your weekend? Anything exciting? Pain pills-take them or leave them? Would you skip a concert in the rain or tough it out?

May is the month of beautiful weather, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and Cinco De Mayo. Did you know it is also Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month? Did you know that Monday, May 6th is Melanoma Monday? Probably not, right?

As some of you know, I have been in the dermatology industry for over five years now. I started out in pharmaceutical sales selling psoriasis and eczema drugs and just recently switched to a cosmeceuticals position. I sell suncare and skincare products to dermatologists, plastic surgeons and med-spas (and they in turn sell the products to their patients). I’m not here to plug my company or products…I’m here to add some education.

Growing up, my mom was always really good about keeping my sis and I well coated in the sunscreen. I am lebanese (50%) and tan quite easily so I was always very dark in the summer. As I grew into my teenage/college years,  I baked. It was so cool to tan, right? I mean, I put afro-sheen  spray all over my body and would sit by the pool.  I’m not lying. It smelled good and gave you a nice shine to attrack the sun. Baby oil was way too messy. I will admit, I only went to the tanning bed a few times. I never wanted to spend my money on tanning (thank goodness).

I would use sunscreen in my 20s but would still hang by the pool (think SPF 15-30). When I got my job in 2008, it all came to a hault. It is NOT okay to walk into a dermatologists office with a tan. I now wear a hat to the pool/beach and always, always wear sunscreen and reapply, reapply, reapply.  I have been checked and luckily, my skin is great. I even get the “only see me every two years.”

When I am running, no matter the season, I have on water resistent sunscreen.  I would say that 90% of the time, you will find me in a hat too.  I wanted to spend some time in the month of May focusing on suncare because I don’t think people are aware…and since most of my readers are runners and we are outside A LOT, it seemed important.

So here we go…

Sun 101 that I think most people aren’t aware of:

UVA: the aging rays

• They cause wrinkles, pigmentation, and loss of elasticity.
• Penetrate and damage collagen and cells
• Can pass through glass
• Are not affected by weather or altitude (hey, out west!)
• Are present all day, every day of the year (yes, winter too)
• INCREASE THE RISK FOR SKIN CANCER

UVB: the burning rays 

• Mostly affect the outer layer of the skin
• Causes sunburns and tanning that increase the risk of skin cancer
• Vary wtih time of day and seasons and are stronger in summer

I figured I would bullet my key ideas with links to some great, longer articles if you are interested:

• The FDA changed how sunscreens can be labeled. Here is an example, but the details are “water resistent” not “water proof” (and they have a  40 min. or 80 min. resistence); have to be approved to be broad spectrum (some stuff at target is from last year-note if it doesn’t say broad spectrum, it’s old or not legit); no such thing at 100SPF, the highest you can get is 50+.
• Physical blocks sunscreens give you the best protection from the sun.  Just find one that is elegant and won’t leave you white (zinc and titanium dioxide).
• Tanning beds are not safe. I don’t care what you say, the CDC agrees with me too. I will literally lose my mind and get on my soap box if you tell me it’s healthy and a great way to get vitamin D. We are runners. You should be getting enough Vitamin D, even through daily sunscreen! 
• Young people get skin cancer. Go get checked once a year. If you missed SarahOuAL’s post on her appointment, check it out.  You can find a dermatologist near you, and even see if there are free screenings available (note-there are a TON in May).
• Sun goes through your car. Check out this truck driver. No really. If you only click on one of the articles, let it be this one. It’s why you should wear sunscreen everyday, EVEN if you work in an office.

Bottom line. Wear a daily sunscreen (under your makeup). Apply a water resistent, sweat friendly sunscreen when you head outside. Look for products with minimum active ingredients and physical blockers if you can. Get a skin check.

Hope I didn’t bore you and you found this to be helpful. If you have more questions, let me know. If you have a story you would like to share, let me know too. I’d love to feature you in the month of May. And if you stuck around and read all of this…

Tell me: Do you where sunscreen every day? Do you get your skin checked annually? If so, what was the last result?  If not, will you go call a dermatologist and let me know? A commenter or two may get a little something in the mail…

Thank you for all your words of encouragement post-surgery. I’ve had two different versions of strong in my life this week.  First, the #BostonStrong.

I felt so helpless last week as much of the running community came together the day after the events to run for those in Boston. I obviously couldn’t. When I found out about this weeks events at my local running store, I had to be there.

I hobbled on my one crutch and went to hang out at Big Peach Running Co (midtown). I saw tons of my TNT running friends, twitter friends, and my blogging friends.  800 runners went to each of their 5 locations in Atlanta. In the pic below, we are all holding up “1″ based on a poem that was written by one of the gals at Big Peach. We are one!

I was lucky enough to hang out in this recovery contraption while everyone ran their 4ish miles.

I then had dinner with Jesica (runladylike), Lindsay (TwistedRunning), and Melissa, (My Peach life).

I needed that time with runners. I needed that time to connect. Why?

Because I am not feeling strong. I am not feeling like a runner. Hell, I definitely don’t feel like an athlete. I may have filled you on the physical aspects of my surgery, but I left out the mental aspect. This is different than any other injury I have had. Those are usually easy to fix.  A chiropractor visit, a foam roll, a couple days off, a massage and even another form of cross training can help get through/fix the problem.

I was/am bed ridden. Sitting for too long hurts. Standing for too long hurts.  The only sort of exercise I get is phyiscal therapy. If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know I had a goal to lose weight and I hit my goal. Well, I was really worried about gaining weight during my time off from exercise. Turns out, you lose muscle mass in about two weeks. I’m down another 5 pounds and not on purpose. Several of my girlfriends commented on how skinny my legs are and how small my butt is now.

Good? No. I don’t want skinny legs. I had skinny legs when I wasn’t an athlete. I loved my quad muscles-they gave my legs definition. I liked my junk in the trunk too. Those legs and glutes have carried me across 30 plus finish lines and that is all I want them to do.

Examples of how weak they are: I attempted to go shopping (yes, I am hard headed) on Sunday-after two hours I was absolutely exhausted. The “shopper” me would’ve never given up 50% off at Banana Republic-but I literally left the mall crying. Sobbing. I couldn’t move another step. I had to rest. Work is no different. I can only make calls (outside sales) for about 3 hours before I have to rest. Tears again.

Holding back tears (see a common thread yet?) yesterday, I told my PT that I was struggling mentally. She told me that to be honest, the mental part of the recovery is harder than the physical. She said most of her active patients have felt the exact same way I do. She did say that building up the muscle is a lot harder than losing it.  That is very apparent. 

I am attempting to get my strength back and stay strong by doing my PT work at home too. I picked up adjustable ankle weights so I can do the weight-specific exercises at home and not just twice a week in PT.

I am proud of the running community for staying strong during such horrible events. I know that I will eventually get my strong back. I know that I will shed more tears and there will be plenty more frustration. I hope you won’t mind a little bit of honesty here and there about how my recovery is going. Thanks for listening.

Did you participate in a #bostonstrong event in your town? 

After everything that happened with Boston, my surgery seemed so trivial. I wanted to wait a few more days to post. 

Last Tuesday, my sister (and baby A) were fabulous and took me to the hospital at 5:45 am. Allison thought it was hilarious to see how much I hate needles and how freaked out I was by the IV.  I sat in a room for a while getting fluids and then was moved downstairs near surgery.

She also thought I looked awful in my “surgery outfit” and good lawd I will agree. Yall should be scared. Honestly, can’t believe I would even post it…but here ya go.  I was trying not to cry. I think. YIKES.The last thing I remember is going to the bathroom. I was out after that. I remember waking up and thinking that the nurse in post-op was a total witch. I vaguely remember the ride home, even though I proceded to take work phone calls, NBD, pretty sure lost a sale on that convo.

My mom decided to come up last minute. I honestly have never been more thankful in my whole life (more on that in a minute). I’m quite independent and way downplayed this surgery. She got to my house a few minutes after I got home.

The first day sucked. BAD. I don’t remember much, I was in pain, attempting to work, and felt sick as shit from all the meds and the anesethisia.  I barely got out of bed the first two days and had to have help going to the bathroom and getting in and out of bed. Below is a prime example of how I felt (mom took this one).I am incredibly lucky to have such fabulous family and friends.  Thank you all for your kind texts, emails, tweets, calls, etc. I continue to be amazed at my friends, especially my blogger/running friends (Corey, you outdid yourself).  You have given me support that I will never forget.  My local friends (you know who you are), thank you for the meals and company. I love you all!

my get well goodies from Corey and sweet card from Kelsey

from family and work

To give you an idea of what all the surgery entailed as far as recovery:

• No weightbaring for 2 weeks. Crutches for those 2 weeks.
• Couldn’t get the incision site wet for 7 days. My mother had to sponge bath me.  I had to wash my hair in the kitchen sink.
• My vagina and leg was/is numb. Doc told me genitals can go numb for up to three weeks. Lucky me. Still working on that one, but getting better. Ladies, imagine not being able to feel when you wipe. TMI, sorry, but didn’t want to leave out a single detail. 
• Living in medical compression for 2 weeks. I cheated the last 5 days and wore running compression socks. That medical compression started to itch like crazy.
• Giving myself (really, mom did this the entire time she was here) blood thinner shots to make sure I don’t get a blood clot. 2 weeks, twice a day.
• Using the legasus machine for 3 hours a day. Also sleeping in it for 2 weeks. I can’t roll over and get my leg/hip in my usual (fetal) sleeping position. I’ve slept on my back with my leg in the air for 2 flipping weeks. HELL.
• Using the compression ice machine several times a day.

The legasus. 3 hours a day and sleeping in it. MIZ.

Blue container in background holds ice and water and “cools” the black thing wrapped around my hip.

When I say I could not have done this with out my mom, that it a huge understandment. She brought me every meal in bed, helped me get in/out of bed, helped me up and down the stairs to my condo, drove me to my PT appointments, gave me all my meds, moved the legasus cpm machine and ice machine, bathed me, helped me go to the bathroom, wiped away my tears (more than once) and was such a lifesaver.  It definitely doesn’t hurt that she is a nurse by trade, but she is my momma. And sometimes that’s all you need.

I had my followup with Dr.Hyman on Thursday and he gave me images of the surgery. The only thing they didn’t have to do was stitch my labrum back together…this is huge news-it speeds up my recovery time and allows me to do a little bit more a bit faster.  I will explain each pic below. Sorry if they are too graphic.

Top Left: All that red is inflammation (but can’t remember on what exactly)
Top Right: He shaved it off
Bottom 2: pic of cartilage I think. Said mine looked great.

Top 2:I think beginning to show the labral tear
Bottom L: above the silver thing you can see frayed edges-that is the labral tear. My bone was rubbing against it and causing the fray. That tiny little fraying caused a hell of a lot of pain.
Bottom R: Where he shaved it off

Top 2: the not smooth bone. Not sure you can actually tell from the pics.
Bottom 2: where he is shaving it off

The 3 red ones: basically the inside of my bone. That will eventually heal and be white again (i think)
Bottom R: while he was in there, he checked out my bursa

and decided to take away the inflammation there too

I thought it would be cool to show yall what actually happened on the inside. What is crazy? That all of that was done through these two incisions.

So as of this past Thursday, I am using 1 crutch, doing some driving (it hurts and I can only go short distances right now), and I was able to stop the blood thinner shots. I will be able to stop wearing compression and bend my leg at 90 degrees on Tuesday.

The toughest part, doc said, is me being patient and understanding not to do too much (me? never!). While the outside incision may look good, the inside still has a lot of healing to do. My bone has to heal from where he shaved it down. To be 100% realistic, he said I won’t be running till August. MAJOR MAJOR BUMMER.

As for now, expect Madonna arms and rockstar abs by the end of summer-because that will be all I’m allowed to do.

Totally creep you out? Can you suggest any good arm workouts? 

I felt the need to write. I can’t lace up and run in honor of those affected and that is the only thing that seems right. I wish I could be at my local running store tomorrow morning but I can’t. Instead, I put out my thoughts in words and pray. If you don’t pray, lift up your thoughts.

I’ve sat in bed the past week feeling somewhat sorry for myself and recovering from surgery (update soon). I was able to watch the Boston Marathon today on my computer and loved cheering on all of my friends from afar. I loved seeing friends BQ again, set PRs, and watch Kara and Shalane make us proud. I had hoped to qualify for Boston this year. I still hope to qualify for Boston next year. It’s that BIG GOAL race for so many runners.  I can only imagine what it feels like to qualify, much less actually run on Marathon Monday. I could feel the excitement for my friends all over social media this morning and I loved every minute of it.

To see what happened with the bombing was absolutely devastating. I will never understand why people do things like this, but thinking about the finish line of a marathon is even more saddening to me. I have spent the last few months in that area at races. To see the look of determination, glory, fight, excitement and all that hard work and effort rolled into the final few seconds of a very long training journey is inspiring. I actually teared up at the RNRNOLA and the Publix finish. I absolutely love running, spectating, and especially the finish line.

Knowing that the many that were hurt were spectators is so terrible. You know that they were there to cheer on that loved one that was going to be crossing the famous Boston finish line soon. As runners, we know how important that support group is-they put up with our early training runs, obsessive training plans, and lots and lots of racing. I can’t imagine what those families are going through right now.

My heart goes out to everyone there, because no matter what, you were affected. If you finished, your race will still be tarnished with this memory. If you were still out on the course, you couldn’t finish. Whoever did this is so hateful. Races are a place for goals, dreams, and accomplishment. They are usually a happy day.

I will admit, I have had a fear that something like this would happen for a long time. There are a lot of big races out there, Boston and NYC being the two that always came to mind.  But these assholes will not take away our joy. They will not take away our love for running. They will not take away our love for the sport. They cannot destroy the running community.

I was so proud to see the support all over social media, proud to see the reports of runners going to donate blood, and proud of those than ran to help instead of running away. I am incredibly honored and proud to be part of such an amazing group of people. Thank you for being you. Even in tragedy (and injury), I’m proud to call myself a runner.

Hug those close to you and tell them how much you love and care for them each and every day. 

This weekend my mom and I were talking and she asked how I was doing. She was expressing concern about my mental wellbeing and it took me a minute to comprehend. I’m going through a lot right now, some stuff you are familiar with and some stuff that will remain in my private life (yes, even bloggers have them). My first though was, I’m fine. What are you talking about??

And then it hit me. For the first time in many, many years, I have learned to focus on the positives in my life. Years ago (high school, college, early 20s) I wasn’t the happiest person in the world. I’m pretty sure my glass was half empty and I probably wasn’t the nicest person either-at least this is how I saw myself.

I will 100% admit to being in therapy on and off for the past eight years. I am a firm believer that everyone needs it. I think it is truly what changed me and gave me self confidence to love the person that I am and to learn to see the glass half full. I don’t go nearly as often as I used to go (in the beginning it was twice a week) and I only go now when I am really, really struggling with things.

So back to my convo with mom…

I could focus on the ankle sprain and my time away from running, the assault, the stress of a new job, too many diagnoses of cancer in my family to speak of in the past 6 months, and most recently my upcoming hip surgery.

BUT…my thoughts have all been positive. Not to sound egotistical, but I love who I see in the mirror. I’ve lost 8-9 pounds since January, I LOVE my new job, I’ve paid off my credit cards, I have a job I love (even if it’s more stressful), and more loved ones that care about me than I can even mention. I’m truly blessed.

I will admit, I burst into tears when she said it. I think I put on a happy face a lot, push forward and really think on the bright side of things 99% of the time. But I finally let it all out. It felt good to release the fears and the anxiety, but it also make me realize how different I am. I’m proud of the woman I’ve become and happy to admit when life throws me lemons, I choose to make lemonade.

I’m leaving you with a pretty well known inspirational story that I think not-so-randomly made it on my facebook feed this weekend. Another quick reminder that I needed to see. I love this story (see below) and had forgotten it.

A little self reflection: Is your glass half empty or half full? When life throws you lemons, do you make lemonade? Are you really thankful for what you have? 

The mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions – and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

“The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house and your car.”

“The sand is everything else – the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and enquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked.

“It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

I know I have mentioned it before, but I am super excited to be an Ambassador for Nuun. I have been a huge fan of their product for several years and I am so excited to represent them when I get back to racing.  I even have this fancy new singlet to rock once I am running again.

Have you tried the new Nuun flavors?? I’m slightly obsessed with all three and there is no way I could choose a favorite. Watermelon tastes like a jolly rancher. Lemonade, well, it’s lemonade, but you can definitely come up with some fun creations (1/2 tea, 1/2 lemonade and 1/2 tri-berry, 1/2 lemonade come to mind quickly).  Cherry limeade has a little bit of caffeine so I’ve been taking that one to my early morning flywheel classes for a little boost (fav combo of all time- 1/2 cherry limeade 1/2 kona kola).  I was even nice enough to share with my guests the other weekend when they visited. They all loved Watermelon.

Although I can’t re-apply for Hood to Coast, I do get the opportunity to relay with them again this Fall! This will now be my goal “get-to” race post surgery. I get to hang with my NUUNHTC buddies from last year, which is even more sweet since I am missing Eugene with them. We will be running Ragnar Adirondacks Sept 27-28th.

And speaking of Hood to Coast, it’s time for applications!! I’m going to be honest, I was super bummed I couldn’t re-apply. I didn’t get to actually finish last year since I sprained my ankle, and was hoping for a redo. Maybe another year. I actually had my application planned before we even left last year and I told Mason I would follow through with part of it, application or not.

I do love that they are choosing all new lady bloggers this year, which means 20 opportunities are out there for YOU! The deets on the application, dates, etc. are up on the Nuun blog.

Here are my top 3 tips on why you should apply:

1. Nuun and the peeps behind it. Seriously. The free swag is awesome and all, but Nuun treats you first class all the way. That part is way cooler. We had plenty of activities pre-relay where we got to know each other and the amazing people behind the brand. They have all become friends IRL too and have been super supportive.  They were great with my injury at the race and even after my assault in the fall.  They really truly care about each and every person they get to know.  Not to mention, all of my PO’s from my Nuun orders come with super fun names now. I love having my extended running family in Seattle and everyone should be so lucky to know them IRL too.

Kim and Zoe (Nuun peeps) helping me to the bathroom after the sprain.

2. Lots of new blogger friends. I totally blog stalked to get to know each and every person that was selected. I can honestly tell you I made friends for life last year and still talk to some of them on a weekly basis.  The running and blogging community is so special-and there is something about that HTC experience that makes it even cooler.

NUUNHTC team at Oiselle

3. Memories, memories, memories. There will never be another race experience like it. That I can guarantee you.  It’s so hard to put it all into words. So just do it. You’ll totally regret not at least trying once August rolls around and Twitter and your blog feed are blowing up #NUUNHTC .  I know I will be jealous.

Yes, I really kissed a fish, after catching it, at Pike’s Market.

My top 3 tips to make your application stand out:

1. Be Yourself. I put a ton of my personality in my video. They want to know YOU.  Be funny, be entertaining, have fun, and tell YOUR story. Whatever that may be.

2. Ignore your stats. I got annoyed last year when people said “it was all big blogs” chosen year after year. Um, have you seen mine? I by no means have 1 bazillion followers and neither did most of my teammates. That stuff doesn’t matter.

3. Talk about Nuun. Duh. You are running to represent Nuun. They are your host. You obviously need to like the product and talk about the product, but be sincere.

Need some inspiration? Check mine out. A little story about me, some Nuun creativity, and a short video complete with a southern accent.

Still undecided? Go read my recaps (all under my races tab) and any of the recaps from my NUUNHTC teammates from last year.  Let me know if you need help or ideas or want someone to just review it before you submit.

Have you tried the new flavors? Are you applying!?!?! 

To say I am overwhelmed is an understatement. The reality of this surgery is setting in, and my lofty, lofty goal of running the Peachtree Road Race July 4th is quite hilarious. Turns out I will be lucky to be able to walk 3-4 miles in July, much less go for a 6.2 mile run through Atlanta. Let me back it up.

As I mentioned, it’s very obvious that I need surgery. I finally got the pics and you can see them here.

the arrow points to the tear

this one shows the bone and the tear

a better pic of the bone. that area will be shaved off in surgery.

I finally got a call last week that my insurance was going to cover the procedure, but two of the codes the insurance doesn’t cover up front. I had to pay $1500 out of pocket. I may or may not get some of that back. Thank goodness for my tax refund (that I had not spent yet).  The surgery is now scheduled for April 9th, two weeks from today.

I was out of town for work last week and stressed and didn’t have my regular workout options so I decided to hop on the treadmill. I just needed to see how bad it still was and let out some tension. I think part of me needed to justify the surgery.

Two miles down, slow and not wonderful. They actually didn’t hurt while doing them, but I could immediately tell after I finished that I was sore. Add a four hour car ride home on Thursday and I was popping Aleve like nobody’s business.

Friday was my first pre-surgery physical therapy appointment (with a PT at the doc’s office). I quickly realized that my right hip is weak (shocker) and also learned how much I was down playing this surgery. I won’t be able to exercise for 3 months. 3!!! MONTHS. It may be shorter than that, but I am preparing myself for the worst case scenario. No pilates, no running, no elliptical, no spin, no yoga. Just PT.

I’m not going to lie, I burst into tears as soon as I got into my car.

Fast forward to Monday-my pre-op appointment. It started around 1:45 and I left around 4:30. First up, paperwork. There’s lots of technical names that go with this surgery, but I will wait and see what I actually have done and explain it all after the surgery. It’s not just “hip arthroscopy.” The packet that I was told to read ended up being LOTS of paperwork that scared the crap out of me.  I flipped the page to see warning below. I totally understand this is to prevent lawsuits from the crazys in the world, but geeze.

Then, lots and lots of prescriptions. Pain pills, naseau pills and who knows what other kind of pills. I will also have to take shots (twice a day for two weeks) to keep my blood thin since I am on birth control (didn’t want to get off) and blood clots can be a risk.

I then had to go check in with anesthesia, have blood drawn, and then final x-rays of my hip. I was exhausted.

I will have one more PT session and also meet with a home health company to give me some machine that I have to attach my leg to at home post-surgery.  I have loved ones staying with me because apparently someone will need to turn my leg (or something) and help me get to the bathroom and also make sure I don’t move my hips too much post surgery. All very, very overwhelming.

It’s been emotional. I like to be in control (hate pain meds). I am independent. I don’t like asking people to do things, I like to do them for myself. I don’t like being needy. This is all a learning experience for me and I wasn’t really prepared for what all the surgery entailed.  I think I was in denial and thought I would be back at it in no time (hence me signing up for a 10K in July). I most likely won’t be able to run for another 3-4 months and I am okay with that.

I know all of this will make me stronger in the end and will help me learn how to lean on others, but I am struggling.

Do you do well depending on others or do you like to do it yourself? Pain meds- take em or leave em? Did you get a tax refund? If so, please tell me you bought something fabulous and didn’t have to buy a hip.

It’s not as fun to do monthly recaps when you don’t run. Oh well. Here’s to February.

Miles Planned/Actual: 100 something?/1. I had to put it in there. I ran a mile at PT and realized I wasn’t getting better.

Cross Training Planned/Actual: No plan. Go when I can. I went to flywheel so much I earned a “free” shirt for points earned as well as my own spin shoes. That’s pretty cool.

Races Planned/Actual: 1/0.  I should’ve PR’d at RNR Nola. Instead, I ate, drank, and cheered.

Challenges Completed: 0.

Current Aches/Pains: The hip. I’m so glad to have answers and glad to have a great doc. I’m terrified of the recovery and the surgery-but more to come on that soon.

Current Book: I decided to read the other 2 books by Gillian Flynn. I finished Sharp Objects and loved it. I’m still trying to finish Dark Objects-but find it hard to read at night-I hate reading suspense before bed, I end up having to turn something “happy” on tv to calm my mind back down so it’s taking me a while to finish. Hopefully soon though!

Current Obsession: Getting through hip arthroscopy. This is not a normal obsession.

Current Drink: UM, ALL THE NEW NUUN FLAVORS! OBSESSED! Cherry-limeade, lemonade, and watermelon. I love them all.

Current Like: Having answers. Being home in Atlanta for a few weeks. Down time. My niece.

Current Dislike: I know yall are sick of hearing it, but I miss running so much.

Current Treat: none of that! It’s lent. I gave up sweets. I can’t wait for mini-eggs though!

Current Excitement: hmm. Is it bad to say I don’t have anything?

Have you tried the new NUUN flavors? Read anything good lately?