Congratulations!!! This is very good news. Like I've said: your dedication and perseverence is SO motivating. Well done, Ms. Kellybones, well done.
I have runner's envy. I keep getting the shin splints, which is throwing everything off. I continue to do the stretching and walk through the pain, but I cannot get myself into a gait (without having shooting pains of fire racing up the length of my shins and into my knees). I even bought new shoes - $100 shoes from a place that measures your gait, balance, pressure points, etc. Very frustrating. Yet, I will NOT give up!
I hardly ever wear matching bra and panties! Congrats, though two miles...well, keep it up and get to 10K, and then stop there!!! I firmly believe that's about all that is healthy.
@dancedout - I hardly ever match either - which is why I had to report it!
My goal, at least for this year - is a 5k (3.1 or so miles).
Next year I plan to hike the Grand Canyon (but will be running and keeping in cardio shape while training for it). I'd like to get my running up to at least 10k
2010 I'm shooting for a half marathon - which may be a bit ambitious but just something I'd like to do ONCE. Not something I'd want to maintain. I agree that too much is unhealthy but man, I just want to be able to say that I did a half marathon!
@ponderous - What part of your foot strikes the ground first? I'm shin split prone if my heel hits first, I get calf pain (the opposite but equivilent of shin splints) if my toe hits first. I've been learning to try to hit almost flat footed. That seems to help.
And I hope your shin splints get better! I find I'm enjoying running - who'd a thunk?
@Kellybones - How are you going to hike the GC? From the south rim or the north, and to the bottom and back up? From the south, it's one day down, two days up--and you'll blister on the way down, so count on it! I've done it one and a half times, and one of my biggest goals in life is to hike N rim to S rim, someday, when I find someone to do it with. Also, you have to make reservations like a year ahead of time now!
I've done two half-marathons, way back when. They're not too bad, I guess. I stayed with the leading women--yes, in a mannish way, I found some comfort in watching their butts.
Biking might help your shin splints--really flex your ankle and toes on the down part of the rotation--no stress, stretches, applies force. Also changing shoes can help--softer, pronation control, all that jive.
@dancedout - Our current plan is to hike down South Kaibab (7 miles), lunch at Phantom Ranch and then hike up Bright Angel (10 miles) all in one day. All on the South Rim. Sounds ambitious, I know but my Weight Watchers leader (who is 69) does it twice a year every year. This is also why we're going to take a full year to train for it - I have no urge to be helicoptered up from the bottom! I believe it's likely to be around 14 hours of hiking - which means headlamps on the way down and up as well as some heavy duty layering to deal with the temperature differentials (we aim for this time next year which means around 70 on the rim and 110 or so on the floor of the Canyon!).
Congrats on having done it even ONCE! Or once and half, I guess. I'm really excited about it - I can't wait until it cools off here a bit and we can start training. When we go on vacation at the end of this month, we're heading up to the mountains (the White Mountains which are North East of Phoenix). We will be there for four or five days and will be hiking everyday with a cabin at night. I am really looking forward to that as our kick off for Grand Canyon 2009!
Did you find the half-marathons too long? Mentally, I mean. That's my concern. I'm training my brain now to just do shorter runs (30 minutes or so) but even that is taking a lot of my concentration!
@Kellybones - Oh, don't do it!!! I've done that exact route! Though, we carried backpacks and water, etc. Still, it is very tough, and you don't know the suffering we saw at the bottom! No, we didn't suffer, but we saw many who could not make it back up. The descent really tears up your feet. I saw people crying, wives screaming at their husbands, people being carried...With packs, it's the law: one day down, two days up from the south rim. I hiked to Plateau Point and back w/o a pack, and I was a dead zombie half-way back up--the only way I made it was, well, what choice did I have (that is the "half").
I think it was the greatest experience of my life, the three days/two nights...and when you get in, it's no longer a canyon, it's a inverted mountain range. Best place in the whole world!
@dancedout - As much as I'd love to make it a longer trip - I can't leave the doggers! It's bad enough to leave them for the 2 nights/1 day of the Canyon trip we're already planning but any longer...oh hells no! And the Grand Canyon doesn't allow pups on the trails, especially not at the bottom.
I'm convinced it will be the hardest thing I've ever done. Which is why I want to do it. It is also why I will be training like a beast for it - and we will be backpacking down not just hiking. I am planning to carry plenty o' water and gear. I actually look forward to the suffering, honestly. How else do you know you're truly alive than to feel like that? The challenge of keeping going after you just want to quit, the burning thighs and sore muscles, the blisters and the aching feet...I can't imagine NOT wanting to do it! A bit daft, perhaps but really, how many people can say that they've done it? How many people really seek a true challenge to overcome?
Will I be prepared? Yup. And overprepared. Especially given that I have one bad hip (oops, cars shouldn't run you over) and one bad shoulder (oops again, you should really be careful how you use them when you're young) that I have to take care of - they've improved drastically since I've dropped forty pounds and started working out so regularly.
Will I always feel this motivated or excited or this full of anticipation? Nope. But those are all just emotions. I plan to hike the canyon on two things - none of which are emotion. I will hike it on preparedness and DETERMINATION.
It's good to be stubborn, yo!
@Kellybones - i think my heel hits first. I also get the calf (calves?) pain - it's like a charlie horse, but I generally can walk out of that. I'll have to pay attention tomorrow morning. I don't mind the jogging so much either. and I love the power walking. Once I hit the 20 minute mark, I feel like I could walk forever (especially when I don't have pains of fire shooting up my legs).
@Kellybones - I wouldn't do that even with my 100-mile triathlon-running-body of my early 20s. It was a HUGE experience on the three day/two night way. I am not saying you won't do it, won't survive it--but I do say it'll diminish your experience from something glorious to something agonizing with no time to smell the roses. The 17 miles isn't so much, it's the one mile descent/ascent that rules your experience, and is very different than anything one gets in the real world.
Ok Kellybones, fill me in on how you can buy this 'willpower' item. Frankly lately I've just had it. You'd think that being thirty pounds down and two dress sizes smaller would be motivation enough, but my mental ability to keep my eye on the prize is totally gone. I'm sick of having to plan every morsel that goes in my mouth and getting up at five a.m. to run.
Can I buy one of your willpowers? I'm fresh out...
Comments (11)
Congratulations!!! This is very good news. Like I've said: your dedication and perseverence is SO motivating. Well done, Ms. Kellybones, well done.
I have runner's envy. I keep getting the shin splints, which is throwing everything off. I continue to do the stretching and walk through the pain, but I cannot get myself into a gait (without having shooting pains of fire racing up the length of my shins and into my knees). I even bought new shoes - $100 shoes from a place that measures your gait, balance, pressure points, etc. Very frustrating. Yet, I will NOT give up!
I hardly ever wear matching bra and panties!
Congrats, though two miles...well, keep it up and get to 10K, and then stop there!!! I firmly believe that's about all that is healthy.
@dancedout - I hardly ever match either - which is why I had to report it!
My goal, at least for this year - is a 5k (3.1 or so miles).
Next year I plan to hike the Grand Canyon (but will be running and keeping in cardio shape while training for it). I'd like to get my running up to at least 10k
2010 I'm shooting for a half marathon - which may be a bit ambitious but just something I'd like to do ONCE. Not something I'd want to maintain. I agree that too much is unhealthy but man, I just want to be able to say that I did a half marathon!
@ponderous - What part of your foot strikes the ground first? I'm shin split prone if my heel hits first, I get calf pain (the opposite but equivilent of shin splints) if my toe hits first. I've been learning to try to hit almost flat footed. That seems to help.
And I hope your shin splints get better! I find I'm enjoying running - who'd a thunk?
@Kellybones - How are you going to hike the GC? From the south rim or the north, and to the bottom and back up? From the south, it's one day down, two days up--and you'll blister on the way down, so count on it! I've done it one and a half times, and one of my biggest goals in life is to hike N rim to S rim, someday, when I find someone to do it with. Also, you have to make reservations like a year ahead of time now!
I've done two half-marathons, way back when. They're not too bad, I guess. I stayed with the leading women--yes, in a mannish way, I found some comfort in watching their butts.
Biking might help your shin splints--really flex your ankle and toes on the down part of the rotation--no stress, stretches, applies force. Also changing shoes can help--softer, pronation control, all that jive.
@dancedout - Our current plan is to hike down South Kaibab (7 miles), lunch at Phantom Ranch and then hike up Bright Angel (10 miles) all in one day. All on the South Rim. Sounds ambitious, I know but my Weight Watchers leader (who is 69) does it twice a year every year. This is also why we're going to take a full year to train for it - I have no urge to be helicoptered up from the bottom! I believe it's likely to be around 14 hours of hiking - which means headlamps on the way down and up as well as some heavy duty layering to deal with the temperature differentials (we aim for this time next year which means around 70 on the rim and 110 or so on the floor of the Canyon!).
Congrats on having done it even ONCE! Or once and half, I guess. I'm really excited about it - I can't wait until it cools off here a bit and we can start training. When we go on vacation at the end of this month, we're heading up to the mountains (the White Mountains which are North East of Phoenix). We will be there for four or five days and will be hiking everyday with a cabin at night. I am really looking forward to that as our kick off for Grand Canyon 2009!
Did you find the half-marathons too long? Mentally, I mean. That's my concern. I'm training my brain now to just do shorter runs (30 minutes or so) but even that is taking a lot of my concentration!
@Kellybones - Oh, don't do it!!! I've done that exact route! Though, we carried backpacks and water, etc. Still, it is very tough, and you don't know the suffering we saw at the bottom! No, we didn't suffer, but we saw many who could not make it back up. The descent really tears up your feet. I saw people crying, wives screaming at their husbands, people being carried...With packs, it's the law: one day down, two days up from the south rim. I hiked to Plateau Point and back w/o a pack, and I was a dead zombie half-way back up--the only way I made it was, well, what choice did I have (that is the "half").
I think it was the greatest experience of my life, the three days/two nights...and when you get in, it's no longer a canyon, it's a inverted mountain range.
Best place in the whole world!
@dancedout - As much as I'd love to make it a longer trip - I can't leave the doggers! It's bad enough to leave them for the 2 nights/1 day of the Canyon trip we're already planning but any longer...oh hells no! And the Grand Canyon doesn't allow pups on the trails, especially not at the bottom.
I'm convinced it will be the hardest thing I've ever done. Which is why I want to do it. It is also why I will be training like a beast for it - and we will be backpacking down not just hiking. I am planning to carry plenty o' water and gear. I actually look forward to the suffering, honestly. How else do you know you're truly alive than to feel like that? The challenge of keeping going after you just want to quit, the burning thighs and sore muscles, the blisters and the aching feet...I can't imagine NOT wanting to do it! A bit daft, perhaps but really, how many people can say that they've done it? How many people really seek a true challenge to overcome?
Will I be prepared? Yup. And overprepared. Especially given that I have one bad hip (oops, cars shouldn't run you over) and one bad shoulder (oops again, you should really be careful how you use them when you're young) that I have to take care of - they've improved drastically since I've dropped forty pounds and started working out so regularly.
Will I always feel this motivated or excited or this full of anticipation? Nope. But those are all just emotions. I plan to hike the canyon on two things - none of which are emotion. I will hike it on preparedness and DETERMINATION.
It's good to be stubborn, yo!
@Kellybones - i think my heel hits first. I also get the calf (calves?) pain - it's like a charlie horse, but I generally can walk out of that. I'll have to pay attention tomorrow morning. I don't mind the jogging so much either. and I love the power walking. Once I hit the 20 minute mark, I feel like I could walk forever (especially when I don't have pains of fire shooting up my legs).
@Kellybones - I wouldn't do that even with my 100-mile triathlon-running-body of my early 20s. It was a HUGE experience on the three day/two night way. I am not saying you won't do it, won't survive it--but I do say it'll diminish your experience from something glorious to something agonizing with no time to smell the roses. The 17 miles isn't so much, it's the one mile descent/ascent that rules your experience, and is very different than anything one gets in the real world.
Ok Kellybones, fill me in on how you can buy this 'willpower' item. Frankly lately I've just had it. You'd think that being thirty pounds down and two dress sizes smaller would be motivation enough, but my mental ability to keep my eye on the prize is totally gone. I'm sick of having to plan every morsel that goes in my mouth and getting up at five a.m. to run.
Can I buy one of your willpowers? I'm fresh out...
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