Half Marathon Progress... and Inspiration Board!!

So... I'm kind of losing my motivation to keep running. Or, more accurately, I'm coming to the realization that the half marathon race is less than two months away and I am freaking out. haha... I'm not sure what I expected considering I hated running to begin with... and have never been good at it. I must admit though, I am improving and I am beginning to enjoy those improvements. ;) I don't dread running anymore (at least not the act of running)... but I really needed to get "A Plan" in motion for the remaining two months.

I feel like I am so behind schedule... mostly due to health issues...not major ones, but just little roadblocks. For instance, I had been having off and on stomach pains for the past year. They weren't debilitating just annoying... and every time I thought I should go to the doctor about it... they would go away within a few days. I thought perhaps it was an ulcer... and the more that I stewed on it... the more I was certain that I had a ginormous stomach tumor that would aggressively eat all of my vital organs if I didn't get it checked out. So I went to the doctor, had blood work done... not an ulcer, not anemic... white blood cell count looked good... everything was normal. So, of course... I had to get an Upper GI. OK. Has anyone ever had one of these? Seriously, it was so awful. They make you drink this fizzy crap that makes your stomach feel like someone just filled it up like a helium balloon.... then they make you swallow this sludgy metal crap that tastes like... like... crap while they make you do log rolls (round and round in circles) while they snap xrays. And that's not it... they make you gulp this metal crap continuously for like 45 seconds. It was awful. And I'm probably a big baby. ;)

Anyway, so I ended up having a hiatal hernia in my stomach... which they were either going to prescribe me medicine to reduce the pain... or do surgery (that they couldn't guarantee would fix it anyway). So during the whole process of this ordeal (several weeks)... I wasn't really running out of fear that I would be making a bad situation worse. I finally got the OK from the doctor to exercise as normal... so I'm back in action.

But that's not all. So... I start running again and I have really bad knee pain now. So I diagnosed myself with Iliotibial Band Syndrome (just because I don't have an MD after my name, doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. ;) You want a diagnoses? I'll give you one, all right!)
So it is basically excessive friction of your Iliotibial Band against your knee bone... which obviously causes major irritation and inflammation... and hurts to high heaven. You can't "run it off"... the more you continue to run the more inflamed it gets. The only remedy is to rest it for a few days... ice it, compress it and elevate it. And then stretch it. So I feel like I've been taking so many in between running days to rest the pain away... just for it to come back. UGH.

So, as a result, I have come to the conclusion that this half marathon business will be a "run/walk"... emphasis on the walk haha... instead of the other way around. Oh well. So anyway, I guess you can say I've been a little discouraged. I thought... if I just channel this frustration... maybe I will motivate myself. I'm a very visual person. I hate not having a plan I can see. I like checklists. I like to mark things off, cross things out... add things up to get a total. I'm a weirdo.

So what did I do? I made me an inspiration board!! With a plan!! That I can visualize! And I can write on and cross out and total up miles and stuff! Yeehaw. ;)

Here it is in all of it's glory. Jon will be lucky if he comes home and doesn't find it hanging in the living room. haha (Oh, don't you worry, the thought has already crossed my mind.)

Oh, you thought you would get away without touring my board? Oh you did, did you? Okay. Okay. haha... think again...I didn't spend 2 hours and half my glue stick for this thing not to be adored by the 3 of you who read my blog... ;)

So I cut out things that would motivate me. I made a daily schedule for myself... so I figured if I had to look at the board to see my schedule for the day... then I might as well like what I see... and if I like what I see, I'll be excited to come see the board every morning... which, in turn, will make me excited to go run....henceforth, giving me the motivation that I am desperately lacking. Yeah, that is Melissa-logic. You aren't the only one that doesn't get it. haha ;)

And I tied it with some pretty ribbon... Yes, those are thumb tacks. Get off my back, that's all I could find without going outside into the hot garage looking for a hammer that is probably misplaced anyway.

I added some inspiring bible verses all around... I like the run and not get tired part. Yes, allow me to translate that literally for reasons of the inspiration board. ;) You know... I have had reoccurring dreams for as long as I can remember about being able to run and run and run and never get tired. I wake up just craving a run...so I go and after .25 miles I am angry. and hot. and sweaty. and out of breath. and wondering why I am not more like the me in my dream. ;)

OK, so the whole board is themed Disney... obviously because I am running the Disneyland Half Marathon... so here is the castle... which we get to run through (hence, motivation! this isn't rocket science here. You following me, camera guy?)

More scripture... oh, oh... and the big A. I am so excited because the marathon trail goes into Angel stadium and you get to run the bases. I think I am more excited about that than running through Disneyland!

OK, so the girl in the orange doing those stretches is NOT me. I am sorry girl in the orange that I cut you out and put you on my board... but I need to see how you are stretching your Iliotibial Band...so I can do it, too... complete with instruction. :) PS girl in the orange... did you really paint those walls peachy salmon? I'll give you the benefit of the doubt...perhaps you are like me whose landlord won't allow you to paint over the ugly choice of color... poor, poor girl. I hope you negotiated that into the rent price.

I say this to myself when I run. Partly to reinforce it and meditate upon it in my head, partly because I think they may be my last thoughts before I pass out and die.

Another verse that you probably can't even read. Nevermind that. It's good, take my word for it.

So that is my progress. And that is my Marathon Inspiration Board. Now ask me in a week if I'm motivated and still following the schedule.

PS...be proud of me...I went to the gym on base all by myself today. haha I have no idea why...but going on base by myself scares me. I feel like I am doing everything wrong and I am going places I'm not supposed to be. I'm sure I will eventually get used to it but this whole military life is very new to me. And it doesn't help that there is nothing to do in town. I feel like such a hermit. A hermit that stays locked up in the house... making friggin inspiration boards and gets excited that I don't have to leave and go to Walmart when I find an unused glue stick in the craft room. I mean, who even uses a glue stick? I don't have kids. I don't have a reason. It must have been my lucky day. ha! Alright. I suppose Jon will want some dinner when he gets I home. I better go get his bowl of cereal ready... haha I kid. I kid. Maybe he'll get a hot dog. ;)

Toodaloo!