Shannon B. Chenoweth

This past Saturday was Florida Hospital’s Celebration of Running 5k event in downtown Orlando. This race signifies the first of Track Shack’s Grand Prix Racing Series each year. Since injuring my back at the end of March, I can no longer run the races, but I was looking forward to walking the event. I made a goal going in to try to walk the 3.1 miles in 50 minutes or less.

I woke up at 5am to have breakfast and to get myself ready to go for the event. I’m definitely not a great morning person, but I can get myself moving at such an early hour if need be. Once I was dressed and ready to go, I headed out the door. It was 6:30am at that time (I need time to really wake up, thus the setting the alarm that early) and I knew that I could get to the Florida Hospital parking garage by 7am.

Once I arrived at the parking garage and parked, I quickly gathered my iPod and bib and went down to the race check-in and starting area. There were lots of people everywhere. Track Shack’s races always seem to be well participated in which is great. I secured my bib onto my shirt and got in line for the restroom. This is the only really bad thing about the races. The facilities that are available are port-a-potties. Not my idea of a fun experience in the slightest. I know from speaking to others at the events that I am definitely not alone in that line of thinking.

Spotting the race walkers table, I went over and spoke with the guy manning the table about competing as a race walker. The only rule that got me for this race is that you cannot have headphones on. This would have meant that I couldn’t utilize my iPod during the 5k. I’m used to always walking with music, so I told him that I’d have to practice sans the music and see about competing maybe at the next 5k.

A voice announced that the race was set to begin in about three minutes, so I immediately headed over to the starting line. I found the “Walkers” sign and got behind it with others who were going to be walking the event. From what I could see, there were quite a number of participants who were going to walk at least part of the race. In previous races, I would start before the walkers, but enough behind a lot of the runners that I wouldn’t get run over or in their way. I tended to do the run-walk-run thing, so the just walking the entire three miles is still a challenge for me even after the I-Drive 5k back in May.

The race started like a bottle rocket shooting off. Everyone got moving. I knew being a bit back in the pack would have me starting about a minute or so difference from the official clock, so I kept that in mind as I got going. I always get a rush of adrenaline during each race, and this time was no different in that regard. I had a smile on my face as I went over the starting line.

By the time I hit the first water stop, I was feeling pretty good. It was hot and humid out, but I was okay. I even opted to pass the water by this time and wait for the next one. Hitting the first mile marker, the clock time was 17:29. This brought a smile to my face. I was making great time!

With a PodRunner mix on my iPod and pride in my step, I kept moving as fast as I could walk. The terrain varied a lot throughout the course. We went over road, brick and gravel. Quite a difference from the conditions I normally encountered during my walks. I’m used to roads and sidewalks, but not brick roads. The varying terrain is a nice up to the challenge of the race.

The water stop for mile two was where I took up the offer of water from the volunteers. The heat and humidity was brutal by this time and even just a bit of hydration was a help. I hit mile marker two about 32 minutes and change into the official time clock. I knew that I was doing well and that if I kept that pace, I could easily finish the race in my goal time of 50 minutes. Keep going! I told myself, you can do it!

Hitting the mile marker sign for mile three about 16 minutes later, I pushed myself harder. You’re almost there! Sweat was dripping down my back, arms and legs, but I kept moving. That beautiful Finish line was in my sights! I crossed the line with a big smile on my face and raised both of my arms in the air. I had done it! Official clock time was 50:36. My D-Chip time was 49:01. Not only had I met my goal of 50 minutes, but I had exceeded it. Finishing a race is a feeling like no other. No matter whether you are a runner or a walker. Already, I can’t wait to get back out there for my next 5k.

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At the beginning of April, I injured my back. This caused my weekly workout regime to become sporadic at best. Since then, I have been getting an average of 2-3 days a week of workouts in. As of this week, I’m attempting to up that number to 4-5 days a week again.

This morning, I got myself up an hour earlier than usual and got myself going for a walk. In all honesty, I really do miss running. The morning workout time symbolizes the time I spent running. So, having to knock things down to a walk or cycling does at times feel discouraging. However, I know that as long as I am working out in some way, I am accomplishing what in the end I want to do. Of course, seeing other runners do their thing does give me a feeling deep down that I miss it a great deal. I don’t know if that will ever completely go away.

I did feel as though I got in a decent workout this morning walking for the most part. Since I went out about 8:30am, it was pretty darn humid. Florida is way too hot for my taste anymore. Granted, I’m sure it’s hot elsewhere in the country, but this state just never seems to really cool down enough in my opinion. I’m very much over temps in the 90s that feel like you’re in the desert. I burned about 170 calories by the end of the walk, so I was pleased with that.

Tomorrow will be another morning walk. I am going to get my bike finally going again by the weekend so I can begin biking in the morning as of next week to mix things up. If I can’t run, I shall bike! I have gotten great results on the stationary bike at the gym, so we shall see how I do biking on the road.

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So, today marked the day of my first epidural steroid shot for my herniated lumbar disk. In all honesty, I was nervous as heck. I could barely get down my lunch and dinner yesterday I had been thinking about it so much. Deep down, I knew I was more than likely over thinking the situation and that it wouldn’t be as bad as I had mentally worked it up to be.

Arriving at the surgery center with my mom (you can’t drive for at least 8 hours after the procedure), we were greeted by a very friendly front desk receptionist who checked me in and took all of my paperwork. A few minutes later, my name was being called and a nurse was leading us back into the procedure room. The nurse was very informative and nice. She took my vitals and asked me some initial questions. The doctor who would be doing the procedure then entered and introduced himself. He told me how the procedure would work and told me my fears were understandable.

I was then told to get on the nearby bed, lying flat on my belly. The procedure would be done with the assistance of an x-ray machines. My lower back was cleaned and prepped and then the doctor began. Initially, I felt the pinching of the numbing medicine he was putting into my back and spine. Then, the steroids were injected. This was uncomfortable and very odd at certain times. Not exactly a fun experience in the slightest. A few minutes later, it was over. I couldn’t have been happier.

The rest of the day has been okay. I’ve experienced some discomfort and pain in my lower back, but believe this will go down by tomorrow. Each shot apparently takes about 48 hours to start to have a noticeable effect and can take up to a week or ten days for the most relief. My second of the three shots is scheduled for next week. While I’m not looking forward to the experience again, I’m doing my best to think of how good I will be feeling in the coming weeks.

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There’s just nothing like having your life turned upside down by an injury. Oh yes, I totally recommend it to everyone. Of course, I’m being sarcastic. It is a horrible experience to have to endure. I was doing well, finally getting back into my workouts (not at such a high intensity, but still, back out there), and now I’ve taken two steps back.

The last six or so days, I’ve gradually had more and more pain and discomfort in my back. Seems to have started last Wednesday evening or thereabouts. The only thing I can guess is that the 5k the previous Saturday and then the gym workout last Monday, then followed by a rough session of physical therapy did me in. Was it too much too soon? Honestly, I don’t know. Neither does my doctor.

Yesterday, I went to work like any other day. I was not feeling well in the slightest. I did my best to drudge through the morning and was just so uncomfortable and in pain that I knew I had to do something. So, I got an appointment with my sports medicine doctor. After working a little less than half my scheduled shift, I left work to hopefully get some answers and more importantly, to get medication or something to help me feel better. The doctor didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know, sadly. He did let me know that my back was a bit inflammed which was more than likely why I was in pain. He gave me some pain meds I could take without passing out in a sleepy stupor and some anti-inflammatory.

This experience has been beyond frustrating for me. It’s such a big hurdle in my longing to be fit and active now. I lost weight and planned on being active the rest of my life. It seems as though that the moment I found a sport I loved (running) that I hit the rock in the road. It continually feels as though it is impassable. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not even remotely giving up, but damn is this hard. I’ve been listening to my physical therapist and the doctor in regards to getting gradually back into my fitness regime, but even that seems to be difficult. My back just seems to want to win this “battle.” I refuse to go back to the old me and not be fit. So, the fact that I’m told not to workout at all for a week (like my dr told me yesterday) is a tough pill to swallow. Of course I’m going to listen, I don’t want to make my problem worse, but when do I get to take back my active life again?

Anyone out there going through or have you gone through something that you can relate to my current experience? If so, I’d love to hear your story. Post here in the comments or drop me an email.

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I meant to write and post this over the weekend, but just didn’t get to it time-wise with Mother’s Day and all. Overall, I had a great time at the race. Was nice to get back out there and do a 5k, even if I had to walk it due to my injury.

The race itself started at 7:30am at Pointe Orlando on International Drive. I got there about 10-15 minutes prior to race time due to traffic backups. I quickly checked in at registration and did the obligatory restroom stop. The registration packet at this race was in a big plastic bag and I quickly realized that I could not walk the event carrying it. So, I made a quick dash to my car to store it. Unfortunately, in doing so, I missed the official start of the 5k. Since I wasn’t running it, this didn’t bother me too much. I noted that I was beginning about five minutes behind the clock time and got to walking.

Due to my late start, I walked pretty much solo for most of the first mile before meeting up with other racers. This actually got my adrenaline really pumping, as honestly, I did want to catch up to some other people. I had to remind myself though to take it easy with my injury. I had to force myself to take it a bit easier than normal. I completed the first mile at just under 18 minutes which wasn’t too bad considering (note: this was 18 minutes my watch time, not actual clock time). Then, about one and a half miles in, I started to “run” into fellow racers. I passed a few people, ensuring I waved and said hello to each one. Since I wasn’t going for a PR due to not being able to run, I wanted to greet and offer support to whomever I could. I applaud anyone getting out there and doing them, no matter whether they are a runner or walker.

By the time I hit mile two, I started to see a lot of people. I saw firefighters walking the race in full gear which amazed me. Not only is that quite a challenge weight-wise, but in the Florida heat? The dedication and motivation those guys had was just awesome. Also, I saw Gary, a man who had a disability who was walking the race. Talk about an inspiration! As I passed him, and smiled, he was just as supportive of my endeavors. He offered his kind words right back at me in response to mine to him. That was such a nice moment.

I didn’t complete the race until almost one hour in. My time, it was just over 52 minutes from the race start. Official clock time was 57 minutes and change. Sure, I would have loved to have done the race in 45 minutes or thereabouts, but in the end, I was proud of myself. Just over a month ago, I was down and out for the count, and here I was back out there walking a 5k race again. A lot of people seemed to be surprised that I was back out as soon as I was. Bottom line is, I’m not willing to give up on my new found love for fitness and running. Even if it takes me longer to get fully back to where I was with running, I’m going to be out there walking races. It’s just what I love doing now, it’s a part of the new me.

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Thirty days ago, I was suffering from horrible back pain. On April 1st, I went into my doctor only to discover I had injured my back. That brought on three weeks of no work and rest. Definitely not the April I had planned to have. It was anything but.

Thirty days later, I was back in the gym. Granted, I’m still recovering from my herniated disk injury (which will never truly be healed), but I am in a much better place than I was. It felt so good to get back into my fitness routine again. I won’t be running for at least another month, but in the meanwhile, I can hit up the treadmill, bike, weight machines and do pilates workouts at home. My current plan is to strengthen my back and legs so that once I am able to get back into running, it will come much easier. Today’s workout was a bit easier than past workouts, as I have to ease back in per the physical therapist. I spent some time on the treadmill, a brief time on the elliptical, cycled a couple of miles on the stationary bike and did some strength training.

Next Saturday, I will be getting back into the 5k race game with the I-Drive 5k in Orlando. I won’t be able to run the race of course, but nonetheless, I can’t wait to get back out there and walk it. It’s going to feel good to get back into the swing of things, so to speak.

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As if it weren’t enough that I have been dealing with knee and IT band problems with my right knee, I have now pulled out my back. Yesterday afternoon at work, I started to have bad pain in my lower back. I hoped it was nothing and would go away. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. I woke up this morning for my run and I was in horrible pain. My back was spasmodic and it was difficult to get out of bed. Needless to say, I didn’t end up getting out for my run. At this point, I was still planning on going to work and hoping that by popping a couple of ibuprofen would aid in my discomfort. By the time I showered and it was nearing the time that I would need to leave for work, my back was killing me. The ibuprofen had seemingly done nothing for me. Despite my not wanting to call out sick, I did just that. I then made an appointment to go see my doctor.

The doctor told me that I had pulled out my back, thus the painful muscle spasms I had been experiencing. No sitting or standing position was comfortable for me. She informed me that this was normal considering my injury. After a bit of discussion, we came to the conclusion that the injury was caused by my running. During my last 25 minute run, I had been concentrating on my form more than usual. I was intent upon ensuring that my feet and legs were maintaining proper running form. This more than likely caused me to move wrong or what have you, causing something in my back to get pulled.

So now, I am out of the running game. At least for a few days. This of course is disappointing to say the least. I really do enjoy my morning runs now. There really isn’t anything like the feeling I get from them. But, I am going to listen to everything my doctor told me to do in order to get better. With two 5k races upcoming this month, I definitely don’t want to push myself to the point that I can’t do them. I am especially looking forward to the Corp 5k on April 15th, it’s going to be quite the event I think. The other race I plan on doing is the Run for the Trees on the 24th, the day before my birthday. Mom is doing that one with me, and dad says he might as well. Be nice to have them there, even if they are walking the race.

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This morning, I went out for my C25k training like I have done for the past few weeks (less for when I was sick or what have you). I didn’t set any real expectations for myself other than that I was going to get in a good workout run. The last two training workouts I did last week were the 8 minute interval runs. I decided to do that 8 minute, or day two workout twice since it proved a challenge to complete when I first did it. Today, I had my new iPod nano with me in my arm band case. This was great because I didn’t have to carry my pouch. I instantly felt lighter as I headed out the door for the workout. Once the five minute warm up began, I still had no real expectations or goals in mind for the workout, only to get it done.

Before I knew it, the warm up was over and it was time to get going on my run. As I ran, I felt great, and enjoyed the fact that I had my iPod in my arm band and was carrying nothing excess on me. This really did make a difference in how I felt. My knee was doing okay as I went along, which I was thankful for. I didn’t put on my knee brace, so I was hoping this wasn’t something I would regret later in the run. Five minutes went by and I was still going strong, knowing that I was at least going to push for that 8 minute interval. Then, the 8 minutes completed and without hesitation, I kept going. I did glance at my watch at this point, as I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through the full 20 minutes. I thought this way, I could at least have an idea of how long I did run if I stopped before the end of that interval.

I didn’t stop though, as I was chugging along, I kept telling myself that this was it, this was going to be the day that I pushed through and did the 20 minutes. It was the toughest run thus far and I knew deep down that I was ready and that I could do it. All I needed to do was push myself and shoo away that part of my brain that wanted me to stop.

Twenty minutes later, I was still running when Ullrey announced that day three’s workout run was now over. I was both thrilled and yes, I admit relieved that it was over. But, what an amazing feeling! I felt so proud of myself and great at my accomplishment. I had done it, I had run for twenty minutes straight. As began my cool down walk, I couldn’t help but think, ‘if I can do this, I can do anything!’ Nothing seems out of reach or unattainable for me now. And, I can’t wait to get back out there in a couple days for my next run.

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This week will begin week four of my C25k training regime. While I am happy to be proceeding forward, I have to admit that I am also a bit nervous about getting into the longer run intervals. The three minute runs have proven to be challenging at times, so I know the five minute ones will prove to be similar. I am not giving up though, I am going to make it through this training program, even if it takes a couple of weeks longer. It’s a challenge I have taken on and don’t plan to give up on.

Yesterday, I did the final day of week three’s training. I drove out to the lakefront near home for this workout for a change of pace and scenery since I had the time. The weather was nice, not too cold or too windy out which was great. There were quite a number of people out at the parks though. This wasn’t really a problem less for a couple of times when I had to speak loudly over my headphones and say, “excuse me” to get by people taking up the entire walkway.

The workout’s biggest challenge was in the last three minute interval. By the time I get to that point it seems I have to really push myself to keep going. Part of me wants to slow down to that fast walk about halfway into that interval. I have been able to mentally convince myself not to do this and to keep pushing. It isn’t even so much that I’m out of breath, it’s like my body is trying to tell me that I can’t do it. I’m not going to stand for that though, so I keep going, even if I slow down my pace, I keep running. Our minds tend to try to convince us that we can’t do things I think when with some effort we can. For me, it’s not only proving to myself that I can in fact do it, but that with God’s help, I can do anything. I’ve worked hard to lose over 70lbs now and I’m not about to settle for not pushing myself and accomplishing things I know I can do if I just try. The key is getting out there and doing it.

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Today marked my first day of the third week of my C25k training. Week three consists of the five minute warm-up walk, then one interval of 90 seconds running followed by 90 seconds of walking, then a three minute running interval. This pattern then repeats once more before the final cool down walk.

The training started off pretty good, well less for the discomfort with my new running shoes that is. Right away, the new shoes felt heavy and bulky. It was a weird feeling to say the least. I think I must have started tensing up my legs because I started to have some shin pain during the rest of my workout despite my attempts to relax my body.

I pushed through the pain and discomfort and completed the workout, as I was not going to give up. It was just too bad that my new shoes didn’t get any more comfortable on my feet. Hopefully, this will improve in the coming days. Overall, it was a good workout despite the cold temperatures and uncomfy shoes.

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