Jess’ stress (fracture)

I haven’t run in a month. That’s right a month. The last time I laced up my running shoes and hit the ground running was my birthday which already feels like a year ago. A few blog post back I wrote about a string of injuries that were weighing me down. Little did I know, those small injuries would somehow link to one big injury, knocking me down completely.

The hamstring/hip pain I was dealing with back in July was an indicator of weak glutes and hip flexors. I admit, I neglected strength training with all the running I’d been doing because there just wasn’t enough time in the morning. Running 12 miles, eating a balanced breakfast, taking the dogs to park, showering, getting ready and leaving for work before 8:30 am with a wake up call already set a 3:45am. Looking back, I wished I would have made strength training more of a priority.

While on a trail run in mid August, I stumbled MULTIPLE times over embedded rocks and then after my luck ran out, I finally met the rock that would bring me down (literally) After the initial shock of falling, I got back up and continued to finish the 20 miles that day. I had no pain, just tired legs which is normal, I even finished another 20 miler 5 days later which happened to be my birthday as well. During that run I felt as if my left leg wasn’t fully extending with each stride, it was uncomfortable but not painful. At mile 10, Kevin and I came across some wild horses so we took a small break to watch them. After we enjoyed a few moments with these beautiful animals we started for home, that’s when I immediately felt a sharp pain near my groin. I didn’t think too much of it and after a few strides to “loosen” it up, we continued on our way.

Once we returned to the truck, we did our usual stretch routine and headed for smoothies. Inside the truck I couldn’t sit normally, it hurt to put any pressure on my left side. There was a sharp, stabbing pain radiating through my glute and groin. Walking would be just as painful. I hobbled to and from the smoothie cafe, still not too concern the pain could be any more than just tired legs. Unfortunately, the pain wouldn’t let up and followed me through the rest of the day. I R.I.C.E.D and still the pain lingered into and throughout the night.

I decided it would be best if I took a few days off and rested. Those few days turned into a week, which turned to two weeks and now may even turn to months. After finally admitting I had a REAL problem I went to sports medicine doctor who gave me the dreaded news. I fractured my inferior pubic ramus, A.K.A. a pelvic fracture. The weak glute/hamstring finally gave way after that final fall on the trail that August morning and the strain on those muscles couldn’t absorb the impact. It’s a bummer (for a lack of a better word) I’ve had to withdraw from a few races and put my goals for 2015 on hold. I’ve even begin to come to terms with knowing I will not be in the same shape I was when I start again and I’ll have to be even more patient to reach my goals. I can’t say that I’m being super positive and know I’ll come back from this stronger and better than ever, I cried really hard at the thought of losing what is essentially part of my identity. But I am positive that I will enjoy running even more now and not take the blessing for granted.

What’s next? Well, physical therapy, cross-training (I cannot use the elliptical trainer nor exercise with a bicycle either ) and more milk!

100 miles is really fun!

After several days, weeks, months, I finally decided to sign up for my 3rd 100 Mile Endurance Challenge. The race is  put on by one of my favorite organizations, 100 Mile Club! If you don’t know who they are or what they are about you should definitely check them out. They do wonderful work in communities through out the world by promoting active and healthy lifestyles to children and their families.

Not only am I running 100 miles (for my own personal satisfaction) but I am raising money on behalf of the 100 Mile Club. Just $10 will support one student throughout the school year but will have a lifelong impact. Please consider donating my clicking on this link —-> http://www.imathlete.com/donate/JessicaHogan

I am so excited to start training again and getting back into some long runs. I welcome anyone who wants to train with me or would like to be a crew/pacer for the race in October. I’ll most likely put another PSA out about pacers/crew members as the day gets closer but if you ever considered running an ultra, crewing would give you a great idea of what to expect.

Happy and Healthy Running!

 

To Run Or Not To Run…

Lately I’ve been feeling a whole lot of frustrated. Frustrated with running, frustrated with my job, frustrated with my body. It just seems like I’m part of this huge puzzle with most of the pieces missing.

Running, the one thing in the world (besides my boyfriend and dogs) that gives me the most joy. It’s the best way to start my mornings and it challenges me every time I step out the door. Of late, it’s become this gaping hole that has left me feeling empty. Is it because I don’t have an upcoming race to look forward to? Is it because I DNF the last race I was in? Or is the unhappiness in my professional life just bringing me down? I can’t seem to find the passion and zest I have for running that I rediscovered over the last 3 years.

Then there’s the recent string of injuries that have been plaguing my body. From my Achilles and calves to my hamstrings and hips, in the 11 years I’ve been running and the 20 years I’ve be in competitive sports, I have never experienced the number of aliments as I have over the last 2 months COMBINED! I’ve gone to: the doctor, Chiropractor who specializes in ART, massage therapist, etc. I’ve backed off training and added in more strength training. It’s as though the moment I feel recovered and well enough to start adding in workouts to my training I’m sidelined again. Absolutely frustrating!

It’s easy to complain, it’s easy to give up and throw in the towel but I don’t want to. I want to be stronger runner. I still have so many dreams that still need to be chased (literally) There just seems to be so much standing in my way and I don’t know how I can get around. Running is such a major part of who I am, it’s one of the best ways I identify myself, without it I feel let down and weak.

I’m sure there are many runners who feel the same and other athletes that can relate to my experiences. What do you do? How can you break out of rut? I’m in serious need of motivation and a nice kick in the ass to get back to that strong, CONFIDENT woman who’s gone missing.

Brazil 135

After a very long and anticipated wait, the roster for the  Brazil 135 Ultramarathon was published yesterday and I was ACCEPTED! I can’t begin to tell you how overwhelmed I am with excitement.  The race is 150 days but it seem like it’s right around the corner. A dream of mine is definitely coming true but now the hard part starts. Booking flights, getting time off work, passports, race equipment, hotels, the lists seems to go on and on. Not to mention this will be my first race outside the country! I guess that’s just the leg work and race should be easy. Right?

In It For The Long Run

We all know that running is mentally cleansing, it can free the mind of negative distractions or  the complete opposite, where it can make you think about EVERYTHING! Yesterday was one of the days for me. I wasn’t thinking about the negative distractions in my life, I was overwhelmed by my physical ability to run every day. My mind raced with the people I have come across in my life who are bound by some form of physical impairment keeping them from experiencing the euphoria of a long run or the bittersweet taste burning lungs can leave behind after a race.

I began to think about why was I given this ability when it’s denied to many? Why was I chosen to experience life by foot? These questions may not have answers to the right now, but they have shown me that with  a gift such as running I can possibly inspire and motivate others to recognize the hidden blessings within their own abilities.

I am not by any means the greatest runner on earth, I may not even be the best mediocre runner but my passion, enthusiasm and dedication are comparable to the best runner. Maybe that’s why chose to be an ultramarathon runner; I don’t necessarily have to be the fastest but I could take my body above and beyond limits that classify me as “crazy”. It’s never easy to wake up at 3am to beat the heat of the hot desert sun, to finish a 20+ mile run on Saturday but it’s definitely worth it.

What I am trying to get at is running is my life, my passion, my essence. My wish is help those who are unable or have yet to experience the joy of a long run, whether physically unable or just afraid of trying. We all deserve to laugh, cry and love and when I run, I experience all three, I want others to experience them as well. I hope someday soon to make running my career, to take my message out on the road, raise awareness of diseases that cut our time on this planet too soon, so we may enjoy our time together to be happy, lively and healthy for as long as possible.

I am grateful for my past, joyful in my present and excited for my future. Running has taught me the mind is stronger than the body but the heart is tougher than both.

Robbed and Running

Since moving to Arizona two weeks ago I have neglected my blog, shame on me considering I have had such an interesting past couple of weeks. My boyfriend and I have finally settled in to our new living quarters, he couldn’t be happier with his new gig and I am loving the dirt paths to run on, I have been dreaming of living in a runner friendly city for so long!
Now, I am loving the new digs and this huge valley however, for the first time since I was 17 I find myself unemployed (I couldn’t take my CA job with me) I knew I would have to find another job coming out here but the days seem so different not having work to attend to, but I am a girl in love and wouldn’t change a thing about moving out here , plus love has made people do crazier things.
Aside from the hours and hours of job searching, interviews, resume and cover letter revisions, I need to make sure the 8 month old border collie/ lab mix gets plenty of exercise and luckily for us there is an amazing dog park just down the road from us that the pup and I go to in the morning, well as luck would have it, I chose the day for someone to break into my car to steal my purse, wallet and cell phone included. It’s the most unsettling feeling

having your information in the hands of a stranger, not to mention the inconvenience of having to cancel credit cards, obtain a new driver’s license and find a phone suitable to use until I am eligible for an upgrade again. One the bright side, I am lucky it was just a purse stolen and no damage was done to my car or myself.

Besides the unemployment and robbery I am enjoying everyday out here, my runs especially. Since I have a little extra time at the moment I am able to give more of myself to training. Currently I am training for the 100 Mile Endurance Challenge in Octoberhis run starts in Corona, CA and ends at the Santa Monica Pier. I ran this race last year but unfortunately, mile 65 was my end point, so there is some unfinished business I need to attend to. While I have plenty of time to train, there will be other races and lots of ups and downs along the way, I can’t wait to share the journey with you!

Things just got interesting…

I’m packing my bags and moving to Phoenix! Seriously, I really LOVE the desert! (Can you sense the sarcasm?) Anyways, last Wednesday my crazy talented and super hardworking boyfriend was offered a position in AZ that was just too good to pass up, so now he and I, along with our rambunctious little puppy will be migrating from one surface of the sun to another. We couldn’t be more excited! Plus, I heard there are some really great trails out that way, I can’t wait to Dora the Explorer my way through them.

The Pump Bump Saga

Can you see the bump?

The last two years have been my most enjoyable running years to date. With less pressure  and more freedom to train in a way that is best for me, I’ve definitely grown with this sport, BUT that doesn’t necessarily everything’s rainbows and gumdrops. Over these two years I’ve been dealing with a rather nagging pain in my right achilles, never thought anything of it, just chalked it up to tight calves…REALLY TIGHT calves. I continued to train and focus my efforts on my new-found passion for Ultra-marathoning. After 3 half marathons, a 100k, and hundreds of miles later, I decided maybe getting a doctor’s opinion would be helpful.

The day of my Dr. appointment arrived and I was scared to death I was going to need some sort of surgery on my achilles. After a quick inspection by the doc, I was diagnosed with Haglund’s Deformity AKA “Pump Bump”.  My first reaction was “What the f^@k?”! How does someone develop this deformity?

Well, turns out, for all the ladies who like to wear high heels for work and running shoes for pleasure, the combination can be fatal (on your foot that is) I was given a heel cup, compression sock and a sexy yet stylish boot for evening wear. There was also mentioned of taking some time off to rest and let it heal, but as a runners, that kind of talk goes in one ear and out the other, plus,ain’t nobody got time for that!

It’s been a little over a month and I haven’t felt much improvement. I’m weighing the options of returning to the doctor but I doubt his prescriptions have changed. So, unless my foot falls off, I’m still running those mean streets of Palm Springs.

My legs freeze because of registration fees.

I love running; anyone who knows me would tell you that. Running has become my outlet for the stress. The dreams I aspire to achieve are conquered in each run and there are even days where I imagine I WIN the Olympic Marathon during a daily training run! I am blessed with not only the ability to run but the burning desire to run and compete. Don’t get me wrong, not every day do I wake up happy to get out the door but once I do I end up feeling stronger and more alive.

Running has been a part of my life for the past 10 years; high school, college and now my post-college mid-twenties. The last two years I’ve been more passionate for running than I’ve ever been before. A lot of my newly found enthusiasm comes from holding myself accountable and learning to balance work, friends, family and training. Once I figured out how to maintain HEALTHY relationships between them my life seemed to work like a well-oiled machine.

Recently I discovered ultra-marathon running, which has given me the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. I decided that if I was going to transition into ultra-marathons I would go all-in; I signed up for the 100 mile Endurance Challenge. Some called me crazy (ok, everyone) but it was my decision and I would commit myself to doing whatever it took. I spent 5+ months waking up at 4:15am to beat the Palm Springs heat to train (90 degrees is beating the heat). I studied, researched, asked questions to veteran ultra runners to gain perspective on what it would take to complete 100 miles.

My first 100 mile I DNF at mile 65. I don’t call it a failure because it wasn’t; it was the valuable experience! I know what to do differently next time to become a better ultra-runner, but you see that is my dilemma. How do I continue to gain experience when it’s nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get into any other ultras? Living in So Cal, there are a handful of ultras and to get into them you have to have experience in other ultras and those ultras require you to have experience in other ultras and those ultras have reached their maximum capacity for runners. However, there are races that I would LOVE to run but I can’t afford to travel to Utah or Colorado or somewhere else so far especially after paying steep registration fees. I know, I know, registrations fees cover insurance, park/city costs, food, etc… But it is frustrating trying to break into the ultra-marathon scene if you don’t have the funds to back you up! I love this sport and the challenges it provides me with on a daily basis. But, how do “rookies” get the exposure when the picture looks so dark? As my friend Daniel told me, “the worse part of being in shape, is all the races you can’t afford”