IHF: Slice of Life...

"Slice of Life" is the theme this week at i heart faces.

To check out more beautiful entries, click on over to their website.

Sun Flare

Another week at i heart faces and I just can't help myself!

The theme is "sun flare" and it's one of my favorite fun photography elements to work with.

I have done several sessions with sun flare, but one of my favorite pictures to date is a candid shot of my husband with my daughter. We were out for an evening walk on a fall day, and she got tired of walking. I was playing with my camera and looked back to see that he had scooped her up and they were cuddling. Sometimes the pictures we love the most are not always photographically perfect, but they hold a piece of emotion that we won't soon part with.

Check out all the awesome entries this week at i heart faces!

About that Half....

So it seemed that I no sooner than pushed the "publish" button on that post about the half marathon panic and running the 5K when I developed my first running injury.

In the 19 degree weather of the run, I did notice my left ankle felt tight. Quite the over-achiever, I then went on to a one hour Zumba event that afternoon, and jumped around like a maniac on it. Resting Sunday didn't help much, and by Monday morning I could hardly get up the three flights of stairs into my office. One trip to the orthopedic doctor's office later, I learned I had a bad case of tendonitis. Prescription strength anti-inflamatories in hand, I pondered his advice on the drive home.

The orthopedic doctor told me it's mainly from repetitive use, like running. The best way to get rid of it is to rest a couple weeks then ease back into the activity. I have four weeks of training left, the longest of the long runs still ahead of me. Taking two weeks off running, then "easing back" into it most certainly meant no half marathon. When I specifically expressed that concern to the doctor, he just eyed me suspiciously. He said, "Can you run on it? Yes. If your concern was a tear or a stress fracture, you're cleared. But tendonitis will still be uncomfortable, especially for 13 plus miles." I sure would hate to have trained these last eight weeks and quit with four left to go, and I told him as much. Half chuckling, he said "Yeah... Runners. Give it as much time as you are willing, then try it out. If you can live with it, then run. I will leave the half marathon decision up to you."

I realized his advice was my perfect opportunity to quit.

But I couldn't quit, because even with the panic about the half-marathon, wondering if I was adequately prepared, and feeling like I had jumped in over my head.... I still want to do it. I took three days off. I ran three miles the first day, and by weeks end, did my scheduled long run of 10 miles. Can I promise that I'm gonna cross the finish line? No. But I can guarantee that I was handed the chance to duck out and I didn't take it. That feels like a little bit of a win right there.

Besides, I think he knew I was going to run anyway. He told me I needed two weeks worth of the prescription, but then eyeballing me as he wrote it out, he gave me a full 4 week supply. Just enough to get me to race day.

Let's Celebrate!

Happy Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month!

What's that you say? You weren't aware? Chew on these facts:

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for men & women.

This year, 131 THOUSAND Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer. 56 thousand will DIE.

Because symptoms are sometimes hidden or non-existent, early detection is crucial. Get screened.

Wondering if you're at risk? Click here and read up.

"Why do you care?" you dear readers ask... (or maybe not? but I'm pretending you do!)

Because although those over 50, African-Americans and those considered "sedentary" are in the highest risk group, I have a friend who is none of the above, and he's in the fight of his life... For his life. He was so lucky that he caught it early and received immediate treatment. His story will have a great ending, I just know it. But others won't be so lucky.

So, I asked myself, what could I possibly do to honor my friend? Well, RUN for him, of course!!

So my husband and I suited up with our self-made shirts (funny, right?) and turned up in 19 degree weather to run a 5K. It was cold but it was fun, and we finished in 26:26.

So pay attention to the signs. Don't be afraid to get a scope. It could just save your life.

My Half-Panic

I'm an over-extender. I need to learn to reign my ambitions in. I commit to something and then more and more and more until I snap and have to scrape some things off my plate. I feel this way with the half-marathon training right now! I never would have dreamed that I'd run (and enjoy) 7 miles at a time! But I can, and I do. But ten mile runs? Although tiring they're not impossible; but I just hate the time commitment that entails. Sixty minutes of cardio is plenty; much more than that and my brain is already back at home, making a to-do list while my body is on auto-pilot. I dig the "therapy" that running has become for me, but after this half marathon, I'm definitely going to keep the runs under 6 miles on a daily basis. Also I want to beg my friends to come out and cheer for me (come on- it would be hard to quit running and walk when you may have a friend around the next corner!).... But on the other hand, I want to just run this quietly under the radar and go home and take a nap.

I think it's because I'm just over one month away, and my biggest training runs are ahead of me.

I'm gonna keep plugging away, but I need some serious motivation right now....