So I ran the Shamrock Shuffle and it was my best 8K time yet. Go me.

However, I screwed up my IT band - again. Long-time LTB readers might remember the half-marathon I was training for back in 2004. It was bad news and I was off my feet for a long time after that. About three months. I'm a slow learner, and of course decided that nothing was going to keep me from running on the Las Vegas Strip this week, so I ran 4.2 miles on Tuesday and woke up Wednesday with a knee that was throbbing to beat the band. Oy.

So I stayed off the rest of the week. Tomorrow is the ultra marathon. I'm going to run some of it with Shelane - one of my best girlfriends - and then cheer her on for the rest. There is no way I can be out there for all that, even if I alternate walking and running. Thirty miles is nothing to scoff at, even without a slightly injured body.

In other Shamrock Shuffle news, this year I had TWO favorite t-shirt sayings:

"Pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit." - cliched, I know, but it's certainly a morale booster when you're at mile three and running up State Street, thinking about just calling it a day and catching your flight to Vegas.

And my very favorite? The one I'm totally buying for myself?

"My Sport is Your Sport's Punishment"

BAM! That's right, bitches!

Thanks for all of the thyroid feedback everyone. I'm holding steady right now at 146. I hate having to pay attention to the number at all, but it's important if I'm going to straighten out this mess. Maybe it'll move once I'm running outside more? Riding my bike more? If it doesn't, the doctor needs to know.

I wish I could offer more advice to those of you looking for it. I know a lot of you are REALLY struggling. The most I can say is that you really have to push yourself with this thing - it has to be a lot of mind over matter. I'm not going to apologize for wanting to fight this weight gain, so to speak, and I'm inclined to believe that if I wasn't fighting so hard I'd have gained a lot more than what I have. There is nothing wrong with not being OK with this. I read somewhere that the unfortunate truth with having a thyroid condition is that you have to work at your health ten times harder than those who don't. I completely agree with this conclusion. So I guess in the end all I can say is that you not only shouldn't give up, but perhaps also resign yourself a little to the fact that you're going to have work that much harder for less results, if losing weight/maintaining your weight is your goal.

For instance, I go back and forth with wondering whether it was better to exhausted in the afternoons or to watch my weight go up. Both do wonders to my psyche, I can assure you. I'm hoping to find a happy medium. I didn't like being tired as much as I don't like the weight gain.

As promised, though, I'll let you all know more when I do.

Other than all of that, I'm just settling back in from being gone. I look forward to some Bikram this weekend, and getting started with a new personal trainer, too. I need to buy groceries as all that is in my frig right now are low-carb tortilla shells, Activia yogurt, fresh spinach, egg whites and a drawer full of Granny Smith's.

It's bad news bears up in my house. At least, however, I can poop.

Posted by Erin at 02:54 PM | filed under: Ouch