What I did this summer....

or how I got my running groove back.

This past summer since the start my blogging hiatus, I have been extremely busy as I stated in the last post. Here's what I did in a short and sweet versions:

I graduated with (and completed) my Master's Degree in June.

I did not make the trek to Duluth to run the HM during Grandma's marathon weekend because of ankle injury. It was not worth the trip and expense.

I started my battle with fighting back from gluten's destructive (and painful) powers. I currently have non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance even though I have 8 out of 10 symptoms for Celiac Disease. This included a recent diagnosis with iron-definency anemia with very low iron levels.

As a result of my "tummy issues", my running really sucked....badly. I struggled to make two attempts at smashing my 5K and HM PR's. I did not have my running mojo at all. I was not being the speedy MNFirefly that I should be. I was frustrated, angry, and sad that I was not doing as well as I wanted to. My long runs really sucked when I could barely run a mile or two without catching my breath and constantly losing my steam.

I have been on a gluten-free diet since June. I added a dairy-free diet to the mix in addition to my already pescatarian diet (which is really "fun" to explain at family functions). I have had some bumps in the road with my diet...mostly painful ones. But I am getting a hang of it.

But I have noticed now that my running has improved since adding a combo of the GF diet and iron/B12 supplements. I ran with a fellow runner blogger, Kurt the week after my Chicago marathon finish and a very bad week with my GF issues. I was completely intimated with his 8:30/mi pace and did not think I could handle it. I surprised myself during the first half of my 6 mile run when I was running sub-9:00 splits and a couple of 8:45 splits. That's how I got my confidence and mojo back.

I finally smashed my 5K PR two weeks ago in a very hilly course. I was completely estatic.

That's all for now. I hope to get back to writing full time. I need to get back into it. Just like riding a bicycle.