new shoes-day

I received a gift certificate to VA Runner from my parents for my birthday, because I was in desperate need of some new running shoes. My old ones, gray and pink Brooks Glycerin 10s, were very much at the end of their life expectancy and needed to be retired.

I waltzed into VA Runner yesterday afternoon and proclaimed to the young man at the counter that I needed new shoes, and they couldn't possibly be the Glycerins because I'd had 3 pairs of those already and I didn't like the redesign on the 10s. (The 9s were the best. Why do things change?!) I was ready for a change because the Brooks shoes just weren't doing the job for me anymore.

The nice young man nodded knowingly, sat me down, looked at my shoes, looked at my feet, and asked me a few questions. Then he started bringing me boxes of shoes.

I tried on Sauconys. I tried on Mizunos. I tried on New Balances. I ran laps around the outside of the store and jumped around like a crazy person. I ran with two different shoes on my feet. I ran with tight laces and loose laces. I made observations like "the soles feel lumpy" and "the toe box is too tight" and "these feel too shallow."

I finally walked out of the store with these:

[source: Brooks]

Why, yes - those are the Glycerin 12s, the exact shoes I had insisted could not be my shoes. Wouldn't ya know it. They are super flashy. I'm in love.

The spirit of the race

This past Sunday, I ran a local 5k race. It was a spontaneous, late-week decision - while I was registering for my next half, I noticed that there was a 5k slated to start at my neighborhood grocery stored, sponsored by SweetFrog. Five minutes down the road AND sponsored by one of my favorite companies? I couldn't miss it! So, there I was, bright and early on a cold November morning, ready to run.

The race itself went off without a hitch. It wasn't my best run, nor was it my worst. I ran alone with my music, through a subdivision that looks mighty similar to my own, and was content with just considering it a normal training run. I finished in just under 30 minutes, which is my usual personal goal for a 5k. I didn't intend to hang around for the awards ceremony or anything, so I stopped by a tree in the parking lot to stretch for a few minutes before I headed home.

While I was doing so, a guy nearby turned to me and said, "Hey! Great race!" I didn't recognize him, so I said thank you, and continued to do my thing. He kept talking though, and he went on to tell me that he had been keeping pace with me for the length of the race, and that he was just behind me the whole time until the last quarter mile or so. That was when, in his words, I just "took off outta no where!" He said he was amazed to see me speed up so much towards the end and push myself through the finish line, and that he was inspired by me. I wasn't really sure why, until he said that the race we'd just run was his second race, ever. He went out of his way to let me know that he thought I'd been a good race "teammate," even though we were both running alone - and I knew what he meant!

That turned out to be the very best part of that race for me. No, the best part wasn't the SweetFrog coupon in my "goodie bag," or the free T-shirt (which has the SweetFrog mascot on it - new fave!). The best part was a random guy who, for me, embodied the spirit of racing. I will be the first to tell you that I don't love running. I really don't. I generally curse and moan the whole time I'm doing it. But I do love racing. I love the community that racing cultivates - the people who cheer for each other, who encourage each other, who push each other to go a little further or a little faster or both. I love hearing people cheer for me as I cross the finish line, people I don't know and will never meet, and then turning around to do the same for someone else. That guy, who stopped me to tell me that I'd run a great race, and that I'd encouraged him? He was the best part of my race, and I wish I'd thought to tell him that he made my day. I do know that, given the chance, I will do the same for someone at my next race, because a few positive words can have an amazing effect, and make a regular race into a great one. So thanks, anonymous runner man! And good luck at your next race. Because it's addicting, and there will be another.

All about the mon-ay - and a good cause!

When I am deciding whether or not to run a particular race, there are a number of factors that go into my decision. Surprisingly enough, I am not only concerned about the bling (though very important), the course (more important, I suppose), or the option of a post-race beer (most important, if I’m being honest!) – I’m also thinking about the time commitments required and what the money looks like.

One of my favorite medals - OBX Half

Race registration fees tend to be… uhh… not cheap. So when I see the $$ signs next to the name of a race that I’m interested in, I’m immediately curious as to where that money is going. Is it being pocketed by the company sponsoring the race? Is there a really cool medal or nice T-shirt in it for me? Are they going to feed me post-race? What, exactly, are you doing with my dollars once I register?

Nice bling from the Marine Corps Historic Half

Ideally, I like to run races where some or all of the registration money goes back to the community – I like races that support charities, and it makes me even happier if the money goes to a local charity or cause. When a representative from Carpenter’s Shelter in Alexandria, VA, reached out to me and asked if I might be willing to talking about their upcoming Run for Shelter in a blog post, I was more than happy to oblige.

Per the representative from the shelter, here is some info about Carpenter’s and the race:

Carpenter’s Shelter and Pacers Events is proud to bring back the Run for Shelter 10K, 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run, an event dedicated to ending homelessness in the DC area. 

The race, scheduled for 8am on Saturday November 22nd, will be an out-and-back on Eisenhower Avenue (Metro accessible on the Yellow line). 

Carpenter's Shelter has been helping homeless individuals and families achieve sustainable independence through shelter, guidance, education, and advocacy since 1988. 90% of the shelter graduates never again return to homelessness. 

Registration is $35 and all runners will receive a technical shirt. Fastest overall men and women for the 10k and 5k will receive the following prizes: 1st place - $100, 2nd place - $75, 3rd place - $50.

Homelessness is a major issue in our area, and something that, because I work in the city, I see personally every single day. I am faced regularly with people asking for money, for food, for help of any type. It is heart-breaking, and I don’t begin to know nearly enough about the topic to truly do it justice here – but I do know that when I can help in some way, I do. All proceeds from the Run for Shelter benefit Carpenter’s Shelter, which is actually the largest homeless shelter in Northern Virginia. That’s a race I can get behind.

I was not compensated in any way for this post; I just wanted to spread awareness about a local cause and a local race, for any of my readers nearby looking for their next challenge. I’ll be paying my $35 registration fee from my own pocket, and I’ll be running the 10K on November 22nd – I’d love to see you there!

Register now for the 2014 Run for Shelter! 

I've created a group named Typically Late on the registration page - if you decide to run the race, register as part of the group so I can see who's going to join in! Maybe we can organize a get-together afterwards or something :) It'll be fun!

Race Recap: Marine Corps Historic Half

I'm pretty sure that if I don't do this race recap TODAY, it'll never get done. Everything has been like that lately (cough :: I need to write a recap of the Tarheel 10-Miler :: cough) and I can't catch up! Anyway. Let’s start at the end of this story. It looks like this:

13.1 DONE

My sister and I have been talking about running a half marathon together for a while now, but our schedules just never really worked out to be able to do the same race at the same time. When I heard about the Marine Corps Historic Half a few months ago, I knew it would be perfect – not too expensive, good time of year, and right in my backyard. All boxes checked – so we signed up in February and didn’t think twice!

Fast forward to April and everything that has been going on with my family. Obviously, training (or running at all) has not been a priority. I’ve only even made it to the gym a handful of times. So, last weekend, I told my sister that I was going to see if we could defer, and, if not, I was just going to bail. I didn’t see how I was possibly up to the challenge of running a half marathon, especially knowing that I was going to have an emotionally exhausting week in California and get home late Friday night. I was going to just scrap it and I figured she would be on board with that idea.

Little did I know. That sweet baby sister of mine pretty much told me to man up and get out there. She told me that there was truly no BETTER time for her and I to run our first big race together – it didn’t matter how it went; it just mattered that we did it. I knew she was right… so there I was on Saturday afternoon at packet pick-up, gearing myself up for half marathon #4, and telling myself that I only get one life, might as well run while I can! (There may have been some curse words thrown in, but what can ya do?) We were doing it, ready or not.

Race morning was standard – ponytail, running shoes, Garmin, half a bagel, one cup of coffee. We jammed out to Nat’s “pump up music” for her lacrosse team while we drove to the start, and walked to our corral. Before we knew it, we were crossing the starting line, and there was no turning back.

Long story short, the Historic Half was a great race, but it was not great for us. It was well-organized and a good course. However, Nat battles an old knee injury from high school, and she told me early on that pushing it just wasn’t going to happen for her. We got through the first four miles or so at a good pace, but then the hills were starting to get to her, and I could see that she was struggling. We slowed down, and she told me multiple times to just go on and leave her to do it slow. I told her it wasn’t happening. This was our race to do together, and it didn’t matter how it went to me – I wasn’t racing myself this time, I was running with my sister. The only goal for me was the finish line.

It was a beautiful morning, and the course was packed with spectators. There were plenty of water / Gatorade stations, live music, and lots of Marines lining the road and yelling encouragement. I enjoyed seeing some parts of historic Fredericksburg that I haven’t gotten to venture to yet, and didn’t even really mind the hills. I actually felt great – I was totally having one of those sappy “I’m so happy to be here and be alive!” days. I stopped looking at my Garmin except to give Nat updates on where we were. I stopped thinking about time and pace, and I just enjoyed the run and the morning. It was like no race I’ve ever run – just running for the fun of it and enjoying the experience. It was rather nice!

I sprinted for the finish line when the time came, and Nat came in right behind me. It had been a long, slow trek, but we definitely earned those medals. I’m so happy that I listened to Nat when she told me that we needed to do this, because we really did. We needed to fight a battle we could win; we needed to do something strong and powerful and have that sense of accomplishment.

This one is crucial because I totally chicked that guy in the hat -
I came out of nowhere and passed him right before the finish line :)

Lately, I’ve been feeling so much like I am useless – like there is nothing I can do to help my family, and especially my mom, when they are struggling. This race was a kind of physical representation of my recent challenge, and it was so rewarding to come out on top, with my sister by my side.

Silly and cliché as it seems, I am feeling like my “worst” race was really one of my best.

As far as the race itself went, here are my pros and cons.

Pros

• Long expo / packet pick-up: two days offered (Fri and Sat), with lots of time (10-7 on Saturday) 
• Many water / Gatorade stations 
• Safe, well laid-out course: police and USMC guiding traffic away on busy roads, full road closures in many places
• Great finish line: first race ever to actually hand out a bag with a water bottle so you didn’t have to have your hands full of stuff! 

Cons 

• Disheveled water stations: at several stations, there were volunteers standing around not holding cups, too much Gatorade, not enough water
• Starting line volume: needed louder speaker at beginning – we couldn’t hear the National Anthem or the official gun start 
• Medal confusion: I crossed the finish line, and there were lots of Marines holding medals… but no one actually stepped forward to give me one. I finally had to ask for one directly! 

 

Five for Friday: links on links on links

It is Friday and it is a gorgeous day here - is there anything better?! Granted, I have to enjoy it from indoors because the pollen situation of out. of. control. per usual this time of year. I am starting to have itchy eyes and a runny nose, and that's WITH the allergy shots I get. Definite sign that it's pretty bad out there. I can't imagine how the rest of y'all are feeling!

Yup.

I hope you have a great weekend planned - it's the last one in April! About damn time, if you ask me... I'm ready for a new month. Anyone else?

Five for Friday is a quick one this time around - we've got things to do and places to be, my friends!

1 // Joy the Baker posted a recipe for Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Poppy Seed Buttercream earlier this week and it is taking over my brain. I must make it. Luckily, my mama's birthday is right around the corner...

2 // Iowa Girl Eats posted a recipe today for Chipotle Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Avocado Crema and my head almost exploded. I want to jump into her pictures and live inside that meal. We will definitely be eating these this weekend!

3 // Speaking of this weekend, it would appear that I am running the Tarheel 10-Miler tomorrow. Ummm... what? Not sure what I was thinking when I signed up for that. Pray for me, please. I have a feeling it's going to be a personal battle. Yay, races!

4 // Our book club book for next month is The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. Has anyone read it? I am currently ambivalent about it, having only read the descriptions - not sure if I will enjoy it or not. I haven't started it yet because I'm too busy reading Insurgent. It's next on my list, along with Night Film by Marisha Pessl.

5 // I just made a quick list of all the house projects / things to get done that I could think of, and there are about 30 items on the list. That's just off the top of my head, without really thinking about it. Does it ever all get done?! I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that one....

Enjoy your weekend! Hope you get some sunshine :)

So tell me...

• What are you reading right now?
• What is one recipe you've seen or tried lately that I must make?
• What was the last race you ran?

linking up with the five on friday girls:  Darci, Christina, April,and Natasha

Race recap: OBX Half Marathon

This is a bit delayed, but..... Spoiler alert: I finished my third half-marathon!

HM#3 was the OBX Half in Outer Banks, North Carolina, over Veteran’s Day weekend. I prefaced the race with this post, in which I detailed how tough running has been for me since HM #2, and how my goal for this race was purely to have a good time and do the best I could. Butterflies and rainbows, right? Right.

My friend Lauren Lush (permanent nickname!) picked this race out for her birthday (race day was her actual birthday), and convinced a bunch of us girls to run it with her. Lush’s family has a beach house at OBX, so it was a nice perk to not have to pay for lodging and have somewhere nice and comfy to cook dinner the night before and all hang out together. We got down to the beach on Saturday afternoon, and went to the expo to pick up numbers and packets. It was there that I realized just how small this race was – only a few thousand participants between the half and the whole marathons, combined! Way different from the Rock & Roll race in Nashville.

I like smallish races, but they are also the ones that tend to be a little disorganized – and this was no exception. We figured that out on the morning of the race, when GPS took us to the address that was listed as the “start” of the race and it was an empty parking lot…. Fail. Luckily, it wasn’t too hard to figure out where we were supposed to be, and we ended up parked right by the starting line.

Birthday girl! And tired eyes.

The weather report for the race looked great – mid-50s and sunny – but let me tell you, when we first got out of the cars, it was cold & windy! Kind of hard to prepare that way… there was a lot of putting-on and then taking-off of layers while we tried to decide how to dress. I’m not sure why I forgot about the wind at the beach, but I definitely did – not a very nice surprise!

The whole group!

The race started at 7 AM (so early! not my fave), and we were a few corrals back. Slowly but surely, we moved toward the start as a bunch, and then we crossed the starting line & we were off! There were several of us doing the half together, but we were all kind of on our own – I think that by mile 2, I was running by myself, which was alright. The first few miles went by quickly. We were weaving in and out of the neighborhoods and side streets down the main stretch of OBX, and there were tons of people out cheering for the racers. There were also water & Gatorade stations almost constantly. I was very well hydrated!

Unfortunately, I decided wrong on what to wear – by mile 5, I had to stop and pull off my top layer and re-pin my bib. I tied my jacket around my waist, which was not ideal for running the next 8 miles. That is probably the only thing I would have changed about this race – I wish I would have skipped the pull-over and just braved the cold for the first few miles. I was comfortable in what I was wearing in the end, but the jacket at my waist was definitely awkward.

I paced myself pretty well for the middle miles with the people around me – I made several silent running friends, which I always like. Even if I don’t know the person and we’re not talking, it’s nice to have someone to be running beside. Always gives me that little extra push!

The worst part of this race was the bridge to Manteo. I thought I was prepared for it, but I was not, in any way, shape, or form. That thing it crazy! Not only is it a huge vertical climb (around mile 10, when legs are very tired!), but it is insanely windy – to the point that big warning signs are posted to warn drivers about the strong winds. Not ideal for running! I barely made my way up the bridge, stopping to walk several times, because my knees were just not having it. Luckily, the views were gorgeous – it had turned out to be a sunny, clear day, and you could see for miles in either direction while on the bridge (I was very glad I’d put on sunscreen before we left the house – I would have had a massive sunburn without it!!) It felt like it took an hour to finish that mile, though – the god-forsaken bridge was easily the hardest part of the race.

 I embraced the down-hill (which was MUCH shorter than the uphill!) and ran my way into Manteo. Around that time, my sister came driving by with Lush’s family, on their way to the finish line to cheer us on, and she leaned out the car window and yelled for me. It was just the push I needed right then – perfect timing for a pick-me-up! I found another one of the girls running the race right around that time, too, and it was nice to have a teammate, even though we didn’t really stay together. It was right when I needed some encouragement, and seeing people I knew did the trick.

My knees were starting to really hurt at that point, and I was checking my Garmin every few seconds, trying to calculate. I had just a few miles left, and I was thinking that if I really, really pushed it, I could get a PR. However, I might also miss the PR by just a few seconds, and I knew that would make me really unhappy. At mile 11 ½ or so, I had a serious pep talk with myself. I reminded myself about the goals for this race – not to PR, not to kill myself, not to injure myself, but rather, just to have a good race and a nice morning and to have FUN. Right then and there, I let go of the PR and the clock, and I focused more on enjoying what I was doing. I smiled and waved at the spectators, I encouraged the runners around me, and I pushed forward, slowly but surely.

Right when I felt like the finish line would never come into sight, there it was, right around the next bend. I did as I always do, and gathered every last ounce of strength, and broke into a sprint – every second I can shave off the end counts! Just as I was about to cross the finish line, though, the two girls in front of me SLOWED DOWN (why, oh why would you do that?!) and I almost ran straight into them. I couldn’t believe it! I had to zig-zag my way around them, and then finally crossed under the banner. A woman handed me my medal, and I bee-lined for the water. I actually felt great – my knees hurt, but this was the first half where I felt good at the end. I had a good idea of my finishing time from my Garmin, and I was pleased to see that it was almost smack in the middle of my previous two finishing times: a little slower than my PR, but a little faster than Nashville. Also, I was happy, I was dry, I was proud of myself – everything that was wrong with Nashville was gone from my mind. Mission: accomplished!

Done!

My personal cheerleader :)

Frendz.

Within a few minutes, all of us girls had finished and found each other, and my sister and Lush’s family found us, as well. It was quickly determined that showers and beers were in order, so we headed back to the beach house. Once everyone was cleaned up, we went for lunch at a Mexican restaurant nearby, and there was no shortage of chips, salsa, and enchiladas consumed… as well as a cerveza or two! Perfect post-race meal, in my opinion. I left the Outer Banks that afternoon feeling about as good as I possibly could – minus the ice on my knees and mighty tired legs!

This seems like the perfect time for some "outtakes" pictures... because racing makes everyone a little delirious!

Shivering!

Normal

Just a little post-race stretching...

 The end.

Ready to run

In April, I ran the Rock ‘n Roll Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville. I didn’t write about it / mention it really at all because a) my blogging was sub-par at the time and b) I really didn’t want to re-live it long enough to recap it.

To sum that race up, I probably only need to tell you one detail: it poured rain. The. Entire. Time. When it wasn’t pouring, it was windy. There were places where there was probably a good inch of water just covering the whole road. I ran through several multi-inch-deep puddles, completely drowning my shoes (which were already soaked). Everything was wet. I was wearing several layers (none waterproof, because I completely failed to plan that way) and a hat, and yet I was soaked to the skin and I had water (not sweat) running down my face the entire time. I rubbed a giant, bleeding blister on the bottom of my foot from my shoes and socks rubbing together (which has never happened before or since). Most of the "great cheering crowds" that RnR promises never showed up (and I don't blame them for a second). It was freezing, once you were totally soaked. My teeth chattered together so hard, and I could hardly hold my phone or water when it was over. It was literally the most miserable I have ever been, and I cried when I finished. I managed to tack less than 5 minutes onto my previous half-marathon finishing time, despite the conditions, but it didn’t matter – I hated the race, and I felt completely defeated when it was over. I wanted to crawl in bed for three days and I wanted to never run again (spoiler alert, I did – in a 5k a week later, no less, but not all that happily).

Anyone who runs will tell you that running is part physical endurance, (bigger) part mental endurance. Physically, this race was rough, but mentally, it was worse. I got in my own head early on about the terrible weather conditions, how I wasn’t having fun, and how I just wanted it to be over. That made the race feel about a million miles long, instead of just thirteen. I wore myself down further with every tenth of a mile, and by the time I was done, I had pretty much convinced myself that I didn’t want to do another one ever again.

Like I said before, I ran a 5k the weekend after Nashville, and I felt alright, but then I pretty much quit. I ran a little here and there throughout the summer, but we were pretty busy buying a house and moving, so I let myself give excuses and I didn’t lace up. I saw friends running, and I thought about a few races, and I even went so far as to go to the sign-up pages for a few – but I always talked myself out of it. I didn’t have time, I didn’t want to spend the money, and oh – remember how awful Nashville was? Bleh.

My friend Lauren started talking about how she wanted to run the OBX Half on her birthday weekend (Veteran's Day weekend) months ago - and I totally refused. I said I'd go to the beach, but I couldn't imagine running the race. I couldn't talk myself into it. I just kept thinking about Nashville, and the weeks quickly went by.

Mid-September, I finally did it - on a whim one afternoon at work, I signed up. I had five minutes mid-afternoon and before I could talk myself out of it, I clicked "send" on the registration form, and the money was paid. No getting out of it now. On November 10, I'd be running my next half-marathon.

I will be honest (still), I haven't trained for this race. I let the days and then weeks go by, thinking I still had plenty of time. I had a hard time lacing up my shoes and a harder time getting going - I ran only a few miles at a time. As of three weeks ago, the most I'd ran since April was six miles. Less than half a half marathon. Yikes.

Last Friday, I finally committed myself. I decided that I had to run ten miles, to prove that I could and to "train" - if I could run 10 alone, I can run 13 in a race. So I got up Saturday morning, and I got all my shit together, and I took myself to a nearby trail that runs through the battlefields. It wa a crisp, sunny morning. There were lots of people out with me - running, walking, touring. Enjoying the day. I set out dictating two-mile increments for myself. Two miles out. Turn around. Two miles in. Water. Two miles the other way. Take pictures. Two miles in. Drink water. One mile left. One mile right. Ten done.

I didn't like it. It hurt. I was exhausted. My knees ached. I had a blister. But I did it. For the first time since April, I talked my way through every bad angle my brain wanted to set up. I did exactly what I set out to do. The day was beautiful. The sun was shining. The views through the battlefields were picturesque. I did it.

And so here I am. Six months, six long hard months, I am here. I am ready. Ready to run. Race day is staring me in the face once again. My goal for this race is to enjoy it - to feel good, to have fun, to find joy. It's not a time goal, it's a life goal - I want a good race. I want the memory of Nashville to not be the last thing I have. I want to set that aside, and enjoy the run, and the race. OBX, you've become a special place to me, over many family vacations and happy times with friends. You are a place I am comfortable. A place where I've run before. A place I recognize and love. A place where a race can be good for me. OBX, I believe in you. I believe in me.

Race Recap: VA is for Lovers 14k

When my friend, Lauren, asked me if I wanted to run the VA is for Lovers 14k with her, I hesitated for a few – I knew that I was giving myself the month of December off from running after the half marathon, and I wasn’t sure how things would go in January. I finally just said what the hell and agreed – I loved the last J&A race that I did, and I wanted to get something on my calendar, knowing that my schedule is already pretty full until June (weddings and babies, oh my!). I’m so glad that I did – we had so much fun, and it was a great race! It was a pretty perfect way to kick off another year of running and racing, if I do say so myself.

One of the reasons that I felt comfortable with signing up for this race was the fact that it was in Virginia Beach. I knew that the course would be smooth and flat, and that’s exactly what it was. I was prepared for a nice, easy long run, and that’s just what I got. What I was not prepared for was the weather: IT WAS SO COLD. “Average” temps in the area are around 50’ that time of year… no such luck for us! What we got was low 30s and GUSTING wind – I’m talking blustery, cold-to-the-bone, hurts-your-lungs, strong winds, for pretty much the entire race. Not SO bad when they are tailwinds; really bad when they are pushing against you. Also, I forgot to pack long pants (bad move!!) so I was running in capris, and my lower legs and ankles were freezing!! Not my smartest choice. However, I had an ear warmer, a ColdGear shirt, and gloves, so I made the most of it. When the wind wasn’t gusting, I actually felt great. I like cold-weather runs, and the sun was shining, so it was just warm enough for me. 

Twins! Hanging out inside the field house to stay warm before the race!

The 14k distance was a little strange, but I actually liked it – it was just long enough that I had to push & challenge myself, but not so long that I felt like dying afterwards (great considering it was my longest run since the previous race). I cruised along with my half-marathon playlist playing, and monitored myself off a few of the runners around me. I kept a pretty even pace, and my legs felt good.  I passed people confidently and strongly, and even passed a guy right before the finish line (yeaaaah!). I tried to focus on my breathing (always hard for me) and my steps – this was a good race for checking in with my I love how J&A sets up their races – there is music playing, lots of water stops, and for this love-themed race, there were signs all over with cheesy pick-up lines and even a candy station! They have so many little tricks to keep everyone encouraged and cheerful. I was totally in the zone for this race, and definitely had one of those “I love running!” days.

I crossed the finish line with a power sprint, on a huge high, and couldn’t stop smiling! One of the things that J&A does is call out the names of runners as they finish, and it was awesome to hear, “HERE COMES LINDSAY!” over the loudspeakers. Volunteers were waiting to hand the runners everything from medals to water to pretzels and bananas, and my hands were full of goodies. My mom had come down to VB with me to be our cheerleader, and I had text messages from her letting me know that she'd found a table in the field house and was waiting for us there. I sent her a quick "DONE!" picture to prove it.

Finito!

Then, I maneuvered my way to a great spot to watch Lauren come through a few minutes later and cheered as loud and proud as I could. We found my mom and enjoyed our post-race bread bowls of soup and beers (have I mentioned that J&A is awesome??) while stretching and getting warmed back up. Lauren and I were both so pleased with how the race had gone – apart from that crazy wind, it was a great experience! J&A does it again. We’ll be back!

We deemed lunch necessary immediately, and Lauren took us to a great hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant where they make guacamole fresh at your table… I die. May or may not have consumed guacamole and chips for the majority of my lunch (and I’m not mad about it at all). It was just what we all needed. A few hours later, my mom and I headed back to Northern Virginia, with another successful race weekend in the books and an awesome medal to show for it. 

Thanks for having me, Luscious Lo! Love you, little runner :)

Not too shabby

 

Lacing back up

The last race I ran was in the beginning of December, and after a few weeks off plus a few weeks of easing my way back in, it's time to lace up my racing shoes again and get back into the swing of things!

Hey there, old friends.

My first race for 2013: the Virginia is for Lovers 14k in Virginia Beach! I'll be running this love-themed race this weekend with my favorite little VB-native, Luscious Lo (previously of Wicked 10k fame). I'm really looking forward to it! The distance seems very do-able - a little more than a 10k, but a little less than a half marathon. We'll see how it turns out, but I feel like I might have found my "sweet spot" of race distances! (knock on wood)

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I'm running the Reston 10-Miler in March, then laying low until my next half marathon, at the end of April. Apart from racing, I've decided to actually (kind of) use a training plan for this half marathon, and see how it helps. The one I'm using is the Hal Higdon Half Marathon Intermediate Training Program, at the suggestion of a sweet friend of mine. I've got the whole thing loaded onto my calendar, and have made modifications as I see fit (for example, switching the second "strength" day to Wednesdays, since I have a regular BodyPump class I attend that day). I'm also giving myself permission to deviate a bit - last night's run was supposed to be three miles, but I just did two after Pump because I was seriously not feeling treadmill running. THAT'S OK. That's my new mantra - THAT'S OK. It's OK to do what I need to do - I don't want to completely overwhelm my body. I'm looking at the training plan as guidelines, and will see where it takes me. At this point, any training is better than no training!

First "official" training run - done! Tuesday night.

Bring it on, Race Season 2013!

Done! My first half-marathon (Blue & Grey Half)

Merry Christmas! My gift to you (or myself?) - this long-awaited recap of The Race. I figure that almost a month later is plenty of time to have gotten myself situated and found the right words for this one. You be the judge.

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I still can't exactly believe that I ran a half-marathon.

New hot pink laces, because, duh, pink makes everything better.

That seems like such a huge deal, yet, at the same time, not a huge deal at all. My brain is thinking “SERIOUSLY?!” but simultaneously, “no big!” 13.1 miles – done.

When Suzann and I first started talking about doing a half before the end of 2012, in June or July-ish, we had a lot of contributing factors to finding the right race: it needed to be close(ish), it needed to be on a Sunday (she teaches on Saturday mornings), it needed to be early enough in December that it wasn’t -36 degrees. It seemed unlikely that we would find just the right race, and that was ok… I don’t think we were too convinced that we could do it yet (speaking for myself for sure, here – I was pretty sure there was no way I could run 13.1 miles in just a few months). Lo and behold, though, I stumbled across a link for the VA Runner Blue & Gray – a half-marathon, in Fredericksburg, VA (just down 95 from us), 2^nd weekend in December, on Sunday. It was meant to be. We started planning on doing it – running longer runs, talking about “our half,” but FYI, we never actually SIGNED UP for the race until… 5 weeks out? It wasn’t real yet, we weren’t committed… until one fateful afternoon as we sat eating lunch at Panera, and we got a burst of dedication and registered on the spot. On my phone. Fees paid, no reimbursement. We were running a half-marathon.

Keep in mind that this was in the midst of my injury saga – I wasn’t running fully yet; in fact, I wasn’t even cleared to resume exercise fully yet. The longest I’d run in weeks was 3 or 4 miles – my longest training (11 miles) had been done in September (and stayed my longest training; the most I did up till race day was 7 ½). Nonetheless, I was in. I knew I could do it.

Suz and I decided to stay in a hotel in Fredericksburg the night before the race – it just seemed easier to give ourselves a relaxing night than try to fight our way down 95 at 4 AM and pray we didn’t hit any traffic or anything. Instead, we spent Saturday evening having dinner, wandering the mall, and eating Sweet Frog (our fave!) before getting into bed early. I couldn’t have asked for a better pre-race experience – we were relaxed, happy, and just 5 minutes from the race start. It was perfect!

We woke up on Sunday and we were both wide-awake, energetic, ready to go. We were completely unsure about the weather. We’d both packed for just about anything: rain, cold, warm, whatever. The forecast was for drizzle all day, 100% chance, but the temperature was supposed to be in the 50s. Granted, at 6:30 AM, it was only in the 30s, but when we got out there, it wasn’t raining, just overcast. Perfect! We dressed in our layers, ate hard boiled eggs and drank coffee, and danced around the hotel room. I’d requested late checkout, so we didn’t have to pack anything up, and we got ourselves to the VA Runner parking lot, where the race was starting, at about 7:20. We had ten minutes till kickoff. That wasn’t exactly the way we planned it (time flew while we were getting ready!) but it turned out for the best – we didn’t leave ourselves much time to get nervous or anxious. We were just heading out for a regular long run. Normal.

Blooper - but I kind of love it.

Pre-race nerves. We can do this!

The gun sounded and off we went – I’d like to give a major shout-out to the “Shuffle” feature on my iPhone for knowing that I needed to start the race with a little Britney Spears. I am unashamed and very vocal about my love of Miss Spears, and no less that 1/3 of my race-day playlist was comprised of her music. I started off my first half marathon listening to some great tunes, and I knew it was going to be a good day.

Miles 1-6 were relatively uneventful. Suz and I puttered along, chatting and occasionally checking our Garmins. As it turned out, we both felt that we dressed perfectly for the weather – just enough clothing, the right layers, etc. I ate some Sports Beans around mile 3.5 and 6, aiming for every 3 miles as I’d planned, purely because I wanted to maintain my sugar levels, not because I was feeling off or anything. I didn’t want to risk having my sugar drop and blowing the whole thing, so I just went with a few beans every few miles. We walked through the water stations, having a few sips and taking it easy, which I felt was really helpful for me. I felt totally ON – I don’t know how to describe it, but everything about the race just felt right.

Miles 7-8 was where I started thinking “OK, I’m ready to be done.” Too bad we still had 5 miles to go… There wasn’t really anything wrong, I just started to get bored. Is that weird? My mind was wandering and I was thinking about all the things I needed to do to get ready for Christmas and such. I had a little mental battle about how much longer I still had to run, but got it together after a few minutes. I started feeling a little pain in the arch of my right foot – not sure what that was about, but it continued for the rest of the race, then immediately ended and I haven’t felt it since. It was a nagging irritation, though.

Suz decided to slow down just a tad, and I was feeling a fresh burst of energy, so she encouraged me to go on ahead. I picked up the pace by just a bit, and ran the rest of the race alone. Miles 9-10, I tried to really concentrate on my breathing, speed, overall status - I knew I'd push too hard if I wasn't careful. In hindsight, perhaps I should have just stayed at her pace, because I really could have used the company and support during those second-half miles. What’s done is done, though.

Special shout-out now to Mike, the guy that I accidentally paced myself with exactly for Mile 11, who chatted with me for a good ten minutes about a variety of things. He was a savior, because I really needed a friend right about then. He was running his first race in 15+ years, and getting ready for a St. Patrick’s Day marathon. He was awesome! His friendliness could not have come at a better time. (Side note – I ran into him after the race, and thanked him profusely for letting me run with him and chat with him. That felt good!)

Mile 12 was some sort of sick joke: it was uphill. No, really, uphill. And it was hard. The race course info on the website had mentioned this tiny factoid, but I was seriously not ready for the 90-degree vertical incline of this mile (slight exaggeration, perhaps, but trust me) (but really - the description on the race website says, "Mile 12 goes back up from 50 to 250 feet on what is known as hospitalization hill. This is the same hill as part of the USMC Historic Half where the runner in 2009 had the heart attack." Oh, OKAY. Sure.). Anyway. I tried to very, very gently jog it, but it just wasn’t happening. I ended up doing a walk/jog alternate thing, and probably walked ½ a mile. Not my proudest moment, but it had to happen. My knees were starting to ache, and I just had to give myself a few moments of rest. The last mile and a half were pretty torturous – everything hurt, but I was SO CLOSE. iPhone Shuffle to the rescue AGAIN – the last song that I listened to, as I pushed my way through Mile 13, was Britney Spears. Seriously, how did it know?! I started mentally repeating my go-to mantra: “I can do anything for five more minutes. I can do anything for one more mile. I can do anything for half a mile.” And I did.

Crossing the finish line was the most amazing moment. As I came around the final corner and heard people cheering and clapping, I decided that this was it, and I pulled all my energy from I-don’t-know-where and sprinted the last .2 of a mile. I pushed myself so hard in those final few seconds (and pretty much felt like throwing up immediately after) but it felt so good to cross that line. It was over. I’d run my first half marathon. I expected to have lots of *~*EMOTIONS!~*~ but really, I was exhausted, and all I wanted was water (which took me an obnoxiously long amount of time to find). Not so much in the way of feelings – I was just done, and that was that.

Suz was just a few minutes behind me, and we found each other and hugged and laughed and collapsed onto the sidewalk before asking a nice man to take our picture. Necessary.

Finishers! So thrilled.

Best. Beer. Ever.

We did a little shopping at VA Runner (hello new hot pink compression sleeves and Brooks running jacket, happy birthday to me!), and got our 13.1 magnets, which you better believe were immediately applied to our cars.  

The moment where we remembered that we had late check-out at the hotel and could therefore shower before driving home was amazing. Such good planners!

When Suz finally dropped me off at home later that afternoon, I proceeded to inhale a Five Guys burger provided by my sister and take a three-hour nap. Both very, very well deserved.

Nap partner.

Originally, way back when, I set my personal goal to run this race in under two hours. Then I got injured, and couldn't run, and blah blah blah. My goal shifted its way to "just finish the race!" but I held onto a glimmer of hope that I could do it in under 2 hours and 10 minutes, which would be a pace of 10:00 minutes/mile(ish). That seemed doable. Well, ladies and gents, I am pleased to present my official time:

2:09:56.

Boo-ya.

Obviously, I have my goal for the next half - I'm determined to shave at least a few minutes off of that. I'm pretty sure that, had Mile 12 not been so ridiculously hard, I would have done a lot better. But I'm still pretty proud of that! 

I’m giving myself some time off from running – just until after the holidays, because I think that I need a mental break. This is a bit odd, given that I wasn’t running very much before the race due to my injury, but it just felt like I needed to take some time and say “enough for now.” I’ve literally run two miles since the race, and they were on the treadmill at Gold’s one day when I got there too late for the class I wanted to take. Come January, though, I’m raring to go – after all, have to put all the running-related gifts that I got for Christmas to good use!

Stronger than yesterday.

Yes, that is a Britney reference, and I don’t hate it.

Last night, I went to yoga for the first time in a month. The last time I tried, it just hurt too badly – the muscles in my back weren’t ready for it, and I spent most of the class in Child’s Pose (which was nice! But not really what I was there for).  I decided last night to give it another shot, as my back has been feeling pretty good lately. I took it easy, and modified the poses as I felt necessary. I didn’t push myself at all; I just enjoyed each pose and the peace that comes with being in a dark, quiet room. I felt good afterwards.  I’m sore today, but it’s the sore that comes from stretching muscles that have been dormant for a while. It’s not an injury.

I think that I’m really, truly back.

I’ve been to BodyPump a couple of times in the last few weeks, and it doesn’t hurt. Granted, I’m using baby weights (and it’s so frustrating – just a few months ago I was lifting 3x what I’m lifting now), but it feels good to be back in the class and not have any pain and be able to trust my body.  It feels good to be moving back into my routine.

This weekend, I’m running a half marathon. If you had told me when I ran that first 8k in March, that 9 months later I’d be gearing up to do 13.1 miles, I probably just would have laughed at you. That was always a thing that I said “I could never do.” And I wouldn’t even consider it! But here I am. A few months ago, I was in so much pain that putting on pants or getting out of bed was enough to take my breath away. I thought for sure that I was going to have to abandon my goal. But here I am, a few months later, having worked my way back, and ready to go after it. It may not be as great as I’d originally intended, but I’m going to do it. And then next time, I’m going to do better.

Every day, I’m a little healthier. I’m back to square one: my endurance is lower, my muscles are weaker, everything is a little bit harder. But every day I’m a little stronger, and what else could I really want?

 

That, my friends, is the face of a girl who's
really, really happy to be back at the gym.

 

PS. Currently working on my half-marathon playlist, and you can bet your booty I’ll be jamming to a little B.Spears while I run! Love.

Race Recap: Rothman Institute 8k

The weekend before Thanksgiving, C and I packed up the car, picked up my friend, Caity, and ventured north up to Philadelphia. The reason for the road trip? To see my sweet friend, Lizzy, and run the Rothman Institute 8k!

After running the May Day 5k together, the three of us decided we wanted to do another race together, and we used the opportunity to find one up near Lizzy so that we had a reason (not that we need one! Promise) to visit. We registered for the Rothman Institute 8k, which is part of the Philadelphia Marathon weekend, back in May, and I’ll admit, it kind of fell off my radar until November. It wasn’t that I forgot about it, there was just so much else going on that it slipped to the back of my mind! Caity and I threw together a carpool plan, though, and with C as our chauffeur, made the (relatively) easy drive up 95 to the City of Brotherly Love.

We got in late Friday night, and the race was set to start at 7:30 AM on Saturday (why so early, Rothman people?!) so we went to bed pretty soon after. C headed out with Lizzy’s fiance and some friends for a few drinks at a bar nearby, and us girls hit the hay. Other than some minor 2 AM excitement (C may or may not have gotten lost at a bar… he maintains that he knew where he was the whole time and was, therefore, not lost), we slept like rocks until our alarms went off on Saturday morning!



Ready to run!

Lizzy was the sweetest host, and had coffee, bagels, and bananas ready for our pre-race meal. Exactly what the doctor ordered! After dressing (in a LOT of layers – it was freezing! …literally), we headed for the starting line, which was a few blocks from Lizzy’s apartment. We got there with just enough spare time to shed our top layers, check our bag, and find a good spot in the middle of the crowd. Before we knew it, the gun went off and off we ran!
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Pros and Cons

Pro: The route was really nice. It was scenic – we ran along the river, past the Rocky steps, and around a number of other little landmarks. It was mostly flat, and the road was plenty wide.

Pro: This was my first race with my new Garmin Forerunner 10, and I LOVED it. It was so handy to see my distance and pace and keep myself on track. Plus, I felt like a “real runner” – except for when I realized I’d forgotten my sunglasses, and had to run glaring into the sun for half the race. Rookie mistake!

Pro: No back pain! I was a bit sore the next day, but it was more like “I haven’t used those muscles” sore, not “ow, that hurts” sore. Success!

Con: The race started so early, and there were no other events afterwards, so I’m not sure why. Could have had an 8 or even 8:30 AM start-time, and I think it would have been fine, plus a bit warmer. Meh. I’m not a race planner, I’ll leave that to the experts.

Con: This race was, like I mentioned, part of the Philadelphia Marathon weekend, and it was the day before the half and full marathons. My issue here was that it sort of felt like the 8k was an after-thought – things weren’t exactly fully set up, there was no medical tent (as far as I could find, and we searched), and it didn’t seem like it was quite a “big deal” since the “real” race was the next day. Perhaps I’m just being whiny, but I wanted to feel important, too!

Con: Everything after the finish line was completely disorganized. Water felt like it was a mile away, and the fruit, power bars, and other goodies were even farther away. I walked the whole way down and got my snacks, but Lizzy and Caity missed them, because they didn’t realize where they needed to go. There was no one directing traffic, and not even a sign or anything saying where to go. It was rather confusing, especially after the finish line at the Wicked 10k was so organized. Boo to that!
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Lizzy, Caity, and I ran together for the first 3.5 miles or so, and then Caity and I decided we wanted to push ourselves and see if we could get under 50 minutes. We got a nice burst of speed… and then I sped off even more. I felt really, really, good, and I really felt like I could push myself hard for that last mile. I crossed the finish line at around 52 minutes, and I was a little disappointed, until I looked at my Garmin. I’d forgotten about the lag time from the start – my watch said I was more like 49 minutes! When the official results came in, they were even better:

48:58!

My previous 8k time was over 30 seconds slower, and I had actually trained for that one (that was my first official race of this year/first time "being a runner" – training was necessary!). In this case, I hadn’t trained, I was just coming off an injury, and I’d generally been doing very little running or exercise at all. I’m pretty pleased that I was able to shave a few seconds off my previous time, even with all those barriers in my way! Plus, my back felt good, and I felt fantastic while I was running – a huge improvement over the terrible run I’d had the weekend before. For every bad run, there’s a good run waiting! Lucky for me, my good run came just in time for a race.

Horrible picture... but the Rocky steps are behind us! The sun was so bright. Fail.

HOORAY!

After us three girls all finished, we met up with C, Lizzy’s fiance, and their friends, and headed off to find breakfast. The Philly dwellers took us to an amazing bagel joint called Spread, where we got incredible bagel, egg, and bacon sandwiches – the PERFECT post-race meal! That and another cup of coffee, and I was a happy, happy camper.

The rest of our quick trip to Philly involved impromptu afternoon naps, followed by showers and a visit to Reading Terminal Market.

Lizzy, Caity, and me

We chowed down on delicious, legit Philly cheese steaks. So good, and worth every greasy, carb-loaded bite. Yum!

After lunch, we piled back into the car and hit the road. We were back home by about 6:30 that night, having spent under 24 hours on our whirlwind trip to Philadelphia. We had a blast, though, and are already talking about next year – I think we’re all on pace to do the half marathon, and then maybe we can participate in a “real” race! Ha.

Philadelphia skyline as we headed home

I’m officially two weeks out from my first half marathon. This 8k was my last race before The Big One, and I’m so happy that it went so well – it gave me just the push and motivation to feel ready for the half. The countdown is on: December 9 is right around the corner!