Well, since I'm obsessed with nutrition. Although I'm far from perfect, I do try to eat healthy. I've been reading a lot on running nutrition and how important it is to provide a combination of carbohydrates and protein after working out to refeed muscles. I also wanted to get in omega 3 fatty acids mostly for overall general nutrition, but figured this was a great to work it in. I've been drinking flax milk lately and I like it so I thought hmmm... I bet I could put this all together and voila I did. Women need 1.2g per day of Omega 3 vitamins and men 1.6g per day (- source http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/omega3fa/). I also stumbled across another article stating flax oil produced better results in studies than fish oil so that's even better because I like flax milk. I like fish too though and still try and keep that in my diet as well. One cup flax milk has 1200mg (or 1.2g) omega 3. Men if they are wanting to meet the daily requirements may want to add a little more flax milk to the recipe below. So here goes my post run recovery recipe.
Flax Milk Recovery Drink
1 banana
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 scoop whey protein powder (or half a serving) *you can use a full serving if you want more protein, but for my needs 1 scoop was plenty of protein
1 cup flax milk (I use Good Karma Flax Milk)
Nutritional breakdown - Roughly 200 calories, 33g carbohydrates, 11-14 grams of protein depending on what source of protein powder you use, and 4g of fat
Put it in a blender and yum! If you want it to be more ice cream like you can freeze the bananas and the strawberries and it will come out closer to the consistency of soft serve ice cream.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Panda Bear Night Half Marathon
Panda Bear Night Half Marathon
I debated on writing a race report because I was in such a pissy mood about it, but went to my girls Feis (Irish dance contest) on Sunday and found myself listening to myself cheer my youngest daughter up for not place in her age group. I said to her “You had a lot of competition in your age group and you did a great job. You’ll get a medal at your next one.” And with that my mood brightened and here I am with my usual long winded race report... since I like writing them.
This was supposed to be a training run. I had decided a while back that I didn’t want to lose focus on Chicago by fixating on this race too much. I ran hard this week, no taper and planned to run longish again on Sunday. Thursday night was when it hit me that I wanted to race it. I started thinking if I want sub 4 in Chicago I gotta be able to do sub 2 in a half. With that I decided what the heck I was going to race this one. Besides I figured it’d be good practice. Showed up at race. I started getting reservations about doing well when I looked around and there were a lot of young people as this race was at a college. There were a lot of fast looking people too. Not sure why some people look fast to me and others don’t.
Since this was a night race they gave away headlamps as an entry. Race cost $20 with a free headlamp. Also they were giving the winner of each age group free shoes. Can’t beat that. Started out with annoying headlamp on my head. Couldn’t figure out where I wanted to put the thing without it bugging me. Right before the race am chatting with this gal. She’s older than me in the 55+ age group. She asked me what my pace was. I told her my PR was 2:03ish and she said last race she ran was 2:04ish so I figured we’d be running pretty close in pace. It was nice company. I kept with her most of the way. She was good pacing for me. It kept me from slacking off when I wanted to and a few times I wanted to move ahead of her, but just couldn’t. She’s pretty steady. We started a little fast. Kept talking about slowing down, but in my head I was still thinking sub 2 so I wanted to keep the fast pace if it wasn’t hurting and this race I actually flipped to HR to make sure I wasn’t pushing too hard. Get to around 3 miles and go to adjust annoying headlamp and one of the straps slides out of place so it won’t stay on my head. I spent a short time trying to fix it before I decided screw it I will just carry the thing. You really needed one to see on this trail. (It was a paved bike trail so real nice, but you still couldn’t see anything in the dark.) I was tired by 4 miles, but at the same time knew I had plenty in me to keep pushing along. Miles 5 and 6 weren’t too bad. Running gal got ahead of me there for a little bit there, but still within eyesight. Turn around surprised me as I thought I had further to go. Wasn’t looking at my watch or something, but nice surprise anyway. Catch up with running gal I think around 7ish and we chat about maybe making sub 2 if we could pick the pace up a little. We decided we could try to do it together which was cool. I told her since she was in the 55+ age group she stood a much better chance on the shoes and just think about those shoes and we pushed along. Mile 8 and 9 just ticking away. Mile 10 I decide to play Pacman. (Thanks for teaching me that, lol). And you know what nobody did pass me from mile 10 on. I only passed a few because there just wasn’t many people left to pass, but I passed who was left. At 3 miles left I didn’t have the energy to calculate how much time I needed to come in under 2 hours. I’m getting better at my pacing so I knew I would only be able to push so much faster for the last 3. I knew from my lap times that I wasn’t keeping fast enough pace for that likely to happen, but I don’t know was determined to finish as strong as I could. I went back to remembering this was supposed to be a training run and this wasn’t a goal race. I kept thinking about Chicago and how this would be good practice for the last 3 on Chicago and just mentally went there. Get to 2 and did rough math estimates and realized I’d have to do like 8 minute miles on the last 2 to finish sub 2. I knew that wasn’t happening and honestly didn’t think I’d even PR. Couldn’t look at my watch for the last part. Too much work holding the darn headlamp so I could see and just kept pushing hard. When I saw the clock though and realized damn, I’m gonna PR I pushed hard. Quite proud of my little legs for that last mile and especially the finish. I’m getting pretty good at strong finishes at least. Came in at 2:02:15. One and a half minute PR. I should have been happy with that and I feel real bratty whining about it, but when I looked at my time compared to everyone else I felt like a big slow poke. I was also discouraged as to how much damn work it is now to move my PRs one minute now. I got spoiled last year with the huge gains. I also was a little discouraged that I might not be able to get sub 4 in Chicago, but then I got to thinking about what I told my daughter and you know what - so what. I will definitely PR in Chicago, maybe not sub 4. Maybe it takes me one more race or maybe 2. I am making progress and as I’ve realized in life the secret to success is sticking with it. (Found that holds true with lots of things...) Have a great week all and happy running!
Laps - 9:16(170), 9:24(173), 9:17(175), 9:32(174), 9:27(176), 9:25(176), 9:50(173), 9:30(173), 9:20(174), 9:19(176), 9:27(175), 9:29(176), 9:02(177)
I debated on writing a race report because I was in such a pissy mood about it, but went to my girls Feis (Irish dance contest) on Sunday and found myself listening to myself cheer my youngest daughter up for not place in her age group. I said to her “You had a lot of competition in your age group and you did a great job. You’ll get a medal at your next one.” And with that my mood brightened and here I am with my usual long winded race report... since I like writing them.
This was supposed to be a training run. I had decided a while back that I didn’t want to lose focus on Chicago by fixating on this race too much. I ran hard this week, no taper and planned to run longish again on Sunday. Thursday night was when it hit me that I wanted to race it. I started thinking if I want sub 4 in Chicago I gotta be able to do sub 2 in a half. With that I decided what the heck I was going to race this one. Besides I figured it’d be good practice. Showed up at race. I started getting reservations about doing well when I looked around and there were a lot of young people as this race was at a college. There were a lot of fast looking people too. Not sure why some people look fast to me and others don’t.
Since this was a night race they gave away headlamps as an entry. Race cost $20 with a free headlamp. Also they were giving the winner of each age group free shoes. Can’t beat that. Started out with annoying headlamp on my head. Couldn’t figure out where I wanted to put the thing without it bugging me. Right before the race am chatting with this gal. She’s older than me in the 55+ age group. She asked me what my pace was. I told her my PR was 2:03ish and she said last race she ran was 2:04ish so I figured we’d be running pretty close in pace. It was nice company. I kept with her most of the way. She was good pacing for me. It kept me from slacking off when I wanted to and a few times I wanted to move ahead of her, but just couldn’t. She’s pretty steady. We started a little fast. Kept talking about slowing down, but in my head I was still thinking sub 2 so I wanted to keep the fast pace if it wasn’t hurting and this race I actually flipped to HR to make sure I wasn’t pushing too hard. Get to around 3 miles and go to adjust annoying headlamp and one of the straps slides out of place so it won’t stay on my head. I spent a short time trying to fix it before I decided screw it I will just carry the thing. You really needed one to see on this trail. (It was a paved bike trail so real nice, but you still couldn’t see anything in the dark.) I was tired by 4 miles, but at the same time knew I had plenty in me to keep pushing along. Miles 5 and 6 weren’t too bad. Running gal got ahead of me there for a little bit there, but still within eyesight. Turn around surprised me as I thought I had further to go. Wasn’t looking at my watch or something, but nice surprise anyway. Catch up with running gal I think around 7ish and we chat about maybe making sub 2 if we could pick the pace up a little. We decided we could try to do it together which was cool. I told her since she was in the 55+ age group she stood a much better chance on the shoes and just think about those shoes and we pushed along. Mile 8 and 9 just ticking away. Mile 10 I decide to play Pacman. (Thanks for teaching me that, lol). And you know what nobody did pass me from mile 10 on. I only passed a few because there just wasn’t many people left to pass, but I passed who was left. At 3 miles left I didn’t have the energy to calculate how much time I needed to come in under 2 hours. I’m getting better at my pacing so I knew I would only be able to push so much faster for the last 3. I knew from my lap times that I wasn’t keeping fast enough pace for that likely to happen, but I don’t know was determined to finish as strong as I could. I went back to remembering this was supposed to be a training run and this wasn’t a goal race. I kept thinking about Chicago and how this would be good practice for the last 3 on Chicago and just mentally went there. Get to 2 and did rough math estimates and realized I’d have to do like 8 minute miles on the last 2 to finish sub 2. I knew that wasn’t happening and honestly didn’t think I’d even PR. Couldn’t look at my watch for the last part. Too much work holding the darn headlamp so I could see and just kept pushing hard. When I saw the clock though and realized damn, I’m gonna PR I pushed hard. Quite proud of my little legs for that last mile and especially the finish. I’m getting pretty good at strong finishes at least. Came in at 2:02:15. One and a half minute PR. I should have been happy with that and I feel real bratty whining about it, but when I looked at my time compared to everyone else I felt like a big slow poke. I was also discouraged as to how much damn work it is now to move my PRs one minute now. I got spoiled last year with the huge gains. I also was a little discouraged that I might not be able to get sub 4 in Chicago, but then I got to thinking about what I told my daughter and you know what - so what. I will definitely PR in Chicago, maybe not sub 4. Maybe it takes me one more race or maybe 2. I am making progress and as I’ve realized in life the secret to success is sticking with it. (Found that holds true with lots of things...) Have a great week all and happy running!
Laps - 9:16(170), 9:24(173), 9:17(175), 9:32(174), 9:27(176), 9:25(176), 9:50(173), 9:30(173), 9:20(174), 9:19(176), 9:27(175), 9:29(176), 9:02(177)
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Charlevoix Half Marathon Race Report
The race report you've all been waiting for... and with my usual long windedness because yes I like hearing myself talk.
Pre-Race
Coming into this race I had a lot on my mind. I've had a failure with school and I haven't had a PR since September. That's the one thing that sucks about getting faster. You have to work harder for those PRs. I won't lie, I was fighting off anxiety coming into this race and I just couldn't handle coming home with anything less than a PR. I needed to run this. I wanted to face my fears head on. Fear of failure has held me back in the past in life and I was running this with all I had. No matter what happened I knew I'd be a winner. Going forward with racing I am not expecting a PR with every race. I realize I am going to have to get over that and I know I'm going to have to work my butt off to get them. Oh forgot to add my race mantras... Every race now I have a routine. I make a playlist for my race and give it my race mantra name. I usually come up with one during training for the full marathon's but shorter ones I make them up whenever. This playlist named "Get Some". I actually wound up using several mantras during this race.
On to the race
Got to the race and look for a few friends that I knew were supposed to be running it. Said hi, and then figured I'd go find a bathroom. That's my usual prerace routine. Find a potty 10 minutes prior to start. Last time I ran this there was a ton of port-o-potties at this location, but I get down there and there were THREE. There was a line too. When there was 5 minutes left I debated on saying the heck with it and getting to line up, but a couple people ahead of me said don't. They reminded me the race was chip timed and it would start when I crossed the pad. That it was better for me to go now if I needed to than lose time on the course. So I did just that. I started the race then about 5 minutes late. I felt kind of goofy, but it was okay. It actually kept me from starting out too fast or messing up my pacing too much.
Mile 1 I get to running and realize my Garmin satellites didn't connect a couple minutes into the race. I hit the button for training again and thankfully it connects to satellite. I didn't really want to run this one without my Garmin and I was thinking gees this is my luck. (I've had my Garmin not cooperate on race day before.) Garmin connects, but because it was messed up and I had my watch set for lap pace I had no idea what my pace was on the first mile. I figured no biggie. It's just the first mile. (Note to self - fix watch settings so I can flip to actual pace.)
Mile 2 - I knew from running this course before that the first couple miles were fast. I don't usually go out too fast so this race throws me off a little on that and I don't usually worry about it. I knew my watch was saying 17 something at the course marker for mile 2. I start thinking maybe sub 2 could happen.
Mile 3 - I get to a steady pace and somewhere around here my new mantra starts kicking in. I start repeating to myself and sorry excuse my language on this one, but "don't F this up". I kept reminding myself to keep my pace steady and don't go too fast. I didn't want to screw things up and lose my PR chasing sub 2. I made a goal at that point to not run any mile slower than 9:45. I knew as long as I could run every mile at 9:45 or faster I had a guaranteed PR.
Mile 4-5 - You might get a laugh on this one. I put my key to my car in my spi belt with my chews and cell phone(music). Well, I decide to go early for fuel at mile 4. I don't know. I wanted to nail this race and thought why not. Well, dropped my darn car key on the ground, not once, but twice trying to get it out of my spi belt. (Another note to self - Don't put your key in your spi belt. Research better place to put it. Usually hubby drives me so never had this problem before.) Running wise though I kept my pace okay in spite of having to stop and pick up key off the ground twice.
Mile 6 - This was an out an back course. I start feeling good and pick up the pace. From looking at the elevation chart though in my Garmin Connect I realize that there was a slight downhill here which is why I was a little speedier there and yes, I felt the slight uphill on the way back.
Mile 7 - On my way back home. I knew I had PR in the bag now for sure. I knew I could hold this pace for sure for 6 more miles. I've gotten pretty good at knowing what pace I can hold. I have more difficulty telling how fast can I really go.
Mile 8 - All of a sudden I was feeling it. The slight uphill for mile 6s downhill. If I hadn't ran this course 2 times before this mile would have shaken my confidence. I knew though that there was a tough mile I just couldn't remember if it was mile 8 or 9. I looked at my watch at some point and it was saying 10:10 for my pace and I was getting irritated because I wanted to have all my miles below 9:45. I start back with my "Get Some" mantra and just try to get my legs to pick it up a little. This was my slowest mile - 9:50.
Mile 9 - 10- Start feeling good again and start passing people. Keep in mind my 5 minute late start so I think that's why passing people was coming easy at this point. I start wondering if just maybe I could make that sub 2 after all. I knew if I nailed the last 4 then just maybe. I also knew that 4 miles was still further than I like to think it is. I tried to push harder, but was holding back for the last 3.
Mile 11 - This was the highlight of my race. Very emotional and very personal. N.L., yes, this mile was for you my friend. I see a sign on the road. You know the ones people put up to cheer on us racers. I almost started crying and I mean that literally (yes I know I seem to do this a lot on my races). Tears were forming. Racing for those that have never given birth before is a lot like childbirth without the pain (or maybe with some of it). Anyhow, the sign I see says "Go the Distance". My third mantra for this race. This one held me until the end of the race. My legs kicked up in high gear right there. It was an omen for me. And all my fears were washed away. This was my fastest mile - 8:47. At this point I start thinking again sub 2. I might have this.
Mile 12 - Well, legs were no longer keeping up with my mind, but I was still moving my legs as fast as I could make them go. Kept repeating "Go the Distance" and trying hard to finish strong. I knew this PR was mine and all I had to do was hold my pace and push it faster when I felt I could.
Mile 13 - Start looking for the finish line of course. It always seems forever before you see that stupid thing. I see the finish line and I pushed hard as hard as I could. (The last 30 second rolled over to a new lap on my Garmin at a 6:37 pace.)
I didn't get sub 2, but was thrilled with my finish. This was an official PR/CR of almost 10 minutes (previous PR 2:13:25). I also ran this 15 minutes faster than last year. Finished in 2:03:38. Oh also wanted to add this is also faster than my unofficial PR because my marathon PR was faster pace than my HM PR. It was important for me to beat that time too and not just the official PR time. Sub 2 is right around the corner.
Miles/HR info for those interested
1: 10:40 - 170 (not accurate because of satellite issues was closer to 9:25ish)
2: 8:58 - 176
3: 9:33 - 174
4: 9:43 - 174
5: 9:37 - 174
6: 9:03 - 175
7: 9:19 - 177
8: 9:50 - 176
9: 9:29 - 176
10: 9:21 - 176
11: 8:47 - 179
12: 9:36 - 178
13: 9:11 - 179
(And yes, I have a high max HR.)
Pre-Race
Coming into this race I had a lot on my mind. I've had a failure with school and I haven't had a PR since September. That's the one thing that sucks about getting faster. You have to work harder for those PRs. I won't lie, I was fighting off anxiety coming into this race and I just couldn't handle coming home with anything less than a PR. I needed to run this. I wanted to face my fears head on. Fear of failure has held me back in the past in life and I was running this with all I had. No matter what happened I knew I'd be a winner. Going forward with racing I am not expecting a PR with every race. I realize I am going to have to get over that and I know I'm going to have to work my butt off to get them. Oh forgot to add my race mantras... Every race now I have a routine. I make a playlist for my race and give it my race mantra name. I usually come up with one during training for the full marathon's but shorter ones I make them up whenever. This playlist named "Get Some". I actually wound up using several mantras during this race.
On to the race
Got to the race and look for a few friends that I knew were supposed to be running it. Said hi, and then figured I'd go find a bathroom. That's my usual prerace routine. Find a potty 10 minutes prior to start. Last time I ran this there was a ton of port-o-potties at this location, but I get down there and there were THREE. There was a line too. When there was 5 minutes left I debated on saying the heck with it and getting to line up, but a couple people ahead of me said don't. They reminded me the race was chip timed and it would start when I crossed the pad. That it was better for me to go now if I needed to than lose time on the course. So I did just that. I started the race then about 5 minutes late. I felt kind of goofy, but it was okay. It actually kept me from starting out too fast or messing up my pacing too much.
Mile 1 I get to running and realize my Garmin satellites didn't connect a couple minutes into the race. I hit the button for training again and thankfully it connects to satellite. I didn't really want to run this one without my Garmin and I was thinking gees this is my luck. (I've had my Garmin not cooperate on race day before.) Garmin connects, but because it was messed up and I had my watch set for lap pace I had no idea what my pace was on the first mile. I figured no biggie. It's just the first mile. (Note to self - fix watch settings so I can flip to actual pace.)
Mile 2 - I knew from running this course before that the first couple miles were fast. I don't usually go out too fast so this race throws me off a little on that and I don't usually worry about it. I knew my watch was saying 17 something at the course marker for mile 2. I start thinking maybe sub 2 could happen.
Mile 3 - I get to a steady pace and somewhere around here my new mantra starts kicking in. I start repeating to myself and sorry excuse my language on this one, but "don't F this up". I kept reminding myself to keep my pace steady and don't go too fast. I didn't want to screw things up and lose my PR chasing sub 2. I made a goal at that point to not run any mile slower than 9:45. I knew as long as I could run every mile at 9:45 or faster I had a guaranteed PR.
Mile 4-5 - You might get a laugh on this one. I put my key to my car in my spi belt with my chews and cell phone(music). Well, I decide to go early for fuel at mile 4. I don't know. I wanted to nail this race and thought why not. Well, dropped my darn car key on the ground, not once, but twice trying to get it out of my spi belt. (Another note to self - Don't put your key in your spi belt. Research better place to put it. Usually hubby drives me so never had this problem before.) Running wise though I kept my pace okay in spite of having to stop and pick up key off the ground twice.
Mile 6 - This was an out an back course. I start feeling good and pick up the pace. From looking at the elevation chart though in my Garmin Connect I realize that there was a slight downhill here which is why I was a little speedier there and yes, I felt the slight uphill on the way back.
Mile 7 - On my way back home. I knew I had PR in the bag now for sure. I knew I could hold this pace for sure for 6 more miles. I've gotten pretty good at knowing what pace I can hold. I have more difficulty telling how fast can I really go.
Mile 8 - All of a sudden I was feeling it. The slight uphill for mile 6s downhill. If I hadn't ran this course 2 times before this mile would have shaken my confidence. I knew though that there was a tough mile I just couldn't remember if it was mile 8 or 9. I looked at my watch at some point and it was saying 10:10 for my pace and I was getting irritated because I wanted to have all my miles below 9:45. I start back with my "Get Some" mantra and just try to get my legs to pick it up a little. This was my slowest mile - 9:50.
Mile 9 - 10- Start feeling good again and start passing people. Keep in mind my 5 minute late start so I think that's why passing people was coming easy at this point. I start wondering if just maybe I could make that sub 2 after all. I knew if I nailed the last 4 then just maybe. I also knew that 4 miles was still further than I like to think it is. I tried to push harder, but was holding back for the last 3.
Mile 11 - This was the highlight of my race. Very emotional and very personal. N.L., yes, this mile was for you my friend. I see a sign on the road. You know the ones people put up to cheer on us racers. I almost started crying and I mean that literally (yes I know I seem to do this a lot on my races). Tears were forming. Racing for those that have never given birth before is a lot like childbirth without the pain (or maybe with some of it). Anyhow, the sign I see says "Go the Distance". My third mantra for this race. This one held me until the end of the race. My legs kicked up in high gear right there. It was an omen for me. And all my fears were washed away. This was my fastest mile - 8:47. At this point I start thinking again sub 2. I might have this.
Mile 12 - Well, legs were no longer keeping up with my mind, but I was still moving my legs as fast as I could make them go. Kept repeating "Go the Distance" and trying hard to finish strong. I knew this PR was mine and all I had to do was hold my pace and push it faster when I felt I could.
Mile 13 - Start looking for the finish line of course. It always seems forever before you see that stupid thing. I see the finish line and I pushed hard as hard as I could. (The last 30 second rolled over to a new lap on my Garmin at a 6:37 pace.)
I didn't get sub 2, but was thrilled with my finish. This was an official PR/CR of almost 10 minutes (previous PR 2:13:25). I also ran this 15 minutes faster than last year. Finished in 2:03:38. Oh also wanted to add this is also faster than my unofficial PR because my marathon PR was faster pace than my HM PR. It was important for me to beat that time too and not just the official PR time. Sub 2 is right around the corner.
Miles/HR info for those interested
1: 10:40 - 170 (not accurate because of satellite issues was closer to 9:25ish)
2: 8:58 - 176
3: 9:33 - 174
4: 9:43 - 174
5: 9:37 - 174
6: 9:03 - 175
7: 9:19 - 177
8: 9:50 - 176
9: 9:29 - 176
10: 9:21 - 176
11: 8:47 - 179
12: 9:36 - 178
13: 9:11 - 179
(And yes, I have a high max HR.)
Monday, May 21, 2012
Supermom fail
.Well, this weekend flat out sucked. I got a 6 mile run in, but that's about all that went right. I ate HORRIBLY. I hate that I am a stress eater. I can seriously pick up 4 or 5 lbs in a weekend if I get really stressed out. I get really frustrated because I constantly tell myself I can do anything I put my mind to. Reality is I am human. I can't do it all - or at least I can't do it all, all the time. I am regrouping today. I know the biggest thing for me that I have figured out is to pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and keep moving. I tripped over the hurdle, but you know what I'll get the next one. I was surrounded by entirely too much negativity this weekend. It really affected my mood. I'm a little stressed out about keeping up with school and running. Ugh and Miss Natalie is back at it again closing the laptop.... See you kids later
Thursday, May 17, 2012
How bad do I want it?
Oh yeah, oh yeah. Trying to keep the motivation high. I really, really, really want a PR this year! I'm tired of spinning my wheels and I refuse to show up in Chicago having been all talk. Tomorrow is going to be one of those days. Actually this whole weekend will be challenging. You see I'm going to nursing school. It's a non-traditional program so the clinicals are scheduled kind of weird, but it is making me really have to juggle to have it all. I've had a few people suggest that I might have to scale back my running to keep up with nursing school. I thought about it. I really did and believe me there are some days, a lot of days, where I feel like saying screw it. I'm tired. I'm not running today. The one thing that sticks in my head and it's something my dad used to say a lot "One excuse is as good as another." Lots of people have lots of excuses why they don't exercise. Shoot, my excuses would sound really good too. I mean hell everyone knows nursing school is challenging and time consuming and stressful. So, the reason I run is simple. One excuse is as good as another. What am I going to do when I'm through school? If I can't figure out how to run and go to school, how will I hold a job and keep running. The way I look at it, life is always going to be juggling for me. Anyhow, today was one of those days that I really was tired and so much of me wanted to skip my run. I got up at 4:15am to do homework and the girls had Girls on the Run. By the time I got back from getting them it was 6pm and I still had dinner to get going and I just wanted to say screw it. I thought about Chicago. I thought about Charlevoix. I thought about another 6 months going by with me spinning my wheels at the same pace and I got my darn shoes on and got out the door. I refuse to show up in Chicago being all talk. I really, really, really want to be sub 4 THIS year! I am not sure how I am going to get there because speed is coming so slow to me lately, but darn it I want it. Anyhow, had a phenomenal run once I got out the door. Tomorrow is going to be just as challenging. I need to figure out how to squeeze in 10 miles before heading to Indianapolis for clinicals. It's a 5 hour drive there and I will be busy all weekend so running it there would be really difficult. I'm thinking that me and my jogging stroller need to make friends. I really hate that stroller! Sorry to all my running friends that run in strollers all the time. Jealous of your stamina. I don't know how you do it. Not sure if I can pull 10 miles in the stroller or not, but one way or another I will be getting in those 10 miles. Chicago! Go, go Chicago!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Speak for yourself!
Okay, this post has been in my head for a while now. Please forgive me if I sound too big headed or self righteous - those are my two biggest character flaws and I am well aware of them. My husband says that's why he never tells me I'm doing a great job because I do enough of it for him. Anywho.. back to the point of this post. I've been reading a lot of posts from back of the pack runners lately. And you know what, good for them! They are getting out there and doing something and I think that's fantastic. Now I figure is time for a post from a former back of the packer, now middle of the packer, future front of the packer (stole that from a friend I know..., but I liked it so going with it.)
For those that don't know me gonna get a little personal here and reach out on some of the things I have accomplished in my life and why I dream big and why I say speak for yourself! First off I'm a Navy veteran. Boot camp was tough! I am a big wuss, girly girl through and through, but I like the challenge and marathon, babies, anything else in my life that has come has spun off of that first accomplishment. The military forever changes a person, develops character, persistence, pride, something you just can't find anywhere else. Second big game changer Justmommies.com - this is my sister's biggest pride and she often asks me why I don't rank that first on my list of things I'm proud of. My sister and I started Justmommies.com in 2004 with nothing more than 2 computers (one picked up for $45 at a garage sale because she couldn't afford a computer and I love her so much.) Justmommies grew to over 1/2 million visitors before we sold. I am no longer part owner of Justmommies, nor employee, but I will say that JM pushed along my big dreaming! People told us we couldn't do it then and my sister and I said we dream big!
Number 3 changer - don't ask me why this moment sticks out in my head so much, but it does. Sometime when Leo was a baby and I was massively overweight at the time. Some of you all haven't seen my fat pictures and may delude yourself into believing that being thin and in shape just comes easy to me - Before and After Pics Anyhow,I was at this Christmas party and there was a older gal sitting next to me. Then there was this other gal dressed in some skimpy party dress who looked pretty dang good. The older gal sitting next to me says "We'll never look that good again..." and the whole time I thought to myself... "SPEAK FOR YOURSELF".
Now, this brings me full circle back to the start of my post and my wonderful running friends. As a middle of the pack runner now, I hear things like "we'll never be that fast" and the like and all that runs through my head on this one is "SPEAK FOR YOURSELF". I may be slow right now, but I dream big! Just like when I started Justmommies with 4 people, my sister and I KNEW we could do it. Welp, guess what that's how I feel about running right now too. I KNOW I can do this. Now, don't get me wrong I don't mean I'm gonna go out and win the world Olympics. I'm delusional, not stupid. I am after all almost 39 years old. I am going to nursing school so have a pretty good familiarity with physiology. I am not in my prime, but all that being said, I am a pretty determined individual, big headedness or not, oh well. I plan to rock on this summer. I got a big dream right now and that's sub 4 for Chicago! Oh and since I pick a mantra for every marathon I run, I got mine picked for Chicago. First marathon I think was "Stick to the Plan". Second one was "Make it Count". Third marathon was "Never Give Up". Well, guess what my mantra is for Chicago "Heart and Soul". Stay tuned for great things to come from me. I'm gonna try to actually blog my way through training on this one and not be the slacker blogger you know and love that only comes around to toot her own horn.
For those that don't know me gonna get a little personal here and reach out on some of the things I have accomplished in my life and why I dream big and why I say speak for yourself! First off I'm a Navy veteran. Boot camp was tough! I am a big wuss, girly girl through and through, but I like the challenge and marathon, babies, anything else in my life that has come has spun off of that first accomplishment. The military forever changes a person, develops character, persistence, pride, something you just can't find anywhere else. Second big game changer Justmommies.com - this is my sister's biggest pride and she often asks me why I don't rank that first on my list of things I'm proud of. My sister and I started Justmommies.com in 2004 with nothing more than 2 computers (one picked up for $45 at a garage sale because she couldn't afford a computer and I love her so much.) Justmommies grew to over 1/2 million visitors before we sold. I am no longer part owner of Justmommies, nor employee, but I will say that JM pushed along my big dreaming! People told us we couldn't do it then and my sister and I said we dream big!
Number 3 changer - don't ask me why this moment sticks out in my head so much, but it does. Sometime when Leo was a baby and I was massively overweight at the time. Some of you all haven't seen my fat pictures and may delude yourself into believing that being thin and in shape just comes easy to me - Before and After Pics Anyhow,I was at this Christmas party and there was a older gal sitting next to me. Then there was this other gal dressed in some skimpy party dress who looked pretty dang good. The older gal sitting next to me says "We'll never look that good again..." and the whole time I thought to myself... "SPEAK FOR YOURSELF".
Now, this brings me full circle back to the start of my post and my wonderful running friends. As a middle of the pack runner now, I hear things like "we'll never be that fast" and the like and all that runs through my head on this one is "SPEAK FOR YOURSELF". I may be slow right now, but I dream big! Just like when I started Justmommies with 4 people, my sister and I KNEW we could do it. Welp, guess what that's how I feel about running right now too. I KNOW I can do this. Now, don't get me wrong I don't mean I'm gonna go out and win the world Olympics. I'm delusional, not stupid. I am after all almost 39 years old. I am going to nursing school so have a pretty good familiarity with physiology. I am not in my prime, but all that being said, I am a pretty determined individual, big headedness or not, oh well. I plan to rock on this summer. I got a big dream right now and that's sub 4 for Chicago! Oh and since I pick a mantra for every marathon I run, I got mine picked for Chicago. First marathon I think was "Stick to the Plan". Second one was "Make it Count". Third marathon was "Never Give Up". Well, guess what my mantra is for Chicago "Heart and Soul". Stay tuned for great things to come from me. I'm gonna try to actually blog my way through training on this one and not be the slacker blogger you know and love that only comes around to toot her own horn.
Monday, May 7, 2012
2012 Kalamazoo Marathon Race Report
Stomach was bugging me night before the race and I woke up at 3am with it still bugging me. I was real nervous about this race, but wanting to have some fun more than anything else. I had a goal in mind, but was very prepared that a PR might not happen on this one as my training wasn’t as good with all the cold weather and school. Plus this course was a lot harder. I should mention I got my hair done with pink hair braided in and had my pink running skirt and bright pink socks along with my supermom shirt. I was all psyched to have some fun with this one since I wasn’t sure that I was going to do well.
Get to start line and line up with the 4:15 pace group. That was fun. I talked with the people there and kept up with them for quite a while. Note to self – Don’t wear a shirt that says Supermom to Seven Cheer Me On unless you are prepared to answer the ages of all your children to every single runner that comes up behind you. By mile 10, I seriously started telling people that was taking too much mental energy and I just couldn’t do it. I had 2 pace tattoos, one on each arm, one for 4:15 pace and one for 4:30. I was just behind the 4:15 pacer at mile 10, but stopped to use the bathroom somewhere around there and got stuck waiting. I should have just kept going, but wasn’t sure where another one would be. By the time I got out the bathroom I saw the 4:30 pacer going by, but got going again. I was feeling tired there and was a little overwhelmed by the idea of having 16 miles left to go. Get to mile 11 and then mile 12 goes really fast and I make up a little time with a nice downhill. I lost track of the uphills. They weren’t awful, but they weren’t easy either and hills were a big area of weakness for me coming into training. I realize at this point that I was doing okay and should be able to finish under 4:30 – a time I could live with on this course. I kept plugging along. The crowds were amazing! We ran through several neighborhoods here and I cannot get over how much cheering and support was out there. I got a little emotional seeing the little kids out there with their “Go Mom” signs and really wished my kids were there. I seriously almost started crying on multiple occasions. Running a marathon in and of itself is emotional, but really these people were just something else. I must have waived at every camera too, haha. I figured I might as well have fun if I couldn’t be fast.
Miles 13, 14, and 15 went pretty smooth. I felt like I was going slower than molasses and I wasn’t going fast by any means, but I wasn’t embarrassingly slow either (well not to me anyway). Mile 16 was a very welcome downhill! I cruised right along there and took every fast mile I could find. By mile 16 I just wanted to get to single digits. Somewhere about there the sun really got warm and I was feeling the effects of the humidity. I just kept telling myself 10 miles, easy peasy, but it wasn’t feeling real easy. I think that’s when I had a little bit of a panic realizing I wasn’t feeling strong and started to freak a little about finishing this one. There wasn’t a lot of crowd support between miles 16-18 and there were a lot of people starting to walk. I know I was walking parts at this point. I was just trying to finish without a horrible time and didn’t care about a PR at this point. I just wanted to be done. I was still having fun, sort of, but just the same I was ready for the finish. Mile 22 was a big hill. I remember saying I wasn’t running this one I was walking it and some young guy next to me says it’ll be faster if you run it and me thinking screw you. He was actually a nice enough guy, but that was my thoughts about running up that hill. Of course, he wound up walking parts of it too, lol. Honestly by mile 20 everybody and I mean that literally, everyone was walking. You’d start running for a bit, they’d start walking, you’d start walking, and they’d start running. I think the hills and the heat were getting to everyone at my pace ability. Mile 23 there was a lot of crowd support again and I know I must have been quite the site having out loud conversations with my legs begging them to cooperate just a little bit longer. I also must have asked at least 3 complete strangers if I could borrow their legs for the last 3 miles. That was no game so I kept pushing along. They had another big hill at mile 24 or 25. Who puts a hill there? Ugh, I can’t say I ran that one. I did run parts of it and that was good enough for me. The last mile I was talking to another guy and his PR was 4:41 and I told him if we could just move along a little we could probably still make it in 4:30something. I finally got to the last .2 and the finish line in site and I am telling you my little legs started moving. I was determined to finish in 4:30something, anything. I was so thrilled to cross the line in 4:39:29. Not anywhere close to a PR, but I had a lot of fun with this race. I think I did my best and that’s all I can hope for. My legs don’t feel like death right now either so that’s a good sign! I am ready to start training for another one.
I finished 29 out of 46 in my age group, 166 out of 282 for women, and 470 out of 702 overall. Happy that I’ve firmly moved up to middle of the pack runner now. Making progress.
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