I'm still ticking!

Apparently I've just turned into a bad blogger.  I can't say for sure I will get back to my regular blogging self anytime in the next century, but what I can do is blog when it's feasible and not blog when it isn't.  Sounds fair to me!

Since we last parted ways...

I've suffered the loss of a friend.  My friend was Friday Night Lights.  I watched all 5 seasons on Netflix and then...felt empty.  For 5 seasons I lived in Dillon,TX.  For 5 seasons I "cared" about football and the lives of my many "friends".  For 5 seasons, I got all caught up in the drama and then....nothing.  Empty.  I'm trying to replace my friend, but so far nothing has hooked me yet.  I will let you know if/when that changes.

Since we last parted ways...

I've traveled to Huntington Beach, CA to visit my brother and sister-in-law.  I arrived on Friday, 2/3.  Eddie took me to our Surf City Marathon Expo where I stocked up on all sorts of goodies.  Have you ever tried the Halo brand sweat bands?  OMG!  I have never in my life worn a sweat band that truly did not allow sweat to drip in my eyes.  Best. Sweat Band. Ever.  I also purchased a visor with a built in sweat band, but I've yet to try it out.  I then purchased a pair of Experia Cool Max PINK socks which are awesome!  We all know how much I enjoy NUUN, so I bought a few cylinders of various flavors to tide me over.  Wouldn't you know I would forget my SPIbelt?  No worries...I bought a bigger one at this Expo which totally holds everything I need - including my cell phone!  =)  Yes, I totally dropped a small fortune, but it was well worth it!

After the Expo, we headed to Slater's 50/50 - Burgers by Design.  Eddie had been telling me about this place for quite some time.  He wanted us to be bold and daring and try the Peanut Butter and Jellousy.  We had amazing service and we were even encouraged to each pick out a burger and then they would split both burgers for us so we could each have half of the other's burger.  We decided on the PB&J burger (pb, strawberry jelly, bacon, burger on a honey wheat bun) and the special of the month, the Pizza Burger (1/2 beef 1/2 Italian sausage burger, fried cheese sticks, red pepper pizza sauce, and pepperoni on a Ciabatta roll).  Though we both enjoyed the pizza burger, we agreed the PB&J burger was the MOST AMAZING BURGER EVER!  I might have convinced him we needed to go again to experience it in all of it's glory once more before I left. 

Saturday was more or less a chill day with plenty o' carbo-loading.

Sunday was race day.  Eddie and April had never done a half before.  This was my 8th.  I was, of course, walking the race since I have not been running for almost a  year now.  I have to say that it was probably the most boring course I've ever been on.  You may recall that I did the OC Half back last May and the course, though VERY hilly, was fantastic taking us along the beach, cliffside, and through some beautiful neighborhoods.  The Surf Side City Half was a different ballgame all together.  We started on the Pacific Coast Highway (or the PCH as the cool kids call it) and with the exception of a 2 mile detour off a side road which looped back to the highway, we remained on the PCH through the finish line.  Although I did appreciate the beach scene, it wore out its welcome at the 8 mile turn around.  I will say that the runners and walkers in the race were incredibly friendly and supportive.  The staff members working the race were helpful and sweet dispositioned.

A few cool / mentionable moments.  Around mile 3, I met an older couple.  We were chatting as we walked and they told me the best experience they have ever had was walking the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer two years in a row and that they looked forward to walking it again this year.  What you don't know is that I've been listening to the advertisements for the Houston Walk on 96.5 thinking that this may be something I want to participate in.  More on this subject in another post, but needless to say, I took this as a sign I needed to walk the walk!  Near mile 4, I hit up a hydration station and disappointingly noticed they didn't have any Vitalyte available.  I knew I needed electrolytes to help stave off the calf cramps, so I asked oned of the volunteers and he said he would look for some.  I told him thanks, but not to worry about it and kept marching along.  He apparently found some and ran it over to me.  What a great guy!  Then, around mile 6, I was traipsing along and some really awesome girl who was on the other side of the highway about 4 miles ahead of me came running across the median to give me a bracelet and some words of encouragement.

Overall, I was okay with my performance.  I maintained a decent consistent pace through mile 8 and then it went completely downhill when the calf cramps blasted me around mile 9.  I had a hydration plan of only drinking the Vitalyte at all stations, but the first one didn't have any and then I was only able to find it at the second and third.  By the time I hit the 4th station, they were out.  I hit up a medic tent around mile 10.5 and got a cup of Gatorade that took me to the finish line, cramps and all. I didn't end my race listening to music, so there is no finishing song on this one.

I think it's time I buy some salt pills to take with me on my journies.  =/  Any suggestions of brands?

We pigged out on pizza Sunday evening.  I think I was trying to replenish the 2260 calories I burned during the race. 

April and I got foot massages on  Monday.  Then I headed back to Houston on Tuesday.

Wednesday was a pamper-me day.  I got a MUCH needed haircut in the morning followed by a 70 minute hot stone massage that I purchased via Living Social a long time ago.  Although the massage was relaxing, I have to say that I still prefer my deep tissue torture sessions.  ;)

Thursday, I had eye surgery...AGAIN.  6 years ago, I jumped on the lasik bandwagon.  Right before I was to have standard lasik surgery, the doctor decided he would prefer to do a procedure on me called Epilasik.  This was as a result of my astygmatism and it meant a longer recovery period.  I remember being totally miserable for about 5 days or so.  Well several months ago I noticed that my vision had changed and since I had paid for a "warrantly" of sorts on my surgery, I was entitled to free touch-ups as necessary.  I went through the whole process with Lasik Plus before they determined the procedure would be beneficial to me.  This time they decided to do PRK surgery - slightly different than Epilasik and a longer recovery period.  I wasn't able to return to work until the next Tuesday and even then...my eyes were not as they should be.  My left eye was slightly over-corrected and my right eye was lagging behind.  It made for a very unbalanced vision causing me eyestrain and glaring issues.  It has since improved, but is still not perfect.  My doctor basically told me to have patience.

I'm sorry for the lack of pictures in this post.  Not only am I bad blogger, but I'm a terrible picture taker, as well.  =/

I have so much more to catch you up on, so hopefully I will get to writing another post ASAP so you can share in my family's excitement!

Kim versus The Race That Wasn't

A long time ago I signed up for See Jane Run.  It would be my first all women's half and it would be in Austin.  I honestly can't recall the last time I was in Austin.  It was quite possibly my freshman year in college...uh...a long long time ago.

I decided to make a whole weekend of it, though probably I should have dropped the race all together given my ridiculous lack of training.  Someone asked me why I was even going through with it.  I said that dropping from it gave me a license to continue along on the bad path I've been traveling.  Facing what would no doubt be yet another humbling/painful experience (see Kim versus The Half Marathon - Hottest Half) would hopefully be just what I need to once and for all get back on the right track.

I booked myself a room on Hotwire conveniently located a half a mile away from the "recommended hotel" (for significantly cheaper) and planned to leave after work on Friday.  I was really looking forward to the escape.

As I drove into Austin on the same street as my hotel, dread began building in my very being for the road leading to my hotel was extremely hilly.  I'm not dumb...I know Austin and the surrounding cities are called "the hill country", but seeing it was another story.  My only race with true hills to date was the Orange County half I did back in May and those hills were brutal.  Something told me this was going to be even worse!
I valet parked my car, lugged all my belongings to the lobby, and checked in.  My room was lovely, really.  A very comfy bed, a nice tv, and a strong cold blowing A/C.  I didn't have any real set-in-stone plans other than hitting up the Expo the next morning and visiting with a friend from college who I had not seen since those good ol' days.

I woke up on Saturday morning and read a bit, played my FB games, showered, dressed, went down to the lame continental breakfast, back up to my room to do my hair, and headed out to the hotel the Expo was being held at - just a half mile away.

sCaRy pic of me - hahaha!

I got there early, so stopped at Starbucks for my non-fat lite salted caramel mocha frappacino (no whip) and played around on my phone until it was time.

I always find it awkward to do a race alone...especially out of town.  I felt...lonely.  I got my bib (no pins - rar), my t-shirt, and my goodie bag.  I perused the vendors and got myself a free sample of Pinot Grigio courtesy of Barefoot and my free Luna bar sample, and then headed back to my hotel to examine my swag.

I read some more of my book and decided I should go find food.  The night before, That Pink Girl recommended I go to Kirbey Lane for a meal.  They are several around town, so I decided upon the original.

What a lovely atmosphere, a delicious menu, a nice waitstaff, and next to me sat a friendly woman who chatted with me throughout our respective meals.  I ordered the Kirbey chicken which was a marinated grilled chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese mixed with kalamata olives and mushrooms.  It was served with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.  I also had a mimosa and loads of iced tea.  Seriously delicious meal!  Seriously.

After lunch, I left out to go find my friend who lives in Round Rock.  She hadn't changed a bit in appearance and we chatted and caught up while her nearly 2 year old napped.  Right before he woke up, her parents arrived in town - visiting from Houston, as well.  We had the most wonderful visit and they even took me to dinner at Fuddruckers that evening.  After dinner, Monica took me to Academy so I could buy a hand-held for my race.  I didn't want to bring my Camelbak - thinking it wasn't as hot as The Hottest Half and therefore a bit overkill for the race, but I also didn't want to only rely on the hydration stations as that as lead me to dehydration (cramping) in the past.

We said our goodbyes and I headed back to my hotel - hoping for a good night's rest.  I never really sleep well before a race, by the way.  Before I went to bed, I discovered an email from See Jane Run letting us know the medals had been lost by Fed-Ex, so that we would not be receiving one upon completion of the race, but once they were found they would mail them to us.  This saddened me.  It's nice to have that medal once you cross the finish line.  Ah well...

I knew the forecast screamed rain, but that was the way the cookie crumbled, I supposed.  I worried a bit about that and went to sleep waking up twice in the night.  I never really sleep well before a race.

I woke up on Sunday morning, hopped in the shower, got dressed, geared up, threw back breakfast, and headed out in the rain.  I was very confused while trying to park.  There were no signs...just a bunch of fellow confused participants.  I ended up riding around in circles for a half hour and then rolled down my window and asked someone once I noticed cars leaving.  Turns out the race was canceled - no reschedule, no refunds.  I felt somewhat relieved - again...wasn't prepared...wasn't happy about walking in the rain, but then I felt somewhat sad.  I mean wasn't this the reason why I left town - spent money?!  Didn't I want that pain and suffering to get me on task?!  Wouldn't it have been awesome to start off my week with a 2,000 calorie burn?!   What about my chocolate and champagne?!

These were posters at the Expo - there were more, but here are my faves:

I returned back to my hotel, crawled back into bed and read for a bit before dozing back to sleep for a bit.  I then collected all my belongings and checked out - riding back home to Houston in a whole bunch of much needed rain.

It was a nice get-away in that I was able to visit with an old friend, but really...the whole trip just left me feeling lonely.  It could be that it's "that time of year" or the rain.  It could be many things.  Maybe I was just missing the camaraderie I would have felt on that race course.

So, I have no race to report, no finishing song...BUT, I do have a next stop!  It's the Monster Dash in Chicago on October 29th.  Costumes are encouraged and I'm working on mine.  Right now I feel motivated to battle the bulge and train for the race, so cheers to a fresh start and 3 weeks to get ready!

Kim versus the Half Marathon - The Hottest Half

Well...it was a personal worst, but I did it.

13.1 is far, y'all.  For reals.  13.54 is even further!  I don't know about you, but there is nothing that agitates me more than seeing the distance I truly traveled in a race you only get credited for 13.1.  Usually I can look back and see where I did some weaving (or...um...getting lost), but since I put myself at the very back and walked The Hottest Half, well...there wasn't much weaving at all.  =/

So, it would be VERY easy for me to tear myself apart with regard to this race.  I mean I hadn't trained for it except for a few longish walks and a couple of weekday jaunts - none of which ever attained my goal pace and none of which lasted more than 8 miles.  As I've mentioned before, I've gained some weight back and I just haven't been eating as well as I should and I haven't been moving as much as I should.  To bottom-line it, I'm out of shape.  I thought about opting out of the race altogether and/or knocking my registration down to the 10K (which also would have granted me a medal upon completion), BUT I decided I was to be punished for my wayward lifestyle as of late and that come hell or highwater (in Houston?  in Dallas?  in this drought?) I needed to complete this race and use the blood, sweat, tears, and pain to catapult me into getting back on the right track.

I will say that this was one of my most humbling experiences of all time.

After splitting a peanut butter and honey sandwich with That Pink Girl, we headed out to White Rock for our race.  On a side note, I think I liked the PB&H over oatmeal as a pre-race breakfast.  This was a smallish race in that there were 1375 finishers.  My goal was to not be last.  haha!  Well I had more goals - although I wanted to finish in legal time, I knew my lack of training would probably not allow it.  I was right.  So my other goals were to not dehydrate and just to finish.  Pretty simple, right?!

I had a hydration plan.  I was going to take water from all 6 hydration stations on the way out (it was an out and back course) and then drink from my Camelbak (filled with G2) on the way back.  It became clear pretty early on that this plan wasn't going to work for me.  It was hot y'all AND I'm one sweaty girl AND seeing as I was walking the course (not in the best shape), I knew early on to avoid cramping calves and other symptoms of dehydration, I needed a new plan.  I ended up grabbing a water from all 6 hydration stations on the way out while sipping on my Camelbak in the interim.  On the way back, I alternated between water and Powerade at the stations.  This all paid off - by 10.5 miles, I had drained my Camelbak.  By mile 11.5, the twinges started in my left calf.  Some volunteer had offered to let me re-fill my Camelbak around 9 miles, but silly me thought I still had plenty left.  =/

Mile 1 was pretty smooth sailing save for the bridge located around 0.5.  Now, I'm not one of those chickies afraid of a bridge, but I am a chickie with some equilibrium issues and many runners/walkers and bike riders trampling over a bridge makes for quite a bouncy experience.  Can you believe there was another bridge around 1.5 miles?  In my head there were two more, though I might be mistaken.  The one that was located right before mile 5 (and mile 8 on the way back) was by far the worst.  Coming off that cRaZy bridge was a hill.  We all know how much I love to hate hills.  My legs felt disoriented from the bridge and it was just a bad feeling all the way around.

I still felt strong Miles 2-5 as there was quite a bit of shade along the course.  During Miles 4-5 I practically had my own cheer squad.  As the runners on their way back passed me, many of them would high 5 me or clap or shout out encouragement.  It truly brought both a smile to my face and some tears to my eyes.  It was extremely heartwarming that people were so awesome to take the energy out of their own race to help motivate mine.

Miles 6-8 were okay.  At some point, I made a friend.  He was walking the race, as well, and we just chatted along for a couple of miles. 

Miles 9-11 were rough.  I wanted to quit half a dozen times, but I reminded myself that punishment isn't supposed to feel good.  I wasn't hurt, mind you, so there was really no reason to stop...I was just tired (well except for that stupid left calf that started acting up right past mile 11).

Miles 12-13 felt like they took an eternity.  The aid vehicles kept passing me and the girl in front of me.  She was struggling with a hurt leg, so they asked her a time or two if she needed help, but she declined.  We both just wanted to be done.

Around 12.9 miles, TPG came from around the corner and I swear to you that she was the best thing I'd seen all day.  She instantly put a huge smile on my face before she put her coach face on told me to start running to the finish line.  I tried for a few hundredths of a mile, but that lame calf was threatening me.  I started walking again and I was telling TPG about a dude who almost knocked me over around mile 4.  He was coming in the opposite direction of me and stopped to tie his shoe - without pulling to the side.  Some girl told him to get off the course and without looking, he scooted over onto my side of the course.  I girl-screamed in fear of falling over and somehow managed to avoid him and the ground.  TPG pointed out that if I had enough energy to tell a story, I had enough energy to run the rest of the course (I love when she goes all coach on me), so I started running and as I neared the finish line, the MC shouted my name and where I was from.  A fairly large group of spectators cheered for me as I crossed the finish line. 

The Hottest Half peeps handed me a medal and I thanked them for allowing me to finish and giving me the medal even though I didn't finish in legal time.  She laughed, congratulated me, and told me she was proud of me.

Nice people rock my world!

After some much needed water, TPG and I headed towards the car.  A nice aid guy stopped us and offered us a ride.  I didn't want to take him up on it because of pride issues, but then he said if we didn't let him take us, he was going to have to go back and become part of the clean-up crew.  We laughed and thanked him for the ride.

I will say that this was one of my favorite races as far as organization, staffing, and hydration stations go.  It was the absolute best race as far as my fellow racers go. AND if I could ever get my act together...despite the heat...I would consider doing it again (the right way).

I will leave you with a couple of pics and my stats.

This is a pic of my fingers after the race (no, they were not painful, but definitely uncomfortable)...

These were my fingers 24 hours later...

This was my post race AWFUL pic, but hey...it's me with my medal and TPG was kind enough to take it...

Time - 3:57:57
Calories Burned - 1989
Finishing Song - Lady Gaga's Paparazzi
Next Stop - Beach Palooza (5K obstacle course) in Galveston on September 24th.

Kim versus the Half Marathon: The OC Half

I flew into LAX on Saturday, 4/30.  My brother Eddie and I had a plan to go to the Expo after we ate lunch after he picked me up from the airport. We both have A.D.D.  At 3:45pm, Eddie reminded me I needed to pick up my packet. We had dinner reservations at Banderas with some friends at 5pm. Ooops. Eddie and April dropped me off at the area near the Expo and then I walked a really fast half mile to the actual packet pick-up. My little swag bag had a sample size Clif Bar, Barnie Butter, a fruit strip , bandaids, and coupons. I was pleased. I would have liked to walk around the Expo and maybe do some shopping (you know how I love to buy me some NUUN), but alas...there was no time.  After my speedy half mile back to the car, we took off to the restaurant...being 25 minutes late. :(

Since we all know I really like having a friend in the race with me (despite the fact that we only see each other at the start), this race was no exception.  My friend and co-worker Carie came cross-country with her husband (and also co-worker), Joe.  Their son and daughter-in-law live in Huntington Beach, the same city my brother and sister-in-law live in.  Though Carie eats 13 miles for breakfast every weekend, she had never actually ran a half marathon, so she was eager to jump on-board my crazy train.

My brother and I met Carie and Joe at Starbucks EARLY Sunday morning and then my brother took us all to the start.  Carie and I did the whole porta-potty thing and hung out until it was go-time and then we parted ways.

My legs felt like lead for mile 1. I was so stiff even though I had stretched. I just couldn't seem to pull the same speed I had in the earlier miles the previous week. Just after mile 1, there was a huge downhill. I decided to run it to gain some time. When I hit mile 2, I was pleasantly surprised to see I had regained my lost time from the first mile and that my legs felt better. This boosted my confidence. Mile 3 offered up another downhill opportunity,so I ran that one, too. I gained more time.

The course was absolutely beautiful.  It offered up a lot of scenic views of the ocean and the mountains.  We ran along some beautiful homes and fragrant flowers.  Shade was offered along the way, as well. 

The race was well organized with 9 water and/or Gatorade stations along the first 13 miles (the marathoners and half marathoners broke off from one another right around 12.25) and there were numerous porta-potty opportunities along the way.  Rarely would anyone actually have to wait in line for their use.  I know I didn't have to and that made me happy!  I was a bit put off when I did have to wait for a light to cross the street around mile 5, though.  I've never had that happen in a race before.

One of the reasons I chose The OC Half was because it offered a negative net elevation.  I think, in my head, I confused this with it being a flat course.  It was anything but flat.  I also know that about 2 months before the race, they changed the course for whatever reason, so perhaps that had something to do with the hills.  Regardless, I totally know why I never drive a course before I run/walk it.  I'm better off not knowing what I'm up against.

The course got kind of weird around mile 7.  I started feeling a little sick and I was moving really slowly.  I started feeling better around mile 8 and then right before I hit 9, it was a straight uphill.  Ugh.  The same thing happened right around mile 11.  Double Ugh.  I just kept marching along.

I told myself no charlie horses.  I carried (and drank from) my new handheld Amphipod 20 oz water bottle filled with water and a lemon-lime NUUN tablet and I stopped at every single drink station and had 1-2 drinks.  I'm proud to announce that I managed to complete this race charlie horse free (and without getting lost like I did the previous week).

Carie killed it with a time of 2:05:02.  She is awesome!  Now she is talking about going back to the OC to run The Surf City Half on Feb. 5th.  It's tempting, so we shall see!  This one truly is a flat course and that truly makes me happy.

Upon completion of our race, we were all handed a bottle of water, a bottle of Gatorade, and a little goodie bag with a banana and a Clif's Mojo sample size bar.

Time-  3:28:55
Finishing Song - Natasha Bedingfield's Touch
Next Stop- The Hottest Half on 8/14 in Dallas - I will be running this race in its entirety (save for walking thru the water stations) - I have a training plan in place - there will be a PR...just you wait and see!

official finisher's photo

Eddie's pic of me



Kim versus the Half Marathon: Hippity Roc Half

I totally had a bad attitude about this race.  It's not like me to have a bad attitude about a race.  It started out with the fact that I have been sick for nearly 3 weeks and unable to run do to a bronchial cough and major congestion.  Then my bad attitude grew wings and took off from there.  I found out there were only 375 registrants.  Pretty sure this is the smallest race I've "run" yet - and it was a half marathon!  BUT then I found out it was capped at that amount and that there was a waiting list...that made me feel a little bit better.  I have to admit I thought it was awfully cute that there was an Expo.  I mean my two Rock 'n' Roll half marys had Expos, but The Houston Half (that hurt me) didn't have one and the RunGirl 13.1 I was signed up for but couldn't run (because of the pelvic stress fracture) didn't have one.

I'm a bad blogger.  I totally forgot to take a picture of the Expo.  =(  I was uber impressed.  There were a few local businesses pushing their products - kettle corn, I believe, and a massage place, amongst others.  The thing that turned my frown upside down was the packet pick-up.  In my head, I had decided this was a rinky-dink race that wasn't even going to have a tech t-shirt.  I knew they had gender specific shirts (which I appreciated), but I was wrong...it's the best tech shirt I've received yet!  Normally a packet pick-up comes in a paper envelope or a plastic bag.  This one came in a purple reuseable bag - something you could use for grocery shopping should a girl choose to go green.  There were all kinds of awesome swag goodies inside.  Check it out!  Yep, a reflector for night running, a water bottle with the race logo, sports beans, 2 Gu packs, and a Chomps pack.  Best swag bag to date!  So...total shift in attitude.

Race morning I made arrangements to meet up with my race buddy Melissa in the parking lot of the high school located across the street from The Bridgeland Community.  Once there, I completed gearing up (accidentally leaving my visor behind - MISTAKE #1) and we trekked over to the porta-potties.  It took us about 30 minutes or so to get through the line and then we stretched and grabbed a place at the start.  This was where I found Bobbi Jo!  Remember her?  We did the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago half together last year - my very first half!

Now I decided I was walking this whole race - something I've never done before - because I had not run in 3 weeks, I was still a bit congested, and I have another half marathon in 8 days.  I had a goal in mind of 15 minute miles, but secretly, I knew I could maintain a faster pace - at least for half the race.  Since I wasn't running, there would be no sloshing around of my system which meant I should be able to make it without a bathroom break AND I did just that.  I knew without a bathroom break I might just have a chance of PRing the race (sad, but true story since I'm THAT slow of a runner -ha!).

I started off incredibly strong.

Mile 1-  14:33

There was a water/Gatorade station around 1.5 miles.  I bypassed it.  MISTAKE #2.

Mile 2-  14:28

There was a water/Gatorade station just past mile 3.  I grabbed one DIXIE cup (yes, that small) filled with the most watered down Gatorade you could ever imagine.  MISTAKE #3.

Mile 3-  14:29

Mile 4-  14:22

Just past mile 5 there was another water/Gatorade station.  The Gatorade wasn't quite as watered down, I grabbed two Dixie cups.  At the start of Mile 4, I could tell I was developing a blister on the upper edge of my right heel.  Courtesy of wearing brand new socks, perhaps?  MISTAKE #4

By now the wind had picked up, but it was a weird wind.  Sometimes it was hitting us dead on.  Other times it was coming at us from the side.  Since there were so few people in this race, most were runners.  I was with a group of about 8-10 walkers.  There were 5-6 behind me.  As the mileage grew, so did the gaps.  Eventually I was alone.

Mile 5-  14:43

Around 5.5 miles or so, I passed Melissa and then Bobbi Jo as they had done the turn around and were headed back in the opposite direction.  It made me feel good that I wasn't TOO far behind them considering I was walking. I couldn't wait to get to the turn around - this was an out and back course as described in the information packet.  I figured with having the drink station at Mile 5 and the advertised drink stations every 1.5 miles, that the turn-around would surely have another drink station.  I WAS WRONG.

Mile 6-  15:04

Wind was still very much an issue.  It was HOT outside.  This course offered no shade at all and remember I left my visor in the car.  I could have cried when around 6.65 miles or whatever when we did the turn around and there was no drink station.  This meant I would have to wait until I go back to the one that was at Mile 5 - which would now be Mile 8 to have another drink.  I was dying.

Mile 7-  14:54

As soon as I saw the water station ahead, I got my Larabar out of my Spibelt and started eating it.  Now, I had made the executive decision to bring a Larabar instead of my usual Clif's Shot Bloks because my Larabar had 200 more grams of potassium in it and I was trying to avoid Charlie Horses - MISTAKE #5.  The only flavor I had was Chocolate Brownie.  I was overheated and despite the fact I was chewing gum, my mouth was dry.  Trying to eat the Larabar was like trying to eat dirt or mud - it was disgusting and so hard to digest. When I hit the drink station, I discovered they were out of Gatorade.  They handed me two Dixie cups of water.  I took them, gulped them down, then went behind them to the table and just started slamming Dixie cups like I had been in the desert for years without water.  I had to have taken another 6 to 8 of them.

Mile 8-  15:44

I was trying my best to ignore the blister.  My mouth still felt so dry.  I knew I just had to make it another 1.5 miles until the next drink station.  My pace was slowing.  I kept trying to will myself to go faster.

Mile 9-  16:43

I was getting hit pretty hard by the wind.  It was a weird feeling.  On one hand, it felt really good, but on the other, it was getting harder and harder to walk through it.  I started feeling dizzy.  I got to the drink station and they still had lots of VERY watered down Gatorade left, but they actually had some bigger cups.  Some kids handed me two Dixie cups.  I slammed them.  A woman handed me a larger cup.  I slammed it.  They could tell I was dehydrated.  Another woman filled up two more of the larger cups for me "for the road".  I slammed them both and kept going.  So many times I just wanted to pull over and just stand there, but I told myself to just keep going.

Mile 10-  18:06

I started feeling that all too familiar twinge in my left calf.  I didn't understand it.  I ate two small bananas with breakfast.  I had a banana every morning all week long.  I hydrated all week and even had 32 oz of water in the morning before the race.  I swapped out my usual plain oatmeal from the cannister that I make every morning for the pre-packaged crap (as recommended by some peeps on the internet because of the sodium content).  I tried to ignore it and kept going.  I felt so alone.  At this point I knew there were still 4 people behind me, but they were so far behind me that I couldn't see them anymore.  The two that had passed me were so far ahead of me that I couldn't see them anymore.  There were hardly any cops out at all - just a bunch of cones where we were supposed to make our turns (or so I thought).

I just kept telling myself I had to make it to 11.5 miles or so for the next drink station and then I would be okay.  My Garmin was showing 11 miles, but I never did see the mile marker.  I was confused.  I know I was walking a lot with my head down because of the sun, so maybe I missed it?  I just kept walking, but so slowly now.

Mile 11-  18:58

At some point, I crossed paths with another girl.  She was one of the people who had been behind me.  Yes, you read that correctly...we CROSSED paths.  She asked me which way to go.  I was confused.  We were passing each other.  Up ahead I saw a yellow-shirt wearing volunteer on a bike.  I called out to her and asked where we should be going and she pointed to the right up ahead - not the direction I was heading.  I then asked her where I was supposed to be coming from and she pointed in the direction the other girl came from. OH NO!  I had somehow gotten lost.  I trudged back up the road and turned right and saw a mile marker in the distance.  Imagine what it did to my head and heart when it read - Mile 11.

Mile 12-  21:41

My Garmin was reading 12 miles.  I had somehow managed to walk an extra mile!  At this point, I had gone 2 1/2 miles without a drink and the drink station was another 1/2 mile up the road.  My calves started seizing up.  First the left.  I would stretch it and try to walk again.  Then the right.  I would stretch it and try to walk again.  They asked me if I wanted a ride.  I said no.  I had to finish.  For the next half mile, I pulled over several times to stretch my tortured calves.  They must have radioed ahead to the drink station because as I approached it, one of the volunteers met me and asked me if I was okay.  She said she was a nurse and heard I was having trouble.  I explained that I got lost, it had been 3 miles since my last drink, and that my calves were in bad shape.  She hurried me over to the drink station and they put wet towels on my neck and started giving me cup after cup of ice cold water (they had also run out of Gatorade).  They asked me if I wanted a ride.  I told them that I needed to at least complete 13.1 according to my Garmin.  I said I would accept a ride after that.  The nurse, her name was Anita, said she would follow along in her car and I should just come to her when I had hit my 13.1.  My calves didn't seize up on my anymore once I had that water in me.  They were still so sore, but at least not seizing.  I finished up the 0.6 miles remaining and then let Anita take me to the finish line.  Once there, I briefly explained what happened to the race director and asked her if I could cross the finish line.  She said, "well you sure did do your half marathon, now didn't you!"  I said, "yes, ma'am"!  and then she crossed it with me and a little boy handed me the medal.

Mile 13-  23:52

Mile 0.1-  19:09

They explained to me they still had water left, but that they were out of cups.  I was desperate for more water.  A man had an empty water bottle.  I didn't care that it had his germs.  I filled it, slammed it, refilled it, and slammed it again.  Then I felt like I wanted to throw up.  I then hobbled to my car - pretty far away - and had to wait for my calves to stop screaming before I could drive home.

When I switched out my running shoes for my flip flops, this was the loveliness that awaited me:

I've never had a blister like this in my entire life.  The only other time I formed a blister while running was during my first 10K - HEB's Bayou City Classic - last year - when I didn't know about moisture wicking socks and just wore regular cotton socks.

So, yeah...this was a PW - personal worst.  I stopped my Garmin at 13.1 and my time was 3:39:27.  Whatever the official time is will be worse than that given the time it took to drive around avoiding the closures and my time explaining to the race director, etc.

Lessons learned:
#1 - remember the visor
#2 - get drinks from all drink stations
#3 - get the appropriate # of drinks based on the size offered
#4 - don't wear new socks
#5 - don't switch out products that have been tried and true
#6 - start carrying some type of Electrolyte drink on me
#7 - pick up the pieces / suck it up - many more races to come

Finishing Song:  Gnarles Barkley's Crazy

I think I've also determined that my issues with my Charlie horses come from dehydration after all.  I hydrate plenty the week before the race.  I just dehydrate during.  I usually don't drink the electrolyte drink offered during a race as I try not to drink my calories.  I made the exception during this race since I didn't have anyone passing me off drinks and I was trying to avoid Charlie horses.  Unfortunately, skipping the first drink station, the fact they didn't have a water station where they should have (at the turn around), and my getting lost amounted to three 3-milers without drinks, all leading to my demise.  During the Houston Half (that hurt me), I didn't experience Charlie horses at all.  I took water at all the drink stations and my siblings met me at various spots along the course with G2.  It was a hot/humid day that day, as well.

One of these days, I'm gonna get this whole fueling/hydration thing right.  One of these days...

Kim Versus the Half Marathon: Dallas Rock 'n' Roll

I woke up at 4:30am, having only gone to bed 5 1/2 hours earlier.  ugh.  At least I was able to get in 8 hours the night before!  I had hydrated my heart out all week long and gave myself one last opportunity Sunday morning with a Nuun tablet in my water and some oatmeal as breakfast.  I left my friend Julie's house in Fort Worth at 5:40 to go pick up Melissa at her hotel.  At 6:30 and we were off to The Finish Line as we were instructed to park there.

The highway was jacked up, yo.  What should have taken us 30 minutes to achieve, took us well over an hour.  We weren't alone in this, so we weren't panicking about missing the race or anything, but it left a sour taste in our mouths prior to starting.  Rachel was ahead of us somewhere - we never were able to meet up with her.  Once we finally parked, I had to stop at the porta-potties - it was like a desperate situation as in there may or may not have been dancing going on to avoid an unfortunate incident.  We then finally made it onto the shuttle bus and arrived somewhat near the starting line around 8:15ish (for the 8:00 race).  We made one more pitstop at the porta-potties and then walked up to the 15th corral just as it was walking towards the start line.  Yes, it was like that.  I guess in a way it was a good thing we didn't have to do a whole lot of standing around as it was 51 degrees at the start.  Brrrrr....

I felt great from the get-go.  I had a huge smile on my face and I was just trying to absorb stuff - you know...trying to be a good blogger and whatnot!  I have to say the cool air was welcomed, especially after Saturday's beautiful but scorching upper 80s.  Around 1.7 miles, I was approaching the 2nd band and they started playing a new song - I felt like it was just for me as it was one of my all time favorites - Brown Eyed Girl.  I could just imagine my friend Laura and I squealing "We are brown-eyed girls" as we used to do in college.  another smile.  Shortly thereafter I hit mile 2 and got slapped in the face with a very steep hill.  I tried to run up it, but then realized halfway up it that I was killing my energy, so I got smart and walked the rest of it.  Once it was behind me, I began running again.  I saw some people (in tutus) dart across the road in front of me because they wanted to take a picture of some spectators.  I looked and sure enough - it was my caped crusader friend, That Pink Girl (only she was now Pink Gurl) and some of her super hero super star spectator friends!  I, too, darted across the road (only after looking both ways first since this was not a blocked street).  It was around 2.5 miles or so and I was so happy to see them.  I hugged TPG and got a picture with her and carried on.  another smile.  3 came pretty fast, then the 5K mark.  Started having some stomach issues and needed to find a bathroom STAT which brought mile 4 on pretty quickly.  There was a line and I knew I couldn't wait until the next set of bathrooms, so I was forced to wait in the line.  The entire process took me 6 minutes.  not smiling anymore.

I resumed running - more hills.  I started getting that all too familiar pang in my right side, then in my left.  The side stitches were returning.  When this happened during my training runs, I called it quits.  I couldn't do that here.  I made it to about mile 5 and then I decided to walk for a bit.  We were in an area called Highland Village.  If you are from Houston, I would liken it to River Oaks.  Beautiful older LARGE homes with amazing landscaping lining the streets.  Such a pretty picture, so serene.  I often joke that I run slower than most people walk.  Well during this time, I was walking faster than I run.  smiling resumed.  The winding through this area ended around 6.5 miles and I began running again.  Side stitches were very much still an issue.

I saw TPG (she took my pic as I approached) and her gang around mile 7.5 and they were such a welcomed sight.  I complained about my problem.  TPG said she would walk with me for a bit and explained to me that I'm breathing too shallow and need to take deeper breaths.  She also had me put my arms above my head to help with this.  We parted ways with a promise to see each other at the finish line and I resumed running.  My sides felt a bit better.  smiling and running.
I hit mile 8 and there was a female police officer that made me chuckle.  She was encouraging us to keep on going and telling us we were doing a great job.  She then added that what we were doing "is not considered normal behavior."  So funny.  smile returned.

I hit mile 9 and I started to feel the twinge of pain in my calves - charlie horses were coming to attack.  I tried to fight them off, but I was forced to return to walking as they were less painful that way.  Intermittently I tried to jog here and there.  By mile 10, my calves were screaming.  Whenever I tried to run, my toes curled and forced my feet to sort of buckle inward.  It was a very weird feeling.  At 10.5, I couldn't take it anymore, so I pulled over and stretched my calves using the curb.  I then tried running and made it about a quarter of a mile before they started screaming again, walking resumed.  so not smiling, like not in the slightest.

At mile 11, there was another band playing another favorite song of mine - Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" (Ahhh....Glee).  I wasn't going to give up on my PR - I had it, I knew I had it...I just had to keep trucking along no matter what!

At mile 12, I desperately wanted to finish out the race running.  I tried and failed.  About a quarter of a mile before the finish line, TPG jumped out from the sidelines and came to my rescue.  She said encouraging, beautiful words, and ran with me until we hit the 13 mile marker.  She sent me on my way to finish and I ran out the remainder with a big smile on my face.  I crossed the finish line with tears in my eyes.

I was emotional because I came back from an injury (pelvic stress fracture) and PRd - despite it being a tough race with lots of pain.  I was emotional because there was one amazing friend who ran with me and encouraged me and then when I crossed the finish line, there was another who had finished almost 45 minutes before me ready to give me a hug.  I was emotional because I hurt..

After getting my bottle of water and medal and hugging Melissa, we went to get a banana, a Snickers Marathon bar, and a bottle of Cytomax and then we went to go find TPG.  We got some pictures and then we headed out.  My calves were screaming so badly, I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to drive. Shockingly, once I got out of my shoes and into my flip-flops, they started being a little nicer to me.

Melissa and me:  Half Marathon finishers!

Pink Gurl and me (she's my fave super hero)

Melissa and I went back to her hotel to shower and change and then we went with her boyfriend, David, to eat at Chuy's (we were FAMISHED) before heading back in our respective cars to Houston.

Official Time:  3:18:03 (a PR of over 6 1/2 minutes)
Finishing Song:  "Rock Star" by Nickelback  (kinda fitting for a Rock 'n' Roll race, eh?)

Next stop:  Tomball's 5K Bunny Run on April 9th (totally feeling a PR for this race)

On a side note - I need to do some research on these charlies horses.  I used to think they were as a result of improper hydration, but that cannot be the case as I consumed mass quantities of water and Nuun all week long.  I wonder now if my issue is from losing too much salt.  I am a VERY sweaty girl when I run.  Perhaps I need to start carrying salt tablets or green olives?  ha!  Anyone else out there suffer from this?  Tips appreciated!

Kim Versus the 10K: Bayou City Classic

This is my first repeat race EVER and it will be only one of two repeat races that I have scheduled for the year (though, of course, I reserve the right to add to that list as the year progresses).  

I had two goals for The Bayou City Classic.

1)  PR  (last year's time was 1:26:38)

2)  Run the entire distance, walking only through the water stations

I did have one friend to run this race with me - Melissa - who, consequently, ran this race with me last year, as well.  I love knowing at least one other person running a race.  It doesn't matter to me how much faster they are - it's just nice knowing someone else is experiencing the same conditions and that there is a natural built-in support, you know?!

I wish I could say I prepped all week long for this race like a true champion, but sadly...I'd be lying.  My diet plan was practically non-existent.  I have a bit of insight into my psyche as to why that occurred, though, and I'm working on it so that I can get back on the right track and stay there.  My running plan didn't happen.  A little birdie barely managed to convince me to hit some minor mileage on Thursday night, but other than that I hadn't done anything since last Saturday's 9-miler.  My hydration plan was lacking. I finally got the water thing down on Friday, but that's not saying much when I had caused such a deficit in my system.  =/

Enough about my downfalls...onto the recap:

Saturday morning, Melissa and I agreed to meet at my work so we could drive together to the race.  We got there VERY early so that we wouldn't have to deal with road closures and all that jazz.  It was quite windy, though not really cold.  We met up with a couple of her friends and started the race just after 8.  My legs felt kind of heavy right from the start.  I had some defeatist thoughts come through my head.  I fought them.  For the first mile, we navigated down town and then we hit Memorial Parkway.  I really don't know how they get away with calling the course "flat and fast" because Memorial Parkway is anything but flat.  I had forgotten this from last year.  =/  I thought about walking up the hills, but then I reminded myself that wasn't what I had set out to do (see goal #2), so I just pumped my arms and carried onward.  

There were water stations set-up every 1.5 miles.  Initially I had considered skipping the first and third, but since the sun was beating down on us pretty brutally and I could feel the salt caked on my face, I knew I needed to hydrate, so I did walk through all of the water stations.  I was happy when I finished drinking my water just past mile 3 and I heard Melissa and her friend shout my name from across the median as they were approaching mile 4 on the opposite side of Memorial Parkway.

I started getting a bit discouraged as I hit the 5th mile marker and realized I was going to be cutting it SUPER close to last year's time.  I knew there was one last big hill to conquer and I thought about giving up and just walking the rest of the race - see...total defeatist.  I didn't register for this race to give-up on it, though.  I pumped my arms hard up that hill.  I rounded the corner and saw the 6th mile marker.  I looked at my watch and knew I had to high-tail it to have a hope of PRing.  I sprinted my heart out.  It worked.

I look like a VERY serious runner here.

Official Time:  1:25:50 (48 seconds faster than last year)

Finishing Song:  Dead and Gone - TI featuring Justin Timberlake

Melissa and her buddies were there to cheer me on as I crossed the finish line - awesome!  I then consumed massive amounts of water and we got our finisher's t-shirts.  Then came the swag.  Wowsers - check out the loot I got!

Yeah, buddy - I got 3 packs of Shot Bloks, a 5-hour Energy, and many Clif's bars.  Sweet!

All in all, a good race, a positive experience, and I was quite proud to say I accomplished both of my goals - a PR and I ran the whole thing, only walking through the water stations.

Lessons learned:  eat right, stick to running/training schedule, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate as my actions for the week will affect my performance!

Kim versus the 5K: Chick-fil-A 5K

I just love me the local 5Ks, you know?!  So nice not to have to drive down town and deal with parking.  Last night I pulled a "Kim".  You know what that means.  total. aggie. moment.  I knew I had to pick-up my race packet at the Chick-fil-A off of 2920.  I was apparently not clear on which part of 2920, so despite the fact I was coming from my parent's house which is closer to the one I should have been going to, I proceeded to go to the incorrect Chick-fil-A.  About 2 minutes into my uncomfortable awkwardness of standing around inside the wrong location, it dawned on me that there were no packets being distributed and that I was clearly mistaken.  I used my trusty Android to find the correct location and went on my not-so-merry way.

It was a cutie packet in a Chick-fil-A box instead of a bag.  We got a t-shirt, a kiddie toothbrush, coupons for free Chick-fil-A, a pen (I have a thing about pens...bet you didn't know that), our respective bibs with safety pins, etc.

I placed all my gear on the dining room table the night before.  Man - it sure does take a lot of stuff just to run 3.1 miles.  Sheesh.

I had the best intentions of going to bed early, but...well...you know me.  I got about 4 hours and 45 minutes of sleep.  Blech.

I met up with Rachel first.  We headed over to Lowe's to use the facilities.  There was a chain across an area near the bathroom that Rachel and I had to climb across.  I made a joke about the turtle (me) doing a hurdle before the big race.  We then headed over to the Chick-fil-A to pick-up our time chip.  This was when we found Lauren.

We started the race - it was a decent route - out and back with a few supporters sporting bells along the path.  I made the decision to run the entire 3.1 (sans intervals) knowing that a PR wouldn't happen as I just can't seem to run as "fast" this way.  For the record, there is no accomplishment for me in running the whole thing without walk breaks as I run 3 miles without stopping all the time now, but still...it was my first 5K to run in its entirety.

I felt good for the entire run - had my breathing under control, etc.  I have to laugh at how different a 5K is for me now versus a year ago.  A year ago I would be all sore later that day and the next.  No soreness today, of course, and tomorrow I'm going for my long run of 7 to 8 miles.

I finished strong, was handed a bottle of water, and found Rachel (who handed me a banana) and then Lauren.  Lauren had found Brittaney, a local runner and blogger we were meeting for the first time IRL.  Brittaney won 1st place in her age group - AWESOME JOB!  Both Rachel and Lauren PR'd this race - AWESOME JOB!

After the award ceremony, we took some pics (of course - we all blog, you know!) and then Rachel, Lauren, and I headed over to Starbucks for some chitchat.

Official Time:  41:59
Laps  (Garmin stats):  Mile 1 - 12:55
                                 Mile 2 - 13:25
                                 Mile 3 - 13:32
                                 Mile 0.18 - 2:14 (which is a pace of 12:11 which means I busted a$$ - hahaha)

Finishing Song:  Ke$ha's Take It Off (I know a lot of peeps don't dig her music, but I can't help but have a few of her tunes on my iPod for running.  If it's got the right beat, I'm down with it, yo)

Next Stop:  Bayou City Classic 10K - March 12th

2010 Race Review

I've decided to follow in the footsteps of my friends and fellow bloggers, Lauren and That Pink Girl and take a look at my year in races.

2010 marked my adventures in running.  Adventures...they were.  I ran four 5Ks, one 10K, and two half marathons.  I suffered through two injuries in the process - hip tendonitis for 4 months and then most recently my pelvic stress fracture.  I also started the tradition of blogging about my finishing song with each and every race!

Let's take a look, shall we?

On January 31st, I ran my very first 5K, The Rocket's Run (cuz Meliska made encouraged me).  This was an amazing experience!  I remember starting off the race (in the ridiculous cold, by the way) wondering what I had gotten myself into.  How was I going to run 3.1 miles???  I never saw the 2nd mile marker, so I was sure I was off track and I wanted to stop and cry a few times, but I didn't.  I kept on trucking a long.  As I entered into the Toyota Center for the last tenth of a mile, the cheer teams were lined up and I got all teary eyed with my accomplishment.  I knew then that I had come a long way.  I knew then that I was truly on the right path.  My heart was filled with such pride.  I ran across the Rocket's court - past the finish line and looked up into the stands for my friends, Meliska and Lauren.  I love this picture because I look dead.  ha!  I had a goal of 48 minutes (cuz I'm a special kind of turtle) and surprised myself by finishing in 44:15.  I then understood the term "runner's high".  Consequently, I think the hip tendonitis started with this race as a result of not knowing to alternate sides of the street to even out the wear and tear of the unevenness of the pavement on my body.  Ahhh...the things you learn AFTER you need the information!  Finishing Song:  Single Ladies (Beyonce)

On February 27th, I ran my 2nd 5K, The Rodeo Run.  This was NOT my favorite run.  I learned some important lessons with this race, however.  I learned it is best to not overdress for a race (I overheated).  I learned I need my music to run (left mine at home).  I learned not to start off too fast (ran my first mile in 12 minutes and I'm so not a 12 minute mile girl).  This race was not time chipped for the 5Kers - which, by the way, is lame, so I don't have an official time.  I do know that it was definitely higher than my Rocket's Run time.  I did enjoy racing with my friends Meliska (turned out to be her last race because she was preggers with Liam), Greggy-D, Lauren, Rodney, and Meliska's parents!  Finishing Song:  none  =(

On March 13th, I ran my first 10K, Bayou City Classic.  I loved this race.  I did this one with my younger sister, Linda, and our friend Melissa (not the preggers one).  Lauren and her sister also ran it, but I never did see them.  =(  It was very nicely organized race and perfect running weather.  I remained strong and steady during this race despite the tendonitis giving me a lot of trouble on the second leg of this race - I was proud of my 1:26:38 finish.  Here's a picture of Linda and I sporting our t-shirts later that day.  Finishing Song:  Pocketful of Sunshine (Natasha Bedingfield)

On April 10th, I ran the Tomball Bunny Run with Lauren and Rodney.  They had run this race the year before and loved it.  I have to admit it was so nice to participate in a local race for a change!  This was not time chipped, BUT I had received my Garmin for my birthday, so this was the first race I was able to run wearing it.  I also successfully incorporated 4/1s to my race (versus the 3/1s I had done previously) which lead me to a PR of 39:40.  What made this especially exciting was that I had set a goal to beat 40 minutes and I accomplished that goal with sheer determination and hard work!  I like my look in this picture - it's totally all retro 70s with my sweatband and 'fro!  Finishing Song:  I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)

I then took a race hiatus for a few months while I trained for my first half marathon - the Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half which was on August 1st.  My friend Bobbi Jo came to Chicago and ran this race with me.  We stayed downtown with my grandmother the night before the race.  My two double cousins, Danielle and Nicole joined us, as did cousin Courtney from New Albany, Ohio.  My aunt, Danielle, Nicole, and Courtney were an awesome support crew chasing us around the race with drinks!  I did pretty well the first half of the race with my 4/1s, but then the charlie horses attacked me and I speed walked the second half of the race.  I ended up being a bit disappointed with my 3:24:39 finish since I knew I was capable of better.  My body and pride were sore, but I picked up the pieces and returned to Houston to begin marathon training with my running group.  Finishing Song:  Low (Flo Rida)

On September 11th, I ran the Bearkat Bash.  This was a great race of irony for me as I hated running the mile in high school - it was a source of embarrassment, frustration, and stress for me so many years ago and here I was willing to pay money to run 3 times that ON PURPOSE.  My how times had changed!  The thing was that my running group was scheduled to run 7 miles that day, so my coach had wanted us to run before the race, so I ran 3 miles - some at the park and then I ran to the race with just enough time to rush to the bathroom and then start the race.  I must have been slightly dehydrated because after the second mile, I had some issues with charlie horses AGAIN and this caused me to have to walk most of the 3rd mile.  This sucked because I had run the first 5 miles of my day.  My time was terrible at 47:40.  I felt horrible.  I would have rather run this 5K and then run another 3 or 4 miles afterwards to save face on my time than have performed how I did.  On the positive side, though, Lauren and her sister, Sarah, participated in this race, as well, so it was nice to familiar friendly faces when I was feeling LOW.  Finishing Song:  Mr. A-Z (Jason Mraz)

On October 24th, I ran the Houston Half with my friend Melissa (it was her first half marathon)  This race was a bit daunting for me as it had a 3 hour time limit and I knew I would be pushing it.  My goal was to run the entire distance outright (as I had long ago dropped my run/walk method) and just walk through the water stations and/or when my siblings passed me off G2.  Around mile 3, I started hurting.  I thought it was my hamstring.  Somewhere between mile 3 and mile 4, I saw my siblings and their spouses - they were awesome, by the way - and they passed me off a drink and I told them the "hills" (meaning entrance ramps) were killing me.  I proceeded to run the race, but something was wrong.  There was one turn-around in the race, but before I could get there, the police forced a whole bunch of us to turn early.  I was EXTREMELY UPSET.  At that point, I was 3 minutes behind where I needed to be to finish in the 3 hour time limit.  I felt they had taken my half marathon from me.  I almost gave up.  I almost quit the race.  It took everything in me to continue - and I do mean everything because I was tired and I was hurt and I was defeated, BUT I kept on.  My finish time doesn't really matter here because it's not legitimate.  I didn't actually complete this half marathon if we are being technical.  Finishing Song:  Low (Flo Rida).  Does anyone else think it's weird that both of my half marathons had the same finishing song?  I just now realized this!!!

I was supposed to do the RunGirl 13.1 on December 12th.  Remember how I previously discussed being hurt?  Turns out I somehow got a stress fracture in my pelvis during that half marathon.  I had to drop out of the RunGirl (BUT I really look forward to doing this race next year with my Meliska as it is an all girl half marathon).  I also had to defer my Houston Marathon 2011 registration to the Houston Marathon 2012.

It is very difficult not to feel like a failure looking back at the last few months of my running.  I know that isn't fair.  In some ways, writing this post made me kind of relive it all.  In other ways, it makes me want to come back with a vengeance!  2011 is going to be my year!  I'm going to run smarter and stronger!  I am already registered for 2 races with another 3 planned.  I honestly think cross-training is going to be the key to keeping me injury free.  I think proper hydration is going to keep those charlie horses at bay.  I think that for a first year runner with no previous running experience at all - well...I guess I didn't do half bad.

Cheers to 2011!