Since we are only in April, I think it best to use a rolling 12-month period here versus a January to present day time table so we have more material to work with.
So...this means we are looking at April 2010 to April 2011. I like to consider myself a glass half full kinda gal. This means I would prefer to start with the negatives (the lows) so we can work our way up to the positives (the highs).
Swing Low
I had to deal with a hip injury (started in February, but carried into mid May) which affected my running. I conquered it.
I had to deal with an ex-boyfriend who would not respect boundaries I tried to establish. Unfortunately, I still hear from him from time to time, but it is becoming less frequent and the methods of contact are becoming less...personal.
I was in a huge dating dry spell. I literally did not go on a single date from April 2010 until February 2011 (despite being a paying member of eHarmony, Match.com, and even a singles group named Eight Friends Out).
During my second half marathon, I was injured - later discovered it was a pelvic stress fracture, which took away my opportunity to run the Houston Marathon. I was out of commission for 2 1/2 months.
My almost 7 year old Tahoe's 2nd transmission blew forcing the purchase of a new car (forcing car payments).
I've struggled to continue on my weight loss journey - particularly post injury/recovery.
Ran my first half marathon - Chicago RnR - in August 2010.
Got to go on a free vacation to Playa del Carmen with my Amy last May!
Went on an awesome family vacation to Disney World for Thanksgiving.
My pelvis has healed nicely and I've been running pain free for almost 4 free months (Amen!)
I'm signed up for 8 half marathons this year (2 behind me and 6 more to go).
At the Expo for my 1st half marathon for the year - Dallas RnR - That Pink Girl and I got to meet and take a picture with Dan and Jackie from The Biggest Loser Season 5.
I have a boyfriend! He's sweet, kind, funny, thoughtful, and just an all around good guy! He even surprised me with these beautiful flowers on my birthday! Awwww....
This is a hot topic worthy of discussion? Um...I like mainstream music. Is that okay? Not sure what direction I'm supposed to take this in...
I have a very eclectic taste in music. Come to think of it, I pretty much have a very eclectic taste in all forms of entertainment - books, movies, plays, television shows, etc. This either makes me well-rounded or non-committal.
I seem to get into certain modes. My modes are dictated by my mood and/or by my life's circumstances.
When I'm all stressed out, I need mellow tunes to soothe my soul.
When I'm feeling like my world is spinning out of control, I need to dig deep and go spiritual with some Christian contemporary flare.
When I'm wanting to take on the world, I like pop/top 40.
When I'm feeling reminiscent/nostalgic, I go country. That might not make any sense, but country just takes me there for some reason.
My point is that everything I listen to comes to me via my chosen XM stations, my chosen Pandora channels, or my iTune purchases and all happen to be mainstream music because that's what I'm exposed to...or how I roll.
This is kind of a boring post. So sorry...
Fave singers include, but are not limited to:
Amy Winehouse
Adele
Jason Mraz
Brad Paisley
Carrie Underwood
Christina Aguilera
Michael Buble
Harry Connick Jr.
Ray LaMontagne
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...
I have to admit, when I first saw the challenge for today (30 Day Challenge), I wasn't sure what it meant. Here is how it is written:
Day 15 - Your favorite Tumblrs
Uh...Tumblrs? Can I buy a vowel for that "e"? Did they mean tumblers like "ones who tumble" like gymnasts? Were they referring to my favorite drinking glasses? Then I got smart and typed "tumblr" into Google and found out that it's a blog hosting site, so my translation is...
Day 15 - Your favorite blogs
Well my Meliska is the one who encouraged me from the VERY beginning of time (or since she started blogging on MySpace) to get with the program that is blogging. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading her blog over the years and I look forward to many more postings. It's been especially awesome to watch as her life has progressed from dating to marriage (I was a bridesmaid!) to baby! Meliska is also the one who motivated me to get into running. As I read her journey of going from zero to marathon, well....let's just say I was inspired! Love her!!!
Melissa and I like to take self portraits (in case you couldn't figure this out)....
You can't help but love That Pink Girl! I've been reading her blog for well over a year. I was tickled pink when she started reading mine. We became fast friends via all the forms of media available to us in this day and age and were fortunate to meet in real life in January. Last month, I was able to spend the better part of a day with her when I went up to the Dallas area for my half marathon and Pinky was my number one supporter during that tough race! I feel that we are a huge support to one another in this so called life and consider myself blessed to be buddies with this gal, not to mention that she keeps it real in her writing and I respect that! Love her!!!
That infamous Marie Claire article (blech) turned me onto this gem - Jenna Weber's Eat, Live, Run. I love her writing style and I especially love her recipes. I must confess I haven't actually made any yet WHICH I realize sounds so silly. What I do is copy and paste the link to the recipes that sound especially appealing to an email to myself and then I send the email to a recipe file I created on my Hotmail account. I'm storing them up for a rainy day. I think the main reason I haven't made any of her delectables yet is because there seems to be a big focus on sweets and this girl doesn't really need to be making those kinds of things for just any occasion. If the right occasion came along, however...well...let's just say I will be VERY prepared!
I thoroughly enjoy reading (Just) Trying is for Little Girls. First off, I have mad respect for my fellow Kims out there! Secondly, this one is witty while chronicling her running, cross training, half marathons, and family. Kim is consistent in posting her plan each week and then at the end of each month, she posts a recap of her planned activities in comparison with her actuals. Let's just say she is motivated and motivational (and speedy)!
Have you had the pleasure of reading Allie's HYPERBOLE and a Half? It's not a very consistently posted blog, but it's well worth the wait. One word best describes the read: HILARIOUS! Each story is accompanied with some cartoonish illustrations. I highly recommend going back through the archives of this one when you need a good laugh! Actually, to the right of the blog is a list of "the best of" for your convenience, so get to it! =D
I actually read a lot of blogs and I recently downloaded the app on my phone to get the RSS feed so that I can read all my faves easily while on the go. This is just a sampling of some of my faves...I could go on and on and on as there are a lot of really great bloggers out there.
We all know by now that I'm plagued by those dreaded Charlie Horses during long runs - like half marathon length. Now granted...Saturday's Hippity Rock Half is going to be a little unique to me in that I'm specifically going out with the intention of speed walking that bad boy from start to finish because my side pain and plague prevented me from the proper training to run it (not to mention I'm still a bit congested - blech).
Since my Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half, I did my research and ultimately determined that several factors could be to blame. It's possible I'm not getting enough potassium in my diet. It's possible I'm not getting enough magnesium in my diet. It's possible I'm not properly hydrated. The last one seems a bit weak to me considering I was on top of my game for the Dallas RnR when it came to hydration. I took That Pink Girl's advice and drank water "like it was my job"! This leads me down another path - perhaps I just plain sweat too much and therefore lose too much sodium. I am quite the sweaty girl, don't ya know?!
So, let's break it down by category, shall we?
Potassium What does it do? It works with sodium to maintain the balance of water in your body.
How much do we need? The RDA (recommended dietary allowance) for potassium in adults is 4700 mg per day.
What should we eat? We all know bananas are rich in potassium. In fact, a medium banana has 491 mg of potassium in it. Other foods rich in potassium include (but are not limited to): beets (blech), brussel sprouts, cantaloupe, lima beans, honey dew melon, skim milk, orange juice, baked potatoes, raisins, cooked spinach, tomato products, winter squash, and fat free plain yogurt.
Some say if you eat a healthy diet you probably consume the appropriate amount of potassium naturally. It can also be said, however, that athletes require more potassium than the average Joe.
Magnesium What does it do? What doesn't it do is more like it! Magnesium helps with your body's consumption of calcium. It assists in relaxing muscles and clotting blood. It activates B vitamins in your system and is needed in bone, protein, new cell, and fatty acid formation.
How much do we need? The RDA for women over the age of 31 is 320 mg of magnesium per day. The RDA for men over the age of 31 is 420 mg of magneisum per day.
What should we eat? Halibut (blech), brown rice, whole wheat flour, oat bran, almonds, cashews, artichokes, most beans (black, navy, white, pinto, refried, etc), chickpeas, okra, cooked spinach, etc.
I'm not sure that eating a whole bunch of beans is a good idea pre-race, but I can definitely handle brown rice, nuts, and anything whole wheat.
Sodium What does it do? Sodium helps balance the fluid in your body.
How much do we need? The RDA for sodium is 2400 mg. Ultimately how much or how little you intake is a balancing act. Too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure. Too little sodium can lead to overheating, dehydration, and/or exhaustion.
What should we eat? In this case, it's more like what SHOULDN'T we eat. Processed foods incorporate sodium as a preservative. In other words, the fresher the food, the less sodium content. I think it would be safe to say that the majority of Americans have no problem getting enough sodium in their diet.
So where does all this information lead me...I'm not really sure. I should be consuming enough sodium to handle my extreme sweating. I mean let's face it - it was between 51 and 54 degrees throughout my Dallas RnR. If sodium depletion was an issue in that temperature range, then just think how horrific it will be in the upper 90s I will face while running my Hottest Half in mid August. Yikes! I think it's probably a safer bet that my potassium and magnesium levels are subpar.
What's my plan? I'm gonna take a multi-vitamin every day (I'm bad about this normally). I'm going to stretch before and after each workout. I'm going to use my foam roller daily. I'm going to drink H2O "like it's my job". I'm going to focus on consuming fresh fruit, fresh veggies, and whole grains to get my potassium and magnesium consumption to the appropriate levels. I'm going to conquer the Charlie Horses, by golly!
I'm gonna attempt to PR this half marathon despite the fact I won't be running at all. It's possible, I'm motivated, and yes...I'm that slow of a runner that I can probably walk faster - ha! Stay tuned!!!
How many times have I gotten off track on my diet plan in the past 6 months? How many times have I had to regroup, recommit, refocus, and all that jazz? Does it matter? Point is, I've gotten back on the wagon.
I, like so many other peeps I know (specifically of the female gender) emotionally eat. When I'm upset, I eat to soothe my soul. When I'm happy, I eat in celebration. When I'm mad, I eat to calm my inner beast. When I'm sick or hurt, I eat to ease my pain. There is always an excuse, it seems.
I was stressed out over the whole car purchasing thing.
Finally getting into a relationship after a year of not even dating caused me some anxiety as you can't be a 34 year old woman without some emotional baggage from past relationships that creeps in the back of your mind when getting involved in new relationships.
Work pretty much always has me in one tizzy or another.
Being sick for the past week and a half has put a dent in my training plan for my upcoming two back-to-back half marathons. My lungs are still not where they need to be, so I haven't been able to run. I can walk, though, so I have had to reconfigure my plan. More on this in another post.
My point - if at first I don't succeed - I just need to GET BACK ON THE WAGON until I get it right once and for all!
I'm so sick and tired of trying again. I know I can be successful - I've proven that. Remember this girl:
She was me not so long ago.
I know I'm not where I want to be, though, and the only way to get there is to commit to the process - mind, body, and spirit. I need to stay focused. I need to remain loyal to my food plan AND combine that with an exercise (cross training) program along with my running schedule to get me to my goal.
Can I consult older sister Cathy on this one? She remembers everything. Yes, yes...I know that it's MY earliest memory, but she can probably supply that, as well. She's that good. ;)
If I were Cathy, I would remember this:
Yes, it's my Baptism and yes...I have total crazy eyes going on.
Most of my real memories (in other words not the ones planted by others) come from around this time:
I'm guessing 7ish? My hair wasn't quite the wild mop top it is today, but you can see hints of its future unruly self.
Anyway, I remember sporadic things here and there...I remember there being some giant rock at the end of our street when we lived in Chicago and we weren't allowed to go past this foreboding boulder. Years later when we revisited our old neighborhood, that rock was still there and made us laugh because it was but a mere stone - nothing to make you even give it a second glance, but it seemed so daunting back in the day.
I mentioned despising Winnie the Pooh in my 30 Facts post. I even remember the reason. I was hiding in my room scared of some creepy dude hanging out at the park. My sister had told me rumors/gossip about him. I don't even know if he ever really existed. My dad (who was outside doing the lawn) knew I was "sad", so he tapped on my window to get my attention. When I looked up, he was replaced with a giant Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal that he was dangling in the window to make me smile. It made me scream.
I remember all of our Halloweens because it was always such a big deal in my family. The house would be decorated, our pumpkins would be carved, and we would all get dressed up (in homemade costumes courtesy of my mom). My dad would take us out on the town for our trick-or-treating and he would even bring us back mid-evening to dump our goods for a refill. Wasn't I just the cutest little bunny ever?
I remember moving from Chicago to Denver when I was 8 and then moving again to Houston when I was 10. I remember being a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. I remember attempting to play the clarinet and failing miserably. I remember always getting in trouble because I had total Middle Child Syndrome.
I remember enough to know I had a happy childhood and that I was loved. Some details may be fuzzy here and there, but hey...that's why I have Cathy.
