Half-Marathon Recap

We did it! We are officially half-marathoners. I can't believe it...we signed up for this race back in September I believe, and have trained our booties off since then for this race. I totaled up my mileage from when my training officially began in November and realized I've run nearly 300 miles in preparation for this race! I'm so thankful the Lord has seen us through without any injuries. There were times when all I wanted to do was throw in the towel, because let's face it, it's a lot easier to quit than to push through the discomfort. Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." It is only because He has created our bodies so unique and beautifully that we are able to do things like run for 13 miles straight.

Race details:

The party started yesterday, when I forced bottle after bottle of water down Billy's and my throats. I was so full of water I hardly had room to eat the spaghetti dinner we had at our friends David and Rachael's house along with our Pastor Kevin, who was also a first time runner. We attended a "carbo load" party, complete with spaghetti, garlic bread, and my own maple sweet potatoes. I told Billy it was pretty funny that people are always talking about cutting out carbs and going on low-carb diets, and there we were headed to a carb fest!

After dinner, I got in bed by 10:15 but wasn't able to fall asleep until close to 10:45 due to nerves and excitement. My alarm went off at an hour that should never be seen by anyone on a clock: 4:20. I anticipated hitting the snooze button a million times, but rather shot out of bed and made a breakfast of a small bagel with PB and a banana on top, as well as a cup of coffee. Around 5 I woke Billy up (he stayed in our guest room due to the early morning), and we were out the door before 6. It took us a good half hour before we parked--traffic was already piling up and roads were closing. The race was due to start at 7, so we lined up by the bathrooms to go one last time along with everyone else in the world. As I was opening the door of my port-a-potty to come out, I see a girl, about my age, run full speed smack into my opened door. She had been running (either to warm up or just to get to the start of the race) right in front of the line of port-a-potties, and my door happened to open just as she happened to be sprinting by. I was in absolute shock as I watched her fall to the ground off the curb. I just stood there with my hands over my mouth, feeling so confused and so horrible. The girl started sobbing crying, which made me feel better because at least she wasn't knocked out, and her mom or whoever was with her rushed her off to the medics. I tried to talk to the girl or her mom, trying to apologize or be of some help, but they completely ignored me (not that I blamed them; the girl's head was a little more important here) and walked off. I should mention that as they were walking off, they still walked in front of the line of port-a-potties and the girl almost walked into another opening door and had to dodge out of the way. Had she been running, she would have for sure hit it again. Lesson learned: be mindful of any opening doors, whether it be a port-a-potty, a car, or what have you. Billy came out to find me crying and really upset, but honestly there was nothing we could do. I can't feel guilty because it wasn't my fault; it's unfortunate that she got hurt and I pray to God she's okay.

After that rocky start, we finally started our run. Man was it crowded! It took us a good 10 minutes almost to get across the start line, and then from there to weave around people until we found a good pace. The pace we held was comfortably hard. Miles 1 through 7 flew by and I have no recollection of any of my thoughts, other than I can't believe we're doing this and I can't believe it actually feels pretty darn easy! Unfortunately, around miles 7 to 9, Billy was plagued with a horrible cramp that wouldn't subside. I know he was really frustrated and did not want to stop, but he was in pain and I made us pull off to the side for a while to walk and for him to stretch it out. We really slowed our pace for those 2 miles, and they were not very fun. I couldn't enjoy the run knowing that he was hurting. He started feeling a little better around mile 9, so we picked it up to a moderate pace for miles 9 through 12, stopping at a few Gatorade stops (God bless em, the Gatorade was like cups of heaven). It was so great to have the entire run lined with people cheering us on. Around mile 9 to the end I spotted my dear friend and ex-boss Jennifer on her bike; she's a runner but decided to not run this year in order to cheer on her friends! She cheered like crazy and took tons of pics; hopefully she'll send them to me and I can post them here. Towards the end of the race, around mile 12, I told Billy I was going to just take off and see what happened. I sprinted so hard that I swear I've never put so much physical or mental effort into anything till I hit the end. My body felt numb; my lungs were burning; I was grunting and huffing and puffing and crying out of happiness, pain, and sheer overwhelment (is that even a word?). Nothing felt better than crossing the finish line! I quickly turned around and scanned the crowds for my friends and Billy, who crossed the line a mere 2 minutes after me, cramp and everything. After reuniting, we tried to get into the crowds to look for our friends, but were shuffled off to the massive heated tent on the beach, where we got a quick snack and then had to walk a few blocks down the beach till we were allowed to exit onto the boardwalk. We searched up and down, but couldn't find any of our friends! After a while we decided to give up and head home; I found out later that all our friends were in the same spots we had been, looking for us. I'm so super bummed we missed each other, but want to thank all of my lovely friends for taking the time out and waking up early on a weekend to come cheer us on. It means more than I can say!

My official end time was 2:17:46, and Billy's was 2:19:47. Currently, it hurts to move at all. I definitely strained a little something in my right achilles tendon, and my left anterior tib feels wrongly sore. Yikes! We immediately hopped in the hot tub, then I napped for a good long while. Oh, and been slowly eating throughout the day to make up for the over 1,300 calorie deficit.

What's next:

I plan on resting until my body feels back to normal. I hope to get back into yoga like I was a few weeks ago; I could use a good stretch. Then, it's back to training for my next half on April 18th! I can hardly wait:)

Thank you to everyone for your support, prayers, and encouragement. We love you!

One Week!

So...one week till the Shamrock Half! Time sure flew by quick.

I'm actually a little bittersweet about the race...I feel ready to take it on comfortably and successfully, and while I will enjoy getting back into a more "normal" exercise routine (strength training!), I am going to miss my scheduled runs. Yes, they took up so much time and energy, but they provided great satisfaction. I am thankful that the Lord has seen us through our training without any major injuries and I pray everyone running next weekend makes good decisions and listens to their bodies.

This week's running was strange. As it was spring break, and I spent 3 glorious days of it in D.C. with two fine ladies (shoutouts to Joanna and Liss!), I plain didn't have time to squeeze in all of my runs, and I missed out on a 4 miler.

Right before we hopped in the car to leave for D.C. after I got off of work on Tuesday, I raced to the gym and raced through 3 miles in 26:23. I'm pretty sure that was a PR, but let's call it a treadmill PR since I doubt I could have gone that fast outside!

I took Wednesday off, as I was busy with this:

Tian Tian--bump on a log.

Uno...

Dos...

Tres!

Thursday morning, I woke up bright and early, saw Joanna was awake too, and we decided to hit the hotel gym (which was insanely nice with TVs on all the treadmills and a refrigerator with cold towels!). I ran 3 miles pretty fast, but boy was it painful. I felt about ready to throw up after the run...I should have known better than to run hard on an empty stomach (your stomach juices slosh around and make you nauseous).

Friday: off. Saturday: 6 miles on the TM next to the love of my life done in 59 minutes. I took it slow and steady; my stomach decided to cramp up every time I tried to increase the speed (I got bored going so slow for so long!), but it ended up being a very enjoyable run.

As you can see, this week was really scaled down. It was more of a "taper" week to prepare us for the mighty distance. This coming week is going to be even easier! I feel like I'm cheating somehow by running so little...I'm almost itching for more, but I know better.

I've pretty much decided to sign up for the Dismal Swamp Stomp half on April 18th. I recruited a friend/fellow runner to do it with me!

I have exciting news: Billy and I have found a perfect apartment to call home after the wedding! We get to start moving in/decorating mid-May. While the complex is a tad on the expensive side for us, we are getting a "promotional deal" that will reduce rent significantly. We will be able to enjoy a new, clean unit with unique lighting (my favorite part), a washer/dryer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, and a balcony. All those little extras are luxuries that we never believed we'd be able to afford having our first year of marriage. The complex is walking distance to Town Center (which, Lord willing, is where Billy will be getting hired to work), has a parking garage, a gym (!), and a rooftop pool/hot tub area. I am still in shock as this all happened extremely fast (we drove by, walked in the leasing office, toured the place, and came back an hour later with my parents), but I could not ask for a better fit for us. This opportunity is 100% a God-thing! While I am known to make hasty decisions from time to time, Billy usually doesn't. We just both felt a peace about it and decided to take the plunge. Actually, as we were filling the paperwork out, 2 other couples walked in, one after the other, inquiring about one-bedrooms (we got the last one available! Had we waited, it would most likely have been swept out from under our feet).

I Survived, Kind Of.

EDIT: I survived the 12 miler yesterday (just barely)! I met my two friends at 89th street around 4:30, and we ran down to the end of the boardwalk, took a 5 minute break, and ran back. I think it took us around 2 hours, so we kept a really decent pace. Honestly, it was the toughest run I've ever had. I almost cried with happiness when we arrived back at the cars. I kept telling the girls that if they weren't with me I would totally have been walking the rest of the way back (they said the same thing to me which made me feel better--misery loves company!). While the girls are not training quite as much as I am, they both have done a few halfs in the past, so I was a little nervous that they'd smoke me, but we kept the same pace. The reason for my misery was, once again, my stomach. The girls said their stomachs were bothering them as well, and I think part of it had to do with the fact that we were running so far so late in the day (something my body isn't used to). I also don't think I hydrated or fueled properly. I ate a bag of Jelly Belly Sports Beans (I swear they were exactly the same as regular Jelly Bellys) around mile 9 which helped for about 5 minutes.

I was so thankful that I'd thought to pack a cooler with 3 waters which we chugged at the end. The thought of those waters was the only thing that kept me going! My stomach felt so off and I really thought I was going to throw up. I made it home and crashed on my bed. The last thing I wanted to do was think about food (although I had barely eaten that day), but I forced myself to get up an hour or two later and made a small dinner of whole wheat french toast and an apple with PB. Didn't help. Went to bed early and feel great today, actually (although my legs are feelin' the burn). While it was not a fun run overall, parts of the run were very enjoyable, and the girls and I chatted the entire time, which was great. I loved getting to know them better and we are definitely going to train together again sometime soon.

So, there you have it, my last long run before the 13.1 in two weeks. Let's hope the half goes better than this, or I may never want to run again...!

Hello?

Are you guys still out there? I did spend another week and a half away from the blog, but I have pretty good reasoning...I was dogsitting all week at a house with finnicky internet along with having to study for tests and papers due in every class! But good news: spring break is here! WOW--the first half of my last semester FLEW by...which means the months are ticking away till the "I Do" day!

Quick running recap:

• 2 Wednesdays ago I ran 4 miles in 36 minutes on the TM--I thought I was going to PR with this run but I still haven't beat my PR of 35:44. SO CLOSE! Also, about 15 minutes of full body weight training.
• The next day, I did 4.6 miles outside, which was enjoyable and refreshing.
• I rested on Friday, and on Saturday did 8 miles on the TM...I was pretty happy that I maintained a speed of 6.5 mph versus my 6.0 mph usual speed for longer distances. It felt so good.
• Sunday was an "active rest" day. I did yoga and about 10 quick, intense minutes on the stepmill to get my heart pumping.
• This past Monday I did 4 miles on the TM in 36:45, along with a yoga DVD (no yogadownload since I was away from my computer).
• Tuesday, just a yoga DVD.
• Wednesday is where the fun started! I don't know if I mentioned it, but ODU just built a new, incredible student recreation center...it's SO awesome. 2 stories, all new equipment, 3 group fitness rooms, a cycling room, 3 raquetball rooms, 2 basketball courts, an outdoor center where you can rent kayaks, bikes, surfboards, etc, an indoor track (!), and a 3 story rock climbing wall! WOWEE! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Needless to say, I grabbed 2 friends from class and we took on the indoor track...they stuck with me for the first 3 miles and I finished the last 3 by myself. It was so fun, quick, and entertaining because the track is right above the basketball court so you can see everything going on below you. I don't know what kind of time I had, but it was the best 6 miles I've ever run. I felt like I was flying! Oh, I also went to a yoga class at Gold's.
• Thursday I did another 3 miles on the track with Billy, and we attended a belay class for the rock wall. I freaked out halfway up the wall when I decided to look down! Not fun. When it came time for me to belay Billy, he flew up the wall so fast I could hardly keep up with giving him slack on the rope from my place on the ground. When he reached the top, I started to let him down slowly. I don't know what happened, but before I knew it I was FLYING through the air straight for the wall! HAH. Poor Billy happened to look down right at that moment...we were just so confused. I still don't understand how that happened, but our instructor actually said I did a good job and did the right thing (because I sacrificed myself flying into the wall so I wouldn't let him fall!). You're welcome, babe.
• Friday I rested, and yesterday I did a yoga class at Gold's along with a few minutes of upper body and core training.

You may have noticed a yoga trend...this is because I'm committing to doing as much yoga as possible this month. This is to increase flexibility, help prevent injury from all the running I'm doing, and build discipline by doing something I don't typically enjoy. Unfortunately, I think I did something to my back in yesterday's class! It hurts to rotate my spine. It's times like these when I wish I was just a physical therapist already.

I have a 12 miler scheduled for today! I was a little concerned about finding someone crazy enough to run it with me (Billy's in Colorado with a bunch of friends for a snowboarding and rock climbing filled spring break). Somehow, I managed to round up not one, but two friends from school/work! We plan to set out at 5pm today and take on the VB oceanfront, starting at 89th street, down to the end of the boardwalk, and back. Phew! If I make it back alive, I'll let you know how it went. I'm not nervous about the distance, just about the heat! It's supposed to hit 80 degrees today (a week ago it was snowing!).

Call me crazy, but I'm tempted to sign up for another half marathon in April. It's the Dismal Swamp Stomp, and I'm picturing it as a messy, muddy, trail run through the Dismal Swamp. Billy is interested too, but wants us to wait till after the Shamrock and then decide.

Wedding news:

We picked our (cup)cake bakers! Now we're just deciding on flavas. We sampled and loved all these: strawberry, pineapple, apricot, guava (interesting), bavarian cream, lemon, and lime. Any suggestions? We're definitely picking strawberry, and Billy really loved the pineapple so probably that too. Should we choose a 3rd flavor as well (maybe the bavarian cream, or a vanilla or chocolate) to provide a traditional flavor? We can choose as many flavors as we want. What is your favorite/least favorite wedding cake flavor?

Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!

Blog Much?

Hi guys,

Sorry for my slacker posting trend! These past couple of days have been nutso. I definitely had an...interesting last week of running.

• Monday, I hopped on the TM for 4 miles at an incline of 1%. I did it in about 37 minutes and wrote in my log, "a lot less effort than usual!"


• Wednesday I hopped on the TM again for 5 miles, half of which was spent at an incline of 1%, but I got some shin pain and took the incline off for the other half. Seemed to be the cure. It took me 50 minutes for this run.


• Thursday I did piyo with Lisa! What a great core workout. I skipped my scheduled 3 mile run due to some sinus issues (down dog was really interesting with clogged sinuses).


• Billy and I set out on Saturday for an 11-miler at First Landing State Park. Let's just say we got 3 miles deep into the trail before I succumbed, complete with tears, to stomach/esophagus pain. I tried to push through it, but the looming thought of 11 torturous miles was enough to send me into a breakdown! We walked a mile and a half back, and I managed to run the last mile and a half. In total, we ran 4.5 miles, which more than made up for the skipped 3-miler.


• So, we decided to take on the big bad 11 on Sunday...of course it had to be raining, which left us with no choice...yep, we did it on the treadmill. I think we set world records for longest time spent on a treadmill! Seriously, who does this? If you have, please tell me your experience. I'll be honest...my experience was pretty darn fantastic. I had a TV right in front of me (watching the national college cheerleading competition: sheer entertainment), a fan blowing on me, and I read 2 magazines over the course of 1 hr, 50 mins of nonstop running. I also ate 2 Clif Shot Blocks at miles 3, 6, and 9, which provided some much needed energy.

And there you have it! That puts my weekly mileage for last week at 24.5--a new record. I took a rest day yesterday, and I had some intention of getting in some cross training or a 3 mile run today, but I decided to honor my sore calves, busy schedule, and piles of homework and take another rest day. I did do a 20 minute core yoga routine from Yoga Download. It was so challenging! I really suggest you check out Yoga Download. They have tons of classes, most of which you can download a free 20 minute portion of.

In retrospect, I wish I had gone to the gym. I feel a little sluggish, but honestly I also think I need to have my thyroid rechecked...it may be time for a boost (I've been falling asleep in all my classes! Embarrasing).

In cool news, lookie at what I found in Target (which I had totally forgotten about and blissfully stumbled upon):

Orla stuff! I bought 2 of these chair cushions and a kitchen mat. I need to find 2 more of the cushions, though (the Target I was at only had 2).

We had our 2nd premarital counseling sesh today with our pastor. We really do enjoy the sessions, but we are waiting for the "hard topics" to hit...if they ever do. I'm not saying we are experts on marriage, but once you've been dating for 5 years, especially through the tough transition from high school to college/teenage to adulthood, you've pretty much already dealt with all the tough surprises (at least in our case). Still, it's been nice spending time doing the "homework" together and confirms the peace I have that Billy is the man God wants me to marry. Married people, any thoughts?

14k recap

Hi readers!

And a special hello to the beautiful Hannah (who I know reads this blog even though I've yet to see a comment from you) who got engaged this weekend! If there's anyone who could make a killer blog post about wedding details, it's this girl (a future event planner). CONGRATS Hannah!

This past Thursday was our final 3 mile run before the 14k. We ran the Larchmont Loop in the blustery wind. Extra points for extra wind resistance! It was definitely a good idea to do outdoor runs this week.

Friday we rested from exercise and woke up at 5:00 am on Saturday morning to prepare for the race! We arrived at the race site and got our chip timers to strap around our ankles, lined up, and we were off! We started at the back of the pack, but quickly passed a lot of people who were either running/walking or just power walking. We fell into a groove and stayed around the same group of people pretty much the whole time. It was really fun to people-watch and chat with/encourage those around us. The weather was pretty chilly (about 40 degrees and cloudy), so I was glad I chose pants/long sleeve shirt/gloves. Our easy jogging pace was not fast enough to warm up a whole lot in! We ran the entire time with no walk breaks; at the water stops we grabbed cups and kept running while drinking them (hardcore, I know). Once the finish line was in sight, we sprinted like mad men to the end. We had a blast and enjoyed the after party catered by Moe's! We came home and promptly got in the hot tub. I noticed my feet were filled with blisters, which I never really get, even after last week's 10 miler. Not sure why the difference here. Billy's bloody toenail was a whole other story....

I think we passed through the finish line at an hour and 32 minutes. Since the distance was 8.67 miles, our average speed was 5.7 mph, which was comfortable and easily attainable for us.

Bright & early:

Gettin pumped!

Sportin our medals:

Again with a different backdrop:

Can you tell we were just a little excited?

I hope you all had an amazing Valentine's day with your hunnies! We spent the evening refueling at the delicious Captain George's seafood buffet. I am STILL full. I also made a sweet strawberry cake for my valentine (courtesy of Miss Sandra Lee, courtesy of Mrs. Chelsea Stott who gave me the recipe). We were too full to try a slice but got to split a piece today. Yum! The best part of this cake is the addition of strawberry nectar. I went to 5 different grocery stores and almost pulled my hair out in frustration trying to locate strawberry nectar, but man was it worth it.

I usually rest the day after a long run, but I was still feeling sluggish after that big dinner last night, so I headed to the gym this evening for a quick & sweaty 30 minutes on the Stepmill with a magazine. Stress relief at its finest. I felt so much better after!

If it crosses your mind, please be praying about Billy's and my future living situation. We're looking to sign a lease May 1 to have a month to get our place set up before the wedding. We've had an interesting opportunity to rent out an incredible house for an incredibly low rate that some mutual friends/acquantainces are looking to sell. Since the owners can't seem to sell the house in this market, they've offered us the option to rent until they either a) sell the house or b) take the house off the market and keep it as a rental. Since we don't like the uncertainty of knowing that a house we've made a home in could potentially be swiped out from under our feet at any moment, we've decided to agree to rent under one condition: that the owners commit to a year-long lease not subject to termination due to selling the house. We'll run this ultimatum by the real estate agent and see what the outcome is. The Lord is truly teaching me a lesson in patience and trust in Him for what's best for us (I have a bad habit of thinking that what I think is best is better than what He thinks, of which I am seriously mistaken!).

Thanks for reading if you got through all that!

Love to you all.

v-day excitement and myth buster

Hi friends.

I'd like to go on and post my runs for the week so I can make it to my next class in time.

Monday I did the same 3-mile route through Larchmont that I've been doing lately. I could definitely feel myself running faster and I wish I had my Timex (but it's away getting fixed).

Tuesday was a rest day, but I headed to Gold's for 20 minutes on the Stepmill (!). Gold's has new Stepmill machines that don't look like they belong in the 1980s. Sweet! I finished up with about a half hour to 45 minutes of intense abs and strenght training. I did a ridiculous amount of planks and side planks. I held my plank for about 30 seconds or so, then immediately went into side plank without taking a break and held for 30 seconds, then went back to front for 30, other side for 30, etc. I kept repeating this sequence without dropping my hips down. I lost count of how many I did, back and forth like that with no break. I encourage you to give it a try. Empowering! Especially when the big buff guys on the mat next to you are struggling to push out some wimpy crunches. If they only knew...! My strength session was a little humbling, to say the least. I had to drop down in Smith Machine squats by 20 pounds. The Smith Machine, by the way, is that big rack you see that you stand inside of and rest the huge bar across your back while you squat. Best move ever.

Wednesday I took a 4 mile run through Larchmont in between classes. Loved it. The weather was perfect, I maintained a fast, even pace...it was just one of those great runs that leaves you feeling refreshed and motivated afterward. I can definitely feel my body getting used to running outside versus on the TM. Oh, and I also went to a yoga class that night. It was nice, but actually a little too intense for me. I wanted something gentle and stretchy for my sore body, but this was more strength focused. I do notice an increase in flexibility already, though!

I have a 3 miler scheduled for today. And can I just say I'm so pumped for Saturday! I'll be running alongside my valentine in the Virginia is for Lover's 14k race. It'll be my first race ever and I can't wait to experience the atmosphere. Hopefully the rain in the forecast will hold off....

Here is a little something I found on a great website called Gym Junkies. This is from an article called " The Top 10 Fitness Myths Busted!" Here is number 10 and one that I stand strongly by:

10. Women will get bulky from lifting weights

"Let me be more specific - women are afraid that lifting HEAVY weights will make them bulky. Crappy fitness videos abound with women performing biceps curls and triceps kickbacks with dumbbells that should only be used as paper weights.
Women can not get big and bulky for one very good reason…their bodies don’t produce enough testosterone to build the large bulky muscles you’re likely to see in bodybuilding ads. Testosterone is a key ingredient to putting on muscle mass, and the only way women can get this type of big bulky look is by taking steroids and hormone injections. This is why you see bulky female body builders.
So don’t be afraid to lift heavy weights if you’re a woman. Lifting heavy will make a woman strong, not manly. And personally, I find a strong woman sexy as hell."

Just something to think about, ladies!