It's been forever since we've done one of these, hasn't it? Well then!
1. I was supposed to run 20 miles on Saturday, but, that didn't happen. It didn't even come close to happening.
2. I decided to run 18 with the group, but, that didn't happen either.
3. I was just too tired, too stressed, too sore--too everything and around mile 10 I found myself struggling to keep up and actually walking. My hip started acting up and I knew I couldn't plow through another 8 miles with a gimpy hip and decided to call it a day at 12. Which involved waking my husband up for a ride home. He was less than thrilled.
4. I have vowed to never do that again. It was embarrassing and I still feel like a loser.
5. It's ridiculous how much emphasis I put on my running--you'd think I was like an Olympic hopeful or something with the amount of pressure I put on it. Not healthy!
6. My wonderful pace leader is doing the Goofy Challenge next year. This pretty much means I'm 95% on board as well. I just hope her crazy ass doesn't have any warped ideas of reality that invole White Rock three weeks before. And she thinks I'm crazy.
7. I spent approximately $70 on Easter candy today. And that's for three grown adults. I'm not hosting an Easter Egg Hunt this year. And yet, I still shop like I am. Helloooo an extra 10 pounds! (I'm going for a record in how much weight I can gain in a year and not be pregnant--in fact, I know I've got about 5 lbs on my pregnant friends...sigh...)
8. I have a terrible migraine and I can't even see straight, so, please, ignore the typos.
9. We had a family outing to the zoo on Saturday (yes, I'm 12). It.was.so.fun! I love the zoo! I'm a total nerd and had the best time. I basically want to take home every animal and I'm sure the husband and the sis were about to smack me for the often repeated "awhh, hims so cute!" (yes, I talk like a child at the zoo).
10. Also really fun to do at the zoo? People watching. I kept myself wildly entertained for a good half an hour when the two siblings took off into the reptile world (hell no am I going into anything that houses reptiles--I shudder at the thought!). The zoo is a really great reminder that it does in fact take all types to make the world go 'round.
11. But, seriously, how much fun is the zoo??
12. I'm so sick of being a fat runner, I mean really (ok, not fat, but, not skinny!). Everyone else in my running group has lost weight, but me, nope, I've gained it. And I was faster, fitter and happier a year ago and it freaking kills me because I would sell my damn soul for the legs I had a year ago.
13. My hero, Isla Fisher got married last week and I did not receive an invite to the wedding, obviously, I'm very hurt by this. Isla, I thought we were BFFs. What's goin' on here?
14. I cannot stop eating trail mix. It's a sickness, really.
15. It's weird that people are coming in and interviewing for my job and I'm right here!! So weird, I can't even tell you.
16. I'm really going to miss my interns. And I really worry about who's hands I'm leaving them in! Will it be someone who will talk with them and be their friend? Or some boring person? Obviously, I am very exciting and leave a lot to live up to. Obviously.
17. What should I get my husband for his Easter basket? I'm totally at a loss for ideas. Help!
18. Yes, I still do Easter baskets.
19. I bet if I stopped eating trail mix I could lose some weight. I'm a genius, I know.
20. I get to see my childhood BFF in Boston in a few weeks!! I haven't seen her in like 3 years and I'm so insanely excited about seeing her that I could cry. We were attached at the hip for years and then she had to be a weiney and move to another school our senior year and then she up and lived in Italy and then moved to Boston. Sheesh. But, I'm so excited. Eeek!! (that's me shrieking). Also, I get to hang out with another fabulous redhead. Eeek! (shrieking again) And, I'll get to watch a teensy bit of the marathon. Eeek! (cannot.stop!) Y'all. Y'all! Boston!
21. Have I mentioned Boston?
22. Oooh, and Nashville. Anyone in Nashville? I'll be there for the Country Music Marathon too.
23. I'm exhausted just thinking about it! Better stock up on the DC!
Well friends, I've got a busy and hectic week, but, hey, at least it's a 4 day week! Yay for long weekends!
What are your Easter plans??
Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Memories
So today as I merrily went about my errand running ways I was pleasantly greeted with the overwhelming intense smell of wisteria. It took me a few minutes to realize it, but, not more than 100 yards from where I was standing is a huge area of wild wisteria. I had totally forgotten about it since it lays "dead" most of the year. Wisteria is one of my favorite things. My mom always planted it our backyard, no matter what. The smell instantly made me happy (albeit a touch heartsick over my mama). I could live in a village of wisteria, I think.
While I was aimlessly comparing nutritional stats of various brands of chips (seriously) I spotted a giant tub of M&M trail mix. The kind my dad and I would stock pile for those long road trips to and from my college. I grabbed a mini bag of the trail mix and have been munching on it all afternoon. It makes me happy. Also, we'd stock pile animal cookies, but, I didn't see those at the store.
On my way out, I stopped by the Easter section for ideas as I've got to hurry up and get those Easter baskets together, I noticed that they now have Reese's Pieces "eggs" (maybe this is old news, but, it's exciting to me). I'm not a huge Reese's Pieces fan, but, I will always remember my mom bringing home a half full bag for me whenever she and my dad would go out to the movies. I don't have many memories of my parents together as a child, so, I hold those very dear to my heart. And for nostalgia's sake, picked up a small box of Reese's Pieces. (haven't eaten those yet--but I will. And soon. It takes work to stay chubby, kids!)
It's funny the things we remember, the things that end up mattering the most. Wisteria, trail mix, and Reese's Pieces? Who knew. (although I do realize that they all involve taste/smell which is strongest linked to memory, blah, blah)
I hope my mom would be happy that I still smile at wisteria and that because of her sweet gesture to save candy for me, I'll always associate Reese's Pieces with family happiness.
I hope my dad knows that I'll always have trail mix and animal cookies (and lemon bars, but, that's another story) waiting for him at my house.
I love days like this. Even though my heart aches for my mom, I'm so happy for the memories.
I wonder what memories I will leave with people?
What are some of your favorite memories?
While I was aimlessly comparing nutritional stats of various brands of chips (seriously) I spotted a giant tub of M&M trail mix. The kind my dad and I would stock pile for those long road trips to and from my college. I grabbed a mini bag of the trail mix and have been munching on it all afternoon. It makes me happy. Also, we'd stock pile animal cookies, but, I didn't see those at the store.
On my way out, I stopped by the Easter section for ideas as I've got to hurry up and get those Easter baskets together, I noticed that they now have Reese's Pieces "eggs" (maybe this is old news, but, it's exciting to me). I'm not a huge Reese's Pieces fan, but, I will always remember my mom bringing home a half full bag for me whenever she and my dad would go out to the movies. I don't have many memories of my parents together as a child, so, I hold those very dear to my heart. And for nostalgia's sake, picked up a small box of Reese's Pieces. (haven't eaten those yet--but I will. And soon. It takes work to stay chubby, kids!)
It's funny the things we remember, the things that end up mattering the most. Wisteria, trail mix, and Reese's Pieces? Who knew. (although I do realize that they all involve taste/smell which is strongest linked to memory, blah, blah)
I hope my mom would be happy that I still smile at wisteria and that because of her sweet gesture to save candy for me, I'll always associate Reese's Pieces with family happiness.
I hope my dad knows that I'll always have trail mix and animal cookies (and lemon bars, but, that's another story) waiting for him at my house.
I love days like this. Even though my heart aches for my mom, I'm so happy for the memories.
I wonder what memories I will leave with people?
What are some of your favorite memories?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
A case of the gimmes
Did y'all ever read the Berenstain Bears books? Remember when they got the "gimmes"?
Omg, I loved those books. My dad still has all of them and when I have kids, you can bet that will be the first thing I request from the ol' storage unit. My sister didn't like them, but, she also wasn't/isn't as into books as I am. She's more a iPod, Wii, DS kid. Damn technology. I have dreams of raising little Amish esque children sans all that technology, but, I doubt that would happen.
OK, enough about my future children (I need to stop talking about kids, it just makes me more depressed that I don't have my own and that my favorite little one that I often pretend is mine is moving to Miami in a few short months) (thus, I will be moving to Miami in a few short months, obviously) (only not really).
I am suffering from a total case of the gimmes (a la Berenstain Bears). I need, I want, I must have now. From clothes, to jewelry, to heck, even marathons--it's like I think I'm made of money (which we all know is not the case at all). Mostly, my purchases have been legit needed items (new work clothes, etc) and I've been very good about keeping the gimmes away in terms of actual purchases. But I don't see that lasting for long.
Recent gimme obsession? Marathons. Races. Whatever. If it involves running, I need it. (like I need a hole in the head) I have nothing on the calendar post-OKC (which, right now, I might not even be running but please let's not discuss it because I will have a meltdown because much like money gimmes, OKC is the biggest gimme of all--I want, I need!) and my Visa is just itching for me to sign up for something. Anything. And yet since my future work schedule is up in the air, I'm having to put on the brakes and not do a damn thing. Which is frustrating for several reasons: I'm a planner and if I wait until the last minute, a race will cost a small fortune.
Major gimmes. Which I suspect is mostly because the decision making power is not in my hands, thus driving me batty.
Aside from the fact that I cannot actually sign up for anything beyond OKC, here is my list of running gimmes:
Omg, I loved those books. My dad still has all of them and when I have kids, you can bet that will be the first thing I request from the ol' storage unit. My sister didn't like them, but, she also wasn't/isn't as into books as I am. She's more a iPod, Wii, DS kid. Damn technology. I have dreams of raising little Amish esque children sans all that technology, but, I doubt that would happen.
OK, enough about my future children (I need to stop talking about kids, it just makes me more depressed that I don't have my own and that my favorite little one that I often pretend is mine is moving to Miami in a few short months) (thus, I will be moving to Miami in a few short months, obviously) (only not really).
I am suffering from a total case of the gimmes (a la Berenstain Bears). I need, I want, I must have now. From clothes, to jewelry, to heck, even marathons--it's like I think I'm made of money (which we all know is not the case at all). Mostly, my purchases have been legit needed items (new work clothes, etc) and I've been very good about keeping the gimmes away in terms of actual purchases. But I don't see that lasting for long.
Recent gimme obsession? Marathons. Races. Whatever. If it involves running, I need it. (like I need a hole in the head) I have nothing on the calendar post-OKC (which, right now, I might not even be running but please let's not discuss it because I will have a meltdown because much like money gimmes, OKC is the biggest gimme of all--I want, I need!) and my Visa is just itching for me to sign up for something. Anything. And yet since my future work schedule is up in the air, I'm having to put on the brakes and not do a damn thing. Which is frustrating for several reasons: I'm a planner and if I wait until the last minute, a race will cost a small fortune.
Major gimmes. Which I suspect is mostly because the decision making power is not in my hands, thus driving me batty.
Aside from the fact that I cannot actually sign up for anything beyond OKC, here is my list of running gimmes:
- Stonebridge Memorial 10k (May) (love this course--and it's a 10k so it's basically my recovery run since it's on a Monday)
- Run On! Too Hot to Handle 15k (July) (favorite race ever. must. run. this) (also, awesome swag)
- Missoula Marathon (July) (because my dad has a house near Missoula and hello, we know I love me a good destination marathon) (also, Operation Jack)
Disney Marathon & Goofy Challenge (January, 2011) (never too early to start planning, right?)
So dear friends, what are some of your gimmes?
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Household Wars
I'm sure we all have these--with our spouse, our families, our roommates--there are just some things that no one wants to do, or in some cases, will do.
When my husband and I got married, I knew he hated doing the dishes, so, I've always done then unless he feels really nice and generous and does them for me (rare)--this results in him doing the laundry (not that I have any hatred towards laundry as he does towards dirty dishes, but, it's the 50/50 deal). The trash is usually something we both do--it just depends on when it gets full and who's around, etc.
Currently, however, we are waging a silent war. We've never uttered the words "this is war", but, I think we've both accepted that it is, in fact, war. Currently? We're both losing.
Recently, neither one of us will take out the bathroom trashcan (it's got like cotton balls,Q-Tips and dental floss in it--oh, and a few empty cans of Diet Coke). It's not big, it's not heavy, but, it's full. And we both seem to refuse to do it. I didn't empty it on principle when I went to Atlanta to see if he'd get annoyed and take it out. Nope. So now I'm forced to throw my makeup remover pads in the kitchen trashcan.
We're both losers.
Another battle? The guestroom and the toilet paper. Hasn't been a roll on there for two weeks. Solution? Walk into bathroom. Notice there is no toilet paper. Instead of going to the garage to get another roll, you walk to the other bathroom. Repeat this process 3-5 times a day. Even though there are 24 rolls in the garage!
Again, we're both losers.
And I don't see this ending anytime soon.
(yes, I realize this is terribly embarrassing, but, I'm nothing if not honest).
At least it hasn't resulted to one of us bringing another trashcan into the bathroom just so we don't have to empty it!
Please tell me I'm not the only one with weird household chore wars. (please)
When my husband and I got married, I knew he hated doing the dishes, so, I've always done then unless he feels really nice and generous and does them for me (rare)--this results in him doing the laundry (not that I have any hatred towards laundry as he does towards dirty dishes, but, it's the 50/50 deal). The trash is usually something we both do--it just depends on when it gets full and who's around, etc.
Currently, however, we are waging a silent war. We've never uttered the words "this is war", but, I think we've both accepted that it is, in fact, war. Currently? We're both losing.
Recently, neither one of us will take out the bathroom trashcan (it's got like cotton balls,Q-Tips and dental floss in it--oh, and a few empty cans of Diet Coke). It's not big, it's not heavy, but, it's full. And we both seem to refuse to do it. I didn't empty it on principle when I went to Atlanta to see if he'd get annoyed and take it out. Nope. So now I'm forced to throw my makeup remover pads in the kitchen trashcan.
We're both losers.
Another battle? The guestroom and the toilet paper. Hasn't been a roll on there for two weeks. Solution? Walk into bathroom. Notice there is no toilet paper. Instead of going to the garage to get another roll, you walk to the other bathroom. Repeat this process 3-5 times a day. Even though there are 24 rolls in the garage!
Again, we're both losers.
And I don't see this ending anytime soon.
(yes, I realize this is terribly embarrassing, but, I'm nothing if not honest).
At least it hasn't resulted to one of us bringing another trashcan into the bathroom just so we don't have to empty it!
Please tell me I'm not the only one with weird household chore wars. (please)
Monday, March 22, 2010
Things we should discuss
Nothing like just jumping in there headfirst on a very Diet Coke-y Monday (yes, I've had 1.5 and I don't see that remaining .5 lasting long--I am so exhausted it's not.even.funny).
1. Yogurt covered raisins in actual yogurt is not tasty--it will seem good in theory, but, you will be wrong. And y'all know my love of yogurt covered raisins--how could this go wrong?? Alas, it did. Bleh.
2. The fact that I still carry around Hanna Banana's dog tags in my wallet like some weird dog person. I still miss that bundle of fur so much. It breaks my heart that it's been over a year since she died. But that damn Ella Mae sure does fill the hole in my heart.
3. Did I mention I'm now an official Marathon Maniac? Yep, I'm all sorts of crazy up in here (Lordy, I need to pound that DC quick). Whoot.
4. I am sooooo not ready for my 18 miler this weekend. Nope, not at all. A week off and I'm dead--let's hope I can get in gear in time for OKC. I really want to PR (again!) but, don't see that happening. It would be honestly heartbreaking if I came in at a later time than at The Cowtown, but, with all the traveling I have coming up before then, I realize it may be a real possibility. SUCKY.
5. I will rock 18 miles this weekend. I will. Damn it. Time to get my running game back on.
6. Y'all, never be rude to race officials, OK? As someone who was probably the most hated person in Atlanta for a good three hours yesterday, take it from me--there's usually honestly nothing they can do about the situation. Deep breaths, and just deal with it. ("No sir, I cannot let you cross the street here--there are too many runners." "I understand that this is frustrating ma'am, but, you'll just have to exit that way ::points:: and walk around the park" "There are six lanes of runners--I cannot let you cross"). Ugh. I hated having to turn people away, but, that was my job and yes, sometimes we don't get the logistical planning perfect and yes it's frustrating, but, please know, we're frustrated too--we aren't trying to be mean or make things difficult. Honest. And the guy who snuck across my barricade and almost caused a runner pile up? Exactly.
7. Expos are exhausting. I'm exhausted. Just.want.to.sleep.
8. I'm officially a grown up. Know how I know? I finally got my own American Airlines Advantage number. I know right, I'm super late to the party on that one. (in my defense, I haven't flown American in ages since they don't fly into my hometown any longer, but, my work uses them pretty much exclusively, so, ya know)
9. I have an unhealthy obsession with my tee shirt and sweater combo. I will pretty much go out of my way to wear a cardigan. This way, I can get away with wearing a tee shirt to the office. Also, it keeps me warm. Does this make me old? It's almost as bad as my wintertime scarf obsession. I might need a fashion intervention.
10. I changed the background on my phone to a picture I took around mile 19 in Catalina. I still can't believe that I did that. The picture makes me proud of myself--who'd ever think I'd be proud of me???
11. I'm seriously considering the Goofy Challenge at Disney next January (half marathon Saturday, full on Sunday). I know that a lot of the Disney course is boring, but, I think it would be a fun family vacation. This kind of throws a wrench in my life because Miami is the end of January and Disney is the beginning, but, we've already proven that I'm crazy, so, what's a little extra crazy? Exactly.
12. Running is the only thing I feel like I can "do"--and I'm not even good at it. Weird.
13. I've realized I'm never going to be skinny--skinny like I was at this time last year. Nope, I'm about 12 lbs away from that. It makes me sad.
14. I wanted to plan a big ol' Easter dinner with our friends and do an Easter Egg hunt again, but, I'm just too spent to think about that. This makes me sad as well--I love nothing more than a good old fashioned Easter Egg hunt. But, I guess a nice meal with my family would be nice too.
15. I'm already looking forward to the fabulous lemon cake I make every Easter. Drool. (exhibit A of why I'll never be skinny)
Well folks, that's all for now! I gotta pound that last .5 Diet Coke and get busy--after all, I do have a 4 mile run to get in at some point today.
1. Yogurt covered raisins in actual yogurt is not tasty--it will seem good in theory, but, you will be wrong. And y'all know my love of yogurt covered raisins--how could this go wrong?? Alas, it did. Bleh.
2. The fact that I still carry around Hanna Banana's dog tags in my wallet like some weird dog person. I still miss that bundle of fur so much. It breaks my heart that it's been over a year since she died. But that damn Ella Mae sure does fill the hole in my heart.
3. Did I mention I'm now an official Marathon Maniac? Yep, I'm all sorts of crazy up in here (Lordy, I need to pound that DC quick). Whoot.
4. I am sooooo not ready for my 18 miler this weekend. Nope, not at all. A week off and I'm dead--let's hope I can get in gear in time for OKC. I really want to PR (again!) but, don't see that happening. It would be honestly heartbreaking if I came in at a later time than at The Cowtown, but, with all the traveling I have coming up before then, I realize it may be a real possibility. SUCKY.
5. I will rock 18 miles this weekend. I will. Damn it. Time to get my running game back on.
6. Y'all, never be rude to race officials, OK? As someone who was probably the most hated person in Atlanta for a good three hours yesterday, take it from me--there's usually honestly nothing they can do about the situation. Deep breaths, and just deal with it. ("No sir, I cannot let you cross the street here--there are too many runners." "I understand that this is frustrating ma'am, but, you'll just have to exit that way ::points:: and walk around the park" "There are six lanes of runners--I cannot let you cross"). Ugh. I hated having to turn people away, but, that was my job and yes, sometimes we don't get the logistical planning perfect and yes it's frustrating, but, please know, we're frustrated too--we aren't trying to be mean or make things difficult. Honest. And the guy who snuck across my barricade and almost caused a runner pile up? Exactly.
7. Expos are exhausting. I'm exhausted. Just.want.to.sleep.
8. I'm officially a grown up. Know how I know? I finally got my own American Airlines Advantage number. I know right, I'm super late to the party on that one. (in my defense, I haven't flown American in ages since they don't fly into my hometown any longer, but, my work uses them pretty much exclusively, so, ya know)
9. I have an unhealthy obsession with my tee shirt and sweater combo. I will pretty much go out of my way to wear a cardigan. This way, I can get away with wearing a tee shirt to the office. Also, it keeps me warm. Does this make me old? It's almost as bad as my wintertime scarf obsession. I might need a fashion intervention.
10. I changed the background on my phone to a picture I took around mile 19 in Catalina. I still can't believe that I did that. The picture makes me proud of myself--who'd ever think I'd be proud of me???
11. I'm seriously considering the Goofy Challenge at Disney next January (half marathon Saturday, full on Sunday). I know that a lot of the Disney course is boring, but, I think it would be a fun family vacation. This kind of throws a wrench in my life because Miami is the end of January and Disney is the beginning, but, we've already proven that I'm crazy, so, what's a little extra crazy? Exactly.
12. Running is the only thing I feel like I can "do"--and I'm not even good at it. Weird.
13. I've realized I'm never going to be skinny--skinny like I was at this time last year. Nope, I'm about 12 lbs away from that. It makes me sad.
14. I wanted to plan a big ol' Easter dinner with our friends and do an Easter Egg hunt again, but, I'm just too spent to think about that. This makes me sad as well--I love nothing more than a good old fashioned Easter Egg hunt. But, I guess a nice meal with my family would be nice too.
15. I'm already looking forward to the fabulous lemon cake I make every Easter. Drool. (exhibit A of why I'll never be skinny)
Well folks, that's all for now! I gotta pound that last .5 Diet Coke and get busy--after all, I do have a 4 mile run to get in at some point today.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Out with it
OK, OK, so, I've been keeping a secret from y'all (no, not pregnant!) (and if my doctor asks me that one more time I will scream) (although my husband thought it would be rather ironic if I did get pregnant while training for a marathon. Guess what? Three down and still no babies!) (ok, enough talk about my unborn children. For now) (babies!)
OK--the big secret (and some of you already know--that's because I can't keep a secret, obviously).
Running has officially taken over my life.
No big surprise, huh? Well, it really, really has! In a few short weeks I will be starting a new job in which I get to jibber jabber about running all the live long day. If that's not perfection in job form, then I don't know what is (false, I do know what is: getting paid to watch The Office, blog and eat cookies all day long) (I'd weigh 10,00 lbs but who cares? I'd be happy as a little clam).
With my husband's employment situation (or lack thereof) it is rather ironic that I found a job whilst he and sis in law are still at home eating BonBons on a daily basis (kidding of course) (or am I? You never can tell with those two). But, nonetheless, having a happy me makes the hours I am home that much better and I probably won't try to attack the sis in law when she bakes banana bread anymore (because angry little me ate all the banana bread and gained 10 lbs, this was obviously my darling sis's fault) (only it was mine).
I'm still the breadwinner of the casa (for now) and pleased as punch about this new opportunity.
Thanks to those of you who kept me in your thoughts throughout this process, I truly appreciate it.
Now, just so you all know, my primary goal from here on out (besides getting everyone to move to Dallas) is to get y'all to sign up for our races. D-A-R already did (because she's awesome)--you should too! (I'm looking at you Sara...Chicago Half.....)
And if my life wasn't hectic enough, tomorrow I'm off to Atlanta for the ING Georgia Marathon. For work. Not running it. Cannot even think of running right now.
But I really want to. My legs are itchin' to move. Until they do and then I'm reminded that I ran 26.2 miles of hills the other day. Shocking.
Ahh how I want to run! OKC is so, so close!
Happy running, friends!
OK--the big secret (and some of you already know--that's because I can't keep a secret, obviously).
Running has officially taken over my life.
No big surprise, huh? Well, it really, really has! In a few short weeks I will be starting a new job in which I get to jibber jabber about running all the live long day. If that's not perfection in job form, then I don't know what is (false, I do know what is: getting paid to watch The Office, blog and eat cookies all day long) (I'd weigh 10,00 lbs but who cares? I'd be happy as a little clam).
With my husband's employment situation (or lack thereof) it is rather ironic that I found a job whilst he and sis in law are still at home eating BonBons on a daily basis (kidding of course) (or am I? You never can tell with those two). But, nonetheless, having a happy me makes the hours I am home that much better and I probably won't try to attack the sis in law when she bakes banana bread anymore (because angry little me ate all the banana bread and gained 10 lbs, this was obviously my darling sis's fault) (only it was mine).
I'm still the breadwinner of the casa (for now) and pleased as punch about this new opportunity.
Thanks to those of you who kept me in your thoughts throughout this process, I truly appreciate it.
Now, just so you all know, my primary goal from here on out (besides getting everyone to move to Dallas) is to get y'all to sign up for our races. D-A-R already did (because she's awesome)--you should too! (I'm looking at you Sara...Chicago Half.....)
And if my life wasn't hectic enough, tomorrow I'm off to Atlanta for the ING Georgia Marathon. For work. Not running it. Cannot even think of running right now.
But I really want to. My legs are itchin' to move. Until they do and then I'm reminded that I ran 26.2 miles of hills the other day. Shocking.
Ahh how I want to run! OKC is so, so close!
Happy running, friends!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Well, I survived
Holy amazing marathon, Batman!
Whew. The Catalina Marathon was amazing. Amazing. Was it totally intense? Yes. Was it an insane butt kicking? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes!
When we left San Pedro on Friday morning bound for Catalina Island, our boat was filled to the brim with runners, most of which had run this marathon more than 10 times! That was encouraging. I figured hey, if these people come back for seconds, then it really won't kill me.
I thought this until we pulled into Avalon and I remembered how those mountains just jut out of the water. Started to panic a little, but, my game plan was just to honestly not think about it. At all.
We walked around the island, played tourist (judge all you want but for 45 minutes I got to feed fishes under the water and it was awesome) and then headed to the expo. Trail runners are a different breed of people, let me tell you. Now, we all know I'm a girly girl and that 90% of the time I run in something pink, but, let me tell you, I felt like I was covered in Barbie pink compared to these folk (and I wasn't even wearing pink!). But, they are a very friendly bunch and that helped put my fears at ease.
After I picked up my race goodies I met up with Sam and his darling wife Tiffany. While he may just be a regular guy with bad jokes and awesome hair, he needs to fully embrace his total awesomeness (I've used 'awesome' a lot already haven't I?). Because he is fantastic. And Tiffany is so dang cute and sweet I just want to hug her. They are both just about the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.
Race morning was interesting--we had to take a boat to the start and then wait for another boat to dock which ended up getting a line tangled so we just sat in the harbor for 30 minutes or so. Could have been worse--it beats standing outside for 30 minutes in the cold! So, the race started a bit late.
Sam found me at the start line and that was a huge boost since this was the first race in which my husband wasn't at the start line with me. Yes, yes, I'm a wuss, I need my cheering section!
And then we were off! Everyone kept saying not to burn out the first 3 miles (do they know me? My gift is a slow and steady first 10k! This is a recent gift, by the way) so I just kept telling myself sloooow, slooow, slooow. Well, the first 3 miles totally sucked and right after mile 4 was an insane downhill. I was having serious doubts as to my ability to finish and I texted the husband and told him it would be a long time and that I was going to walk 90% of the damn thing. This also made me rethink all those crazy repeaters--what the hell was wrong with them?!
Around mile 4 I found a buddy and we stuck together for the majority of the race. Having him to help push me was great--and it's nice to have someone to talk to.
This was not a marathon in which you could run the entire thing. Well, I suppose some people can. I am not some people. Walking the uphills was necessity because I didn't know when or if I would burn out and I didn't want to waste my energy. I don't usually haul ass on downhills, but, I did this time because I knew it was the only way to make up time. Luckily, on the flat sections, we were able to run and keep a good clip going. The only hard part was is that you'd get so used to walking the uphills that when you could run, it was like "why bother?".
It was hard to find a groove because everytime you'd start running and finding a pace a damn hill would stop you in your tracks.
The aid stations and volunteers were the best I've ever seen. From M&Ms, Swedish Fish, homemade cookies and Gu, the stations were fully stocked and the volunteers were so helpful and friendly. And yes, I snacked at every station--this is still me we're talking about!
There is a nasty hill climb from about mile 17.5 to 18 and my heavens, it took forever. Luckily, you can see the aid station at mile 18 while you're climbing and those people were having a party! Singing, dancing, cheering you on. It was great. We stopped up there for water and snacks and I was pretty much ready to stay and hang out with the crew at mile 18!
My family met me around mile 19 and at this point I was kind of on my own. Miles 20-23 are filled will short steep climbs and quick downhills. I knew that from mile 23 on it was downhill so my game plan was to run the flats and downhills as quick as I could to get to 23. I knew that from 23 it was basically over. Mentally at least.
Those few miles downhill were killer! Super steep and rocky and scary. I wasn't able to get a good pace even though I was downhill because it was such bad footing. I finally tried lenghtening my stride and that helped to get me going faster but it got me too fast at at mile 23.5 or 24 I almost totally went head over heels and busted my toe a bit because I slipped on a rock!
We hit pavement and that's when I knew I could do it. I just pounded on down that hill and went as fast as my leggies could carry me. I love pavement, I really do!
I saw the finish line in the distance and just hauled. Even though throughout the race, my buddy and I kept saying how we felt like we'd already run a marathon and some point around mile 25 that all went away and I was so happy. I crossed the finish line under my goal time and am certain I could have finished faster if I'd run a bit more, but, this was my first time on the course and now I know. Also wasted a time taking pictures and you know, eating, but, this race wasn't about time.
Sam and Tiffany were there waiting along with my family. When I crossed the finish line they said my name and that I was running for Operation Jack--that was cool!
Post race my husband and I stood around and chatted with Sam and Tiffany and my new goal is to get them to move to Dallas (that's basically my goal for everyone in my life). I'm just saying guys, the house behind mine is for sale.....
Also, if I hadn't gotten old, I could have totally placed in my previous age group. Those young'ins were slower than me. Sheesh. Sam got 3rd in his age group!
After the awards ceremony I said my goodbyes and walked back to the hotel to shower and eat! I'm still hungry, fyi.
It was a great experience. I would definitely run this again and if I do it next year, will plan on making it a longer vacation since we had to rush home on Sunday, but, spending a few leisurely days on Catalina would be fantastic. It was seriously the most beautiful course and such a fun weekend. Obviously, the Big D Texas Marathon won't be a pretty, but, it'll be fun to see Sam and Tiffany again and show them around Dallas in a few weeks.
WOW. You survived that damn novel of a post? You deserve pictures. (these are all Blackberry pics,so, please excuse the quality)
This was around mile 8 or so--we'd just come off a long downhill and were greeted with this gorgeous view. And yes, I had my camera in a ziploc baggie to protect it from sweat so this is through the baggie!
Hill climb after mile 18. That is my running buddy, Julian there on the right.
I don't remember which hill this is, I'm guessing mile 11 or so since I think that was the view around mile 10.... Not sure. But, you kind of get the idea of what the course was like! You really couldn't beat the surroundings for 26.2 miles. I mean it was just gorgeous! Beaches, palm tress--and it was all so green and everything was in bloom. Just breathtaking.
Around mile 2 looking back down into Two Harbors were we started.
The before. You can see the after on Sam's blog.
View from the boat at like 6:50 AM on race day.
There you have it! Pictures from Catalina! I have a few more, but, I think I've overloaded this post enough.
I can't thank you all enough for your support of me and to those of you who supported Operation Jack--thank you so much. It means a lot. I am so grateful.
And Sam, thank you for picking such a great marathon to be part of your 60 marathons this year! I'm so glad I was able to participate.
Whew. The Catalina Marathon was amazing. Amazing. Was it totally intense? Yes. Was it an insane butt kicking? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes!
When we left San Pedro on Friday morning bound for Catalina Island, our boat was filled to the brim with runners, most of which had run this marathon more than 10 times! That was encouraging. I figured hey, if these people come back for seconds, then it really won't kill me.
I thought this until we pulled into Avalon and I remembered how those mountains just jut out of the water. Started to panic a little, but, my game plan was just to honestly not think about it. At all.
We walked around the island, played tourist (judge all you want but for 45 minutes I got to feed fishes under the water and it was awesome) and then headed to the expo. Trail runners are a different breed of people, let me tell you. Now, we all know I'm a girly girl and that 90% of the time I run in something pink, but, let me tell you, I felt like I was covered in Barbie pink compared to these folk (and I wasn't even wearing pink!). But, they are a very friendly bunch and that helped put my fears at ease.
After I picked up my race goodies I met up with Sam and his darling wife Tiffany. While he may just be a regular guy with bad jokes and awesome hair, he needs to fully embrace his total awesomeness (I've used 'awesome' a lot already haven't I?). Because he is fantastic. And Tiffany is so dang cute and sweet I just want to hug her. They are both just about the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.
Race morning was interesting--we had to take a boat to the start and then wait for another boat to dock which ended up getting a line tangled so we just sat in the harbor for 30 minutes or so. Could have been worse--it beats standing outside for 30 minutes in the cold! So, the race started a bit late.
Sam found me at the start line and that was a huge boost since this was the first race in which my husband wasn't at the start line with me. Yes, yes, I'm a wuss, I need my cheering section!
And then we were off! Everyone kept saying not to burn out the first 3 miles (do they know me? My gift is a slow and steady first 10k! This is a recent gift, by the way) so I just kept telling myself sloooow, slooow, slooow. Well, the first 3 miles totally sucked and right after mile 4 was an insane downhill. I was having serious doubts as to my ability to finish and I texted the husband and told him it would be a long time and that I was going to walk 90% of the damn thing. This also made me rethink all those crazy repeaters--what the hell was wrong with them?!
Around mile 4 I found a buddy and we stuck together for the majority of the race. Having him to help push me was great--and it's nice to have someone to talk to.
This was not a marathon in which you could run the entire thing. Well, I suppose some people can. I am not some people. Walking the uphills was necessity because I didn't know when or if I would burn out and I didn't want to waste my energy. I don't usually haul ass on downhills, but, I did this time because I knew it was the only way to make up time. Luckily, on the flat sections, we were able to run and keep a good clip going. The only hard part was is that you'd get so used to walking the uphills that when you could run, it was like "why bother?".
It was hard to find a groove because everytime you'd start running and finding a pace a damn hill would stop you in your tracks.
The aid stations and volunteers were the best I've ever seen. From M&Ms, Swedish Fish, homemade cookies and Gu, the stations were fully stocked and the volunteers were so helpful and friendly. And yes, I snacked at every station--this is still me we're talking about!
There is a nasty hill climb from about mile 17.5 to 18 and my heavens, it took forever. Luckily, you can see the aid station at mile 18 while you're climbing and those people were having a party! Singing, dancing, cheering you on. It was great. We stopped up there for water and snacks and I was pretty much ready to stay and hang out with the crew at mile 18!
My family met me around mile 19 and at this point I was kind of on my own. Miles 20-23 are filled will short steep climbs and quick downhills. I knew that from mile 23 on it was downhill so my game plan was to run the flats and downhills as quick as I could to get to 23. I knew that from 23 it was basically over. Mentally at least.
Those few miles downhill were killer! Super steep and rocky and scary. I wasn't able to get a good pace even though I was downhill because it was such bad footing. I finally tried lenghtening my stride and that helped to get me going faster but it got me too fast at at mile 23.5 or 24 I almost totally went head over heels and busted my toe a bit because I slipped on a rock!
We hit pavement and that's when I knew I could do it. I just pounded on down that hill and went as fast as my leggies could carry me. I love pavement, I really do!
I saw the finish line in the distance and just hauled. Even though throughout the race, my buddy and I kept saying how we felt like we'd already run a marathon and some point around mile 25 that all went away and I was so happy. I crossed the finish line under my goal time and am certain I could have finished faster if I'd run a bit more, but, this was my first time on the course and now I know. Also wasted a time taking pictures and you know, eating, but, this race wasn't about time.
Sam and Tiffany were there waiting along with my family. When I crossed the finish line they said my name and that I was running for Operation Jack--that was cool!
Post race my husband and I stood around and chatted with Sam and Tiffany and my new goal is to get them to move to Dallas (that's basically my goal for everyone in my life). I'm just saying guys, the house behind mine is for sale.....
Also, if I hadn't gotten old, I could have totally placed in my previous age group. Those young'ins were slower than me. Sheesh. Sam got 3rd in his age group!
After the awards ceremony I said my goodbyes and walked back to the hotel to shower and eat! I'm still hungry, fyi.
It was a great experience. I would definitely run this again and if I do it next year, will plan on making it a longer vacation since we had to rush home on Sunday, but, spending a few leisurely days on Catalina would be fantastic. It was seriously the most beautiful course and such a fun weekend. Obviously, the Big D Texas Marathon won't be a pretty, but, it'll be fun to see Sam and Tiffany again and show them around Dallas in a few weeks.
WOW. You survived that damn novel of a post? You deserve pictures. (these are all Blackberry pics,so, please excuse the quality)
This was around mile 8 or so--we'd just come off a long downhill and were greeted with this gorgeous view. And yes, I had my camera in a ziploc baggie to protect it from sweat so this is through the baggie!
Hill climb after mile 18. That is my running buddy, Julian there on the right.
I don't remember which hill this is, I'm guessing mile 11 or so since I think that was the view around mile 10.... Not sure. But, you kind of get the idea of what the course was like! You really couldn't beat the surroundings for 26.2 miles. I mean it was just gorgeous! Beaches, palm tress--and it was all so green and everything was in bloom. Just breathtaking.
Around mile 2 looking back down into Two Harbors were we started.
The before. You can see the after on Sam's blog.
View from the boat at like 6:50 AM on race day.
There you have it! Pictures from Catalina! I have a few more, but, I think I've overloaded this post enough.
I can't thank you all enough for your support of me and to those of you who supported Operation Jack--thank you so much. It means a lot. I am so grateful.
And Sam, thank you for picking such a great marathon to be part of your 60 marathons this year! I'm so glad I was able to participate.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Catalina, Catalina, Catalina!
Eeeek! I'm so excited I could die (but, I won't). This marathon has been my "goal" since last summer. Last summer when I hadn't even completed marathon numero uno, last summer when Danica blogged about Operation Jack. It's finally here.I can't believe it!
It's going to be a butt kicking, I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to walk on Sunday, but, helllloooo, I get to run a marathon on Catalina Island! How awesome is that?!?
And, I'm running for Operation Jack, which as you know is so important to me. The inspiration from Sam and what he's doing has kept me going and I couldn't have gotten through my first marathon (and second!) without all his encouragement and advice. True, I'm going to run a few more for Operation Jack this year, but, this is the big one.
Thank you to all of you who donated (and to those who didn't, DO IT NOW) (seriously, donate! Go without your latte for the day, it won't kill you) (promise) (and, you'll feel so good about it!).
I hope that I can truly make a difference in Sam's goals this year for Operation Jack and Catalina is a great start.
I'm scared, I'm nervous, but, I get to run a marathon here:
(photo from here)Eek!
California sunshine, here I come!
PS. Donate!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Marathon Monday (again) (and, what have I gotten myself into?)
Wasn't it just yesterday that I was gearing up to run a marathon on Saturday? No? Two weeks ago? Yikes.
Well, like it or not, the time has come. The time that I've literally been thinking about last summer. The Catalina Marathon. For me, this might as well be Boston. This is it (sure, I've got OKC in less than 7 weeks, but, whatever, if I finish that, I'll be happy) (and I will finish. And I will PR. Even though I have noooo idea where I'm going to get my 20 miler in for that--yeah, I'll be out of town that weekend) (crap, I might really bomb OKC. That would suck).
The granddaddy of my marathon life thus far. And probably this year. It's going to be hard, it's going to be long, it's going to take every last ounce of energy I have to finish--but, it's going to rock. (see how I do that? Positive thinking, kids, positive thinking)
Sure, there's a ton of stuff to get done before now and when we leave, sure, we'll get back on Sunday night only to leave at 6AM Monday morning for 3 days of hiking and whatnot with a group of teenagers in the soggy Texas hills (did I mention it's supposed to rain for the next few days? Awesome). Sure, I'll get home Wednesday from hiking, caked in mud, sore, hungry and exhausted, only to pack my bags and head out of town on again Thursday night. Yeah, sure.
But, this Saturday, I get to run The Catalina Marathon! Are you kidding me? That's so exciting and crazy I can't even believe it. I am scared to death, have no idea what I've gotten myself into, but, by Saturday evening, I'll get to look back on it and say I did it. Hellloooo awesome.
My long run on Saturday didn't go as planned--I guess The Cowtown finally caught up with me and I struggled big time. But, I planned a hilly route knowing I'd need the hills for this weekend. I didn't get near the mileage I wanted, but, oh well. It's not about last Saturday, it's about this Saturday. I'm a little sore and worse for wear, but, I'm not running Catalina for time, so, if I walk like 75% of it, I don't care! (Lord help me that I don't walk 75% of it!)
Best part? I get to see my dad, step mom and half sis, possibly my in laws and I finally get to meet Sam of Operation Jack! The whole reason I've become a crazy runner in the first place.
No matter what, this weekend will be great.
Even if I do have to be heavily medicated on Sunday.
Well, like it or not, the time has come. The time that I've literally been thinking about last summer. The Catalina Marathon. For me, this might as well be Boston. This is it (sure, I've got OKC in less than 7 weeks, but, whatever, if I finish that, I'll be happy) (and I will finish. And I will PR. Even though I have noooo idea where I'm going to get my 20 miler in for that--yeah, I'll be out of town that weekend) (crap, I might really bomb OKC. That would suck).
The granddaddy of my marathon life thus far. And probably this year. It's going to be hard, it's going to be long, it's going to take every last ounce of energy I have to finish--but, it's going to rock. (see how I do that? Positive thinking, kids, positive thinking)
Sure, there's a ton of stuff to get done before now and when we leave, sure, we'll get back on Sunday night only to leave at 6AM Monday morning for 3 days of hiking and whatnot with a group of teenagers in the soggy Texas hills (did I mention it's supposed to rain for the next few days? Awesome). Sure, I'll get home Wednesday from hiking, caked in mud, sore, hungry and exhausted, only to pack my bags and head out of town on again Thursday night. Yeah, sure.
But, this Saturday, I get to run The Catalina Marathon! Are you kidding me? That's so exciting and crazy I can't even believe it. I am scared to death, have no idea what I've gotten myself into, but, by Saturday evening, I'll get to look back on it and say I did it. Hellloooo awesome.
My long run on Saturday didn't go as planned--I guess The Cowtown finally caught up with me and I struggled big time. But, I planned a hilly route knowing I'd need the hills for this weekend. I didn't get near the mileage I wanted, but, oh well. It's not about last Saturday, it's about this Saturday. I'm a little sore and worse for wear, but, I'm not running Catalina for time, so, if I walk like 75% of it, I don't care! (Lord help me that I don't walk 75% of it!)
Best part? I get to see my dad, step mom and half sis, possibly my in laws and I finally get to meet Sam of Operation Jack! The whole reason I've become a crazy runner in the first place.
No matter what, this weekend will be great.
Even if I do have to be heavily medicated on Sunday.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
What I'm thankful for today...
Several of my favorite blog friends do a "thankful Thursday" and since I'm just plain strapped for ideas, I'm totally jacking theirs (nope, I have no shame). (but, this should be considered flattery, right?)
1. Hair appointments: Holy split ends, Batman! I'm finally getting my hair cut this weekend (just in time for Catalina! Can't run another marathon looking like a disheveled mess). Of course my usual chick moved to freaking Arizona (why is everything in Arizona?!), so, I'm going to have to sell my first born child to pay for this nonsense, but, whatever. Beauty is expensive, apparently.
2. My fur babies: Snuggling in bed with Ella Mae beagle is the best thing ever. I got to take advantage of my 26.2 miles on Monday morning and sleep in a bit with my pup. And, it was raining. I love snuggling with my pups in the rain. But the whole getting up at 5AM to run thing kind of makes that a rare occurrence.
3. Advil, Tylenol, you get the idea: I know, weird thing right? And, does this mean I have some sort of addiction to pain meds? (hopefully not) Listen here, popping two Advil mid-marathon is what totally got me through those miles of death and to be honest, my neck is killing me (slept wrong and, guess what? I'm overly tense when I run. Irony much?) and I'd really like one right now!
4. Friends & Seinfeld: Sadly, no one was keeping track, but, I'm pretty sure Saturday will go down in history as the day with the most Friends references ever. And I pulled off two this morning as well. Bestie and I can relate 98% of our lives to episodes of Friends and generally reference it while talking or texting each other. It's like our own little language. And Seinfeld is the greatest TV show. (don't worry, still obsessed with The Office. After I watched all my seasons of Burn Notice on Saturday, I migrated to seasons of The Office)
5. Running: For the obvious reason found in my chips & salsa, cookie and general carb obsession. And the not so obvious reason of well, running rocks and its helped me meet some amazing people, run in some awesome places and opened the door to fantastic opportunities.
6. Friends & Family: Excuse the 'duh' answer, but, having my bestie cheering me on Friday night, my husband waking up at 4:30 to sit around while I run, my in laws driving to effing Tulsa, Oklahoma to watch me run, my dad sending congratulatory flowers--it just doesn't get better than that. Words cannot express how much I love my family and friends (but cookies do--I bake a lot of 'I love you food').
7. My mom: Sure, she's not alive, but, she was and is such a huge part of my life. I like to think I'm making her proud and I know that 90% of who I am is directly due to her. And I'm basically the spitting image of her.
1. Hair appointments: Holy split ends, Batman! I'm finally getting my hair cut this weekend (just in time for Catalina! Can't run another marathon looking like a disheveled mess). Of course my usual chick moved to freaking Arizona (why is everything in Arizona?!), so, I'm going to have to sell my first born child to pay for this nonsense, but, whatever. Beauty is expensive, apparently.
2. My fur babies: Snuggling in bed with Ella Mae beagle is the best thing ever. I got to take advantage of my 26.2 miles on Monday morning and sleep in a bit with my pup. And, it was raining. I love snuggling with my pups in the rain. But the whole getting up at 5AM to run thing kind of makes that a rare occurrence.
3. Advil, Tylenol, you get the idea: I know, weird thing right? And, does this mean I have some sort of addiction to pain meds? (hopefully not) Listen here, popping two Advil mid-marathon is what totally got me through those miles of death and to be honest, my neck is killing me (slept wrong and, guess what? I'm overly tense when I run. Irony much?) and I'd really like one right now!
4. Friends & Seinfeld: Sadly, no one was keeping track, but, I'm pretty sure Saturday will go down in history as the day with the most Friends references ever. And I pulled off two this morning as well. Bestie and I can relate 98% of our lives to episodes of Friends and generally reference it while talking or texting each other. It's like our own little language. And Seinfeld is the greatest TV show. (don't worry, still obsessed with The Office. After I watched all my seasons of Burn Notice on Saturday, I migrated to seasons of The Office)
5. Running: For the obvious reason found in my chips & salsa, cookie and general carb obsession. And the not so obvious reason of well, running rocks and its helped me meet some amazing people, run in some awesome places and opened the door to fantastic opportunities.
6. Friends & Family: Excuse the 'duh' answer, but, having my bestie cheering me on Friday night, my husband waking up at 4:30 to sit around while I run, my in laws driving to effing Tulsa, Oklahoma to watch me run, my dad sending congratulatory flowers--it just doesn't get better than that. Words cannot express how much I love my family and friends (but cookies do--I bake a lot of 'I love you food').
7. My mom: Sure, she's not alive, but, she was and is such a huge part of my life. I like to think I'm making her proud and I know that 90% of who I am is directly due to her. And I'm basically the spitting image of her.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Weekend of awesome in pictures
Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
(you will ignore the double chin I've got goin' on here, K?)
Friday night with my happy shiny new piece of look at how smart I am paper and my race bib. Kind of a weak bib, but, I'm over it.
This photo would be way less lame if i hadn't been mid sentence when it was taken, but, what are ya gonna do when you're asking a stranger to take your photo?
Hi, I'm going to die here in the cold. Sure, I ran in 18 degree weather with wind chills in the single digits, suuure, I ran through snow and ice but this? This will kill me.
Finishing! Thank God it's over. I can go pass out now. (bwhahah, can I tell you how thrilled I am that I am crossing that finish line before that guy?)
Don't I look thrilled? This was my 'I'm still a bit teary and shaken up, why on earth are you taking a picture now' look. Gorgeous, aren't I? (and very color coordinated)
I love downtown Fort Worth.
And because we're not intelligent enough to have someone take our picture after the race, we must do post race medal pictures at home. (do you think I like yellow?)
And that's my weekend of awesome in pictures. What is not included is the 2 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies I ate all by myself or the container of Oreos that I might have eaten as well. You know what Thin Mints look like, right?
Thanks again to everyone who cheered me on and supported me as I decided to run The Cowtown. I appreciate everything y'all do for me--the advice, your friendship-it all means so much. Thank you!
Monday, March 1, 2010
I'm awesome: I rocked The Cowtown
(be prepared, this is long) (and, no photos because my computer wouldn't connect to the internet all weekend)
Y'all. Y'all. Y'all! I don't even know where to begin. This weekend was a whole big bag of emotions.
Friday night was graduation and getting to spend the evening with my husband and my bestie made it that much more special.
We rushed home and I climbed right into bed.
Saturday morning was cold and Weather.com told me the high for the day was 45 but the people on Ch. 5 told me 65. Who to believe?! And it was very chilly at mi casa and cloudy. I grabbed my tech tee, capris and jacket and got ready.
We got to the race site and it was frrreeeezing. I had on my jacket plus my husband's sweatshirt and was still cold. It was cold. (even my husband was cold)
This race was laid out beautifully--the start areas and the expo/post race areas were great. It was very well planned. Even 20 minutes before the start I didn't have to wait to use the bathroom! Except for the whole pace leaders being all over the place in the start corrals, but, whatever.
I decided to run with my jacket and just tie it around my waist if I needed to. Which is totally lame, but, I didn't want to toss it (it's my favorite) and I was shivering at the start line. And I loathe being cold and couldn't imagine being cold for 26.2 miles. I knew that would put me in a foul mood and I wasn't ready to ruin my race because I was cold.
Of course I took that bad boy off at mile 3. LAME.
This course literally kicked my ass.
It was a big ol' loop so my husband wasn't able to meet me anywhere on course (this was the great thing about Tulsa--the loop was really tight and mile 6 for the runners was actually only 1/4 mile from the start, so, it was really easy for spectators to migrate around the course) which that kind of sucked, but, I knew it going in, so, that was OK. (but it still always helps to have your own personal cheering section)
0-3: I started off running with a group of 3 ladies who were shooting for the same time goal as I was and since we couldn't find that pacer (he was waaaay ahead of us) I figured I'd just hang with them for a while. We caught him around mile 3 and the three ladies I had been running with took off and I decided to just hang back with the pacer. According to my watch, I was on pace and while it felt "easy-ish" I knew this course had the ability to kick my ass and I didn't want a repeat of Tulsa where I went out too fast and burned out at mile 17.
3-8: I hung with the pacer and we chatted about the course, getting into running, etc. He had just finished up a 50 mile trail run, and we talked about people who do 100 mile trail runs and how intense that is. He's also run Pike's Peak and while I could have said I have no desire to do that, after running with him and another ultra trail runner for 5 miles and their encouragement, I do have a little bit of me that would someday like to do the ascent portion of it. But not this year! (sidenote: I'm learning that while I'd love to qualify for Boston at some point, a bigger part of me enjoys the challenging races and courses as opposed to being really fast if that makes sense. Although yes, I want to run super fast in OKC)
8-13: We got a few more runners in our group and just kept plodding along. The course was kind of strange because not all the roads were totally shut down, they were just shut down on one lane, and because I have this bad habit of running in the middle of the road (ITB issues) this meant I ended up like thisclose to cars a couple of times. My fault, I totally get it. Also, breathing in exhaust is weak.
13-15: My pacer stopped to tie his shoes at the water stop at 13 and I kept going but wasn't going all out because I knew there were hills ahead and I wanted to try and let him catch up with me. He had meds. I didn't not want to be far from the man with Advil. There were a few hills along this portion and this was also a portion that looped around when you're on like mile 20 so of course, there was some passing of the speedy finishers.... Bleh. After the hills it was a generally flat neighborhood area so I just tried to stay at a steady pace and enjoy my surroundings. So pretty!
16-18: At the mile 16 water stop I looked behind me and saw the pacer--he was hurting. (it was also super warm by this point). He told me there was no way he was going to make our goal time and I told him we could and that he needed to keep going. We were both a salty mess at this point. Not many of the water stops had Powerade, and they were kind stingy with the water, couple that with sun that no one expected and it was salty time! I had given him my Oreo stash at mile 12 because he was hungry and I was so sad to see him fading. I knew that in Tulsa I hit the wall at 17, so, mile 17 for me was going to be all mental. I had faith that he'd catch up with me, but, I wasn't sure. I decided I needed some pain meds if I was going to keep running on pace and feeling good, so I decided I'd stop at the next medic tent, but, if there wasn't a medic tent before mile 20, I'd wait for the pacer. Lo and behold, a medic tent at mile 17. I got 2 Advil and went on my way. Mile 17-18 was in a park and it was so pretty. Loved that mile!
18-20: Mile 18 started off with a hill climb which I knew was coming but it was pretty steep and it was hard. I texted the husband to let him know where I was kept looking for the pb sandwiches I was told existed at mile 17 (they didn't really exist, it was like a mirage of running). These miles where through neighborhoods and along the college campus and were pretty OK. Rolling hills but not bad. I passed one of the ladies I'd started out with at mile 20 and it was her first marathon and she was run walking at this point but doing great. I got a few pieces of a banana at mile 20 and then we looped back along the course where we had passed the speedy finishers earlier. That was really exciting because I knew it was the home stretch.
20-22: I tried to keep powering through and thought I could still reach my goal time at this point. I only had a 10k left and I run 8 milers in my sleep, so this was eassssy. Bwhahahah, how the Universe knows. I don't remember much of these miles other than the hilly ass kicking I got.
23-25: Mile 23 for the most part was straight along the river and I kept looking for a water stop but there wasn't one. It climbed up a hill towards the end of the mile and along that descent was where I lost it. We rounded a corner (and a downhill) along mile 24 and I just totally lost it. I could not stop crying. I didn't have it in me. I could not do this. It was all hills to the finish and I was hot, tired, thirsty and done. I ran as hard as I could powered up the hills, constantly consulting my watch thinking "I just might be able to do it if I don't wuss out" (I wussed out).
25-26.2: I got water at mile 25 and because the race finishes through downtown it's all sorts of twisty and turny and although I knew I was close, I couldn't really "feel it" if that makes any sense at all. Longest.1.25(37) mile(s) of my life. F. F. F. F! I hated this mile. Another small hill! Yay! Luckily it got real straight, real fast right before you hit 26 but the killer is, is that it's a straight finish, so, you can see the arch and everything in the distances but it's so damn far away. I found a kick at mile 26 and was full on bawling my eyes out. I was grunting and crying and so upset because I had taken too many walk breaks there at the end (seriously, 3 miles at the end are hilly--not cool) and I wasn't going to make my goal time and I was defeated. The good thing about that last .25 mile of death? Totally lined with spectators. So, although I'm crying my eyes out and forcing my legs to turn over they were still cheering for me. I crossed the finish line (and didn't even bother smiling for the finish line photo!) and pretty much collapsed.
Got my medal (which, like That Pink Girl said, were actually pretty cool), some water and found the husband. I was still crying at this point and I showed him my finishing time and we went to go get my finishers shirt and go home.
I only missed my goal time by 61 seconds (I came in exactly 1 minute over my goal time), but, still managed to shave 13 minutes off my Tulsa time. So, yes, I'm disappointed in that, so, still came so close and with as hard as those last few miles were (at least for me) I know that I left it all out there and that's what matters. Although I was really upset about it, my husband was so proud of my huge PR that it was hard to sulk.
I don't think I underestimated the course, but, I kind of overestimated the race itself. I tend to think of it as one of the flagship Texas races and it's a big race so, I assumed there were be a lot of support along the course and that wasn't the case except in small pockets. At White Rock, and even Tulsa, all the neighborhoods are outside cheering you on and having a party for you--that wasn't' the case here and was kind of disappointing. I'm still glad I did it.
This was definitely a great race. Even though I kind of fell apart around 23, I didn't really hit the wall like I did in Tulsa and felt great really the entire time (thanks I'm sure to the Advil). I don't want to sound arrogant, but, I really am proud of myself for this race. I kept my confidence up and ran hard to the finish. To that end, over the final 7.6 miles, I passed 126 runners and only 1 passed me. That's pretty badass if I do say so myself.
Pictures to come, I promise!
I'm sunburned with a sweet farmers tan (what I get for wearing a shirt with SPF in it) but am considering that my post marathon glow.
I'm still nervous about Catalina, but, am approaching it with a new perspective: experience. Yes, it's an intense course, it's going to kick my ass on more levels than I care to think about, but, hello, it's a marathon on Catalina Island. How cool is that?? There's an 8 hour cut off and if I can hit 13.1 in 4 hours, I'll be happy.
Ahhhh..... And I'm done.
Maniac Status: 1 down, 2 to go!
Y'all. Y'all. Y'all! I don't even know where to begin. This weekend was a whole big bag of emotions.
Friday night was graduation and getting to spend the evening with my husband and my bestie made it that much more special.
We rushed home and I climbed right into bed.
Saturday morning was cold and Weather.com told me the high for the day was 45 but the people on Ch. 5 told me 65. Who to believe?! And it was very chilly at mi casa and cloudy. I grabbed my tech tee, capris and jacket and got ready.
We got to the race site and it was frrreeeezing. I had on my jacket plus my husband's sweatshirt and was still cold. It was cold. (even my husband was cold)
This race was laid out beautifully--the start areas and the expo/post race areas were great. It was very well planned. Even 20 minutes before the start I didn't have to wait to use the bathroom! Except for the whole pace leaders being all over the place in the start corrals, but, whatever.
I decided to run with my jacket and just tie it around my waist if I needed to. Which is totally lame, but, I didn't want to toss it (it's my favorite) and I was shivering at the start line. And I loathe being cold and couldn't imagine being cold for 26.2 miles. I knew that would put me in a foul mood and I wasn't ready to ruin my race because I was cold.
Of course I took that bad boy off at mile 3. LAME.
This course literally kicked my ass.
It was a big ol' loop so my husband wasn't able to meet me anywhere on course (this was the great thing about Tulsa--the loop was really tight and mile 6 for the runners was actually only 1/4 mile from the start, so, it was really easy for spectators to migrate around the course) which that kind of sucked, but, I knew it going in, so, that was OK. (but it still always helps to have your own personal cheering section)
0-3: I started off running with a group of 3 ladies who were shooting for the same time goal as I was and since we couldn't find that pacer (he was waaaay ahead of us) I figured I'd just hang with them for a while. We caught him around mile 3 and the three ladies I had been running with took off and I decided to just hang back with the pacer. According to my watch, I was on pace and while it felt "easy-ish" I knew this course had the ability to kick my ass and I didn't want a repeat of Tulsa where I went out too fast and burned out at mile 17.
3-8: I hung with the pacer and we chatted about the course, getting into running, etc. He had just finished up a 50 mile trail run, and we talked about people who do 100 mile trail runs and how intense that is. He's also run Pike's Peak and while I could have said I have no desire to do that, after running with him and another ultra trail runner for 5 miles and their encouragement, I do have a little bit of me that would someday like to do the ascent portion of it. But not this year! (sidenote: I'm learning that while I'd love to qualify for Boston at some point, a bigger part of me enjoys the challenging races and courses as opposed to being really fast if that makes sense. Although yes, I want to run super fast in OKC)
8-13: We got a few more runners in our group and just kept plodding along. The course was kind of strange because not all the roads were totally shut down, they were just shut down on one lane, and because I have this bad habit of running in the middle of the road (ITB issues) this meant I ended up like thisclose to cars a couple of times. My fault, I totally get it. Also, breathing in exhaust is weak.
13-15: My pacer stopped to tie his shoes at the water stop at 13 and I kept going but wasn't going all out because I knew there were hills ahead and I wanted to try and let him catch up with me. He had meds. I didn't not want to be far from the man with Advil. There were a few hills along this portion and this was also a portion that looped around when you're on like mile 20 so of course, there was some passing of the speedy finishers.... Bleh. After the hills it was a generally flat neighborhood area so I just tried to stay at a steady pace and enjoy my surroundings. So pretty!
16-18: At the mile 16 water stop I looked behind me and saw the pacer--he was hurting. (it was also super warm by this point). He told me there was no way he was going to make our goal time and I told him we could and that he needed to keep going. We were both a salty mess at this point. Not many of the water stops had Powerade, and they were kind stingy with the water, couple that with sun that no one expected and it was salty time! I had given him my Oreo stash at mile 12 because he was hungry and I was so sad to see him fading. I knew that in Tulsa I hit the wall at 17, so, mile 17 for me was going to be all mental. I had faith that he'd catch up with me, but, I wasn't sure. I decided I needed some pain meds if I was going to keep running on pace and feeling good, so I decided I'd stop at the next medic tent, but, if there wasn't a medic tent before mile 20, I'd wait for the pacer. Lo and behold, a medic tent at mile 17. I got 2 Advil and went on my way. Mile 17-18 was in a park and it was so pretty. Loved that mile!
18-20: Mile 18 started off with a hill climb which I knew was coming but it was pretty steep and it was hard. I texted the husband to let him know where I was kept looking for the pb sandwiches I was told existed at mile 17 (they didn't really exist, it was like a mirage of running). These miles where through neighborhoods and along the college campus and were pretty OK. Rolling hills but not bad. I passed one of the ladies I'd started out with at mile 20 and it was her first marathon and she was run walking at this point but doing great. I got a few pieces of a banana at mile 20 and then we looped back along the course where we had passed the speedy finishers earlier. That was really exciting because I knew it was the home stretch.
20-22: I tried to keep powering through and thought I could still reach my goal time at this point. I only had a 10k left and I run 8 milers in my sleep, so this was eassssy. Bwhahahah, how the Universe knows. I don't remember much of these miles other than the hilly ass kicking I got.
23-25: Mile 23 for the most part was straight along the river and I kept looking for a water stop but there wasn't one. It climbed up a hill towards the end of the mile and along that descent was where I lost it. We rounded a corner (and a downhill) along mile 24 and I just totally lost it. I could not stop crying. I didn't have it in me. I could not do this. It was all hills to the finish and I was hot, tired, thirsty and done. I ran as hard as I could powered up the hills, constantly consulting my watch thinking "I just might be able to do it if I don't wuss out" (I wussed out).
25-26.2: I got water at mile 25 and because the race finishes through downtown it's all sorts of twisty and turny and although I knew I was close, I couldn't really "feel it" if that makes any sense at all. Longest.1.25(37) mile(s) of my life. F. F. F. F! I hated this mile. Another small hill! Yay! Luckily it got real straight, real fast right before you hit 26 but the killer is, is that it's a straight finish, so, you can see the arch and everything in the distances but it's so damn far away. I found a kick at mile 26 and was full on bawling my eyes out. I was grunting and crying and so upset because I had taken too many walk breaks there at the end (seriously, 3 miles at the end are hilly--not cool) and I wasn't going to make my goal time and I was defeated. The good thing about that last .25 mile of death? Totally lined with spectators. So, although I'm crying my eyes out and forcing my legs to turn over they were still cheering for me. I crossed the finish line (and didn't even bother smiling for the finish line photo!) and pretty much collapsed.
Got my medal (which, like That Pink Girl said, were actually pretty cool), some water and found the husband. I was still crying at this point and I showed him my finishing time and we went to go get my finishers shirt and go home.
I only missed my goal time by 61 seconds (I came in exactly 1 minute over my goal time), but, still managed to shave 13 minutes off my Tulsa time. So, yes, I'm disappointed in that, so, still came so close and with as hard as those last few miles were (at least for me) I know that I left it all out there and that's what matters. Although I was really upset about it, my husband was so proud of my huge PR that it was hard to sulk.
I don't think I underestimated the course, but, I kind of overestimated the race itself. I tend to think of it as one of the flagship Texas races and it's a big race so, I assumed there were be a lot of support along the course and that wasn't the case except in small pockets. At White Rock, and even Tulsa, all the neighborhoods are outside cheering you on and having a party for you--that wasn't' the case here and was kind of disappointing. I'm still glad I did it.
This was definitely a great race. Even though I kind of fell apart around 23, I didn't really hit the wall like I did in Tulsa and felt great really the entire time (thanks I'm sure to the Advil). I don't want to sound arrogant, but, I really am proud of myself for this race. I kept my confidence up and ran hard to the finish. To that end, over the final 7.6 miles, I passed 126 runners and only 1 passed me. That's pretty badass if I do say so myself.
Pictures to come, I promise!
I'm sunburned with a sweet farmers tan (what I get for wearing a shirt with SPF in it) but am considering that my post marathon glow.
I'm still nervous about Catalina, but, am approaching it with a new perspective: experience. Yes, it's an intense course, it's going to kick my ass on more levels than I care to think about, but, hello, it's a marathon on Catalina Island. How cool is that?? There's an 8 hour cut off and if I can hit 13.1 in 4 hours, I'll be happy.
Ahhhh..... And I'm done.
Maniac Status: 1 down, 2 to go!
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