Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Confessions of a Pregnant Woman: Running While Pregnant
Writer's Note: I felt the need to write this post to reach out to other pregnant mothers and those who are TTC and let them know pregnancy does not always go as planned. Also, I have really enjoyed reading other blogs and their experiences throughout pregnancy so I plan on documenting a few of mine throughout this pregnancy. It is reassuring knowing you are not the only one going through certain situations and kind of fun to read what other pregnant women are experiencing. So here it goes...
I remember when Andrew and I first started TTC (Trying to Conceive... just trying to help you all get caught up with the lingo if you are not already up to date with it! ;) ) I always imagined myself being pregnant. It was so exciting to imagine how this entire pregnancy would go (yes there were rainbows and unicorns in my daydreams as well). I pictured a smooth and easy pregnancy, eating healthy the ENTIRE time, only gaining the appropriate weight in my belly, oh, and running marathons! Yes, that's right. I planned on keeping up with my training (they say that you can stay in the same fitness state you were in before you were pregnant and it should be perfectly fine for the baby). I read article after article about pregnant women who ran marathons and/or kept up their running during pregnancy. I was so inspired and I just knew I would be THAT pregnant woman--healthy, fit and running marathons. In my perfect pregnant fantasy world, pregnancy was going to be a breeze and I was going to glow. After hearing all the horror stories about raging hormones and morning sickness from friends and reading about them on blogs, I remember telling Andrew I would never be like that. I would have the ideal pregnancy, and he would enjoy being around me 24/7. HA! Now that I am 17 week into this pregnancy, the reality of it all is that you don't have control over how your body will react. The way you imagined it would be doesn't always go as planned. I guess that is the body's way of preparing the mother to be flexible and ready for anything.
When we found out I was pregnant, this plan was still in full effect. One week in, I had to completely alter my plan. There was absolutely no way I could muster up the energy to get outside and run, nor did I have the time to. I was working a full-time unpaid internship teaching, working part-time for my dad in the afternoons, 2-3 times a week I had Junior League obligations in the evenings and on Wednesday nights bible study. Not to forget, I felt like I had been run over by a car and nauseous 24-7. I felt like a walking zombie and was lucky if I could manage to get two runs in a week (which only happened on weekends). Some weeks I couldn't even run once because of other weekend commitments and lack of motivation and energy. Anyone who knows me knows that is not my normal self. Before being pregnant I would have considered it a bad week if I didn't get a minimum of 5 runs during the week. The weird thing was, I was perfectly okay with not running that much during my first trimester. With all the other horror stories I heard about miscarriages during the first trimester and the link to overworking the body made the lack of interest in running alright for me.
Eating healthy pretty much went out of the window too. All I wanted was red meat and carbs... oh LOTS of carbs. I have pretty much been eating whatever I want and not really caring about it.
About a week ago I was sitting with my friend, Julie, at the movies waiting for the movie to start and she asked me "Doesn't it feel weird running while pregnant?" Without hesitation I responded "No, not really. It just feels like I have a few extra pounds I'm carrying." The weird thing is, if she asked me that exact question less than a week later today, I would reply, "It ABSOLUTELY feels weird!". I am not sure what changed within this past week but I do know something has. Maybe Riley has grown quite a bit, maybe its the fact that I have run more this week than I did in the last five weeks combined.
Let me break it down for you...
First of all, my shirts are getting a lot more "snug" and almost not covering my belly. I only have about three running shirts left that are long enough to make me feel comfortable enough to run outside and not have to worry about my bouncing belly showing. Insecurity while running is definitely not a fun feeling. I am still at this awkward point in my pregnancy where I just look chubby and not quite pregnant yet. I know in the next few weeks it will change, but I would like for that to happen sooner than later. My snug shirt shows my growing belly extended a little past my shorts and it is definitely not a motivating factor to go out and run in public and show it off.
The newest feeling I have experienced while running is Riley doing summersaults the entire time I am running. (I am not really sure if she is actually doing summersaults, but I can tell she is very active while I run.) I hope that she gets used to the bouncing rhythm and it will put her to sleep. (Wishful thinking I know). I am sure I will feel her more and more as she grows, so I suppose I better get used to the feeling.
Did I mention I am already feeling her pushing on my bladder? I am 17 weeks and this girl sits right on it. From the second I leave the house I feel like I have to go to the bathroom BAD! I have made sure to go to the bathroom right before I leave the house to reassure myself that I do not actually have to go and that its just Riley pushing on my bladder. The feeling does not let up the ENTIRE run. Talk about uncomfortable.
The most important thing is that I listen to my body and not over do it. I want to reassure you all that I am doing just that. Now that I am finished with my internship and into my second trimester, I have a lot more time to take care of my health and have a lot more energy. I have a feeling that I wont be able to keep running throughout the entire pregnancy, but I plan to try to run as long as Riley will let me. I never feel like I am putting her in danger while running and have been given the "okay" by my doctor to do so. I am just running three miles at a time and do not plan to increase the distance at all during this pregnancy.
My hope is that my desire to keep running while pregnant will not only pay off for my health, but Riley's health and future, too. You know the only reason I run is so she will be an olympic runner one day right?
Monday, July 2, 2012
Why did the peacock cross the road?
...to "pea-slap" me. That's right folks, I was smacked in the face with the aggressively flapping feathers of a peacock during my run this morning. To his defense, I blame it on my outfit I was wearing during my run.
Yes, we do have peacocks all over our neighborhood. No, I did not see it coming. Yes, I was taken by surprise. Yes, I did consider the alternative name for the term I just recently coined. I decided that it would be incredibly inappropriate to call it a "{fill in the blank}-slap" even though it would make for a much more funny joke. So get your minds out of the gutter people!
The peacock was trying to get from 'point A' (the top of the tree to the left of me), to 'point B' (the yard across the street to the right of me), and in the process must have not seen me. After all, that was one of the only two conclusions I could come to. I was wearing peacock-camo after all. That or, as I mentioned earlier, the peacock must have thought I was one of his own kind. I had one of those embarrassing moments where I freaked out flailing my arms and hands in many different directions all at once with a high squeal (I am sure only a few of you are familiar with this "squeal" ;)), and then realized how stupid I must have looked. I quickly looked around to see if anyone noticed. Thank goodness there was no one around (unless the neighbors were staring at me through their windows laughing hysterically... which probably was the case).
Have any of you ever experienced one of those moments? (Not necessarily the 'pea-slap', but one of those moments where you act like a total fool and then wonder if anyone saw?) Please don't leave me hanging feeling foolish alone. Tell me about it...
(I think we matched.)
Yes, we do have peacocks all over our neighborhood. No, I did not see it coming. Yes, I was taken by surprise. Yes, I did consider the alternative name for the term I just recently coined. I decided that it would be incredibly inappropriate to call it a "{fill in the blank}-slap" even though it would make for a much more funny joke. So get your minds out of the gutter people!
The peacock was trying to get from 'point A' (the top of the tree to the left of me), to 'point B' (the yard across the street to the right of me), and in the process must have not seen me. After all, that was one of the only two conclusions I could come to. I was wearing peacock-camo after all. That or, as I mentioned earlier, the peacock must have thought I was one of his own kind. I had one of those embarrassing moments where I freaked out flailing my arms and hands in many different directions all at once with a high squeal (I am sure only a few of you are familiar with this "squeal" ;)), and then realized how stupid I must have looked. I quickly looked around to see if anyone noticed. Thank goodness there was no one around (unless the neighbors were staring at me through their windows laughing hysterically... which probably was the case).
Have any of you ever experienced one of those moments? (Not necessarily the 'pea-slap', but one of those moments where you act like a total fool and then wonder if anyone saw?) Please don't leave me hanging feeling foolish alone. Tell me about it...
Thursday, January 5, 2012
"SPEEOPLING"
This evening Andrew and I dubbed a new term:"Speeopling". Have you ever been out for a run and seen a person on the side of the street and without realizing it you unconsciously speed up? Andrew and I do it all the time! We are constantly reminding each to slow down when we pass other people. So, we decided to give it a term, we call it "Speeopling".
It can be used in such forms as:
"Andrew, you're speeopling again." "Oh no, I just speeopled." "Try not to speeople this time." and my all-time favorite, "ANDREW, you SPEEOPLER!"
I think it will catch on...
It can be used in such forms as:
"Andrew, you're speeopling again." "Oh no, I just speeopled." "Try not to speeople this time." and my all-time favorite, "ANDREW, you SPEEOPLER!"
I think it will catch on...
Friday, December 2, 2011
Two Machetes and a Pair of Garden Shears... What's Your Motivation?
I decided to go for a casual leisure run this afternoon. As I turned the corner off my street, two blocks ahead I noticed three lawn men with two machetes and a pair of garden shears violently cutting up large branches in a driveway way too close to the street for comfort.
**WRITER'S NOTE: I am not prejudice to the fact that they were lawn men. They could have been home owners for that matter... it was the fact that they had machetes and garden shears in hand that seriously alarmed me**
My mind immediately turned on near-death thoughts. All of these terrible thoughts began to go through my head. One example: If I run down that road, those three guys were going to chase me down, decapitate me and chop me up into a trillion pieces and throw my dead body into the bottom of the ocean. (HORRIBLE RIGHT!?!? ... WHO THINKS THESE THOUGHTS? Apparently, and unfortunately, me.)
Being the intellectual and practical person that I am, I figured I had three options:
1. Turn around, run home as fast as I can screaming and crawl in a corner and hide.
2. Turn left early on the road before I reach them to spare them a murder and my life.
3. Run past them, get over my stupid fear, and realize they are just doing their job and probably nice guys.
Which option did I pick? Of course, the most logic, especially after thoughts like mine, and I picked option #1. ...just kidding. I picked option #3, seriously. As I was getting closer, I felt all of my nerves tingle throughout my body, I picked up the pace. One of the workmen smiled and nodded, and I waved and sprinted by as fast as my legs could take me. I couldn't help but turn and look behind me every mili-second to make sure they weren't following me because lets face it, had my horrible visual actually come true, whose going to win, them or me?
Let's weigh out the pros and cons:
Pros:
1. I run every day.
2. I am prepared for them to chase me.
3. I could probably out-run them in distance, but pace... I don't know.
Cons:
1. They have machetes and garden shears in hand.
2. They work out all day... probably way more fit than I am.
3. There were three of them and one of me.
4. Surprise attack... just saying.
Looks like the cons outweigh the pros and I would lose.
What I was left with was a heart beat pounding a million miles an hour, and a huge adrenaline rush that I had not felt in a long time. I began to think about what I would do in that kind of situation, and let's face it, when it comes to flight or fight, I am definitely FLIGHT! I want to get as far as I possibly can from any kind of scary, uncomfortable, unwanted situation, and I don't want to stop until I know I am as far away as I possibly can be!
These thoughts took over my mind like poison as I ran, and suddenly my navigation on my phone beeped.
TIME: 8 minutes, 04 seconds. DISTANCE: 1 point 0 mile.
I came back to reality: That can't be right... I was just going out for a leisurely run. How can I be running that fast, and not feel like I am pushing myself? I then realized that my motivator was those two machetes and garden shears. It gave me that extra energy to run harder and faster without exerting energy when in flight mode. This made me feel much better about my "flight" status. I used to think of it as a flaw, but at least I know I can run and probably get away from most situations and keep it together mentally.
I decided to imagine those three men chasing me for mile two with their scary machetes and garden shears, my mind began focus on getting away and nothing more. I didn't feel like I was pushing myself very hard, but I felt like I was getting away.
TIME: 15 minutes, 54 seconds, DISTANCE: 2 point 0 miles AVERAGE TIME: 7 minutes 57 seconds per hour.
HOLY MOLY... its working!
As I approached my last mile (yes, I have been cutting back a lot on my running, just trying to enjoy it again), I kept this thought process. As I reached half a mile away from my house, I realized my three mile loop came back around to the same three men that started this whole crazy thought process in the beginning. Was I crazy to run by them AGAIN and take that chance? Had I been given a "Pass Go" the first time around? Would I be lucky enough to get it again? Should I turn around? Did I do this on purpose? No... I can do this again! (Maybe I did it for that extra adrenaline rush to push hard in the end?)
I SURVIVED!
I hit my third mile feeling great, not even out of breath and I heard:
TIME: 23 minutes, 21 seconds DISTANCE: 3 miles AVERAGE PACE: 7 minutes, 47 seconds.
Okay, I know that time isn't that amazing... but for not pushing myself or feeling out of breathe and just running to save my life, I WAS PRETTY DANG PROUD OF MYSELF!
So I ask you: WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVATION? Is it being chased by a murderer as well? Do you run towards something like your trying to get somewhere? Do you run for something or someone? For margaritas? (That used to be mine! ;) )
**WRITER'S NOTE: I am not prejudice to the fact that they were lawn men. They could have been home owners for that matter... it was the fact that they had machetes and garden shears in hand that seriously alarmed me**
My mind immediately turned on near-death thoughts. All of these terrible thoughts began to go through my head. One example: If I run down that road, those three guys were going to chase me down, decapitate me and chop me up into a trillion pieces and throw my dead body into the bottom of the ocean. (HORRIBLE RIGHT!?!? ... WHO THINKS THESE THOUGHTS? Apparently, and unfortunately, me.)
Being the intellectual and practical person that I am, I figured I had three options:
1. Turn around, run home as fast as I can screaming and crawl in a corner and hide.
2. Turn left early on the road before I reach them to spare them a murder and my life.
3. Run past them, get over my stupid fear, and realize they are just doing their job and probably nice guys.
Which option did I pick? Of course, the most logic, especially after thoughts like mine, and I picked option #1. ...just kidding. I picked option #3, seriously. As I was getting closer, I felt all of my nerves tingle throughout my body, I picked up the pace. One of the workmen smiled and nodded, and I waved and sprinted by as fast as my legs could take me. I couldn't help but turn and look behind me every mili-second to make sure they weren't following me because lets face it, had my horrible visual actually come true, whose going to win, them or me?
Let's weigh out the pros and cons:
Pros:
1. I run every day.
2. I am prepared for them to chase me.
3. I could probably out-run them in distance, but pace... I don't know.
Cons:
1. They have machetes and garden shears in hand.
2. They work out all day... probably way more fit than I am.
3. There were three of them and one of me.
4. Surprise attack... just saying.
Looks like the cons outweigh the pros and I would lose.
What I was left with was a heart beat pounding a million miles an hour, and a huge adrenaline rush that I had not felt in a long time. I began to think about what I would do in that kind of situation, and let's face it, when it comes to flight or fight, I am definitely FLIGHT! I want to get as far as I possibly can from any kind of scary, uncomfortable, unwanted situation, and I don't want to stop until I know I am as far away as I possibly can be!
These thoughts took over my mind like poison as I ran, and suddenly my navigation on my phone beeped.
TIME: 8 minutes, 04 seconds. DISTANCE: 1 point 0 mile.
I came back to reality: That can't be right... I was just going out for a leisurely run. How can I be running that fast, and not feel like I am pushing myself? I then realized that my motivator was those two machetes and garden shears. It gave me that extra energy to run harder and faster without exerting energy when in flight mode. This made me feel much better about my "flight" status. I used to think of it as a flaw, but at least I know I can run and probably get away from most situations and keep it together mentally.
I decided to imagine those three men chasing me for mile two with their scary machetes and garden shears, my mind began focus on getting away and nothing more. I didn't feel like I was pushing myself very hard, but I felt like I was getting away.
TIME: 15 minutes, 54 seconds, DISTANCE: 2 point 0 miles AVERAGE TIME: 7 minutes 57 seconds per hour.
HOLY MOLY... its working!
As I approached my last mile (yes, I have been cutting back a lot on my running, just trying to enjoy it again), I kept this thought process. As I reached half a mile away from my house, I realized my three mile loop came back around to the same three men that started this whole crazy thought process in the beginning. Was I crazy to run by them AGAIN and take that chance? Had I been given a "Pass Go" the first time around? Would I be lucky enough to get it again? Should I turn around? Did I do this on purpose? No... I can do this again! (Maybe I did it for that extra adrenaline rush to push hard in the end?)
I SURVIVED!
I hit my third mile feeling great, not even out of breath and I heard:
TIME: 23 minutes, 21 seconds DISTANCE: 3 miles AVERAGE PACE: 7 minutes, 47 seconds.
Okay, I know that time isn't that amazing... but for not pushing myself or feeling out of breathe and just running to save my life, I WAS PRETTY DANG PROUD OF MYSELF!
So I ask you: WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVATION? Is it being chased by a murderer as well? Do you run towards something like your trying to get somewhere? Do you run for something or someone? For margaritas? (That used to be mine! ;) )
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Bank of America Chicago Marathon, October 09, 2011
(Writer's Note: This post might be too much information that you did not want to know, but I am not going to hold anything back, since I want those of you that are interested in training for a marathon to know the ins and outs of it all. If you don't want to know these things... I suggest skip this post all together. It's not graphic, but its real life. I hope by reading this, those that struggle with these sorts of things will realize they aren't alone. )
As most runners know it is VERY important to take care of business in the morning before a long race, or you have the possibility to be miserable the entire race. Gastrointestinal problems are very common for long distance runners. The key is to figure out what works for you, some people take Imodium ahead of time, others have a morning routine that works for them. Me, you never know. (Sorry if this is TMI, but it is a serious issue for some runners!)
I woke up @ 4:30 am, drank coffee, ate a Nature's Valley, Honey 'n' Oates granola bar, tried to do my usual morning routine, and no success! :( This set me up for a bad mood, and after eating as much as I did the past few days, I didn't feel so well. The weather was very warm for a marathon (lows in the 60's highs in the 80's!), which didn't help my mood either. One main reason we signed up for this particular marathon was for the cooler weather! Go figure, it was warm the entire time we were there! I was just not mentally ready for the marathon. Physically, for the most part I was, but mentally... I JUST COULD NOT GET THERE! I was ready for it to be over... or to feel better, or for my calves to not be sore from that stupid walk I took on Friday. None of which were happening for me.
I suited up for the race with my new marathon gear and put on my arm pace tattoo (WHICH BY THE WAY WAS SO NEAT! I want one for every race I do. They are so much more convenient and easier to read than arm pace bracelets!!).
We met my dad in the lobby @ 5:30 (race didn't start until 7:30), and headed out to walk about a mile to the start line. With 45,000 racers, we wanted to make sure we got the best spot for our pace group. You line up by the pace you want to run so that the people around you are all running about the same pace. This way you don't have people in your way slowing you down, and you don't slow other people down. You would think that getting there this early would give my body enough time to wake up and get moving... STILL NO LUCK!
Some pre-race photos:
This race was like no other race I have ever participated in. (and I have participated in 15+ races). They had runners from all around the world there. It was so neat to see all of these people in the same city that came together for this very race! The foreigners were wearing jerseys with their state flag and country on the back so you can see where they were from. Of course, USA Marathoner, Ryan Hall, was up front with all the Kenyans! Those people amaze me! I mean, they must have an extra muscle or bone in their body that allows their bodies to run that fast for that distance in that amount of time! ...I envy them.
The National Anthem was sung by a wonderful male opera singer, the gun shot, and we were off! Kinda... (OH DEAR!) We were in an Open Corral (not racing to qualify) so we were much further back than the Kenyans and rest of amazing runners. We finally crossed the start line about 7 minutes and 28 seconds after the gun shot and we were off with our 8:45 pace group. It was so hard to tell what pace we were going because my dad's Garmin watch was going all out of wack in between the high buildings downtown. We averaged just under a nine minute mile the first few miles as we were trying to find our groove. We lost Andrew about four miles in as he stopped for a potty break.
Disaster Witness #1: First it was the smell... oh the smell was AWFUL! Then I saw it. A girl about 10 feet in front of my dad and me had already lost control of her bowel movements. It was all over the inside of her legs and I felt so sorry for her. She didn't look embarrassed and just ran like she didn't even notice it. Thank God, it has never happened to me, but people, IT HAPPENS! Make sure you figure out your routine ahead of time so you do not have to go through this yourselves!
It was only mile five or six and it already hit me! I had to go to the bathroom. (I drank an entire large water bottle of water/cytomax) and it kicked in quickly! I wasn't sure if my dad was going to wait for me or not since we had such a good start. As soon as I saw the first group of port-a-potties, I said "I got to go!" and my dad said "see ya!" and went off with the rest of the 3:50:00 runners. Going to the restroom during a race is one of the most frustrating things. You don't want to alter your time in any way, sometimes there is a line, it stinks in there, your legs are a little tired and you don't want to use your muscles any more than you have to, and you gotta be quick! A whole bottle of water, certainly didn't make it quick, but I got in and out as quick as I could and I was off again.
I am not kidding friends, the entire race I was just off mentally. I was determined to meet my goal, but just couldn't get my brain in the mental state of mind that a runner needs to feel good and have the best race of their life. I was so excited to be there and experience what I was experiencing, just couldn't get to that right happy place I needed to be in. As I was running I started wondering where everyone was. Was Andrew ahead of me or behind me? I wonder how far my dad is ahead of me? This was quickly stressing me out... I HATE BEING LEFT BEHIND! So, I stupidly picked up the pace and decided I wouldn't slow down until I found either Andrew or my dad. My right knee was bugging me a little (not sure why, but lately is has been feeling like there is a lot of pressure when I run) but I just ignored it and pressed on.
The crowd was AMAZING!!! There was not a spot during the race that there was not people cheering us on. To most people, this would be so cool! But, like I said, I wasn't in the right state of mind, and it was SO ANNOYING! I couldn't get into my groove and I just wanted them all to SHUT UP! It was so loud and hard to think. Don't get me wrong, I love supporters, I love people, and it was so neat that all of those people came out to cheer us on. I just couldn't think AT ALL with all the bells and screaming the entire 26.2 miles, so I turned on my music on my new nano and tried to tune them out like white noise. It worked for the most part, but was really hard.
OH LOOK, mile 9 and there's ANDREW! I must catch up with him! "YOU SURE ARE HARD TO CATCH UP WITH!" I said. "What do you mean?" He said. "I finally found you!". We crossed the 15K together, and I kept picking up the pace. Andrew decided to let me go on ahead, and I wanted to catch up with my dad. I knew he was running with the 3:50:00 pace group, and I wanted to finish at that time, too.
I was off, and the sun was getting higher in the sky, and the air was getting MUCH WARMER. Luckily, the first half of the race was mostly shade, so the sun didn't play too big of a part on my race experience. But, it sure was getting warmer.
Mile eleven and I could see my dad running around the guy with the big sign that said 3:50! I FOUND HIM! I finally caught up with him, and quickly regretted pushing myself so hard to do so. We passed the half marathon line and I was ready to say, "I AM DONE!" Unfortunately, this race was a marathon only so there was no option to back out (unless you quit). In the past with races, we have always given ourselves the option to quit at the half if we are not feeling like doing the full, and 90% of the time, we did just that! It was GREAT! But, in Chicago, we didn't have this option because there was no half! We crossed the half marathon line at the perfect pace to finish the entire marathon at a 3:50:00 time. I knew I could do it, but was starting to feel more and more like crap. The sun was at its best, the second half was practically shadeless and I could feel my back and face getting burned. The temperature was already in the 80's!
About every mile and a half on each side, they have a long row of people handing you Gatorade 2 (Performance Drink) then behind the Gatorade row, they have tons of people handing out water. I grabbed a Gatorade and water (sometimes 2) at every station. The problem was, my body started rejecting the Gatorade (either too acidic or not enough room in my tummy for all of the water and Gatorade I was consuming) so a lot of the times, it came back up. I didn't necessarily throw up, it just felt like horrible reflux with burps that tasted like throw up and lots of air behind it. I pressed on. I kept drinking the gatorade because I knew I needed to stay hydrated and needed that energy since at mile three I had accidentally dropped my Gu Chomps I had in my hand for energy at the half way point. (OOPS... oh whatever they were annoying me anyway). TRICK TO DRINKING OUT OF THE CUPS DURING THE RUNS: Once you grab the cup (and you might accidentally splash it on the people handing it to you since you don't want to stop... its okay, they are used to it. Just say sorry and keep going) squeeze almost all of the top of it together and only leave enough room for just a little hole for the Gatorade to come out and not splash you in the face. This way you can drink it while still running.
My dad and I stuck together until about mile 16 where he had a horrible leg cramp and needed to slow down. At this point, my hams were KILLING ME, my knee was throbbing, and my ankles felt like they were broken. (I have run this distance many times before, but at a MUCH slower pace and like I said, I wasn't there mentally). I knew I only had 10 miles left and I couldn't slow down. I have run ten miles EASILY at least once a week in the past, so why couldn't I do it then, right?
Mile 17, I am still on pace, maybe about a minute behind, but a 3:51 finish I would take any day. I was getting more mentally there. (Its about time right?) I saw a guy from the sidelines join two other runners and run for four miles with them. They were running at my pace and it was so neat to see the camaraderie between the three of them. The guy was rooting them on, grabbing their water for them and handing it to them. He made sure they were okay and checked constantly if they needed anything else. So neat! He stopped at mile 21 and let the guys finish on their own.
About mile 18 Disaster Witness #2: A racer in the middle of the road just start seizing and looked like he was out of his body and about to fall backwards. He fell on me and I didn't know what to do. There was nothing I could do. Other people came running to him, so I kept going. I would have been no help, and he had other help there.
Mile 19, Disaster Witness #3: A spectator was on a bike on the sidelines ( I have NO IDEA what happened) but as I looked over at him, I watched him and his bike do an entire summer-salt, role on his head and then over. He screamed "OWWW!" and again, people came running to him. So I would have been no help, and kept running.
Mile 20... HOLY CRAP! I still had 6 more miles and I was ready for this race to be over. But hey, I run 7 miles almost every day.. I could SOO do this! Less than an hour to go and I had this race!
Mile 21: I lost the mentality and I was exhausted. Legs hurt, lower back was KILLING, and people were dropping like flies. (Seriously.) I was weaving between people that would just stop in front of you, practically dodging them so that I wouldn't run smack into their backs. I was about half a mile into mile 21 and I needed a minute to myself! The crowd was so loud, and I needed to stop. I went over to the side lines, bent over to my toes and my back went ::CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK:: all along my spine. I felt a little better and pressed on.
Mile 22: Okay... I felt horrible, everything in me wanted to quit, but I knew I couldn't. I started walking at the next water stop. When I started to pick up running again, my legs would barely move. I told myself to suck it up, and that I told my friends I wanted to make it at a certain time.. I absolutely could not let them down.
Mile 23: I decided I would walk at the water stops... which quickly turned into water stops and a few times in between. My body was giving up quickly!
Mile 24: SOMETHING CAME OVER ME! Even though I was exhausted, I wanted to give up and hurt so bad, I knew that I could run 2 miles! I told myself to suck it up, I turned to God and asked for strength, and thanked Him for this amazing opportunity, and the ability to have two legs that could run so that I could fulfill my dream. (We take so much for granted... last time I was in Chicago about a year ago, I had 8 stitches in my knee and I could barely get around Chicago. I felt like it was God's way of giving me a second chance to be thankful for what I have been given, and given the ability to see Chi-Town by foot.)
Mile 25: HOLY COW... 1.2 to go. I FEEL HORRIBLE. I wish I was already done. OKAY LINDSAY... you have 1.2 to go... you absolutely, no matter how you feel, CANNOT STOP! Even if you are barely gimping... you have to finish!
There were people just speeding past me and I wanted to punch them in the face. WHERE IS ALL OF THEIR ENERGY COMING FROM? How did they do that? Who are they? What did they eat? I wanted some of what they were having, that was FOR SURE!
If they could do it... I could do it! PASSED the 500M mark. I remember thinking, Please God... Please God... hold my hand and help me finish without having a heart attack. My chest was hurting so bad...400M... that's a lap around the track. 300M, YES! 200M, I turned the corner and could see the finish line I've got this, I've got this. Another girl speeds past me. What the heck! I thought. So I picked up the pace even more and followed right behind her. Thank you God... Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I remember just saying that over and over and over in my head. I felt so relieved to see that finish line and knowing that I couldn't have done it without Him.
I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face so happy I did it, so relieved I was finished, and so thankful for having the ability to finish such an amazing race. I finished in 4 hours 1 min and 27 seconds. My ultimate goal was 3:50 but my more realistic goal was 4:00:00 and my last marathon was 4 hours and 13 minutes. This means I PR'd by 12 minutes! At that VERY moment, I decided it would be my last marathon. At least for a while. I have decided that I enjoy half marathons so much more. I can improve my distance, and recover so much quicker. They are so much more enjoyable than a marathon! Granted, a marathon is so much more rewarding, but I am a much happier person with halves!
After the race, I am always filled with so much emotion. It took everything in me not to cry. I didn't want to look stupid, but something comes over my entire body and I just want to cry for joy, cry because I am done, cry because I am thankful that I could do it, cry because every part of my body hurts! But I didn't (Thank you God again for not letting me make a fool out of myself).
There is a long line you have to walk down to get your finishers medal (the whole reason I run these), aluminum jacket to stay warm, water, Gatorade, beer, food, pictures, cold rag to put around your neck, ice packs... etc. etc. You seriously don't have enough hands to hold it all. I just wanted to sit down. I found a nice spot on the side of a curb and enjoyed that nice ice-cold beer.
My dad finished the race at 4:08 and Andrew finished about 4:25! I am so proud of them, and couldn't imagine running that race with anyone else. I feel so lucky to have the ability to run these races with my dad and husband. I am so proud of them for their hard work to finish these races with me, too!
Two days later, I can barely walk. I am super sore and trying to just rest up. My knee surprisingly isn't bugging me at all, as during the race I thought I tore something. My ankles hurt a little, but they will recover and I will hopefully be running again by this weekend!
If you ask me if I would ever run a marathon again, I would say, probably. I just don't have plans running another any time in the next few years. I have run two so I can now officially say I am a marathoner (if I left it at one, I would only be able to say, "I have run a marathon before"). For now, it will be just halves, and I am perfectly happy with that.
There was one fatality and one birth during/after the Chicago marathon:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-10/news/ct-met-marathon-death-20111011_1_coordinates-fire-prevention-efforts-autopsy-fireman
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/10/pregnant-woman-runs-marathon-then-gives-birth
As most runners know it is VERY important to take care of business in the morning before a long race, or you have the possibility to be miserable the entire race. Gastrointestinal problems are very common for long distance runners. The key is to figure out what works for you, some people take Imodium ahead of time, others have a morning routine that works for them. Me, you never know. (Sorry if this is TMI, but it is a serious issue for some runners!)
I woke up @ 4:30 am, drank coffee, ate a Nature's Valley, Honey 'n' Oates granola bar, tried to do my usual morning routine, and no success! :( This set me up for a bad mood, and after eating as much as I did the past few days, I didn't feel so well. The weather was very warm for a marathon (lows in the 60's highs in the 80's!), which didn't help my mood either. One main reason we signed up for this particular marathon was for the cooler weather! Go figure, it was warm the entire time we were there! I was just not mentally ready for the marathon. Physically, for the most part I was, but mentally... I JUST COULD NOT GET THERE! I was ready for it to be over... or to feel better, or for my calves to not be sore from that stupid walk I took on Friday. None of which were happening for me.
I suited up for the race with my new marathon gear and put on my arm pace tattoo (WHICH BY THE WAY WAS SO NEAT! I want one for every race I do. They are so much more convenient and easier to read than arm pace bracelets!!).
We met my dad in the lobby @ 5:30 (race didn't start until 7:30), and headed out to walk about a mile to the start line. With 45,000 racers, we wanted to make sure we got the best spot for our pace group. You line up by the pace you want to run so that the people around you are all running about the same pace. This way you don't have people in your way slowing you down, and you don't slow other people down. You would think that getting there this early would give my body enough time to wake up and get moving... STILL NO LUCK!
Some pre-race photos:
This race was like no other race I have ever participated in. (and I have participated in 15+ races). They had runners from all around the world there. It was so neat to see all of these people in the same city that came together for this very race! The foreigners were wearing jerseys with their state flag and country on the back so you can see where they were from. Of course, USA Marathoner, Ryan Hall, was up front with all the Kenyans! Those people amaze me! I mean, they must have an extra muscle or bone in their body that allows their bodies to run that fast for that distance in that amount of time! ...I envy them.
The National Anthem was sung by a wonderful male opera singer, the gun shot, and we were off! Kinda... (OH DEAR!) We were in an Open Corral (not racing to qualify) so we were much further back than the Kenyans and rest of amazing runners. We finally crossed the start line about 7 minutes and 28 seconds after the gun shot and we were off with our 8:45 pace group. It was so hard to tell what pace we were going because my dad's Garmin watch was going all out of wack in between the high buildings downtown. We averaged just under a nine minute mile the first few miles as we were trying to find our groove. We lost Andrew about four miles in as he stopped for a potty break.
Disaster Witness #1: First it was the smell... oh the smell was AWFUL! Then I saw it. A girl about 10 feet in front of my dad and me had already lost control of her bowel movements. It was all over the inside of her legs and I felt so sorry for her. She didn't look embarrassed and just ran like she didn't even notice it. Thank God, it has never happened to me, but people, IT HAPPENS! Make sure you figure out your routine ahead of time so you do not have to go through this yourselves!
It was only mile five or six and it already hit me! I had to go to the bathroom. (I drank an entire large water bottle of water/cytomax) and it kicked in quickly! I wasn't sure if my dad was going to wait for me or not since we had such a good start. As soon as I saw the first group of port-a-potties, I said "I got to go!" and my dad said "see ya!" and went off with the rest of the 3:50:00 runners. Going to the restroom during a race is one of the most frustrating things. You don't want to alter your time in any way, sometimes there is a line, it stinks in there, your legs are a little tired and you don't want to use your muscles any more than you have to, and you gotta be quick! A whole bottle of water, certainly didn't make it quick, but I got in and out as quick as I could and I was off again.
I am not kidding friends, the entire race I was just off mentally. I was determined to meet my goal, but just couldn't get my brain in the mental state of mind that a runner needs to feel good and have the best race of their life. I was so excited to be there and experience what I was experiencing, just couldn't get to that right happy place I needed to be in. As I was running I started wondering where everyone was. Was Andrew ahead of me or behind me? I wonder how far my dad is ahead of me? This was quickly stressing me out... I HATE BEING LEFT BEHIND! So, I stupidly picked up the pace and decided I wouldn't slow down until I found either Andrew or my dad. My right knee was bugging me a little (not sure why, but lately is has been feeling like there is a lot of pressure when I run) but I just ignored it and pressed on.
The crowd was AMAZING!!! There was not a spot during the race that there was not people cheering us on. To most people, this would be so cool! But, like I said, I wasn't in the right state of mind, and it was SO ANNOYING! I couldn't get into my groove and I just wanted them all to SHUT UP! It was so loud and hard to think. Don't get me wrong, I love supporters, I love people, and it was so neat that all of those people came out to cheer us on. I just couldn't think AT ALL with all the bells and screaming the entire 26.2 miles, so I turned on my music on my new nano and tried to tune them out like white noise. It worked for the most part, but was really hard.
OH LOOK, mile 9 and there's ANDREW! I must catch up with him! "YOU SURE ARE HARD TO CATCH UP WITH!" I said. "What do you mean?" He said. "I finally found you!". We crossed the 15K together, and I kept picking up the pace. Andrew decided to let me go on ahead, and I wanted to catch up with my dad. I knew he was running with the 3:50:00 pace group, and I wanted to finish at that time, too.
I was off, and the sun was getting higher in the sky, and the air was getting MUCH WARMER. Luckily, the first half of the race was mostly shade, so the sun didn't play too big of a part on my race experience. But, it sure was getting warmer.
Mile eleven and I could see my dad running around the guy with the big sign that said 3:50! I FOUND HIM! I finally caught up with him, and quickly regretted pushing myself so hard to do so. We passed the half marathon line and I was ready to say, "I AM DONE!" Unfortunately, this race was a marathon only so there was no option to back out (unless you quit). In the past with races, we have always given ourselves the option to quit at the half if we are not feeling like doing the full, and 90% of the time, we did just that! It was GREAT! But, in Chicago, we didn't have this option because there was no half! We crossed the half marathon line at the perfect pace to finish the entire marathon at a 3:50:00 time. I knew I could do it, but was starting to feel more and more like crap. The sun was at its best, the second half was practically shadeless and I could feel my back and face getting burned. The temperature was already in the 80's!
About every mile and a half on each side, they have a long row of people handing you Gatorade 2 (Performance Drink) then behind the Gatorade row, they have tons of people handing out water. I grabbed a Gatorade and water (sometimes 2) at every station. The problem was, my body started rejecting the Gatorade (either too acidic or not enough room in my tummy for all of the water and Gatorade I was consuming) so a lot of the times, it came back up. I didn't necessarily throw up, it just felt like horrible reflux with burps that tasted like throw up and lots of air behind it. I pressed on. I kept drinking the gatorade because I knew I needed to stay hydrated and needed that energy since at mile three I had accidentally dropped my Gu Chomps I had in my hand for energy at the half way point. (OOPS... oh whatever they were annoying me anyway). TRICK TO DRINKING OUT OF THE CUPS DURING THE RUNS: Once you grab the cup (and you might accidentally splash it on the people handing it to you since you don't want to stop... its okay, they are used to it. Just say sorry and keep going) squeeze almost all of the top of it together and only leave enough room for just a little hole for the Gatorade to come out and not splash you in the face. This way you can drink it while still running.
My dad and I stuck together until about mile 16 where he had a horrible leg cramp and needed to slow down. At this point, my hams were KILLING ME, my knee was throbbing, and my ankles felt like they were broken. (I have run this distance many times before, but at a MUCH slower pace and like I said, I wasn't there mentally). I knew I only had 10 miles left and I couldn't slow down. I have run ten miles EASILY at least once a week in the past, so why couldn't I do it then, right?
Mile 17, I am still on pace, maybe about a minute behind, but a 3:51 finish I would take any day. I was getting more mentally there. (Its about time right?) I saw a guy from the sidelines join two other runners and run for four miles with them. They were running at my pace and it was so neat to see the camaraderie between the three of them. The guy was rooting them on, grabbing their water for them and handing it to them. He made sure they were okay and checked constantly if they needed anything else. So neat! He stopped at mile 21 and let the guys finish on their own.
About mile 18 Disaster Witness #2: A racer in the middle of the road just start seizing and looked like he was out of his body and about to fall backwards. He fell on me and I didn't know what to do. There was nothing I could do. Other people came running to him, so I kept going. I would have been no help, and he had other help there.
Mile 19, Disaster Witness #3: A spectator was on a bike on the sidelines ( I have NO IDEA what happened) but as I looked over at him, I watched him and his bike do an entire summer-salt, role on his head and then over. He screamed "OWWW!" and again, people came running to him. So I would have been no help, and kept running.
Mile 20... HOLY CRAP! I still had 6 more miles and I was ready for this race to be over. But hey, I run 7 miles almost every day.. I could SOO do this! Less than an hour to go and I had this race!
Mile 21: I lost the mentality and I was exhausted. Legs hurt, lower back was KILLING, and people were dropping like flies. (Seriously.) I was weaving between people that would just stop in front of you, practically dodging them so that I wouldn't run smack into their backs. I was about half a mile into mile 21 and I needed a minute to myself! The crowd was so loud, and I needed to stop. I went over to the side lines, bent over to my toes and my back went ::CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK:: all along my spine. I felt a little better and pressed on.
Mile 22: Okay... I felt horrible, everything in me wanted to quit, but I knew I couldn't. I started walking at the next water stop. When I started to pick up running again, my legs would barely move. I told myself to suck it up, and that I told my friends I wanted to make it at a certain time.. I absolutely could not let them down.
Mile 23: I decided I would walk at the water stops... which quickly turned into water stops and a few times in between. My body was giving up quickly!
Mile 24: SOMETHING CAME OVER ME! Even though I was exhausted, I wanted to give up and hurt so bad, I knew that I could run 2 miles! I told myself to suck it up, I turned to God and asked for strength, and thanked Him for this amazing opportunity, and the ability to have two legs that could run so that I could fulfill my dream. (We take so much for granted... last time I was in Chicago about a year ago, I had 8 stitches in my knee and I could barely get around Chicago. I felt like it was God's way of giving me a second chance to be thankful for what I have been given, and given the ability to see Chi-Town by foot.)
Mile 25: HOLY COW... 1.2 to go. I FEEL HORRIBLE. I wish I was already done. OKAY LINDSAY... you have 1.2 to go... you absolutely, no matter how you feel, CANNOT STOP! Even if you are barely gimping... you have to finish!
There were people just speeding past me and I wanted to punch them in the face. WHERE IS ALL OF THEIR ENERGY COMING FROM? How did they do that? Who are they? What did they eat? I wanted some of what they were having, that was FOR SURE!
If they could do it... I could do it! PASSED the 500M mark. I remember thinking, Please God... Please God... hold my hand and help me finish without having a heart attack. My chest was hurting so bad...400M... that's a lap around the track. 300M, YES! 200M, I turned the corner and could see the finish line I've got this, I've got this. Another girl speeds past me. What the heck! I thought. So I picked up the pace even more and followed right behind her. Thank you God... Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I remember just saying that over and over and over in my head. I felt so relieved to see that finish line and knowing that I couldn't have done it without Him.
I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face so happy I did it, so relieved I was finished, and so thankful for having the ability to finish such an amazing race. I finished in 4 hours 1 min and 27 seconds. My ultimate goal was 3:50 but my more realistic goal was 4:00:00 and my last marathon was 4 hours and 13 minutes. This means I PR'd by 12 minutes! At that VERY moment, I decided it would be my last marathon. At least for a while. I have decided that I enjoy half marathons so much more. I can improve my distance, and recover so much quicker. They are so much more enjoyable than a marathon! Granted, a marathon is so much more rewarding, but I am a much happier person with halves!
After the race, I am always filled with so much emotion. It took everything in me not to cry. I didn't want to look stupid, but something comes over my entire body and I just want to cry for joy, cry because I am done, cry because I am thankful that I could do it, cry because every part of my body hurts! But I didn't (Thank you God again for not letting me make a fool out of myself).
There is a long line you have to walk down to get your finishers medal (the whole reason I run these), aluminum jacket to stay warm, water, Gatorade, beer, food, pictures, cold rag to put around your neck, ice packs... etc. etc. You seriously don't have enough hands to hold it all. I just wanted to sit down. I found a nice spot on the side of a curb and enjoyed that nice ice-cold beer.
My dad finished the race at 4:08 and Andrew finished about 4:25! I am so proud of them, and couldn't imagine running that race with anyone else. I feel so lucky to have the ability to run these races with my dad and husband. I am so proud of them for their hard work to finish these races with me, too!
Us in front of the spectators waiting on the friends and family to come through the gates.
Us in front of the bean! :)
Two days later, I can barely walk. I am super sore and trying to just rest up. My knee surprisingly isn't bugging me at all, as during the race I thought I tore something. My ankles hurt a little, but they will recover and I will hopefully be running again by this weekend!
If you ask me if I would ever run a marathon again, I would say, probably. I just don't have plans running another any time in the next few years. I have run two so I can now officially say I am a marathoner (if I left it at one, I would only be able to say, "I have run a marathon before"). For now, it will be just halves, and I am perfectly happy with that.
There was one fatality and one birth during/after the Chicago marathon:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-10/news/ct-met-marathon-death-20111011_1_coordinates-fire-prevention-efforts-autopsy-fireman
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/10/pregnant-woman-runs-marathon-then-gives-birth
CHICAGO, CHICAGO--that toddlin' town!
WE DID IT! Bank of America Chicago Marathon is finally checked off my bucket list. So much to tell you and not quite sure where to begin...
We flew up to Chi-Town Friday morning to see all of the fun excitement at the Expo, and get settled so that we wouldn't feel rushed before the race. First things first, we took a cab from O'Hare to the Westin River North and checked into our hotel.
I wish I took some pictures because it was a gorgeous hotel, and we were definitely spoiled. After getting settled, we ate lunch at a delicious restaurant along the river right by our hotel called Bridge House Tavern on the river.
IT WAS DELICIOUS! Andrew, my dad, and I shared bruchetta and pork wings, each had a salad, and split 2 burgers and a side of mac'n'cheese. THANK GOODNESS for that, too, because each burger was a double cheeseburger! IT WAS HUGE! We definitely left rolling ourselves out of the restaurant.
Andrew had to get some work done, so my dad and I decided to go to the expo to pick up our packets while Andrew worked. The concierge told us the expo was only 3 miles away... BOY WAS SHE WRONG! An hour and a half later, with black feet (LITERALLY) since I was wearing sandles and tired legs, we arrived at the expo. (Very dumb if you are going to run a marathon in a day and a half!) The expo was AWESOME! I got a few goodies, ate a bunch more goodies, picked up our packets, and took a Taxi back to our hotel.
Dinner was enjoyed at Coco Pazzo Italian Restaurant. We were all still so full from lunch, but still managed to eat enough for two each. Here is a picture of our anti-pasta dish.
The lighting wasn't very good to show you exactly what was on there, but it sure was DELICIOUS!
When we finally got back to our hotel, we all crashed! I woke up Saturday morning with very sore calves from walking the 4.5-5 miles in sandles to the expo. I quickly regretted it. We ate breakfast at the hotel, got dressed up for the day and watched the first half of the UT vs OU game. SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT. We decided to take it to one of my favorite restaurant/bars in Chicago, Sweetwater Tavern and Grill. If you haven't been there, I would highly recommend it. They have a huge selection of beers on tap and pretty good food! It was a great place to watch the last half of the game. We drowned our sorrows in beer! Not really.. I just wish we did. We had a race the next day so we had to be careful! It was tough, but I didn't even finish a whole beer! WOOHOO! Moderation = Success!
After the game, since Andrew didn't get to see the expo Friday, we (intelligently) grabbed a cab and went back. This time, I enjoyed looking at the fitness athletic clothes side of the expo and even purchased a few new items I decided to wear for the race. (Writer's Note: Don't do what I did! They say you should know exactly what you are wearing for the race ahead of time so that you don't have any wardrobe surprises for the marathon! I had an outfit, but fell in love with some shorts, a sports bra, and new running shirt that I really wanted to wear for the race. Luckily, I only got chaffed in one spot, it could have been A LOT worse!) After finding our names on a GINORMOUS wall filled with all the racers, we decided to head out and rest up before dinner.
We met up later that evening at Volare Italian Restaurant with my dad's running group, Champions Fit, that flew up to Chicago for the race (20 of us total!). Of course, the food was delicious there, too! My dad and I each had a salad and split pesto fetuccini, and Andrew had their homemade lasagna!
Feeling like we were about to pop (yet, again), we decided to walk back to the hotel. We said our goodnight's and went back to our room! There was much to do to prepare for the race! I was so nervous and excited, and filled with mixed emotions about this race. I knew I needed to sleep, so at 10:30, I plopped my head down on my pillow and closed my eyes...
(to be continued...)
We flew up to Chi-Town Friday morning to see all of the fun excitement at the Expo, and get settled so that we wouldn't feel rushed before the race. First things first, we took a cab from O'Hare to the Westin River North and checked into our hotel.
I wish I took some pictures because it was a gorgeous hotel, and we were definitely spoiled. After getting settled, we ate lunch at a delicious restaurant along the river right by our hotel called Bridge House Tavern on the river.
Andrew had to get some work done, so my dad and I decided to go to the expo to pick up our packets while Andrew worked. The concierge told us the expo was only 3 miles away... BOY WAS SHE WRONG! An hour and a half later, with black feet (LITERALLY) since I was wearing sandles and tired legs, we arrived at the expo. (Very dumb if you are going to run a marathon in a day and a half!) The expo was AWESOME! I got a few goodies, ate a bunch more goodies, picked up our packets, and took a Taxi back to our hotel.
Dinner was enjoyed at Coco Pazzo Italian Restaurant. We were all still so full from lunch, but still managed to eat enough for two each. Here is a picture of our anti-pasta dish.
When we finally got back to our hotel, we all crashed! I woke up Saturday morning with very sore calves from walking the 4.5-5 miles in sandles to the expo. I quickly regretted it. We ate breakfast at the hotel, got dressed up for the day and watched the first half of the UT vs OU game. SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT. We decided to take it to one of my favorite restaurant/bars in Chicago, Sweetwater Tavern and Grill. If you haven't been there, I would highly recommend it. They have a huge selection of beers on tap and pretty good food! It was a great place to watch the last half of the game. We drowned our sorrows in beer! Not really.. I just wish we did. We had a race the next day so we had to be careful! It was tough, but I didn't even finish a whole beer! WOOHOO! Moderation = Success!
After the game, since Andrew didn't get to see the expo Friday, we (intelligently) grabbed a cab and went back. This time, I enjoyed looking at the fitness athletic clothes side of the expo and even purchased a few new items I decided to wear for the race. (Writer's Note: Don't do what I did! They say you should know exactly what you are wearing for the race ahead of time so that you don't have any wardrobe surprises for the marathon! I had an outfit, but fell in love with some shorts, a sports bra, and new running shirt that I really wanted to wear for the race. Luckily, I only got chaffed in one spot, it could have been A LOT worse!) After finding our names on a GINORMOUS wall filled with all the racers, we decided to head out and rest up before dinner.
We met up later that evening at Volare Italian Restaurant with my dad's running group, Champions Fit, that flew up to Chicago for the race (20 of us total!). Of course, the food was delicious there, too! My dad and I each had a salad and split pesto fetuccini, and Andrew had their homemade lasagna!
Feeling like we were about to pop (yet, again), we decided to walk back to the hotel. We said our goodnight's and went back to our room! There was much to do to prepare for the race! I was so nervous and excited, and filled with mixed emotions about this race. I knew I needed to sleep, so at 10:30, I plopped my head down on my pillow and closed my eyes...
(to be continued...)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Run Lindsay RUN!
So, as I see I have been a huge slacker on my posts... I figure I am due for a new one! YIPPEE! (not to the slacker part of course, but to the new post!)
Last weekend, October 1, 2011, I set a personal record for my 10th half marathon!!! I am still in shock! I mean, not only was this my 10th half marathon, but I PR'd again! Looking back from my first half I ran (4 years ago), I have improved by over 30 minutes. Crazy... huh? I am hoping the this trend continues, as I PR'd on my last half before this. But since I PR'd by 3 minutes... I am highly doubting it to be possible.
Some things I have realized that have helped me PR:
1. Cooler weather (duh!)
2. HILLS (I know weird, but true!)
a. Not sure what gets in me about these hills, but I just want to get them over with so I speed up like crazy on them.
So anyway, I ran this half in 1 hour 46 minutes and 08 seconds! My last PR before this one was 1:49: something... I don't remember the seconds. In fact, I think it was 1:48:49 or something like that... I dunno. Anyway, still in shock and still on cloud nine.
My thought this very second:
1. Wow, I PR'd and got 4th place in my age group (20-29) I feel awesome
2. WOW, I am so dumb to push myself so hard a week before the Chicago Marathon and am still in recovery mode half a week before the race...
3. WOW the Chicago Marathon is only 3 days away.... when I signed up for it, it seemed okay because it was 9 months away, and I didn't have to do any running yet!!! WHERE DID THE TIME GO? and WHAT WAS I THINKING?
4. I AM SO EXCITED!
5. I AM SO NERVOUS...
6. I am so... excited?
7. I will be in Chicago in less than 2 days~ Maybe this time I can do it right and not trip and bust my knee completely open a day before I leave so that I can actually see the things I never got to see last year with 8 stitches and a gimp strut.
8. PLEASE PLEASE pray for me so that I do not fall tomorrow... I don't want another jack-o-lantern knee.
YES, this many thoughts really do go through my head all at once...
and no, unfortunately, I do not have control of them...
With that said... in T-minus 2 days, I will be Chi-Town bound!! I will keep you updated on the results of the marathon. The goal: to run it in less than 4:00:00... my only other marathon I ran (January Chevron Marathon 2011) was 4:13:00. I am in much better shape physically, but not sure mentally, since it is not my first, and I wont be on that "first marathon high". I am not sure if I will be completely in that mental spot I should be in. Here goes nothing...
Last weekend, October 1, 2011, I set a personal record for my 10th half marathon!!! I am still in shock! I mean, not only was this my 10th half marathon, but I PR'd again! Looking back from my first half I ran (4 years ago), I have improved by over 30 minutes. Crazy... huh? I am hoping the this trend continues, as I PR'd on my last half before this. But since I PR'd by 3 minutes... I am highly doubting it to be possible.
Some things I have realized that have helped me PR:
1. Cooler weather (duh!)
2. HILLS (I know weird, but true!)
a. Not sure what gets in me about these hills, but I just want to get them over with so I speed up like crazy on them.
So anyway, I ran this half in 1 hour 46 minutes and 08 seconds! My last PR before this one was 1:49: something... I don't remember the seconds. In fact, I think it was 1:48:49 or something like that... I dunno. Anyway, still in shock and still on cloud nine.
My thought this very second:
1. Wow, I PR'd and got 4th place in my age group (20-29) I feel awesome
2. WOW, I am so dumb to push myself so hard a week before the Chicago Marathon and am still in recovery mode half a week before the race...
3. WOW the Chicago Marathon is only 3 days away.... when I signed up for it, it seemed okay because it was 9 months away, and I didn't have to do any running yet!!! WHERE DID THE TIME GO? and WHAT WAS I THINKING?
4. I AM SO EXCITED!
5. I AM SO NERVOUS...
6. I am so... excited?
7. I will be in Chicago in less than 2 days~ Maybe this time I can do it right and not trip and bust my knee completely open a day before I leave so that I can actually see the things I never got to see last year with 8 stitches and a gimp strut.
8. PLEASE PLEASE pray for me so that I do not fall tomorrow... I don't want another jack-o-lantern knee.
YES, this many thoughts really do go through my head all at once...
and no, unfortunately, I do not have control of them...
With that said... in T-minus 2 days, I will be Chi-Town bound!! I will keep you updated on the results of the marathon. The goal: to run it in less than 4:00:00... my only other marathon I ran (January Chevron Marathon 2011) was 4:13:00. I am in much better shape physically, but not sure mentally, since it is not my first, and I wont be on that "first marathon high". I am not sure if I will be completely in that mental spot I should be in. Here goes nothing...
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
RUNNING A-Z: WHAT TO WEAR
Okay, so I shouldn't have called it "Running A-Z" because I am not going to break down Running with the alphabet and say A is for Adrenaline, B is for Body Pumping, C is for ... okay I said I wasn't going to do this! But there, at least it makes the title make a little more sense. What I am actually writing this blog about is running credentials/accessories. I am going to try to break down some running things that I like, and share them with you in case you are interested in becoming a runner, or are already a runner and looking for some ideas to change things up, or just are interested.
Writers note: This particular blog is going to be more geared for the ladies out there. Sorry men, even though I like to wear your running clothes more than women running clothes, I am not a guy to be able to give the appropriate advice. Stay tuned for my next blog later today or this week on running gear/music.
Let's start with running clothes:
Just recently, after looking through other girl runner's Facebook pictures, I have realized that I have no cute running clothes. I dress just like my dad and Andrew do, and never realized how much I look like a man when I run! I buy large men's singlets, pull my hair up in a bun, throw on my men's running shoes, and head out with the boys. So, on my "to-do list when I have enough money", I plan to purchase better looking running clothes that look a little classier for girls. But, let me stand up for myself for a minute and explain to you why I do like the men's running gear more than the girl's running gear. When I run, I want to be comfortable. I want something loose on me so 1. I don't feel suffocated, 2. I don't have to worry about anyone noticing anything jiggling on me, and 3. I want to wear something that can breathe well and let air in as needed.
So I have turned to men's singlets(see picture below):
(I put my favorite singlet I wear up for my own entertainment. "Mambu Baddu" is Zulu for: "The best is yet to come!" I need to buy more of these asap because mine is getting a little worn!)
I love wearing these particular singlets (men's and large) because the arm holes are really big, so I feel like my arms can breathe and not feel suffocated or rub under my arms as they do in women's singlets. They are also much longer than women's singlets, and I have a longer body. I like my mid-drift to be covered, so the men's singlets take care of that preference. They are looser than the women's singlets so you don't have to worry about anything "extra" that you don't want people to see moving around. Lastly, and I still run into this problem sometimes, it has a larger neck scoop (the women's are a lot closer to the neck) so it doesn't rub and give me a scab on my chest as bad, and I don't feel like I am suffocating. So I give these a 10 in my book (10 being the highest) for running.
As for shorts, I LOVE LOVE LOVE those shorts you see on every sorority girl and on a lot of runners. You know what I am talking about. NIKE running shorts. I own them in about 12 colors, and just realized that I have been buying them a size to big (12 pair later). But it goes with my "I like my clothes to be loose and comfortable" when I run. I don't want to be worrying about what others are thinking about my body, and I definitely don't want to be uncomfortable during my run. So, I am going to stick to the Nike Running Shorts that make me look like my butt is a size larger than it is. Here is a picture of the shorts I like below:
Like I said 12 colors people! I run in no other shorts than these. They are light, they are colorful, they have built-in underwear and they are loose around the legs. MY KIND OF RUNNING SHORTS! I will run in these until the day I stop running... and if that day ever approaches, I will be sad. So, maybe un-friend me if I ever stop because I wont be as fun of a person to be around.
(assuming I am a fun person to be around now...)
(Which I hope I am a fun person to be around now. Oh whatever...moving on!)
When it gets colder, I will wear some running capris (NIKE), but I never wear pants. My legs get WAY too hot too quick. You will be surprised how quickly your legs warm up once you get started. Sometimes I will wear some loose running sweats over my shorts that will quickly come off, and I will just tie in a knot around my waste.
If I could give ANY advice to new runners for the colder temperatures, it would be to LAYER! LAYER LAYER LAYER! Did I mention LAYER? LAYER PEOPLE! Start with a usual outfit you would wear during a hot summer run, then throw on a running jacket (with zipper pockets), and if you need it, some pants, and some running gloves that you can shove into your zipper pockets of your jacket when it gets too hot!
As for the socks: I have found a brand that I really like called something like FOOTSIES or TOOTSIES. AGH this will drive me crazy. I will find out and let you know if you are interested, contact me. They are light and cushion the perfect amount in the appropriate spots. I used to run in running socks that had extra cushion on the heels and front of the feet, but they get WAY too hot too quick.
SHOES!
Listen up, cute/fun does NOT mean it is the right shoe for you! That was a hard lesson I have had to learn early and deal with! #1 I have a very large foot, so even if it is cute/fun, they probably don't have my size. #2 We all land different on our feet when we run. You might pronate or supinate, and it is important to get the appropriate shoe for your foot shape and the way you land on your feet.
Here's a short lesson on pronate/supinate to find out which one you do:
http://www.northcoastfootcare.com/pages/Biomechanics.html
Supination and Pronation
It is common to use supination and inversion interchangeably and pronation and eversion interchangeably. But, supination is actually a combination of inversion, plantarflexion and adduction. Pronation is a combination of eversion, dorsiflexion and abduction.
Pronation is a triplanar motion of the subtalar joint involving the foot moving up and away from the center of the body.
Writers note: This particular blog is going to be more geared for the ladies out there. Sorry men, even though I like to wear your running clothes more than women running clothes, I am not a guy to be able to give the appropriate advice. Stay tuned for my next blog later today or this week on running gear/music.
Let's start with running clothes:
Just recently, after looking through other girl runner's Facebook pictures, I have realized that I have no cute running clothes. I dress just like my dad and Andrew do, and never realized how much I look like a man when I run! I buy large men's singlets, pull my hair up in a bun, throw on my men's running shoes, and head out with the boys. So, on my "to-do list when I have enough money", I plan to purchase better looking running clothes that look a little classier for girls. But, let me stand up for myself for a minute and explain to you why I do like the men's running gear more than the girl's running gear. When I run, I want to be comfortable. I want something loose on me so 1. I don't feel suffocated, 2. I don't have to worry about anyone noticing anything jiggling on me, and 3. I want to wear something that can breathe well and let air in as needed.
So I have turned to men's singlets(see picture below):
(I put my favorite singlet I wear up for my own entertainment. "Mambu Baddu" is Zulu for: "The best is yet to come!" I need to buy more of these asap because mine is getting a little worn!)
I love wearing these particular singlets (men's and large) because the arm holes are really big, so I feel like my arms can breathe and not feel suffocated or rub under my arms as they do in women's singlets. They are also much longer than women's singlets, and I have a longer body. I like my mid-drift to be covered, so the men's singlets take care of that preference. They are looser than the women's singlets so you don't have to worry about anything "extra" that you don't want people to see moving around. Lastly, and I still run into this problem sometimes, it has a larger neck scoop (the women's are a lot closer to the neck) so it doesn't rub and give me a scab on my chest as bad, and I don't feel like I am suffocating. So I give these a 10 in my book (10 being the highest) for running.
As for shorts, I LOVE LOVE LOVE those shorts you see on every sorority girl and on a lot of runners. You know what I am talking about. NIKE running shorts. I own them in about 12 colors, and just realized that I have been buying them a size to big (12 pair later). But it goes with my "I like my clothes to be loose and comfortable" when I run. I don't want to be worrying about what others are thinking about my body, and I definitely don't want to be uncomfortable during my run. So, I am going to stick to the Nike Running Shorts that make me look like my butt is a size larger than it is. Here is a picture of the shorts I like below:
Like I said 12 colors people! I run in no other shorts than these. They are light, they are colorful, they have built-in underwear and they are loose around the legs. MY KIND OF RUNNING SHORTS! I will run in these until the day I stop running... and if that day ever approaches, I will be sad. So, maybe un-friend me if I ever stop because I wont be as fun of a person to be around.
(assuming I am a fun person to be around now...)
(Which I hope I am a fun person to be around now. Oh whatever...moving on!)
When it gets colder, I will wear some running capris (NIKE), but I never wear pants. My legs get WAY too hot too quick. You will be surprised how quickly your legs warm up once you get started. Sometimes I will wear some loose running sweats over my shorts that will quickly come off, and I will just tie in a knot around my waste.
If I could give ANY advice to new runners for the colder temperatures, it would be to LAYER! LAYER LAYER LAYER! Did I mention LAYER? LAYER PEOPLE! Start with a usual outfit you would wear during a hot summer run, then throw on a running jacket (with zipper pockets), and if you need it, some pants, and some running gloves that you can shove into your zipper pockets of your jacket when it gets too hot!
As for the socks: I have found a brand that I really like called something like FOOTSIES or TOOTSIES. AGH this will drive me crazy. I will find out and let you know if you are interested, contact me. They are light and cushion the perfect amount in the appropriate spots. I used to run in running socks that had extra cushion on the heels and front of the feet, but they get WAY too hot too quick.
SHOES!
Listen up, cute/fun does NOT mean it is the right shoe for you! That was a hard lesson I have had to learn early and deal with! #1 I have a very large foot, so even if it is cute/fun, they probably don't have my size. #2 We all land different on our feet when we run. You might pronate or supinate, and it is important to get the appropriate shoe for your foot shape and the way you land on your feet.
Here's a short lesson on pronate/supinate to find out which one you do:
http://www.northcoastfootcare.com/pages/Biomechanics.html
Supination and Pronation
It is common to use supination and inversion interchangeably and pronation and eversion interchangeably. But, supination is actually a combination of inversion, plantarflexion and adduction. Pronation is a combination of eversion, dorsiflexion and abduction.
Supination is a triplanar motion involving the foot moving down and towards the center of the body. Writer's Note: I always remember SUPINATION because it looks like you are making a bowl of SOUP (OR SUP) with your feet.  |
So with that said, it is very important that you get appropriate shoes for your feet. I would recommend going to a running store and having them watch you run barefoot. They can see the way you land on your feet and recommend the appropriate shoes for you. I am a pronator, and have been running in the same shoes for the past five years. They work for my feet so I see no need to change it up! I run in Brooks Adrenaline GTS shoes and love them (minus the masculine look, but I will take the right shoe for my foot over looks any day!).
So this blog is WAY longer than I expected. As you can tell, I have a passion for this kind of stuff, and love talking about it. So just a few more things and I will let you go, promise.
For actual races:
If it is cold outside I would recommend saving all of those old sweatshirts from high-school/college and wearing them the day of the race. Usually, you can throw them off on the side of the road when it gets too hot and all of the clothes get donated. (Pretty neat huh?) As for gloves, a lot of running stores now sell throw-away gloves for pretty cheap. So you can just throw them on the side of the road (or sometimes they have bins at located spots to throw them in) when you are done and they will be donated. If you don't have any gloves and didn't realize it was going to be cold the next day, something I have done in the past (and actually prefer this over gloves) is get an old pair of long tube socks and cut out holes for your fingers. The tube socks will cover your arms so you don't need a jacket and when it gets hotter you can just scrunch the tube socks down to your wrists and use the socks for a sweat wiper. Then when you are tired of them, just throw them away.
AND LAST! (I know finally right?)
For those of you ladies that want to look cute while you run (hey I am working on it okay?), here is a store that has REALLY CUTE, and pricey, running/work out clothes.
Love this store:
This should be a good spot to close. If you have ANY QUESTIONS, feel free to ask. I am not a clothing professional, but I definitely have had a lot of experience in the clothing department with running.
Up next, Running Groups/Accessories/and MUSIC!
Until next time, remember, "MAMBU BADDU".
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Armadillos, Bunnies and Owls... OH MY!
YEP… it’s true~ I had a breathe-taking run this morning (no pun intended), and Andrew joined me too!
Linzipedia.com
Andrew: a rare breed to come by these days during my morning runs. They tend to stay nuzzled up all warm in their cocoons until the sun rises.
Andrew: a rare breed to come by these days during my morning runs. They tend to stay nuzzled up all warm in their cocoons until the sun rises.
Luckly, the sun was up and so was Andrew! We had a wonderful run this morning (not easy though by any means… ) I wish I had brought my camera with me because we saw some of God’s beautiful (and not so beautiful) creatures during our run. First, spotting was an owl that swooped over our heads and off into the sky to no man’s land. Next, spotting was an ARMIDILLO! (Every time I see one I think of the song by David Allen Coe, “My mind keeps rollin’ and my heart keeps yearnin’ to be home in Texas bar. I want to go home with the armadillo…”) Anyway, up next on our run was a bunny!! This was no ordinary bunny… it was the EASTER BUNNY… at least I think. It was brown and white mixed fur and looked really cuddly if only I could have caught it! Other sightings were your usual squirrel named Earl, some flies, ants, and oh of course, ANDREW!
…Such a rare and beautiful occasion!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Overcoming Hills and Learning "Drive"
Okay... I didn't mean... literally learning to drive, like in a car, but learning to find my DRIVE... what keeps me going, where my inspiration is, and how I got here...
Let's start today off with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along' . . . You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
--I can relate this quote to MANY aspects of my life. i.e. At work... I have been calling random (at least to me) vendors that I do not know, and getting important information from them... I HATED CALLING PEOPLE I DID NOT KNOW!!! In fact, when I was a child, I would get another person in my family to order pizza, call for a phone number, etc! This was one of my biggest childhood fears I never really dealt with, but always felt awkward and just avoided at all costs!!! When the opportunity for this "job"/"challenge" came to my attention, I decided to take it... take it on with the idea, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. The first phone call I ever made on my job (this is not a part of my job description, but I took it on to help another co-worker), I walked into an empty office... wrote down every word I was going to say, practiced it at LEAST 5 times, and then finally called the company. I was not doing cold calling, but just getting important information for our company to have on file, and I was TERRIFIED! THANK GOODNESS that every person I talked to in the first five phone calls was incredibly nice and easy to work with...
I continued this: empty office, practice 5 times, call unconfidently at least 10 times. By the eleventh time, I decided I could go to my own desk and make these phone calls, still feeling a slight unease. BUT lo and behold... today I can call just about ANYONE and not have to practice 10 times. I feel more confident about it, which I hope shows in my tone of voice!! I guess where I am getting with this "side story" is that the more you practice, the easier it is. Sometimes you have to face your fears and know you can get past this, you can overcome this... you are strong!
So, let's talk about these hills I am referring to. I am not referring to the metaphoric hills that probably most of you are thinking I am referring to... I am talking about LITERAL HILLS that you have to run up and overcome! I used to absolutely despise hills and avoid them at all costs. (In Houston, especially the outskirts where I am from, it is VERY VERY easy to avoid them!) They are hard, they make you exhausted, they are DEFINITELY not fun, and you actually have to work harder to run up them... NO THANKS!
When I was at LSU, a friend of mine that I met at freshman orientation was a big runner ever since she was young. She gave me a bit of advice that her father once gave her: With hills, let your legs do the work and keep your upper body relaxed! Ya right, I thought... I tried over and over and over and over with the little, tiny, miniature hills that Baton Rouge had when I used to run around the lakes there, and they just about hilled me! (I mean, killed me...)
Ugh, hills, sucked! There was no ifs, ands or buts about it! Then I ran across another girl that I had the luxury of getting to know very well from UT and she told me she loved hills!!! I told her I thought she was crazy, but she didn't care. She told me she loved the drive, strength and feeling of overcoming each hill! That is what kept her going. If you asked me at that time in my life (and I had already run a few ... maybe 3 half marathons) what I thought about hills, I would tell you that they absolutely sucked and they will never get easier.
...well, I lied. So what changed? I have no idea. Maybe my determination, maybe that I have become more competitive with every race, the idea of letting myself down (slowing down and letting all of these people pass me) ... no, the fact is, I wont let myself down... so I push myself harder! Hills push me harder!
Let's rewind: Ft. Worth Cowtown Half Marathon
A harder half than any other half I have ever run. But, I always seem to get my best time with that race. Why you ask? One word, hills. ...Not just one, many, many, MANY long, hard, challenging HILLS! Whenever I reach hills, I tend to speed up. I don't know why, but I take each and every one on as a challenge. Instead of stopping at the top of them, I just tell myself "I can recover once I am at the top, but I cannot stop until I am there". Once I am there I say,"No you cannot stop or you will let yourself down with a slower time! You did not just do all of that work for nothing! Just slow down and catch your breath!"
So REALLY, WHAT CHANGED??? I'll tell you what changed:
#1 Improvement: Once I started seeing better results, I wanted to keep striving to be better than the last results.
#2 Competitiveness: No, I am not competitive at all... haha Yeah right! No, but I will have to rewind you even FURTHER to the day before I was supposed to run my first marathon:
Location: Collina's
Meal: Lunner before my first half
Company: Dad, Brother, Husband, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law...aka JB, and Grandmother-in-law, DL)
JB: MG (my dad will be known as), I have to tell you this funny story that I heard at work.
Note: I am not putting this in quotes, because I am sure I am not saying it EXACTLY how JB said it, and it might be a tad subjective. BUT, this really did happen!!!
JB: I work with a few ladies in my running group, and they were talking about you the other day... (Referring to my dad)
Here's what they said!!!!
Ladies in JB's Running Group Talking: Oh yes, that MG is a beast! Did you know he can out-run his 24 year old daughter!?!?
WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTT????????????????????
No, absolutely not, I will not put up with this. (Although, at the time is was absolutely true) I was not going to let older women talk about me not being able to out-run my father!! He was in way better shape than me, and I was challenged. Not that I was in bad shape, but my +50 year old father could out-run me!! Props to my father!! He is such an amazing person, inside and out, and I hope to be in that great of shape when I am that age! But me... HALF HIS AGE was out-runned by my father!
(Okay, okay, yes... I am competitive) JB was completely taken by surprise that I was not proud of my father but incredibly offended!!! haha...
I took this on as a challenge, I could not let this be the story that was gossiped around by people in my father's age group!!! I had to match him or pass him!! NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS!
From then on, I have not let my father beat me... (Although, I think he secretly lets me beat him...)
...So yes, my competitiveness drives me.
So here is my "HOW TO" overcome hills while running and finding your drive so to speak:
#1. Relax the Upper Body
-this is key when pushing yourself past your limits. If you learn to breath normally, as if you were holding a conversation or just going about your normal day, you will avoid the hyperventilation/hard breathing/shortness of breathe/horrible feeling when you are conquering your hill
#2 Let the Legs do all the Work
-Literally, relax the upper body and use your legs. Your breathing will be normal and your legs will be burning... but hey, there is nothing like that lactic acid burn! ;) No but really, although you have less energy to do this, push through it and you will get stronger and just know your body will recover quickly afterwards
#3 Get some jammin' music on your MP3 player
-Thank you JHVD for providing me with some amazing music on my iPod!!! She is an amazing personal trainer/group ex teacher. She teaches AMAZING cycling classes and has a ton of music with great beats! I just pretend I am in her cycling classes and run to the beat as if I was pedaling with each beat! Good music really helps for a good run (I will save my music and running for a later post).
With those three ingredients, you will be able to overcome any hill/mountain (well I don't know about the latter, but I would hope so) that comes your way! Just find what drives you, stick with it, and you will be able to overcome anything!
Let's start today off with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along' . . . You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
--I can relate this quote to MANY aspects of my life. i.e. At work... I have been calling random (at least to me) vendors that I do not know, and getting important information from them... I HATED CALLING PEOPLE I DID NOT KNOW!!! In fact, when I was a child, I would get another person in my family to order pizza, call for a phone number, etc! This was one of my biggest childhood fears I never really dealt with, but always felt awkward and just avoided at all costs!!! When the opportunity for this "job"/"challenge" came to my attention, I decided to take it... take it on with the idea, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. The first phone call I ever made on my job (this is not a part of my job description, but I took it on to help another co-worker), I walked into an empty office... wrote down every word I was going to say, practiced it at LEAST 5 times, and then finally called the company. I was not doing cold calling, but just getting important information for our company to have on file, and I was TERRIFIED! THANK GOODNESS that every person I talked to in the first five phone calls was incredibly nice and easy to work with...
I continued this: empty office, practice 5 times, call unconfidently at least 10 times. By the eleventh time, I decided I could go to my own desk and make these phone calls, still feeling a slight unease. BUT lo and behold... today I can call just about ANYONE and not have to practice 10 times. I feel more confident about it, which I hope shows in my tone of voice!! I guess where I am getting with this "side story" is that the more you practice, the easier it is. Sometimes you have to face your fears and know you can get past this, you can overcome this... you are strong!
So, let's talk about these hills I am referring to. I am not referring to the metaphoric hills that probably most of you are thinking I am referring to... I am talking about LITERAL HILLS that you have to run up and overcome! I used to absolutely despise hills and avoid them at all costs. (In Houston, especially the outskirts where I am from, it is VERY VERY easy to avoid them!) They are hard, they make you exhausted, they are DEFINITELY not fun, and you actually have to work harder to run up them... NO THANKS!
When I was at LSU, a friend of mine that I met at freshman orientation was a big runner ever since she was young. She gave me a bit of advice that her father once gave her: With hills, let your legs do the work and keep your upper body relaxed! Ya right, I thought... I tried over and over and over and over with the little, tiny, miniature hills that Baton Rouge had when I used to run around the lakes there, and they just about hilled me! (I mean, killed me...)
Ugh, hills, sucked! There was no ifs, ands or buts about it! Then I ran across another girl that I had the luxury of getting to know very well from UT and she told me she loved hills!!! I told her I thought she was crazy, but she didn't care. She told me she loved the drive, strength and feeling of overcoming each hill! That is what kept her going. If you asked me at that time in my life (and I had already run a few ... maybe 3 half marathons) what I thought about hills, I would tell you that they absolutely sucked and they will never get easier.
...well, I lied. So what changed? I have no idea. Maybe my determination, maybe that I have become more competitive with every race, the idea of letting myself down (slowing down and letting all of these people pass me) ... no, the fact is, I wont let myself down... so I push myself harder! Hills push me harder!
Let's rewind: Ft. Worth Cowtown Half Marathon
A harder half than any other half I have ever run. But, I always seem to get my best time with that race. Why you ask? One word, hills. ...Not just one, many, many, MANY long, hard, challenging HILLS! Whenever I reach hills, I tend to speed up. I don't know why, but I take each and every one on as a challenge. Instead of stopping at the top of them, I just tell myself "I can recover once I am at the top, but I cannot stop until I am there". Once I am there I say,"No you cannot stop or you will let yourself down with a slower time! You did not just do all of that work for nothing! Just slow down and catch your breath!"
So REALLY, WHAT CHANGED??? I'll tell you what changed:
#1 Improvement: Once I started seeing better results, I wanted to keep striving to be better than the last results.
#2 Competitiveness: No, I am not competitive at all... haha Yeah right! No, but I will have to rewind you even FURTHER to the day before I was supposed to run my first marathon:
Location: Collina's
Meal: Lunner before my first half
Company: Dad, Brother, Husband, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law...aka JB, and Grandmother-in-law, DL)
JB: MG (my dad will be known as), I have to tell you this funny story that I heard at work.
Note: I am not putting this in quotes, because I am sure I am not saying it EXACTLY how JB said it, and it might be a tad subjective. BUT, this really did happen!!!
JB: I work with a few ladies in my running group, and they were talking about you the other day... (Referring to my dad)
Here's what they said!!!!
Ladies in JB's Running Group Talking: Oh yes, that MG is a beast! Did you know he can out-run his 24 year old daughter!?!?
WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTT????????????????????
No, absolutely not, I will not put up with this. (Although, at the time is was absolutely true) I was not going to let older women talk about me not being able to out-run my father!! He was in way better shape than me, and I was challenged. Not that I was in bad shape, but my +50 year old father could out-run me!! Props to my father!! He is such an amazing person, inside and out, and I hope to be in that great of shape when I am that age! But me... HALF HIS AGE was out-runned by my father!
(Okay, okay, yes... I am competitive) JB was completely taken by surprise that I was not proud of my father but incredibly offended!!! haha...
I took this on as a challenge, I could not let this be the story that was gossiped around by people in my father's age group!!! I had to match him or pass him!! NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS!
From then on, I have not let my father beat me... (Although, I think he secretly lets me beat him...)
...So yes, my competitiveness drives me.
So here is my "HOW TO" overcome hills while running and finding your drive so to speak:
#1. Relax the Upper Body
-this is key when pushing yourself past your limits. If you learn to breath normally, as if you were holding a conversation or just going about your normal day, you will avoid the hyperventilation/hard breathing/shortness of breathe/horrible feeling when you are conquering your hill
#2 Let the Legs do all the Work
-Literally, relax the upper body and use your legs. Your breathing will be normal and your legs will be burning... but hey, there is nothing like that lactic acid burn! ;) No but really, although you have less energy to do this, push through it and you will get stronger and just know your body will recover quickly afterwards
#3 Get some jammin' music on your MP3 player
-Thank you JHVD for providing me with some amazing music on my iPod!!! She is an amazing personal trainer/group ex teacher. She teaches AMAZING cycling classes and has a ton of music with great beats! I just pretend I am in her cycling classes and run to the beat as if I was pedaling with each beat! Good music really helps for a good run (I will save my music and running for a later post).
With those three ingredients, you will be able to overcome any hill/mountain (well I don't know about the latter, but I would hope so) that comes your way! Just find what drives you, stick with it, and you will be able to overcome anything!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
It's Not Always Rainbows and Butterflies...
2 MONTHS AGO...
ME: "Andrew, do you want to run this half marathon in Dallas?"
ANDREW: "Why don't we just run a half at home?"
ME: : "Do you promise??"
ANDREW: "I PROMISE!"
HAHAHAHA... yeah right!
He held to his word that he would run with me... but this run was no home run!
Here was the plan:
-WAKE UP: 4:30 AM
-RUN TIME: 5:00 AM
(I am sure right about now, you all think I am nutso! BUT there really is logic to this 5 am run time... NO SUN and cooler weather...)
My dad wanted to run with us too... so we decided to be more realistic with our weekend and push our run start time to 7:00am
New Plan:
-WAKE UP: 6:30 AM
-RUN TIME: 7:00 AM
RING RING RING RING...
ME: "Ohhh crap... my alarm didn't go off!"
RING RING RING RING....
ME: "Heeellooo...?"
DAD: "Hey Lindsay I am running late... I'll be there in 20 minutes..." WHEW! got by with that one...
NEW PLAN:
WAKE UP: 7:00 AM
RUN TIME: TBD....
Okay, so in reality... we all were EXHAUSTED, and decided to run around Memorial and Allen Parkway and that "FUN" hilly windy part under downtown that goes by the Aquarium. I have been training on treadmills a lot lately and the hills and hard cement = NO BUENO!!! Throw in a little humidity, heat, and sun and you have yourself a miserable run!!
We were all three struggling the entire run... stopping at the top of every hill to catch our breath and cool off a little. It felt like the run that would never end. Lo and behold... we finished the loop and found our new route distance to reach ~ 7 miles! (SO MUCH EASIER ON A TREADMILL...)
Although we got a late start to our run... it was a GREAT START TO OUR DAY!
The runs are not always going to be perfect, easy, a piece of cake... you have to put up with the Rain and Thunder to get those Rainbows and Butterflies....
ME: "Andrew, do you want to run this half marathon in Dallas?"
ANDREW: "Why don't we just run a half at home?"
ME: : "Do you promise??"
ANDREW: "I PROMISE!"
HAHAHAHA... yeah right!
He held to his word that he would run with me... but this run was no home run!
Here was the plan:
-WAKE UP: 4:30 AM
-RUN TIME: 5:00 AM
(I am sure right about now, you all think I am nutso! BUT there really is logic to this 5 am run time... NO SUN and cooler weather...)
My dad wanted to run with us too... so we decided to be more realistic with our weekend and push our run start time to 7:00am
New Plan:
-WAKE UP: 6:30 AM
-RUN TIME: 7:00 AM
RING RING RING RING...
ME: "Ohhh crap... my alarm didn't go off!"
RING RING RING RING....
ME: "Heeellooo...?"
DAD: "Hey Lindsay I am running late... I'll be there in 20 minutes..." WHEW! got by with that one...
NEW PLAN:
WAKE UP: 7:00 AM
RUN TIME: TBD....
Okay, so in reality... we all were EXHAUSTED, and decided to run around Memorial and Allen Parkway and that "FUN" hilly windy part under downtown that goes by the Aquarium. I have been training on treadmills a lot lately and the hills and hard cement = NO BUENO!!! Throw in a little humidity, heat, and sun and you have yourself a miserable run!!
We were all three struggling the entire run... stopping at the top of every hill to catch our breath and cool off a little. It felt like the run that would never end. Lo and behold... we finished the loop and found our new route distance to reach ~ 7 miles! (SO MUCH EASIER ON A TREADMILL...)
Although we got a late start to our run... it was a GREAT START TO OUR DAY!
The runs are not always going to be perfect, easy, a piece of cake... you have to put up with the Rain and Thunder to get those Rainbows and Butterflies....
Friday, April 8, 2011
Let the Races Begin!!!
So what got me into starting to register and run these races you ask?? OH BOY (literally)!!!
::Enter my husband, but new boyfriend in my life at the time, Andrew::
Andrew and I had been dating "officially" for a couple of weeks and he knew that I was a runner (not competitively at the time...) and that I would go to Town Lake all the time and run 3 miles. (At the time... that was my MAX! The seven miles I ran in high school with my dad was an amazing fluke, and I had never run that far since.) Andrew wanted to get started running again, and told me about the Austin Capitol 10K. He mentioned that his mother comes in town every year to run this race with him and that I should get my dad to do it too, and we can meet each other's parents (at least one on each side). I was so excited about this, and immediately called my dad. Of course, he was completely up for the challenge!
This weekend was also Mothers' Weekend for Delts and JB (as she will be called), Andrew's mom, had come in town early to participate in the Delt weekend festivities. Unfortunately, the night before the race she ate a bad orange (literally) in her Blue Moon and had the worst food poisoning experience she had ever dealt with. Andrew was so determined that I meet her, and invited me over to his house to introduce me to his terribly sick mother. I felt so bad for her, and told him I did not want to meet her this way. He insisted and so I came over. This was the first time JB and I met, and although she was feeling horrible, she was so sweet and lovely! But, this meant, she would be out for the race.
(NOTE: These pictures are of runs I did in 2011... so this was not me 4 years ago.. they just went with the theme.)
So came the race day of the Capitol 10K in 2007. This was the first time that Andrew and my dad met, too. They of course clicked right away! We all ran it together, and finished the race together. I cannot remember my exact time (nor can I find it on the internet)... but if I remember correctly, I believe we finished around 1:06:00. Compare that to my 10K this year (2011) and I have beat my time by 18 minutes!
We had so much fun during this race that we decided as a group this would be the first of many. This is where my obsession for running began. That summer, Andrew talked me into training for my first half marathon with him. We used Hal Higdon's training schedule for novices
(http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/), and ran our first half marathon in Houston at the Luke's Locker/Koala Houston Half in October 2007. Since then, I have run 9 or 10 half marathons (I have lost count), and I ran my first marathon in January 2011 at the Chevron Houston Marathon.
I'll save my first marathon experience for another post... but next big registered race is The Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th! I could not be more excited and nervous at the same time...
::Enter my husband, but new boyfriend in my life at the time, Andrew::
Andrew and I had been dating "officially" for a couple of weeks and he knew that I was a runner (not competitively at the time...) and that I would go to Town Lake all the time and run 3 miles. (At the time... that was my MAX! The seven miles I ran in high school with my dad was an amazing fluke, and I had never run that far since.) Andrew wanted to get started running again, and told me about the Austin Capitol 10K. He mentioned that his mother comes in town every year to run this race with him and that I should get my dad to do it too, and we can meet each other's parents (at least one on each side). I was so excited about this, and immediately called my dad. Of course, he was completely up for the challenge!
This weekend was also Mothers' Weekend for Delts and JB (as she will be called), Andrew's mom, had come in town early to participate in the Delt weekend festivities. Unfortunately, the night before the race she ate a bad orange (literally) in her Blue Moon and had the worst food poisoning experience she had ever dealt with. Andrew was so determined that I meet her, and invited me over to his house to introduce me to his terribly sick mother. I felt so bad for her, and told him I did not want to meet her this way. He insisted and so I came over. This was the first time JB and I met, and although she was feeling horrible, she was so sweet and lovely! But, this meant, she would be out for the race.(NOTE: These pictures are of runs I did in 2011... so this was not me 4 years ago.. they just went with the theme.)
We had so much fun during this race that we decided as a group this would be the first of many. This is where my obsession for running began. That summer, Andrew talked me into training for my first half marathon with him. We used Hal Higdon's training schedule for novices
(http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/), and ran our first half marathon in Houston at the Luke's Locker/Koala Houston Half in October 2007. Since then, I have run 9 or 10 half marathons (I have lost count), and I ran my first marathon in January 2011 at the Chevron Houston Marathon.
I'll save my first marathon experience for another post... but next big registered race is The Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th! I could not be more excited and nervous at the same time...
Capitol 10K March 27, 2011
My Dad and Me @ 2011 Capitol 10K (My best time: 48:46 min / 7:51/M)
If you know how slow I ran when I first started running... this race really has shown me that I have improved my pace immensely over the past eight years of running. My mantra for years used to be "SLOW and STEADY WINS THE RACE"! ...it went along with the idea of, if I can finish it, I have accomplished it no matter what the time is. Which I still believe in. Now that I have realized I can push myself WAY past my comfort zones. This mantra was great for me when I first started running because I was not a great runner. My competitiveness would take over, and I would get overwhelmed and frustrated when I could not keep up with other (well practiced) runners. With everything you do in life, you have to start somewhere, and I started veeerrrryyy slow! I have improved my running pace by >2:00 minutes per mile now and hope to keep on improving!
How It All Started...
Rewind to sophomore year of high school... Are we there yet?? (Yes, I was THAT child in the back seat growing up... "ARE WE THERE YET?"... 5-10 minutes later, which felt like FOREVER "HOW MUCH FURTHER?"...10 minutes later "I FEEL SICK!" ...my parents are real troopers for putting up with me on car trips growing up!) ... Okay total tangent sorry. I have a feeling I will have a lot of these throughout the entries, so get used to it!
Where were we? Oh yes, rewind to sophomore year when I had to make one of the hardest decisions that a high school student would ever have to make! (At least it was for me at that time in my life...you'll probably laugh when you read it. It was a big deal okay?)
I was pulled out of P.E. the first day of school, my freshman year because of my height. No coach was going to let this 5'11" female just slide by and be in P.E. when she could be an EXCELLENT prospect for the KLEIN HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM! They put me into Athletics by day two, and I made the Freshman basketball team by the end of Week 1! Yes, I had played basketball before in elementary and middle school, but after 8th grade, I thought my basketball days were over and I was going to pursue what I loved... SINGING! Throughout my two years of basketball in high school, I never considered myself a great player. I was your average player that had a height advantage to MOST of the players. There were those seldom few GIANTS that knocked me on the floor and pushed me around like bullies on the court... but other than those selected few, I was queen of the court! They definitely used me as an intimidation factor, and that was pretty much all I was good for. Every so often I would make a basket, but aim wasn't my best quality when it came to basketball (remember, INTIMIDATION!). I don't know why they always had me out on the court to start the game and jump for the ball. (Some one that is 5'0 could probably out-jump me... SERIOUSLY HOW DO THEY DO IT!?!? ... I even bought these shoes that make you run on your toes and build up your calves... no difference!)
So, basketball was a lot of fun, but more stressful than fun due to the many conflicts between practices and games, and choir events. I was singing the national anthem at basketball, volleyball, softball games and swim meets. Oy vey!! I loved it~...minus that one time that I forgot the words (I WAS HAVING A REALLY REALLY BAD DAY) ... started over three times!! The entire crowd joined in and sang it with me by the third time!! Talk about embarrassing! I was very involved with choir, too. I was a part of this prestigious (I liked to think so) group that met outside of school called Chamber Choir. It was such an amazing experience and I even got to sing a solo in the Lincoln Center in New York City with the Chorale Choir. (I will save more stories about my choir days for another blog).
Where am I going with this? Oh yes... the hardest decision of my life: Come end of sophomore year of high school and I am in my coaches office, balling my eyes out because I am pretty much told that I have to make a choice: Is it choir or is it basketball. (They never really laid it out like that, but implied it in MANY MANY ways.) Although, the answer would seem obvious with my passion for music and singing, it was very difficult due to the bond I had developed with my basketball team, my competitive nature and love for sportsmanship activities, and my other passion for health and staying active!
Tick...tock...tick...tock! WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO!?!?
Decision made: Choir it is and I'm never looking back! ...Well, sort of. I missed my team so much. It felt like they moved on without me, and I was quickly pushed out of the "circle" just with the snap of my fingers. Of course, they were always nice to me... but it was a hard adjustment not being with them every day. I became a lot more involved with choir, and loved it. YES, you can say it, I am not ashamed... I was a Choir Nerd and dang proud! But something was still lacking...
Starting my Junior year, I had this void that I needed to fill with basketball not being a part of my life anymore. My dad recommended that I started running. He always told me stories about him and his best friend growing up, GG (...names will be protected for other people's privacy) would run three times around Memorial Park then go grab a few beers at the Westcott Drive-In (or something like that... which is now Canyon Creek for those of you that know the area). I had never run Memorial Park, but thought that would be a neat thing to do when I get older.
So began my love for running... My dad picked it up again with me (he had not run for years...) and we ran a mile every day starting my junior year! It was such a HUGE accomplishment! The feeling when I was done, was/is what drives me. Once, one mile got easy, we increased our distance. I believe the furthest I had EVER run while I was in high school was seven miles. It was a great bonding experience for my dad and me. We grew a lot closer and both started/restarted our passion for running. I remember that night that I finished seven miles (my dad and I would make up our own routes... before navigation watches existed... and would hop in the car after the run and track our distance with the car. It was so much fun!). ...That feeling of accomplishment, was such an amazing feeling. It was at THAT very moment I realized that my body could push itself much further/harder than my brain thought it could. The body is MIGHTY and STRONG and at that very moment, I felt INDESTRUCTIBLE. Nothing could get in my way, and I wanted to see how far I could actually go... What would be my limit?? Do I even have limits...?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)