I'm sorry I haven't posted much this year. The past year and a half has been really hard. I've felt like I have been such a failure. I let the stress with all of the moving get to me and I went the wrong way. I started gaining weight and gained so much more than I ever expected. It is so easy to fall back into bad habits and undoing all the hard work that I had done took a toll on me and my confidence.
When we moved here, I decided to stop and fix everything. I started going to a local gym and working with a personal trainer. For the last 9 months, I have worked with her, and I have not seen much when it comes to results. I tried getting back into a good running routine and that went well until a few weeks before my first half of my running season. Life got in the way and my last few long runs didn't happen. I still wasn't losing weight and I was very frustrated.
The morning of that race, I felt good but nervous. Four miles in, I felt great, then the rain started. By the time I got to mile 8, I was in serious pain due to blisters and I was seriously debating stopping. By mile 10, the debate was over. I called Mac to come get me. I knew if I walked those last 3 miles, my feet would be destroyed and I had so many more races coming up. It was not an easy decision, but it was the right one.
Attempt #1 at my 12th half marathon - FAILED
The next race on the list was Wine and Dine in November. I had every intention to buckle down and get in my miles between the Jekyll race and Wine and Dine. However, frustrations got in the way and I stopped running like I should. I was creeping up on the end of my biggest loser time frame and I had actually gained weight during those 9 months. I know a lot of that weight is muscle, but the fact that I hadn't lost enough fat to see a difference on the scale really had me down. I still felt like I was good for Wine and Dine but I did not get in the training that I should.
Wine and Dine ended up being a cluster. I tried to be smart and stay off my feet before the race since I learned my lesson at Tower of Terror Ten Miler a few years ago, but there was a big group of us doing the 5K that morning. After that, Mac and I took a nap and then went to dinner. The plan was to head out to Beach Club and catch a race bus. We got out there around 8pm and the race was supposed to start at 10pm. We hung around the staging area and the time we thought we should be headed to the corrals, we finally started moving, but soon found they were leading us into the stadium at Wide World of Sports. There was a storm in the area and they wanted to keep us safe. After lots of waiting around and no idea what was happening, they finally let us back out and told us the race was going to start an hour late and the course would be shortened. Our corral finally started some time around 11:40.
The course was just over a 10K but by the last two miles, I felt like I had done a half instead of 5 miles at that point. My feet were killing me from the early morning 5K and all of the standing around with the weather delay. I had big plans of living it up at the after party but once we actually got in there(and saw the crazy lines for all the food) we decided it was time to just go to bed. I know it isn't my fault that the race ended up being shortened but having another attempt come up short sucked.
Attempt #2 - FAILED
Next up on the list was Space Coast Half Marathon. I seriously considered not even showing up. I was so upset with how I felt at Wine and Dine that I thought there was no way I could do a half three weeks later. I looked to see if there was a transfer or deferral option and they had neither. I did find out that it had a 7 hour limit so I knew if I had to crawl it, I could finish in that time. I was cautiously optimistic as we headed down there. I was excited about this race. I loved the theme and REALLY wanted the medal. The morning of the race I did something I NEVER do and went for a group pic with some of my fellow sparkle skirt lovers. I got to say hello to a few of them before we all rushed out to the corrals. The Half started 30 minutes before the full and we had to get out there early. I did the race all on my own but I think I needed that considering everything that has happened this year. The course was amazing. It was very flat and the entire was was along the waterfront of the Indian River. There were gorgeous houses on the other side. Lots of the families came out to cheer us on and one had a whole breakfast area set up for runners to grab stuff including bacon, orange slices, beer, mimosas, pretzels, pancakes and almost anything you could want. It was a straight out and back so you started with the water to your left and ended with it to your right. Mac was hanging out around the 5K mark so I saw him twice. I wasn't fast, but I felt good during the race. As I neared the end, I was a little emotional because I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish before I started and at mile 12, I was tired but still felt good. they had and awesome amount of food and stuff for the runners after the race including a pancake breakfast or pizza and beer. I went with the pancakes but I did get my beer for Mac. I sat and watched as people from both races finished. I had hoped to see a friend finish her first half but we had to get back to the hotel so I could shower and we could check out so I had to leave before I could see her. I left finally feeling good about my running again, but also dreading the following weekend a little. My next half was only a week away.
Attempt #3 - SUCCESS!!
So I finally finished my 12th half marathon but the possibility for 13 was way too close. Heather had mentioned earlier in the year that she wanted to do the Diva Half in St Augustine and I said I would do it with her. I wasn't paying attention to the date and didn't realize it was only one week after Space Coast. If I had realized they were that close, I may not have signed up for it. I was also worried because Mac and I were going to Disney a few days before the race to do another Christmas party and also to Sea World because they do a great job decorating for Christmas too. I knew I was going to be on my feet a lot and my knee has hurting more after Space Coast than I expected. The morning of the race, it was cold and rainy. I REALLY didn't want to start. Fortunately the rain stopped before the start of the race. The race was very disorganized though. No one was sure where the start was or how the waves were going to be split up. The race finally started and we were towards the back of the pack. If Heather hadn't been there, I would have gone back to bed. I wasn't that excited about the race and I didn't feel 100%. By the time we hit the 5K point, I was hurting. My knee was NOT happy with me. My IT band has been tight and it was definitely making me feel every step. The course was kind of crazy and the half way point was very close to the finish. I seriously planned on just stopping there and waiting on Heather to finish. I knew she wouldn't be happy with me though. I didn't want to slow her down because I knew the course had a time limit and they would be sweeping. I told her I would go as long as I could and if the bus got close, then she should leave me. About 9 miles in, I saw the bus was catching us so I told her to go ahead. Just after mile 10, I saw a few people heading back towards me to go get on the bus(which was about 20 feet behind me. I decided to join them. It just wasn't worth fighting the pain anymore and it started raining again. Around mile 11.5, someone asked if they could get off the bus so that if someone else needed to get in they could(it was completely full). The driver said yes but that if we caught them again, she would have to pick them back up. She stopped next to the end of an out and back turn around so they had a little head start on the bus. Everyone got out except for myself and one other lady. The reality was, I just didn't care enough about the race and I knew that I wouldn't have done the entire distance so 10 miles was good enough for me. The driver was doing her best to let the ladies in front of us finish. there was one that was doing her first half and she was determined to keep going. The driver decided that as long as the race directors or local police didn't tell her to hurry and pick everyone up, she was going to let them finish. As we passed the tiara and boa station at mile 13, she stopped and got them for the two of us on the bus still. Then just before the finish, she stopped and let us out to cross the line. I really just wanted to find Heather and leave but I crossed with the other runner and got my stuff. We ran to get on the last shuttle back to our parking lot. I was glad that it was over even though it wasn't the best race.
One of the best things about the race, even though it was chaotic and the course was crazy with all of its turns, the local police department was amazing. Some times with races, the town wants the roads opened ASAP. However, these officers were so encouraging to every runner. The police chief was riding around in an ATV checking on all of the officers out on the course. He never once rushed anyone and wanted everyone to finish. He was even picking up struggling runners and taking them ahead on the course so they wouldn't get picked up. He directed traffic when he needed and cheered everyone along. Every officer on the course was the same. When the last runners passed, they cheered and clapped and encouraged them every step along the way. It really was refreshing to see such genuine care and support from those working the course.
Even though I did not finish the race, I got 10 miles done. I enjoyed seeing St Augustine again and I was there when Heather did her first non-Disney half marathon.
Attempt at my 13th half marathon - FAILED
On the way home from St Augustine, I decided to buckle down and get ready for Star Wars Half in Disneyland in January. Monday after the race, I started trying to use the 21 day fix cups to help keep my food in check. I have been taking pics of my food again(but not consistently) and trying to refocus. I have started my back to back runs to prepare for the Rebel Challenge. I want to go back to California a little lighter if I can. It has been a week and I have lost 3 pounds. I am sure most of that was water weight but at least it is a start. I'm hopeful about where things are going. We'll see if I can keep the momentum going in the right direction this time. I have Star Wars DL in January, Princess in February, Star Wars WDW in April and Tink in May. Hopefully with all that running along with eating better and continuing with my personal trainer, I will see some real results in the coming months.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
The good and the bad of last week
Last week was one of those weeks. It was really crappy and really good at the same time. I decided to start logging my food in a new way. It was a bad week for that. I did pretty good about taking pics of everything, good and bad, at the beginning of the week but I had two unusual nights that threw me off. Tuesday I went out with a friend I have reconnected with here to go painting. Because of that, I was getting home late and Mac had already eaten. My plan had been to make a nice healthy chicken dinner at home but I wasn't going to go through the trouble of cooking it all for just me and I was starving and didn't want to wait that long. My initial reaction was to just grab fast food. Instead, I went to Panera and tried to make a better choice by getting chicken soup. I also went by Publix hoping to get something more substantial but also healthy to go with my soup. They had nothing good left at the deli and I was hungry, so I grabbed a small thing of banana pudding, planning to only have part of it. The banana pudding was the first thing I ate and did not record. That trend continued through the rest of the week. Thursday night was Bunco and there were tons of sweet treats there. I had a few different things and they sent more home with me. I helped Mac eat them. I finally gave up on Friday and decided to reset and try again. I posted a little over the weekend but the main plan was to get back on track on Monday. I did pretty well getting back to it with a few exceptions late night.
I absolutely recognize that I eat way too many carbs. I always have. And I do not eat enough protein. I am trying to change those things but it takes time. It also takes a more structured week than I had last week. I need to get back into the habit of having a salad at night instead of chips and salsa or a few pieces of candy and eating apples and peanut butter instead of mindless snacking. It is going to take some determination to get through the withdrawals and cravings but I know if I push through, I should start seeing real results. I just need to get back to fueling my body properly instead of just eating. But all of that is much, much easier said than done.
On the other hand, it was a good week in other areas. A few months ago, Mac and I entered a drawing for a free bike sponsored by an organic protein drink at one of the natural grocers here in town. Mac has a bike but it has been years since I have owned one and I have never had a nice bike like the one I got Mac for his birthday two years ago. We entered saying maybe I could get a bike that way. Well, two or three weeks ago, Mac got an email that he had won. They just needed the info(gender, height, inseam) so they could customize the bike. It was built and shipped to us and arrived on Wednesday.
On top of that, I sent out my first shirts as part of my new custom design business. I love wearing fun shirts for races but getting them custom printed, especially on a tech shirt, is not cheap. My mom ended up upgrading the heat press I had used for my Star Wars shirts and gave me the old one. Now I can create custom items for anyone interested.
I have been running on Monday nights with a couple ladies from MRTT. It is still a very small group but it has given me the accountability I need to keep up with those short runs. Last Monday, we had a new runner which gave us a group of three. I decided to really push and make sure we stuck to the intervals the entire 3+ miles and we ended up with the best average pace we have had since we started. We aren't trying to be fast, but it was good knowing we were getting a little better. I didn't get any more runs in during the week but I kept going to the gym as usual(my trainer is FINALLY focusing on my upper body instead of legs) and I got in my first long run in a while.
I should have been doing long runs each weekend for the last few weeks, but I have been scared to do it. I haven't done anything over three miles since Peachtree and even though we did over six that day, we walked over half of it because of the weather and just wanting to enjoy the race. I hadn't actually purposely ran anything over three miles since the 10K I did in April. I was terrified to get back out there, so I didn't. Last week, I was hit with the realization that I only had 8 weeks until my half marathon on Jekyll Island and 12 weeks until Wine and Dine, so I HAVE to start getting in some distance runs or I am not going to have a great race like I want. I had six miles on the schedule and though I was scared of it, I knew I had to do it.
Mac and I suited up and headed out around 11 Saturday night. The first 2-3 miles ALWAYS suck for me. That is why I hate short runs and typically don't do many 5Ks anymore. About a mile and a half in, my calves were getting so tight. I was so sure I was never going to make it the entire six miles(this is the normal thought process). I tried to focus on how much farther we had to go because realizing we had only done 1.5 was depressing. To do the six miles in our neighborhood, we needed to run every street and culs-de-sac twice plus our street and a tiny bit extra again at the end. It was basically two and one third laps. As my legs were still cramping, I was just trying to focus on finishing that first lap. We passed the house and somewhere during the next mile my legs loosened up. Finally, I was feeling good and like I was going to get through the run. I realized near the end of the first lap that my GPS was wrong. I am fully aware that they are never accurate so I ALWAYS map out my route exactly like I will run it so that I can figure out how long it is and when I will hit my mileage that I need. I knew about what it should be at the end of the lap and it was off by almost half a mile. Because of that, my pace was wrong as well, which was frustrating. I KNEW my second mile was faster than 17 minutes but I had no way of knowing what it really was until we were done. At the end of the second lap, I was tired but still felt pretty good. We just had our end of the neighborhood left and I would complete my first long run of training. Even though I knew it was wrong, it was really hard for me to deal with my Garmin being off by half a mile and not feeling like I needed to keep going until it said six miles but I knew I had mapped it out so I knew what was six miles. We were headed back towards the house and the last three tenths of a mile. I looked at my watch and saw that it was at 1:27. I knew if I finished in 1:30 that I would have an average pace of 15 minute mile. I know that is slow but it is still hot and I haven't run that far in months so I was hoping for 1:30. I became determined to finish in under 1:30. I picked up my walking pace because I was doing 1/1 intervals. I had 2 walks and only 1 run left and if I wanted to make it in time, I had to speed up. When the alarm sounded for my last run interval, I took off. I was focused on making it as far as I could. Unfortunately, that interval was on the uphill part of the end of the run. It isn't steep, but when you are tired and pushing yourself as hard as I was, it feels so much worse. I made it to the top before the end of the run interval but I was so out of breath I had to start walking before I reached the minute mark. The end of the route passes our house and goes up the hill to the cul-de-sac and then back to the street light in front of our house. I only had half as far to go back and it was down hill. I walked for about 100 feet to try to catch my breath just a little and then sprinted to the end. I hit the button on the Garmin and it stopped at 1:29:46. It was close but I made it in under 1:30. After cooling down and getting some chocolate milk, I uploaded my run so I could fix the route. We ran exactly six miles with an average pace of 14:58. I was so happy.
It felt good to have a good run and to get that first long run out of the way. Last Wednesday is also the day I received an email from RunDisney with a 12 week training plan for Wine and Dine. I checked it out and realized it increased the mileage soon enough for me to use it for Under the Oaks in October and then continue on for Wine and Dine. It works a little better with my workout schedule and includes some speed work, which I have never done before but have wanted to do. Of course, I have adjusted it just a little to better suit me but hopefully it will help me get back on track and have a great race season.
Now if I could just get that food under control so I could lose some of this weight and make running easier.
I absolutely recognize that I eat way too many carbs. I always have. And I do not eat enough protein. I am trying to change those things but it takes time. It also takes a more structured week than I had last week. I need to get back into the habit of having a salad at night instead of chips and salsa or a few pieces of candy and eating apples and peanut butter instead of mindless snacking. It is going to take some determination to get through the withdrawals and cravings but I know if I push through, I should start seeing real results. I just need to get back to fueling my body properly instead of just eating. But all of that is much, much easier said than done.
On the other hand, it was a good week in other areas. A few months ago, Mac and I entered a drawing for a free bike sponsored by an organic protein drink at one of the natural grocers here in town. Mac has a bike but it has been years since I have owned one and I have never had a nice bike like the one I got Mac for his birthday two years ago. We entered saying maybe I could get a bike that way. Well, two or three weeks ago, Mac got an email that he had won. They just needed the info(gender, height, inseam) so they could customize the bike. It was built and shipped to us and arrived on Wednesday.
On top of that, I sent out my first shirts as part of my new custom design business. I love wearing fun shirts for races but getting them custom printed, especially on a tech shirt, is not cheap. My mom ended up upgrading the heat press I had used for my Star Wars shirts and gave me the old one. Now I can create custom items for anyone interested.
I have been running on Monday nights with a couple ladies from MRTT. It is still a very small group but it has given me the accountability I need to keep up with those short runs. Last Monday, we had a new runner which gave us a group of three. I decided to really push and make sure we stuck to the intervals the entire 3+ miles and we ended up with the best average pace we have had since we started. We aren't trying to be fast, but it was good knowing we were getting a little better. I didn't get any more runs in during the week but I kept going to the gym as usual(my trainer is FINALLY focusing on my upper body instead of legs) and I got in my first long run in a while.
I should have been doing long runs each weekend for the last few weeks, but I have been scared to do it. I haven't done anything over three miles since Peachtree and even though we did over six that day, we walked over half of it because of the weather and just wanting to enjoy the race. I hadn't actually purposely ran anything over three miles since the 10K I did in April. I was terrified to get back out there, so I didn't. Last week, I was hit with the realization that I only had 8 weeks until my half marathon on Jekyll Island and 12 weeks until Wine and Dine, so I HAVE to start getting in some distance runs or I am not going to have a great race like I want. I had six miles on the schedule and though I was scared of it, I knew I had to do it.
Mac and I suited up and headed out around 11 Saturday night. The first 2-3 miles ALWAYS suck for me. That is why I hate short runs and typically don't do many 5Ks anymore. About a mile and a half in, my calves were getting so tight. I was so sure I was never going to make it the entire six miles(this is the normal thought process). I tried to focus on how much farther we had to go because realizing we had only done 1.5 was depressing. To do the six miles in our neighborhood, we needed to run every street and culs-de-sac twice plus our street and a tiny bit extra again at the end. It was basically two and one third laps. As my legs were still cramping, I was just trying to focus on finishing that first lap. We passed the house and somewhere during the next mile my legs loosened up. Finally, I was feeling good and like I was going to get through the run. I realized near the end of the first lap that my GPS was wrong. I am fully aware that they are never accurate so I ALWAYS map out my route exactly like I will run it so that I can figure out how long it is and when I will hit my mileage that I need. I knew about what it should be at the end of the lap and it was off by almost half a mile. Because of that, my pace was wrong as well, which was frustrating. I KNEW my second mile was faster than 17 minutes but I had no way of knowing what it really was until we were done. At the end of the second lap, I was tired but still felt pretty good. We just had our end of the neighborhood left and I would complete my first long run of training. Even though I knew it was wrong, it was really hard for me to deal with my Garmin being off by half a mile and not feeling like I needed to keep going until it said six miles but I knew I had mapped it out so I knew what was six miles. We were headed back towards the house and the last three tenths of a mile. I looked at my watch and saw that it was at 1:27. I knew if I finished in 1:30 that I would have an average pace of 15 minute mile. I know that is slow but it is still hot and I haven't run that far in months so I was hoping for 1:30. I became determined to finish in under 1:30. I picked up my walking pace because I was doing 1/1 intervals. I had 2 walks and only 1 run left and if I wanted to make it in time, I had to speed up. When the alarm sounded for my last run interval, I took off. I was focused on making it as far as I could. Unfortunately, that interval was on the uphill part of the end of the run. It isn't steep, but when you are tired and pushing yourself as hard as I was, it feels so much worse. I made it to the top before the end of the run interval but I was so out of breath I had to start walking before I reached the minute mark. The end of the route passes our house and goes up the hill to the cul-de-sac and then back to the street light in front of our house. I only had half as far to go back and it was down hill. I walked for about 100 feet to try to catch my breath just a little and then sprinted to the end. I hit the button on the Garmin and it stopped at 1:29:46. It was close but I made it in under 1:30. After cooling down and getting some chocolate milk, I uploaded my run so I could fix the route. We ran exactly six miles with an average pace of 14:58. I was so happy.
It felt good to have a good run and to get that first long run out of the way. Last Wednesday is also the day I received an email from RunDisney with a 12 week training plan for Wine and Dine. I checked it out and realized it increased the mileage soon enough for me to use it for Under the Oaks in October and then continue on for Wine and Dine. It works a little better with my workout schedule and includes some speed work, which I have never done before but have wanted to do. Of course, I have adjusted it just a little to better suit me but hopefully it will help me get back on track and have a great race season.
Now if I could just get that food under control so I could lose some of this weight and make running easier.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Trying a new approach
I recently read an article about a new approach to tracking your food. Instead of counting calories or logging things with numbers, they suggested taking pictures of your food. Their end goal was a little different from the thoughts that I had when I first saw the link to the article and I quickly lost interest in their idea(I can't even remember what all they said) but I really liked the idea I had. I know one of the points of the article was being able to look back at the things you ate and pay attention to the portion sizes, types of carbs and proteins and things like that, which are good ideas. I just wanted to take it a little further. For me, if I was only going to be the one looking at the pics, yeah, I may pay attention to those things but after a while, I wouldn't care and would either stop taking pictures or ignoring the bad things in them. I knew that if it was going to be seen by others however, that would have a HUGE impact on what and how much I ate. The article said to take a picture of everything that went into your mouth, and I agree with that. But I am going to take it one step further and share those pictures.
I have finally started an Instagram account solely for this purpose. If you would like to follow me to help me stay accountable, I would really appreciate it. I started taking pics today and the meals weren't great but it was kind of like a last indulgence before diving in. I will still allow myself a cheat probably once a week or every two weeks because being too strict leads to failure. Knowing that others will see it, I feel like this will help me to stay accountable and make better choices for each meal and possibly stop me from having those bad snacks or find something better to munch on.
Some of you have been following my journey for a while and you have been so supportive. Any help you can give me here by simply following would mean so much. You don't even have to look at the pics, but seeing that I have followers, will help me to hopefully keep my act together this time.
If you would like to follow me here is my info.
https://instagram.com/mmhweightlossbattlesfoodlog/
I have finally started an Instagram account solely for this purpose. If you would like to follow me to help me stay accountable, I would really appreciate it. I started taking pics today and the meals weren't great but it was kind of like a last indulgence before diving in. I will still allow myself a cheat probably once a week or every two weeks because being too strict leads to failure. Knowing that others will see it, I feel like this will help me to stay accountable and make better choices for each meal and possibly stop me from having those bad snacks or find something better to munch on.
Some of you have been following my journey for a while and you have been so supportive. Any help you can give me here by simply following would mean so much. You don't even have to look at the pics, but seeing that I have followers, will help me to hopefully keep my act together this time.
If you would like to follow me here is my info.
https://instagram.com/mmhweightlossbattlesfoodlog/
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Checking a race off my list
I have been wanting to do Peachtree Road Race for a few years. I was always a little wary of the fact that it is a race on the 4th of July in Atlanta but hearing about the atmosphere made me want to do it. I almost tried to get a transfer bib last year but decided not to at the last minute. Knowing how much closer we are living to Atlanta this year, I decided this would be the best time to try. I did not want to enter the lottery because I didn't want to risk not getting in. I looked into the charity bib option and decided it was worth it. I did not have to raise any money, I just had to pay extra which would go directly to the charity. On top of that, I would get an early wave placement and access to the special charity areas before and after the race. Peachtree is a 6.2 mile party. It starts in Buckhead in front of Lenox and takes you down Peachtree Road towards downtown where you turn onto 10th street and run to Piedmont park for the finish line. People from all over the city come out to cheer on the runners and celebrate. They hand out food, water, candy popsicles, and beer.
I ended up running with one of my best friends, Patrick. When I mentioned I had signed up, he said he may be interested, so I signed him up, haha. Don't tell me about a race you have been considering running because there is a good chance I will sign you up to run it with me. I know that he isn't a huge fan of running anything more than 3 miles, so I decided to use this as the push to actually get him to do the race. I knew it wouldn't be hard for him since we would be going at my pace, which is much slower than his.
A few friends from college met up with us in ATL to hang out for the weekend. We found an apartment to rent out for the weekend that was really close to the finish area at Piedmont Park. We were a little farther from MARTA than I wanted to be but it was close enough that Mac could drop us off closer to the station. Patrick was staying somewhere else since work had him in ATL and they covered his hotel.
I woke up race day to a very unpleasant surprise. There was a HUGE storm headed straight for the course that stretched on for a while. I checked the race FB page and things were still a go but they were keeping an eye on the storm. Patrick drove over the morning of the race to catch a ride to the train with me. Mac wasn't able to get us as close as we thought to the the station we were planning to use because of the road closures but we followed a few other runners up to it.(We were actually right next to a station and didn't realize it. Oh well.) We were able to see the wheelchair racers as they turned onto 10th street towards the finish line. We got into the station just as a train was getting ready to leave. We could have hustled and made it on but we decided to wait for the next. We should have run for it. The next train was definitely a lot fuller. Because of the longer walk to the train and waiting for the next one, we were running a little late. Our Wave was set to start at 7:50. I felt a little better knowing we were on the train with lots of people that were supposed to start before us. If we got into our wave, great. If not, we would just jump in a later one.
We got off the train and headed towards the start corrals. As we got closer, I saw the sign for wave E go past. We made it to the start area just as D was preparing to leave. We hoped in to the front of E and made our way to the line. It wasn't raining yet but the sky didn't look good. We started right on time. We jogged for a while until we could make our way over to the right side. It started raining almost immediately after we started. With it being wet and crowded, I wanted to be safe, not sorry. We never followed any set intervals just went by feeling. Not long into the race, we found someone handing out beer and free hugs. I got a hug and Patrick got a beer. Then we grabbed a pixie stick. I was handed some 80s sunglasses and a full size bottle of water. Patrick made a pit stop and I laughed at the people going out of their way to run through a sprayer that was set up on the right side of the road. By this time, it was raining pretty steady and everyone was soaked. There was no need for the water. We headed on into mile 2 which is mostly down hill. We jogged the entire thing at an easy pace. As we ran, I noticed a tent for Sweet Water beer where they were handing out free cups. Since it is a local beer and not the cheap stuff he was handed earlier, I knew Patrick would want some but he didn't see it. I yelled, "Patrick, beer. Sweet Water!" He darted in front of me, hit a huge puddle, grabbed and light pole to pull a U turn and everyone cheered as he ran back for his beer. I was enjoying my blue freeze pop that I grabbed just before the beer tent from some teens with a cooler. It was the perfect slushy consistency. We enjoyed our treats as we continued town the hill. For about the last half of the downhill section, we could see the buildings of downtown ATL and straight ahead of us was the one everyone calls "the pencil" because that is what it looks like. Somewhere during that section is when everyone on that decline saw "the pencil" get struck by lightning. Up until that point, the course flags had been yellow, after that, they were switched to red. There really wasn't too much lightning except for that one strike. Everyone kept going but many joked about the taller runners around them. There was a collective gasp through the thousands of runners on that hill when it happened but no one stopped.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had heard about the major hill on the course. That's why I started trying to run one of the big hills near us to prepare. When we reached the flat area at the bottom of the hill, we walked for a while to recover and prepare for the hill. I wanted to run as much of it as I could. I didn't want it to slow us down too much. We hit the bottom and started running. There was a red light with a flat area just beyond it. I decided that I wanted to run to the light, take a walk break and then attack the hill again. At the light, we walked a little. I was trying to prepare mentally for the rest of the hill. I knew from others that they brought out the patients from the Spine Center to watch the race and that soon after we would reach the top of the hill and Piedmont Hospital. I was trying to psych myself up for this big, long climb and realized I was seeing the patients out under tents watching us. The rain was still falling but they were out there cheering. I realized I could see the Piedmont hospital sign and we were closer to the top than I thought. I told Patrick I wanted to run it out and started nearly sprinting up the hill. It was no where near as tough as I was expecting. Between hearing what others said and preparing for it for a few weeks before, it really wasn't as bad as I expected. I was really proud of our time up the hill when we were done.
After that, it was an easy run/walk through downtown. I texted our spectators as we turned onto 10th St so they would know we were coming and so they could let me know where they were. Patrick and I joked about a 10K ending our 12 year friendship because I made him start running when he really needed to find a restroom thanks to the beers he had on the course. Because we took the race pretty easy due to the rain, he had no trouble with the distance(which I expected) but as I runner, I know how hard it is to run when you need to go and I had to give him a hard time about it. We made our way down 10th towards the finish feeling good but very wet. I saw Mac and our friends just before we made it to the finish line. I got a quick kiss from the hubby and headed to the line. I knew our time was crap, but I didn't really care. We had a great time.
The finisher chute area was a muddy disaster. We headed through the lines to grab our finishers' shirts and then get our food box. Patrick finally made his pit stop while I looked for our crew. We slid in to the charity runner area to grab some fruit and most importantly, for me, a couple PowerIce popsicles. They are basically all natural gatorade in a popsicle. The heat wasn't horrible thanks to the rain but it was still very refreshing after the race. After meeting up with the others, everyone headed back to our apartment. There was no real point in taking a shower because we were completely soaked. It started raining harder right after we finished so most of the sweat was rinsed off. The great thing about being in an apartment instead of a hotel was the fact that we had a dryer. everyone changed into dry clothes and tossed their wet stuff in the dryer. We hung out for the rest of the day and just enjoyed our time together. Our friends presented us with the medals I bought when I signed us up. Since Peachtree gives their shirts to finishers, they don't really do medals. Since so many runners now love their bling, they have started offering then for sale. Since I love my medals and I knew this was going to be Patrick's first(and possibly only) 10K, I got the medals for us both.
Peachtree really was a big party. I'm glad I did it, and if I get a chance, I may do it again. I was hoping I would have a decent finish time to possibly use for Wine and Dine but with the rain, that went out the window. It was a ton of fun running with an old friend and just having fun out on the course. We never took ourselves too seriously during the race and because of that we were free to just enjoy it. It was really nice having a nice race again, even if it wasn't the best finishing time.
I ended up running with one of my best friends, Patrick. When I mentioned I had signed up, he said he may be interested, so I signed him up, haha. Don't tell me about a race you have been considering running because there is a good chance I will sign you up to run it with me. I know that he isn't a huge fan of running anything more than 3 miles, so I decided to use this as the push to actually get him to do the race. I knew it wouldn't be hard for him since we would be going at my pace, which is much slower than his.
A few friends from college met up with us in ATL to hang out for the weekend. We found an apartment to rent out for the weekend that was really close to the finish area at Piedmont Park. We were a little farther from MARTA than I wanted to be but it was close enough that Mac could drop us off closer to the station. Patrick was staying somewhere else since work had him in ATL and they covered his hotel.
I woke up race day to a very unpleasant surprise. There was a HUGE storm headed straight for the course that stretched on for a while. I checked the race FB page and things were still a go but they were keeping an eye on the storm. Patrick drove over the morning of the race to catch a ride to the train with me. Mac wasn't able to get us as close as we thought to the the station we were planning to use because of the road closures but we followed a few other runners up to it.(We were actually right next to a station and didn't realize it. Oh well.) We were able to see the wheelchair racers as they turned onto 10th street towards the finish line. We got into the station just as a train was getting ready to leave. We could have hustled and made it on but we decided to wait for the next. We should have run for it. The next train was definitely a lot fuller. Because of the longer walk to the train and waiting for the next one, we were running a little late. Our Wave was set to start at 7:50. I felt a little better knowing we were on the train with lots of people that were supposed to start before us. If we got into our wave, great. If not, we would just jump in a later one.
We got off the train and headed towards the start corrals. As we got closer, I saw the sign for wave E go past. We made it to the start area just as D was preparing to leave. We hoped in to the front of E and made our way to the line. It wasn't raining yet but the sky didn't look good. We started right on time. We jogged for a while until we could make our way over to the right side. It started raining almost immediately after we started. With it being wet and crowded, I wanted to be safe, not sorry. We never followed any set intervals just went by feeling. Not long into the race, we found someone handing out beer and free hugs. I got a hug and Patrick got a beer. Then we grabbed a pixie stick. I was handed some 80s sunglasses and a full size bottle of water. Patrick made a pit stop and I laughed at the people going out of their way to run through a sprayer that was set up on the right side of the road. By this time, it was raining pretty steady and everyone was soaked. There was no need for the water. We headed on into mile 2 which is mostly down hill. We jogged the entire thing at an easy pace. As we ran, I noticed a tent for Sweet Water beer where they were handing out free cups. Since it is a local beer and not the cheap stuff he was handed earlier, I knew Patrick would want some but he didn't see it. I yelled, "Patrick, beer. Sweet Water!" He darted in front of me, hit a huge puddle, grabbed and light pole to pull a U turn and everyone cheered as he ran back for his beer. I was enjoying my blue freeze pop that I grabbed just before the beer tent from some teens with a cooler. It was the perfect slushy consistency. We enjoyed our treats as we continued town the hill. For about the last half of the downhill section, we could see the buildings of downtown ATL and straight ahead of us was the one everyone calls "the pencil" because that is what it looks like. Somewhere during that section is when everyone on that decline saw "the pencil" get struck by lightning. Up until that point, the course flags had been yellow, after that, they were switched to red. There really wasn't too much lightning except for that one strike. Everyone kept going but many joked about the taller runners around them. There was a collective gasp through the thousands of runners on that hill when it happened but no one stopped.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had heard about the major hill on the course. That's why I started trying to run one of the big hills near us to prepare. When we reached the flat area at the bottom of the hill, we walked for a while to recover and prepare for the hill. I wanted to run as much of it as I could. I didn't want it to slow us down too much. We hit the bottom and started running. There was a red light with a flat area just beyond it. I decided that I wanted to run to the light, take a walk break and then attack the hill again. At the light, we walked a little. I was trying to prepare mentally for the rest of the hill. I knew from others that they brought out the patients from the Spine Center to watch the race and that soon after we would reach the top of the hill and Piedmont Hospital. I was trying to psych myself up for this big, long climb and realized I was seeing the patients out under tents watching us. The rain was still falling but they were out there cheering. I realized I could see the Piedmont hospital sign and we were closer to the top than I thought. I told Patrick I wanted to run it out and started nearly sprinting up the hill. It was no where near as tough as I was expecting. Between hearing what others said and preparing for it for a few weeks before, it really wasn't as bad as I expected. I was really proud of our time up the hill when we were done.
After that, it was an easy run/walk through downtown. I texted our spectators as we turned onto 10th St so they would know we were coming and so they could let me know where they were. Patrick and I joked about a 10K ending our 12 year friendship because I made him start running when he really needed to find a restroom thanks to the beers he had on the course. Because we took the race pretty easy due to the rain, he had no trouble with the distance(which I expected) but as I runner, I know how hard it is to run when you need to go and I had to give him a hard time about it. We made our way down 10th towards the finish feeling good but very wet. I saw Mac and our friends just before we made it to the finish line. I got a quick kiss from the hubby and headed to the line. I knew our time was crap, but I didn't really care. We had a great time.
The finisher chute area was a muddy disaster. We headed through the lines to grab our finishers' shirts and then get our food box. Patrick finally made his pit stop while I looked for our crew. We slid in to the charity runner area to grab some fruit and most importantly, for me, a couple PowerIce popsicles. They are basically all natural gatorade in a popsicle. The heat wasn't horrible thanks to the rain but it was still very refreshing after the race. After meeting up with the others, everyone headed back to our apartment. There was no real point in taking a shower because we were completely soaked. It started raining harder right after we finished so most of the sweat was rinsed off. The great thing about being in an apartment instead of a hotel was the fact that we had a dryer. everyone changed into dry clothes and tossed their wet stuff in the dryer. We hung out for the rest of the day and just enjoyed our time together. Our friends presented us with the medals I bought when I signed us up. Since Peachtree gives their shirts to finishers, they don't really do medals. Since so many runners now love their bling, they have started offering then for sale. Since I love my medals and I knew this was going to be Patrick's first(and possibly only) 10K, I got the medals for us both.
Peachtree really was a big party. I'm glad I did it, and if I get a chance, I may do it again. I was hoping I would have a decent finish time to possibly use for Wine and Dine but with the rain, that went out the window. It was a ton of fun running with an old friend and just having fun out on the course. We never took ourselves too seriously during the race and because of that we were free to just enjoy it. It was really nice having a nice race again, even if it wasn't the best finishing time.
Monday, July 20, 2015
SORRY
I've been meaning to post but I just keep forgetting I guess. I need to recap Peachtree and let you all know what has been going on with the group meet-up runs. I will do my best to get these things up this week.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Leaving my comfort zone
I am trying really hard to step out of my comfort zone right now. I recently joined the Moms Run This Town(MRTT) chapter in my area. I always felt weird about it in the past because I am not a mom, at least not to human children. I was told several times that fur moms count too but I still felt weird so I never tried to join.
I really want to find a group of people in real life to help me train and keep me accountable. I tried going through the local track club but I just didn't get a good feeling from the online interactions so I finally sucked it up and joined MRTT. Immediately I was welcomed into the group and the discussions felt very different. They have several meet up runs each week but they are all super early so that was another strike. I asked in there if there were other evening runners and there are. I am trying to step out so I am thinking of organizing some evening group runs.
I love running in my neighborhood but it is too flat. I need to start running on some hills to get ready for Peachtree and just overall improve my running. There is an area near me that would be great for this but since it requires driving somewhere to run, having people to meet up with will make it more likely to happen.
I'm trying to train better for Peachtree because the 10K i did in Macon on Memorial Day didn't go as planned. Hopefully I can get these weekly runs worked out and July 4th will be much better.
I really want to find a group of people in real life to help me train and keep me accountable. I tried going through the local track club but I just didn't get a good feeling from the online interactions so I finally sucked it up and joined MRTT. Immediately I was welcomed into the group and the discussions felt very different. They have several meet up runs each week but they are all super early so that was another strike. I asked in there if there were other evening runners and there are. I am trying to step out so I am thinking of organizing some evening group runs.
I love running in my neighborhood but it is too flat. I need to start running on some hills to get ready for Peachtree and just overall improve my running. There is an area near me that would be great for this but since it requires driving somewhere to run, having people to meet up with will make it more likely to happen.
I'm trying to train better for Peachtree because the 10K i did in Macon on Memorial Day didn't go as planned. Hopefully I can get these weekly runs worked out and July 4th will be much better.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Finally crawling out from under it all
I know it has been a while since I posted last. I did not realize how long until I just checked. Sorry. Things took a little while to get better but I think(knock on wood) that I may be finally come out on the other side.
After we got Mac better, I started to get back on track. I went to the gym and was feeling alright. The pollen was becoming a nightmare and I felt a little scratchiness in my throat but I hoped it would go away. Then I ended up getting food poisoning. It took me a little more time to recover than when Mac had it and once I did, I realized the sinus issues I had been having, moved into my chest. I had a HORRIBLE cough. I went to the gym once the stomach was better but I was coughing like crazy. My trainer agreed to take out the cardio so I could just focus on strength training during our sessions until I was better. She was really great about it and very surprised that I had continued to come in even though I was not feeling great. It took a little longer than I wanted but my chest cleared up. I still feel it a little if she pushes the cardio a little too hard so she watches me and dials it back if I need it.
As much as food poisoning sucked, it helped get me out of the funk I was in with my weight loss. It is definitely not something I recommend to anyone but I had been stuck for so long and it helped me through that. Of course I lost several pounds when I was sick and put some back on when I was better, but I started seeing the numbers move down again even once I was feeling better and eating normally again. I've been trying to make better choices and work on my food more since I was sick.
Saturday, I ran a 10K. It's the first real long run I have done since Star Wars and I wanted to see where I was. I have been doing some shorter runs and speed work as well as working out at the gym and I was wondering if it had helped improve my pace any. I have been looking at races in the area a lot over the past month and I knew there was a 10K in Port St Joe along the coast. It was only $30 and I love the area so I decided it would be a good one to use as a gauge for where I am and what I need to do before Memorial Day to get a good finish time at that 10K to use as my new proof of time.
It was a fun little race. There were only 77 total racers with 48 doing the 5K and 29 running the 10K. We started near the beach and ran around to a walking/running path that curved along between the beach and the beach houses in the area. Then we headed into a small private community before heading back to the finish area. The course was very nice and the volunteers were great but there were a few issues. They had to change the course the night before due to an event nearby that would cause us to cross traffic. They thought that meant the 10K was going to be a little long. In fact, it was a little short. Once I got home, I uploaded the info from my gps and checked the map to make sure it was right and found out that my pace was still better than I expected even though my finish time was not a good as I thought when I passed the clock(since the course was short). I have not run over 3 miles in a while so I was very happy even though I was annoyed by the short course. All of the cross training has definitely paid off. I really hope that over the next six weeks, I can continue to improve and get a good time at my next race.
I am a little sad that once again, there is a race result online that looks way better than what I actually did. I want my numbers to be real. I want what looks like a PR to really be a PR, not just luck because someone incorrectly measured a course. My goal once again is to get a true time that is as good as or better than the one that came from an error.
This has also been a good week because I have been able to see a difference when I put on clothes. I was happier with how my body looks. I know I still have a long way to go, but it is nice when you can see a difference, even if it is small. This weekend, may have undone some of that but I will work to get it back on track. (We had several friends come visit and there was lots of food and games.)
I finally feel like maybe I am seeing the light on the other side of that tough spot. I know I will go through more during this journey but I hope that one is behind me and I have a few months of good roads at least. I'm not 100% sure if I am going to be able to hold out until Wine and Dine without doing another half but that is still my big goal race that I am working towards. I will hopefully be doing more 5Ks and 10Ks between now and then to help pass the time.
After we got Mac better, I started to get back on track. I went to the gym and was feeling alright. The pollen was becoming a nightmare and I felt a little scratchiness in my throat but I hoped it would go away. Then I ended up getting food poisoning. It took me a little more time to recover than when Mac had it and once I did, I realized the sinus issues I had been having, moved into my chest. I had a HORRIBLE cough. I went to the gym once the stomach was better but I was coughing like crazy. My trainer agreed to take out the cardio so I could just focus on strength training during our sessions until I was better. She was really great about it and very surprised that I had continued to come in even though I was not feeling great. It took a little longer than I wanted but my chest cleared up. I still feel it a little if she pushes the cardio a little too hard so she watches me and dials it back if I need it.
As much as food poisoning sucked, it helped get me out of the funk I was in with my weight loss. It is definitely not something I recommend to anyone but I had been stuck for so long and it helped me through that. Of course I lost several pounds when I was sick and put some back on when I was better, but I started seeing the numbers move down again even once I was feeling better and eating normally again. I've been trying to make better choices and work on my food more since I was sick.
Saturday, I ran a 10K. It's the first real long run I have done since Star Wars and I wanted to see where I was. I have been doing some shorter runs and speed work as well as working out at the gym and I was wondering if it had helped improve my pace any. I have been looking at races in the area a lot over the past month and I knew there was a 10K in Port St Joe along the coast. It was only $30 and I love the area so I decided it would be a good one to use as a gauge for where I am and what I need to do before Memorial Day to get a good finish time at that 10K to use as my new proof of time.
It was a fun little race. There were only 77 total racers with 48 doing the 5K and 29 running the 10K. We started near the beach and ran around to a walking/running path that curved along between the beach and the beach houses in the area. Then we headed into a small private community before heading back to the finish area. The course was very nice and the volunteers were great but there were a few issues. They had to change the course the night before due to an event nearby that would cause us to cross traffic. They thought that meant the 10K was going to be a little long. In fact, it was a little short. Once I got home, I uploaded the info from my gps and checked the map to make sure it was right and found out that my pace was still better than I expected even though my finish time was not a good as I thought when I passed the clock(since the course was short). I have not run over 3 miles in a while so I was very happy even though I was annoyed by the short course. All of the cross training has definitely paid off. I really hope that over the next six weeks, I can continue to improve and get a good time at my next race.
I am a little sad that once again, there is a race result online that looks way better than what I actually did. I want my numbers to be real. I want what looks like a PR to really be a PR, not just luck because someone incorrectly measured a course. My goal once again is to get a true time that is as good as or better than the one that came from an error.
This has also been a good week because I have been able to see a difference when I put on clothes. I was happier with how my body looks. I know I still have a long way to go, but it is nice when you can see a difference, even if it is small. This weekend, may have undone some of that but I will work to get it back on track. (We had several friends come visit and there was lots of food and games.)
I finally feel like maybe I am seeing the light on the other side of that tough spot. I know I will go through more during this journey but I hope that one is behind me and I have a few months of good roads at least. I'm not 100% sure if I am going to be able to hold out until Wine and Dine without doing another half but that is still my big goal race that I am working towards. I will hopefully be doing more 5Ks and 10Ks between now and then to help pass the time.
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