The Battle of Myrtle Beach

Sounds like a history lesson, doesn't it?

Well, I guess it is a lesson of sorts.  I know I learned a few last weekend.

Last weekend was the Myrtle Beach Marathon and Half Marathon.  I started eyeing this race for a few reasons; lots of good friends running, close to home, I've never been there (I know, right?!) and it is nice and flat.  I thought it might be the ideal spot to try for one of my 2013 goals, a 1:48 half marathon.  So, I hit that registration button and started the training cycle mid-November.  For those that note such things, that was only 2 weeks post-marathon.  I thought it would be easy peasy, coming off that marathon.  I was in shape, right?  What was 13.1 when i just did 26.2?  Piece of cake, right?  (and yes, it was exactly this attitude that led me to eating many pieces of cake....)

November was spent easing back into it, December started business as usual and then the holidays hit. What's a few pounds?  I'll work that off no problem, right after Christmas...then BAM.  Mr. Knee decided he wasn't happy.  And when Mr. Knee isn't happy, Mama ain't happy.  I was thankful for training runs when I could do them, and ecstatic when I could actually finish them which unfortunately didn't happen often.  So here I am, losing fitness, losing confidence, losing motivation, losing faith.  One week from Myrtle, I pretty much decided to just to go enjoy it, no pressure.  Eat, drink and be merry, and get through the weekend and to not worry about anything*.  (*yes, I realize that those who know me personally are laughing hysterically at that statement....)  Come Wednesday evening after I wrote this and after a session with my massage therapist/voice-of-clarity/guardian angel, I was actually beginning to look forward to it.  Thursday morning greeted me with a sore throat, clogged nose and that spacey sick feeling.  W. T. F.  Enter Zicam and Advil Cold and Sinus every 4 hours.

Friday I woke, vowing that I was going to make the best of it.  A positive attitude is what is going to get me through.  This was definitely a test for me.  I like to control as many variables as I can.  And when I can't I get very very anxious.  So, I promised I would do my best to just sit back and enjoy.  No stress, right?  So, off we went, the hubs and I.

Late travel start?  Charlotte traffic?  I handled surprisingly well (very proud of myself!) Myrtle Beach traffic? didn't see that one coming...but still, on time for dinner at 5 with my good friend, Rebecca and her hubs.  5:00 came and we're still in traffic but not far out.  We made it, I saw no line at the number pick up, so I grabbed my packet and we were sat down to dinner around 5:30ish.  I don't know what it is about getting your number and sitting down for dinner that makes me relax.  But it did and we enjoyed a nice quiet pasta filled dinner, saw more very good friends (shout out to Dave, Marc and Johane!!!), enjoyed more time at the expo (they had baby tigers!!!!!)  and ran into newly arrived Jyl and Graham (they got stuck in Myrtle Beach traffic too) and my new friend Bonny (holla!). Getting tired and wanting off my feet, we went to the hotel to settle in for the evening and get ready for the next day's 4:30am alarm for the 6:30am start. (zicam and advil are never an arm's length away)

Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep.  PB and English Muffin with Banana time!  then crawl back into bed until it was time for the mad rush to leave the hotel (late).  Thinking we were smart we thought we'd drive the back way to the start.  EEEHHHH  Wrong answer.  I ended up hopping out of the truck and got my "warm-up" in by jogging to the start, which was a mad house, then frantically trying to find Rebecca and her hubs so I could tell him to call my hubs (they had plans to meet up at the start to head out to the course).  No dice.  I was able to find Jyl and Graham thank goodness.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to enjoy the nervous-tinkle-time-pre-race-porta-potty-visit.  The clock was clicking dangerously to 6:30, still no sign of Rebecca, we decided to go ahead and find our place at the start.  I was so frazzled by this point, that I didn't even see the elephant at the start line.  Leave it to me to be oblivious to the presence of a 4-ton animal.  Clearly my mind wasn't in the game.

Then, we were off.  Graham and I started together, but I got caught up in foot traffic and we got separated after the 1st mile.  Miles 2 was much the same, lots of people and I was unable to find my stride.  By #3, I was finally feeling okay.  So okay, that I thought, "1:48...should I? I mean, I'm here right....might as well give it a shot!"  I caught up with Graham.  He was looking comfortable and strong.  I was feeling decent, so after a quick check-in, I continued on and tried to get on pace for 1:48:00, which I finally was able to do around mile 5.  Mile 5.  Exactly the time I had to start my self-talks.  Exactly the time when those thoughts of "I can't" and DNFs enter the mind.  I took an inventory of how I was physically.  Legs, dead.  Energy level, dead.  The gel I took at the 40 min mark, not helping.  What is happening??  I was truly miserable for the next mile and half or so.  I did catch some much needed energy from seeing the faster runners after they made it past the turn around and cheered on as I saw Dave (who ran a 1:26, averaging 6:36 pace!!) flying by.  I got another gust of energy after seeing the hubs after mile 6 (I got so excited I almost cried!).  This helped carry me through to mile 9 between an 8:14-18 pace.  Then, it was all leaving me.  All the energy, all the will...I was leaving it in a trail of footprints behind me.  Nothing was working.  Gel, water, electrolytes.  Nothing.  Legs were like cannon balls, hips on fire.  Never have I felt this bad.  Never had I battled so hard to finish.  Finish.  I had to finish.  Just finish and then you can rest.

Hubs got this as I was coming in
at the finish.
Not the most flattering shot,
but you can see how ready
I was to be done!

Just keep going.

I don't know how, but I did.  I crossed the line with a 1:52:02.  Not goal, but it was a PR by just shy of 2 minutes.

After icing the knee (thank you Med Team!), some chocolate milk,  a little chatter and post-race photo op, we headed for the hotel.

me and Rebecca,
post-race photo op!

Hurricane Myrtle at
Margaritaville

post-race treat

Then after sending all the "i'm alive" messages to friends back home, it was time to get cleaned up for a much needed post-race lunch.  Thank goodness we made it just in time for Hurricane Myrtle.

I wish I had more pictures, of me and Jyl and Graham and Bonny and The Hubs.  But honestly, I was really digging on my post-race treat.





I learned a few things from Myrtle Beach.
1) Respect the distance.  There is no such thing as "just" anything.
2) You can't control things that are out of your control.  Control what you can and try to flow with the rest.
3) Attitude is everything.
4) Your body (and your mind) needs rest.
5) You can't be in top shape all the time.  And that is OKAY!!

Closing thoughts:
I did battle that day in Myrtle.  I fought harder for those 13.1 than I have for anything else, even the marathon.  Not my best day, but I think it might be a day I'm most proud of to-date.  The odds were definitely not in my favor.  I was afraid the knee would bomb, I didn't know if my calves would cooperate, I was sicker than I would let myself admit.  I was not in shape to run that race physically or mentally.  The fact that I finished is a victory and then a PR on top...I don't know if that was luck or sheer determination...or maybe a little bit of both?

What now?  Now it's time for a little break.  I've taken this week off to kick that nasty cold and I've decided to take a slight hiatus from running to let my knee heal.  March will be race free.  It's time to get back to strength training to help prevent against future injury.  My training schedule will be light on running but filled with more swimming and biking to start getting me ready for my first full sprint-distanced triathlon in May....where I'm sure there will be stories of transition areas, bikes with lots of people, a lake and possible wet suit fiascos to share!  Until then?

Do like Jyl says....just keep going.

Run for Green 2012

Last year at this time, I was getting ready to "toe the line" at the furthest distance I had ever done.  I had been released from my walking boot (for a stress fracture) in August 2011 and was determined to "toe the line" for my first 10K at the Run for Green in 2011.

What a difference a year makes!  It's hard to believe that today I ran the Run for Green half marathon without a second thought.  Without nerves, without anxiety...almost without excitement.  It was just going to be another long run, another training run, just another Saturday.  I had no expectations, no race pace or finish time in mind.  I just went to run.

I started off with what felt slow.  I was being passed by so many people.  But it was okay.  I wasn't trying to beat anyone; heck, I wasn't even trying to beat myself!  After about three miles and few runners passed, I looked at my watch and realized that I was keeping an 8:30ish pace.  I was a little surprised and began to wonder if I could actually keep that pace, but I honestly wasn't going to hold my breath...

About four miles in or so, I caught up to Lori, one of my training partners.  We ran, we chatted, we stopped at the water stop, we ran a little more, we LAUGHED.  Word of advice, when abbreviating the word "ridiculous" to say "ri-dic", make sure you emphasize and enunciate the "ri" that precedes the "dic", or nearby runners might think you are calling the lead runner that just past you all, very bad names.....

After running through a residential neighborhood I like to call the Hotel California (because you can never leave...), we reached a nice little green way almost to the halfway point and turn around.  Turn arounds are fun, but disheartening at the same time because you get to see every single person that's running faster than you!  It was at this point I saw a face I thought I recognized. It was Coach Sarah!  My gosh I didn't know she'd be running today!  That was a nice surprise.  She was going fast.  No surprise there ;)

The second verse, same as the first.....

I won't bore you with the rest of the deets.  Bottom line, somehow I was able to hang onto my pace through all the rolling hills and climbs and averaged an 8:41 pace per mile.  I finished in 1:53:51, a huge PR by about 10 minutes.

After the race I enjoyed a bagel and coffee with Jyl and her mom (hugs to you both!).  And a special shout out to Jack, a fine gentleman I met at the finish line.  I hope to see you out on the DART runs soon!!!

Next week....we'll go for a trifecta...I'll be doing the swim, bike, run thing at the Ramblin' Rose.  We'll see how that goes.

I guess it's time I actually GET ON my bike......

The Flying Pirate Half Marathon 2012 or The Race Where Body Glide Was Your Best Friend

I had some trouble coming up with a title for this post.  So many options for only one race:

• The Drowning Pirate
• I Didn't Think I Registered For A Tough Mudder
• WTF, How Are There Hills at the Coast
• The One Time I Wanted To Stay IN A Porta Potty

The possibilities are endless, I promise you.

I also debated on how I would recap the race.  I've seen some that detail strategy, nutrition, aches and pains mile by mile, split by split.  But now that I've done a race where there were more than 3 miles to remember, my hat is off to those people because after mile .5, it's all a jumble.  Heck..I'm still wondering if it actually happened at all!

It was a dark and stormy night....

No, seriously!  The rains started around 11:00 pm the night before.  The weatherman kept telling me it was going to rain, but that didn't stop me from hoping for a miracle.  I had a vision of my post-race celebration and this forecast was NOT in it!  But alas, the rains did not stop until possibly 4:00 pm the following afternoon.  So, I set out the most weather friendly clothing I brought (so much for the cute outfit I bought just for the occasion..hmpf), my Pure Flows (because they're fast), my Garmin doo dads, my new thick socks I bought in a panic (because all I had were little thin ones that screamed BLISTER WAITING TO HAPPEN) and my trusty hat.  All set and ready to go.

My morning started at 5:00 am after an unfitful sleep.  Hubby was still sleeping and I didn't want to wake him, so I grabbed my Luna bar and my banana and ate in the bathroom.  Thank goodness he woke up rather quickly because me eating in the bathroom just seemed weird.  I got dressed and tried my best to wait calmly, but hell, I don't wait calmly very well.  So I gave the green light for us to leave to drop me at the start line.  In the rain.  Before dawn.  All by myself.  Scary.  

Waiting for the time to get herded like cattle, I ran into a friend from Daily Mile (big shout out to Steve R J!), chatted for a moment and then I had to politely excuse myself to visit the ladies room.  Never in my entire life did I actually want to stay in a porta potty, only to catch a break from the relentless rain that kept hammering on our heads.  And then it was corral time.  We sang the national anthem and the first wave was off an running, with me in the fourth, following shortly behind them.  

Now, remember, we're lucky I can remember what I had for breakfast that morning; but, because I ate most of it in the bathroom, it tends to make that breakfast unforgettable.  The point I'm trying to make is my memory for the rest of the race is a little spotty.

Everything was fantastic the first three miles.  And then the next three miles went as well as the first.  The course took us through some great residential neighborhoods with lots of trees and beautiful houses to look at.  And then I think mile 6 led us to a path that followed the sound and then back to the neighborhoods and then back on the sound.  Until now, the course was pretty much flat with some slight inclines here and there. There were spectators out rooting us all on (rock on folks, y'all are awesome!).  This race is ticketed with the best spectators around and I believe that to be spot on, especially if the sun was out.  My pace was consistently between 9:15 and 9:30, exactly where I wanted to be to reach a sub 2:05:00, and if all went well I could pick it up at the the last 4 miles and maybe come in under 2:00:00??

Me, striking a pose.  

The course took us around the base of the Wright Brothers monument, where I got to strike a pose.  I chatted with a woman from Cary for a bit and then went on my way.  I was feeling pretty fantastic at this point. Little did I know what was waiting for me.

If memory serves, soon after the memorial volunteers steered us to an off-road vehicle path that was made up of a mixture of sand, dirt and grit.  Well, in constant rain and 1,000ish runners later, the path turned into a muddy mess.  If you didn't know, mud will suck the energy right out of you and is a huge pace killer.  We endured around three miles of this nonsense.  The smiling girl you see to the right, quickly embraced the role of a cussing pirate.

Now, the race description mentioned a slight incline at mile 12.  Being that I live in the Piedmont of North Carolina, I am no stranger to many slight inclines.  So, I thought the "slight incline at mile 12" would be easy peasy!  No one told me it was going to be like a trail run in Lake Norman State Park.  It was at this point I think my head beat me.  I believed my legs didn't have it.  They might have, but I didn't think they did.  I ended up walking up the hills and running down the hills.  We did this for a bit until I came to what I believed to be the last one.  I decided I better pick it up, so I ran up, crested the hill and there it was.  THE FINISH LINE.  About 600 yards off in the distance.  I no longer had control over my limbs.  My legs flew me down the hill passing about five other runners (okay, well, I don't know if it was five but i know it was at least two!) and crossed the line at 2:04:45.

  

Booyah!

just about to the finish line...

Also, these two photos prove I did pass at least the one guy to my left....

And then I said...

NOW GIVE ME A SHINY BLANKET!!!

Rock Star

I didn't make my sub 2 hr hopes, but I did reach the original sub 2:05:00 goal.  All in all, a GREAT race, a FANTASTIC course.  If anyone has their sites on Boston, I recommend the Outer Banks Marathon in November.  

The Best Of's:

• best sign: Puke and Rally
• best noise maker:  cow bells, hands down.
• best shouts of encouragement by a spectator:  "Don't pull a muscle!"  "Be careful, don't hurt yourself!"  (She literally made me laugh out loud)
• best part of the course:  Running along the sound.  Gorgeous. 
• best t-shirt at the Expo:  "If marathon training was easy, they'd call it football."
• best booth at the Expo:  I don't know who they were (might be the point), but they had scary masks with breathing apparatuses and a German Shepherd on guard.  I think they may have been recruiting for the CIA. 
• best after race conversation:  at dinner, I was talking with a gentleman that also ran.  I showed the above rock star picture (yes, I know I'm a dork).  He said "Hey, you passed me, I remember your shoes."
• best outfit:  Hands down, the two dudes running in kilts.  Like I said.....

The race where Body Glide was your best friend....

It's almost time...

One week from today, you will find me on my way to the Outerbanks to go party with bunch of pirates.

In one week and three days, I will be running with/away from/to a bunch of pirates (it's too early to tell exactly which) for 13.1 miles.

...and then I will eat grilled cheese. 

Training, Racing and Drumlines

This past Saturday, I went beyond my normal two-exit radius and ventured into the big city of Charlotte, North Carolina.  You see, I was able to talk some of my co-workers into running with me in the Alston+Bird LLP Corporate Cup 5K and Half Marathon.  Now, we work in the fundraising biz, hence the really cool team name and awesome t-shirts.  May I present to you Team Fund Racers!

I'm the one on the left, looking like she has to pee....

We met at 7:30 am on a beautiful, yet windy, morning among 2,333 runners. We had some folks running the 5k and some running the Half.  After our photo op, we all headed to the start line with our racing faces on.....

 We don't put the "Fun" in Fund Racer for nothing, yo!
 
Anyway.  I had 12 miles scheduled for Saturday as part of my training.  Seeing that I'm "saving myself" for the Flying Pirate, I decided to run the 5K and run some miles before and after.  Plus, I was really curious as to what kind of time I could put in since my very first race last April, almost one year ago.

I did a 3 mile warm up with Jyl, (you remember Jyl).  She ran the Half as part of her marathon training.  Then, at 8:00 we all started running the streets of Charlotte.  I have never ran with so many people before!  It's good practice though, as the Pirate will have about 4,000 runners and the Boilermaker I'll be running with my family in July has just SOLD OUT, capped at 14,000.  Also, navigating water stops is new territory for me too!  (oops getting off topic...)  So.  Well, plainly said, I set out way too fast!  I didn't think I'd make it the 3 miles....almost puked at mile 1.75.  Somehow I pulled it together and made it through.  Then, when I looked at my watch it said 26:23....my last 5K was 32 minutes.  That's a sub 9 minute pace per mile.  (p.s.  official chip time came in at 26:24)

Booyah, my friends, Boo. Yah.

Now, if you're doing math with me, you'll remember that I had 12 miles to complete.  So, with 6 miles down and 6 miles to go, I decided to head out backwards down the half marathon course to see if I could meet up with Jyl.  After 3 miles down and a nice chat with a police officer, there she was, looking strong!  After a mile or two of chit chat and me spilling Powerade in my shoe, we come to one of the last hills of the course.  And on this hill was a drumline.  Man I LOVE a drumline!  Sexy. As. Hell!  And it is at this point I must issue a public apology to all that had to witness me doing the run/dance combination.  Sorry y'all, I just couldn't resist it!

Thankfully, Jyl resisted her urge to push me down (no, I wouldn't blame her if she did!), and we made it to the finish, Jyl getting a PR too!  Made for a great day!

And now, I leave you with these parting words of wisdom.

If you hear a drumline, you just gotta dance.... even though cute cops will laugh at you.

Training Update

It has just occurred to me that I have been talking a lot about a lot of things, except my training for the Flying Pirate.  I did tell you I registered and I have mentioned my love/hate relationship with swimming, but the rest of my posts have been fluffy, and many times, ABOUT my fluffy.  So, as I have just completed my first month of half marathon training, I thought I'd give a visual recap of weeks 1 - 4 in my favorite (and given my artistic ability, only) medium.

Training Week 1

Training Week 2

Training Week 3

Training Week 4

EDIT:
Now, this past Saturday, I'm proud to announce that I have reached another runner's milestone (My first was losing a toe nail.  I did take a picture.  You can thank me later for not sharing.) with my friend, Jyl.

TEN MILES, BABY!!!

Jyl (wearing Dukie colors) and Me (wearing Davidson red and black!)
in front of our after-run coffee shop, Summit Coffee.
Best base camp EVER.

The Challenge: Week 1

On December 31, I signed up for a challenge with the folks over at Do Live Movement.  If you're not following Ben, Pa, Jed and crew, you need too.  Fantastic community they've got going on, it would be a shame if y'all weren't a part of it!  Maybe you should become a member....!

We just completed the first week of the 12 week challenge.  By the way, there is no deadline to participate in the challenge, so if you'd like to join there is still time.

This week was about goals, how to assess them and how to actually achieve them.  Keeping them small and obtainable is the key.  It's okay to think big.  In fact, you better!  But to get there, set little goals.  It's all baby steps.  I'm going to quote something from the movie, The Patriot.  You may ask, "how in the heck can she quote something from a very commercial movie about the Revolutionary War and make it applicable?"  Watch me....

"Aim small, miss small."
People don't expect small changes to mean anything, but when you add them all up, holy cow!  You'll be surprised how much you were able to change and accomplish!

There were a few tasks for this week's challenge.
 
1) Come up with 5 goals that can be attained in one month, and assess where you are right now.  Here are mine, and the assessment follows

• Lose 5 pounds - I weighed in on Monday at 135.4 (on a really miserable scale that weighs less than what I am, but we'll use these numbers because it's the only scale I have.)
  note:  this is the first time I have ever publicly said my weight.  Might be time to do a before/after reflection....
• Keep daily food logs and include estimated caloric intake - I'm wishy washy on the food logs, sometimes I keep them, sometimes I let it go; and I have never kept track of calories.  I'm hoping in doing so will help me with goal #1.
• Clean my house - I have a new ecosystem evolving in my shower.......
• Organize my closets - This may seem like cleaning the house, but everything that you don't have a place for when cleaning your house, goes into the closets.  I have a lot of stuff in my closets....and it makes me feel unorganized and anxious!
• Walk my dogs at least once a week with my hubby - I have a big yard, so I normally don't walk my dogs because I think they can just run around and get exercise.  But they prefer to lay on the back patio.  My Dum Dums need to Do Life too!  And it gives me and the hubby more time together instead of watching tv or being on our computers!

2) How many push ups can you do in 1 set?  Only 15

3) Add 30 minutes to your workouts with increased intensity.  If I do any more intervals to running workouts, I might stroke out.  So, I've added at least 30 minutes of swimming at least two times a week and have signed up for a yoga class starting next week, because my lack of flexibility is becoming a hindrance to my running and swimming goals.

4) Identify your biggest excuse.  Come up with a way to eliminate that excuse.  This is a good one. I work full time and I go to college part time at night.  I say that I don't have time to do homework, something is always keeping me from it and at times it does.  But I don't put it first, either.  I don't make it a priority.  I'm a procrastinator too.  So, a way to eliminate that excuse is for me to own up and stop putting the blame on others, don't let others deter me from my success, to quit procrastinating and make my education a priority.  

5) Each night, write down 4 things you did well today
This may have been the hardest part of this week's challenge
Monday - finished a hellish hill workout, planned my meals for the week, went grocery shopping, enjoyed my last day of holiday vacation.
Tuesday - got to work on time, enjoyed time with a good friend over a healthy dinner I made, decent 3 mile run with some hill work, made my to-do lists
Wednesday - got out of bed!, I limited Facebook time, took my 1st swim lesson in a LONG time, completed the majority of my 1st strength/core workout scheduled for my half marathon training
Thursday - good 4 mile run, gave good advice, made amends with an old friend, did dishes even though all I wanted to do was go to bed!
Friday - went to the pool even though I REALLY didn't want to, ate well, reached out to help someone in their journey to better health and put myself out there in the meantime, made some people laugh with this blog.
Saturday - made a healthy(ish) lasagna and it was my first homemade lasagna EVER and it actually came out good and didn't stick to the pan!, helped a runner new to the group get through our long run, registered for the Boilermaker Road Race 15K, didn't raise my voice and kept calm when others did not even though I really wanted to go a little nuts too.

Reflection:
The hardest part about this week's challenge, for me, was the 4 Things.  I really had a hard time coming up with some.  So, I don't know if I need to do more stuff or be easier on myself.  Regardless, I think this will be an exercise I will continue.

I've had a great week training for my first half marathon (The Flying Pirate, Nags Head NC in April), and I think I'm more proud of that than anything right now.

I'm REALLY excited about running the Boilermaker (Utica NY) in July with my sister-in-law and nephew.  14,000 runners in the 15K and 4,000 in the 5K.  It's going to be insane!  Registration is open if you're interested.  It sells out, so don't take to long to decide.  http://www.boilermaker.com/  Party at my brother's afterwards, even if he doesn't know it ;-)

The school semester starts tomorrow.  So, here I pledge, I will dedicate at least 1 hour each non-class evening and 2 lunch hours per week to schoolwork.  I will not let the tv or people deter me from finishing what is needed to complete my studies on the weekend.  I need to make this commitment so I don't have a stroke trying to get caught up at the end of the semester!

And there you have it folks.  Do Life Challenge Week 1 complete.  Long post, I know.  I hope you made it all the way through it.  Tomorrow starts Week 2.  You in??

Well, can't turn back now....