Thankful Thursday

Things that are making me smile today, despite my suspicion that I have a case of strep throat in May:

1) My legs feel human again after Sunday’s half marathon. That could possibly why I’ve decided to register myself for another half marathon in the fall – The Hershey Half Marathon. Since last year’s medal looked like a Reese’s cup and the year before was a Kiss, I’m there. Love me some cutesie race bling. 

2) I had been slaving away on a research/data analysis project for grad school and couldn’t get the technology right to make a flipping bar graph. This is after writing a 55 page paper. I called my professor, who quickly said, “If you’re having issues with it, don’t do it. Seriously. Go out and enjoy life. I’m the only one who will see it.” As an educator, I think this is nonsense. As a student just trying to get through a class I’ll never use, I think this is the best phone call I’ve ever had. 

3) My Mother’s Day gift came in the mail, and I love it. Love it. I do not, however, love my pasty skin and freckles that are highlighted in this photo…

Pittsburgh Half Marathon, Recap.

Brace yourselves. It’s going to be a long one…

I did it. After blindly signing up for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in the fall and subsequently running like a crazy person, I actually went through with it. It was truly an amazing experience, and quite possibly the most physically difficult thing I’ve ever put my body through. My mind is still swimming over the enormity of it all. I don’t even know if I can put into words how I feel, but I know that right now, as I sit here with icy hot slathered all over my legs, I feel oddly sad and empty that the whole experience is over. For now.

The day technically began the day before, also known as “drink the most water possible and eat a billion carbs.” I liked this day. We had a small feast that included a monstrous brownie sundae. I ate so much and had not one ounce of guilt – best feeling ever! I had a hard time sleeping that night – too anxious (or too full…). I was so worried I’d forget something or not eat the right thing or have to poop ten times during the race or be so slow that the sweeps wagon would scoop me up.

Regardless, the alarm went off at 4:15 a.m., a truly ungodly hour. I was out the door by 4:30 to meet my carpoolers and running buddies. I had eaten a quick breakfast of a bagel with peanut butter and banana, though it didn’t feel right eating that while it was pitch black outside. We got into the city with no issues and were immediately surrounded by marathon ambiance – tons and tons of runners, volunteers, spectators all ready to go, despite the time. We met a lot of really great people in line for the bathrooms and in the corrals – it’s the first time I’ve ever really felt I was a part of a running community. Everyone was crammed (truly, we were being herded), all 30,000 people, ready to begin the insanity together. Everyone, even the experienced runners, looked nervous – checking earbuds, stretching, and looking around for familiar faces (of which, there were many).

We finally got to the starting line 35 minutes after the official start time, which was kind of annoying. But, the start was fabulous. I distinctly remember hearing Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” on my playlist right as I crossed the start – a perfect choice to get me going. I always struggle during the first three miles of any run, but I didn’t struggle yesterday. I was running with a group of teachers from my husband’s school, including my youngest son’s godfather. Being with them, along with the rest of the masses, really passed the time. Along every stretch, there were bands and Pittsburghers cheering us on. There was so much to see – I wasn’t even focused on running at all. We went through some great neighborhoods and BRIDGES! Seriously – running over those bridges was one of the coolest experiences ever. Looking up at the yellow webs of steel while I was running is something I’ll never forget.

Around mile eight, my left knee started to hurt. I told the group to keep going, that I wanted to slow my pace so I could finish in a run. I never felt alone, and it was nice to not feel like I was pulling anyone back. I just did my own thing, drank lots of Gatorade (seriously, if I never have the lemon-lime flavor again, it will be too soon), and pushed as hard as I could to get to mile 11.9, where my in-laws were volunteering at the water station. Knowing they were there helped so much, particularly at mile ten, when I started having stabbing pains that went from the back of my knee all the way up to my back. I was in trouble, but I was determined to be running when I saw them. I kept going over the last bridge and turned onto mile 11, where I was met by one of Pittsburgh’s infamous mile-long hills. Seriously? You had to plan the course with THAT hill at mile 11? Eff you, Pittsburgh.

I will admit that I walked up the hill. Hobbled is more like it. But it was for the best. I got to the crest, started painfully running again, and made it to the last water stop. My mother-in-law was beaming like only a mother can and handed me my last cup of Gatorade. It was just enough to keep me sane for the last stretch, which happened to be all down hill! I swear, running down that hill was amazing. I didn’t jog – I bolted! I could see the finish line in the distance, and I just wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

Little did I realize, it wasn’t quite as close as it seemed. I was just about ready to slow down when I looked on the sidewalk, only to see my son’s godfather running towards me. Good guy that he is, he stopped just before his group would have crossed the finish (a mere three minutes before me!) so I wouldn’t have to finish by myself. Seriously, I tear up just thinking about it. That was just such a great show of friendship and sportsmanship, and I will never, ever forget how relieved I felt to see him. Thanks, man.

So, it was done. I got a sweet medal and turned to see my husband holding up a hot pink sign my mom made with my sons – hot pink to match my obnoxious compression socks. As I got closer to him, I realized that my gay entourage was also there to see me finish. They all fussed over me, and my husband even peeled my socks from my sore feet. That’s love, I tell ya’. Once I stopped running, I realized how sore I was. Then I was freezing. Then I couldn’t stop crying. In fact, I still have moments where I just cry. I cry that it’s over. That I actually did it. That my legs really freaking hurt right now.

It feels like the end of something – all of that training and stress. But I hope that it’s just the beginning. I’m going to take at least a week or two before I run again, but won’t run a long distance like that for quite a while. But I think yesterday’s experience firmly planted the running bug into my body. Now that I know what 13.1 feels like, I can’t help but fantasize about running it again and kicking the hill on mile 11′s ass next time. I’m going to hold onto that feeling, and promptly forget about the murderous thoughts that ran through my mind during miles 8-11.5. That’s how I ended up having two kids, so it’s safe to say I’ll run it again.

Thank you, Pittsburgh Marathon. Thank you.

Last Long Run

Today, I joined my sometimes running partner, Jen, for one final long run before the Pittsburgh Half Marathon next Sunday. My hope was to run 13.1 with two planned walk periods. I ended up stopping at 11.5, only because I was STARVING and accidentally left my gummies in the car mid-run. I was afraid if I pushed it any further, I’d fall over on the streets of Sewickley (which, by the way, is one of the most beautiful places to run). Still, I am pleased with how it went. I took it slow today, and I felt like I could push it faster. I didn’t feel like dying at any point during the run, so all in all, it was encouraging. I know I won’t have the greatest time for the real half, but I am at least confident that I will finish in a run. That’s all I can ask for for this first (and potentially last) attempt. 

Noteworthy realizations from this run:

1) Compression socks are worth every single penny. This was my first run with them, and my shins feel great! My legs were a little sore after I took a siesta, but now I feel pretty normal. I’m actually shocked at how quickly my legs recovered today, but I’m not complaining! I don’t know that I can fully attribute this feel-goodness to only the socks, but they definitely helped. I will be proudly rocking those hot pink bad boys during the half. 

2) The first three miles of my run always suck. I don’t know why; I guess I’m just warming up. It doesn’t matter, though – every time, I consider stopping during those first few miles. I don’t hit my stride until right after mile three. Then I can stop whining, at least until mile nine, when my body starts screaming: “What the eff are you doing to me?!?!?!”

3) Coming home to an ice bath hurts so good. (Side note: Today, I may or may not have soaked in the ice bath while eating McDonald’s cheeseburgers and a chocolate milkshake. I also may or may not have propped up the iPad on the toilet so I could watch my new shameful obsession, Vampire Diaries on Netflix.) Followed up by a steamy shower and then a heating pad, and I’m in heaven. Until I move. Then my body remembers I ran for two hours and tells me to sit back down.

4) My body’s most over-the-top way of telling me it’s not built for this type of endurance running? After my runs of any more than six miles, I have been getting seriously sick to my stomach. Nausea. Stomach cramping. Acid reflux. I’m told it has something to do with the salt the body loses through exertion and sweat. Such an odd sensation – I am hungry and feel like I need to eat, but the thought of even drinking water turns my stomach. It’s just unpleasant, but thankfully I won’t have any crazy runs after next Sunday. 

5) Burning 1300 calories is pretty amazing. So, why isn’t my stomach flatter? (Probably because I eat McDonald’s cheeseburgers and milkshakes…)

6) The fact that I started feeling tired at mile nine and thought, I only have four miles – that’s nothing – is just crazy to me. It’s amazing how far I’ve come since I took up running. Just last August, I couldn’t do a 5K without walking some. Now a 5K is my warm-up. Running eight miles is pretty doable. I know I’m not quite as ready for 13.1 as I’d like to be at this point, but when I look at the progress I’ve made, it’s enough for me. 

7) My running has inspired my husband to start running. My husband HATES running, but has run about four miles in the past few days. He’s trying to get in shape, but also find a way to share this part of my life with me. That makes me love running, and him, a little more.

Seriously, the most perfect quote for me right now.

I’m going to take it easy next week. I plan on doing one final three miler on Wednesday, and that’s it. I want to be good and rested. I can’t believe it’s almost here!

Crunch Time

The Pittsburgh Half Marathon is 11 days away. I remember when I first put my countdown ticker on my phone – my little running gal had so far to go until race day. Now, she’s practically on top of it. I don’t feel ready at all. If I had a few more weeks to recover from my tired legs/shin issues, I’d feel a lot better. I have one more long run, and I’m going to try to go 13.1 miles with two walking periods. I think that’s my best option at this point. It’s ok. One way or the other, I’ll cross the finish line. Or crawl across. Whatever.

I ran five miles yesterday – my longest run since my shin issues. It went pretty well, and I feel relatively good today. Things I realized during that run:

1) I shouldn’t wear a white bandana while running. My son took one look at me before I left and asked if I was going out to cut the grass. That’s what my husband wears while on lawn patrol, so not a good look for me, apparently. I wore it anyway, though.

2) I forgot how much I like The Killers. I recently added a few of their songs to my playlist and was pleasantly surprised when they came on during my last mile. 

3) My ultimate I-can-keep-running song is still Talk Dirty to Me. I’m not ashamed. 

4) I should never again go running after I’ve eaten dinner. Even if that dinner is light and healthy – don’t do it! I learned the hard way and had crazy heartburn last night, which ultimately led to me heaving in the bathroom before bed. Good times. 

5) I can’t wait until the marathon is over. Even though I can’t wait for the whole scene (and to feel like a total badass when I cross the finish line and get my medal!), I can’t wait until the pressure is over. I want to go running just for the fun of it and not worry about training and logging miles. I might sign up for a few 5k’s this summer, and maybe even a 10k if I’m feeling up to it, but nothing crazy. Running will become about me time and exercise, without all the strings attached. It will be refreshing. 

Eleven more days.

This will be my mantra on May 5. Be ready.
from: http://www.timetokickbuts.com

Recovering…

I went through a two-week period where running or even walking KILLED my legs. I don’t know what I did to cause the pain, but it almost felt like shin splints, except the pain was constant. And my poor knees. I figured I just overdid it and my body was trying to tell me this 13.1 business is not for me. I tried everything to feel better – ibuprofen, stretching, ice bath (um…I could only tolerate it for 4 minutes at a time…), heat, elevation, rest – all to no avail. Perfect timing, right before May 5. Thanks, legs.

I decided to give a sports massage a try on Thursday. One word – AMAZING! My shins felt incredible afterwards. The best part of the experience? I can run with no pain! I did a test run of 3 miles yesterday and felt great. I felt like I could keep going, but I didn’t want to push it the first time out. I feel like I’m back and ready, which is a good thing, considering the half-marathon is exactly two weeks away. I’m not sure that I’ll be ready to run all 13.1, so I formulated a plan that would allow me to walk a quarter of a mile at two different points in the race, and I’ll be ok if I have to do it. I would love to make the entire 13.1, but not at the expense of my legs/knees, so we’ll see what happens.

Completely appropriate for me these days…

Tomorrow, I’ll go for 5-6 miles. I will be wearing some fancy pink compression socks for the first time. My fingers are crossed that they live up to the price tag and keep my legs in race shape!

Seriously?

In 20 days, I will take part in my first ever half-marathon. I’m not a fast runner, and I’m not particularly competitive, which is good since I know I will struggle to make it through the entire course while running. Up until today, my main worry has been whether or not I could physically make it through 13.1, and if I would be mentally ok if I had to walk for a bit on race day. 

All day today, I was following updates on the Boston Marathon. So many bloggers I read were running today – they have trained so hard and were so excited to be in Boston for the race atmosphere. During my lunch, I heard the fantastic times the winners made and wondered how it was physically possible to be that great of an athlete. I have visited Boston a few times and was so charmed by the city – I can only imagine how awesome it would come together for such a huge event. 

Then I got home and heard about the tragedy at the finish line that happened a few hours later. 

Seriously?

What is wrong with people? I can’t understand someone so miserable, cowardly, and vile that would harm a bunch of innocent people. So much planning went into this event – both on the runners’ and event planners’ sides – and to be overshadowed by some asshole’s idea of a statement. I don’t get it. 

So, now on May 5, in addition to wondering about my own mental and physical capabilities, I will also be worried about my personal safety, as well as the safety of my family who will surely be waiting to collect my sweaty self at the finish line. No one should have to worry about that. Gosh – you watch the news and it just makes you want to never leave the house again. You just never know when the results of some psycho’s actions could put you in harm’s way. 

I do wonder where we as a society have gone wrong. Why are there so many people in our world who are so quick to hurt other people? And, what can we do to stop it? To take our society back and make it safe again?

I’m sending much love to everyone that was in Boston or impacted by today’s blasts. Here’s to quick justice to whoever is responsible. 

Procrastination

Things I did last night, instead of working on my grad school paper:

1) Pinned my ass off on Pinterest

2) Researched vacation homes for this summer’s kid-free getaway

3) Plucked my eyebrows

4) Made a To Do list, which included working on my grad school paper

5) Updated my running play list for today’s long run

6) Did some stretches and yoga poses

7) Cleaned the bathroom

8) Watched Crazy, Stupid, Love for the second time in a week (stupid HBO)

So, here we are on Sunday. I have to run 11 miles, switch my closet from winter to spring, make a test on verbals (my students LOVE me right now), and plan a mini unit on poetry (again, they LOVE me), and grade a few papers. Grad school is going to have to wait another day.

Weekly Training Recap

I never thought running any distance would come easily. I’m not an athlete and am not a natural runner. When I started running almost two years ago, I did it at first to lose baby weight. Throughout the journey, running has become about more. It gives me precious ‘me time’ when I can be alone with my thoughts. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something and can move on to accomplish more. It’s a challenge, a true test of how far I can push myself and how hard I can work.

At this point last year, I couldn’t even run two miles without stopping. Three miles was a long session on the treadmill. Compare that to now – I ran just short of nine miles on Sunday, and ran for a total of 15 miles this week. Sometimes I need to remember where I began so I can see how far I’ve come. Especially at the end of weeks like this one, which leave me questioning my decision to pick up this habit and my overall ability to continue it. 

After my long run on Sunday, the week took a turn, and not in a good way. My legs felt (naturally) tired on Monday and a bit lingered on Tuesday. I set out for an easy three miles that day; I made it through three, but they were not easy. It’s finally spring here in western Pennsylvania, and Tuesday was 80 degrees. This girl prefers to run in 40 degree temps, so I was annoyed. And sweaty. I was set to run again on Thursday, but my legs were still stiff and tired, despite stretching and resting, so I took another day off. I hate to skip a run at this point in the game, but I know I also don’t want to risk making things worse. 

The stress continued today. I made it through three hilly miles, but my legs are KILLING me. Like, hurting-as-if-I-just-started-running hurt. I don’t know what’s going on (Did I push too hard on Sunday? Am I not stretching enough? Am I not drinking enough water?), but this CANNOT happen so close to D-Day (May 5!). I have taken to the trusty web for advice and am taking turns icing and heating my elevated legs. I’m also headed out to buy a foam roller to try. Runners – any tips for me?

I can’t afford to lose a long run at this point. I am set to run 10-11 miles on Sunday; here’s hoping these tired legs can pull through!

It’s Contagious

Today, I met with my ‘ex’ running partner – the one who convinced me to sign up for this half-marathon craziness. Since signing up, she’s pretty much stopped running, and not just with me. I had figured I would give the marathon a solo go, but talked her into a long run with me this morning.

Conditions were perfect – sunny and temps in the mid-60′s and gorgeous scenery along Pittsburgh’s North Shore. There were tons of people out there running, biking, walking, taking pictures. It was a great scene. There were lots of families out there being active together, and lots of doggies helping people along with their runs. I got there a bit early and ran 3.5, since I was slated to run at least 9 today and she wasn’t ready to jump in at that distance right away (smart girl!).

We met up right in front of PNC Park and had hoped to make it through 5 miles together. We did great! We went all along the trail, starting by the stadiums and looping way down past the condos and the Heinz Plant. I was impressed with us. It started to get pretty dark and windy – in fact, we had a hard time running in the wind for a little bit – so we headed back to our cars.

My trusty Garmin tells me we went 5.25 miles, so mission accomplished. I was a bit shy of 9 miles, but it was enough. In fact, stopping after the first 3.5 to meet up with her threw me off. In the past, I’ve walked for a bit during my early long runs, but never have I come to a complete stop. I will not be doing that again! I had to stop and walk for about .25 of a mile today, which ticked me off. The good news is, once I walked those few minutes, I felt ready to run again. I even felt like I could have gone a bit further, but I know my body, and my little legs had done enough for today.

The best news is, my former ‘ex’ running pal is once again just my running pal. She felt so good about the run today and how she held up that she’s recommitted to running and is going to try to get pumped for the half, which is only 28 days away (YIKES!). It only took one run – I tell ya, those endorphins are no joke! Plus, it may completely suck during parts of a run, but there is something pretty magical about the way your body feels after a run. The sense of accomplishment, the GOOD way it hurts, the way you feel completely ready to rock the rest of your day, and (most importantly) the way your body jiggles way less – nothing compares!

We have another running date for next Sunday at a different location. I’m going to go for 10.5 -11 miles, and she’s hoping to get to 7. While I do enjoy the solitude of my typical runs, it was awesome having someone there with me. We talked for the first half of a mile and put in headphones during the rest, but it still felt like company. More than that, it’s someone to help pace me and motivate me to keep moving, two things that will be VERY important on May 5.

Bring it on.

Running in Full Color

Yesterday, I ran three miles on the treadmill (and hated every second) before I went to preview my husband’s musical (which is pure awesomeness). Now that I’m so used to running outside, running on the ‘mill pains my legs a bit more than it should. Not to mention the fact that it’s SO. STINKING. BORING. No matter what I try – watching tv on the iPad, listening to music, opening a window, etc., it doesn’t matter. I feel like a hamster spinning in one of those sad wheels.

Anyway.

The real sunshine is that I also coerced my non-running husband into signing up for the Color Me Rad 5K in June. I am so excited! It looks like a blast, has a charity attached, and I’ll have an official running buddy to get colorful with. It only took him being deliriously stressed and tired to agree to a 5K. Maybe I’ll make a runner out of him…if he can catch me

Now, doesn’t this look like so much more fun than a treadmill run?