Did I really just do that?

I did it. I completed the Route 66 Half Marathon on Sunday!!!

It was absolutely freezing outside at the start line. Check that, it was below freezing; 26 degrees with a wind chill of 13 degrees. Thankfully the hubby drove me as close to the start line as he could and dropped me off so I wouldn't have to walk far or stand around forever in the cold.

It was so cold that I didn't really get nervous because I was too busy focusing on the fact that I couldn't feel ANYTHING!!! I was in the last corral at the start (13+ min/mile) so it took my group awhile to get to the start line after the gun went off. As a matter of fact, I didn't even hear a gun. We inched forward and bounced around to stay warm. When I finally reached the start line I took off through all the confetti and that excitement/adrenaline lasted about 10 seconds. It hit me really hard what I was about to undertake; 13.1 miles is no joke.

My shins were feeling amazing and nothing hurt, so I thought that was a pretty good sign, but I was less than a mile into the race. I was expecting to see my Dad and hubby at mile 2, but they surprised me before mile 1, and it was awesome. Seeing them unexpectedly really gave me a boost. They rode their bikes in that freezing weather to see me several times on the route and I am so thankful. It made a huge difference for me mentally and I didn't feel so alone out there.

I saw Dad and hubby again just after mile 2 and then we started into a pretty hilly neighborhood. This was the first time I had to walk for any extended period of time and I wasn't pleased. What goes up must come down though; so there were plenty of opportunities for me to "sprint" downhill and make-up for walking. Just outside of the neighborhoods near Woodward Park between miles 4 and 5 I saw actual bathrooms. Not porta potties, BATHROOMS people! Obviously I stopped and stood in line. I waited a good 10 minutes but it was worth it. I remembered to turn off my Nike app while waiting but I knew there was nothing I could do about my chip time. It is what it is and I had to pee!

I saw the hubby again right before Brookside around mile 6. I gave him a pair of my gloves because my hands were getting warm, but that's the only layer I shed the entire race. It never really got any warmer no matter how much I ran. My face was frozen and I couldn't feel my ass at all. Very weird sensation while running by the way. I'm used to that thing bouncing all over the place back there. I suppose it still was, I just couldn't feel it.

Mile 6 was a tough one. I knew the last part of the race was northbound along Riverside into downtown. When the route took us west and I could see people running on Riverside I was super pumped. My enthusiasm waned when I saw that we were headed southbound for what I assumed to be a turnaround (I didn't exactly memorize the route, just bits and pieces of it). But we ran south on Riverside for awhile and then turned back east (AGGGHHHHH why are we backtracking) towards Peoria. Then we ran south down Peoria (Brookside) all the way to 33rd (I think). During this little stretch of pavement, I had quite an emotional moment. 'Hold On For One More Day' by Wilson Phillips came on my phone and I literally started bawling. My sister and Mom and I used to listen to Wilson Phillips while cleaning house all the time and this song just tore me up! Do you have any idea how hard it is to run with a lump in your throat? No? Well it's stupid hard!

By the time the route turned us onto 33rd through a neighborhood towards Riverside I had lost track of what mile I was at. My hands were too frozen to pull my phone out of my belt and check, so I just kept going. There was a group of people sitting in their front yard by a fire handing out beer! I told them that it was tempting, but that I wanted to finish (crazy folks). They had a sign in the yard that said 'Don't blow the last 4-3/4 miles', so I suppose I was between mile 8 and 9 at this point.

As I turned onto Riverside and headed north I began to wonder when I was going to see my Dad and hubby again. I also began to realize that the minute I crossed the 9 mile mark I would be running further than I ever had before. This was a bit scary, but I was still feeling strong. At this point I had stopped to choke down a Gu at every water stop, plus they had Gatorade, so I was feeling okay.

Just before mile 10 I saw my Dad and hubby. I begged for water and they walked beside me while I drank. It was then that I realized how truly tired I was and how much distance I still had left to cover. I never felt like I wasn't going to finish, but I was seriously kicking myself for letting things get in the way of my training plan. My Dad told me to keep on moving and hubby gave me a kiss and said he would see me at the finish line. That felt like so far away at that point, but I kept trudginng along.

Miles 11-13 are a blur. I remember passing the 11 mile marker, but after that I kept asking every volunteer along the road where the finish line was. I'm sure I sounded ridiculous to them but I just needed to know where I was. I should've known I had a long way to go judging the distance I was from downtown, but I wasn't thinking very logically at this point. There was a lot of walking in the last 2-3 miles.....A LOT!!! I was really mad at myself for walking so much when I was so close, but honestly I hadn't trained my body for these later miles, so I wasn't that surprised. Plus there is a giant effing hill (okay maybe it's not that bad) coming into downtown off of Southwest Blvd. I was less than thrilled to see this monster in the last mile of the race, but what are you gonna do! This fat girl just walked up the damn hill and then ran down the other side (problem solved).

I honestly do not know what carried me through the last mile of this race. I was extremely fatigued. My legs didn't hurt, they were just very tired and heavy. My back was sore, my face was cold, and my uterus hurt (yes, really). But I did it. I crossed that finish line at 3 hours 29 minutes 49 seconds. That's right......a whopping 11 seconds before the 3-1/2 hour mark (Nike app says 13.1 miles in 3 hours 20 minutes 24 seconds). Not my original goal time of 3:10, but I beat my "adjusted" goal time by 11 seconds. Hey, I figured I couldn't go out there and totally dominate this thing or I wouldn't leave myself any room to PR the next race! It was so awesome to see my hubby and kids screaming for me at the finish line. My in-laws were there too, cheering me on as if I were their own! And my sister and her wife were there supporting me as well (click on video link below to hear sister screaming her head off)!

VIDEO LINK OF MY FINISH

One good thing about being fat and slow is that you're usually at the back of the pack (although I did NOT finish last) and there are a ton of pics of me all by my lonesome (link below):

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY FABULOUS RACE PHOTOS

Some pics are good, some are not so good. But I did it!!!

This experience has been amazing and I can't wait for the next race. I plan to be able to run the entire 13.1 miles. And someday I will complete a full marathon. Right now I'm just going to enjoy the fact that I have the first race under my belt.

MIND OVER MATTER

Perfection VS Reality

In a perfect world, I would have properly tapered my mileage in the past two weeks by going on easy runs every other day to keep my legs fresh but warmed up and ready to go for the race. In reality, this fat girl has only logged 3 miles since November 7th. AAAGGGGHHHHH

In a perfect world, I would have been able to cook carb-loaded meals and rest at home in the evenings the week before the race. In reality, I saw mountains and palm trees all in one day while traveling for work. It was pretty, but I'm effing exhausted!

In a perfect world, I would have completed every single training run and reached 12 miles before tapering. In reality, I missed an entire week in the middle, only reached 9 miles as my long run, and let life get in the way during my taper period.

In a perfect world, I would wake up on race day and be greeted with blue skies and 55 degree temperatures all day long with zero wind. In reality, Mother Nature is being a bitch and we are supposed to have freezing rain with a high of 36 and south winds at 10-20 mph. Whisky Tango Foxtrot!!!

In spite of all this, I will be lacing up my shoes and pounding the very frigid pavement for 13.1 miles on Sunday. I am going to enjoy this. I am going to come out of this a better person. And I am going to do absolutely NOTHING for the rest of the day once I cross that finish line.

I have no idea what Sunday holds for me. I'm not sure how long it will take me to complete the race. I'm not even sure that I won't be crawling instead of running across the finish. The only thing I am sure of is that I will make it to the start line and I will finish this race. It may not be pretty, but it doesn't have to be............this is just the first of many.

13.1 OR BUST

The Best Laid Plans........

So I haven't run since last Thursday (1 week ago)!!! NOT. ONE. SINGLE. STEP.

Oh the shame! I seriously let "life" get in my way this time. My Mom used to say "life is what happens when we're busy making plans". That beautiful Mother of mine sure was a smart lady. Lord have mercy I miss her.

I made a plan earlier this week to run NO MATTER WHAT. Guess what? That didn't happen. I worked late every single night and it was dark before I even left the office (and it was friggin' COLD). It's super hard to get motivated to go run when you're exhausted and it's dark and cold outside. These are all excuses and I need to get my fat ass in gear. If I run tonight then technically I will only miss 1 of my planned runs for this week (guess I'm running tonight). This little "break" I have taken could not have come at a worse time. The Route 66 half marathon is only 8 days, 23 hours, 14 minutes, and 8 seconds away (commence screaming/crying/fit throwing)........

I hesitate to even try to make another plan at this point because I will be flying to Denver Monday, then New Orleans/Baton Rouge Tuesday, and back home on Thursday. I am seriously irritated that I have to travel the week of the half marathon, but really I have no choice (duty calls). I know that if I don't make a plan, I probaby won't run at all, so here goes: 3 miles tonight, 5 miles Sunday, 3 miles in Baton Rouge Wednesday, 2 miles at home on Friday.

So there it is, my new "plan".

A month ago I stated that I wanted to finish the half under 3 hours and 15 minutes. At this point with so much of my training down the toilet, I just want to finish.............

"Back" to the grind!

I'm just gonna come right out and say it. I did not run 10 miles this weekend. I'm a little dissapointed in myself, but I think I will be better off in the long run (pun intended) for putting it off.

While packing for Texas on Saturday I tweaked my back again. Don't ask me how beause I couldn't tell you. I was putting clothes in a bag and when I turned around to get more stuff out of the closet, BAM! I'm sure it has something to do with my lack of core strength and all that jazz. I really need to start working on that........

By the time Sunday rolled around my back was still stiff and my heart just wasn't in it. I didn't want to set out to finish 10 miles and have a blow to my confidence with a bad long run this close to the race, so I decided to skip it. Now I'm staring at the calendar flipping smooth out. I was supposed to hit 10 miles yesterday, then 8 miles this weekend, then taper with a couple 3 milers before the race on the 24th. There is no way I will get both the 10 and the 8 mile long runs in, so I think I'll go with the 8. I reached 9 miles two weeks ago and that run was pretty good, although I was exhausted by the time I finished. I have been told, however, that on race day, adrenaline will carry you in the latter part of the mileage. I'm hoping that proves to be true.

The only issue I have now that I've wrapped my head around skipping the 10 mile training run is time (isn't this always a problem?)!!! This week is plum full and the sun goes down 20 minutes after I get home. I have yet to make peace with the treadmill and I am certainly not going to jump on that torture machine and bang out 8 miles. I guess it's time to make peace with running around in circles under the street lights in my neighborhood. It may not be Riverside, but it's far better than the treadmill.

No matter how bad my training has been, I have to run 13.1 miles in 13 days!!! My type A / OCD personality is really not coping well with the training runs that I have missed. When I have a plan, I like to stick to it. But I have come to realize that it's not always possible to do everything you want and need to do each and every week. Sometimes we have to make choices and take a little step back due to injury. Sometimes we simply don't feel like spending 2+ hours pounding the pavement, and that's okay. Save it for another day. I will get two 3-4 mile runs in this week and I will run 8 miles this weekend come hell or high water! It might be dark and cold outside, but I will be running..............

Only 2 miles................and that's okay

So I was supposed to log 4 miles last night, but I didn't. I ran only 2 miles before calling it quits, and that's okay. I secretly knew that I was going to do this before I even laced up my shoes. It's a damn miracle I ran at all last night to be honest.

My legs were still heavy from the 4 miles on Wednesday and I never run back to back days because I'm not trying to kill myself here! I would like to run more than 3 days a week, but my current schedule and physical fitness just doesn't allow it...............some day though

Stats: 2 miles - 28:36 - 14'16"/mile

My running partner was back in action (thanks Tina) and I realized how much I miss running with her. Too bad she won't be able to do the race with me. I'm going to make her run one with me next spring though (ssshhhh, she doesn't know yet).

Only 15 days, 23 hours, 1 minute, and 13 seconds until my first half marathon begins; but who's counting?

P.S. - this is the most lame blog update in the history of blog updates (deal with it)

Will run for pizza........and beer

Yesterday I had to put in 4 miles on my typical "day off" because it was pouring down rain Tuesday and I had pitching lessons at 5:30 and needed to get in more than 2 miles. I had planned to run at Riverside and brought my running gear with me to work, but I forgot my spi belt and headphones. This just will NOT do! So instead I ran on 51st street outside the neighborhood. My Dad is in town and was coming over for dinner later in the evening and I was ready to get my run out of the way. It felt like a bit of a chore at first actually. My legs weren't particularly hurting, but I could definitely feel them. My breathing was surpirisingly terrible during the first mile or so. My legs warmed up around the 2 mile mark and I started to feel a little better.

At 2.5 miles I got a text from the hubby saying that my Dad wanted us to meet them at Minuteman Pizza instead of them bringing pizza to the house. I immediately responded with "you go ahead, I'll run there". His response was "Huh?" - I simply repeated what I had already typed and shoved my phone back into my belt (pretty sure hubby thinks I'm crazy). I turned left down Spruce and headed through the neighborhoods towards 41st street. This stretch was a little irritating as it was getting dark and there are no sidewalks, so I'm running on the street unsure if the oncoming vehicles can actually see me. I had to hop up the curb and run in the grass several times, but I made it to 41st and Nike lady let me know that I had 1/2 a mile to go until I reached 4 miles. I carefully crossed 41st to get on the proper side of the road and took off again, this time WITH a sidewalk. As I approached the parking lot where the pizza parlor is, I began to wonder if I was going to get to 4 miles before I reached the door. Silly me! Just run until you reach 4 miles dummy! I knew I only had a few hundred feet to go because Nike lady told me so. I ran past the door back and forth on the walkway outside the pizza parlor 3 times before I hit the 4 mile mark. I'm sure that was awfully entertaining for all of the patrons stuffing their pie holes. I was pretty proud of myself for running to meet people for dinner. Two months ago I would've used this as an excuse and said "screw my run, I have dinner plans". This way I got to have my pizza and eat it too!

Stats: 4 miles, 56:41, 14'06"/mile (eh, ho hum)

My legs are feeling pretty good today. I don't really get sore nowadays unless I pound the pavement for more than 6 miles or so. Kind of crazy how far I've come just in the last 30 days. The only pain I'm feeling today is from a completely stupid and non-running related injury that I suffered last night. Per my usual nightly routine, I was walking around the house picking things up after the offspring retired for the evening. I noticed several toys in my jacuzzi tub (which is pretty typical - the youngest seems to think it's a spaceship or a boat or whatever his little heart desires). I stepped into the tub to retrieve the toys and damn near went end-o. You see, there was a little bit of water in the bottom of the tub (this is also typical because the youngest thinks he needs to eff with the faucets all the time). I did not fall down and go boom, but I did slam the inside of the left knee into the side of the tub. This is not feeling very awesome at the moment and I cannot wait to be reminded of this incident this evening every time my left foot hits the ground. Gotta love stupid injuries.............

4 miles again tonight and then a rest day before waking up EARLY on Saturday to hit the pavement by 6:00 am for my 10 miler. This should be interesting; if you know me at all, you know that I am by no means what anyone would consider a "morning person". The problem is that I have no choice but to run this early on Saturday. I'm getting on a plane to Texas with the hubby around noon and we don't get back until 9:00 pm on Sunday. If I don't get my 10 miler in early Saturday then it will have to wait until Monday and there's not enough daylight and that would mess up my entire schedule for the next week and my boss is coming into town from Boston and I already have to rearrange my running schedule next week for dinner meetings and AAAAHHHHHH (best run-on sentence EVER). I think you get the point; I'm busy!!! Yes, I'm truly busy, and not in that "OMG look at how busy I am, I'm way busier than YOU" sort of way. Life is not a competition and I would love nothing more than to be able to report that I'm bored all the time with absolutely nothing to do. But I do it to myself honestly. I guess when you get right down to it I wouldn't want it any other way.

Can I just skip the first 4 miles?

I haven't been very good about updating the blog this past week. Shame on me! My reason is mostly that I didn't have much to post about, until yesterday.....

After my 8 miler last Sunday, I flew to Boston Monday morning and didn't come home until close to midnight on Wednesday. This required me to rearrange my running schedule a bit and get a 4 miler in Tuesday evening after work. I really wanted to run outside in Boston, but two things kept this from happening; (1) I didn't bring any long sleeve shirts to run in and it was about 45 degrees when I set out to run, and (2) I worked later than anticipated and it was pitch black out when I got back to my hotel. No big deal, I'll run on the treadmill at the hotel.

Let me just preface this by saying that I have not run on a treadmill in YEARS. I can't even remember exactly how long it's been. I do not like treadmills; I like sidewalks and trails and things to look at other than my horrible pace on the dashboard. I got dressed in my running gear and headed downstairs. There was already a guy on one of the treadmills and all I could think about was how embarassing it would be if I fell off the damn thing (I did not fall off by the way). I jumped on and started walking while I got my music ready. After a few minutes I upped the speed and off I went, even though I was literally going nowhere. After a few minutes I was super bored and my legs were hurting pretty bad, so I took a walking break. All the while the guy next to me is pounding away never breaking stride (I secretly hated him). I started back up again only to take another walking break a few short minutes later. What the hell is wrong with me? It's only 4 miles, get it together! I am ashamed to report that I stopped the treadmill at 2 miles and called it good enough. I could not stand to be on that torture machine for one more second. I know that 2 miles is better than zero, even if I did walk more than usual, but I was seriously disspointed in myself.

Since Thursday was Halloween, I didn't attempt my next 4 mile short run for last week until Friday. I had a terrible day at work and was looking forward to blowing off steam on the trail. The temperature was perfect and I should've had just enough time to get 4 miles in before dark. Hubby and the boys went with me to play at the park near the trail while I ran. I took off and had the usual horrifying pain in my shins and calves. Something was different about this day mentally. I just couldn't push through. I quit after 1 mile and sat on a park bench and cried. I felt absolutely ridiculous crying over something so silly, but I was completely and utterly defeated by this run. I sat there wondering how I was ever going to make it 9 miles on Sunday.

Sunday rolled around and I had the typical nerves all day. I psych myself out all day long worrying about the impending doom that I will face on the trail. Thankfully an old high school friend was going to be joining me. I'm so glad she did because I don't think I would've finished if she hadn't been there. She didn't run it for me and she didn't really make it any easier than it would have been otherwise, but her presence alone pushed me to finish (thank you Sandy). We started at 41st and Riverside and took off south for 1-1/2 miles before turning back around. This entire stretch was excruciating and I remember asking Sandy "is it supposed to feel like this?" - she said no and we kept plodding along. I have no idea what my intervals were for this run because I just ran when I felt like it and took walking breaks when I needed to. When we reached the parking lot where the cars were we took a quick break to stretch and drink some water. Hubby and the boys left at that point and we took off north for the remaining 6 miles. Somewhere around the mile 4 mark I realized that my legs were warmed up and were no longer hurting. I spent the next 2 miles or so in relative bliss due to the lack of pain. I had just finished telling Sandy that my upper legs are always fine but from the knees down it's complete misery. I was lucky enough to have these 2 miles to enjoy, and oh how wonderful they were! It's amazing what a difference it makes when you just push through the pain and get your legs warmed up. Now that I have experienced this first hand I think it'll make things easier going forward. Just after 6 miles I started to get very fatigued. I had a carb gel at mile 2.5 and 6, but I needed a lot more energy than what I had in my system. My sides began to hurt from breathing, I could just feel the exhaustion in my legs, but we kept moving. It was almost easier to run at this point than to walk. We were headed back south and the wind was a bit chilly. Those last few miles weren't that bad. What almost killed me was the last few hundred feet. It was like being able to see the finish line but it was just moving further and further away. I was so happy to finish this run, not because I wanted it to be over, but because I proved to myself that I can do this. I was completely spent last night when I got home, but it was so worth it.

Stats: 9 miles, 2 hours 11 minutes 40 seconds, 14'36"/mile

With October over, I am able to report my mileage for the month. Total miles came to 50.14 (11 total runs) and an overall average pace of 14'26" per mile. This is compared to September at 31.64 miles (11 total runs) and an average pace of 14'58" per mile. I didn't get in as many miles as I wanted to in October, but I am still improving and that's all I can really ask for. I know I'm going to have bad days and not get my mileage in. The key is to keep moving forward and let it just roll off, because honestly, it's not the end of the world.

I'm going to take some advice from my sister and repeat these three words from now until the race.
I. GOT. THIS.