The Myrtle Beach 1/2 Marathon

I did it! My training was lack-luster at best, but I still pulled off a 1/2 marathon with my average time of 2:35

Before driving down to Myrtle Beach, Nathan and I only ran six miles at one time. Usually we work up to ten before the race, but we were slackers. I'm sort of ashamed by that fact, but it is what it is. We did what we could and then decided to just go and enjoy the run.

I didn't set any time goals or goals for how long I would run before walking. My mental game was simple.

It's a beautiful sunny day at the beach and I'm just out for a fun run with my hubby and a few thousand friends.

And it was beautiful! The sun came up a few minutes after the start, clear blue skies, the full moon slowly sinking out of sight, and a light sea breeze to keep things comfortable. You really couldn't ask for better running conditions.

I highly recommend this race! 

The crowds were not as great as the Country Music. In fact they were non-existant, but there were enough people running that you never ran alone. The course was flat. And I mean flat. There was a stretch of road that was really annoying though. Down the main strip of shops and miniature golf places was wavy. The road was slightly slanted for run off, and then the cars had worn ruts (sort of) in the road. So for about 4 miles it was really hard on the ankles. Once that smoothed out it was a perfect run.

With hubby beside me I managed to run eight miles before stopping to walk. I didn't walk long though because it was more painful than running. My body actually felt pretty good until mile 8. That's when my hips started to tighten up and the blister started on my right foot. My breathing was good too. I stopped twice after mile 8 to stretch out my hips, but kept running (slowly) the rest of the way with a few walk stops of around a minute.

The last half mile is ALWAYS the worst for me, because I know I'm so close. It's all mental by then. I KNOW I can run half a mile. By that time I had already run 12.6 of them, so what's another half? It's half a mile of "there's nothing left" or "I'm gonna throw up" or "I think I can, I think I can". Or usually all three.


I hit the last tenth and thought "MOVE" and nothing happened. My feet were still on automatic pilot which was all I could hope for. And then another runner stepped up beside me. It was the girl in the long purple striped socks that I had stayed close to for at least half the race. (I was wearing my awesome long heart socks.)

"Come on, let's do this! We've stayed together the whole time so don't quit on me now."

And we sprinted!

We crossed the finish line together, thanked each other and hugged before going our separate ways. That's why I love running. What other competitive sport is also so encouraging, with complete strangers?

 The afternoon before.

 Sleepy eyed start.

 Starting right at sunrise. The moon is that bright circle in the tree.

 The hotels hid the ocean most of the time, but we did get glimpses.

 Yay! The finish line!

And the medals were awesome!

Training Week 4?

Ah, I am losing track, but I wanted to report some success. On Saturday, hubby and I went out for our 6 mile run. It was cold. The wind was biting. We didn't want to do it. But we did.

We had to walk, or I should say hubby was nice enough to stop and walk with me when my hips started to hurt. Going through the pain of this run made me vow once again to run consistently through the week so the long run is more enjoyable.

Today we woke to at least 3 inches of snow. And it kept snowing off and on all day. I had that sinking feeling of "I'm never going to win." Then at lunch time, hubby left to go for a run.

What?! Last time it was me being crazy and running after the snow storm. But last time it was icy. Hubby pointed out that the ice was coming tonight, but right now it was soft snow. He ran, and then I ran.

I pretended I was running on the beach. That's what it felt like, except my nose was cold and I was wearing two pair of socks instead of a swim suit. My run was short, just 2 miles instead of 4, but at least I went out there and did something.

I call it a success. Now to do the 30 Day Shred tomorrow and hope for clear roads to run on Wednesday.

How are your fitness goals going?

Country Music 1/2 Marathon 2010

Saturday was the day. My hubby, his sister and I ran the Country Music 1/2 Marathon in Nashville. We trained, and we prayed the rain would wait until we finished running. Actually, by mile 10 I was thinking a little rain would feel pretty good. It was the predicted lightening I wanted to hold off.

I would like to say I am thrilled with the outcome, but I'm a little disappointed. However, in an effort to be more positive I will say this. I AM CONSISTENT. We have run this race three years in a row. My times? 2:34, 2:33 and 2:34. I still enjoyed every minute of the experience and this year I can still walk up and down stairs! The first year I could barely walk the next day, last year it was just stairs that gave me problems. So, I guess I should look at the bright side. I may not be any faster, but my body is stronger. Here are some pictures from the day.

A new T-shirt

I received a wonderful surprise this week. My good friend Laura signed me up for a 7k (4.6 miles) to support the Rescue Team in her town. I think she called me on Wednesday and the race was today--Saturday!

I was really glad that I had been doing a good job getting myself out of bed and running the last month. We met this morning for a misty morning run, and it was wonderful! We ran the whole time and sustained our 10minute mile pace and finished in 46 minutes. The official times have not been posted yet, but I'll update you when they are.

The course was so beautiful and peaceful with hills, but enough straight and downhill that it wasn't brutal. The hardest part was when I knew I was finished so I sped up just to have them wave me past the finish line road to go around a small loop (about 1 to 2 tenths of a mile) but I didn't want to look stupid by slowing back down so I kept pushing to the finish. I felt so good! And, even though it may be poor form, I finally beat Laura! We've been running together occasionally for 2 years and she is always 2 or 3 minutes ahead of me.

Here is my nice new t-shirt!

Later in the day, I returned to the race field with my family for the fun and festivities. My kids loved the rock climbing wall. I gave it a try and once again was faced with the reality that I may have strong legs, but my arms are wimpy!

This is my second attempt. I took off my shoes for better gripping abilities with my toes. It did help, but my arms were still too weak to get me to the top. Loads of fun though!Laura made it all the way to the top! Way to go Laura!

Staying on the run

Lots of pictures for you today! This is how I decided to make sure I keep running now that the Country Music 1/2 is over. I signed up for a local 5k and the kids also ran a free 1k. It was a lot of fun for all of us. Here we are before the fun started. I set a new personal best for my 5k time at 31:33. I hope to keep moving and keep shaving off a few seconds every race until I get to my goal of just under 30 minutes. Being sillyIt was really crowded at the beginning and hard to get started. You can see Laura if you look for red shorts, blue shirt and green hat. We were trying to get through the crowd. I'm right behind her and you can just see my head.Making a pyramid to cheer people on.Getting ready by stretching. The kids fun run start.Kiah was the first girl to finish.Ashlee coming in.Here comes Adam.Even Cole ran and he was amazing! He ran half way down and then fell so we waited for everyone to come back by us on the return trip. He was feeling better by then and ran all the way to the finish line.

Everyone got medals to boot!

2009 Country Music 1/2 Marathon

It was another great year at the CM 1/2 Marathon. This year we had two more family members join us. They made some changes to the course which added more up-hill in my mind, and it was about 15 degrees warmer than last year. We also had to make pit stops this year from all the drinking we did to keep hydrated, but in spite of these things we are still happy with the outcome. It was wonderful to accomplish our goal and finish once again.

This year Nathan and I actually finished together which was really nice. We both started strong and were on track for our goals of 2:15 and 2:20, but around 11 miles we both hit the wall. I don't know if it was the heat or not enough training or just an off running day. Officially we finished in 2:34:18, but we are both taking 6 minutes off for the potty line. :) That leaves us with 2:28 which still makes us both very happy.

The best thing is that neither one of us are as sore as we were last year. I think that means that our training was better this year. I am already looking forward to running it again next year. I have also signed up for a 5k in 2 weeks just to make sure that I don't completely stop running this go around.


Who wants to join us next year?

Komen Race for the Cure 5K

I posted this on my family blog today and thought I would share it on here as well. Did you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month? I didn't, but somehow I still started the month doing something to help this cause. 1 out of 8 women will be affected by breast cancer during their lives. My aunt passed away in February of 2000 from breast cancer. It felt good to run for this cause and help raise money for research to help move us closer to a cure.

My husband and girls ran with me in the 5K today. We told everyone who supported us that we would take pictures along the course so that they could "run" it with us. My husband did a great job doing that and below are the results, as well as the text from the family blog.

This was a great run. I think Nathan and I both had a great run. I know that I personally felt strong and was able to win that mental battle to keep going. I tied my best time which I think is really good since there were more hills on this course. Nathan came in at 30:33, and I came in at 32:08. Nathan wants it noted that he could have done it faster, but he took all of these great pictures with our camera while running.

The girls did really well too. They did not have chips so I am not certain what their time was, but I am guessing around 35 minutes. All I know is that it feels GOOD to beat them! I guess the training really does pay off. I don't care who you are, it is a huge boost to be faster than someone younger than you who should be leaving you in the dust. :)

You can see people wearing the Pink "In Memory of" or "In Celebration of" papers on their back. There were lots of kids running with "Mom" written on their backs. I wish you could have been here to see all the names and all the smiles. In every trial there is always hope and that is what today was about.

My favorite t-shirt of this race was a man who's shirt said, "What lies before us and behind us is nothing compared to what lies within us." Now that is one eternal truth we should all remember!

Follow up

Sorry I didn't have much time to comment on this motivational thought this morning. I love this story because it is real life. We are not always going to be the best at what we do, and we may never come in first. However, we can all do OUR personal best and finish what we start. It doesn't matter if we are running, walking, biking, swimming, canoeing, whatever...all that is required of us it to set our goals and then meet them head on. There are times when we will have "good" days and then there will be days when all we can hope for is the courage and strength just to finish. Just remember that finishing can be just as rewarding as winning.

When I ran my first 1/2 marathon this past April, my goal was to finish. After finishing, I learned that the full marathon winners finished faster than I finished my half. I could have let this bother me, make me feel like a real loser. I mean Come On! Twice as far 10 whole minutes faster than me. But I have learned to listen to my own body. I know where I am in my fitness journey and I know that I ran my best that day and I am still very proud of the time I ran. That doesn't mean I don't hope to do better next time, because I hope to do much better next year! My point is, any exercise routine that you enjoy is for you and not anyone else. Don't compare yourself to others, just enjoy what you have accomplished. That is the highway to real and lasting happiness and self worth.

Redemption

Ok, ok, I know that it is Saturday and I never post on a Saturday, but I had to redeem myself for the lack of running this week. After posting yesterday morning I assigned a small part of my brain to running a diagnostic on all those malfunctioning buttons. (Yes, I know that makes me sound like a robot, but I love science fiction and that is the image that popped into my mind.) By the afternoon I figured it out. The PMS button was lit up! No wonder nothing was working right. Well, identifying the problem allowed me to wake up this morning and go for a run.

I pulled my running shorts out of the bottom of the laundry basket and almost quit right there. Oh my! I think it is time to get a second pair of running clothes. But I couldn't let that stop me, I needed to go, I wanted to go. I put my cell phone in my little expandable pouch, grabbed my Ipod and off I went. I left behind my watch because today was just about me enjoying the run. No times to try and match or beat, no records to set, no goals other than to move and feel alive.

It is a beautiful morning here. The sun is shining, there is a light breeze and it is about 59 degrees out. It was perfect for a run. I loved feeling my body warm up and then move through a shady spot to cool off a bit. And when I got chilled I moved to a sunnier spot of road and I loved the way the sun's warmth was a light touch on my skin. I enjoy running much more in cooler weather than the sweltering hot of summer. I ran four miles without stopping! Ah, I feel human again, all my emotions are in check and I feel like I can deal with a day full of loud wonderful children.

Thoughts, catching up and Runners log.

I wanted to take a moment and respond to one of the comments made this week. Jenny wrote, "I wish I was one of your kids! I would love this!! I am burnt out on cooking for my family. They do not like what I make. I finally told Matthew last night he and the girls were going to make out the menu because I was tired of nobody liking what I make!"

I say, "Thanks! My kids should feel lucky." Unfortunately, I think my kids would prefer to have mac and cheese and chicken nuggets every night of the week. Or tacos. That brings me to the lack of new recipes for the last half of this week. After the Pork medallions, we had tacos. I made them healthier by using ground turkey at least, but I did try something new as well. My family is always complaining that the meat is too "chunky". That I don't chop it up enough while it is cooking. So, after cooking it I put it in the blender and hit puree. Yes, I guess I was just a little upset about all the complaints and wanted to prove a point. It looked absolutely disgusting. But it still tasted like taco meat. Needless to say, I don't think they will complain about the "chunky" meat ever again. (I'm sitting here laughing just thinking about it.)

Then last night we had our French Toast. I really do love that meal. Anyway, I now have the second loaf of bread waiting for another meal, so this weekend I will make the final two meals on the menu--Angel Hair Pasta with Eggplant tomato sauce with french bread , and BBQ chicken with grilled sweet potatoes.

I also wanted to report on my running this week. I'm still in the starting again phase and so stopped to walk at least once each time I went out. Yesterday I ran and pushed my two year old in the stroller (I should mention it was a cheap umbrella stroller, so I wasn't moving very fast being terrified he would go flying out at some point.) That is brutal! My hats off to all those people who run with strollers and still finish way before me! My arms ached so bad by the time I got home that I actually took a nap when he did! Even though it was hard I still logged 12.7 miles total! I need to plunk some money down on some races to keep me going!

The latest 5K

Whoo hoo! I'm getting back into the running game. Last year I ran this race as my first 5k and fell in love with the sport. Last year I ran it in 33:45 and was soooo happy. This year I trimmed a little more time off and finished in 32:07, which is a personal best. In a few years I might crawl under that 30 minute barrier.
My sister drove up last night and ran her very first 5K with me this morning. I am so proud of her for trying something new and not giving up! It is really exciting though because she enjoyed it so much she is already talking about doing more. She even asked me if I thought she would be able to do the half marathon with me in April if she started training more. My answer...Of course! I've learned that you can do anything you put your mind to. God has given us these wonderful bodies that can be strong, powerful, and do great things when we take care of them. I love watching people at the races and seeing them achieve all that they can. This race today was a fun one because there are baby joggers (those who push kids in strollers) wheelchair racers, people with their dogs, kids, people of all ages and body shapes, doing their personal best performances. I think I like it because it is a time that I truly feel a part of the human family. There are no prejudices and judgments, just friends running together and encouraging the best out of each other. This world should be more like a road race.

My running world

Well, I had hoped to post the ice cream cake that I made for my daughter, but I am still battling it out with my computer. So, I'll do that when I have access to my photos again. Tonight I am using my husband's laptop to post a bit about my running hobby.

Ok, since I love food, I have put on several extra pounds over the years. It didn't seem like I could get rid of them either. If I went to the gym four times a week and did an hour of cardio, nothing. If I ate less, nothing. It just didn't seem to matter what combination I tried, I could not lose any weight. I actually kept gaining and THAT made me mad. I finally leveled off and managed to maintain my weight, but it was not in a place I wanted to be.

With my last pregnancy, I managed to get my appetite under control. Nothing like feeling nauseous for six months to help you cut back your calories. :) When I finally felt like eating, I started cooking out of the "South Beach Diet" cookbook. I never did the whole two week phase 1 thing, but the recipes are really good. I cooked those and tried to really listen to my body and stop eating once I was no longer hungry as opposed to really full. My problem is that I love the way food tastes, and most foods are best the first time around. I had to convince myself that it would still taste good left over, and if it didn't it was ok because I could always make it again some other time.

After the baby was born, I felt a renewed desire to get back in shape. How else was I going to keep up with four very active children? I met Wendy who was really into running...marathons and triathlons. I've never liked running. It is hard, it makes it hard to breathe, I get sweaty. Just not a nice fun sport. At least that is what I've always thought. But then I looked at my friend, who looked absolutely AMAZING just a month after having a baby. Well, what would it hurt to give it a try?

So, my hubby and I started to run. At first we could not even run a mile without stopping to walk. It was awful! Wendy kept encouraging me and told me that I should sign up for a 5k road race (that is 3.2miles). My husband ran his first one last August and I cried just being a spectator. What a great sport! Anyone can do it. You just have to compete with yourself. I saw all ages, sizes, levels, families, parents pushing strollers, and wheelchair racers. It was beautiful watching them run by and getting to yell and cheer them on. I felt really stupid that I was crying, but I wanted to be out there running with everyone else. So two weeks later I ran my first race.

I had been running and set a time goal for myself that was realistic for me. I was planning on winning, I just wanted to finish. The adrenaline really gets you going! I actually did 2 minutes better than my goal time and after that I was hooked. My husband and I both ran several more 5ks that year and we set a goal to run a half marathon in April of 2008. We trained and I actually saw a change in my weight and my body for the first time in years. I found that I was happier and had more energy. I lost 20lbs from July to April!

We ran that half marathon and it was wonderful. Once again, I was a big cry baby the whole time. I ran 10 miles before I had to stop and stretch out my hips. I just kept thinking how amazing it was that I went from not being able to run a mile to running 1o miles without stopping to walk in nine months. If we feed our bodies healthy food and exercise to make it strong we can do amazing things and I feel that this is within every one's reach. So find what you can fall in love with as a form of exercise, set some goals, and feed your body good food so you can get out there and do it.