ECO 5k

It was so good to race again! It's been too long. Now, don't take me wrong, the marathon was a race but for me it was more of finishing than a race. My racing for me had been put on hold during my training as I didn't want to take a chance of incurring an injury just before the marathon. We'd signed up for the ECO 5k but as the weather begin to worsen we weren't sure we were going to make it. But decided to bite the bullet and go for it.

Festivities began the night before when we picked up our packet. They were held at the quaint little Mockingbird Cafe. I loved the ambience and art there. We were also treated with a choice of a hamburger or veggie burger with drink and Miss Vicki's chips as part of our race fee. Let me tell you, that is probably the absolute bestest hamburger we've EVER eaten!! I'm not talking size (though it was huge), I'm talking taste. It was 100% Angus beef, at least an inch thick. It was on a roll type bun made with cheese and jalapeno's in it. Oh my goodness...it was fine!!! We could not finish it, it was so huge.

Race day started out with a 100% percent chance of rain forecasted but for "some" reason it delayed until lunch. The winds had been so strong for a couple of days and nights with gusts up to 30 mph, but they had subsided some. This was a biathalon (kayaking and running) AND a 5k race. You could do either one. But the wind and currents were so bad (a small craft advisory had been issued) that the kayaking was deemed unsafe and was canceled; therefore moving everyone to the 5k race. Even that was a bit questionable. We spoke with a couple of EMT's before the race and they were concerned because of a terrible storm that was to be there in about 30 minutes...the time the race was to start. With this in mind, we planned on racing in the rain. Unless the weather presents circumstances like lightning, it's not cancelled. We, also, met up with Ed W., lovingly called "Special Ed", and he took pictures until his disk reached "full" and that ended his tour of duty.

Here's Kent & I...okay...we didn't plan to dress alike. We NEVER do! And, I almost wore my black/gray cap, too.

At the beginning. Me in the middle and on the far right is Tommy P. Great job in your run, TP!

Ed on the left. Thanks so much for taking your time to snap a few pics.

ADDED NOTE: I forgot to mention this when I initially wrote the article but I really wanted to. There was a very nice man, D. Baria, who came up behind me when I was coming to the Finish Line. He was like an angel. Seems he just "appeared" right behind me and pushed me to run harder at the end. He could have easily ran past me but stayed right behind and kept telling me to "beat" him forcing me to run harder and harder. Thank you so much, D. You'll never know what that meant to me. Because you were so close and yet behind me I never got a good look at your face so I could never find you and tell you what that meant. I hope you read my blog so you will know now that "I thank you" for your help!

Because it continued to look like the sky was going to split wide open, we immediately left when the race was finished and headed back over to the Mockingbird Cafe where post race activities were going to take place. We received an extra shirt, an energy drink and a wrist band which gave us access to LOTS of good food, drink and homemade cookies. There were sausage and chicken jambalaya, chicken with tomatoes and onions in vermicelli, and a black bean with rice and pork loin dish followed by very large oatmeal raisin homemade cookies. Of course, there were energy drinks, beer, and coke products. It was delish! Here are some pics of the Mockingbird Cafe.

Here are the pics of the 5k winners. Loved the masks that the top winners got. They were all different and very pretty.

Overall Male

Overall Female

Masters Winners: Nancy & Leonard

Grand Masters Winners...that's me!

My Cool Mask!

Also, received this pretty handmade plaque

Race report can be found here. Thanks to Leonard and everyone who made this race a very successful one in spite of the weather! Great job...

Bad Day...

Well, I can chalk up today's run as absolutely pitiful! I began with a one mile warm-up walk and felt really good. It was even at a pretty decent clip. Then I began to run......well, I tried! As a matter of fact, I practically did NOT run today. I'm not sure if I had a bad case of indigestion or what; but my chest was hurting. I HATE what's happening! I'm not sure I even ran .15 mile before I had to stop and walk. My chest began to hurt with pains, like indigestion. My right hip had been aching some before I started and, of course, it wanted attention, too; therefore adding to the drama. I tried to push through by walking some, then I'd feel better and would tried to run again. But, NOOOO, that didn't work. I absolutely refused to quit before my hour was up! This went on the entire time: walking and running, walking and running. At least, I got in a decent walk.

After I got home and ate lunch, I laid down on the couch and slept for a while. When I woke up, the pain was still there. I'm now wondering if I'm getting an intestinal bug of sort! Yuk!!! I don't feel good and not handling this well at all. I really want to run again...NOW!!

An Amazing Week

I cannot believe the week I've had. It has been the most amazing experience ever. I've actually run my first marathon and finished well! Not in time, but in ability, feeling confident in the program and finishing with a smile on my face. It was the oddest thing. Other than fighting left knee issues the last few miles (which was on concrete), all I could talk about in the race was what I could do different, how I can train harder/smarter and how I can strengthen my knees with better cross training for the next one. Do you hear me?? The NEXT one!! Marathons have a way of manipulating your brain. I don't understand it and I've talked with others and they don't seem to either. All I can say is that even in the hard part (with pain) at the end, I was driven by "something" that wanted more of me. I really did not understand my longing to keep running and running and running. Oh, yeah, I was tired at the end. But my body really wanted more. Pain, eagerness, striving for more and more and more. There's nothing like. And, NO!! It can't be explained. It is beyond reason.

For the negative side...I have been at such a loss as to "what now" that I'm fumbling. Thankfully, I've had a couple of people share with me their experiences of the same feelings.

So am I admitting to my blog friends early in the game that I'm a glutton for punishment. I mean, what else can do this to you. Well, only time will tell. For now, I am recovering from the race with light running and resting, anxiously awaiting when I can start running hard again.

Running...there's nothing like it!! Run 4 It!

I Am A Marathoner!!

F.Y.I. This is a long post...

I can't believe I did it! The Rock 'N Roll Mardi Gras Marathon on Sunday was exhiliarating. And I can't believe I've waited until I was 55 to do one...I'm too old to begin such a thing! But I love a challenge and this is what it's all about. This is one of the most exciting things I've ever done in my life. No, it's not like going on vacation. This is something that you have to prepare months for, train for, put your plans aside and brave the weather to push your body to limits it's not gone before. It is something that one can not understand unless you've experienced it. It is amazing! It doesn't matter about a lot of things except that you do your best, listen to your body, fuel it and push it where YOU want it to go.

Discipline, commitment and the want-to are three things a runner MUST have before attempting to do a marathon. I thought the same when I began my journey in running my first half marathon...and granted these elements are there. But this exceeds anything you ever thought before. I can't even imagine all the training and discipline someone goes through to be an Olympian...it's got to be beyond your wildest thoughts. At the beginning of the week, I began watching my diet closely eating lots and lots of vegetables and fruits. I was diligent and lost a total of 5 pounds by the marathon on Sunday. I was not sure I could pull off a decent amount of weight not having the miles to put in this week.

When we came into The Big Easy Saturday around lunch and headed for the Expo, my excitement level grew and grew. I remember feeling like a kid in a toy store last year. So many things to look at and things I've not imagined seeing relative to this new habit I've become addicted to called running. Oh, I'm not talking about the typical shoes and socks, but the original phrased t-shirts, must-have tech "toys", bumper stickers, fuel belts, jewelry, etc., etc. With all of that in mind, my heart skipped a beat as we parked.

We signed in and made Corral changes as Kent was in a different one than I and we wanted to start together. I mean, you MUST have that good luck, last minute smack on the lips to help you through, right? He wasn't around at all last year and I was nervous being alone...excited, but nervous. But he decided he wanted to attempt his first half marathon; therefore, giving us the opportunity to be together at the start. Right after we all got inside, we had our pictures taken at a photo wall.

We weren't aware that the picture was being taken when it was...not much of a smile going on here.

Us three new marathon runners were prepared and smiled continually so we could get a good one out of the bunch.

Though this is blurry, I had the opportunity to have my picture taken with two more Biggest Loser contestants!! This now makes 4 of them I've got a photo with. Tee-hee!

A photo of our bibs with timing chips. Mine was #12062 and Kent's was #20400. The excitement builds!!

Since last year I've wished I had purchased a couple of witty runner's tech shirts so this year there was no thinking about it...I was gonna get some. Also, with this being my first marathon, there were other things I wanted to get commemorating my hard work and new achievement.



And my favorite (I've kicked myself many times for not getting this one last year):

I knew I was going to get a 26.2 bumper sticker for the truck and a necklace with a runner girl and 26.2 on it that I'd seen last year.


The morning of the race was electric! Thousands of people everywhere!! We had many, many friends that ran in these races. Most elected to run in the half. But there were so many I couldn't begin to give you a general number of them. And, even though they were all there, we never run up on any except for one before the race, Alice H. I don't know how many were placed in a corral, but I would guess at lesat 100. You could hardly move so there may have even been 200. Again, I was so excited to have Kent by my side this year. It was chilly that morning especially having to be there early and still dark. We all wore gloves for a while after we started. All but Deleica had extra clothing to discard before the race began. All these clothes were given to the homeless. Here are some pre-race pictures (I hated ours blurred):



We all three had tech shirts made with "Run, (our name), Run" on the front and stats on the back. Except mine was Mardi Gras gold and theirs were white. I think I like theirs best.

Soon we were beginning to move. Oh gosh, I could hardly contain myself! I even began making low squealing sounds...tee-hee! If I could have yelled out without looking like an idiot, I would have. My heart was pounding. The others, not having experienced this before, were excited, too. Then before we knew it, we were on our way. Bands played about every mile. And spectators were everywhere cheering everyone on. It's almost like you're a celebrity and unknown people are rooting and yelling for you. There were many characters along the route, too. Some offering beer, Krispy Kreme donuts, cookies, salt packs, etc., served by several different groups of cheerleaders, men in red dresses, people in pajamas, nurses...all kinds of people. This year was different for me for many reasons and one of those was knowing several different spectators. It was so nice to see people you knew on the sidelines. I hope I don't forget anyone (it will truly be unfortunate because you ALL meant a lot to me). There was Dennis B. (he appeared twice on the route), Gary D., a group from our Gulf Coast Running Club (calling out your name), Bob S. and especially my friends Cynthia and Kent M. who took some wonderful action shots of us. The first one is the Club and the others are from Cynthia & Kent. Aren't they great?





This was so much fun and I don't think I need to say that. We laughed pretty much the whole way!

We ran through gorgeous Audubon Park. All I could think was that this couldn't be in New Orleans!! It's beauty made you want to stay there and run around in circles for the rest of the time. Sooo serene! Wish Kent could have run that way, too. I wanted to be with him at this point, sitting on one of those wonderful little benches watching the ducks and geese as they fly into one of the beautiful little ponds with little fountains spewing soft water sprays. So, so pretty!

Okay...back to the race...as we got into our last 3 miles, running began to take its toll on me in a way I'd not expected. My left knee began to hurt a lot and Frank began experiencing pre-cramping in his quads. We worked through these situations by walking and running a little here and there and it was helping. My knee would stop hurting when I walked and his legs were given relief from cramps. We wanted to run so badly but our bodies weren't letting us. Deleica was encouraged to move on at the point that we saw we would have to walk/run the remaining race.

Turning the negative around, I reminded "us" that time was not of the essence in this race. It never has been. We did not know how our bodies would react at these distances. I set my goal very high to run this race entirely but it wasn't meant this time. I do NOT regret this agressive goal...I WILL do it! Goals are earned, not given! Lessons are learned or discounted...mine will be learned. I do not regret anything I've done during this time. I could easily put myself down but why would I do that? Running a marathon is something to be proud of when you've done your best. I am proud of all of us, the training we were committed to and a great future ahead.

We were all tired and yet felt great in running our best race. A few pictures at the end:


Close to the end of my race, I began to feel that I was getting a blister on my right foot. Though it hurt, it wasn't anything like my knee...and...I knew I was close to the end. When we left I changed clothes and removed my socks and shoes and, lo and behold, I had received a physical racing trophy...a nice colorful one! Ouch!!! Why does New Orleans do this to me?? To make me stand up and say, "you're not doing this to me again"??


The next morning we woke up to a gorgeous sunrise. It was the icing on the cake from a great weekend. This is where light meets night.



Things I did well:
1. Commited to daily training.
2. Fueled regularly during the race.
3. Drank plenty of Cytomax during the race.
4. Packed my fuel belt well (with Ibuprofen & vinegar).
5. Listened to my body throughout the race.
6. Enjoyed every minute!
7. Embraced the tough moments, never gave up and laughed in its face.
8. Was never ashamed by doing my best. I NEVER was!
9. Had a positive attitude and smiled the whole way.

Lessons learned:
1. Workout more with weights/weight bearing exercises to improve my joint strength.
2. Stretch more often.
3. I never gave up when my knee tempted me to. I accepted it as a "caution light" not a "stop light".
4. Put in longer distances to learn my body better.
5. Always have my iPod to keep my mind focused on the end.

Future plans:
1. Continue to run long distances on a regular basis.
2. Improve my flexibility with regular strength exercises or classes.
2. Do my best and strive for more and more and more.
3. Take care of my body so it will take care of me.
4. Decide on another marathon. And, I think I already have.

Yeah, right after I finished I wanted to do another! My mind sought ways to improve before we were on the road home. I never got sore but did experience tightness in my thighs. It was never a problem and I was expecting the usual pain.

My finish time was: 5:36:54 but hoped for much better. The good thing is that I burned 3031 calories!!! Kent's time was: 2:56:59. He made his goal of breaking 3 hours. Way to go, honey...good job!

We are well pleased with our results. We never gave up...that just wasn't in the plan. Kent had said from early on that he would NOT do another long distance race. But now that it's over, I think he's wanting to sign up for the half when I do the whole at Disney World next year...oops! Did I let the cat out of the bag?? If money holds out, that's our plan. I can hardly wait.......again!!!!

Final Week

This is the beginning of my final week of training before my marathon. Last week was a very hard one for me cuz I thought I would die if I couldn't get in a long distance! I mean, for real. I got down about it. Don't think I could have written a post without being sad or ugly or even nasty about this new adventure called "tapering". That was a curse word last week; but I finally grew past it...whew! Okay, this is all new to me, folks. Thankfully, my good running friends pulled me through and they really did! I appreciate all the support you've given me.

This week holds a lot of busy-ness for us. Training for our races are done. Now, we're enjoying...and yes, I can say enjoying...the tapering. Now emphasis is on what to pack, how to pack, what to eat, and getting everything charged at the last minute. You know, the phones, iPod and camera. Yes, I WILL be carrying my camera with me. I want to take as many pictures as I feel I can get. Hopefully, I'll be able to take a few during the run...WITHOUT falling this year, ha! But I will get them at the end for sure. Regardless of how we all look, this is a monumental time for both of us.

Kent has vowed to never attempt long running again. It's really just not for him. He has physical issues he's never had to deal with before, some due to his many years of runing and others new ailments, such as gout that can be so painful and debilitating. It's been tough on him. But he has been very diligent in getting his runs in. Because of these issues, his plan for the race is to incorporate walking in his running. It should work well for him. On top of that he doesn't have the interest in long running. Said he might if he was much younger and without the pain he deals with but that it was too much on him. But everyone has their own interest and I certainly don't fault him for that. It's okay to not have a drive to do marathons or ultras. Just because they are phenomal events, doesn't mean everyone has the desire to do them.

Now me, I'm loving longer runs!! Just can't help it. I love the challenge it puts me through mentally and physically. I plan to continue to do them. My focus, at this time, will be on improving my time on half marathons. I may have more goals before it's all said and done.

Got in a good cross training workout this morning and I'm feeling really good right now about everything.

Now get out and DO SOMETHING! Every day is a great day to do something for your body.

Tapering...Bugs...Fun

So many things are new for me in doing my first marathon. I've loved all of it and have pushed my body to do things I never knew it could do. I've, also, been challenged in a couple of areas. But I'll have to say that I have now found the thing I do NOT like...tapering! I use to think taking a rest day before a race was hard to do but three weeks...Yikes!!! Well, though it's not completely rest, it is, compared to what you've gotten accustomed to running, up to this point. Mentally, I almost feel like I've already done the race and I'm in recovery mode. I'm feeling lazy. Eight miles seem so measley now and I'm dying to get out and put in a 10-13 miler. Is there something wrong with me??

Okay...guess I'm working through this great thing called a "marathon" and my thoughts and ideas have to be changed in order to treat my body correctly. Up to this point, my idea of taking care of my body is to eat better and incorporate a few supplements that I know my diet is lacking. Only in the last couple of years have I added running to this. This great machine we call a "body" is fascinating at best. It is self healing, motivating and goal oriented. Guess that's why when you catch the running "bug" it's practically just that...a bug. You've got to contend with it and what your body is trying to get you to do. Your mind, your desire and what your body is able to do have to all line up on the same page in order to accomplish this task safely.

When I began running I had no idea that my pursuit would lead me past a good 10k race. But this bug is highly contagious. We have some close friends that have done many marathons and in talking with them it made me do a lot of thinking. They love it and got excited when speaking of doing one. Once this thinking set in, like fever, I had to start "treating" it. So I began giving it what it was calling for...MORE! That is, better eating and longer running.

In the beginning...I think my long running began to see if I could run further and how difficult it was to do. If it was really "in" me to do this. Then before I knew it my husband had signed me up to do my first half marathon. I say "before I knew it" because it was only 5 months after I began running seriously. I had been doing very well in races so far and he thought it would be good to have a new goal. Let me say, here and now, it was the most fun I'd experienced in many years. I looked forward to training every day. It seemed the only apprehension that I had was the excitement of the unknown. I didn't know if I could run it in its entirety, how well I would run, how I would feel afterward and even if I would like it in the long run. My one and only goal was to run it and not walk it, if possible. This was easily accomplished and I fell in love with running longer distances.

Since I realized I liked running longer and with the excitement brewing from friends, my heart would skip a beat when I would consider doing a marathon. You know what I'm talking about. The kind of excitement you feel when you've decided to try out a new adventure, new and daring. Like standing on the edge of a bridge getting ready to do your first bungy jump. No, I've not done that. But I can "feel" the fear well up inside me as I write this.

Interesting things about a marathon:
Less than 1% of the people have ever run one
You become an elite person in yourself
Prepare, prepare, prepare (much to buy and take)
Discipline...there must be discipline
Self motivation to run those days you don't feel like it
Endurance for those wonderful long runs
Persistance in doing what you "should" and not what you want
Stamina for maintaining a program for MONTHS

Have a fantastic sunshiney, cold day. And, go Run 4 It!! Your goal, that is.

What a Week!!

This week has been great! It is my highest mileage week and my longest run (20 miles) ever. I am now officially entering the taper period of my training next week. My total mileage for the week was 41.13 miles (running with a little walking) and biking 7 miles. I won't bore you with a lot of details as I've written a post just below this one.

Lots and lots of calories burned this week. There were 2509 burned one day, 1199 another day and 749 another. These were my highest as my total calories burned for the week was 5112...Woo-hoo!! I ought to be skinny, but it's not going that direction...huh??? This really doesn't make sense as my eating has not been "that" out of whack. I've also needed lots of rest this week. Okay...honestly, it's kinda tuckered me out.

This has been an exhiliarating week! I still can't believe I ran 20 miles the other day! Ran it!! It doesn't seem possible. Actually, I could never imagine me running 13 miles just three years ago. I've come so far.

I'm excited that I'm enjoying running like I do. I'm looking forward to new goals this year once I've finished the marathon in NOLA. After some good rest, I hope to work on my speed in all my races.

Thank you for supporting me during this time and I'll need your continued support until after the race!! I couldn't do it without you, my friends!

I Love New Things!

Yesterday, my running buddies and I put in our longest distance training run before our marathon in February. It was the first time we'd run with Deleica C. on our long run. Since she still works she doesn't have the flexibility to run at any time like we do. The day had been forecasted to be terrible...70% rain only lessening to 50% ALL day long. We'd plan to run but there were huge doubts that we would be able to make it. BUT...when we got up the weather fooled the meteorologists and gave us an absolutely perfect day to run. A little cool with some peaking sun rays throughout the run. As a matter of fact, it warmed up about 15 degrees while we ran. When we got there Keith B. was at the station putting in a long run. He joined us for the rest of his time about 2 miles.

Kent, also, joined us for this long run and he got in 11.5 for his training on his first half marathon race. He did better than planned and ended feeling well satisfied with his progress. He is loving his new compression socks. It was a great day to run long.

FOR THE NEW: Running with a new partner and running a new distance. We got in 21 miles total! It was so exciting!! We ran the 20 scheduled and ended with an additional 1 mile cool down. I can hardly wait until the race. I know from last year just how exciting this one is. There is a lot of fanfare and it will be needed to keep our minds occupied and not focused on running those 26.2 miles and how tired we might feel. We have trained and trained well. There have been no running injuries and we have stuck with the program. I must say that old Hal Higdon knew what he was talking about when he created the marathon program. It has worked and we are pleased with all our training.

I am pleased to add that, so far, we have been able to run all of our runs, even this one. I hope we will be able to do this in the race but, if not, I feel confident to say that we will be able to do most all of it.

The stats of our run today for 20 miles are: 3:38:07 minutes with a 10:53 pace and burning 2425 calories!! This is soooo exciting!!

Here is picture when we finished. Deleica, me and Frank B. Don't we look good after a 21 miler??


And now for a final picture showing how we felt with our new goal met. Happy, sassy and ready to go to NOLA!!

Another New Distance

This week started with a fantastic new running distance. Our program was scheduled to do 18 miles for our long run. A new excitement filled me as well as wondering how my body was going to respond to being on my feet that long. A friend called and asked if she could join us for part of the run. Her being an experienced marathoner, made it exciting to have her come along. With her funny personality, it lightened the 10 miles she ran with us and it seemed like 3 miles when it was over. Right now, we are like sponges soaking up everything we can learning about this adventure called "marathon". The run was an easy one and we talked about all aspecs of a long race. It renewed my desire to run in this marathon. She looked over our program/schedule and gave us her opinion on how we needed to change it. We're over-exuberant and tend to push ourselves further than we should. Can't help it but enjoying every new mile we run. But we now have our orders, ha! We is me and Frank. This is the first marathon for both of us. We run about the same and have been good partners during this training period.

This week increased our longest mile done so far 2 more miles. That's one more than we were schedule to do. But as we were finishing the 18th mile, we felt like we could extend it to another one. There was only one problem...I got cramps in my feet. This is a common thing for me and has caused me to fear this race. But with it occurring in the last mile, I was able to continue running until we finished. As we got close, I yelled for Kent to get out my vinegar and he had ready for me when I to the truck. Two swigs of ACV and I was good as new...whew!!! It stops my cramps immediately. That stuff is a God-send for me. Now I have something else to take in my bag while running the race but that's okay.

Other than this long run, the rest was not what I would call good ones. Seems I struggled with all of them feeling tired and worn. But I will get the rest I need to do my 14 miler on my step-down week next week. I expect a good run because all of my long runs have been good ones. The challenge: move our run to Tuesday. Severe weather forecasted for tonight through tomorrow...icy/snow. Bad combination. Keep warm and drive safely!

2010 in Review - I'm a Runner!

As I began looking over my log for 2010, it was amazing to see how far I had come in my running this year. We've run many races. The funny thing is that there would have been more run had there not been a couple of incidents that occurred. Oh, and if it had been up to Kent, we'd have raced every weekend "somewhere", ha!

This year presented some unforeseen challenges and yet I still achieved 2 PR's in the 5k category and one the 12k category.

Someone posted earlier this year in a forum "Do you think you are a runner and why?" Because I wasn't like many I knew, I couldn't begin to classify myself with this elite group; they were so good. But I thought about this question a lot. And, for the first time, this year I began to see myself as a runner. Before now, I always thought you had to love it, do it all the time, run in adverse conditions, wake up dying to get outside, etc., etc. But I have found that though these things CAN be true it doesn't have to be. No, you are a runner when you want to run, always doing your best and running as often as you can. You care enough about your running to continue trying to improve yourself. You do not have to have reached a certain speed, pace or acquire a certain amount of equipment or even trophies. I always thought that was part of the definition. Then, at sometime during the year, I fell in love with running. My running improved in many ways. I grew as a person through this as well and that's what running is all about...getting to know yourself, the good and the bad. This question and a change of attitude along with encouraging words from a friend helped me see myself as a runner and I am very thankful!

The year began in a training program to run my second half marathon. I was so excited about it and could hardly wait. My endurance had improved and I was enjoying the training. It was fantastic...I felt great! The race began and all was super. I had not run in a Rock 'n Roll race before and I loved it. There's so much excitement going on. A little more than halfway through, the streets took me down when I fell on raised street patchwork. My fall caused a lot: a cracked rib, torn muscle, bloody hands and knees...BUT...it did not break my spirit! As a matter of fact, it made me more determined and steadfast. I can see that this terrible fall actually was a blessing in disguise. As a matter of fact, after the initial shock of the fall, I dusted myself off, trotted a little and then got right back to running to the Finish Line. It will be a race I'll never forget!!

Summer came and I was feeling better to run but the heat and humidity kept me inside on the treadmill because of my allergies. Though that's not my favorite venue for running, the TM was my friend during this time and I stuck with my running. Late summer, I suffered a groin pull that continued to haunt me for months. I didn't let it stop my running but definitely took the necessary steps to not injury it and let it heal. This overshadowed all my fall running. But with laying off occasionally and running slower in races, I pushed through. I evaluate it often and can now say I am over it. I'm thankful I did not have to stop running completely.

I'm not writing this to tell you all my troubles, I'm saying that "because" of issues, you can work through them and either they can make you stronger or you will realize running is not something you want to do. There will be times of running injuries or just injuries of any kind as well as life issues that have to be dealt with. BUT...I've become stronger as a result of them. And, I am thankful that my Mama passed on to me determination genes.

Some stats:
2-Half Marathons
3-10k's
1-12k (PR)
14-5k's (2-PR's)

Awards:
9-Grand Masters
3-First Place
3-Second Place
2-Third Place

Out of twenty races, there were three that I didn't receive an award for. This is success with good health any way you say it! I'm so thankful!! Things could have been a lot worse.

This year ends with me being more alert to my running skills, armed with running books wearing my ever faithful Garmin watch carrying my laptop researching more and more techniques and "needed" equipment looking forward to each and every run I have a chance to do. 2011 will be embraced with open arms.

I am coming to a close to my training for my first marathon in February, something that has never crossed my mind before! I am happy and healthy and very thankful for fellow runners support, especially my running partner AND mostly my husband!! He is the best! I couldn't be this far without all of them.

I am looking to a great 2011 year with much improvements in my running. I am working on my goals which include a speedier year. Since I've realized I really like running in half marathons, next year I hope to get a PR in that category. Regardless of how it turns out, I hope I can keep a positive attitude and a steadfastness to maintaining a healthy body. Here's to you and all your future successes!! Happy New Year!

The Excitement Builds

To all my friends that know how hard I work, I want to "Thank You" for your encouraging words. Please don't stop during my training! You'll never know how much it helps me as I replay your words over and over in my mind when I run. As my mileage builds each week preparing for the marathon, it gets more and more exciting. I am amazed to see how much my body can take.

Last week I ran a distance I've not done before...15 miles!! This was a milestone for me! It was the most exciting day I've had in a very long time. I remember how running my first double-digit mile (10) made me feel this way, too. And, 15 had me soaring like that one did. I had no idea I would be able to pull it off without walking. That was all I could talk about for days and still do! It just amazed me that I was able to do this. And, on top of that, my birthday was the next day! Now, being 55 and having not run for that long, it really was the icing on my cake.

Running the 15 presented itself with a couple of challenges. These were new for me. First off, my iPod had run down!!! Grrrrr...this has never happened to me before and here I am getting ready to put in a long run with nothing to keep my mind off of any negative things I might experience. The adjustments that had to be made were hearing my foot strikes and hearing my breathing. Without noise to drown these out, it "sounds" like I am laboring. I struggled through the first couple of miles and told Frank I wasn't sure I was going to make it. But we kept going and talking and before long, I didn't hear any of this. The second thing was having to discard some of the extra clothing I layered because it was cool when we started. I mean, before we got to 3 miles the long pants were history!! Wearing them around my waist felt funny but luckily the route we were running took us back by the truck about halfway through so I left them there and felt so freed up again.

All along the run, we'd check with one another to see if the other was feeling okay. We weren't struggling at all. We took our GU's, water and aide and were doing fine...UNTIL we entered the 14th mile. As a matter of fact, we had just commented how well we were feeling and felt the run was going to be uneventful. It was time for another GU about the 13th mile but decided since we were close to finishing and felt so good that we'd not do it...WRONG!! The last half mile we struggled some. Both of us had a great learning curve regarding energy boosts, ha! I honestly believe if we had taken the last GU we'd have finished with flying colors.

We are "trying" to slow our pace down and it is probably the MOST difficult thing we either one have battled so far. All the charts say the absolute fastest we should run is a 10:30 pace and our pace for 15 miles was 10:20. This is something we will work on this next time. All in all, I felt our run was an absolute success!! We hydrated and nourished well during and afterward as we should. On top of that, we neither one was sore the following days...woo-hoo!

As far as the rest of the week, it went well, too. I'm beginning to focus more on core workouts and cross training. From that, I've been a little sore...but a good kind of sore. Adjustments had to be made in my schedule because of being out of town (traveling days) so there was an extra rest day. The week's workout looks like this:

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 7 TM miles plus core workout
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 15 miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 4 miles with overall workout
Saturday: 5 miles biking and long overall workout

The week ended with 26 miles run, 5 biking miles and 3 days of overall workouts. Being excited about our 15 mile milestone, I had to take some pictures.

Here Frank and I are right after the 15 miles. I was soooo stoked!!

Here Kent and I are very happy of our accomplishments. He has been struggling with some foot pain but still got in his 8 miles. Love you!!

There's NO way I could do any of this without both these guys! They both encourage me in many ways!!

Half Time & Great Resistance

I noticed in my last post about the Kaiser Half Marathon that I had not recorded my time which ended up being 2:11:07 though my Garmin recorded 2:11:10. Regardless, no time can take away how I feel actually placing in a half marathon!

Today, my schedule had 6 miles to run. I didn't think that was bad since I'd rested yesterday. But throughout the night, the wind blew so hard shaking the camper all night long and it continued this morning. Checking the forecast, I knew I wouldn't have long before the rain was to set in today and tomorrow. So, without further ado, I donned my shoes and clothes and headed out. I left the camper and ran through the park to State Park Road #2, turned south to the beach and went east to equal 3 miles then back to the camper for a total of 6 miles.

This was probably one of, if not, the most challenged runs I've had. I'm not talking about a few wind gusts here and there. It blew so hard continuously until I stepped back into the camper and said "done"! My legs were literally burning at the 2 mile mark, they were working so hard to push me through the strong wind. I was running as best I could and actually felt like I was frozen in time, not moving at all. The noise from the wind was also very loud. I always run with my iPod but today the wind was so loud I couldn't hear even a sound from it on the loudest level!! So, this was a no brainer...off it went.

Two things I should have done but didn't...don't ask me why, this should have been a no brainer, too. One was that my hair was down and I should have pulled it back and worn a cap. I really struggled with it getting in my eyes and blinding me. And, two, though it was overcast, I should have worn my sunglasses. I always wear them but I didn't today. They serve more than the obvious purpose of keeping the sun out of my eyes; they protect them from glare (which I suffer from a LOT), they hold my ear pieces for my iPod in my ears, they keep my hair out of my eyes and they keep road dirt from getting in my eyes. I was trying to get on the road fast enough this morning so as to not talk myself out of running today.

When I got back I noticed how terrible I looked. And it is today that I noticed visually just how much of a workout I had had ...and it wasn't from heat and humidity. My face was soaking wet with sweat and a little red, too.

I want to learn to "push through" the tough moments and times as I really think it will strengthen me mentally and physically. I'm so glad I love to run and am glad I do.

Happy trails to you...until I write again...(wonder if Roy was a runner)

Kaiser Half Marathon-Winner!!

What a wonderful week this has been! It's had its ups and downs but all in all it has turned out to be a good one. I've tried different things in my running to find a comfortable pace for building and running longer distances. Sometimes I like it and other times I do not but I did what I planned for that run. I'm learning discipline though it seems I'm kicking and screaming at times. BUT, I'm learning and that's what it's all about.

I'll have to admit that I was worried about the Kaiser Half Marathon today. I do this every time I've run a half. With tapering a couple of weeks to the race, it makes me feel like it's been so long since I've done a decent distant run that I'm afraid my legs will forget how to go that distance. But they have never failed me and have proven to me each time that they are rested and ready for the race. Up to this race, my goal has been to run it's entirety without walking. I know this probably sounds a little stupid but I don't have a lot of confidence in my ability so far. After the race today, I can confidently say that I don't expect to walk one. I felt well and continued with a faster pace than originally planned.

We went to pick up our race packet yesterday at Tacky Jack's. We received a large nice bag loaded with all kinds of goodies. By goodies, I do not mean a bunch of advertisements and pamphlets that find their way to the garbage pretty quickly. There were all kinds of tickets for FREE meals, discounts, running equipment, gels...well, you get the idea. Here's a picture of our bags (mine first).



They were a little different. While there we enjoyed great endless nachos and fried dill pickles with Ranch dressing...yummm!!! The second is my favorite! We went back to the camper and rested a little then went back to TJ's for dinner. Yep, you guessed it, we had a spaghetti dinner compliments of the race. The salad was large and we must have gotten a pound of cooked spaghetti each. It was huge!! I took about 2/3 of mine away; I was so full.

Kent got me crossing the Finish Line...woo-hoo!!


I met a nice lady that was in excellent shape. I had seen her run passed the camper a couple of times and she ran in the half today. Afterwards, our paths crossed again. She is from Ontario and has run for over 30 years. But that wasn't the amazing part. She is 74 years old and has run over 100 marathons and many ultras, even a marathon on the Great Wall of China!!! She looked great! Should I say that she finished first in her age group?? She was lively and happy. She is in red and black and hugging Mr. Kaiser (Kaiser Realty) here:


A 23 year old friend of mine and her mother came to run in the half marathon and I was looking forward to seeing them. Deanna and I worked together in Day Camp a couple of years ago. This was her second half to run and her mother's first. We ran together for almost half the race then she ran on a little ahead. Deanna never got out of sight but kept a good pace. I walked through two of the water stops to get a couple of swigs down and keep from dehydrating. She never stopped putting a little more distance between us each time. She did excellent and we ended up being only a minute apart at the end. Good job, Deanna!!


Here's the medal we received; we also got a finishers cup.


After the race, Lester's Restaurant provided vegetable soup, chili, and red beans and rice. There were also hot dogs and homemade hamburgers as well as drinks, chips, and different fruits.

The best part of the whole thing was when I found out that I had placed in my age group!! Never in a million years would I ever expect to do well in a long race. I was so surprised; you can't imagine. They had stands for winners to stand on to receive their awards and have their pictures taken...like Olympians. And, yeah, this will be the closest I get to that one!


Here are some things I got for winning, too.


The coasters are beautifully carved with Kaiser Half Marathon info on it.

And last, but NOT least, the door prizes were amazing. They had great ones for the 5k then more for the half marathon participants. Kent's number was called and he got this great Garmin watch...can you believe they gave these out?? They had 5 of these and a couple of iPads for BOTH drawings.


I know this is a long post but there was so much to say. A lot of our friends ran in the Stennis Half Marathon today and all of them did excellent! Congratulations to all of you, too.

Go or Slow...NO

Just Focus!!

This week has been a little tough but I pushed through it. I'm trying my best to run slower so I can maintain a longer run with some walking. I'm so afraid my body is going to "accept" this slower pace and not be able to run fast in my shorter runs. In all honesty, I've not done speed work since August. Dealing with physical issues of one kind then another has caused me to be cautious in my runs. I didn't want to be "down" and not be able to do the Thanksgiving Half.

Also, preparing for my first full marathon, I'm incorporating this half marathon as part of the training. I get real excited then after talking with others, I get so scared that I can't do it..at all...any way!! I think this is why I'm having a hard time right now. Sometimes I think confidence vs. competence are arch enemies. But confidence has got to be regained...for any run, race, or commitment, even living. Okay...so this is what I will do. Stay focused on my plan, renew my mindset and enjoy my runs.

Presently, the way I run is to do the best I can every time I run. Well, that's not the way you train for long runs. Or IS it?? Maybe best means the best "as directed" and NOT the fastest you're able to run comfortably. Maybe I've been getting confused on the meaning and understanding of this whole thing.

Running has been quite an educational experience. I love to learn and running has opened up a new world for me. I am a data gatherer...really bad!!! In the world of technology, it seems you can never get enough info. But after a couple of months of searching, I think I will stop "looking" for more and agree with all the good stuff I've gotten. AND...and...and just do it! I know this is Nike's logo but I can't begin to tell you how much it has come to play in my own running career.

This week I've run different than I have in a while, especially at the door of a half marathon. I'm usually more "in order" at this time. The good part of the week was my long run on Wednesday. I really like longer runs and 10 miles felt good. All in all, the total for the week was 20.1 miles incorporating some walking with a couple of the runs. Now off we go for another run today. Heads up and Run 4 It!!

Mayor's Cup 5k

It was a beautiful morning to run a 5k...clear and sunny with mild temps. Everyone was really enjoying a great day to be outside. We enjoy this race because it is flat and on a good road. Today was not going to disappoint us. For some pics after the race, I've inserted a slide at the bottom of this post.

The Mayor started the runners with an airhorn. Traditionally, he starts the race. My first mile was good though I started out too fast. It didn't seem any different than before but when I checked my Garmin afterward I ran a 6:30-6:50 pace a couple of times...this is a first for me! I was very excited to see that pop up on the screen, thinking there is potential for future speed. Throughout the race, I ran into the low 7 minute pace. At the halfway point, I was running a 7:09!! This is so good for me. Funny, I didn't realize my pace because I was just running the best I could without pushing. Even with these peaks, something was happening to me along the way I had not experienced before. Though my race didn't seem to be any different from others I'd run, occasionally, I'd reach a sinking spell...for lack of better words. Sometimes I was reaching deep just to maintain a 9:00 pace. Then all of a sudden this would "clear" and I'd be up and going again. It was as though I was "running on low" fuel-wise. Unfortunately, this up-and-down killed my time. Hey, this is only a 5k; so what gives? It was like I had no control over how poor I was running...and this is a great flat course! As I entered the last part of the race, I decided to take it for what it was.

The good news is that many fast runners came out to race. For example, the GM Women's winner came in at 22:57...WOW!!! Congratulations, Louise. And the overall winner, the great Leonard, came in at 17:19, 4 seconds ahead of the second male. He literally battled it out with a 23 year old throughout the entire race. Really, he is great. He directs all the races and does a fantastic job...go Superman! We know you wear a cape...

I'd like to mention some friends who did well...congras!
Men:
Bill G. - GM Male
Ray M. - 2nd place in his a/g
Phillip W. - 1st place in his a/g
Eric W. - 3rd place in his a/g
Tommy P. - 1st place in his a/g
Bob C. - 2nd place in his a/g

Women:
Nancy P. - 1st place in her a/g
Alice H. - 3rd place in her a/g

To me, it is good to see that people are interested in caring for their health. Running is a great way to do this.

I was soooo impressed with the children that ran in the Fun Run. Stephen J. ran excellent at 6:26. He has a great future ahead of him. Nancy, the GCRC Pres, is doing a great job in promoting the fun runs for small children. Hey, if a 3 year old running doesn't blast you from your running woes, nothing will...it did me!! My heart just jumped with joy to see these little kids out running. Go parents!!! Keep 'em going.

When it was all said and done, my overall pace was not too bad maintaining an 8:39. It could have (and should have) been a LOT better considering I just PR'd on a 5k a couple of weeks ago. I haven't worked on speed since August and I really need to do this. I'm looking forward to the spring when I can all out give it what I have again.

Unfortunately, I had a LOT on my mind before I arrived at the race which caused me to be upset and honestly, I think it had a lot to do with the "sinking spells". Needless to say, it caused me to be concerned for the half marathon I'm doing next weekend. So, as it stands now, I will do the best I can and not look back. I'm learning there are good days and there are bad days. BUT...the good news is, I won't give up!! And I will run the best I can. One can't ask for any more than that.

Week in Review

This has been an up-and-down week for me. So let's begin...

Sunday - Rest
*Monday - 12 miles on the LLT with Frank while Kent did 9. Felt real good and had a feel-good tired afterward.
Tuesday - 3.25 easy miles (ending with the .25 walking) followed by a good workout with weights and floor, ab and core exercises. This was a TM run, not a street one, on a 1.5 grade.
Wednesday - Biked for 45 minutes
Thursday - 6.12 miles consisting of: 5.17 running at 9:28 pace and .95 walk/jog. Would have done a little more to equal a mile but didn't realize I was that close.
Friday - 3 miles: 1 walk, 1 jog at 9:51 pace, 1 walk
Saturday - Scottish 5k Race. See this post for details. Only had a couple of pictures available to post but more should be available on this site soon.

*On Monday, we changed clothes to do a lot of running around (no pun intended) while we were in Hattiesburg. Went to a boys basketball game in Heidelberg almost as soon as we got home. Earlier that day my right foot seemed to be rubbing my shoe making my big and small toes real sore. By the time we got home that night I could hardly walk. My small toe (which will be referred to as LP-little piggy) was real swollen all the way down my foot with a knot that popped up on it. It felt like a bone, not soft. I was afraid I had broken that tiny thing.

I wore sandals for the next 3 days literally hobbling around, icing it off and on during the day. My schedule on Tuesday was to run 3 easy miles since we would be traveling on Wednesday. So trying to stick to my plan, I did it much slower. Thankfully, mission accomplished.

By Wednesday night, my LP was a lot better and I could not feel the "knot" any more. Biking was a good decision and NO pain whatsoever was felt. I think wearing sandals and icing were good decisions, too. This relieved all pressure that would be applied to my LP if I had worn shoes of any kind. Running shoes were worn only the time I needed to do my running.

Thursday came and my LP seem to be back to normal. My schedule had to run 5 miles so I donned my shoes and off I went. NO pain!!! But there were other challenges during this run...traffic! Though there are signs everywhere to "share the road with runners and bikers" and speed limit signs, not a single driver took it to mean that it applied to THEM. Curves are deep so you have to be very careful as it is. But neither you nor a driver could see around the curves well enough to "prepare" for the other. There's no shoulder on the road and this causes the biker/runner to be ON the narrow road with traffic...so dangerous to say the least!

On Friday I went out to get in 3 easy ones though I don't usually run the day before a race. But since it was a 5k I didn't think it would be a big deal. My walking part was okay, the first and last miles. BUT when I jogged the mile in the middle it became the most dangerous ever! My location, of course, was the deal. My run ended at the entrance of the campground and as I began to cross the street being VERY careful of the traffic, a speeding van came around the sharp curve and literally almost hit me. It wouldn't matter when one would cross the road, this is a very dangerous place. There will no longer be running on that road and looks like I'm going to have to go around in circles or go somewhere in the truck to get in a run while we're here. I will NOT put myself in this situation again. There may not be a second chance. And, I want to do a marathon before I'm through running, ha!

Kent's running is improving and I'm real excited about this. This ended my week with more mileage than scheduled. My totals are: 27.59 miles with 2:92:46 running and walking. So thankful for another great week.

Scottish 5k Festival

Today's race was different from any we had done before. We've done good at that this year, trying new things. Kent is not as open to this as I have been. Although I probably wouldn't have signed up for this one if we had known that it was more in line with a cross country race. Having my half in just a couple of weeks AND my luck with my body this year I sure wouldn't have taken a chance on stepping in a hole or something and twisting my ankle. If that had happened, I believe I would have told someone to just go ahead and put me down like a horse! I'm tired of dealing with "issues" this year. And I just got over the last one a couple of days ago.

Back to the race: it was a double loop run taking you through dirt and grass around a horse track and back again. I looked at the grade on my Garmin and I noticed that it jumped all over the place. Actually this made me feel better because I was beginning to think that I was getting to be fussy. I don't feel that way if there is justification for how I feel.

Ed was kind enough to take a couple of pictures of us since I did not have my camera. These were taken at the Awards Ceremony. Thanks, Ed. I was pleased with my time considering I was running cautiously. It was 27:33...I received First Place in my age group.



This was a fun race. Thanks to all that help bring it all together. Great job!