13.1 Atlanta Race Report

First and foremost, I am sorry that it has taken me this long to write this report. Alright, the best way to tackle this one is to break it down into three parts. The good, the bad, and the ugly, but perhaps not in that particular order.

The Bad

So, this race was not a PR, it wasn't even close. I was doing well, and I was on track for a PR for the first half, then I fell apart. This race was also on one of the highest mileage weeks I had eve had, so that didn't help the situation either. I let my mind take over and all of a sudden, I was feeling every pain and discomfort in my body but amplified. Don't forget, I am the mayor of Crazy Town, and CRAZY is how I roll. I made hills into mountains, and let all of this get the best of me. All I could think about was the marathon, and it wasn't pretty. Plus, I felt like I was letting Danielle down during her first half. Oh, did I forget to mention that I didn't charge my camera and I forgot to put an sd card in it. That might make me the worst professional photographer ever... not winning.


The Ugly


The ugly in this race was kept to a minimum. The worst of it was having an upset stomach, but it wasn't the worst I've ever had. I don't think I was paying attention to what I was drinking with the gels which more than likely caused the problem.


The Good


The miles really seemed to fly by, especially the first 9. When I wasn't letting the crazy take control, I was actually having a pretty darn good time. We were joking, chatting and being silly. Danielle and I made a new friend with a pretty darn awesome chick who was running her 2nd half. We dubbed ourselves the Booty Brigade and were silly and stupid. This race reminded me that running doesn't always suck. I sort of get irritated by the fast people who were going the opposite way who were saying things like "looking great", "you're doing so well", and my personal un-fave "you're almost there" (I always want to say "look skinny fast b*tch, you and I both know my fat ass is not almost there"). So, I decided to turn it around and start yelling things at the fast people like and a few of them seemed amused because I got in touch with my inner Drill Sergeant when I was yelling at them. By far, the best part was crossing the line with Danielle and Melissa, it was just an awesome moment.

The Pics

Danielle and I before the start

Four miles in! (thank heaven for the phone)

Waddling along

Half marathon #2 is DONE

The best part was the celebratory cupcake.

The Good, The Bad, & The Badass

The Good 

Friday, I finished my very first trail run. I'll have to be honest with you, I didn't think that I would enjoy it at all, but I had a blast. I thought it would be the perfect place to test out my country music playlist, ok, it was just a lot of Taylor Swift and some Dixie Chicks (don't judge, I don't care about their politic views, I just liked their music). Anyways, check out the run in pictures.

Love that this is right here in PTC, it was conveniently located on the way home
from my Friday morning Zumba class.  

 Overly dramatic reaction - "Oh my goodness, I can't believe I'm actually going to do this."

Here we go...

Came across this, it was so serene

Trotting along trying not to trip and fall flat on my face. 

One mile down, and I haven't broken anything.

When I saw this, I knew I was almost done.

Who was rocking out to some T-Swizzie and finishing up her
first trail run? This girl! 

The Bad

Last Week's Speedwork - I had a bad workout and I couldn't do the workout as it had been set out for me. I was having trouble keeping the pace and it was an all around mess. I got the miles in but it was not at the assigned speeds.

The Badass

Monday was my very first run over 13.1 miles, I finished 14 miles and I didn't die. That being said, I had a few moments where I thought that I was going to drop, the heat and humidity were killer. K, whom I hadn't run with in a very long time joined me today for the first 11 of the run. I'll be honest with you, it was weird to have someone run with me again, I have been on my own for most of my runs this training cycle that I guess I'd forgotten what it was like to have someone with me. I enjoyed having some company but it also threw me off a little because K talks a lot, and sometimes the conversation wasn't always too motivating. Don't get me wrong, I love to chat during a run but yesterday just didn't feel right with K and the conversation was sometimes a little irritating. OK, I will admit that I was being a little unreasonable about the conversation thing, but this was after all an important run for me and I wanted it to be just right. Plus, I was in a bit of a mood when we started, so just add something else to the stink pile.

The weather during the run was pretty miserable, it was hot and humid, but I kept trying to remind myself that it will eventually cool down and not all my long runs are going to be this hot and sticky. I was sweating like a pig, and smelled like a garbage can after the first 3 miles, I still had 11 more to go, and I can only imagine the scent that the people we passed got to experience. As the run went on, I just got stinkier and sweatier. Oh yeah, and guess what I had again... CHAFING. I rushed through the chafe cream application and I learned a hard lesson about it. I will never again rush through the application process...OUCH. Also, I think it's time for different shorts, by the end of yesterday's run, they were irritating me. So, during the run I also had the hanging skin on my arm irritate and slap me a few times, it was like my own personal portable cheering section. Then, there were the knees and hips, they were definitely talking to me a few times during the run. Alright, let's cut to the chase, everything and everyone was irritating me, I was a crabby bitch.

Speaking of crabby, I may have blurted out some less than stellar things like....
- This is so stupid, why am I doing this?
- I hate running
- Why the f- did I sign up for a stupid effing marathon?
- Why is it so f-ing hot?
- This is the stupidest thing I've ever done.

Obviously, it was the heat and general irritation talking because 14 miles is pretty bad ass even if it wasn't pretty to get it done. I did have to walk a little more than I would have liked but I covered the miles and that's still pretty bad ass. You know what else is bad ass? ICE BATHS! I did the whole ice bath thing after the run, and it was an experience like none other. I set the timer, put on a sweater and plopped myself in the tub. Oh buddy, it was something else, but I think it was worth the discomfort. 

Marathon Training Long Run #4

Alright, so I am such an airhead and somehow managed to miss my runniversary and blog-ivesary. On May 18th, 2010, I started this little blog journey and little did I know how much my life would change and how little I knew about running. So, let's see what this second year of blogging and running fun has in store for me.

This morning, I set out for marathon training long run #4. This morning's run was a little different because I had a brand spankin' new running partner with me...Danielle. She's a friend that I met during my last time doing "Lost It At The Club". To be honest, I was a little worried about running with her because it's someone new, and I didn't want to have a bad experience. Thankfully, it went really well, she slowed to my pace and then pushed me at the end where I felt like giving up. The time flew by with chatter about this and that, the conversation came easily and was thoroughly interesting and amusing. I knew that Danielle was awesome but I didn't realize how awesome. She's going to be writing a guest blog post for me sharing her story soon. I'll give you the short version, she's lost a lot of weight, but more importantly she has truly been given a second chance at life. A few years ago, she was in a car accident that resulted in a brain injury. She had to re-learn how to do so many things we take for granted, and she even had to re-learn how to walk, and now she's running and kicking butt. To listen to her tell her story, you can't help but feel inspired. I really can't wait for her to share her whole story with all of you because I could never do it justice. Did I mention that she's going to do 13.1 Atlanta with me as well as the full in Savannah?! I love surrounding myself with those who are awesome and awesomely bad ass!

The run started well, and we kept the 3:1 intervals, we stuck to the plan, and trotted along nicely. I was a little worried about my speed or lack there of but Danielle said she enjoyed the pace and stuck with me. I was grateful for the company because I know that I would have lagged a lot more had I not had someone with me. Also, I was super grateful to have her with me because at about 6.5 miles, I started to drag and Danielle didn't let me wimp out. During the run we ran by an aid station, a local running club had an aid station set out and they were kind enough to offer us some gatorade and even gave us some powerbar gels. Gotta love the kindness of other runners! There were lots of people out on the paths today, and can I just vent about how annoying the others on the paths not calling that they were coming. We had a handful of cyclists nearly run us down, incredibly rude. Then right around the point where I started to drag, I noticed that there was Memorial Day ceremony going on and we had to run right behind where the speakers were. We ran as fast as we could and tried to run around it as much as we could. The heat was starting to get pretty brutal by the end of the run and I was super glad that we started as early as we did.

This little gem was on the radio today... gotta love 90's weekends on Star 94 (one of the only reasons I listen to them).

Marathon Training Long Run #2

This morning was long run #2 in the marathon training plan. When I woke up this morning, it was looking like rain was coming so I made the decision to try the long run on the treadmill. K decided to join me, and if you read last week's entry It started well enough on the treadmill, but a mile in, I looked out and decided that I had to finish the run outside and possibly run in the coming rain. Plus, I wanted to have a bad ass moment, even if it was only a small bad ass moment. We got off the treadmill, ran to my car, slapped on my fuel belt that I had brought just in case the weather changed and put on Bubba (my Garmin). The weather was nice and cool, and it was drizzling which made the conditions feel almost heavenly. We were off, and I decided to avoid any issues like I had last week, I put my ipod in and had one ear bud in, so I could focus on my music if K's chatting got to me. She only irritated me this run when she had negative things to say, like talking about the hills etc. A few times before she totally irritated me and I said something rude, I took a few walking steps and let her get ahead of me. The way I looked at this run was that it was a solo run and she just happened to be on the golf cart paths with me. I know it's not the nicest but like Shannon once said to me, I had to run for no one but myself. I felt really strong mentally during the run, which was a HUGE confidence booster.

From a physical standpoint, I felt pretty good. My knees were a little sore but that's from my arthritis, and they are usually a little sore when it's going to rain. I joke that they are my own personal weather stations. I did chat with K about shoes, and I think that it's time to add another pair of shoes into rotation, because the shoes I am running in are in good shape but I need more. Plus, I love shoes and any excuse to buy new shoes, especially running shoes. Plus, I want to avoid causing myself any injuries because of my shoes. Anyways, let me tell you a little funny story about what happened post run. So, towards the end of the run, it actually started raining a little harder than the slight drizzle we'd had during the whole run, so my shirt got wet. I walked back into the gym to stretch and use the bathroom after the run, I headed to bathroom and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I didn't take a picture because I can't go around taking pictures of my chest without charging you guys. I had two big dry spots on my shirt, right on my boobs! Let me tell you, it was a sight. It looked a little something like this...

I know you are wowed and amazed with my doodlin' skills.

Puppy Dog Lunch Bags Are Bad A** and First Marathon Training Long Run

Let's tackle the most important issue first, can we all agree that carrying ice packs, a snack and a powerade zero in a puppy dog lunch bag is pretty bad ass? What?! You mean using your 6 year old's lunch bag isn't bad ass or cool? I had to ask Miss Bella to borrow one of her lunch boxes today because I don't have a small cooler to carry my junk in, and she was gracious enough to let me borrow the puppy dog one. It has all the elements essential to bad assery... purple, pink, puppy dogs and GLITTER!

Alright, so today was the first long run of the official training plan set out by my awesome running coach, Lesley. K decided to join in on the fun this morning. I wish I had gone right after I had dropped Bella off, because by the time we got started the temperature was slowly rising and it was pretty hot when we were done. We started on a different part of the paths than we normally do, so it made for a nice change of scenery. We were off and I realized once we were way too far from the car that I had forgotten my inhaler... I will not make that mistake again. The breathing wasn't horrible but I definitely noticed that I hadn't taken it before the run. IT WAS A STUPID MOVE!! I dealt with it and we found a nice little groove. K chatted, and chatted, and chatted, I was trying to focus on the run. I normally love talking during the long run, but today I just wanted company but not social hour.  It just irritated me a little, that being said we all have those days. We hit a nice little groove after about 2.5 miles. I did notice that during our 1 minute walk breaks, we were walking a lot slower than I felt we should have. So, next long run I will make a conscious effort to make those walk breaks faster and more productive. We got the miles in and I couldn't have been happier about that. When we got back to the car, I got out my awesome lunch box, ate my snack, drank my powerade and headed home. Look I was good and even iced the knees when I got home. SCORE!

Three Things Thursday

1. I am officially signed up for FULL at RnR Savannah. No turning back now!

2. I realized a few minutes ago that it's almost my blogiversary. Can't even believe I've been at it almost a year.

3. I've been craving stroopwaffels, I just need one to get them off my mind. Why? Why have I been so stuck on this carmel filled awesomeness?!

Photo Source

I've Had A Nagging Feeling

So, for the last little while I've had this nagging feeling that I needed to do something. I've hemmed and hawed about it for a while, and I even said that I would wait to do this another time. I have decided that I really can't wait any more. I am going to throw caution to the wind and sign up for my first full marathon.

Let's look at the pros and cons

Pro

- I get to add a 26.2 sticker to my car and join the marathon cool kids club
- I think that marathoners are totally BAD A**
- I need goals, BIG GOALS
- I can get the satisfaction of saying that I ran a full marathon
- It's crazy
- It's one heck of a mental and physical challenge

Cons

- It's one heck of a mental and physical challenge
- It's crazy
- 26.2 miles is a long way to go
- I'm so slow that when I cross the finish, chances are they will be dismantling it all
- It's not 26.2 miles worth of Zumba, it's 26.2 miles of running
- Did I mention the part about the 26.2 miles?
- Chances are pretty good that I will be doing this puppy by myself, that goes for most of the training as well.

So, as soon as I can spend the money on it, I will be signing myself up for the Savannah Rock N' Roll Marathon. I've always wanted to go to Savannah, I've lived in Georgia for 7 years and have yet to go, so this is a perfect excuse to go. Granted, this is a crazy excuse for a trip but we'll go with it. Also, given the amount of time I have to prep, save etc., I am going to take Patrick and possibly Bella with me as well. So there you have it. I have officially gone back to that place we all know that I love dearly... CRAZY TOWN. This also means that I the miles I have logged this week are officially the first week of marathon training. I am going to be getting in touch with a running coach over the next few days because I know that I am going to have to splurge and get some outside professional help.

So, if all goes according to plan I will add one of these to my car.

Also, I think that I am going to sign up for 13.1 Atlanta on October 2nd. It's in town, I am in need of more bling, so it makes perfect sense. It should be good weather, it's a great place to run, and did I mention more bling?

ShamRock N' Roll Race Report

Alright boys and girls, are you ready for a race report? Sunday morning I ran The Junior League Of Atlanta's ShamRock N' Roll 5k. First and foremost, let me tell you the awesome news... according to ye old Garmin, I PR'd, by a second but I PR'd nonetheless. Their results were not chip time, they went by clock time which sucks for me but I am claiming my PR. That is a rant in and of itself because they had the foam timing chips that are attached to your bib, and one would assume that they would be using chip time, but I digress. 

This was my first race without Karen, but I was going to run with another friend of mine, Brooke. Brooke is one of my dearest friends, I just love her. Also, I brought Patrick and Bella along for support and so Bella could enjoy the activities that they had for the kids. Let me just tell you, the kid cleaned up with regards to swag, when I saw them after the finish Patrick was acting as her swag mule. She thought she was super cool, and it made up for the fact that I didn't let her run this race with me. Anyways, back to the race details. The race was in town at Atlantic Station, so it was a 40-45 minute drive for us. I had made plans to leave around 7-7:15 to get there close to 8, giving us more than enough time to park, and for me to go through my pre race insanity rituals. We ended up leaving around 7:45, and made it to Atlantic Station right at 8:30. Once we found parking, my first prerogative was to get to the restroom as quickly as possible. Somehow, I was making my way to the restrooms when people were getting ready to warm up and line up. I ran into Brooke just outside the porta potties, this is becoming a theme with me, and I am not sure if I like it but I do find it comical. She went ahead to the start and I got in line for the potties, well, next thing I hear is the start and I still hadn't had a a chance to pee. I ran to the start and managed to get going. I didn't end up being able to run with Brooke because she had to drop out, one of her boys had to be taken to the ER, and her husband called her to meet them there. The little guy is fine now, but she definitely needed to be there with him. 

Off we went...

I started strong and with a plan, I was going to run 4/1 intervals and if it got to be too much I was going to drop it back to 3/2 intervals. I even wrote out S.T.T.P. (stick to the plan) on my hand in sharpie. I had my music going and I was lip syncing along, because I fully intended on enjoying myself as much as possible during this race. I looked like I had moved to Crazy Town, I was lip syncing, sort of dancing, and thanking the police officers and volunteers. We started on a downhill, so I knew that at some point we were going to have at least one hill, plus, this is Atlanta and hills are inevitable. I was chugging along, sticking to the plan and I think that the good attitude probably helped with the PR. More importantly, I knew that the faster I finished, the faster I could pee, and that was pretty darn important to me because the last thing I wanted was yellow socks. So, I have found my PR formula, having to pee and having the beginnings of strep throat. I was feeling a little off, but I thought it was just my allergies, then Monday morning after the race I woke up feeling like garbage. The good doctor was kind enough to tell me that I have strep throat... good times. 

We passed one of my favorite places... too bad it was closed
I would have pulled myself off the course to do a little shopping,
and possibly pee. 

Gorgeous morning!

I love Atlantic Station

Millennium Gate

Guess what?! I had a bad ass moment during the race. You know my whole blood = bad ass rule. Shortly after we started I felt something in my shoe, and I knew right away that my toe was bleeding. I looked down at my shoes a few times through out the race, I didn't want to stop unless I saw blood on the outside of the shoe. As long as it was contained, I assumed I was fine. I rocked it out, and pushed to the finish when I looked at the Garmin and saw the possibility of a PR. I was elated to cross that finish line knowing that I had PR'd even though it was only by one second. My first priority was finding a bathroom, then getting some water, a banana etc. Can we talk about the glorious feeling of going to the bathroom? Seriously... just glorious. Other mothers out there know what I am talking about. Too much bouncing = no fun with the bladder. As for the toe, when I checked it after the race, I couldn't find the cause of the cut, but there was a cut on one of my toes. It was so weird.

Didn't get any pictures of myself, or with the family because by the time I was done, they were ready to leave. They had done the rounds at the booths, like I said before Bella cleaned up with swag, had her face painted and bounced her little heart out in the bounce house. She and Patrick were ready for some breakfast. 

Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend Race Report - My First Half

The race report... FINALLY! *Warnings- Picture heavy post and a bit of TMI*


All the Garmin stats are HERE


So, I had set my alarm for 2 am, and I woke up before that. Only I would take my phone and take a picture of the alarm clock when I got up.

I got myself dressed, and made my breakfast, but sadly my breakfast exploded. See, the evidence of said explosion. We ate, and headed out to meet the driver from the car service that took us to Epcot for the race.

We got to Epcot and were pretty sure that we were the first people there. We actually weren't that wrong, we were some of the first people there, but I felt a lot better knowing that we were there, even if it was ridiculously early.

This pic cracks me up because it looks like I'm droppin' it like it's hot.

In case you didn't know, Saturday was the Day of Dance and we had to celebrate, even if it was a day late. There was a DJ, music and lights, so we had to dance. We requested a few songs, and I started teaching a little impromptu Zumba class. Ok, so it was more like me dancing but eventually I got a couple of princesses to join in. Someone was recording it, and I would love to see it. After a few songs, I decided that it was time for a potty break, so in the ever growing lines we went. You'll never guess who I happened to run into while I was waiting.... none other than RR and Lesley! It was a meeting none of us will ever forget. 

So, before I forget, I wrote on my arm to remind me of a few things during the race. First of all, was a reminder to STICK TO THE PLAN. Sadly, I didn't stick to the plan, I let me brain get the better of me towards the end, but I will definitely do a million times better next time. I am going to win this mental battle I seem to have every race. The other stuff I wrote on my arm was inspired by Kelly, ok, I totally stole her idea and dedicated each mile to someone. My first mile was dedicated to God, and each mile after that was dedicated to people who have been influential in my weight loss and running journey. Just so you know, I ran a mile for all of you, you guys were mile 8. Sadly, there weren't enough miles for every person that I wanted to run for, but there will be more races.

We made the seemly endless trek to the start, but not without two more stops at the porta potties. I was so scared to lose time stopping to pee during the race, little did I know that I would have to stop during the race regardless. Once we finally made it to Corral F (F for F***ing FAR), we tried to shimmy our way to the front, or at least as far to the front as we could manage. We watched the faster waves go, and each time the Fairy Godmother sent them off, I got chills. Finally, they got to us, she said her little spiel but it seemed a little lack lustre compared to the others, she might have been out of magic by then, or maybe I was being overly critical, both of which are completely possible. We were off like a herd of turtles....

We started strong, but sadly spent a LOT of time at the beginning just trying to get through the crowds. People were walking more than 2 deep, and taking up a ton of space. I ended up running on the grass a few times just to be able to pass. K and I called when we were passing on the left or right, but some people just wouldn't budge and some looked at us like we were insane. In case you were on the course in our general area, we were the loud broads talking about a few inappropriate things, and randomly yelling things like "woohoo", "go us", and "we're all so bad ass". Karen and I were in a great mood but a lot of the people around us were grumpy/serious princesses. I get that they were there to get it done, but I just thought that we would have fun getting done. We did find a few people along the way who were super awesome and tons of fun. I guess I thought that the super happy vibe that I expected and heard about would trickle all the way down to the back of the pack. We even ran into Sarah, and a friend of Shannon's, but we didn't end up running with them. So, we did end up stopping to use the bathroom right by the Richard Petty thing, we lost almost 10 minutes there. Can you believe that?! When we were done, K and I "sprinted" to try and make up some time and we managed to catch up to some of the people we had left when we broke off to pee. Anyways, not too far from the Contemporary, there were some pretty gymnast boys doing their thing, and we sped up and tried to look all cool when we passed them but not before yelling out something about how hot they were. We made one of them blush. 

This was the last picture my phone took before I couldn't get to the screen anymore
from the salt from my face. I was trying to post on Facebook along the way.

There were four of these along the way.

Before we knew it, we were heading into the Magic Kingdom. Where was the time going? It was all I could do to keep it together as we were making our way through Main Street. I know it seems silly that I cry or get all misty eyed at so many races, but I think it just hits me that I have come so far in the past year. In February, of 2010, I had started the weight loss thing but running wasn't even on my radar, I was just a different person. Back to the race, we made our way through Tomorrowland and made our way into Fantasyland, and there it was, the castle. We stopped for a picture in front of the castle, but when we looked for it through ASI's site, it was no where to be found. It was the only picture stopped to take.... go figure. In MK, K and I were chatting and somehow decided that February 27th is New Lucy's birthday. Old Lucy, who was weighing me down is dead and gone, and we buried her just outside of the Magic Kingdom. All of that is silly, I know, but there was something about finally mentally letting go of the 200+ pounds that have still been weighing me down that was very empowering.

This was a surreal moment, I had been looking forward to
this moment for so long.

Woohoo!!! GO US!!! 

So, let's get down to some knitty gritty of the race. I was doing well sticking to the hydration plan, I was alternating powerade and water. Plus I was also making it a point to pour some water on my head at water stops so I wouldn't get too hot. Unfortunately, the fuel plan sort of back fired on me, and I had no issues with it during training. I ingested entirely too much caffeine with the GU and blocks, FATAL error. I had some awful GI issues during the race but I refused to stop, because I didn't want to lose any time. Had I stopped, I probably wouldn't have slowed down as much as I had towards the end. Stupid move on my part....lesson learned. I didn't even finish the fuel I had left in my spibelts because I just didn't know if my stomach could take it. Also, learned a valuable lesson about chafing. I won't go into detail but I just didn't know that there were certain things that needed to be hit with glide. Yowzers!

Best sign I saw on the run

Nine miles in!! 

K and I were briefly separated when she raced ahead to use the restroom. I put my headphones in and jammed out. I had my hands up, I was randomly hooting and hollering, and probably annoying the crap out of the people around me but I was having fun. When K and I reunited, we even ran into a lady I know from the gym. As we went along, I slowly started to wilt, mentally speaking, I was turning to mush. You can look at the garmin stats and watch me fall apart. When the pace really slowed, is when the plan went out the window. Around mile 10, K ran ahead, we had agreed that if one of us needed to speed ahead, we would let the other go, so I let her go. Although, it made me a bit sad because I was already teetering on the edge of losing it mentally, I knew that I had to prove to myself that I could finish this out on my own without K. I dug deep and tried to keep going, so I kept telling myself something that Amy had said to me the night before... "finish the drill". I knew that I had one thing to do and it was finish the drill, and part of shedding old Lucy meant finishing the drill. I was beating myself up about how slow I was, and not even thinking that I was doing the damn thing. Then it happened, we were coming into Epcot, we were in the area right before we went into the park when I started wheezing. I couldn't get a handle on it, so I got my inhaler out and took two hits. I started feeling some relief, but I wasn't 100%, I struggled with it until the end. Why did this come on? It hit me that I was going to finish this thing, and I had a bit of a panic issue. At that point there wasn't any other option than to finish. I also cried during all of this because I just couldn't believe that I was going to finish it. Darn it, I'm crying writing this out. Anyways, a lady beside me started chatting with me when I was tearing up, and I told her my story and she told me all about her husband who has started his own weight loss journey. Thank heavens for her! Then, right at mile 12, there was a girl who was looking like she was going to fall apart, so I chatted with her for a bit, and maybe help her like the other lady had done for me. Then, we turned to leave Epcot and what do I hear... the gospel choir. I completely lost it, it just touched me so much. The lady who helped me earlier and I stopped to take pics at mile 13, and then she said "you know we have to run the rest of the way in". That's just what we did. I ran past Mickey and Minnie, and I wish I hadn't, I just finished. I stopped to take a picture for some people and then K found me. Somehow she managed to stick around the finish line and wait for me. As soon as I saw her, I broke down into the ugly cry yet again. We hugged, and I told her that I still didn't have a handle on my breathing. She said that I needed to get to the medical tent, I told her no. Why you ask?! I needed to get my medal first, I didn't go through that and not get my bling. So, I leaned on a guard rail thing while I waited for my medal. As soon as I got it, I had her walk with me over to the medical tent.

Only one mile to go. Can you tell that there were tears involved?

My new friend was kind enough to take this picture for me.

Not sure where this was taken.

Again, there were tears just before this picture was taken.

I got it done! 

Had to get a pic of the medal before getting medical attention 

The medical team they had on had was awesome. They got me checked in and taken care of incredibly quickly. I had a team of doctors checking me out within minutes of getting there. They did hear some wheezing but we managed to get a handle on the breathing and I stayed in the tent until everything was back to normal. Can I tell you what the sad part about being part of the penguin crew? When we cross the finish line, the party is pretty much over. Everyone has scattered, even picking up my bag after they discharged me was sad because I had to go to a completely different tent where they had the last bags waiting on pick up.

Can't believe I forgot to take the ice pack off my back! Who does that?

We headed over to the taxi pick up place to meet the car that was picking us up. We stunk like we had just finished 13.1 miles, I felt so bad for the driver because we smelled so bad. Then when we pulled up to the Mona Lisa, I yelled something out of the car window which was so stupid on my part. Ugh, I stuck my foot in my mouth yet again. We got ourselves showered up, put on our "I Did It" tees that we bought at the expo, packed up and headed to Golden Corral. Sadly, Foodmaggedon which we had planned was a total flop, but the intent for it was there. We got an A for effort.

You may have to click on this one to see what the signs say

Things I've Learned In The Last 9 Months

Yesterday, I was thinking about all the things I've learned since I started this little running adventure 9 months ago. Some of what I learned was about running, some is about myself.

• Running doesn't suck, shocking I know, but I really did not enjoy it when I started
• I now look forward to my runs, and I get bummed if I have to miss them.
• Running is very much a mental game
• Running hurts sometimes but the feeling of running completely outweighs the pain
• It's cheaper than therapy
• The right shoes make all the difference. 
• Blood = BAD ASS (at least it is in my books) See this post
• Running in rain/sleet etc. = BAD ASS
• I am a sock snob, I found a kind of sock that I like and will not use any other. Thorlo Experia Coolmax socks (I own a lot of these and in a variety of colors)
• Still on the subject of socks, I refuse to wear my white socks to race in. I wore white for the first 5K and I decided that white socks are bad luck for me. I know it's weird but that's just me. I plan on wearing the orchid or turquoise socks for the Princess, in case you were wondering.
• I learned the importance of wicking fabrics. I started out wearing cotton...never again.
• I learned the importance of fuel
• I've learned what bonking is
• I've become close friends with my foam roller
• Learned how to properly tie my shoe laces, sounds simple but there is a wrong way to do this apparently.
• Not every run is a superstar, rockstar run and I have had to learn to deal with that
• I feel pretty bad ass every time we go on a long run
• I learned what glide is, and that it's a wonderful thing.
• The fine people at the Kroger on our running route are very nice and are kind enough to share their restrooms with us on our runs
• I actually like being outside even in the cold, when I started I dreaded going to run outside
• I learned that if you run you are a runner, it was a long time before I felt like a real runner. 
• Slow is the new fast 
• Most importantly, I learned that I am capable of a lot more than I could have ever imagined.

What have you learned since you've started running?

The Bad & The Bad Ass

Before I get to my post, go to this blog and make a donation here. 

At least the view from yesterday's run was pretty....

So, I went for a little run by myself yesterday afternoon before picking Bella up from school. Karen is on a set working on a commercial, oh the life of a super cool make up artist. Great for her, sucky for my running situation. Anyways, I sucked it up, got myself dressed and headed out. First and foremost, let me just say that I had some issues with the running skirt/capri combo from runningskirts.com. My particular issue with this outfit is that I am still too big to rock this look, it'll be a little while before I can fit into it properly. Bummer because the skirt/capri combo is cute, and the capris under the skirt were super comfy.  So, walking at first was fine, but as soon as I started running, the skirt started riding up and it wasn't pretty. Had I not had the capris underneath, I would have given the others on the paths a free show, Momma has bills to pay, I can't be showing it all for free. Then, to add to the suck fest that was Wednesday's run, I had to pee the entire time, and I had gone to the bathroom right before I ran... WTF?!  Of course, there had to be more, I was having some knee pain and some calf discomfort. I know the knee pain is due to the arthritis, so that wasn't a surprise, just an annoyance and a reminder of the permanent damage I have done to my joints with the extra weight.

I am very coddled having someone to run with even on the treadmill. I had a huge hit reality when I went out on my own yesterday. I think that mentally, it put me in a bad head space and I didn't put on my big girl panties like I should have. Even my music made me mad, and I was being a huge baby. I finished my 3 miles and stomped off to my car and sulked. I thought that going to Zumba in the afternoon would help me shake it off, but all it did was make me extra tired and slightly irritable.

Today on the other hand was going to be my redemption run and was it ever. After Groove, I went and changed out of my stinky Groove stuff, put on all my running gear and headed over to the lake. As I was leaving the gym, it was sprinkling but nothing that was going to keep me from the redemption run. The sprinkles turned into full on rain. I started out, my music was right, I felt great, and I was determined to get in 4 miles by myself. I tried to stick to the 4:1 interval plan but that part didn't work out exactly as planned, I walked a little more than I would have liked. I am motoring along and at about 1.75 miles into the run, it hit me that I was already doing so much better than yesterday. Then that rain turned into sleet, by the time I hit mile two, it really started coming down and I started feeling pretty BAD ASS! I was smiling to myself the whole time. The only issue with my bad ass moment was the slick conditions it caused on parts of the paths, but I managed. By mile three, I just felt such a sense of accomplishment even though the Garmin was reminding me that I was SLOW. I passed a doggy show down, and some guy who may or may not have been a crackhead (don't see too many of those in Peachtree City), just to keep things interesting. By the time I got back to the car I was so happy. I was buzzing because I finished, and finished the run on my own, and because I ran in the rain and sleet. This one is going down in the Book of Bad Assery!

Weekend of AWESOME

Front of my new shirt... I LOVE IT!

This is the back of the shirt.

I woke up Saturday morning ready for Karen and I's long run. I was ready, we had a plan, and I had a super awesome shirt to wear (see the pic above). I started getting ready, and Footloose was on... which obviously was a sign that it was going to be a good run LOL. I had my regular oatmeal with almond butter, and some coffee (this would later turn out to be a mistake... the coffee, not the oatmeal). I listened to "River Deep, Mountain High" on my way to the lake, to get myself pumped up. I was ready to go, well, mostly. Karen and I had to pack our new FuelBelts with the water bottles and our fuel for the run, which took us a little while because we had to make sure everything was just right, we were determined to have an incredible run. Once we were squared away, we were off, we stuck to 4:1 intervals which really is great for us. This was also our first run in our new shoes, not the smartest idea we've ever had, but they were going to have to be broken in eventually...right? The fuelbelt was wonderful other than the fact that I could not fit my phone in the little pouch, so I had to wear the spibelt as well. I have to have my phone with me in case of emergencies and because my head my spin off if I don't have it with me, yup, I'm a phone junkie. We started strong, and we were really good about keeping a fairly even pace throughout the whole run. There is something to be said for sticking to the plan. There were a few points where I got in my head a little and when I told Karen I needed to get out of my head, she suggested we talk it out. Thank goodness we did because it was the push I needed to get through it. One of the few issues that we had during the run was that even with the fuelbelts we still needed more water. We stopped to fill them up at a grocery store on the route twice but I think that we both need to add an extra bottle to those bad boys. Another is issue was not physical but mentally pushing through the last mile, we were ready to be done with it, but we pushed and finished the entire 11 miles. It was BAD ASS!!

On the way home something very interesting happened. It finally hit me, that we are actually going to finish this. I guess that before this, I thought that I would finish but on Saturday it became very real. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face, and when I got home, Patrick was outside holding two fingers up for 11. It was super sweet, and he went on and on about how proud he was of us. So, there it is in writing, there is no option but to finish this thing.

Needless to say, I rode the high from the run for the rest of the day. I thought I was pretty bad ass, and went to Groove launch Saturday evening. Now, that may have been overkill, but we all know that's how I roll. It was a ton of fun, and Karen brought me a gift too. She found these little mouse ears with a tiara at Claire's, so we have our ears and tiara for the half.

Sunday was spent with the family, and of course I hit the gym as well. Just a pleasant day!

All around a weekend of AWESOME!!!

To Post Or Not To Post

We actually did this in class in Bosu class, and I didn't fall on my face.

Let me start by telling you about Bosu class Sunday afternoon. I decided that I would go in prepared for anything and with a better attitude than I had on Tuesday, so automatically doing better than last class. I reminded myself that this class is good for me, for the running and for helping me reach my goals for the year. We got started and I had to remind myself that I was not supposed to be able to do it all, and that it's supposed to be challenging. It was challenging and I think that I will get a lot out of it. Also, love that I have Karen there with me, she keeps me accountable.

Monday, was dancey kind of day. I trained with Amy, but the rest of the day was spent rehearsing my new stuff for my Zumba class on Friday. The gym that I work at requires that I have an entire new class on Friday because they are launching new stuff in the other group fitness classes. I'm not too worried about it but it just adds to the things I have to do. Here's the super awesome part of Monday, Karen had gotten a call from the Grand Poobah of Group Groove, and she asked K to teach with her. The lady that called Karen is the person who trains Groove instructors worldwide, she is Groove royalty. Anyways, Karen and I drove up to the gym where she was going to teach. The whole way up there, I had a bad case of jiggy leg. I get jiggy leg when I'm nervous... I was nervous for her, and she was cool as could be about it. I'll cut to the chase and tell you that she KILLED IT! She did so well, and it was so cool to get to see her teach with this lady and I also loved having the opportunity to take a class from this lady.

On Tuesday, we had Bosu class again but before class I banged out a mile and got another mile after the class. The class was awesome, and I am feeling more comfortable with it all around. Then that afternoon, I went to support one of the other Zumba instructors from my gym as she launched her new stuff. It was fun and she invited me to teach a track, and can I just reiterate that I LOVE teaching. It was all just so much fun.

Yesterday, I ran with Karen, and we got in 6 miles. I got to the lake and we decided that it was entirely too windy, so we headed to the gym to hit the treadmill. After two miles on the treadmill, Karen suggested we run another mile outside. We got out on the paths outside of the gym, and at half a mile where we were going to turn around, we decided to make it an even mile out and a mile back. Loved the change of scenery and loved running outside, I really dislike the treadmill. We got back to the gym and our cars and decided that we might as well get another 2 in because our original plan was to go for 6. So, back to the treadmill we went and we got it done. I am not a fan of the treadmill, it makes me hurt in places that running outside does not.

Today, I am taking an official rest day. Yup, an honest to goodness REST day. Icing the knees, rolling out all the aches and tightness in my legs. I'll have to tack on another day for the 100 Day Challenge, but I am completely ok with that. Does practicing my Zumba stuff on the couch count as movement?

In other news, I finally got in touch with a therapist. I had mentioned before that it was time for professional help but I hadn't done anything about it, but it's time. I need a third unbiased party to help me work through some of the issues that have surfaced because of the weight loss and the changes in my life. Trying to get a handle on my trips to Crazy Town.

If You Like Piña Coladas...

... and getting caught in the rain.... (can't get this darn cheesy song out of my head)



Alright, the song comes to mind because we got caught in the rain during our long run this afternoon. Everyone knows that inclement weather always makes one think of cheesy music... duh! Due to the fact that the kiddos were out of school today, we had to get creative in terms of babysitting and the time we headed out for our run. Karen's daughter (aka babysitter extraordinaire) came to the rescue and stayed with Bella so we could head out on our 10 mile trek. Karen and I had a plan for this run, our route was planned, we planned to run 4:1 intervals and we had a fuel plan in place. The only thing that could have used better planning was our hydration plan, but we managed to make it work, but we will definitely have a better plan in place for our next long run. We were even ready for the rain that had been forecasted, and you know my thoughts on running in the rain.... BAD A**. As you might have guess, we did get caught in the rain, but it really wasn't that bad at all. Anyways, we were just chugging along nicely, but we were slower than we had hoped. We chatted about everything, we were having fun and waiting for that euphoric moment like we had on our 9 miler. Then this weird thing happened... that super high and giddy moment we felt last time never came. I wasn't trying to high five strangers or anything like that. It really kind of bummed us both out, and then by mile 8, I was just ready for it all to be over. Somewhere between 8 and 9, my calf started cramping, it was very frustrating and it just felt amplified because I wasn't feeling that awesome high that I feel when we go long. We got it done, but it wasn't that same feeling. Even after we got home, it was just so anti-climatic. So, we came to the consensus that 11 will bring that feeling back, and we were just having an off day. Shaking off the disappointment and trying to focus on the general bad assery that comes with knowing that we finished 10 miles!

Now, it's time to get to bed because I have Bosu class in the morning. Karen and I signed up for a bosu belly blast class that Amy is having at the gym. Should be interesting...

Finally Climbed Out From The Icy Mess

This is so true. Found this here.

We finally climbed out of the icy mess we had going on in the Atlanta area. Thank goodness, because I love my family very much but I was getting ready to sell my husband and Bella to the gypsies. We are just people who need our schedules and our space, without it we all officially took a trip to Crazy Town. I've said this before but this Canadian has gone soft after living in the south for nearly seven years, I freaked out just a little being stuck. I'll give you a run down of the week...

Tuesday


We were starting to get just a little stir crazy and saw that the roads were passable during day light hours, so we headed out. We were able to go out for lunch and then I decided that I would run out afterwards to get in a few miles with Karen at the gym. I assumed the gym would be empty because of the weather and because when I passed it a few hours earlier there were only a few cars in the lot. Well, you know what they say about assuming... because the lot was packed and it was a huge ordeal to get a treadmill let alone two treadmills together so Karen and I could run together. Somehow we managed to get treadmills together and got in 3 miles.

Wednesday


I trained with Amy, and Karen joined us for the session. Thank heavens for Karen's daughter who kept Bella and Amy's daughter because the gym's childcare was closed. Did I mention that at this point this was Bella's third day home from school, and we were starting to butt heads just a little. The rest of the day was just a blur.

Thursday

I was certain that the kids would be able to go back to school on Thursday, but no such luck. I woke up and checked to see if the gypsies were outside, ready to buy my little pumpkin but I guess the roads were just too icy for them. So, I had to get her and I to the gym (thank goodness that childcare was open), and I went to Groove. After that once again, Karen's daughter came to the rescue and kept Bella for a little while so that Karen and I could get a few miles in on the track. Even though the company was wonderful, the track is dreadfully boring, almost as bad as the treadmill. We stuck to the track because we knew that there wasn't any ice on the track as opposed to the golf cart paths which were still sketchy. You know what helps you get over boring workout on the track? Karen, our girls and myself going to the new TCBY! It's self serve and I had to fight the urge to drown my yogurt in chocolate, chocolate bar bits.

Friday


Guess who had another day away from school?! Yup, my dear Bella. Now, this wouldn't even be an issue at this point if it wasn't for the fact that she did not want to go to work with me in the morning. She got over it, and was pleasantly surprised to see other big kids at the gym's childcare. Anyways, I got to the group fitness room and was praying that someone would show up, I was pleasantly surprised to have the biggest class I've ever had. WOOHOO!!! We got our Zumba on and I may have frightened an older lady who was trying Zumba for the first time, but I had told her before the class started that there are no rules and that she could just march in place or do her own thing if she got lost. These things are bound to happen but because I'm new to teaching this is new to me. After class, Karen, Bella and I met up to get our nails done. While we were there, Karen brought up the idea of getting a few miles in the afternoon and I was in. I invited Shannon and Sarah, and Sarah took me up on the offer. We headed out for our little run. Alright, physically I had a hard time with it, and then mentally, I was a mess. During the run, I felt something in my sock but ignored it, when I got home there was blood on two toes but I couldn't pin point where it came from. Mystery blood equals bad ass in my book... so we'll go with that. We got 4.65 miles in and even though I was whiney and not into it I am glad we got it done. After that, Karen, her daughter, Shannon, Sarah, Patrick, Bella and I went out for a little Mexican food and finalized our travel plans for the half. The hotel is booked, and this is getting very very real.

Saturday & Sunday


Not much accomplished other than a few miles walked on the treadmill on Saturday and Groove on Sunday.

Have managed to keep on track with the 100 day challenge. Now, getting ready to head out for a long run with Karen. Wish us luck!