Charlotte Race Fest Half Marathon

Oh Monday, I was not looking forward to you today! I'm tired today. It was a tiring weekend. But a good one. 

Friday I left work about 4:00, picked up Sophie, and we hit the road to Charlotte. I stopped to get her a happy meal but I was waiting till I got to my parents house to eat dinner because I didn't want fast food. Her fries were tempting and I might have taken one or two....

I got to my parents house about 7:15. Sophie immediately wanted to play which gave me a chance to bring in all our stuff and eat dinner and chat with my Mom. She picked up my race packet for me so I didn't have to worry about it. What a great Mom.

Then it was off to bed to be well rested for the race. Well as rested as you can be with a bed hog. I swear for such a little girl, she takes up the whole bed. I slept decent. 

I was up at 5:50 to start getting ready and we were out of the house by 6:50. My dad went with me to the race and my mom stayed home with Sophie.

It was the perfect morning. The sun was out, the temps were cool. Far cry from last year's torrential downpour and severe thunderstorms. 

I think there were a lot more race participants this year because the start seemed extra crowded and it took us all a while to break apart when the race started. 

Even though I didn't get to train for this race, I was still hoping that I would PR or at least break 2 hours for a third time. However, when the gun went off and we started running, I immediately knew that this was going to be a long race. My legs were just tired and stiff from the get go.

I felt pretty good after the 1st mile but the miles seemed to go by slow. 

Mile 9 was the hill from hell and I had to walk! So frustrating but I wanted to save my energy (or lack there of) for the rest of the race. The last few miles had a bunch of hills and that just drains me after a while. Again, I didn't get a chance to do any hill runs so I felt a bit out of shape.

At mile 11 I realized that if I sucked it up and sped up a little I could still finish under 2 hours and I really wanted to do this.

I put on my "fast" songs and just ran up those hills with all my might. 

The finish line never looked so good and I crossed at 1:58:44, chip time. Woot!

I'm happy overall because I have a feeling this is the last half marathon I will be running, probably till next year. Kind of sad but it's time to move on to my next quest. Baby no. 2. 

I know I keep saying that, hopefully it'll happen this month.

Rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with my family, a little bit of shopping, and eating. My mom is the best cook. 

Sunday we packed up and hit the road and I was home by 2:00. Only to still have to get everything ready for the work week. I was tired last night.

This morning I managed to drag myself out of bed and run 3 miles and do a leg workout. I am still coughing a bunch at night and even though it's getting better, I still can't get rid of this tickle in my throat. Very annoying. 

So far it's been a stressful Monday so I hope that doesn't set the tone for the week. 

One month till vacation!

Sleep! Finally!

All it took was a small dose of NyQuil and I was out cold. From what my husband said this morning, I didn't cough once. Thank goodness! It was starting to get really annoying.

I took less than the recommended dosage because I wanted to be able to get out of bed in the morning and not be groggy. It worked. I was able to get up at 4:20 for the gym but still felt a little out of it. Luckily I had some caffeine and I was good to go. Mostly.

Now I just have to make it through work. Leaving a little bit early to get my daughter and get on the road so we can get to Charlotte sometime around 7:00. I'm sure I'll have to stop for her to go potty and get some dinner. I'll eat when I get to my folks but I know she won't be able to hold out that long.

I'm sure she'll be wound up and wanting to play when I'm ready to go to sleep. My race starts at 7:30 so I'll have to be up probably around 5:45 and leave about 6:45 to get there and walk to the starting line.

Course map for anyone familiar with the Charlotte area:

Starts and ends near SouthPark Mall. I might, just might, have to sneak in after the race and walk around. Charleston does NOT have good malls and shopping. You go to a mall here you run the risk of getting shot. Seriously, it's happened. A few times.

Pretty sure that Sophie will just stay at home with my mom and dad while I run. Which is fine with me. This isn't a big huge race or anything. It's just nice to run around in my hometown. I miss it.

My sister and her boys will be coming over at some point tomorrow to hang with Sophie and play. It's going to be a really nice weekend, not too hot, so I'm sure we'll be able to let them run wild in the yard.

Looking forward to a nice weekend with my family while Ricky slaves around the house :) Just kidding. I wish he was coming too but we have to take advantage of time that can be used to get things done. Plus we're having Sophie's birthday party in our backyard in a few months and our backyard needs some love.

This Should Be Interesting

I am running a half marathon Saturday. I haven't really gotten a chance to "train" for it due to my cold and it's remnants the last 2 weeks.

I did do 10 miles last Saturday and felt really good and strong.

Then I coughed up my lungs for about 20 minutes after.

I ran Monday and yesterday and had aspirations to get up this morning and do about 7 miles tempo run (because I was suppose to do it yesterday but never got into my groove and only did 5 - super tired). However, that plan failed when I coughed up my remaining lungs last night from about midnight till about 2:00 am.

The secret to great abs is to cough your brains out for 2 hours a few nights and you are sure to have a six pack.

This happened Monday night as well and I think at this point my husband is going to hold a pillow over my face. He's a trooper. I would like to point out there is a couch he could go sleep on if he got really annoyed. I guess neither of us wanted to give up our bed.

I am no longer congested but apparently I have some leftover "junk" that I keep coughing up and can't seem to shake this last little bit. I hate taking meds but thinking I might need some cough syrup or something. I really want to sleep tonight!

So needless to say when my alarm went off at 4:00 I could barely keep my eyes open so I did not get up. I'm super tired today and have already downed 2 cups of coffee and still feel very sluggish and sleepy. It's going to be a long day.

I wasn't planning on running tomorrow morning for the simple fact that I have to work all day and then drive to Charlotte and didn't want to be too tired, but I think I'm going to shoot for 6 slow miles and then a few weights and drink lots of caffeine throughout the day.

That's the plan anyway, we'll see if I cough up the remainder of my lungs tonight.

So Saturday should be interesting. I'll either do really well or completely bomb but either way it's my last half marathon as this month we are going to start trying again for baby no. 2. If I run as well as I did on Saturday I'll do fairly well. Weather is going to be perfect so at least I have that going for me.

After the race I'm going to go shopping with Sophie and my Mom. I miss shopping in Charlotte. Lots.

Ricky is staying here to get some much needed stuff done around the house. He'll only have the dogs to manage, he should get a lot done with wife and daughter out of the house.

Next Saturday Ricky and I are running a rather small 5k that's going to be in our neighborhood. I haven't ran just a 5k in a long time so that will be interesting as well.

Lots of interesting things happening.

Flowertown Festival Run

Yesterday I ran in the annual 5 and 10K race in our town. It's a pre-festival race called the Flowertown Festival Run, or I guess they just call it the Flowertown Run now. Every Spring right when the Azaleas are in bloom, our town has what's called the Flowertown Festival where local vendors come out and sell things, there's food and games for the kids.

To be honest in the 6 years I've lived here, we've NEVER been. How crazy is that? Actually it's not crazy at all seeing is how I've heard how crowded and expensive it all is. But now that Sophie is getting older it's one of those things we will eventually start taking her to. Starting this year, I think.

So anyway this run is put on by the local YMCA. It's actually a really nice run through our town (the 10K loops twice) and a lot of people do come out to support. It's very well organized for such a small race and we even got tech shirts this year!

Of course it being in our town we participate. My sister has come down the last 2 years to run it too. Ricky even runs, and he is not a runner. So it's fun.

We had perfect weather, except for the small wind gusts that like to keep you in check (I hate the wind).

For the last couple of weeks I've been working on getting faster. I knew I wanted to run this race fast since I didn't get pregnant last month. I'd been training for something faster than an 8:15 pace, my time last year was 51:28, my fastest 10k. It was something that I needed to prove to myself, that I could run fast (fast for me) since the last 5 months were spent training slowly for the marathon.

The plan was to start out slower, about an 8:30 pace and then speed up every mile. Well, I started out fast, I couldn't help it, I saw a guy that I see at the gym a bunch and the competitive person in me said "I will beat him."

Mile 1 - 7:59
Mile 2 - 7:54
Mile 3 - 7:57

By this time I was feeling really good, even though I was running fast, but before long I started feeling like this was too fast and I wasn't sure how long I could keep it up. I passed the guy (yay!) but I started to slow down due to the cramp in my side.

Mile 4 - 8:20 (ugh!)
Mile 5 - 8:11 (guy passed me, crap!)

At looked at my watch and realized that if I sped up I could come in under 50 minutes and that truly was my goal the whole time. Unfortunately as I approached Mile 6 I felt like I was either going to hurl or pass out (maybe both) so I slowed a bit and then picked up the pace.

Mile 6 - 7:59
.2 - 7:48

Time 50:18 - so close!!!!

I was bummed that I didn't come in under 50 minutes but I ran my heart out and beat my best time by 1 minute and 10 seconds. Plus I ran 4 out of the 6 miles in a 7:50 something pace, I haven't run that fast.....in a long time, maybe even ever? It felt really good.

So I've signed up for my next race in April, the Charlotte Race Fest half marathon.

I've honestly been enjoying these shorter distances. Maybe it's the lack of pressure I feel to run and do my day to day life. I don't have these crazy long runs to do anymore. I mean I have a decent base that I don't have to go and really "train" for the half, but I will do a few longer runs between now and April 14th.

Race season is coming to an end for the Summer, which is kind of sad seeing as how I might be really pregnant in the Fall, but that's OK, I will continue to run.

What a week it's been.

It all started last Thursday when my husband had to go out of town for work for 4 days, his sales meeting in Orlando, FL. So that left Sophie and me at home for the weekend. 

Which meant no running or working out, unless it was an exercise here or there at home. Brutal!! 

But it was a much needed rest. I would not have taken the time off had he been at home. The plan was to take the whole 4 days off but I cheated and got my mother in law to watch Sophie on Sunday so I could hit the gym and grocery store. She was happy to oblige and Sophie was stoked to play with Gigi.

I had a great run, working on getting a little bit faster since my marathon training left me slow and worn out. I have a 10k to run in a few weeks and I really want to beat my previous time of 51 minutes (and some change).

I have to admit it's been kind of nice just focusing on my shorter runs lately. The last long distance I did was my half marathon almost 2 weeks ago. I won't to keep up the long runs, to a point, but I knew Feb heading into March would be busy so I'm really not sure when I'll get the time.

This morning I did a tempo run and tomorrow morning, provided I can make it up, I will aim for 7 or 8 miles on the treadmill. 

I have also kicked my 5 hour energy habit in preparation for possibly getting pregnant in the near future. It was brutal but I have overcome. Now that doesn't mean caffeine all together, yet!

I have a busy month coming up. Still working full time and still trying to get Sophie's big girl room put together, my husbands birthday is coming up, my father in law's 60th birthday, this coming weekend we are out of town for my nephew's birthday party, my 10 k race March 10th, AND I'm throwing a baby shower for my good friend. 

So I'm happy that I got the marathon out of my system because if I thought that was difficult training through the Holidays, this next month takes the cake. 

I think I've convinced my husband that we need a treadmill for our house, especially if there is another baby in the picture. One the look out for one on Craigslist. Anyone know a good brand to look out for? 

I was sent this picture from the Save the Light Half Marathon I ran on Feb.4th

If you happen to click and get a larger picture you can see the amount of sweat that gathered on my forehead. I take such goofy pictures :)

Recent Race and Today's Run

Saturday I ran the Save the Light Half Marathon on Folly Beach, SC. It's considered a "no frills" race. They don't use timing chips, you tear of the bottom of your race bib when you cross the finish line, the amount of people running is pretty small. There just aren't a whole lot of extras.

To me that's OK because it's for a good cause and the scenery was pretty. Can't beat views of the ocean.

Two good friends of mine are trying to break into the running thing and wanted to do the 5k race. So we decided to get a room at the Tides Folly Beach Oceanfront Hotel.

They had a special rate for one or two nights so we decided to stay Friday night and wake up and be right at the starting line for the race.

(Rate for one night was $122, split 3 ways, about $41 a person. Not bad).

I admit I was worried that it would turn into a booze fest, three mommas away from their hubbies and kids. But to my amazement I was the last one asleep and that was at 9:30.

However there was the loud obnoxious drunk girl a few doors down talking on her phone, speaker phone, at 12:30 am and then I had trouble sleeping the rest of the night.

When we woke up it was warm, like 57 degrees warm. I don't like being hot when I run because I tend to dehydrate so easily and the heat just seems to zap my energy so I was getting a little nervous that it wasn't as cool as I thought it was going to be. Luckily I brought shorts and a tank so I was not overdressed.

Even though it was cloudy there was still a beautiful sunrise.

We walked all of 1 minute to the starting line waited about 10 minutes and then it was time for the race! Can't beat that.

Killing time:

Making fun of my fuel belt - Gatorade on one side and water/Nuun on the other.

Me (center) and the girls (Jill and Rachael)

Jill sporting her old school headphones.

Overall the race went well. I didn't expect a PR and it didn't happen. My legs felt sluggish and tired after 3 miles, and that's about when I was drenched with sweat and the sun came out.

For some reason the race felt long, maybe that's because we ran some of the same loops twice.

My Garmin time was 2:03:51, avg pace 9:28.

Not too shabby seeing as how the marathon was only 3 weeks ago and my legs have felt funky ever since.I am happy.

I took Sunday off to paint Sophie's soon to be "big girl" room, which took way longer than I anticipated so there was no time to go to the gym or running because then we went straight to a friends house to watch the Super Bowl.

I took Monday off because I was too darn tired from painting the day before and staying up late watching the Super Bowl to make it to the gym.

I made it up this morning and had a fantastic run so those 2 days must have done me some good. I'm trying to get my "speed" back because the last month or so I've felt very slow. Strong but slow.

Warmed up slow and then up'd my speed every mile. So I did 5 miles, avg pace about 8:26. I didn't have any leg or foot pain so I'm calling it a successful run! After the run I did circuit training.

I know I've talked a lot about trying for baby no. 2 after the marathon but it did not happen last month and that's because we weren't really trying. So it's a go this month!

I plan on running a 10k in March so even if I do wind up pregnant I will be very early on so I don't see it as a problem. Although I want to run fast so we'll see how that goes.

Saturday's Long Run

It's been 2 weeks since my marathon and my legs STILL aren't quite right. I know I'm no spring chicken anymore but really? Maybe I didn't rest and recover long enough but I didn't want to take a whole week off of running because I have another half marathon this weekend.

I'll be alright, it's really not that bad, just some tight, REALLY tight calves and my darn plantar fasciitis flaring up.

I ran 10 miles on Saturday while my husband rode his bike. I'm generally a lone runner but I have been missing running with people lately. My good friend and former running buddy is 21 weeks pregnant and just found out she's having a girl!! So obviously she's not lacing up the shoes for the next 6 months at least.

The run started out pretty well. It was windy, yet again. I swear the wind is my nemesis. When I try to pick up the pace it starts blowing and I can't seem to get going. So it was sort of a slower run that I was hoping for but that's OK. I did 10 miles in 1:35 avg pace about 9:28. Not too shabby.

I was going to do 12 miles but decided that I was sick of getting my butt kicked by the wind so at 5 miles we turned around and headed back to the car.

Then we grabbed some lunch since our daughter was at her Grandma's house and we went to the gym for a weight session. After the gym we hit the grocery store and had the rest of the day to relax.

Sophie dressed up as a princess and did some twirling for our entertainment:

Yes that's chocolate on her mouth. And yes, I didn't clean it off seeing as 5 minutes later it was bath time.

We all had a case of the Monday's this morning. I think all 3 of us were less than thrilled to be up and at it. I'm not sure what kind of stay at home Mom I'll be but I cannot wait to not have to sit in traffic everyday.

We were going to "start trying" for another baby right after the marathon but that came and went and I started having second thoughts. Only because I still have many items on my to-do list and I was starting to get very overwhelmed.

So we decided to putt it off a month. I have a feeling by the time middle of Feb. rolls around I'll be ready. I just wasn't a few weeks ago. Now the opportunity is kind of passed so we have to wait until after Feb. 11th.

This weekend I'm running a half marathon. I signed up for it before I ran the marathon thinking "how hard could it be?" Well after the way I've been feeling the last week it's going to be interesting to say the least.

I have two friends that are going to be running the 5k so we decided to get a hotel room on Folly Beach since they were having a race special. Friday night we're going to grab a bite to eat and hang out and then roll out of bed on Saturday for the race. The hotel is the starting line. Can't beat that.

The only difficult part will be reminding the ladies that we do not booze it up the night before a race. See we all three have 2 year old girls, with in a few months of each other so we have a lot in common. Like husbands who were less than thrilled with the plan of us getting a hotel room. Sorry guys, mom's need a break too.

I think it'll be a fun night and will be nice to not have to get up super early and drive all the way down to the beach. I am honestly not running for a PR this weekend, although a PR would always be welcome. I'm just going to take it easy, enjoy what will be my last long distance race for a while. When I'm pregnant I'll probably only do the occasional 5k or 10k.

It all depends on how I feel come Saturday. Hopefully we'll make it to sleep at a decent time.

Thunder Road Half Marathon, Charlotte, NC

Saturday morning I ran the Thunder Road Half Marathon in Charlotte. It was rather cold out, I think at the starting line temps were about 30 degrees. I had a great race. Another PR! We're back home and I'm worn out. No cross training today because by the time we got home and unpacked the car I wasn't feeling it. Plus my knee has been bothering me since about mile 6 yesterday so I'm resting today. And eating. Can't seem to stop eating, and that would be things that I shouldn't be eating (cookies damn you!).

Friday was a whirlwind of packing in the morning, potty training (2 for 2 - two accidents and two tinkles on the potty). By Noon I was tired and ready for a nap. Same for Sophie.

We got to Uptown Charlotte, the Charlotte Convention Center, about 3 pm. We parked at the Nascar Hall of Fame and I went accross the street to get our race packets (Ricky was running the 5k). Ricky stayed in the car with Sophie and the dogs.

The expo wasn't very busy at all so I got our packets right away. I even lingered to buy a few items. I wanted to browse longer but I knew our dogs were probably barking at every person that walked within 15 feet of our car so I cut it short.

Then we were off to my sisters house in Stanley, NC (which is a small town outside of Charlotte). I have no pictures of anyone in my family because I suck at remembering my camera and it was somewhere at the bottom of my bag.

It was a hectic night of trying to get Sophie to sleep in a bed that wasn't hers but she eventually fell asleep with me and Ricky. We didn't attempt to move her.

5 am my alarm went off and I was getting ready. We needed to leave the house about 6:15 to make it downtown (it's really uptown), park and get to the starting line. Weren't sure about traffic and finding a place to park.

It ended up being very easy to find a parking spot at the Westin Hotel parking garage. They even opened up their lobby for runners to find warmth and use the facilites. Thanks Westin!

We made it to the starting line and I got into my corral. I chose the 2 hour pace time because I just wasn't sure how this was going to go. Charlotte has hills and I didn't have the greatest week so I was playing it safe.

I tossed my fleece and the gun went off. As usual the start is very crowded so I had a hard time getting around people. I even ran past my old office building. I miss it. I used to work for Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) in one of the high rise buidlings uptown. They've done a lot to the area, it's so nice and clean, I really miss it (did I mention I miss it?).

Mile 1 - 9:02
Mile 2 - 9:10
Mile 3 - 8:51

I have to say I was worried about hills but at the start we went downhill a ton. This was nice but I knew those hills were coming at some point. I felt good at the start.

Mile 4 - 8:48
Mile 5 - 9:08
Mile 6 - 8:55

Somewhere between mile 5 and 6 I tried to side step some water cups and I felt something funky in my left knee that had me slowing down. Didn't hurt as much as it felt like I twisted something so it felt....tender I guess is a good word.

Mile 7 - 8:48
Mile 8 - 8:59
Mile 9 - 8:36

I ate some of my engery chews early on, I think about mile 4 because we encountered some hills. I ate two more at mile 7 to help me with getting over the hills.

Mile 10 - 8:33
Mile 11 - 8:38
Mile 12 - 8:46

I took two more energy chews at mile 10 and then two more at mile 12. Miles 11-12 were mostly uphill and I think I possibly groaned out loud at some point. It really felt like it was never going to end. Mile 13 was tough too because you rounded a corner and went up again until you finally saw the finish line.

Mile 13 - 8:28
.1 - sprint to the finish - 7:31

Done!!

Garmin:
13.22
1:56:27
avg pace 8:48

Chip Time:
13.1
1:56:23
avg pace 8:53

Overall Place 868 / 2494

Gender Place 296 / 1353

Division Place 59 / 256

I'm thrilled to PR again. I really was shooting for 2 hours but when I hit 6 miles and still felt strong (aside from the knee thing) I knew I could beat my previous half marathon time.
 
Ricky and my dad were there at the finish (still no camera, darn). We walked through the victory village, grabbed some free stuff and food and then headed home to hang out with the family.
 
This is my last race till the marathon and I really want to try and find one more half to run because I'm having a great time with it. It almost, ALMOST, makes me want to change to the half marathon in January and really focus on running it faster. But I know I'll regret it if I do that.
 



Parking garage picture when I realized I had my camera.



Being a dork, or looking like I'm constipated.





Some Additional Results

Still on cloud 9 from this race. I wanted to hit the gym this morning and do some cross training but my daughter had other plans. She woke up crying about 12:30 and had a hard time going back to sleep.

My husband took the brunt of it as she didn't want me so much but wanted Daddy. So about 3:00 I heard her crying again and that was because my husband put her back to bed and she woke up again. So about 4:00 I was thinking about getting up when my husband finally came back to bed and then I felt bad getting up and running the risk of waking everyone up.

So I slept in which is OK, this morning was going to be extra and I guess I need to let my body rest some so it's all good either way.

I didn't get a chance to add this information in my post yesterday but here is where I placed in the race:

Clock Time: 1:58:45
Chip Time: 1:58:06
Overall Place: 688/2611
Gender Place: 225/1581
Division Place: 44/284

This week it's back to training. I have a 17 mile long run this weekend! Yikes! We're getting up there.

In 2 weeks I have another half marathon in Charlotte, NC. My husband is going to be running the 5k. Luckily my family lives in Charlotte so all we'll need to do is load up kid and dogs and we have a free place to stay. Need some hill training for this race. Charlotte has a lot of hills and I'm so used to running flat so this will be a challenge to keep myself sub 2 hours.

On Cloud Nine

This morning I ran the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon in Myrlte Beach, SC.

I am on cloud nine.

I PR'd.

I'm so happy with my time.

I mentioned the other day as long as I beat my previous time of 2 hours and 7 minutes I'd be happy. I was secretly hoping to break 2 hours.

This morning, as we were driving to the start, my husband jokingly said that if I didn't finish in 1 hour and 58 minutes he'd leave without me. Ha ha, funny guy but in my mind I'm thinking that would be awesome if I could finish in that time. Heck, I wanted 1 hour 59 minutes.

It was chilly morning but I handed off my fleece to my hubby and got in the corral with a slew of people (I hate crowds so this made me nervous, just being right up next to random people). The Medieval Times actors put on a little presentation while we were waiting for the gun to go off. Then they rode out ahead of the leaders, when the gun went off, which was kind of neat.

Mile 1 - 9:19 (a little crowded starting out but happy with this starting pace)
Mile 2 - 9:02
Mile 3 - 9:08



There I am, the short one in black shorts and pink top

 Mile 4 - 9:11
Mile 5 - 9:21 (decided to eat a few of my Power Bar Energy Blasts)
Mile 6 - 9:07

At mile 6 we were running through Broadway at the Beach, which has Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, shops, etc.

Mile 7 - 9:04
Mile 8 - 9:04
Mile 9 - 8:46 (getting faster! I think I ate another engery blast here but I can't remember).

From this moment on I was out of the 9's and into the 8's and I can't believe how good I felt!

Mile 10 - 8:41
Mile 11 - 8:29 (At this point I realized that I was going to be pretty close to beating 2 hours and just told myself to hold on!)
Mile 12 - 8:37

Saw my husband in the crowd sometime after mile 12 giving me a thumbs up. From this moment on all facial expressions are those of pain but I was still feeling good overall and happy inside.

Mile 13 - 8:38 and DONE!!



Best feeling in the world crossing the finish line.....

In under 2 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Garmin:
1:58:08
13.20
Avg pace 8:57

Chip Time:
1:58 :06
13.1
Avg pace 9:01

That's one big medal!

I feel amazing right now. I wanted to break 2 hours so bad and I did it! I always say I'm not the fastest runner but I can hold my own.

Not only did I do it, I felt strong pretty much the entire run. Sure I started getting tired towards the end and wanted to slow down but the whole race I stayed pretty consistent and turned it up at the end.

The last half mile or so was right along the beach and I kicked it right at the end and could not believe that the clock said 1:58. I have to thank my husband for putting that magic number in my head. I actually passed a bunch of people and that always makes you feel good considering I live in the land of giants and most people breeze by me with their long strides.



The weather could not have been more perfect. I didn't feel over heated or dehydrated. Only thing I wish I had were my sunglasses, there were a few really sunny areas.

Some things I did or I guess I should say didn't do before this race:

- I did not rest the day before. I did a fast 2 miles around my neighborhood before I left, then we walked around half the day shopping.

- I did not eat breakfast before the race. My stomach was so upset due to nerves that I could not eat anything without feeling sick so I just decided to go with it. I work out a lot at 4:30 am without eating so I wasn't too worried.

- I did drink a gatorade on the way to the starting line. This made me have to pee really bad right before the race started (which I held it th entire time). From then it was water/nuun in my hand held. I ate a few Power Bar Engery chews before the race and several throughout. My stomach never hurt once.

Not sure if any of the above had any bearing on my race but like I said, I felt strong the entire run and I'm darn proud of myself.

So glad my husband didn't leave me :)

If there's a chance that I'm not having a baby this time next year, I will run this race again for sure!

Some more pics from the race courtsey of my husband:

Finish Line

Sunrise at the finish line

Beautiful morning at the beach

Feels Like Fall

Starting about Wednesday temps and humidity finally fell and we're starting to see some fall weather here in the lowcountry.

Sunday I'm running the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon (aka half marathon). I'm very excited for this race for a few reasons:

1) Hubby and I get a night away, just the two of us! This rarely happens. My parents are driving down from Charlotte to stay with Sophie this weekend. They arrive tonight and then we'll head out tomorrow morning for Myrtle Beach. Actually we're staying in Litchfield Beach at the Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort.

2) This will be the first half marathon that I'll run where it's not going to be raining. The previous two I've run were both miserable. Kiawah Island was rainy and cold, Charlotte Race Fest was severe thunderstorms and humid. Actually the weather is going to be fantastic. A cool morning and in the low 70's for a high and sunny.

3) The medals are very cool. They are in the shape of a surfboard and also serve as a bottle opener.

This is what the website says about the event:

We Were Named the Largest Running Event in Myrtle Beach

Our 2010 inaugural event was the 5th largest running event in South Carolina and the largest event in Myrtle Beach according to the South Carolina Runner's Gazette.  Our race received rave reviews for amazing and entertaining course, most professionally organized event, best medals and perks and overall great experience!  Come join us and experience this race for yourself!  If you aren't ready for the 13.1 mile challenge, participant in our Coastal 5K benefitting the Grand Strand Humane Society! 

I think the last mile or two is along the boardwalk so you can look out onto the beach. The after party is on the beach. Sadly we'll only have like an hour at the after party and then have to hit the road so my parents can get back to Charlotte.

I don't really have any set goals for this race. I just want to run well and feel strong. Last week I was able to run 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 3 minutes so I'm using this as my target time. I would LOVE to run a sub 2 hours, even if it's 1:59:59. That is my secret goal but any PR will do.

Tomorrow we'll leave Charleston around 10:00, get to Myrtle Beach around Noon and we're heading straight to the Expo to pick up my packet.

After the Expo we'll head to lunch somewhere and then I'm going to get dropped off at Old Time Pottery (I LOVE this place). They have one in Charlotte and Myrtle Beach but no Charleston :(

While I'm at Old Time Pottery Ricky will be at:

Yep, while I'm drooling over decorations and stuff Ricky will be making out his fishing wish list.

That's one of many things I hate about living in Charleston. We don't have good shopping at all. Charlotte has both these stores plus many more plus an awesome mall (South Park Mall if you ever are in the Charlotte area).

We check in our hotel at 4:00 and then we'll hit up some place for dinner later.

This morning I did 4 miles, 33:47, avg pace 8:26. Did some legs and arms after. Tomorrow I'm going to do a slow 3 miles and then I'll be ready for Sunday.

TGIF!!

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Or Misses Nice Gal.

It's been almost a month since someone plowed into my rear end. OK wait that doesn't really sound right.

It's been almost a month since I got rear ended. I've done what I'm supposed to by filing a claim against the other drivers insurance (it was after all her fault).

I've waited patiently for the appraiser to come out and write up an estimate (that took almost 2 weeks after the accident - she didn't return my calls for two days). Finally get her to come see my car and she tells me that she'll send it to the body shop "right away" so they can go ahead and order parts. I should hear back from the adjuster with in 48 hours so they can go ahead and cut me a check for the damages.

Went out of town last week - did not hear anything from anybody. Call the body shop - they have no estimate.

OK. Still being cool, calm and collect I e-mail the appraiser and she says "oh but I've sent it to him, let me call him." I hear back the next day - "sending another copy to him." This was Friday's response.

Last week I call the adjuster wondering when they are going to send me a check. They're like "oh I'm not sure what the hold up is, we've received the estimate  - oops, we forgot to request the check." Steam coming out of my ears but I'm still being nice with a slight edge in my voice. They request the check and I'm told I should receive it this week. Fine, great.

Call the body shop today and he STILL doesn't have anything from her. You've got to be kidding me, now I'm getting pissed and tired of the run around.

I e-mail a not so pleasant e-mail to the appraiser (I email because no one answers their damn phones anymore). I ask her to send me the estimate (for the 2nd time) so I can send it onto the body shop myself.

I sit there and wait - not so patiently anymore and say to myself "screw this."

I call the adjuster and amazingly she picks up her phone (I usually leave a message and wait a day for her to call me back). I vent my frustration with having no check and no estimate. She kindly faxes me the estimate. FINALLY I have a copy. So I send it (fax and e-mail) to the body shop. Hopefully they have it because if I call tomorrow and they still me they didn't receive it I'm going to drive up there and punch someone in the face - and then give them the estimate.

I've worked in customer service before and have been yelled at, called names, you name it. I know how people can act and I know what people who work in customer service have to go through. So I try to be a nice person, even when frustrated. I treat others as I would want to be treated.

However, I'm tired of getting screwed and I have to lay the hammer down. I'm pissed and while I'm still respectful they now know that this is taking way too long and I'm losing patience.

Maybe I should have been a bitch first and foremost. Might have gotten my car fixed by now, or at least it could be in the shop by now.

Moral of the story: being nice gets you nowhere, sadly. Get a little pissed and all of a sudden people spring into action.

If nothing happens by the end of the week, someone is getting punched in the face. I'm kidding about the punching....or not :)

Fall Race Schedule

So as the day is winding down I decided to do my schedule of 2011 races. There is a lull in the Summer since there's not a whole bunch going on and it's hot and humid as crap right now. No one wants to pass out from heat exhaustion. I mean some people might considering I see people running at very odd times of the day, like 2:00 in the afternoon in 95 degrees. I mean great for them but I think it's crazy! Then again I've had heat exhaustion before and it wasn't fun so it's not my cup of tea.

I'm trying my best to keep my mileage in the 25-30 miles a week but time does not seem to be on my side lately. I do manage to make it to the gym at least 3 mornings a week. Summer is always a struggle for me to get out of bed at 4:15 am, I'm not sure why. I try to do 2 runs 4-6 miles and then one 7-8 miles and then a long run on Saturday followed by a short recovery run on Sunday. Mondays are normally my days off because I can't seem to drag myself out of bed on a Monday morning.

Here is my list for Fall 2011. * denotes a maybe race. I would love to run all of them but as I train for the Charleston Marathon some might have to be cut. And some will probably be good training races.

*Carolina Children's Charity 8k - 9/24 (I will probably run with my friend Pam if she's not preggers by then).
IOP Connector Run 10k - 10/1 (This is up and back over the Isle if Palms Connector bridge. I could consider this a hill work out - very scenic run if anything).
*Race for the Cure 5k - 10/15 (I do this race every year for the simple fact that it supports breast cancer research and that is very important. Plus it's on Daniel Island and such a pretty location).
Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon 13.1 - 10/23 (This is will be 3rd half marathon and I'm very excited to be able to run along the beach for the last few miles. Plus it'll get us out of town for a night without child!).
*James Island Connector Run 10k - 11/5 (Again, a run over a bridge so I think it'll help with training. Only bad thing it's right after my half marathon and right before my next half marathon. So it might have to get cut from the schedule).
Thunder Road Half Marathon - 11/12 (in Charlotte, NC yay! Between this race and Myrtle Beach I really want to break 2 hours. That is my goal...with one of these races I WILL break 2 hours! Although this will probably involve some hills like my last half marathon in Charlotte back in April).
*Kiawah Island Half Marathon - 12/10 (Not sure if I want to run this again for two reasons: 1. It went up $10 from last year and I really don't think it's worth paying $95 for. 2. I will be in the heart of training for the marathon I hope to be running in January so I'm thinking I'll want to focus on that).

JANUARY 14th 2012! Charleston Marathon! I know I can probably physically do this race it's the mental part I'm worried about. Every time I think about it I get really excited and then really nervous soon after. I just need to make sure I have the support of my hubby for those long runs and the time. So I hope to start training in September which will allow me enough time to train and for those unplanned days of sickness since I do have a toddler. I also need to find a training plan, I've looked at several but just don't know which will be right for me. I have until September to sign up and then the rates go up. So in the meantime I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I feel really good about my running lately. I'm learning to hydrate well in the heat, going to find which electrolyte supplement will best suite me.Wish me luck!