Well, it's been a while. I thought I needed to write a little bit. This blogging thing can clear my head faster than running can. Almost anyway.
I actually ran a 5K this morning. Yeah, a 5K on Thanksgiving morning. It definately made me feel better about eating my weight in spinach & cheese pinwheels. Forget the turkey. Have you ever had one of those? They are extremely delicious. I'll post my super secret recipe that I got off the Pepperidge Farm Pastry Box.
So my wonderful husband and I set out on a chilly, windy morning to run this Great Gobbler Gallop. Now, I've actually run in colder, less hospitable weather. One race I ran this past January it was 10 degrees and bonus! It was at night! Anyway, we weren't the only crazies this morning. There were about 200 other nut jobs ready to run this too. I don't know what time I finished. I walked some of it with my honey. And they had timing chips and no digital clock at the finish and I had forgone using my RunKeeper on my phone. I wanted to be able to chat with the man while we ran. I didn't want to be distracted by the lady that tells me my distance and pace every 5 minutes.
While we didn't finish the race together, we still had a good time. I got a bad case of the "It's freaking cold out here jimmy legs" and wanted to sprint the last mile. Just so I could get out of the cold. So I left the fella behind. I already started the race with a sore throat and didn't want it to get much worse. I wanted to get into the warmth as fast as I could.
It was fun running with the man. He's funny and he's freaking taking me back to Mexico! So I can't wait to run with him on the beach. Running in sand is not as easy as it looks. Talk about a calf killer. I still haven't decided if it's more or less beneficial to run with or without shoes on. It hurts like a son of a beach either way if you don't stretch.
So I will be sure to fill you (my faithful readers, Hi Mom.) on our Mexican adventures. And now as promised here is the spinach & cheese pinwheel recipe. Enjoy!
1 10oz box frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 Cup shredded monterrey jack cheese
1/4 Cup grated parmesean (I use the real mccoy Parmeseano Reggiano. I don't screw around when it comes to cheese. It's a wonderul luxury.)
2-3 Green Onions, chopped and I use both white & green parts
1/8 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Egg plus 1 Tsp water, whipped together for egg wash
1 Puff Pastry Sheet, thawed
Mix the cheeses, onion, garlic powder together in a small bowl.
Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Top the sheet with the cheese mixture, leaving a small border. Top the cheese with the spinach.
Roll the puff pastry up, jelly roll style. Brush the top of the roll with the egg wash. I like to refrigerate this for a while, it makes it easier to cut. Cut into 1/4 slices and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush them again in the egg wash.
Bake these little wonders at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy and have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
So Now What?
Well, I've completed what I had thought was impossible. I had competed & completed my first half marathon. So yay for me. Well, now what?
I did what any woman would do, I went to Mexico! For the first time in almost 13 years, I left the country without my husband. He was not a big fan of this trip. He says it's because he was worried about my safety, but let's be real. He was mad, crazy jealous! Spitting nails that I was going on an all inclusive, sit on my ass by the crystal clear Gulf of Mexico vacation while he was stuck at home.
I left with one of my best grade school pals and a host of other lovely ladies. The evening we arrived in Playa del Carmen it was raining. Not that it damped any of our spirits. We were in Mexico for crying out loud. 5 days of no kids fighting, no dinners to prepare, no driving back and forth to school or work. It was just what the doctor ordered!
I spent the next four days doing nothing but breathing. It was nice. Weird to only have to take care of myself. I slept in, I ate whatever I wanted (not what the kids wanted), and drank countless margaritas. I would have also ate my weight in guacamole, but this place for some mystical reason didn't have any of the good green stuff. That was my only dissappointment about the trip.
The day we left, I was several shades darker and I felt lighter. When we arrived back at the airport to leave I suddenly felt like time wasn't going fast enough. I suddenly had this overwhelming desire to be home...immediately. I missed my husband and his goofiness. I missed my daughter's brown eyes like my own and I missed my son and I was worried that his dimples had disappeared while I was gone.
I came home refreshed and energized and even more in love with my family. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and they aren't lying. It's an absolute truth. So with more love in my heart than I thought possible I began to think of what to do next. There was a honest to God triathalon in my most favorite of places that I could attempt. It's the Santa RosaTri-Athalon in Pensacola, Florida. There's also a really, really fun half marathon a little closer to home I'd like to tackle. The Rock N Roll Half Marathon in St. Louis. So next year, my goal is to run this and finish in less than 2 hours.Which is gonna be a challenge since there's a band at every mile and I love music and it's just a general good time. So I'm gonna give that a Go! (there's a pun there, and St. Louis runner's will get it).
I guess what I'm trying to say is, FAMILY is the most important thing. And without them I couldn't do all this silly running and writing. I run to keep myself sane and healthy which in turn keeps them healthy and happy. Everyone wins! But also demands of a home and family (while completely worth it all) are tough and taking time out for yourself is vital.
I've created a motto for myself. "I live for my family and to eat, I run so I can eat, and me getting to eat and run allows me to be a happier person for the people who matter the most to me. My family."
I did what any woman would do, I went to Mexico! For the first time in almost 13 years, I left the country without my husband. He was not a big fan of this trip. He says it's because he was worried about my safety, but let's be real. He was mad, crazy jealous! Spitting nails that I was going on an all inclusive, sit on my ass by the crystal clear Gulf of Mexico vacation while he was stuck at home.
I left with one of my best grade school pals and a host of other lovely ladies. The evening we arrived in Playa del Carmen it was raining. Not that it damped any of our spirits. We were in Mexico for crying out loud. 5 days of no kids fighting, no dinners to prepare, no driving back and forth to school or work. It was just what the doctor ordered!
I spent the next four days doing nothing but breathing. It was nice. Weird to only have to take care of myself. I slept in, I ate whatever I wanted (not what the kids wanted), and drank countless margaritas. I would have also ate my weight in guacamole, but this place for some mystical reason didn't have any of the good green stuff. That was my only dissappointment about the trip.
The day we left, I was several shades darker and I felt lighter. When we arrived back at the airport to leave I suddenly felt like time wasn't going fast enough. I suddenly had this overwhelming desire to be home...immediately. I missed my husband and his goofiness. I missed my daughter's brown eyes like my own and I missed my son and I was worried that his dimples had disappeared while I was gone.
I came home refreshed and energized and even more in love with my family. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and they aren't lying. It's an absolute truth. So with more love in my heart than I thought possible I began to think of what to do next. There was a honest to God triathalon in my most favorite of places that I could attempt. It's the Santa RosaTri-Athalon in Pensacola, Florida. There's also a really, really fun half marathon a little closer to home I'd like to tackle. The Rock N Roll Half Marathon in St. Louis. So next year, my goal is to run this and finish in less than 2 hours.Which is gonna be a challenge since there's a band at every mile and I love music and it's just a general good time. So I'm gonna give that a Go! (there's a pun there, and St. Louis runner's will get it).
I guess what I'm trying to say is, FAMILY is the most important thing. And without them I couldn't do all this silly running and writing. I run to keep myself sane and healthy which in turn keeps them healthy and happy. Everyone wins! But also demands of a home and family (while completely worth it all) are tough and taking time out for yourself is vital.
I've created a motto for myself. "I live for my family and to eat, I run so I can eat, and me getting to eat and run allows me to be a happier person for the people who matter the most to me. My family."
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
I did it! I did it!
The day was upon me. It loomed large on the calendar for many months. Just waiting. Reminding me of the commitment I made to myself. The 7th Annual Hills & Hollows Half Marathon in Valmeyer, Illinois.
It's a lovely event and the monies raised from race participants goes to the Monroe County Chapter of Backstoppers. Backstoppers is there for the families of fallen police officers and fire fighters. This is truly a worthy organization and one that I hope that my police officer and fire fighter friends never have to use.
My husband was registered to run the 5K portion of the event so he was able to go with me. The cool almost cold air of the late September morning really had me nervous. I kept asking my husband inane questions like, "Should I wear the jacket or take it off?" and "Where should I pin the bib number if I want to wear the jacket?" He was getting frustrated with me because nothing he said was right and he was unable to calm me down. At one point I thought he'd bail on his own race just to get away from me.
The race emcee rounded us up behind the finish line and after the National Anthem and a pre-race prayer the gun went off. Too late to bail now. I started to shuffle off with everyone else until there was space to pace myself properly. Initially I had real trouble keeping myself from bolting off since I was so used to 5k races. I could have run faster on the first part of the course, but I wanted to save my energy for the end. There's a beast at the end that I will tell you about later.
At about the 1.55 mile mark it got quiet very quickly. This was the turnaround point for the 5K racers. So suddently I was on my own. I didn't have someone to run with. Most of the people I passed or was passed by were in pairs. That would have been nice. Someone to push me on and keep me company. Most everyone I know thinks I'm brain dead for wanting to do this in the first place, there's no way I'd be able to get someone to go with me.
I motored along at my pace of 6 miles an hour. Some might consider that to be awfully slow, but this was my first time and there's a monster at the end of this race. The course wound around and up and down some very pretty countryside. If we'd been doing this about a week or two later, the fall colors covering the bluffs would have been spectacular. But everything is still pretty much green around here, but that didn't make it any less picturesque.
There were water and bathrooms at every mile marker. I was puttering along with my own bottle of water. The one with the sport cap so I inhale less air. One thing I know I don't need during a distance run is a belching problem. Especially since this distance happens to be so long, one wrong belch and my omelet was going to make a second showing.
At about the 6 mile mark, I had completely drained my water bottle, cursed at the jacket I'd worn and didn't need after about 2 miles, and started to feel the pain of pounding the pavement. I kept going though. It was the halfway point! I'm almost done. And boy, all I could think about was sitting down.
At the 8 mile marker, I had just decended down the bluff. It's a ways downhill and my goal was to make some time up on this part of the course. Here I am booking along and I get passed by a chick pushing a stroller. I hate those women. Not only am I trying to run a race and not be last, here you come running along pushing your 20 pound kid in a stroller like it's no big deal. I'm not even sure she was sweating. Anyway, she blazed right on past and I never saw her again. I'm pathetic.
I'm starting to feel really down at this point. Everthing is starting to hurt and I just want to quit. I think they call this hitting the wall. I slowed to a brisk walk and pulled the secret weapon out of my jacket pocket. A Snickers Bar. Who doesn't love chocolate? It lifted my spirits and gave a small burst of energy. Good thing too. I was headed straight into the Hill in the Hills and Hollows Half Marathon.
This is not simply a hill. It's a BEAST. It's 2 freaking miles of straight the hell up! Seriously, this hill doesn't quit it just keeps going up and up and up some more. I ran up the thing as far as I could. Then I had to drop down to a walk. This thing is brutal. So brutal, I passed someone who was jogging and I was at a brisk walk.
At the final turn to the finish, I pulled back up into a run. I was really, really feeling the cramp in my right calf. I just kept repeating to myself that I was NOT going to cramp up and wind up tripping. I crossed the finish to cheers and shouts of encouragement from my husband and total strangers at about 2 hours 38 minutes.
I am now officially a Wife, Mother, Daughter, Friend, Stroke Survivor and Marathoner! Well, half-marathon anyway. Maybe someday I'll tackle the full 26.2, but for now I am totally happy with 13.1. I will run other half marathons but I vow to NEVER run this one again. I'll be happy with just running the 5K with my honey.
It's a lovely event and the monies raised from race participants goes to the Monroe County Chapter of Backstoppers. Backstoppers is there for the families of fallen police officers and fire fighters. This is truly a worthy organization and one that I hope that my police officer and fire fighter friends never have to use.
My husband was registered to run the 5K portion of the event so he was able to go with me. The cool almost cold air of the late September morning really had me nervous. I kept asking my husband inane questions like, "Should I wear the jacket or take it off?" and "Where should I pin the bib number if I want to wear the jacket?" He was getting frustrated with me because nothing he said was right and he was unable to calm me down. At one point I thought he'd bail on his own race just to get away from me.
The race emcee rounded us up behind the finish line and after the National Anthem and a pre-race prayer the gun went off. Too late to bail now. I started to shuffle off with everyone else until there was space to pace myself properly. Initially I had real trouble keeping myself from bolting off since I was so used to 5k races. I could have run faster on the first part of the course, but I wanted to save my energy for the end. There's a beast at the end that I will tell you about later.
At about the 1.55 mile mark it got quiet very quickly. This was the turnaround point for the 5K racers. So suddently I was on my own. I didn't have someone to run with. Most of the people I passed or was passed by were in pairs. That would have been nice. Someone to push me on and keep me company. Most everyone I know thinks I'm brain dead for wanting to do this in the first place, there's no way I'd be able to get someone to go with me.
I motored along at my pace of 6 miles an hour. Some might consider that to be awfully slow, but this was my first time and there's a monster at the end of this race. The course wound around and up and down some very pretty countryside. If we'd been doing this about a week or two later, the fall colors covering the bluffs would have been spectacular. But everything is still pretty much green around here, but that didn't make it any less picturesque.
There were water and bathrooms at every mile marker. I was puttering along with my own bottle of water. The one with the sport cap so I inhale less air. One thing I know I don't need during a distance run is a belching problem. Especially since this distance happens to be so long, one wrong belch and my omelet was going to make a second showing.
At about the 6 mile mark, I had completely drained my water bottle, cursed at the jacket I'd worn and didn't need after about 2 miles, and started to feel the pain of pounding the pavement. I kept going though. It was the halfway point! I'm almost done. And boy, all I could think about was sitting down.
At the 8 mile marker, I had just decended down the bluff. It's a ways downhill and my goal was to make some time up on this part of the course. Here I am booking along and I get passed by a chick pushing a stroller. I hate those women. Not only am I trying to run a race and not be last, here you come running along pushing your 20 pound kid in a stroller like it's no big deal. I'm not even sure she was sweating. Anyway, she blazed right on past and I never saw her again. I'm pathetic.
I'm starting to feel really down at this point. Everthing is starting to hurt and I just want to quit. I think they call this hitting the wall. I slowed to a brisk walk and pulled the secret weapon out of my jacket pocket. A Snickers Bar. Who doesn't love chocolate? It lifted my spirits and gave a small burst of energy. Good thing too. I was headed straight into the Hill in the Hills and Hollows Half Marathon.
This is not simply a hill. It's a BEAST. It's 2 freaking miles of straight the hell up! Seriously, this hill doesn't quit it just keeps going up and up and up some more. I ran up the thing as far as I could. Then I had to drop down to a walk. This thing is brutal. So brutal, I passed someone who was jogging and I was at a brisk walk.
At the final turn to the finish, I pulled back up into a run. I was really, really feeling the cramp in my right calf. I just kept repeating to myself that I was NOT going to cramp up and wind up tripping. I crossed the finish to cheers and shouts of encouragement from my husband and total strangers at about 2 hours 38 minutes.
I am now officially a Wife, Mother, Daughter, Friend, Stroke Survivor and Marathoner! Well, half-marathon anyway. Maybe someday I'll tackle the full 26.2, but for now I am totally happy with 13.1. I will run other half marathons but I vow to NEVER run this one again. I'll be happy with just running the 5K with my honey.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Cardinals Care
Today I ran home to a major league ballpark. It was an amazing experience I'd like to share.
70 years ago yesterday, a one Stanley Frank Musial made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals. "Stan The Man" went on to create countless memories for Cardinals fans across the globe. Last year the Cardinals created the "Stand for Stan" campaign to gain support for the President of the United States to bestow upon Stan the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The highest medal the Commander-in-Chief can bestow upon a civilian for their acheivements and service to the country. Stan received this honor on February 15th of this year. So as part of their campaign to get people to "Stand for Stan" they created the first ever 6K run. The recognition would go to Stan and all the monies raised would go to Cardinals Care. The Charitable Arm of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The goal of Cardinals Care is to help young inner city youth develop and appreciate a love of baseball as well as create for these kids a safe and beautiful place to play. Giving them a sense of pride over the many local ball fields that were created solely for them. They've also created the Red Bird Rookies with this charity, as well as scholarships, and baseball skill clinics coached by current and former stars of the Major League Club.
The event was such a success that even though Stan doesn't need the support, the kids still do. So this year the race was named "Run Home for Kids" and it is still held on or near the date of Stan's first appearance wearing the Birds on the Bat and the distance remains a 6K, and the "6" is Stan's jersey number. I was tasked with raising at least $150 for the organization in order to compete in this race. I am so fortunate that my friends and family were able to raise over that amount! Words cannot thank those people enough.
This morning was the day of the race. With my kids and husband wearing the Cardinal Red proudly we braved the misty morning and headed to Busch Stadium. Just as we got over to the starting area, it started to rain a little bit. I wasn't worried, I actually like running in the rain. It gets the sweat off my face. My kids gave me my good luck hugs and I joined the hundreds of other red wearing runner to await the start. None other than Jackie Joyner-Kersee gave the official start. Her words to us before the start were simply "Run and enjoy!" I love her. She is so amazing! I remember watching with awe that a little girl from East St. Louis was running for a gold medal in the Olympics! What an inspiration to so many people, including me.
I slowly started the race and the rain had stopped. We started the run in downtown, running through the concrete jungle. Then the course turned back towards the stadium to run along the other side from the start. The first water station was here and it was manned by Cardinals Care Kids! So cute to see those guys with bright smiling faces ready to give you a cup of water. They were so proud and you could see it clearly on their faces. We ran away from the bustle of the downtown area for another gem of St. Louis:The Soulard Neighborhood. All those years of coming to games I never one thought of running to the Soulard Farmer's Market and then back to the Stadium. A short climb brought us back into downtown and the sacred grounds of the player's parking lots. Which were, sadly devoid of players as they are currently in Philadelphia fighting for their Wild Card lives. I wound around to the entrance into the bowels of the stadium. I got to see for the first time where they park all those golf carts, food carts, and probably where the magestic Budweiser Clydesdales clomp through on Opening Day.
I rounded a corner and saw the light to the field. Our course took us along the warning track and down the 3rd base side to the finish. I pulled my ear buds from my ears choosing to abandon Nelly for the PA announcer who actually SAID MY NAME! I'm now fully convinced that other than actually playing baseball last night, the Cardinals do not do anything half-assed. Every runner who came into the stadium got to hear the announcer call their name and offer encouragement. That's enough to make anyone swell up a little bit and push harder to the finish. I crossed to a photo finish at about 38:41. Not too shabby! I was awarded my finisher's medal by, you guess it, Miss Jackie! I told her it was an honor and shook her hand. As I found my family and accepted hugs, kisses, and water it started to rain again. Thank you God for letting the rain hold off just enough for me to finish before it poured.
I did some good here today. I raised money for a great organization, finished another race on my list, and showed my kids how much fun fitness can be.
70 years ago yesterday, a one Stanley Frank Musial made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals. "Stan The Man" went on to create countless memories for Cardinals fans across the globe. Last year the Cardinals created the "Stand for Stan" campaign to gain support for the President of the United States to bestow upon Stan the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The highest medal the Commander-in-Chief can bestow upon a civilian for their acheivements and service to the country. Stan received this honor on February 15th of this year. So as part of their campaign to get people to "Stand for Stan" they created the first ever 6K run. The recognition would go to Stan and all the monies raised would go to Cardinals Care. The Charitable Arm of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The goal of Cardinals Care is to help young inner city youth develop and appreciate a love of baseball as well as create for these kids a safe and beautiful place to play. Giving them a sense of pride over the many local ball fields that were created solely for them. They've also created the Red Bird Rookies with this charity, as well as scholarships, and baseball skill clinics coached by current and former stars of the Major League Club.
The event was such a success that even though Stan doesn't need the support, the kids still do. So this year the race was named "Run Home for Kids" and it is still held on or near the date of Stan's first appearance wearing the Birds on the Bat and the distance remains a 6K, and the "6" is Stan's jersey number. I was tasked with raising at least $150 for the organization in order to compete in this race. I am so fortunate that my friends and family were able to raise over that amount! Words cannot thank those people enough.
This morning was the day of the race. With my kids and husband wearing the Cardinal Red proudly we braved the misty morning and headed to Busch Stadium. Just as we got over to the starting area, it started to rain a little bit. I wasn't worried, I actually like running in the rain. It gets the sweat off my face. My kids gave me my good luck hugs and I joined the hundreds of other red wearing runner to await the start. None other than Jackie Joyner-Kersee gave the official start. Her words to us before the start were simply "Run and enjoy!" I love her. She is so amazing! I remember watching with awe that a little girl from East St. Louis was running for a gold medal in the Olympics! What an inspiration to so many people, including me.
I slowly started the race and the rain had stopped. We started the run in downtown, running through the concrete jungle. Then the course turned back towards the stadium to run along the other side from the start. The first water station was here and it was manned by Cardinals Care Kids! So cute to see those guys with bright smiling faces ready to give you a cup of water. They were so proud and you could see it clearly on their faces. We ran away from the bustle of the downtown area for another gem of St. Louis:The Soulard Neighborhood. All those years of coming to games I never one thought of running to the Soulard Farmer's Market and then back to the Stadium. A short climb brought us back into downtown and the sacred grounds of the player's parking lots. Which were, sadly devoid of players as they are currently in Philadelphia fighting for their Wild Card lives. I wound around to the entrance into the bowels of the stadium. I got to see for the first time where they park all those golf carts, food carts, and probably where the magestic Budweiser Clydesdales clomp through on Opening Day.
I rounded a corner and saw the light to the field. Our course took us along the warning track and down the 3rd base side to the finish. I pulled my ear buds from my ears choosing to abandon Nelly for the PA announcer who actually SAID MY NAME! I'm now fully convinced that other than actually playing baseball last night, the Cardinals do not do anything half-assed. Every runner who came into the stadium got to hear the announcer call their name and offer encouragement. That's enough to make anyone swell up a little bit and push harder to the finish. I crossed to a photo finish at about 38:41. Not too shabby! I was awarded my finisher's medal by, you guess it, Miss Jackie! I told her it was an honor and shook her hand. As I found my family and accepted hugs, kisses, and water it started to rain again. Thank you God for letting the rain hold off just enough for me to finish before it poured.
I did some good here today. I raised money for a great organization, finished another race on my list, and showed my kids how much fun fitness can be.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The Agony of De Feet
Two weeks ago, I made an attempt to run 13.1 miles as a trial. I wanted to see if I would die. Dying in front of about 500 people would be mega embarrassing. Dying alone on a county road in rural Illinois seems like a better situation. So I set out to run to the YMCA and back from my house.
Everything was going along swimmingly! I was booking right along at a snail's pace of 5.5 miles an hour. I was listening to my music, loving the crisp fall morning, watching deer in a field, and thinking to myself I can actually do this! My Runkeeper program on my phone was letting me know when I was hitting milestones along my trek. They actually seemed to be flying by. And I wasn't getting bored. Which is huge. Boredom is the biggest obstacle I think I face. I don't like feeling like a rat on a wheel (which is what happens at the Y) and I like having stuff to look at.
I made it to the turnaround point, the YMCA never looked so good. I was just now at this point starting to feel the lead forming in the legs. That wasn't too bad, I was surprised. I was almost at 7 miles and I still felt like I had just started running. I made it all the way home without a leg or ankle shattering event.
When I got back to the house, I took off my right shoe and all I wanted was to stretch out the toes. My Nike running shoes have a very roomy toe box without being a size too large, but these piggies really needed to breathe. I walked around on bare feet for awhile after that. Then shooting pain that orginated from the vicinity of my ankle right up the leg was excruciating. What the hell was that about?!? I didn't roll my ankle, twist it, hit any rock off kilter or slam my heel down hard on one either. Words like "stress fracture" were being bandied about. Oh hell no! That's just what I wanted, to screw up my feet BEFORE the half-marathon. Only idiots do that.
The next day the pain in the right foot was worse. There was no swelling, no bruising, no nothing on the oustide of my foot. And the pain was only bad when I was standing on it. So like any American athlete, I shrugged it off. And did nothing for about a week. It eventually subsided and I still have absolutely no idea what caused the pain. I suppose I could have bruised something deep within my foot. I have a short race coming before the big one, and I plan on wrapping that foot just to be safe. And this race of a measly 3.75 miles will let me know if the foot is up for the feat (pun intended),
I've also found that toe nails are a bitch. I know it's gross and disgusting and even I debated even talking about it. But since only 3 whole people (one being my mom) read this I thought I'd throw it out there. Did you know that some marathoners actually pay to have their toe nails REMOVED? Yeah, like how you'd de-claw a cat. Uh, no thanks. I will just keep them trimmed. I don't want to have to withdraw from any race because one toe nail cut into another toe and it got all gnarly and I couldn't walk. And that sounds dangerously close to something that might actually happen to me. I haven't had any just decide to fall off either.
I currently have some amazing, stupendous socks. I would divulge the name of these little wonders, but until they pay me to say the magic words I'll keep the secret. They keep my feet nice & dry. And my running shoes breathe so well that my feet are actually happy while I am pounding the pavement. And keeping my feet cool is a major key to my success.
So keeping the feet happy is now very high on my pre-run checklist. If your feet aren't feeling it, why bother right? The Big Hills & Hollows Half Marathon is just a week away. I'm ready. I kinda can't wait for it to be over so I can write about something else.
Happy Trails and I will write all about my pre-half marathon week.
Everything was going along swimmingly! I was booking right along at a snail's pace of 5.5 miles an hour. I was listening to my music, loving the crisp fall morning, watching deer in a field, and thinking to myself I can actually do this! My Runkeeper program on my phone was letting me know when I was hitting milestones along my trek. They actually seemed to be flying by. And I wasn't getting bored. Which is huge. Boredom is the biggest obstacle I think I face. I don't like feeling like a rat on a wheel (which is what happens at the Y) and I like having stuff to look at.
I made it to the turnaround point, the YMCA never looked so good. I was just now at this point starting to feel the lead forming in the legs. That wasn't too bad, I was surprised. I was almost at 7 miles and I still felt like I had just started running. I made it all the way home without a leg or ankle shattering event.
When I got back to the house, I took off my right shoe and all I wanted was to stretch out the toes. My Nike running shoes have a very roomy toe box without being a size too large, but these piggies really needed to breathe. I walked around on bare feet for awhile after that. Then shooting pain that orginated from the vicinity of my ankle right up the leg was excruciating. What the hell was that about?!? I didn't roll my ankle, twist it, hit any rock off kilter or slam my heel down hard on one either. Words like "stress fracture" were being bandied about. Oh hell no! That's just what I wanted, to screw up my feet BEFORE the half-marathon. Only idiots do that.
The next day the pain in the right foot was worse. There was no swelling, no bruising, no nothing on the oustide of my foot. And the pain was only bad when I was standing on it. So like any American athlete, I shrugged it off. And did nothing for about a week. It eventually subsided and I still have absolutely no idea what caused the pain. I suppose I could have bruised something deep within my foot. I have a short race coming before the big one, and I plan on wrapping that foot just to be safe. And this race of a measly 3.75 miles will let me know if the foot is up for the feat (pun intended),
I've also found that toe nails are a bitch. I know it's gross and disgusting and even I debated even talking about it. But since only 3 whole people (one being my mom) read this I thought I'd throw it out there. Did you know that some marathoners actually pay to have their toe nails REMOVED? Yeah, like how you'd de-claw a cat. Uh, no thanks. I will just keep them trimmed. I don't want to have to withdraw from any race because one toe nail cut into another toe and it got all gnarly and I couldn't walk. And that sounds dangerously close to something that might actually happen to me. I haven't had any just decide to fall off either.
I currently have some amazing, stupendous socks. I would divulge the name of these little wonders, but until they pay me to say the magic words I'll keep the secret. They keep my feet nice & dry. And my running shoes breathe so well that my feet are actually happy while I am pounding the pavement. And keeping my feet cool is a major key to my success.
So keeping the feet happy is now very high on my pre-run checklist. If your feet aren't feeling it, why bother right? The Big Hills & Hollows Half Marathon is just a week away. I'm ready. I kinda can't wait for it to be over so I can write about something else.
Happy Trails and I will write all about my pre-half marathon week.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Tiki Trottin'
This past Saturday, I had an opportunity for a rare nighttime 5K race. I participated in this particular race last year, and let me tell you it's a lot of fun! The race is known as the Tiki Trot and it is held in Hecker, Illinois, as part of St. Augustine of Canturbury Catholic Church church picnic. It's a standard chicken dinner, beer, and bingo church picnic with a rare rose of a 5k. This race really is so much fun it's criminal.
The race starts at 8:00 p.m. and the course is lined with hundereds of tiki torches. People come from all over for this and I do mean all over. Last year we met a lady who came as far away as Kentucky for this night race! This little speck of town which according to the census only covers about .2 of a square mile sees a people explosion of roughly 400 times the town's population. And probably 75% of the people are there for the race, not the picnic!
So, I dragged my wonderful husband along for my fun. At race time me, the husband, and over 1000 of our "friends" were corraled behind the starting line. I leaned over and said to my hubby, "I now know why cows seem so pissy being herded." To make it feel more like a cattle drive, we were all outfitted with a timing chip. "Bagged & Tagged" as my wise ass husband put it. You laced this chip onto your shoe, and your time started when you crossed the starting mat, and time stopped when your foot crossed the finish mat.
The Race Emcee was far away from me at the actual starting line shouting some instructions. To be honest, I gave up trying to listen and was already jammimg to my race tunes. My official race strategy was do the first mile in under 9 minutes and wing the rest. Great strategy. Once I took the left that lead you away from town I felt I was doing quite well. I could feel the tiny rush of adrenaline when I passed someone. Hey, even if that person was 90 or speed walking, it still felt empowing to overtake SOMEONE.
I was booking along as I passed the first mile marker. It was already quite dark and I could see the tiki flames buring ahead of me. I could already see the turnaround. The course turns to the right and thanks to the absence of corn in the fields this year, I could see where the tiki runway ended.
As I ran along the tiki brightened county road and made my way back into town, I took a few moments to really see what was going on around me. It really is a neat to see all those tiki's lighting your path, and all the runners and walkers in this even have some sort of glow-in-the-dark get up. I even had on a few glow-in-the-dark bracelets on.
I rounded the corner towards the finish and I suddenly started to feel my legs turning into jelly, but I only had a little more to go. I pushed through and got a little lift from the hundreds of people clapping and cheering the runners along. I glanced at the time clock when I crossed the finish mat and noted the time, 31:27:00.
WHAT?!?!? As the poor guy was cutting the timing chip from my shoe, my head was screaming. I thought I had done so well. Way off my regular pace. I had thought I had done extremely well for myself and that should mean under 30 minutes. Seething inside, I calmly waited for my husband to finish and between gulps of breath and water my favorite cheerleader reminded me of something. He reminded me about the timing chip and how I was nowhere near the starting line when the clock started. Thank God for Husbands! It really was good of him to calm me down before he had a chance to catch his own breath.
I'm antsy for the race timekeepers to update their website with the official race results. So while I impatiently wait, it's back to the goal at hand...those monster 13.1 miles are only 32 days away!!!
The race starts at 8:00 p.m. and the course is lined with hundereds of tiki torches. People come from all over for this and I do mean all over. Last year we met a lady who came as far away as Kentucky for this night race! This little speck of town which according to the census only covers about .2 of a square mile sees a people explosion of roughly 400 times the town's population. And probably 75% of the people are there for the race, not the picnic!
So, I dragged my wonderful husband along for my fun. At race time me, the husband, and over 1000 of our "friends" were corraled behind the starting line. I leaned over and said to my hubby, "I now know why cows seem so pissy being herded." To make it feel more like a cattle drive, we were all outfitted with a timing chip. "Bagged & Tagged" as my wise ass husband put it. You laced this chip onto your shoe, and your time started when you crossed the starting mat, and time stopped when your foot crossed the finish mat.
The Race Emcee was far away from me at the actual starting line shouting some instructions. To be honest, I gave up trying to listen and was already jammimg to my race tunes. My official race strategy was do the first mile in under 9 minutes and wing the rest. Great strategy. Once I took the left that lead you away from town I felt I was doing quite well. I could feel the tiny rush of adrenaline when I passed someone. Hey, even if that person was 90 or speed walking, it still felt empowing to overtake SOMEONE.
I was booking along as I passed the first mile marker. It was already quite dark and I could see the tiki flames buring ahead of me. I could already see the turnaround. The course turns to the right and thanks to the absence of corn in the fields this year, I could see where the tiki runway ended.
As I ran along the tiki brightened county road and made my way back into town, I took a few moments to really see what was going on around me. It really is a neat to see all those tiki's lighting your path, and all the runners and walkers in this even have some sort of glow-in-the-dark get up. I even had on a few glow-in-the-dark bracelets on.
I rounded the corner towards the finish and I suddenly started to feel my legs turning into jelly, but I only had a little more to go. I pushed through and got a little lift from the hundreds of people clapping and cheering the runners along. I glanced at the time clock when I crossed the finish mat and noted the time, 31:27:00.
WHAT?!?!? As the poor guy was cutting the timing chip from my shoe, my head was screaming. I thought I had done so well. Way off my regular pace. I had thought I had done extremely well for myself and that should mean under 30 minutes. Seething inside, I calmly waited for my husband to finish and between gulps of breath and water my favorite cheerleader reminded me of something. He reminded me about the timing chip and how I was nowhere near the starting line when the clock started. Thank God for Husbands! It really was good of him to calm me down before he had a chance to catch his own breath.
I'm antsy for the race timekeepers to update their website with the official race results. So while I impatiently wait, it's back to the goal at hand...those monster 13.1 miles are only 32 days away!!!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
It's Tough
Damn, if doubt don't creep into the brain like a weed. It starts out little enough, but just like the weed once it takes hold, it's a bitch to get rid of.
The past few weeks have been tough. I have upped the distance to 5 miles, and it was going along really great. Then the demands of life get in the way. The house, the kids, the husband, the heat...they all stand in my way! The usual stuff like the house, kids, husband, etc. don't stand in my way as much. They are all really supportive (except the house, it could care less).
It's the heat. It's a bitch. I'm talking King Kamehameha Be-yotch! Ordinarily, I bask in the stuff. I can't normally get enough sunshine and warmth. I am a summer person. Sun should have been my middle name. This crazy, nasty humid scorcher of a month has gotten the best of me.
I can't always get to the YMCA to run in air-conditioned comfort. Those things called Kids don't always want to go, or I'm watching other kids and they aren't members, or at certain times of the day the place is just packed. So running outside is the only option. I would have done it in the early morning, but the air is so heavy & the fog is so bad at 5:30 in the morning some tired farmer might turn little old me into street pizza. And going after the fog burns off is out of the question since the heat index reaches the mid nineties by 9 am. So I wind up not putting in the required 5 miles.
Which leaves me to sit here and get down on myself for not doing anything and being a big failure. How can I work through that? How am I supposed to keep thinking positive when I am really thinking I am going to fail. The Hills and Hollows 1/2 Marathon is just under two months away and every time I think about it I get nauseous. Hell, I've got two small 5 & 6K races right before the Big One and they make me sick to think about and those are races I've done before without problems!
Well, I guess I just gotta make an attempt no matter how pathetic it is. And I've got to constantly remind myself that if I miss one run, it's not the end of the world! And I know that I can go 8 miles which is over half the distance. To quote Joe Dirt, "You gotta just keep on keepin' on." Yeah, easy for him to say. I just need to make it easy for me to say.
The past few weeks have been tough. I have upped the distance to 5 miles, and it was going along really great. Then the demands of life get in the way. The house, the kids, the husband, the heat...they all stand in my way! The usual stuff like the house, kids, husband, etc. don't stand in my way as much. They are all really supportive (except the house, it could care less).
It's the heat. It's a bitch. I'm talking King Kamehameha Be-yotch! Ordinarily, I bask in the stuff. I can't normally get enough sunshine and warmth. I am a summer person. Sun should have been my middle name. This crazy, nasty humid scorcher of a month has gotten the best of me.
I can't always get to the YMCA to run in air-conditioned comfort. Those things called Kids don't always want to go, or I'm watching other kids and they aren't members, or at certain times of the day the place is just packed. So running outside is the only option. I would have done it in the early morning, but the air is so heavy & the fog is so bad at 5:30 in the morning some tired farmer might turn little old me into street pizza. And going after the fog burns off is out of the question since the heat index reaches the mid nineties by 9 am. So I wind up not putting in the required 5 miles.
Which leaves me to sit here and get down on myself for not doing anything and being a big failure. How can I work through that? How am I supposed to keep thinking positive when I am really thinking I am going to fail. The Hills and Hollows 1/2 Marathon is just under two months away and every time I think about it I get nauseous. Hell, I've got two small 5 & 6K races right before the Big One and they make me sick to think about and those are races I've done before without problems!
Well, I guess I just gotta make an attempt no matter how pathetic it is. And I've got to constantly remind myself that if I miss one run, it's not the end of the world! And I know that I can go 8 miles which is over half the distance. To quote Joe Dirt, "You gotta just keep on keepin' on." Yeah, easy for him to say. I just need to make it easy for me to say.
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