Marathon

Hello Friends

Long time no read.

Well

it has been about a month now

time to finally write a re-cap

 for the marathon that I worked so hard for

Abbie and I drove to Orlando two days before the race

 and stayed at a beautiful timeshare

we did the Disney Expo thing

as well as lots of resting and mentally preparation for the big day

Abbie was great enough to wake up at 3:00am 

and together we made our way to EPCOT

where we hung out about 2 hours before the start of the race.  

The good and bad thing about Disney races is that there are soooooo many people that attend.  And a good portion of these people dress up and really get into the costume-y side of the event

It's entertaining to say the least

For about the first 8 miles of the race, the path was really narrow and there were many walkers and may people stopping short to take pictures of the theme parks and/or the Disney characters that are along the path.  I had the same problem at the Princess 1/2 marathon 2 years ago.  I should have learned by putting myself in a higher coral.  It really hurt my time as I was running 12 minute miles for the whole first portion of the race.  It was extremely frustrating

On the plus side, I felt like I had loads of energy

hence my pose for Abbie's camera

(it's all about the form)

Around mile 18 

the sun came out

and it got

hot, hot, hot!

I hit a wall around mile 21 and really just wanted to be done

without making too many excuses

the heat, the crowd and a bathroom break really hindered my running

I honestly felt like I could have made my goal of 4:30 if those conditions were better

but I ended up with a 5:02 finish.

(side note- my Garmin read that I ran 26.68  miles)

Overall, I am SO very happy that I ran the marathon

I'm taking a hiatus from running for a bit,

but I am definitely doing this again

but next time I am hitting my goal!

(In the meantime...I think I need to work on my tan)

Sunday Runday

The sky BEFORE my run

 the sky after my run

and 20 miles in between

it felt amazing accomplishing such a long run

and if felt even better that I didn't hate every minute of it

My time on here is a little deceiving though.

I was out of GU before my run

so around mile 10

 I literally ran to Publix and bought the Gatorade equivalent of GU 

(I stopped the Garmin while doing this)

I also stopped to snap these pictures as well...

I love lit palm tress.

Ice Cold

Today's miles
totaled a
Sweet 16

A milestone in my marathon training-

I ran further that I ever have before

and I only keep going up from here

I actually felt pretty damn good for the majority of the miles

definitely coasted through the first 8

and then got a little sore miles 10 and up

But I didn't stop

not once

not because I didn't want to though

I just couldn't

I felt like if I stopped then I would permanently freeze up for good

So I channeled my inner Forrest Gump

and 

I - WAS - RUNNING!

Afterwards was another milestone in my marathon training

my first ice bath

Freezing

but fantastic at the same time.

Red Face Runner Returns!

The Red Face Runner is Back

I'm back in my running groove!

Race Weekend

Today is my first day back from my mini vacation.  

Over the weekend I flew up to run the Virginia Beach 1/2 marathon with my big bro. 

(I hate to fly but love taking pictures from the clouds)

This was our 3rd (and final?) time running this particular race since he is moving away. 

2010 was the first time either of us had ever attempted to even run a 1/2 marathon, now we feel like old pros.

The mutual bitching of having to run and train

 as well as the accomplishment of actually completing the race - I think- has brought us closer together.

And while I'm a little sad this was our last VA Beach 1/2 marathon

I am also happy to be done with that hot-ass-summertime- deadly- heat- event!   

We agreed that the next race we decide to tackle will need to either be shorter... 

or held during the cooler months.

This last race was the most humid of them all. 

Sweat was flinging off of bodies left and right. It was down right funky.  

(I, of course wasn't funky - I don't sweat, or smell- ever)

My time sucked - which is no surprise - because of the heat and lack of training and all.  

But the best news of all is that for once, my stomach didn't absolutely kill me like it has on long runs in the past.  I think I owe it to my new semi-gluten free diet. 

And this year's medal is pretty bad ass- my favorite of them all.

My vacation also included spending some QT with my nephew Dylan- who is the most perfect little man ever. 

As well as my Thunder buddy.

9 miles

I'm back in the Red Face Runners Club again....

I made it through 9 miles today

which is great considering that I have hardly trained

of course it took me just under 2 hours

but at least I know 

or think I know

that I can at least run/walk my upcoming 1/2 marathon

(Dustin be prepared to wait)

********

The best thing happened on my run - 

someone asked me how far I was running

whenever I am running longer distances I always want someone to ask me

(mostly so they know why I look like I'm dying out there)

But it finally happened.

as for the rest of my night

I'll be sitting back with my compression socks and resting

The Good - The Bad - The Ugly

running in the morning

The Good

 

 The Bad

The Ugly

(I am actually that blurry at 5am)

Confession

Confession:

I haven't worked out in 3 weeks

this has left me severely behind in my training

for the 1/2 marathon

that is taking place 4 weeks from now!

So today I ran a measly 5 miles

which is 3 miles behind schedule

Looks like there will be a lot of walking this time around

oh well.

I'm really only interested in seeing this face anyway.

Back at it

I'm back at it again...

Training schedule is up and I'm outdoors again.

Sunday I ran for the first time since training for 

THIS

somehow it ended up hurting every muscle in my body.

I'm motivated though

to finally make a good race time.

so...

let the training begin!

Rock n Roll Savannah

Today was my Savannah 1/2 Marathon

We woke up at 4:45am

with some cold ass windy weather

 (this picture was actually taken for the mini van with flames painted on it)

Since it was Savannah's first time hosting this marathon

they had some transportation issues

We stood in line for shuttles for 20 min.

then took a 20 min ride to downtown Savannah

I got there just in time to move up with my corral and start the race

The cold weather actually felt great during the run

and I was able to push it at the end

for a 2:17:01 time

Which I'm ok with since my training definitely fizzled at the end.

As usual

I felt like poop after the race

which is why I have no scenic pictures of Savannah

I spent the whole rest of the day in bed

watching TV.

I also decided to stop with the long races for awhile

and try to work up my speed a bit by only doing 5k and 10k races.

Savannah was a beautiful run.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to run it next year.

**special thanks to my loving boyfriend who stood outside in the cold weather for 2:17:01 waiting for me**

I needed today.

Lately my workouts have sucked.

Everyday has been a struggle.

I'm eating poorly.

All in all I am NOT preparing or prepared for the Savannah race.

But today the weather was great

thanks to a lovely overcast

and for the first time ever in my long run I ran a 10 min pace the whole time

I NEEDED this run!

Now I feel pumped to run again.

Decision Time

My marathon training has not been going as well as I had hoped.

The heat and humidity in the mornings has just been killing me.

So I had to make a choice

Keep pushing

and run the marathon just to run it and say that I did it

OR

Run the Savannah half marathon (instead of the full)

and try a full marathon when the weather is cooler

and I can try for an actual time

instead of just trying to complete it

I decided on the latter

So

it looks like I'll be running my 4th 1/2 marathon

I'm totally good with this decision.

After getting worked at the last Rock n' Roll half

I really want to focus at getting faster.  

And that, my friends is your running update report.

New Kicks

Isn't it amazing how a new pair of shoes is always exciting?

Makes me feel like a kid again every time.

My old shoes put in their time

and carried me through the 

Disney Princess 1/2

and the 

VA Beach Rock n Roll 1/2

This time I went with Brooks 

They say that it is all about the shoes when running

and these shoes did not disappoint

Check out these features

 The silver design around the shoes are made from actual lightening bolts for faster running.

The lovely turquoise shoe laces are motion activated motivators

that whisper positive running mantras to my feet while on the go

The soles of the shoes are made of a new high quality magnet that repels both concrete and asphalt so that legs are constantly on the go.

I can't wait to see where these babies are going to take me!

Got no meaning- just a rhyme

While I was in VA

I was also able to live a dream of 13 year old Ashley

I got to see Stone Temple Pilots in concert on the beach

 I LOVED them when I was younger

Core was one of my favorite CDs

They played all of their old stuff

and only a few of the new-

which is good- because it made for a good bathroom break

We missed the Brett Michaels concert that was after the race

but seeing STP totally makes up for it.

I'm a Fancy Runner

I realized during my last run that I wear more accessories running than I do when I go out

 Headband

my phone

My sweat band to wipe my sweaty face

(I got this one as a VIP pass for a 2LiveCrew concert- true story)

and my garmin

In case you are wondering that says

14 miles

Boom! My longest yet!

It was the first run since I started training where it wasn't 800 degrees outside

and I didn't feel like I was running through mud

It let me know that yes I am in shape

and the weather plays a HUGE factor in my pace/energy