Don't Worry, I'm ALIVE!

You all probably think that I ran 13.1 miles and died a few days later, but lucky for you that isn't the case. Let me update you via pictures because that is way more fun and because I know how much you miss my beautiful face!



Went to North Carolina for our friend Mary's wedding!



The next day I ended up in the ER with a stress fracture in my foot :(



So I've been spending no time running and a lot of time getting to know the bike.



Thanksgiving in West Virginia with John's family. Pretty scenery!



Went to John's work Christmas party. It was a good way to force me to remove
all the calluses on my feet and actually paint my toenails.



I managed to visit Santa before Christmas. He gave me a candy cane.
Why are we not supposed to take candy from strangers again?

So that's pretty much it! I promise another update before my next birthday, don't worry.

Richmond McDonald's Half Marathon!

The difference between the Patrick Henry Half and the Richmond Half was like night and day. I could probably write a novel about Saturday and will come close with this post.

John and I spent hours in stop and go traffic on the way to Virginia. We hit up the expo first. After we picked up my bib, shirt, and goodie bag; we attempted to browse all the running stuff they had. Unfortunately there were a lot of people and a lot of stuff which meant looking at anything was difficult. Kind of a shame because there was a lot of cool stuff. We left and drove by the starting line on the way to the hotel. Once at the hotel, John was awesome and walked across the street to get Subway for dinner so that I could do nothing conserve my energy for the next morning. We ate and watched TV until we eventually fell asleep.

My alarm went off at 5:35 the next morning. Once we got outside to head to the race, we saw that it was 35 degrees. Ugh. I was wearing capris, tank top, and long sleeve to run in but had a jacket and sweats over that to stay warm before the start of the race. I was still freezing of course. They were giving out bandanas so I tied one around my neck to keep it warm, plus I thought it would make it easier for John to spot me in the crowds.

We hung out, drank water, I ate a fruit rope, and used the port-o-potties twice before I shed my extra clothes and headed to my wave (F). They let the waves go one at a time with some elapsed time in between. I thought this was great because it really prevented us from getting too bunched up. For some reason they did not start the full marathon and 8k like this.



After removing layers :(



Starting line. Fall is pretty.

Anyway, I crossed the start line and of course the first mile flew by. In fact, miles 1 through 5 were easy and fast. I warmed up after the first mile and tried to pick out different people to set my pace to (another good thing about starting in waves-I knew the people around me were around my pace). I was having some weird pain in the back of my leg kind of in between my ankle and calf muscle. At some points it was really bad and made me worry about the latter half of the race but it ended up not being an issue. Luckily my quad injury from the week before didn’t hurt at all until I was stretching at the end of the race.



Who has two thumbs and is having the best time ever
even though her legs feel like lead?



Somewhere between mile 5 and 6 I ate half of my fruit rope and we headed into a park. This was probably my least favorite part of the course. There were no spectators so it was pretty boring. The park was basically a series of hills on a narrow path which made passing people (especially on the downhill) very difficult. John and Kathy were supposed to be at the park and honestly, I was really looking forward to seeing them, but with all the roads blocked off and the traffic, they ended up not making it.

We exited the park between miles 7 and 8. It was here that my legs started feeling tired. A little before mile 9, I think I hit the wall. It really was no joke-I was going along, tired but moving, and all of a sudden it felt like I couldn’t run anymore and would never finish. I decided to use the whole ‘mind over matter’ trick and pretended I hadn’t hit anything. It’s actually kind of funny because around this point in the race I kept seeing cheesy motivational signs, only they don’t seem cheesy when you’ve ran 8 miles and have 5.1 to go. One that stands out said “All walls have doors-break through!” And so I kept focusing on the ‘door.’

I ate the rest of my fruit rope a little before mile 10 and focused on the finish. My Garmin was off from the race course. I think it was around .2 miles fast, so I wasn’t entirely sure what my time was going to be. At some points I thought I was going to do worse than my previous time but thankfully I didn’t start worrying too much. By mile 11 I realized I was going to make it in under 2:20. I was predicting 2:17. I knew the race finished on a downhill and was counting on that to help me but I kind of forgot about the uphill that preceded the downhill. By that point, however, I was too ready to finish to care about hills. I started seeing people who had already finished walking away with their medals and realized that was going to be me in 10 minutes.

As I headed down the home stretch I started hearing people screaming my name and I realized John and Kathy were somewhere up ahead. It made me SO happy and I am beyond grateful that they were there. I also truly cannot express how awesome it was to end on a huge downhill. I had it in me to finish strong even without the downhill but because of it, I finished fast. I tried to get some stretching in after I got my medal and space blanket but the shoot was super crowed. I grabbed a water and two bananas and then found John and Kathy. My clock time was around 2:29 and my Garmin said I ran 13.25mi so I had no idea what my official time would be until John got the text with my finish time of 2:16:37 which is a 10:25m/mi pace.



This is how I smile when my face is numb!



The medal weighs 1lb...yes I actually weighed it.



We watched the first and second guys finish the marathon and then headed back to the hotel for a quick shower before the drive home. I cannot say enough good things about this marathon. It was fun, well organized, good crowd support, and good course. Also, if I remember right, there were five bands along the way, including some Taiko drummers that were really awesome.

My knees were incredibly sore afterwards and the rest of me was sore in the days following, but I’m healing up nicely. Ready for the Galveston Mardi Gras Half in February!

PS-Here is my present from John for making him wake up early and stand out in the cold for almost 4 hours.....I mean...for running well.



His name is Winston.

PPS-Here is your present for getting through this very long post-fast Kenyan man who was 2nd place in the half marathon.


He's lucky I let him win.

 

Half Marathon Plan

I’ve been putting off writing this because I really couldn’t figure out what my plan would be for the longest time. Now I think I’ve got it. At least, I’ve got the ‘for now’ plan when my head will inevitably come up with something else while I’m trying to will myself to sleep tomorrow night.

So, the plan is, there is no plan. Just some things I want to remember when the gun goes off Saturday morning.

·         Run my race (Don’t go out too fast).
I have a very bad habit of freaking out when people pass me. I don’t know why, I have no pipe dreams of winning the race or even placing in my age group. I know I’m not even fast for a “normal person.” But still, I feel like I’m back in high school soccer running the mile and the need to be first kicks in. Not this time. I’m going to do my best to pretend I’m all alone on one of my long runs, and just do the damn thing.

·         Hydrate.
During my first half, I made the silly mistake of not really drinking anything until mile six. I guess I thought that the hurricane rain that was all around me would hydrate me via osmosis. That didn’t work out, which resulted in me realizing I was dying of thirst that couldn’t be quenched until I chugged a bottle of water-something that cannot happen during a race. I LIVED for the water stations for seven miles. Seriously, all I could think about after throwing that empty paper cup on the ground was the moment when I could grab another full one. Not a good way to spend more than half the race.

·         Have fun.
Not that my fist half wasn’t fun but…okay it really wasn’t that fun. Being around other runners=fun. Crossing the finish line=fun. But the actual running-not so fun. I think the key to this one is the first bullet. On my training long runs I turn into a motivational speaker and tell myself how freaking awesome I am every other step. Then come race time all I see are people passing me and I become mentally unstable and panic. That makes for not a lot of fun.

I’ve had issues with shin splits and a last minute soccer injury that’s kind of prevented me from finishing my training. But I know I’m ready. My runs this time around have been easier, I’ve felt stronger, and ran faster. My only time goal is 2:20. I know I have it in me to get a 2:15. But who knows what will happen on Saturday? If all else fails, I'll just focus on the junk food station at mile 9...

Well at Least the Good Outnumbers the Bad...

…Although I think that’s usually the way it goes when you’re unemployed and have a sugar daddy.

In all seriousness, there have been a lot of good happenings lately.

John and I carved pumpkins! Mine’s Jack Skellington and his is the Gears of War symbol. Unfortunately they rotted a week before Halloween, which is what happened last year. You’d think we’d learn.

We also dressed up for Halloween as the Black Widow and Wolverine. It was pretty fun.

We had not one, but two cute balls of fur in our house for a week.

I can do this:



I ran a fantastic 9 miles at a sub-10 minute pace. Look how awesome I look at the END of the run!

These came into my life...



I ran five miles on the treadmill which is double my previous longest distance run on the treadmill-or the dreadmill, which is more fitting. I actually kind of enjoyed it.

So yes, good things. I think I'm stocking up on them before winter hits and I start wondering what the point is of getting out of bed in the morning.





twofoursixEIGHT!

A few weeks ago I signed up to run the McDonald's Half Marathon on November 12th. I started my training on week 6 of Hal Higdon's novice training program.

Yesterday I ran the farthest I have ever gone by myself-eight miles. I wasn't expecting anything great. I felt beat up and worn out from Saturday's soccer game and have been battling shin splints literally since the day after I signed up for the marathon.

I decided to aim for a pace between 10:30 and 11 minutes per mile, but didn't look at my garmin very often for pace-I just ran what felt good. I finished the first mile in 10 flat. Too fast, so I slowed down. The next two miles were 10:34 and 10:26-right on target.

I finished mile four in 10:11. I was surprised but was feeling pretty good so I didn't worry too much about it. I took a walk break just after mile 4 to drink some water and eat a fruit rope which resulted in a 10:40 for mile 5. Not terrible considering the walk break.

When I finished mile six in 10:11, I realized I was close to finishing this run in around the same time it took me for my first eight mile run when John and I were training for our first half marathon.

Our time was 1:22:52 which is a 10:21 pace. I started running faster but was blown away when I finished mile 7 in 9:57. At this point I thought that I might be able to finish even better than John and I had. I finished mile 8 in 9:39 with an overall time of 1:21:41 and pace of 10:12 per mile.

Not only did I finish this eight mile run faster than my previous, I was in so much better shape. I remember leaning on John to keep myself up and having to immediately sit down once we finished. This time I finished strong and even had gas in the tank afterward.

So that's that. Runs like this make all the bad ones worth it. I still have two more long runs to get through before the half, but if I keep going like this then I'm feeling pretty confident that, if nothing else, this half won't be as painful as the first one.

It’s a Vent

I was really looking forward to today. Today is the start of a really good weekend. Unfortunately today turned out to be “Let’s See How Many Times Christina Can Be Offended in the Course of an Hour Day.” The answer is two, which doesn’t seem like much but I’d like to think it takes a lot to offend me.

I’m not really going to go into the first one because it involves people who are close to some of my friends. Basically I don’t understand how some women can be so malicious, rude, and two-faced. It honestly makes me incredibly sad.

The second issue came about when a friend of mine posted this on her facebook along with this letter:

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness. They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia. They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?
They would have no sex life and could not bear children.
Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.
And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.

We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.

Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

(The girl on the picture is French model Tara Lynn) Feel free to tag yourselves :)

Last comment: I'm not putting down thin people, being a thin woman myself (BMI of 22 maybe?) just saying that being large doesn't equate to being unattractive.

First, there are so many things wrong with that ‘letter.’ The person definitely took the whale/mermaid analogy too literally. Whales are not actually overweight. And I watched the Little Mermaid-Ariel had tons of friends.

The letter was offensive but it was the comments that really got to me. One person said, “it's sad how people think skinny=beautiful. this girl is definitely hot. you know all those runway models? if you saw them without makeup and their hair done you'd think they were ugly girls that needed to eat a cheeseburger!”

This was followed up by “I think that way makeup or not.” This kind of thinking is unbelievably close-minded and I think its how a lot of people think. Somehow people have shifted from skinny just being the norm (watch movies set in the 60s and 70s-there are very few overweight people) to skinny being abnormal and fat is something to be proud because you “love your curves” or whatever. Fine, but when you’ve got diabetes and a BMI of 30….how are those “curves” something to love?

As a thin person, I’ve heard everything. I’ve been accused of being bulimic, been told to eat a cheeseburger, even been told that I look like I haven’t eaten in a year. How is that okay??? I’ve seen the looks people give when I order a salad with dressing on the side, when I don’t finish everything on my plate or when I pass up a cookie (this doesn’t happen often, I love cookies). People have told me, “Oh I wish I had your metabolism.” Metabolism?? I work out five days a week and eat mostly healthy.

Something is wrong when I feel pressure to eat a lot in front of other people. When I feel like I can’t talk about working out because people respond by telling me I don’t need to work out. When my friends can talk about things they don’t like about themselves but I can’t say anything because I’m ‘skinny’ and therefore I should be completely happy with myself.

Basically, this comment sums everything up perfectly:
“Where is the connection between a whale and an overweight woman? I do not think I have ever seen an overweight whale. And while the lady has some nice features she is over weight and it is not healthy physically or mentally. I am not saying she is not likeable, or loveable, and I am not saying she should hide herself. Too much fat on a body is not good for you. (Being too skinny is not good for you either.)I myself can gain very easily so I practice self control and stay active. There is a difference between accepting ourselves and being lazy, gluttonous and stubborn. I have quite few things about myself that makes me VERY unattractive to myself and others (Im sure someone will say that what I am saying here is one of them) Tho I do not say "O well, I cant do anything about it"? No, I take steps every day to change it. Yes the process is awkward, embarrassing and difficult and some things I might not be able to get beyond. Staying static within it is not the good choice. Curves are great! Yes we have breasts and larger hips then men. That does not mean that overweight is feminine. Being spiteful, self righteouse and having a bad attitude toward part of a society that says that it is better to be fit dose no one any good. The comment toward the mermaid is representative of the hatred toward women who are, or manage to be, fit. What did they ever do to you? Some of them made fun of you? Well it is not becuse they are thin that they did. It is because they have their own unhealthy issues to deal with as well.”

I feel much better now that all this is out. I’m going to go have that really good weekend now.

"I'm Freaking Advanced!"

The other day, I made dinner. Around two o’clock, after numbing my brain via youtube videos, I decided to start that night’s dinner (minus the oven part). On the menu was Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Lasagna Rolls. I’d never made or had it before but it basically sounded awesome because I love cheese, chicken, spinach, AND lasagna.

So, I’m in the kitchen doing my thing when I realize…this is the most cooking for one meal that I’ve ever done. Usually dinner consists of chicken, steamed veggies, and maybe rice or something. Pretty simple and basic. I was stuffing my lasagna rolls when I looked around and thought who the heck AM I? I hadn’t had any sugar that day but I felt some kind of surge of excitement that turned me into the cockiest person ever. I started complimenting myself (not out loud, don’t worry) for preparing such an awesome dinner. I imagined having important people over-like Bob Harper or the President-and serving them this delicious meal. I reached for my phone to text John, “I’m freakin advanced!!”

After completing the meal up to the oven step, I put it in the refrigerator and impatiently waited for John to get home. Occasionally I checked on it just to make sure I actually made something so amazing.

Finally John was home and the lasagna was almost ready to come out of the oven. I took it out and it pretty much smelt like angels. I cut off a piece with my fork and blew on it to cool it off. I put it in my mouth and…..disaster. In the moments that followed I have no recollection of swallowing or not. The lasagna had betrayed me. John took a bite and I thought he was going to vomit. Don’t worry, he didn’t.

We think the culprit was too much oregano. Disclaimer: I doubled checked the recipe to make sure I got all the measurements correct and I DID. So be fully aware that this is NOT my fault. It was completely awful and inedible and we had no choice but to throw that nasty out. What’s that saying about getting back on a horse that already proved how much he hated you by bucking you off? Yeah, I re-made this meal with WAY less oregano and as well as all other spices because now I’m paranoid. Hopefully we eat tonight.

In other news, I FINALLY (with no thanks to Ft. Meade and a HUGE thanks to Andrews Air Force Base) got my military ID today!

I made John retake this picture because I thought his smile was weird but I look better in this one than in the retake. Sorry John! J

I Should Shut the Computer Down by 8:00pm

Why the heck am I awake right now?? I’m insanely tired but the internet is an easy place to get lost in. Also, I HATE ending sentences in prepositions but if I said, “The internet is an easy place in which to get lost,” my dad would stop reading my blog because I’m too uncool sounding. I’m one grammatically correct sentence away from losing half of my readers.

Anyway. I’m married now but that’s not what I want to talk about. I just wanted to say that I have had a husband for less than two weeks and the abuse has already started. Today. At soccer practice. He kicked me in the ankle. And now it hurts really bad. I will play in Wednesday’s game regardless of how it feels (soccer naturally numbs all pain for me, remember) but I’m terrified I won’t be able to run tomorrow. Not really a big deal except I was planning on making my debut run since running the half marathon. And I’ve been REALLY excited about it! Especially because now it’s cold in Maryland and I can take advantage of my unemployment by running in the middle of the day without worrying about the heat!

Okay, going back to the being awake at 1:30 in the morning on a school night…I think something’s wrong with me. I have no job, no kids, no real responsibilities right now, and yet I still feel the need to be in bed by ten-eleven if I’m feeling crazy-and get up by seven thirty. Maybe it’s my own way of making myself feel less like a waste of space. Hey, maybe I didn’t spend all day at work but I didn’t spend all day sleeping either!

Alrignt. Now I’m going to bed. And I will probably be up before eight for no real reason. Hopefully a run will be happening.

I’m Back!

John and I are finally back home in Maryland after spending two weeks in Texas getting hitched and various other things. Maryland was not welcoming in the least. The temperatures are in the 60s, our hot water heater was broken, a trip to the grocery store was desperately in order (I HATE grocery shopping) and we had tons of packages to deal with. Don’t get me wrong, I love and appreciate every single wedding gift we got. But I don’t deal well with mess like this…

Still a lot of organizing that needs to be done with all our new stuff, but we’ll get there. I did my first workout in exactly 2 weeks and 2 days (unless you count the .3 miles I ran on the hotel treadmill in my wedding dress…) and it kicked my butt. P90X Core Synergistics.

 

‘Before’ picture from the first and last round of P90X I did (My afters look the same). Such a strict program with no running is not for me, but as individual workouts, its great.

After my workout, a hot shower thanks to our fixed water heater, and homemade chili for dinner, I think I’m pretty much invincible. I’m sad that I had to leave Texas behind but its going to be go to get back to my regular workout and eating habits. Not to mention I missed Hamlet and soccer like crazy!

I’ll leave you with the video I took as we entered Texas from Louisiana on our drive down…

Good Enough

After three naps, icing my feet and my knees, foam rolling, eating almost an entire bag of Garden Salsa Sun Chips, an entire bag of Sour Patch Kids, and six donuts, and then dealing with a food hangover the next day….I’m finally feeling back to normal after the race. I actually felt like running today. Instead I did 35 minutes on the elliptical because I’m having some toe problems.

It kinda feels like my toenail is going to come off but the nail isn’t bruised and my toe is swollen. So it’s different from all the other times I’ve lost toenails. Luckily, soccer makes all pain disappear (running, on the other hand, amplifies all pain times 10, hence the elliptical) and I had no problems during practice yesterday, only afterwards.

I’m basically super productive today because I worked out, cleaned the entire apartment, showered, made lunch, and got started on dinner all before noon. I’m making lemon chicken for dinner, which always makes me feel a bit nostalgic because it was essentially the first “real” meal I ever made.

 

Sunday I was reminded of something about myself and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Nothing is ever “good enough” for myself. People always tell me its a good thing because it means I’m driven and such, and I agree. Still, I think its good to appreciate progress made along the way, which I kind of don’t. I accepted my half marathon performance for less time than it took for me to walk like a normal person again. In no time I was complaining to John about what a horrible runner I am while he tired, when he could get a word in, to convince me that I am not.

It’s not uncommon for me to receive compliments at soccer practice, especially from one of the players who I consider to be probably the best player on the team. Yesterday he was complimenting me quite a bit and my first thought…Is he somehow making fun of me? Haha. Really, I couldn’t just take a compliment. And the worst part is…I KNOW I’ve been playing well lately. But to me, its not good enough.

I remember when I finally broke a 7:00 minute mile. The first thing I said was, “Now I’ve gotta get 6:30.” All of a sudden, a 7:00 minute mile seemed miniscule.

I’m really going to try to be happier with my accomplishments. It’s good to keep having bigger goals but not when you can’t recognize and be proud of smaller accomplishments along the way. No, my half marathon time of 2:23 isn’t even close to my ultimate goal of sub-2 hours. But its pretty good for my first time, especially given the weather conditions. My next half probably won’t be under 2 hours either but it’ll be better. And there’s a lot to be said for improving.

Patrick Henry Half Marathon Race Recap!

 

My very first race recap, aw! Let’s begin, shall we?

John and I drove down to Ashland, Virginia Friday afternoon. We went to the YMCA to pick up our shirts, bibs, and timing chips (which happened to be attached to the back of our bibs). Then we drove over to the race start to check out parking for the next day. After a quick stop at Subway, we went to our hotel and relaxed. And by relaxed I mean took intimidating pictures in our new shirts…

 

I was super nervous the night before, mostly about my time. I told John that I didn’t even care if I walked as long as I got a good time (then I realized that I would still go crazy wondering what my time would’ve been if I hadn’t walked). I finally fell asleep around 11:00.

We woke up at 5:15, got ready, ate some peanut butter on bread, and headed out. I wasn’t too nervous anymore, just ready to get it going. There wasn’t a line for the port ‘a potties at all so I decided to check my bag first. It took all of 5 minutes but by the time I went back to the bathrooms, there was a really long line. We waited in line for 20 minutes and then it was almost time to start.

Typically they start the race with a real cannon but for whatever reason, this year they used a train whistle, which I didn’t even hear. We started off really well and the first mile seriously flew by. I couldn’t believe it when my Garmin beeped at me. Not long after that though, I got the worst side stitch I’ve ever had. I eventually had to walk for a while. A nice lady checked to make sure I was okay, and I ended up finishing not too far behind her.

The side stitch lessened in intensity but lingered for the rest of the race. Things were back on track but by mile six, I wasn’t feeling as good as I thought I should be feeling. Because of lovely hurricane Irene, it rained on us the whole time. Therefore, I never really felt too hot and hadn’t been drinking any water. I started taking advantage of the water and Poweraid stations. Also, due to the hurricane, we were running into the wind almost the entire second half of the race. By mile nine, I was ready for the race to end. I remember actually feeling kind of sad that I wanted it to be over. All this time I spent working for it and I just wanted to finish. My feet were extremely blistered and my legs felt dead.

Finally there was only a mile to go. I started thinking about the fact that I was about to finish a half marathon and got a bit emotional. Even typing this out now, I feel so happy (I may or may not have cried when we headed back to the car after the race). During the race, when I realized I wasn’t going to do as well as I hoped, I became super disappointed and was worried I wouldn’t be happy at the end, so it was really nice to have positive feelings. John stayed with me basically the entire race, despite being a speed demon compared to me, but when we rounded the corner and saw the home stretch I told him to go ahead. I finished not too long after him in a sprint (or what felt like a sprint at that point, John said I didn’t look too fast) with a time of 2:23:29.

You can’t tell I’m completely drenched in this picture, but I am. So this isn’t the best written race recap ever, but I just wanted to get it all out while it was still fresh. I think I would definitely run this half again. The course was mostly level, aside from some horrible hills around miles 9-11, and all the volunteers were SUPER great being out there in the rain. There weren’t many spectators, which was a bit of a downer, but I’m sure the weather had something to do with that. We were emailed our results less than an hour after we finished. All in all, not the performance I wanted but I feel like I learned a lot and will definitely improve next time. Yes, I just ran 13.1 miles and want to do it again. :)

A Low Key Weekend (FINALLY) and Half Marathon Plan!

Three things I needed on Sunday.

John’s blackberry, used to navigate to the running trail because our Garmin was dead. My wrist Garmin, which I seriously don’t know how I ever ran without. And a cup of perfect hot chocolate made by our new Keurig. Really. John’s been obsessed with the Keurig since we got it. I think it’s nice, but I definitely don’t have a problem with regular coffee. I might be sold now. This cup was perfection.

So my first and last free weekend in months/for months is over. It was less exciting than I thought it would be. We had company Friday night and ended up sleeping in and just milling about most of the day Saturday.

We finally dragged our butts out of the house to get our fortunes told (nothing exciting) and find a place that will engrave Tungsten (mission success), and capped the night off with the most unhealthy grocery run ever in the history of the world. I thought about taking a picture of all the stuff we got for the blog but seriously, it was embarrassing. What’s even more embarrassing is that fact that we ate almost all of it by 10:00 pm.

Obviously Bagel Bites, red velvet cake, brownies and ice cream, Jones Soda, and chicken poppers are the perfect pre-run dinner. I got up early Sunday to run seven miles with some friends because John’s knee is messed up and he’s taking it easy until our half marathon. It was Amber and Jessica’s first seven mile run and they didn’t quite finish, so I ended up only logging six. I was a little disappointed but I came home completely wiped out and even took a nap, which I rarely do. Running is so funny. How can I stay out until two in the morning the same day as my ten mile run but come home and crash after six? Also, my knee was killing me and calf was really tight after six but I hardly had any issues after the ten. Oh well…

Okay. Now for what I really want to talk about. Half marathon game plan. I don’t really have one. I know I should shoot for negative splits and try not to come out of the gate too quickly but I’ve only manage consistent negative splits twice so I’m not going to try to revamp how I run on race day. I’ve heard that for races, you should set 3 goals; one completely obtainable, one moderately obtainable, and one that you’ll probably only reach if everything goes perfectly and God decides to put wings on your feet. Overall, I would LOVE to finish 2 hours and 10 minutes. More realistically I’m shooting for 2 hours and 20 minutes. Definitely not over 2 hours and 30 minutes. So there it is.

Frustration, frustration! Frustration!

Imagine the title being sung like "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof.

Today I was ready to run. I was ready to improve on my time from Tuesday. And I didn’t. I headed out with grand thoughts of an awesome time and before I even got down the street I had to stop. My shoe was cutting into the back of my heel and it was bleeding on my shoe. This stared happening on Tuesday and I’m not sure why…I haven’t had any issues with these shoes before. I stopped to pull my socks up and kept going. Just as I leave my neighborhood I head up this steep hill. My knee started hurting but I kept going. By the time I had reached half a mile my knee was still hurting and the negative thoughts started creeping into my head. I started noticing how much my heels were hurting, how the front of my one of my toes was hurting after the skin came off during yesterday’s soccer game, and most of all I was noticing how my knee was hurting.

My knee hurts every time I run. It’s usually not an issue anymore and I haven’t used a knee brace (for running) in months. Today it seemed more prevalent. I started thinking about the ten miles I plan to attempt on Saturday and got nervous. I thought if it hurts this bad right now and I keep pushing, what if I can’t manage ten on Saturday? So, after a little over a mile, I stopped.

Before all these knee issues happened, I felt like I could push myself forever. I could run as fast as my legs would take me, no matter how much it hurt, without worrying whether or not I was doing damage to myself. When I was finally cleared to “jog” after my surgery, I went out like I’d never been gone. Needless to say, after not running for a year and having knee surgery, things just weren’t working like they used to. I had so many starts and restarts. I wised up and decided to follow the Couch to 5K plan to gradually ease myself back into running. It worked like a charm and a couple of months after finishing the program; I was running farther than I ever had before.

But I still feel ruined. I definitely have a different form than I used to have. I can’t push like I could before. Or maybe I can but I just don’t know it. Really, I have no idea what my limits are anymore. Before, any pain was temporary and never disabling. Now, sometimes my knee hurts so bad that I’m out for days. I thought I had beaten it running. I thought soccer was the only thing that really did a number on it anymore. But maybe I’m wrong. Sometimes I have to remind myself that less than a year ago I couldn’t even stand the elliptical all the time. I didn’t think I’d ever be playing soccer again.

I know I’ve come a long way but it doesn’t change the fact that I miss running with the ease I used to feel. I really took for granted that seven minute miles were the norm. Now I fight to stay sub-11. It’s extremely discouraging.

I decided to salvage my work out by spending 45 minutes on the stationary bike doing hills. I think it’s the first time I’ve been on the bike this year. I took my ipod. I don’t listen to my ipod while running so I didn’t have any new workout playlists ready and I had to just go with shuffle. Clearly my ipod must know me very well because every song was perfect. I felt much better after being on the bike (although I’m still a little bummed about my run). I spent some much needed time stretching (I didn’t stretch AT ALL after yesterday’s soccer game for some reason) and on my foam roller with a lot of IT band focus. Hopefully this will help my knee for this weekend.

PS-While in the gym a guy came in with his laptop! I’ve seen a lot of things at the gym-people bringing their kids to just run around and play while they work out, people hiking up the speed on their treadmill but then just holding themselves up with the handlebars and not really running, people wearing normal street clothes while working out-but this takes the cake. I thought about it later and maybe he had his workout on there but…couldn’t he write it down or print it out?

PPS-Please don't zoom in on my hairy legs in the above picture.

Just Do It.

Nike totally aced that one. Serious entry here. I completely, 100% believe in signs. Not like Mel Gibson, alien signs, but signs from...the universe, God, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, whatever. I have made many decisions based on signs. Today, I didn't make a decision based on a sign but a sign game me motivation and confirmation that I'm on the right track.

About two weeks ago, when I joined that second soccer team, I fell off the running wagon. That in itself is no big deal but I'm registered to run a half marathon in nineteen days. I have been on one run since I joined that team and it was a sad two miles followed by three miles of some unfocused speed work on the treadmill. Saturday I decided I had to start running again. I planned for five miles on Sunday but that didn't happen. Monday was soccer practice and with the knee issues I have I don't combine soccer and running on the same day. So today, Tuesday, was the day. I got up when John left for work, as usual, but this time I actually put on running clothes.

I sat on the couch drinking water and eating a snack while checking email, facebook, and some of the blogs I follow. A friend of mine is currently second place in a weight loss challenge in which the contestants blog about their progress. A lot of times things that should be a source of motivation for me are very discouraging. My friend has a lot of weight to lose. She has four kids and a job. And yet she is eating right and working out at least four days a week, including doing the Couch to 5K program which is what I completed this past January. Instead of thinking Man, she is awesome for doing all this, I should go work out right now because if she can do it, so can I! I think, Man, she is awesome for doing all this, and here I am on my freakin butt shoving Chex Mix in my mouth by the shovel full. I am so lame. This morning though, she had this on her blog:

Act AS IF

Act as if you're happy.
Act as if you're smart.
Act as if you're loving.
Act as if you're brave.
Act as if you're successful.
Act as if you're kind.
Act as if you're caring.
Act as if you feel peace.
Act as if you're healthy.
Act as if you always smile.
Act as if you're excited.
Act as if your life is great.
You do not have to have it yet to act as if you do.
You do not have to have it yet to feel as if you do.
Rise up each morning and imagine that you have it or feel it or own it or are it.
What would you do if you were thin or smart or successful or brave?
What would you do if you were kind or loving or honest or true?
What would you do if you felt excited about the life you have or want? What choices would you make? How would you be changed? How would you react to others?
What things would you do? How would you arrange your day? Where would you go? Whom would you talk to? How would you spend your time?
You don't have to live in the unhappy past, because the minute you decide to start to live every moment
AS IF you're happy
AS IF you're smart
AS IF you're healthy
AS IF you're kind
AS IF you're successful
AS IF you're brave
...is the moment your life starts to change.

~ Rozanne Paxman
 After reading that, I put down the computer, strapped on my Garmin and headed out the door. I don't have to be excited to run (I wasn't) but I know the feeling that comes after the run and I love it. I've worked REALLY hard to get to where I am running wise and all that hard work can be gone in just a few weeks.

After my run, I went to log it on dailymile and stopped over to See Meggie Run. Her post today was about fresh starts. It was exactly what I needed to read after my sub-par run this morning. My run this morning wasn't pretty. Aside from the first mile, it wasn't fun. But I did it. And this run will help me on future runs. My favorite run to date was my eight miler a few weeks ago. It wasn't particularly fast or easy but shoot, I ran eight miles before most people had gotten out of bed. And I didn't die. It was actually enjoyable. And I can't run eight miles if I can't run five miles and I can't run five miles if I never put on my running shoes and head out the door. So this morning, I finally did.

Man U vs FCB

Manchester United versus FC Barcelona. Awesome game.

PS-At the end of this post there will be a picture of the bottom of my left foot, specifically my pointer toe. It's kinda gross. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Another Team

I think I joined a second soccer team. A co-ed soccer team. Which basically means boys with a few girls thrown in there. Boys are fast. Christina is slow. Ron, coach of my other soccer team, totally set me up for failure by praising my speed and fitness. He either really wants something from me or is blind.

Oh, did I mention this is John's team? It's John's team. With John's friends. And John's co-workers. There goes my nice, comparmentalized life.

I came out on Wednesday for a little pick up game. I think the temperature was a million degrees. Of course I was up against the biggest, fastest, most skilled player there. I called him 'Gray Shirt Man.' Gray Shirt Man was pretty nice at first. Then at some point our heads collided. He checked to make sure I was okay and I guess noticed that my skin is made of leather and that he didn't scare me. Then Gray Shirt Man got scary. Something must have happened to his eyes in the hot afternoon sun because I don't think he could see me anymore, judging by the way he ran right through me time and time again.

I can't remember the last time soccer wore me out this much. Acutally, I can. It was in college. But lets keep this sounding dramatic. All my old coaches' voices started going through my head. Mike #1, "You guys are losers!" Oh, it turns out you're right after all these years. Coach Peter, when asked if we could have water, "Bite your tongue and salivate!" I tried but I think the sun evaporated every bit of moisture from me. Weaver, "There is no walking in soccer!" Oops, my legs don't seem to remember that. Mike #2, "#^&*!!!" I'm going to keep it PG but just imagine a lot of bad words. In your imagination, imagine them being shouted. And maybe the shouter is kicking something or throwing something on the ground in frustration.

Then, as if the 'ol ego hadn't been damaged enough, I set up the winning goal for the other team. All afternoon I tried and failed to get a head on the ball before Gray Shirt Man did. Finally I had what was supposed to be my moment of greatness. I beat Gray Shirt Man to the ball and had a nice header to the outside. Maybe the rest of my team decided I was bad luck and tried to stay away from me because no one was there to recieve the ball except the other team. And they did recieve the ball. And scored. Ugh.

So its been two days since the game and I feel like most muscles were beat with a bat. I feel like there should be a moral here but I really can't think of one. If you can, let me know, kthanks.

Things I Will Miss About Maryland

This list is premature, since I won't be leaving Maryland anytime soon, but sometimes I just need to remember the good things about this state.

1. No roaches

At least very few of them. If I had to pick one thing that I hate more than anything in the entire universe, its roaches. (TMI alert) Once, it had been one of those nights, and I really need to throw up but it just wasn't happening. I asked my friend to talk about gross things and he merely said, "Roaches." That was all it took.

I have totally called my neighbor to come over and kill a roach.

I have gone to the bathroom with another person because there was a roach in the house and I couldn't be alone knowing it was lurking somewhere.

Roaches have made me cry.

I may be dry heaving just typing about roaches.

If I had to choose between a roach touching me and death.....you all better come to my funeral.

2. My soccer team

I've played on a lot of soccer teams in my life and have never liked every person on my team. In fact, the main reason I decided not to play soccer my freshman year of college is because I didn't feel like dealing with the drama that ensuses when you make 18 girls play a competative sport together and spend 98% of their time together during the season.

I can honestly say I LOVE every girl on my team now. We all get along and its almost surreal. I briefly considered joining a slightly more competative team but decided it wasn't worth giving up playing with these girls. If you are a non-creepy single guy who wants to be un-single, you should definitely date someone on my team because they are all awesome at soccer, pretty, and probably have some cool job in DC.

3. Fall

This one is a bit of a stretch because I've only experienced one fall in my life and I'm not sure that's enough to know whether or not I'll miss it. But I hate winter, Spring is a tease, and Summer is the main season everywhere else I've lived so if I have to miss a season I pick fall. When fall first happened, I thought it was winter. Anything 60 degrees and under to me means winter. But it is really pretty and cooler weather can be kind of exciting.

4. Basements

I don't have a basement but I think they may be the greatest thing humans have ever come up with. I put them right up there with the wheel and written language. I think every house in the world should have a basement. Is there a better way to save space and add space all at the same time?? Not really, no. When we go over to peoples' houses who have basements, I really have to try to keep my excitement in check so that they don't find out I'm a weirdo and stop being our friends.

5. Dragons

I realize dragons aren't real but I didn't have a 5th thing that I like about MD and I have issues with even numbers so I just put something that I like but nowhere has it so I don't have to wish I was somewhere else. Which would defeat the purpose of this list. Are you still with me? Good. Here's Abe Lincoln: