Wales Marathon -- Activity Wales Events Long Course Weekend

Every summer I take a trip to a place I've never been and try to run a race there. This year, I chose Wales. My dad's ancestors were from Merthyr Tydfil and I'd always wanted to see this country. I found the Wales Marathon -- part of an iron distance long course weekend -- and set my plans.

And then my right calf put a wrinkle in it. Tightness and the threat of a tear or other serious injury led to reduced mileage and lots of therapies. And then I rolled my right ankle and the doc thought I may have an avulsion fracture. More treatments including ART and Graston, lots of kinesio tape and compression socks, and babying my right leg kept me moving, although I knew I would head to Wales minimally prepared for this 26.2.

Travel was smooth, and after a night in Merthyr, we arrived in the seaside walled old town of Tenby. It was GORGEOUS.  The colors of the houses and businesses, the old stone walls, the clear blue sky, the flowers everywhere, and the sea.  Just beautiful!
 

Knowing how hot the temps were and how hilly and tough everyone said this course would be fueled my prerace nerves.  I was undertrained for this race, for sure, due to my calf and ankle injuries, but honestly the forecasted temps of about 80* would've crippled me even if I was prepared for the hills. So, although several people asked if I thought of dropping to the half -- and apparently many other runners did just that -- I knew I'd regret that after the race. My sister, who wasn’t able to make the trip, reminded me this isn't about how long it takes, it's about the experience.

I made my way to the start and began to feel better. This is normal - nerves get me until I start to run. Even though the sun was in full force and the temps were already warm, I was ready to go. Bottle filled with nuun, calf sleeves and visor on, and a pin with the American and Welsh flags on my bib from my parents, I crossed the starting line of the Wales Marathon and began my adventure.

Starting in Tudor Square, the first few miles wound all thru town. Tons of people cheered us on as we worked our way along the Esplanade/waterfront, thru the narrow streets, and along the old stone town wall.

I waved to my parents and made my way out of town toward the first true hill -- the climb up to the ridgeway.

I kept the pace slow and easy and as the climb began, around mile 3, I noticed people were walking the incline.  As I thought, "Huh, people are walking already," someone near me said the same thing aloud.  But just ahead, I realized why:  the incline was super steep.  Everyone around me was walking, and I quickly realized I'd have to, too. And that was the way the rest of the course would go -- run when you have the flat or slight downhills, power walk the steep inclines.

Along the ridgeway, we travelled through shady overhung tree areas and open sky, hot paths. The land and scenery was truly beautiful, but just as I said that to someone near me, he replied, "just wait until the second half. It's even more beautiful." 

I kept an easy pace through the first 10 miles. Drank my water+nuun, took my gels, and tried desperately to shoo the little waspy bee things away. They were all over the ridgeway -- and I know I swallowed a little fly at one point -- but as annoying as they were, they didn't sting me, and they didn't ruin the day.

As we approached mile 11-12, I could hear the drums to my left in the town of Pembroke. This was where we would meet up with the half marathoners who were just starting their race. On a cooler, easier course, I'd have come through the half in under two hours and seen this HM start, but at miles 11-12 I knew my pace wouldn't get me there in time today. We followed a strange cut through a fence at about mile 12 and down a dark alley where most of us were commenting how tough it would be to be in this single-track section if we were in the lead pack. 

I should also mention Nicky and Garrett at this point. Nicky is a local Tenby guy who used to be very strong and athletic, but has become wheelchair-bound due to a neurological disease. He dreamt of completing an iron-distance event, and his buddy Garrett, a local Tenby fireman, took on the task of helping him get there. They completed the 2.4 mi swim Friday, the 112 mi bike Saturday, and here they were doing the marathon on Sunday. I ran much of the race right around them, and it was amazing to hear and see all the support and cheers they got. Awesome.

As I came thru the aid station just before mile 13, I stopped to say "Well Done" to Nicky and Garrett and observe how Garrett took good care of Nicky at the stops - adjusting his sunglasses, instructing the volunteers on how to help Nicky drink (Garrett had a stash of straws under Nicky's seat and he handed one to the volunteer who would help Nicky drink as Garrett took in his own fuels). It was an incredibly hot and difficult course for those of us on our own, and I marveled at what these two friends were accomplishing together.

There was a steep hill up to mile 13, past the castle and into town, so I was forced to walk --

 

but it soon leveled out and it was a nice boost to run through the town's crowds. I noted that my first half took about 2:15, much slower than any other half I've run, but I was ok with it.

The heat and the course were due to get even tougher in the second half of my day.

Through the rest of the race, I'd continue to chat with the runners around me --
Heather: an older woman who has a twin sister (she's not into exercise at all) and holds both British and American passports.
      Kevin, who was running for a British charity.
     The tall guy (I'm not sure I ever got his name) who's sister "came to America, married a Yank, and stayed," and who had driven the east coast of the USA.
     And there were the long course guys who were teasing me about my bright green compression socks.  :)

People weren't kidding when they said the second half was the tougher half of the course. The hills were nonstop, and even the downhill and flat sections became tough to run because my legs and energy were so beat up. I was soaked, worked, and tiring, but I kept moving forward. As tough as the run was, I never stopped taking in all that I saw. The locals were enthusiastically supporting us the whole day -- offering sprays from their water sprinklers and hoses, and drinks of water from their kitchen cups. Runners all around me shared the cups with each other and handed them back to the owners to refill for the next group. The support was incredible.

One of my favorite parts of the day were the constant cheers by the volunteers and spectators. The cheers were always the same, and done in such a positive, cheerful voice: 
     "Well Done!"
     "Brilliant!"
     "Keep Going!"
Everyone was truly fantastic.

Throughout the day we ran along huge fields of sheep and horses and cows. The sky was a clear blue and the views were amazing. Rolling hills, pastures of flowers, lots of wide open land, and cute little villages.

Right around mile 19 or so we ran along the top of a cliff overlooking the water and, as I was warned, "It'll take your breath away -- whatever breath you have left."  It sure did. The sandy beach and sparkling blue water set against green pastured cliffsides was like nothing I'd ever seen, and something I felt certain I'd never see during a marathon again. I stopped for a moment and soaked it all in.  This view, this whole day's experience, was what I'd looked forward to. It didn't matter about losing minutes at the water stop before the half or here at this cliff, or stopping to walk up a hill when I was chatting with a fellow runner. This was proving to be an incredible (although super tough) experience.

                                           

Just past the cliff overlooking the beach, we headed up the huge climbs of Manorbier.  I was told this would be the steepest climb, and it was. And it lasted probably a mile and a half.  This section was mainly wooded -- like we were climbing through a forest path -- so it was shaded quite a bit, which helped. Not a single person around me was running, though, and it's this part of the course that slowed my overall time quite a bit.

Soon enough, we were through the climb and running through a town and the ridgeway again, and just like that I only had 3 miles to go. There had been only one moment earlier on the day, despite drinking and fueling a lot, that I felt woozy, and I'd stopped for a moment at the top of a climb to get my wits about me under the shade of a tree. By mile 23, however, the only problem I had -- besides my legs being toast and my energy lacking -- was that my left ear was clogged again. Couldn't hear out of it, which has happened before. My back also started hurting late in these miles. BUT, as we made our way down off the ridgeway and to the final climb into town, none of that mattered. I was almost at the finish.

That final climb up into town was our last super steep incline and as soon as we made it to the top we were passing the B&B where I was staying. As I started running again for my final push to the finish line, I dropped my handheld onto the patio of the B&B and rounded the corner.  One more turn to go, and the last of the run would be downhill and through the finish chute.

Just around that last corner, I saw my dad. He high-fived me as I said, "That was really hard. That was REALLY hard."  He smiled, said he'd see me at the finish, and I pushed on.

Entering the chute, all I kept thinking was, "I did it!"  I made it to the red-carpet finish. It was incredible to run through the crowds, on the bright red carpet, and feel the energy of the day. I saw my mom on my right, soaked up the unbelievable atmosphere of the finish chute, and crossed the line.
                                                                
5:08. My slowest marathon by far.
I didn't care.

They put the medal around my neck, I heard more "Well Done's," and got my picture snapped. I was spent. I anticipated this race taking me about 5 hours, and that's what it did. And it was interesting to learn that even the winners had a tough day. The winning time was 3:09.

But it was amazing.

I made my way all the way down the hill to the beach, stripped off my shoes, and walked right into the icy water of this bay off the Atlantic Ocean. Instant ice bath. My mom handed me a slushie and I sat there.

 

It took several achingly cold minutes of dunking my head under and splashing my face to cool my body temperature down, and I soaked it all in...  The incredibly tough course, the hot hot heat, the full sun. The cheery volunteers and spectators. The views, the scenery.

And despite the impossible climb back up the hill from the beach to our B&B, I loved it.  All of it. 

 It was the toughest, most beautiful marathon ever.

Thanks, Wales.

 

Did you miss me?

My nephew is awesome. He gave me this yesterday and hugged me forever. 
He doesn't even know how much I needed that!

It's been a while.

Personal life stuff got complicated and all the ups and downs were too much to put into words. Still are a bit, but at some point you just have to say I'm tired of thinking about my own stuff, ya know!?

SO here's a winter/spring catch up --

I was running great.

Had a relaxing week in the Keys -- where, since I could run, I did NOT get on my mom's bike and break an elbow again. Whew.

Went to some Flyers games and Phillies games.

This school year has been the toughest yet. Coworker and administration frustrations, and nothing being done about it. Grr.

Got into Wales Marathon training, and BUGGER! My right calf got all pissy. I've had to take some time off, get work done, and do some medicinal return to running. SO far so good, but I'm not sure I'll get enough of a return to run the full in Wales. We'll see how things go as I get some mileage back. On a related note, I think I deal with "calf heart attacks"... google it. One chiro didn't really give any credibility to that possibility, but he also doesn't spend a ton of time with his patients. A new guy I went to thinks these chronic calf issues seems to stem from a weak butt. Or something like that. So now I'm strengthening my butt and hips.

I've got another house project started. Two actually. Cleaning out my massive closets, and redoing my dining room. Every time I try to load pics here something gets wonky, so I'm not promising you'll see before and afters...

Warmer weather is here, the sun is shining longer, and I was down at the beach and took my first outside shower of the year.

SO even when some things are still a difficult struggle in my life, there's a little bit of good there, too.

Healing

I need some.  My heart's hurting a little right now, I haven't been treating my body well and that needs some healing, and I need some for some hurting friends, too. 

Also, my foot, where I got the small chunk taken out and biopsied, is still healing...  it's been about two months, and the (sorry -- gross word ahead) scab just fell off today.  It still has a bit to go, but at least it's healing. 

A little healing done.  A bit of healing needed. 

Send some positive vibes my way if you've got any to spare ~ with today's rain washing away my sunshine, I feel like I need some extras right now.  Thanks :)

Spring is Coming!

Yesterday morning, I awoke to this: 

It proceeded to snow all day.  It was a wet, heavy snow that blew around like we were living in a snowglobe, but it never really settled onto the roads.  I actually looked forward to running in the snow after work -- but of course, by the time I got home the snow (and even the drizzly rain it became) ended.

And then, as if by magic, it seemed like spring arrived overnight.  I woke up in the early hours of the day, too warm, and opened my bedroom window.

When I got out of bed just a bit later, the sun was shining and the crisp air was refreshing.  I did an easy run around town and then headed to my nephew's basketball game.  And while dropping my other nephew off back at home, we marveled at the spring flowers that popped out overnight.

I stretched out on my deck chair all afternoon -- face in the sun, napping.  Exactly what I needed today.  I'm so ready for days like today to be the norm, not a pleasant diversion from the cold and grey.   Come on, SPRING!

Thursday Randoms

Randoms -- simply because I feel like my life has been busy and scattered lately... 

*I've been helping two friends through some serious relationship troubles, and although it's been a while since I went through the most serious breakup of my adult life, I can so easily recall how broken and awful I felt -- and I think that's making me want to help these friends even when it compromises my well-being at times. 

*I went shopping yesterday and got a new pair of jeans and a couple tops.  Nothing exciting, but I didn't pass out from the anxiety of clothes shopping, so it was a successful trip.

*I got my hair done last weekend and I'm HATING the color job she did.  She used a different color/method to keep my baby greys hidden longer, but it looks to light and red to me.  Yuck. 

*I stil have a pointsettia from Christmastime in my house.  Time to toss it?

*My running, though somewhat uninspired these days, has been solid recently.  That's a good thing. 

*I'm super excited that I took a personal day for this coming Monday.  It's going to be 60*!

Windy? Shocking. Except today!

20mph winds for my afternoon run?  A bitter wind ruining a perfectly clear, sunny day?  But of course.  Look at that flag.  It's standing straight out and whipping.  My whole winter of running has been like this.  It's annoying, monotonous, and killing my enjoyment of my daily run.  I'm over it.  Yesterday I had had it, and cut my afternoon run to a shorter 5.5 miles. 

And then, as if by magic, or maybe to keep us sane before another snow(maybe?)/heavy rain event rolls through, today was gorgeous.  A taste of spring.  It was almost 50*, sunny, with little wind.  I hit the hills and stretched my run an extra mile to make up for the shorter one yesterday, and I just cruised.  Didn't pay attention to pace, just ran and soaked up the sunshine. It was a great reminder that most of the time, even when I'm beat from work, my afternoon runs can be enjoyable!

The week got by me...

I ended up fighting some sort of head cold that mainly just settled into my throat.  It wasn't really sore, but I had no voice all week.  Ever try to talk when you have no voice?  It's exhausting.  Teaching 7th graders made this even tougher, but I never felt down for the count, so I didn't miss a day the rest of the week.  I took Wednesday off from running and went to a hot yoga class instead -- which felt great.  I got some solid running done the rest of the week, though it was a bit slower pace just because of feeling worn out. 

By Friday night I was itching to hang with my Philly peeps, so I met them at a great place in the city for a couple glasses of wine, then headed home early.  But not before trying this:

It was an accidental pour for the bartender, so we got to taste it for free.  It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't something I'd drink for real.  The name alone was scary!

After a longer run Saturday morning and some errands, I met some of the running store peeps for bowling and beers.  Except we never got lanes and just drank beers instead.  Another late night of playing = Sunday wasn't so great -- but I made it through a morning run and then an insane day at the store (we were slammed!). 

And now it's time to get ready for another week of teaching!  I hope I see a bright, bold sunrise like this one on my way to work tomorrow morning:

Sore throat and a run with a friend...

Figures, after taking the day off yesterday I now have a sore throat brewing.  It's been bugging me all day. 

I probably should've headed to the pool today, but a friend asked me last night to hang out with him today after we were both done work, so we decided to run around town.  He's much faster than me, so I told him he'd have to slow way down and I wanted to keep it short.   After my long run yesterday and a stacked couple days of miles, I wanted to run easy today. 

I met him at the store directly after work.  The run started with a race to see who could get changed out of work clothes and into running clothes faster.  He declared I'd take forever.  *rolleyes*   While he did win that race, I wasn't far behind.  So far, so good. 

We decided on hitting the hills -- ok, that was his idea -- and it was actually a really good run.  He ran my pace, we talked the whole way, and soon enough we were back at the store after covering 5 miles. 

I don't really run with other people very often.  My sister on the weekends at times, and some randoms here and there, but mainly I'm a solo runner.  I generally prefer that.  But today was good.  I know I was helping a friend, and I got a run in on a day I hadn't planned to, and it went just fine.  It even made me forget about my sore throat for a bit! 

Mental Health Days, and I'm becoming a napper...

I took a "sick" day today.  Really, it was a mental health day.  This has been a super frustrating year for me, and my weekends sometimes do not provide enough of a walk-away-from-it respite.  I was feeling burnt last week, but because of the lessons I was doing with my kids, I couldn't really take a day -- my kids needed me to be there and I didn't want to mess up the plans. 

I decided yesterday evening that I needed that day.  I needed to step away for a day, I needed to take a break.  I always feel guilty taking a day off from work, and I don't do it often.  But when I woke up this morning and had the day to take care of me, I was glad I made it happen.

I got a 10 mile run done -- it was only supposed to be 8, then it turned into 9, and by the time I was back at my house it was close to 9.5 so I looped my development a little to make it an even 10.  Really, I toyed with the idea of going for 15 or more, just because -- but I didn't. 

I graded some papers (I know -- not the point of a day off!), I had some lunch, and then I napped.  I never used to nap, but in the past 2 years I've become somewhat of a napper.  I'm not a great night sleeper, so a 20 minute (or 90 minute on a day like today) nap has become a popular thing for me.  It works -- after my nap, I can get out for a run or get some errands done or do whatever I still have to do in my day and not feel exhausted. 

So that was my mental health day.  Physical good stuff, and a break from the daily frustrations.  Tomorrow is a new day. 

Solar Power

Sunrise Friday morning.

As I walked out of my house on my way to work, I was greeted by an explosion of color.  The sky, with the dawn breaking, was amazing.  I stood there, in awe, and soaked in the absolute beauty of this sunrise.  It was powerful.  I hope everyone, at some point in their life, gets to see something so naturally beautiful.  (I do know many people did see it yesterday, based on how many of my friends posted about it on facebook!)  Truly amazing.

Redefine Possible

Whee!  Got my Philadelphia Marathon shirt in the mail today.  For those of us who were NYC refugees at Philly, we had to wait for our shirts to arrive in the mail.  It took months, but I was excited (I know, you can't tell that by my face here, right? haha).  It fit great, and the slogan, "Redefine Possible" was exactly what I did this past November.  I PR'd at Philly, despite a leg issue that nearly had me walking off the course at mile 13.  I redefined my own possibilities that day, and this shirt was a great reminder of that today. 

Swimming, rain, sushi, and riesling.

Good combination, right? 

It was a rainy afternoon, and I had planned a legs-free day anyway -- so I did core work this morning and then hit the pool after work.  Did an easy 20 laps, then pushed 10 laps, then did another easy 10.  2000 yards.  Pretty solid swim for my once-a-week visit into the pool. 

But, as always, I was STARVING after swimming.  What's up with that?  I'm not even this hungry after running for twice as long! 

So I stopped at Wegmans on my way home and had them make me some yummy sushi (tip -- ask them to make what you want!  They will, and it's usually fresher than the stuff sitting in the cold case). 

And just because I felt like it, I opened up this, too.

It was a Christmas gift and it's been taking up space in the fridge.  It's actually quite tasty!  Add in some girl talk with my neighbor over the sushi and wine, and that's a pretty good end to the rainy day. 

Getting Sandy

I tried to do this post from my iphone yesterday, but the pictures weren't uploading.  SO, that means I missed a daily post for the first time since Jan. 1.  Oh well.  My self-imposed pressure to post every.single.day. now is off. 

Yesterday morning was the "Let's Get Sandy!  Run for a Cause" 5k race on LBI.  I was asked back in early November to help a couple young, local LBI girls who wanted to host a race to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Superstorm Sandy.  I became their mentor and guided them through the logistics and planning and execution of this inaugural race.  It was fun.

The day was cold and blustery, and I had to meet the girls at 7am before all the volunteers and runners showed up for the 9am start.  We got the packet pickup tables set up, the day-of registration ready, and soon enough the runners started arriving.  I was shivering well before the start of the race, despite being all layered up.  But as I watched the nearly 400 runners line up at the start and then run by, I was warmed by the thought of the good that this race day would bring to people just like my brother -- those who are still working to rebuild from the storm. 

The event raised over $20,000 and everyone involved commented that the race was fantastic (except for the wind -- which we had no control over!).  It was great to see all the runners so happy and appreciative and accomplished.  Although I was frozen to the core for much of the rest of the day, I was thrilled to be a part of this event.  It was a huge undertaking, and a huge success! 

I ran on my lunch hour

and it was awesome!

We had a teacher inservice day today -- no kids all day -- and we were allotted 12-1pm for lunch. Instead of eating then, I threw on my running gear and did a 5.5 mile run. It was close to 50*, bright sunshine, and not super windy.  It felt like Spring!  I ran around town and realized how fantastic a middle-of-the-day run can be.

When I got back to school, I did the baby wipes shower, redressed (it was a dress-down, jeans day anyway) and got back to work.

Perfect break in the middle of a work day!

A Valentine's Date

... with my running.  11 miles after work in cool temps but clear skies.  Nice way to spend the afternoon. 

Then beers with some of the running store crew, and a bite to eat with one of my friends in the city. 

And I got these in the mail today.  Love. 

I'm curious

I've been posting every day.  Mainly as a sort of record for me, of my year, but also as a way to connect to other people who may have the same solar addiction or running addiction or life ups and downs that I do. 

What I write is what I'd write in a private journal -- minus the intensely private or job related stuff that I wouldn't publicize to the world.  I write my thoughts, I write about my day, I write what's interesting or worrysome or exciting to me. 

And I wonder who's reading this.  Every once in a while someone comments.  Most of the time it's my sister.  Sometimes it's a friend or two that I know in real life or whose blogs I've read.  I've had people from all over this world stop by, and a couple have left a comment, but for the most part I don't know who's reading, and I don't know what you're thinking about what I'm writing. 

I'd like to know.  I'm curious.  Who are you?  Why do you read my blog?  Why don't you comment? 


******************************************************************************************

And because this is solarpoweredlife, let me tell you about the sunny, not-freezing-cold-but-not-really-warm run I had yesterday afternoon.  I took to the hills -- each week I do an out and back route that takes me thru the hilly part of town.  Doing this, I get the steep decline and incline of all the hills.  Yesterday it was in the mid-40's, but windy (shocker! this whole winter's been WINDY!), and I threw on my headphones and took an easy, sunshine-filled 8 mile run.  My calf's fine from the troubles a week and a half ago, and 'though I'm still heavy and feeling unfit, this was a good after-work run in the sun. 

Miles to go

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

                                                       ~Robert Frost

 

 

We all have miles left to go

Miles to go beyond the street

Miles to go on my own two feet

Miles to go despite my fears

Miles to go within my years

Amid the grey and gloomy skies

I find the thing that always drives

is that which everyone holds within

even in those moments thin.

The views are not all beauty-filled.

Some days the world tumbles until

a call for the darkness please to cease

is answered by our source of peace.

It's there, we all have it, that one thing

that allows our deepest soul to sing,

to breach our walls and guide us through,

to carry us and strengthen, too.

I have miles left to go

We all have miles left to go

Miles to go beyond our years
Miles to go despite our fears.
 

Music

I watched the Grammys last night.  Anyone else?  I love listening to powerful music, and while I think sometimes the over-the-top performances take away from the music itself, there were some good performances last night.  Ok, I did fall asleep before the show was over, but I can't help that when I have to be up so early for work!

I don't often run with my ipod, but there are some days when I just don't want to be alone with my own thoughts.  Enter, my musical distractions. 

If you were to look at my playlist for my runs, you'd probably laugh.  It's pretty lame.  My neighbor sent me some music files through dropbox, but I'm not technically savvy enough to figure how to get those songs onto my ipod yet. 

So I'm throwing it to you:
What songs do you listen to while running or working out?  What recommendations do you have?  List 'em in the comments -- maybe we'll all get some new ideas! 

I Love My Nephews

My sister lives about a mile from my house, so I get to see my super cool nephews almost every day.  They are 9 and 7.  They've both been asking a lot lately if they can come hang at my house, but our schedules have been so different lately that it hasn't really worked out. 

Until this morning!  I got a good 10 miler done (first 3 with my sister) in the cold temps but BRIGHT sunshine.  It was fantastic.  Then my sister dropped the boys off to hang at my house while I showered and made food.  They kicked off their shoes and made themselves comfortable.

J is generous and loving and totally into computers and technology and stuff.  Sometimes it gets a bit obsessive, but he's super smart (he'll be his generation's Steve Jobs, I'm sure) and has an awesome smile and the most beautiful blue eyes you'll ever see.  He also has an awesome dimple in his right cheek that I've been asking him for since he was a baby.  He won't let me steal it.  I don't blame him.

T is energetic and athletic and entertaining and lots of fun.  He is super loving and will often wrap himself totally all up in your space.  It's awesome.  He's an adventurous eater and likes to help out in the kitchen.  He'll hit the baseball across the field and light up the basketball court with his shots. He likes to go fishing and doesn't mind getting his hands dirty.  It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he ends up as a professional sports player one day. 

So I got to hang with these awesome boys for a while this morning.  Totally chilled out, watching tv, playing video games, soaking up the sunshine streaming in my windows, and eating some food.  All three of us spent much of that time sprawled out on the fuzzy, soft, white rug -- we love it there.  I'd show you that picture, but it shows the boys' faces, and I won't put that on the internet.  Take my word for it -- it's a perfect shot showing a relaxed trio enjoying a lazy Sunday morning.  Now, if my brother's son, K, lived closer, I'd have had all three of my super cool nephews hanging out with me this morning!

I hope they always want to come hang out at Aunt Lora's house! 

Saturday Randoms

I got a text at 8am asking me to switch work days at the store and work today instead of tomorrow.  It meant rearranging my game plan for the day, but after a 6 mile run around town in the snowy streets, I headed to work. 

I have a wedding to go to next month.  I hate shopping, and I'm about 8 pounds heavier than I'd like to be.  Those two things combined mean I'm having anxiety about what to wear to the wedding. 

I have too much paper in my life.  I just sorted through a ridiculous amount of bills/junk mail/solicitations that have piled up from the mail I got all week.  Most of it is a complete waste. 

The more often I ride my bike, the less it sucks.  I rode it (on the trainer) before heading out for the night yesterday, and it didn't suck as bad as a few days ago. 

Tomorrow's supposed to be sunny.  I'm in dire need of some solar recharging to my soul.  It may be cold, but I'm hoping to soak in some bright sunshine tomorrow. 

A Rainy Mess.

That's today.  While NYC and north is getting hammered with snow, we'll just see rain and some minor accumulations. 

I'm fine with that.  Snow's pretty coming down, and once in a while I like a good snow day, but I hate the snow that interferes with my running.  I'm not a treadmill runner.  I think it's been about two years since I've run on a treadmill.  I don't remember the last time, actually.  I love running in the snow.  I don't mind running when snow's on the grounds, as long as it isn't icy.  Ice is where I draw the line.

I do hope we get enough snow for my nephews to go sledding on a local hill. 

But then I hope it melts quickly.

But we'll just have to see how it all plays out today and tonight.  The way this winter's working, the predicted 4ish inches we're supposed to get will likely just be a dusting! 

Day 2 of No Chewing!

Ok - I did it.  Made it through the second day of my version of a juice cleanse.  (By the way, I'm going with the cleanse term -- a search of various resources suggest a variety of explanations for the different terms.) 

I woke up without the headache I had been struggling with, and feeling waaaaaay better than I had Day 1.  I can totally do this for one more day.  I made my hot water/lemon/agave to take to work, and when I got there, I had my first juice. 

I had 2 Nakeds and one Bolthouse Farms bottle for the day.  I decided to have the mighty mango for breakfast.

The juice definitely had more of a sweetness to it than the others that I had on Day 1.  I'm a sweets fan, but this one may actually have been a bit too much.  It was smooth, and it was tasty, but it wasn't a favorite of mine.  I will say, though, that it tasted lighter than some of the others.

I again drank lots of water with lemon through the day (let me just say that as a teacher, this is tough -- I can't run to the bathroom whenever I need to, so drinking lots of water comes with its challenges!), and I was hungry, but not uncomfortable, by the time my lunch period arrived.  I had the Bolthouse Green Goodness, and it was definitely not as good as the Naked green machine.  This one did not have the right balance of fruit and greens.  I looked around at what my coworkers were eating and I REALLY wanted food.  It wasn't that I was overly hungry -- by the time I was done the juice bottle I wasn't hungry anymore.  But I really wanted a turkey sandwich or my veggie wrap or a salad.  Hell, I really wanted the Sun Chips that were on the table next to mine!  I knew I was going to finish out the day with the juices, but it was tough getting through that lunch period.

By about 1:30 I was ready for the next juice, so the orange carrot was calling my name.  I was actually looking forward to this one, because I really like carrots.  It was smooth, like the rest, with a definite carrot taste.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as great as I'd hoped it would be.  Like the mango one, though, this one tasted light -- which I liked. 

I was able to get a good 5 mile run done when I got home, and that made me happy.  I didn't feel a lack of energy (I was nervous I would after 2 days of juice and reduced calorie intake), AND my calf was fine.  Yay!

I was going to the hot yoga class about an hour after my run, so I knew I needed some calories and hydration.  Up to this point, those three juices had only given me 800 calories, and my run probably killed about half of those.  I didn't have any more juices since I'd planned on doing one of my fruit+spinach smoothies for "dinner," so I heated up some vegetable broth and sipped on a mug of that.  Not many calories, but it hit the spot. 

Yoga class went ok, and I had my smoothie for dinner.  This wasn't a juice, but it was very healthy and still something I had to drink -- frozen strawberries, blueberries, spinach, a banana, small handful of walnuts, and almond milk all blended with some ice.  Delish! 

As I headed to bed, I realized that while I don't feel a major difference, I do feel better than I had.  I felt cleaner, if that makes sense -- and ultimately that's what I needed. What's also interesting is that my skin feels a little softer.  Or maybe I'm making that up -- but I don't think so.  I did lose a few pounds, but I'm sure that's just temporary. 

I do want to try real juicing one of these days, but for now I'm planning on some real food that I have to chew for my lunch today.  I had a smoothie for breakfast, and I'll have veggie broth with some peas/carrots/green beans/corn in it for lunch.  Start back nice and easy. 

 

Good experiment, but I'm ready for food I can chew! 

My version of a juice fast/cleanse.

Admittedly, this is a half-assed attempt at a juice fast.  Or cleanse.  I should look into when the different terms are used... 

I don't have a juicer (although I just got one on loaner today!) and I didn't do the whole cut out caffeine, go vegan for a few days, etc. prep work.  I just wrapped my head around the idea of just taking in fruit and vegetable juices for an entire day and hope I make it through.  If I do, maybe I'll try for a day 2.  Since I'm relying on pre-packaged juices from Naked and BoltHouse, and those are gently pasteurized and not juiced in my own kitchen, and since I don't really know how healthy they are, I'm not really planning on doing more than 2 days. 

My goal was to do a sort of detox -- I haven't been strict with my eating lately, and I've been, um, enjoying beer and wine a lot lately.  And, honestly, I need to drop more than a few pounds.  I've created other food challenges for myself in the past, so the challenge of something new was intriguing to me, too.  I know that a 1 to 2 day juice fast isn't going to drop any real weight off of me, but doing a jump-start thing like this will hopefully steer me back to healthier eating!

I woke up ready to go.  I was also curious about how I'd feel all day.  I started my morning with a coffee cup of hot water, lemon, and a couple drops of agave.  It was most definitely NOT coffee.  But it also wasn't too bad. 

I put my 3 juices that I'd take to work in my bag, and off I went.  I waited until I got to work to drink the first juice.

I decided to drink the strawberry/banana one for breakfast, since that's similar to the smoothie I make.  It was creamier than I anticipated it would be, and I'm assuming that's because the ingredients include "puree" with some of the fruits.  It was smooth and tasty, and I thought, ok -- I'm off to a good start!

I drank that juice around the 7am hour, which is my normal time for breakfast in the morning.  I take my breakfast with me to work and eat it there before the day starts.  By 4th period, I often start to feel a little hungry, and yesterday was no exception.  I wasn't starving, by any means, but I was ready for something. 

I planned to drink my "salad" for lunch, so at the start of 5th period, just before 11am, I popped open the Naked green machine.  Like it says right on the bottle, this one looks weird but after a sip you realize it's actually quite delicious!  It didn't taste overly like greens -- it was a balanced taste of greens and sweet.  It was refreshing and smooth, too, and after finishing the bottle I really wasn't hungry any more. 

And then, by the afternoon, I was starting to wonder about the calories and reality of this juice fast idea.

I drank my third juice at about 1:45pm -- this was the Naked blue machine.  It, also, was delicious.  Now I'm starting to not only wonder about the calories, but about just how they can make these juice combinations so yummy! 

When you look at the juice cleanses you can order online -- the ones that come cold-packed and you have to drink them in 3 days -- you don't always find the calorie count of the day's juices.  In fact, I don't remember seeing that information in any of the ones I looked at:  the Blueprint Cleanse, the Catalyst Cleanse, etc.  By the time I finished the 3rd juice, at 2pm, I'd taken in about 850 total calories.  I planned on drinking 2 more juices after my run -- one as a dinner juice and one as a snack.  I'd be up to about 1500 calories by the time the night was done.  And that seems counterproductive to dropping weight.  I'm not ever going to be someone who starves themself to lose weight.  That's not me.  But I am aware of calories in in relation to calories out.  And I think I could eat a diet of fruits and vegetables, and get to enjoy food, in the same amount of calories.  Or less. 

But I digress -- the rest of the juicing day played out like this:  I got home from work exhausted.  I don't think I can attribute that at all to the juicing (more like the lack of sleep and lots of stress lately) or the lack of coffee today (I usually drink half-caff anyway).  After running an easy 5 miles, I wanted FOOD but I didn't cave.   At about 5:30pm, I had about half of the Naked protein zone double berry.  This one was too thick.  This was the only juice today that was listed as less than 100% juice -- I think there was soy protein in there.  I drank half of it, then about 20 minutes later had the other half.  I think I would water this one down or put it in a glass with ice the next time I have it.

At 7pm, it felt weird to not be making dinner or packing a salad or something for lunch today.  I did laundry to pass the time.  I took a long shower. And I was hungry. 

And I started getting a bad headache.  I really didn't feel like having another juice.  I just couldn't justify the calories, and I thought I'd try to at least do most of the day with juice tomorrow (I had a few more in the fridge) so I'd pack those for work.  I'd been drinking LOTS of water with lemon all day, and I know I wasn't dehydrated, so I'm guessing the headache was an effect of what I wasn't putting into my system, or what I was.  Duh.  Instead of a 5th smoothie, I drank a little of the hot water/lemon/agave, though that didn't taste so good at that point, so I made a hot cup of Silk unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  Not a juice, but close enough.  I was in bed by 9, hoping the headache and exhaustion I was feeling would be gone by morning.  (The headache was, probably thanks to the migraine medicine I took.)

I have no idea if 4 juices was a smart thing yesterday or not.  Maybe I should've had that 5th.  Maybe this whole idea was dumb.  I may play around with the borrowed juicer I got, but I can't see this being something I adopt regularly.  I'll start today with the juices I have and see where the day goes.  It's not a 3 day cleanse, but I sort of already feel like I've turned the corner from the eating and drinking I HAD been doing! 

Running on Empty

I'll do a complete post tomorrow about today's all-day juice fast.  I'm three juices in, and I'm not sure what I think yet...

I'm so tired today that my eyes are super heavy.  I think that's the weekend, lack of sleep lately, STRESS at work, and the fact that I haven't been running all combined together.  I got into it first thing this morning with the coworker who has been the source of all my stress lately, and that zapped my spirit a bit, too.  (Note:  I'd explain more about this but I refuse to put work stuff on the internet.  Suffice it to say, this was a pow-wow that was a long time in the making.)    I power napped after school for about 20 minutes and then headed out for a run.

Really wasn't sure how the run would go based on how tired I was, and the fact that I'd only had juice today, and since I haven't run since before work Friday morning.  Planned on an easy 3, ended up doing an easy 5.  Calves were fine, and my energy wasn't bad. 

All combined, though, I feel like I'm running on empty today. 

I'm how old? Juice! and Back in the Saddle...

Seriously, I think I forgot how old I was this weekend.  I was on a bender.  I went out with friends and drank like I was in college.  What was I thinking?!?!?!  Really, it was all fun -- Thursday's Hash, Friday out with local friends, Saturday bowling in the city and then meeting up with local friends afterwards.  TOO much drinking for my own good, but what the hell. Life's short. I don't do this very often. 

So after my weekend of imbibing and no running to save my calves from serious damage, I revisited the idea of a juice cleanse.  I was in dire need of cleansing my body.  With recovery time in the morning a necessity (not from a hangover, really, but from going to bed at like 4am), and then work in the afternoon, I did not get to the store to start a juice fast today.  However, I did some thinking and planning, and this is what I've decided to do...

I don't have a juicer.  I fully understand that pre-packaged juices are not as healthy as doing it myself, but I want to do this while it's in my head and while my body really needs it.  I also don't want to buy a juicer until I borrow a friend's (which is in the works) and know that I'll actually use it.  

I've read about the pasteurization killing some of the nutrients, etc, and I know there's a lot of natural sugars (although you may be able to make out the "no sugar added" notation on the Naked juices.)  I completely get that a juice cleanse/fast using packaged juices won't give me the same wholesome effects that I could get from something like the Catalyst Cleanse that a friend did, or by juicing myself. 

But I don't care.  I'm going to do it.  Tomorrow.  I only bought enough juices for one+ day, and I know most cleanses are a minimum of 3, but I don't want to do 3 days of packaged juices.  I'll evaluate things tomorrow, and decide from there what I want to do. 

Honestly, I like food too much to see a complete juice fast through -- especially one that I know isn't the best I can do -- but I'm intrigued by the idea, and now's a good time to do it while I've decreased my running for this week. 

I'll report back about it tomorrow.

And now, I'm heading upstairs to the bike trainer.  Wish me luck -- I haven't been on the trainer since last winter, and I haven't been on my bike since sometime in the late fall...   

Stupid Calves

I have gotten many compliments on my calves over the years. They are pretty muscular and toned, even when the rest of me is not.  While I'm sure my running helps, I was pretty much born with these. 

They run in my family.  At times I love them, and often they frustrate me.  I've had lots of calf problems over the years... 

This is the bruising from the Graston work. 
Those of you who have read my blog for a while might remember that stuff.  Ugh. 

Yesterday morning I woke up, planning on running my LR for the week, but as I got out of bed and walked across my bedroom, I realized my left calf was really sore.  And tight.  WTH!

I'm not sure what this is all about.  I don't remember doing anything to cause a problem here.  I haven't even run a lot this week.  Whatever it is, the soreness and tightness was enough to panic me a little and so I skipped my long run.  I skipped running altogether.  I skipped running today, too.  Unheard of unless prescribed by a doctor!   I guess I really am becoming a responsible runner.

I've been saying to myself that I should scale back for the next month or so. Let my legs refresh before I start my Wales Marathon training, and then roll right into NYC training.  But I'm not good at scaling back, so I've just kept running.  Maybe this calf issue is my body's way of forcing a rest period.  Yesterday I swam, but today I had a lot of beer to sleep out of my system from a late night last night, so I actually took a complete rest day.  :)

My calves a definitely feeling much more normal today, so I'm hoping these few days off are just what was needed.  I'll likely take tomorrow off, too, and get some miles done on the bike instead.  I have lots of miles ahead to run, so now's the time to work to stay healthy! 

Hashing! On On!

With my running feeling stalled, and me feeling a serious lack of motivation, and the ridiculous 20+mph winds driving me crazy after work every day, I was in need of something different. 

Thursday night, the sister running store to the one where I work was hosting its first Hash Run.   Hash House Harriers can be found all over the world.  You can read about them here.  Hashers are often referred to as drinkers with a running problem. Basically, this is a run that caters to runners of any level -- a "hare" sets a course using flour that the "harriers" try to follow and figure out.  There are false trails and checkpoints and beer stops and silly songs, and after you've done it a while, you may be lucky enough to get your hashing name...  which is often as silly and vulgar as the songs that are sung.  There is beer at the end, and sometimes people cut the course just to get to the beer quicker. 

When I arrived at the store, we were given an intro to hashing by D.C.'s Grandmaster inside, and then we circled up outside to get started.  He demonstrated (in chalk) what the flour trail might look like and how to follow it:

It was super cold outside and the grandmaster realized we needed a warm-up before we started running, so we were introduced to our first song.  It was silly, with hand gestures and leg movements, and soon the nervous ice was broken, we were all laughing, and we were ready to start finding and following our trail.  Off we went!

It was dark, and we had to rely on our flashlights and each other to find the flour markings on the road, and it was a blast!   We yelled directions to our fellow harriers (that's the on on! above).  We slowed at times to let slower runners catch up.  The trail wound us through town, into a neighborhood, and eventually to a park where we came upon our mid-run beer stop.  One harrier was called into the circle (they'll do this for various reasons -- you're a newbie, you're from out of town, it's your birthday, etc.) and we sang a downdown song -- one that gets the harrier drinking down his or her beer as we chant downdowndowndown the whole time.  Hilarious! 

Soon we were heading through the park fields (mud!  puddles!  darkness!) and back into town.  When we found our way back to the store, we wrapped up the Hash with some more silly songs and lots of beer.  I don't think I'm violating any "rules" (there really aren't rules -- just traditions, they'll say) by showing you a list of some of the songs that were sung. 

BEWARE -- THESE SONGS ARE VULGAR AND POLITICALLY INCORRECT AND ALL IN GOOD FUN.  But skip ahead if you're offended by stuff easily and know that if that's the case, hashing may not be for you!  :)

(The Donnie one is the only one where I was a little uncomfortable because of the word choice, but we didn't sing that one anyway)



So as we ended the night and talked about plans for next month's Hash, I was giggly.  We had only run about 3 miles, with a stop in the middle, so it wasn't really a workout at all -- but it was different.  It was fun.  I met new people and had a new experience.  All great reasons to be a drinker! runner! 

A Day Off

from posting. 

Work has been crazy this week.  I haven't been motivated to run.  I'm exhausted. 

I want to do a January recap, but I have to update my log. 

When I got home from work yesterday, I napped on my couch, did some laundry, and then headed to my first ever Hash run.   Post to come about that! 

For today, though, I'm taking a day off from posting. 

Happy Friday! 

Fun race memories

Last night I was thinking about some of my favorite races...  in no particular order...

Broad Street Run.  May 2011. 



Awesome race.  Got locked in and just sailed down Broad Street in Philadelphia.  I felt good and ran well and was really happy with the day.  (I'm in the green top.)

Back on My Feet 20in24 relay.  July 2011. 

I ran two legs of 8.5 miles each.  I was on a team of 5 girls, and my times were amongst the strongest of our runners.  As the oldest on the team, I was happy about that! 

I had to run the first leg at about 8:15pm and the second leg at about 2am.  That second leg was SPOOKY.  And it really felt unsafe.  But the whole experience was super fun, and we WON our division! 

 

Great Urban Race.  NYC.  August 2009.

I hope Maria is ok with this pic -- I chose it because it shows just ONE of the super fun parts of this day, and it's tough to see our faces so we aren't identifiable.

This was like a one-day Amazing Race in NYC.  Follow clues, complete tasks, do some running, have a BLAST.  We were team SOLARPOWERED and it was one of the best days in my running experiences! 

LBI 18 Mile Run. October 2009.   

The link above the picture actually takes you to something that I wrote about my first 18 Mile Run.  The first time I ran it (2006), and this 2009 race, were my best ones.  I've written about the LBI 18 Miler a lot (you can search the posts) and I think this race, the 2009 one, was an important race for me because I trained well AND ran well -- an up to that point I wasn't good at that in distance races. 

(Note -- for those of you who have read my blog for a while, I did not link to the post about this particular race because there is a picture of G, the craigslist guy, included in that post.  Anyone can see it if you search for that post, but I didn't want it linked here.)

Outer Banks Half Marathon.  November 2009. 

What a FUN weekend.  A ton of friends, a huge, amazing house, and a

surprise PR. 

7 Mile Bridge Run.  Marathon, FL Keys.  April, 2011.

It was a HUGE production just to be one of the lucky few to get to run this race, but what a day!  Such a cool, unique race to have done.  And, after all the calf problems I'd been having, this was a great run to get back in the game! 



There are so many others I could add -- my first ever trail race in Colorado this past summer, my great races at the Philly Distance Run, the Urban Wildland Half Marathon that I did with my Minnesota friends when I skipped across the country, my first marathon (not a great day, but a great accomplishment), my first race EVER, my PR marathon in Philly this past November, and more. 

I think I need to do a whole post just on the different marathons I've run.  This is fun to think about and look back on these experiences!  You should try it, too!