Confessions, Lessons, Blessings Race Report

Confessions:

• This was my first anti-social race. I chatted it up with some nice people waiting for the shuttle, in route, and before the gun, but once the race started, I was iPod-on, eyes-ahead. Part of me kind of felt like I missed a little of the race experience, but part of me didn't want to muster up the energy to make small talk while running. I did pop out one ear bud at mile 6 to ask this nice couple for the time (57 minutes in) and then when they passed me at mile 12, they offered the time again. They were so sweet.
• I didn't study the course map well enough and I couldn't remember where the water stations were. It screwed up my GU schedule and I skipped one water station that I really shouldn't have.
  

Lessons:

• Even though I've been taught this lesson before, I definitely learned it again today: I can finish a race without training properly, but I cannot enjoy the whole race without training properly. I was pretty miserable the last 3 miles or so.
• It's time to buy a fuel belt, for real. It's not cool to have my GUs stuffed in my waist band and I could have used water between some of the water stations.
• I think it might be time to go for the Garmin. Or at least a new sports watch, but even as I type that, a watch seems really lame and I think I need to bite the Garmin bullet.

Blessings:

• I don't know why I ever doubted that chocolate would be the choice for me in energy gels. It's my first choice in any other realm of life, why would running me different? I thoroughly enjoyed both my Chocolate Outrage GUs...it's kind of like dark chocolate syrup, right smack in the middle of a workout. How could that be wrong?
• Despite my right knee going berserk the last 2 miles, I was able to finish the race in 2:07:58, which is not fabulous, but I think is pretty decent for the amount of training I put in.

Overall, my experience with the Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon was good and I think I definitely earned my hardcore badge by getting up at 4:30, driving by myself to the beach, running 13.1 miles, and making it home, showered, and dressed in time to be in the church choir at 11:00. I iced my knee for a while and took a nap (which I hardly ever do) this afternoon and I don't think I'll be too sore. I do plan to take it easy on the knee the next few days to see what's up, but I think it's just an symptom of undertraining and not anything major.

Give me some tips on fuel belts and Garmins...I think my birthday list will be mostly running gear this year!

Here, There, and Everywhere

Even though it's the weekend and I should be relaxed, my mind is going in a million different directions this morning. I had to get out of bed earlier than I wanted because I was dreaming about my students and strategies to bring up their EOG scores. (Is that not the lamest, saddest thing you've ever heard?)

A few other things that are bouncing around my head this morning...

• My love for the google brand grows daily. I, like many people, suffer from forgot-to-attach-the-email-attachment-itis. Yesterday I typed up an email and when I hit "send," this message popped up:
  

Gmail's got my back. Isn't that a great feature?

• I'm running my fifth half marathon TOMORROW! (I had said earlier this would be my fourth, but after some phone conferencing and past race reflecting with my mom, we have determined it is indeed number five.) Y'all, I haven't trained right for this thing. Life's been crazy, but I'm really sick of using that as an excuse. I have run up to 10 miles though and still felt great, with no soreness, so hopefully I won't embarrass myself. It's definitely not going to be the PR I dreamed of when I signed up for this race though.
  

• I am very excited about earning the next feather in my runner's cap, though: going solo to a big race! My husband and I are driving out there today to get the race packet, but he wasn't that jazzed up and going back Sunday morning for 6:30 race start. So, I've decided to go solo! My inspiration: On her 50th birthday, my mom got up, drove an hour, ran her first 1/2 marathon, and drove back all my herself. Obviously, my mom is hardcore and obviously, I want to be in the club.
• Weight loss for this race= FAIL
  
• We're getting down to the short rows in school now....only 8 days with the kids until spring break and I'm desperate for some teacher workdays! I have a wonderful class this year; they are not perfect and they definitely have their quirks and challenges, but I just love this group of babies. It's not really the kids that I need a break from, I just need a chance to catch up.
• I think I fixed our dryer! It hasn't been drying all the way, so I unplugged it and removed the exhausted tube and vacuumed the tube and instead the lint trap. After removing copious amounts of lint, it seems to be working again!
  
• It's time to go round up more sponsors for my 5K that I'm planning and I hate asking people for money. This is something I really believe in though, so maybe it won't be so bad.

Okay, at y'all's expense, I feel a little bit better after dumping my brain on blogspot. I think I need to get out into this gorgeous weather now! Have a great weekend! I'll update you about my race tomorrow.

Convince me.

So, things have been a little hectic lately, in school, grad school, and outside of school. And until today, my workouts have been zero to nil. I went through periods like this during the marathon training, but I knew I had to get in those long runs.

Even the long runs have been falling by the wayside lately. I could blame it on many factors, but the reality is, I gotta get in these runs. I kinda skipped over the whole training process last February when I ran the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon and I was able to finish, but barely. I was practically limping by the end.

I want to actually finish the Wrightsville Half Marathon with a little pride in tact. And the very next step in that process is the 7 mile run that was supposed to happen Sunday. And didn't.

Even though after school on Wednesday is traditionally not a ideal time for a long run for me, it's gotta happen. Unless emergency or injury strikes, the iPod and I are hitting the road for approximately 70 minutes tomorrow.

Convince me I can do it.

Cheating through The Shred

So I had to take 2 days off of The Shred before my muscles felt recovered enough to run without giving out. I put off this week's "long run," which was only 4 miles until today after school.

(Please don't judge me for using a Beginner's Half Marathon Plan even though this is my fourth 13.1...and for choosing the minimum mileages on each day.)

I had a really good run though and (due to heading out too late and trying to get back before it was completely pitch dark) it felt pretty speedy for me. I even decided to go ahead and forge through with Day 4 of The Shred afterwards.

Confession: I completely cheated and fast-forwarded through the warm-up (I figured I was plenty warm already), cardio (since I just got in about 40 minutes of running, I didn't feel that guilty skipping those 6 minutes), and cool-down (I'm on the floor now in a v-sit stretching out my arms to reach my laptop).

I doubt Jillian would approve. : )