And I'm logging food and exercise again...

Last year I ran the Sole of the City 10k with hubby. We had a fun time running through Baltimore and we had a fun post-race party time with friends. We even took a pic pre-race:

This year we did our self-portrait in the parking garage. Yea...yea...We were cold and tired.

You can't tell too much from this photo, but I am much bigger than I was last year. I noticed it in the race photos. Ugh. Awful. So awful that I have finally figured out what I need to get my ass in gear. Yes. I do not want photographs of me looking like that anymore. It's awful. Did I say that already?

Last August, while in Las Vegas I looked like this:

And now?

How about a closer comparison?

Shamrock 2013

 

Shamrock 2012

 

I want to get back to what I was in August of 2012. Then I want to lose 12 more pounds. Because yes, I was 12 pounds away from my goal before gaining about 20 pounds in 8 months. I'm annoyed with myself. It's frustrating and sad. But, today's Sole of the City 10k photos made me see myself for what I really look like right now. It's not pretty...

 

Follow @NeverTrade2013

Lessons Learned from Shamrock Weekend

Here I am. On the other side of the Shamrock Half Marathon. What did I learn from it?

1. Following a training plan is important. I wrote out a training plan. I decided how I wanted to eat. Sadly, I did neither very well. I followed here and there, but not consistently. I didn't go to the gym as often as I should have. I didn't get my weekday runs in as I should have. I didn't eat as healthy as I should have. The problem was I knew this as I was training. I could have turned things around. I didn't.

2. You won't make your goals if you don't follow the above. For a bit, I became cocky and thought this is my fifth half marathon. Even if I don't follow my training plan, I'm sure I can hit my goal. Yea. Cockiness is not good. I realized the week before the races that I wasn't going to hit my goals (8k sub-60 and 13.1 at 2:50:00) and I had time to let that seep in. I had a week to wrap my head around the disappointment of not meeting those goals. Which in the end was helpful when I didn't meet them and I was standing at the finish line.

3. Finishing can be just as rewarding. Honestly, it is. Even if you don't hit the goals you set for yourself, crossing the line, running 13.1 miles, knowing you can survive...yea...it's important. I say this for every race no matter the distance that I just want to finish. I just want to cross the line. I may be almost 6 years into my running "career," but I am still amazed that I can finish any race. I'm not putting myself down. I am just in awe that the person who couldn't run a mile in high school, who weight 200+ pounds at one point can run...any distance.

4. Running music can help. This is the first race of any distance that I actually put a playlist together for. Normally, I just hit albums, shuffle, and go. This time I downloaded a bunch of stuff with a good beat, put it together, and played it. There were so many times on the course where the music made me smile, laugh, dig deep. Around mile 6 "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" came on. I laughed out loud. I needed that. Between mile 8 and 9 Tim McGraw's "It's Your Love" came on. That's my wedding song and it went on there because of the beautiful memories it has. I almost cried when it came on, but it gave me a bit of peacefulness as I went along. Between miles 10 and 11, Eminem's "Lose Yourself" came on. Yea, I sang out loud. I picked up my pace. It made me realize I needed to move my butt. And finally, I'm running along the boardwalk with the Atlantic Ocean on my left when Gary Allen's "Every Storm" comes on. I love this song, especially because it's tied to raising money for Superstorm Sandy victims in NJ/NY. I'm a Jersey Girl and I crossed the finish line to it. I may have missed my goals, but the music helped get me through those 3:02:09.

Those are just some of the lessons I learned this past weekend. I am working on encorporating them into my Zooma Annapolis training plan so I can finish strong. I want to PR at Zooma. This is a tall order for me as the temperatures at the race will be WAY out of my comfort zone and there are a couple hills. I'm addressing them in my training. I don't want to see my next finishing photos look like this

Follow @NeverTrade2013

Shamrock Half Marathon Race Recap

Alrighty, time for the main event! The Shamrock Half Marathon! I ran this race for the first time in 2011 and PRed by 25 minutes. Insane, I know! Who does that??? I was really looking forward to running it again and had a goal of running it in 2:50:00. Sadly, my training was not what it should be and my goal was to be sub-3:00:00.

Sunday morning I got up and immediately went to the window of our hotel room to see if it was raining. The forecast said it might and I was not prepared for a race that was cold and wet! Hubby said the race organizers posted the rain had stopped, so I relaxed a little. I knew I wasn't as prepared for a cold race as I would have liked to be, but no rain did make it less stressful!

I got ready and we were out the door by 6:30 a.m. to head to the start. There were 10 corrals this year! 10! That's a lot of people! And it was neat walking out of our room and seeing all the people walking to the start. We arrived near the start line and decided to walk a bit further up as last year I had to fight my way from the back to my corral. Well, this year when we walked down the side street to where I thought I should line up, I had to walk backwards...several blocks! Ugh. So many people...

I got in my corral and hubby headed to the start to cheer me on as I passed. I put myself right up front. I didn't want to be any further back than I had to be. And I waited. I didn't have a watch on, so I didn't know what time it was, but people around me started getting antsy. Apparently, it was past 7:00 a.m. and there had been no starter gun. Being so far back we really couldn't hear any of the announcements. We did her the National Anthem signer, but that was all. So, we waited. Freezing. The temperatures were in the low 40s, but the wind chill was insane! So cold!

We finally get started about 10 minutes later than we should have, which means our corral went off about 7:20 a.m. We hit the road, I saw hubby on my right, waved, and got going. The course I knew. Which turned out to be a good thing. I liked the familiarity of the course, knowing what to expect. I had my music and there were lots of people around. I found a rhythm and I went with it.

I have no photos from the race. I had actually meant to take my camera with me, but the memory card filled up on Saturday afternoon at the aquarium. Sorry!

The race went along fine. I knew I wasn't running as fast as last year, which is ok. The road out to the military base was fine. Fun little jokes on the side of the road, pretty scenery, and a nice, flat course. What I remember most about those miles is just being content running. Sounds odd, but those miles were good miles. I was somewhat warm and felt good.

I mention feeling warm because as we turned onto the base at about mile 6 that feeling of warmth went out the window. The trees on the road leading to the base blocked the wind. The base? No trees or blocking. We were just about a block from the ocean/beach and the wind was nasty! The entire time I was running on the base, my hands were so cold they hurt. That is the only thing I really regret not having with me on the run was a pair of gloves. I wore a long-sleeve pull-over that I packed last minute (thank heavens!), but gloves would have been a God send! These miles were miserable only in the sense that my hands hurt. I felt fine other than that. There were lots of people out cheering for us, which for some reason I think was more than last year. There were some lovely military personnel who came out to give high fives and I felt bad because I knew if I high fived, my hands would break. I waved and said thank you.

Once off the base, my hands started to feel a bit normal again. Not much, but they didn't hurt as badly. Just off the base my back started hurting. Ugh. That's the first time in three races that happened. I've managed to get myself in good enough condition since Philly that my back has held up fine. This race, nope. Soreness. From about mile8 on out, I had to stop several times to stretch out my back. Frustrating.

The rest of the miles were good. I knew I wasn't going to PR. I could tell from the times Garmin had that this race was going to be one of my better ones, but it wouldn't touch last year's Shamrock Half Marathon time. I turned onto the boardwalk and wow. The wind nailed me! I felt like I was pushing against a locked door. Two of the Livestrong volunteers ran along side me to the boardwalk. I'm sure in their minds that was helpful as they yelled encouraging things. To me, not so much. I run solo and to be singled out like that? Didn't like it. I'm a jerk, I know.

I hit the boardwalk and ran. I had hoped to pick up speed and nail the end, but nope. I didn't have it in me. That's ok. As I passed hubby just past Neptune, he said I looked good. I think he lied.

I felt like I just wanted the race to be over. LOL! And from this spot on the course to the finish line it wasn't far. I crossed the line at 3:01:09. 11 minutes slower than last year. Blargh. I came up to the medal volunteers and the lovely lady actually placed my medal around my neck. Thank you! I went through the corral picking up my water, Gatoraid, hat, pretzel, granola bar, banana, Shamrock cookie, FLEECE BLANKET, and finally a bag to put it all in! I stopped for the photo in front of the backdrop and the nice photographer helped me get all my stuff into the bag. I got my photo taken and it was off to find hubby to celebrate!

Here are some photos of us enjoying the after-party:

So, while I didn't get the PR I was hoping for, overall it went alright. A bit cold, but in the end I ran those 13.1 miles. I made it back to the beach. I had a good time with the hubby. I am a Dolphin Challenger again!

Did you race this weekend? How did it go?

Follow @NeverTrade2013

Shamrock Half Marathon

Finally! Today is the Shamrock Half Marathon (and officially St. Patrick's Day!)! It's been a long road traveled to get here, but I'm lacing up those sneakers to run 13.1 miles in hopefully under 3 hours. That's the goal. We shall see.

Hope you have a great day and run strong if you're running today too! I'll be back next week to tell you all about both races!
Follow @NeverTrade2013

Packing for a race

Alrighty, this coming weekend is Shamrock weekend! Did you know that? LOL! I've been working on packing over the last few nights. I don't want to be sitting here Friday morning running around the house making sure I have everything. I can't give one more mile of running away this weekend! I need all the energy I can get!

Tuesday night I stopped at Dick's Sporting Goods for a gym bag. I've been using bags I'd be given from races, but with two races, multiple shoes, and accessories I needed a better option. I picked this one up:

What I liked about it is the material and both ends had space for shoes without the shoes actually having to be in the bag. I'm excited to take it to Shamrock this weekend because I think it's going to hold everything I need really well.

So, what am I bringing? I have three lists: one for the 8k; one for the half; one for accessories. Here they are:

8k
* Capri pants
* Shamrock shirt (fun shirt from Wal-Mart)
* Black cami
* Shamrock socks
* Bra
* Panties
* Sneakers

The 8k I'm having fun with. I'm not wearing a tech shirt because it's only 5 miles (It still boggles my mind that I can say only 5 miles). And how can you race without fun theme socks????

Half
* Capri pants
* Balaga green socks
* Green shirt
* White cami
* Running bra
* Panties
* Sneakers

The half I'm not messing with. Wearing all the good stuff - tech shirt and Balaga socks. I won't be as fun with my outfit, but for me 13.1 miles isn't something to mess around with.

Accessories
* Road ID
* Garmin
* Nano
* Sparkle green headbands
* Shamrock ponytail holders
* Sunblock
* Watermelon sports beans
* Nathan blue waist belt
* Peanut Butter crackers
* Sunglasses
* Body glide

It seems like a lot of "extras," but I these are my basics. Sunblock is a must. An eye doctor once thought I was an albino. Yea...I'm that white. Road ID because I want them to know who I am when I fall over. I know many people can run a race without their Garmin or Nano (music), I'm not among them. Nope. I need to know how many miles I've gone and I need music. I don't always hear it, but there are times when I need the random song to come on and just make me laugh. The headband and ponytail holders are my little flair. I need my belt to put my sports beans in. They are what I train with and they are what I will eat on the course. And the ever important body glide. LOL! I have no desire to be chaffed after the race, I'm sure I'll have enough problems without adding that!

So there you have it. I'm almost completely packed. I need to top off the Garmin, download some tunes for the Nano and make sure it's charged. Once that's all done, then all I need to do is get the rest of my clothes for the weekend and tolietries done. I want all this packing done and ready Friday morning. Last year we left later than we planned and almost missed Friday night packet pick-up. I don't want to repeat that.

Do you list out everything you need for a race before hand? Does your list look like this? Am I missing something you feel is essential?

Follow @NeverTrade2013

The week of

This is Shamrock race week. This coming weekend I've got the Townebank 8k on Saturday and the Anthem Half Marathon on Sunday. This week I'm working on eating better than I have been lately. I really should have been eating like this all along, but...

I had a plan for Sunday and I was able to abide by it for most of the day. I planned out two pieces of toast with peanut butter and a cup of coffee. This was before the St. Pat's 5k in Baltimore. I was going to have dried cherries too, but I forgot to pack them. Afterwards, we headed to an Irish restaurant and already knew what I was ordering. But, when we got there they had a limited menu and my choice wasn't available. So, instead of the fish tacos (yes very Irish), I ordered the Blacked Tilapia Salad. Oh yum! It was my first choice and I'm so glad I went with it. Sadly, it wasn't very filling and by the evening I wanted food. And instead of making a quick sandwich or something, I ate crap.

Monday, I got up and focused on my food and water intake.

Breakfast
Granola bar
Banana
Coffee with soy milk

Lunch
Progresso Potato Soup with cheese and bacon
Nuts

Snack
Pretzles
Reeces Peanut Butter Eggs

Dinner
Meatloaf
Mashed Potaoes
Vegetables

Dessert
Banana granola

I feel pretty good about yesterday. I drank a good amount of water and ate healthy. Hit the grocery store last night and bought some yummy fruits and veggies for the week. I want to make sure I give my body the fuel it needs to run the best it can this weekend. I may not have trained as well as I could have, but I can do what I can this week to make me as strong as possible.

What do you do the week before a long race? Do you focus on food and water? Do you focus on workouts? Do you rest? 


Follow @NeverTrade2013

January Get Out & Run 9 miles

I was supposed to get up yesterday morning and run 9 miles. I woke up at 10:45 a.m. Yea....

So, I got up this morning to run 9 miles. I signed up for the January Get Up & Run program and designated today's 9 mile run as my "race." I wanted to hold myself accountable for it. And good thing I did!

This run was not easy. While on said run I realized I haven't run more than 5 miles since October (Atlantic City Half Marathon to be exact). Wow. What the heck was I thinking???

I look at long runs in terms of out x miles and back x miles and concentrate on the x miles rather than the total mileage. Runs over 6 miles kinda frighten me. I need this breaking up the run into smaller components to make it manageable mentally for me.

I had a goal for my Get Up & Run race of 9 miles in 2:00:00. Sadly, it did not happen. I did run 5 miles in less time than I did last week, a whole minute faster. That's something. When I realized I wasn't going to run 9 miles in 2:00:00, I decided I had to negative split the run. And with 15 seconds to spare, I did. Phew! Total run 2:09:45.

This run tells me several things.

1. I gotta run more during the week.
2. I gotta get stronger cardiovascularly.
3. I gotta strengthen my back.
4. I gotta find somewhere to run with less hills!


Follow @NeverTrade2013

5 Mile Run

Yesterday, I headed out to run 5 miles. I didn't know how it would go. I haven't run in several weeks and my knee is not 100% better. But, I knew I had to get out there and do something. Even a couple of miles would be better than nothing. I had to see where I stood.

So, off I went. No pain in the knee. I was slow, much slower than usual. I was ok with that. I decided before going out that I wasn't concerned with time. I didn't want to get caught up in that. I just needed to get the miles in.

I did ok. I ran through a cemetery for the first time. It was interesting. I had a hard time not stopping and looking at the tomb stones. I wanted to see the years to see how far they go back. I saw a birth date on one of the tomb stones that went back to 1813. Wow. A good number of the stones were made of limestone, which has started to deteriorate due to the weather. Those I would have had to stop to read.

I ran through the neighborhood I normally run through on this run. There is one house who has a die-hard Baltimore Ravens (NFL) fan. I've seen him putting out little yards signs on Sunday game day before, but wow. He went all out for the play-off game yesterday!

What you don't see in the picture is the banner hanging from the garage, the Ravens fans parking only sign, the mailbox cover with a Ravens theme. I was impressed. He really went all out to tell people he loves the Ravens. Guess his house was happy last night! LOL!

The only issue I had during my run was I had a bit of pain during mile four. I know it was from my scraped knee, but it wasn't enough to stop me from finishing my run. I will say the mental aspect of mile four was more of an issue than the pain of the knee. I wanted to stop at mile four. I wanted to say it was enough. I wanted to just head back to the car and say I'm good. Instead, I went for the last mile. I decided I wouldn't been happy with myself later if I didn't do the run I set out to run.

So, I got my five miles in at 1:12:41. Much slower than last time I ran five miles (like 7 minutes slower.). Ugh. But, time wasn't the focus, unlike last time when it was. I'll take it. My next long run is 9 miles. I had a goal of 2:00:00 for it, but I think I'll be happy with completing it. Sometimes you have to acknowledge you have more work to do and cut yourself some slack while you're getting there.