Good news!

I have good news! I went back to my chiro today, and he thinks my knee issue is just a mild case of infrapatellar bursitis. Well, he said it could be a meniscus tear (which clearly it is not I've decided... feels nothing like my other two menisci tears. That and I don't have time for another meniscus problem!) or an agitated bursa. Now, he didn't do any fancy tests or anything, so this is entirely his professional speculation.

But I'll take it! Treatment is RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate) plus ibuprofen and prognosis is good!

It is SUCH a RELIEF to know that there is (most likely) nothing majorly wrong with me!

I went out for another 6 miles of running and walking this morning, and while there was still a little discomfort, it wasn't as bad as a few days ago. I'm on the mend- and not a moment too soon as we're headed down to Florida for the 4th of July. Rumor has it my dad is going to take me out to the trails to run me around for 20 miles (OR however many miles my knee holds out for... I'm not going to push it).

And then.... the Fourth of July Midnight Run! I suckered talked David into doing the 10k with me, so it should be lots of fun. What's not to love about running in 110% humidity along the beach at midnight?


What are your 4th of July plans?

Dirty Words

What are the two most obscene words in a runner's vocabulary?

Knee pain.

Yep, that's right- I went there. I hate this topic with a passion. The thought of those two words makes me feel itchy and uncomfortable.

I was once told that you should never talk about your health unless A) it's to your doctor or B) it's good. Since this is a running blog and this is a running issue, I feel it's ok to share this with you. I just don't want to start whining about it. This is going to be a little hard for me, so I'm going to say what I have to say and say it fast:

The same knee that sent me to get professional help three months ago is back, except this time it's in a different place and is twice as painful (I didn't mention it, but it was really bothering me during my trail run last week too). I think it's from a combination of a few things: my NROLFW routine, wearing flip flops too often, and the combination of climbing and sitting for an entire week when I was in the mountains. I was adjusted (that's chiropractic speak for "fixed") on Saturday, took two days off, and then had one of the most painful runs of my life on Monday at the gym that ended abruptly and in tears of pain, frustration, fear, and failure.

You know the kind of tears I'm talking about.


But I cannot tell you something bad without having something good to counteract it. I nursed my stupid knee all day yesterday (ice, ibuprofen, stretching) and headed out again this morning, determined to conquer my own body. I can't be having knee problems right now. I have to be able to get through my marathon training to get to Savannah in 18 weeks. I simply will not accept any knee problems right now, sorry, come again later (or never again)!

I started out slow and took many, many walk breaks, but I was able to complete 6 miles this morning with relatively little pain (I feel like I've become a pretty good judge in determining what kind of pain I can run through and what means I should stop).


I'm thinking I might have to make a few adjustments in my routine now if I'm going to get to the start line in Savannah injury-free.

1) No more flip flops. Yes, it breaks my Floridian heart not to wear sandals, but I will be wearing tennis shoes from now on.
2) NROLFW will be put on hold. Only when my silly patella calms down will I open it back up again, and I will most likely drop from three days a week to two, and with significantly lighter weight.
3) Ibuprofen: I hate being dependent on medicine to feel good, but if this is what I need to do to keep inflammation down, so be it.
4) Ice like a fien.
5) Retire my oldest pair of (worn out) running shoes, even though they're my favorite color and still pretty.
6) Slow down. I will not be controlled by the Garmin!


Sorry to get depressing and whiny to you guys. While I know this wont be the last post about injury or pain, I'm confident that this particular pain will go away if I'm smart about it and take care of myself.


Since we're on the topic of injury (gag!), do you have any injury stories or prevention tips to share?

Jane of the Jungle

"Better run through the jungle, don't look back to see."

Along with my regular packing, I also brought two running outfits with me to my retreat in Little Switzerland. I knew it'd be a shame not to take advantage of my surroundings at least once for a run, but hoped for twice. If I had to wear dirty running clothes for a third run, I would have been ecstatic.

Alas, I was only able to enjoy one run. But I had an awesome time doing it! I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go out with me, so I ran this alone. Because of this, I decided not to wander too far out (especially with no phone signal). It ended up being 4 miles roundtrip, with a 500 foot elevation change.

The first half mile I felt great, like I was practically flying! It was also down hill, like way down hill. I started out on a half paved, half gravel road. The original plan was to run two miles down and come two miles back on this road.


But shortly after I got on the road, I saw a trail to the left. How could I resist an adventure?


Most of the trail was under a canopy of rhododendron- simply amazing!


I passed a few creeks and flew up and down a pit or two, before coming up on a sign directing me to a Blue Ridge Parkway overlook.


Sure enough, 5 minutes later I came leaping out from the woods to this view:


Two forest rangers were sitting down to lunch at a picnic table as I made my grand exit from the woods. I felt pretty hard core with having mud all over my legs from running there.


I wandered around for a few minutes to take in the view before retreating back into the woods for my return journey. As I was plodding through the trails on my way back, I couldn't stop thinking about how cool it was to be using my legs to take me somewhere new. Suddenly it wasn't about the run, it was about exploring new territory. It was about turning the corner and seeing a new part of nature. It was about getting lost from myself and enjoying God's creation!

Unfortunately, time didn't allow for much more exploring, so I kept heading back. I did run across (literally) a really cool bird feather though.


Anyone know what kind of bird this is from? One person said a turkey. It's pretty huge! I think I'll use it as a piccolo swab (perfect size and shape to be a spit catcher!) unless it turns out to be the feather from a really cool bird (turkeys don't count).

Before heading back to the house I was staying in, I took a short trail down to the pasture to say hi to the equestrian creatures I kept seeing from the living room window. To give you some perspective, here are two pictures: one is from the horse pasture looking up at the house, and one is from the house looking down to the horse pasture. Crazy!




Luckily, my boss owns the house I stayed in and she's extended an open invitation to visit whenever I want. I think there is a return trip in my near future!



I'm looking forward to getting back to my normal running and weight lifting routine tomorrow though. It was nice to have a week off (can you really count my 4 mile adventure as a training run?!) but I need to get back into shape- especially since Savannah will be here before I know it!



Do you enjoy the trails or do you prefer sticking to the pavement?

I'm Back!

Hi friends! I returned to Charlotte early this afternoon after my week long flute retreat. I'm thoroughly exhausted, but I had a great time! Each day kind of looked something like this:

7:30- Wake up
8:00- breakfast
8:30- sell music
9-12:30- masterclass (like a group lesson, the musical version of classroom learning)
12:30- lunch
1:00- sell more music
3:00- flute repair!!
5:00- recital
6:00- dinner
7-11- masterclass

Unfortunately, I only got one run in, but I had a BLAST doing it (more on this later)!

I'm playing a ridiculous amount of catch up on all your wonderful blogs, and I'm so tired I feel jet-lagged. But I just wanted to drop by, say hi, and leave you all with some pictures of the beautiful North Carolina mountains.

The view from the house I was staying at (it's a wonder I even made it to my classes with scenery like this!)


The steps I climbed 200000 times per day (classes were a little further up the mountain)


Seriously, why did I even come back to Charlotte?!


Mass flute choir rehearsal for the closing concert. Can you find me?


How about a little help? (I'm the one in the khaki pants... with horrible posture)

I hope you all enjoyed my mushy When I Became a Runner story, as well as all my crazy doggy pictures! Huge thanks to my hubby who guest posted yesterday as well!

Regular blogging to resume shortly =)

Guest Post: None other than my hubby!

David caved into my begging and pleading with him and wrote a post for you all!! Here, he talks about his journey of becoming a runner. I'm sure everyone can relate to this!! Enjoy =)

By most measures, I am not a runner.

I have never entered a race longer than a 5K. I have little discipline when it comes to running regularly. I am still convinced that the runner’s high is a myth to sucker people into running, because it’s something I’ve never felt.

I attribute most of that to my experience playing baseball as a young kid. When you run as a part of the game, well, it’s a part of the game and doesn’t really register as running. I wasn’t running, I was just playing baseball, you see. Any time I was just running, it was doing laps as a punishment for something I or someone else on the team did.

Regardless, running is now something I do a couple times a week. It’s mostly on a treadmill at the gym now that it’s warm outside, but I do outside stuff too. The longest I typically run in one session is about five miles, though that’s going to have to go up as I train for our Grand Canyon trip.

So how did I get from hating running to doing it consistently? That’s a good question.

To this day, I’m still not completely sure. At first what helped was doing intervals: doing a minute on and off was good when I was still way out of shape because it built in rest. Also, I did some cardio work at the gym to get in better shape before even getting as far as intervals. Trying to run when you’re entirely out of shape is nothing short of awful.

From there, it was basically a matter of forcing myself to get out and do it. What helped the most was the encouragement of Danielle, without which I doubt I’d still be doing it. I couldn’t (and still can’t) keep up with her on the long stuff, but she still would celebrate my running no matter how short the distance. That was good both from a standpoint of accountability and building confidence.

If you know someone who says they’ll never start running, I am proof that that person is not correct (unless there’s a medical condition involved, of course). I was there, and now I do run. The best way to help get them moving is a small amount of pushing combined with a lot of encouragement. It has been a winning combination for me.

Life Lessons from our canine friends

My family has always been big on dogs, usually having two at a time. Over the years, I've collected quite a bit of candid and posed pictures of my furry family. Hopefully, these pictures can bring a smile to your face! If you've got pictures of your pooch (or kitty), link 'em up in the comments section!!!


Lesson #1: In order to maximize cuteness, always tilt your head. Always.


Lesson #2: Sharing is the cool thing to do. I mean, every dog needs their fiber...


Lesson #3: Respect your elders, or at least those who are bigger than you.


Lesson #4: Run often and with buddies.


Lesson #5: Always know where the cat is.


Lesson #6: There is no stick that is too big.


Lesson #7: Drink cheap beer!


Lesson #8: Tug of war is better with multiple parties.


Lesson #9: Just because you take a breather, doesn't mean you give up.


Lesson #10: If you're brave enough, make friends with the cat. *note: this is optional.


Lesson #11: Balls.are.AWESOME!


Lesson #12: Go a little crazy.


Lesson #13: Enjoy life. If you can do this in dirt, all the better.

The Day Became a Runner....

A few months ago, I posed this question: What makes you a runner?

At the time, I was very conflicted. I had started running a half dozen of times in the past eight years, only to quit a month or two later. Was I going to quit this time too? I had knee problems in the past- could that disqualify me from being a runner? I've been running for less than a year (at least on a consistent basis)- does that make me a 'pre-runner?"

Hindsight is 20-20, and looking back on the past year (that's almost how long I've held a consistent baseline of 25-30 miles per week), I think I've now determined two things. 1) Yes, I am a runner. And 2) I know the day I became a runner.

I became a runner the day I registered for my first half marathon. That's when I made the financial commitment as well as the physical and psychological commitment to do something really, really scary. After I forked over the $$$ for the Thunder Road Half Marathon, my training truly became something special to me. I started believing in myself and I started pushing myself.

Six months and three half marathons later, running has become an almost daily activity for me. I don't think of it as a chore anymore, and I don't dread putting on my shoes and walking out the door. A run is something I want to do because I know how good it feels inside of me. I know that when I've run, I have really accomplished something.

For me, I became a runner when I made a commitment to 13.1 miles. Others become runners when they commit to 3.1 miles, and some become a runner when they commit to 1 mile a day. Everyone is different- there is NO distance and NO pace you have to be capable of to call yourself a runner.

I have never had so much fun running or been so proud of my accomplishment than when I ran Charlotte's Thunder Road. That race will always remind me that you can accomplish any goal you set your mind to with a little sweat and determination.



When did you become a runner?

Saturday Moment of Zen (and then back to hiatus!)

Off to learn how to play this:


So I don't sound like this:



(I apologize for hurting your ears with this video)

Temporary Hiatus

Hi friends! We made it to Friday!!!

I haven't mentioned this yet, but tomorrow I'm leaving for an 8 day long 'flute retreat' out in the mountains. Think recitals, masterclasses, and pedagogy seminars from 7:30AM to 10:00PM... (I might squeeze a run in or two)

I'm totally stoked to spend a week in the middle of nowhere (if you know Asheville, the retreat is near Mount Mitchell) to "further my education"! Unfortunately, the middle of nowhere offers very limited internet access (one lonely wireless router servicing 200+ people), which means I must temporarily leave the blogging world!!!

I will miss you all, so try not to let anything exciting happen in your lives until I get back in a week, ok?

Until then, I'm trying to line up some running/non-running posts, and maybe I can even convince David to do a guest post too?

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Runners: Yeah, We're Different

Before I get into this post, please read the following and at least let me THINK I'm super awesome, ok?? =)

15.6 miles in 2:46

I knew my run this morning was going to be rough when I woke up to stiff and sore hamstrings, glutes, and lower back muscles. Strange, considering I went really light yesterday at the gym for my NROLFW routine.

Anywho, I took it slow and enjoyed my audiobook- The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (it's a fun, no-brainer to listen to). Highlights for the first 10 miles include: passing one really tame deer, a mocha clif shot, and The Happy Runner.

At mile 10, I returned to my car to switch water bottles and almost immediately it felt like my muscles seized up. I walked and did a slow jog to try to loosen them back up again, but ended up having to stop and stretch. I'm not really sure what happened next, but it felt as though the muscles around and behind my knee started cramping and spazing out. I decided to walk the way back to my car and call it quits- I don't want to mess around with knee pain like that.

But after walking a few feet, I tried lightly running, and pretty soon things went back to normal. You can sure bet I let out a huge sigh of relief. I don't know what the deal was, but I think the extra tightness in my hamstrings and glutes were wreaking havoc on my knee.

The last few miles were up and down, emotionally. At one point I felt awesome and full of energy, only to later feel like a bus had run over me multiple times.

When I got back to my car for the final time, I grabbed some water and sat down on the sidewalk to do some stretching. Talk about pain that hurts so good!

When the vultures started circling around me (no joke- there were three and I'm pretty sure they thought I was dead or dying) I fought my way into the standing position (think granny-style) and made it into the car.

After some major stretching and foam rolling, I'm feeling a little better now. But I think I've earned a well deserved rest day tomorrow!

One funny, kind of scary thing that happened to me: as I was cooling down (walking the last tenth mile back to my car) I wondered, "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

I felt like death had claimed my lower body and I was walking with a strange, gimpy shuffle. But in my head I knew I had run fifteen miles, and I was proud of that. I know I have a lot more long, hard runs ahead of me, and I know the Savannah Marathon isn't going to be a walk in the park. If a marathon was easy, anyone could do it.

That's when I answered my question, "Because you like it!"

Runners... yeah, we're different.

Help with stretching

Maybe I jumped the gun a bit yesterday when I said I wasn't sore from my NROLFW workout (or... enrollffwaaa as I'm going to call it). 'Cause this morning I woke up to knots galore! Ever been so sore that you wake yourself up at night when you roll over? Yeah...

I think that means I chose the correct amount of weight yesterday! ;)

My run this morning was one big happy fail. The best way I can describe the way I felt is: lethargic. Yeah, the muscles were a little sore, but nothing I couldn't have worked through. The first mile or so felt ok, then it progressively got slower.

I think my deal was I didn't eat enough for breakfast. I don't know how people run or exercise on an empty or near empty stomach. I could just feel my energy draining out of me as my stomach growled louder and louder. Is that normal, or is it just in my head? I know sports nutritionists say you're suppose to go out on an emptier stomach so your body eats through your carbs and body fat, or something like that....

I finished my prescribed six miles, but I hesitate to call it a 'bad' run. Yes, it took me a little over 66 minutes, but that is how long it would have taken me eight months ago. It's a good reminder to me of how far I've come in my short running career, and for that I'm thankful.

Luckily, my new stretching book came in the mail today so I can assuage my sore muscles with some new moves. I highly recommend this book if you're in a stretching rut, or if you need a little extra help stretching those muscles. And plus, the drawings are just so awesome (tucked in shirt with a sweat band? doesn't get much better than that).


They even have a separate section with recommended stretches for each sport.


You know it's all inclusive when it's got rodeo-ing (complete with a wardrobe change!).


A peak at some of the other stretches...


Happy stretching!!

Adventures in man-land

This morning I headed to the gym for my first iron pumping session. I'm not gunna lie... I was a little nervous to enter man-land, where dumbbells and barbells run rampant.

Before I took the plunge, I calmed the nerves with a treadmill tempo session:

5 minutes at 5.5 mph
4 minutes at 6 mph
3 minutes at 6.5 mph
2 minutes at 7 mpg
1 minute at 7.5 mph
repeat
= 3.2 miles in 30 minutes

That got a good lather going under the arms, so I knew I'd fit in at the weight section with all the stinky, sweaty guys.

Except... it was just a few old guys with white hair and headbands and one guy working with a personal trainer. And I'm pretty sure I was dripping more sweat than all of them combined.

So I did my thing, aided by the flashcards I made last night and a few stick figure drawings, reminding me of what the prone jackknife looked like.

I learned two things during my session this morning:
1. That barbell thing is really stinking heavy!!!
2. I suck at push ups. Like, really, really suck at them. I couldn't even complete two sets of 15... and that's at a 45 degree cheater's angle.

I didn't go all out with the amount of weight I used. Instead, if it felt too light or easy for the first set, I upped it for the second (except for the push ups... those I chickened out on). I felt challenged and for a few hours after leaving the gym, my arms felt a little jelly-like. But by lunch time, things felt normal again.

I guess that means either I didn't lift heavy enough weights, or I just have awesome recovery capabilities?

Either way, I'll push it more on Wednesday, save for the legs. Thursday is when my long run is scheduled, and I need some freshness in those muscles. I think I'll go easy on the lower body until I see how my long runs are effected which I know is the exact opposite of what the author recommends. At least, that's the plan until I know how this book is going to fit in with marathon training.

Shhh, don't tell Lou!

New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women... -or- How to Get Real Big Guns

My “New Rules of Lifting for Women” came in the mail yesterday- woohoo!!

I opened the package and perused the pages before finally settling in on the couch with Little Paws. I began with the first three chapters, Why Should a Woman Lift Like a Man, The Truth About Your Muscles, and Step Away from the Treadmill. Oh, and The Man Show was the introduction (very entertaining!).

I really enjoy the way this author writes- very direct and to the point. His humor is very tongue in cheek and he certainly speaks his mind with absolute authority. He’s very passionate about his beliefs that women’s muscles are built almost entirely the same as men’s, and that we need to do the same lifting as men if we want to see results. On a side note, if you happen to be completely close-minded while at the same time disagreeing with Lou, you’ll probably hate this book. But if you have the capability of taking everything with a grain of salt, read on.

I especially appreciated the section that talked about the three dirty words: toning, shaping, and sculpting. Um, ever look at the women’s magazines rack standing in line at the grocery store? Those words are plastered all over the covers. And he pretty much calls out every single theory that weightlifting makes women ‘too bulky’ and turns them into She-man or the “Hulkess.”

So Mom, don’t worry: my uterus won’t fall out from lifting weights like a man! (that’s a running joke in our family).

I was a little afraid to read the chapter called Step Away from the Treadmill, for fear he was going to tell me my beloved running was bad for me. I mean, that’s like telling an alcoholic to put the bottle down.

But, be still my beating heart, he just said something like, “weight lifting burns as many calories as cardiovascular exercise so don't bother running.” At least, that’s the gist of what I got- I kind of just skimmed over this chapter because honestly, I’ll give up weight lifting before I give up running =)

The section You Aren't What You Don't Eat dealt primarily with dieting and nutritional information. I just skimmed this section as well- I feel pretty well balanced when it comes to my diet. I'll go back and read through it later- I wanted to get into the meaty stuff!

The next section, Resistance is Vital (whaddup Star Trek TNG!?) is where the training schedules are, and while it took me a second to situate myself, I think I understand the deal. There are seven stages. Stage one lasts for about six weeks before taking a one week rest. Stages two-five take three weeks, stage six is four weeks, and seven is four weeks. Whew! Hope I stick with it for that long!

The book recommends lifting three days per week, alternating between two sets of workouts for each phase. I'm a little nervous about how my legs are going to stand up to both weight lifting and training for a marathon, but I'm looking forward to some sore arms! Well, as long as someone else can hold my flute up for me.

I'm going to make a few notes for myself so I can start NROLFW Workout 1A tomorrow!!

(Oh yeah, and I ran 3 miles on the 'mill today, followed by some leg stability exercises.)

Has weight lifting every caused your uterus to fall out or shift locations?

If you're currently following the NROLFW routine, where are you at?

Food and running... but mostly food

Wow- this past week flew by! It's amazing how being out of town last weekend made catching up so difficult! So, blogger friends, I apologize for being so scant in my postings.

Yesterday morning, I did my best to get out the door at an early hour for my first long run of marathon training (woohoo!!). I covered 10 miles in 1:48 with an average of 10:49 per mile. It's certainly not one of my more impressive paces (not that I would consider any of my paces impressive!!) but I'm going to go with the "I was still recovering" excuse.

My goal really was to put the miles under my feet and not worry about pace. I think distance is going to be the priority now, not speed. As much of a relief that is to me, I foresee quickly becoming bored with my runs if I don't put some kind of speedwork in the schedule.

And plus, I've got to keep some speedwork under my belt so I can grab that sub 2 hour half after I finish Savannah! ;)

After David got off work, we headed into downtown Charlotte (referred to as "Uptown" actually) for the Queen City's annual Taste of Charlotte festival. The city closes the main street through downtown Uptown for the weekend so local restaurants can sell sample plates of their more popular dishes.

In order to purchase said plates, you pay in special coins. Groupon just happened to have a deal earlier in the week- 7 coins for $5! (as opposed to 7 for $10)


When we arrived, it was breezy and cool and smelled like rain. Sure enough, shortly after we arrived the heavens opened up and we got soaked. But still had fun!


In between the downpours, we hopped from tent to tent, trying lots of tastey food. David mostly hit up the barbeque stands, while I hit up the "ethnic" food tents.

First up was the Woodlands Indian Cuisine where I sampled Salmosa Chaat. It was like a cold, nacho-style dish with a spicy cilantro sauce. It was very flavorful, but a little spicy for my sensitive palate.


I then traveled to Mai Thai and tried some veggie pad thai and fried tofu. This dish didn't really cut it for me. I'm so picky, I know! I think the tofu, at some point in its life, might have tasted pretty good. But it was a little cold and chewy. The pad thai? Well, it doesn't hold a candle to our favorite sushi restaurant in Huntersville- Coral Sushi. Sorry, Mai Thai!


To wrap things up, I went to RiRa The Irish Pub where I sampled some fish and chips. It tasted pretty dang good as they were fresh from the cooker. Unfornately, the grease kind of upset my stomach since I don't eat too much fried food. Totally worth it though ;)


By the time we left, the sun had come back out again and things were drying up. Too bad we spent all our coins and couldn't try any of the local wine!

Having heard so much about the local art district, NoDa (short for North Davidson, the road that runs through it), we decided to finally go visit it. Two years in Charlotte and I had never been to NoDa!

My impression? Meh. Maybe we didn't see an accurate representation of the area, but it looked a little worn down and ... well, dumpy to me.

In order to continue the local food theme of the evening, we visited Tasty Yo, a locally owned froyo shop. Behold: blueberry acai froyo with coconut, granola, chocolate chips and yes... peanut butter syrup! Yuuuum!


My New Rules of Lifting for Women came in today, so I've got some reading to do tonight! And after yesterday's eating festival, I could use some good gym work ;)


What are you up to this weekend?

13point1 goes to 26point2!

Yep, you read that right: double the distance, double the fun! Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon here I come!

I suppose it's a natural progression. Set a goal to run a half marathon. Be legitimately freaked out about said goal. Run half and have a blast. Ask yourself, “Could I ever run a full marathon?” Register for full marathon. Become (even more) legitimately freaked out.

I actually registered for the Savannah Marathon back in April – on the 18th – to be exact. How appropriate to register for my first marathon on the day of the infamous Boston Marathon? I wanted to blog about my registration right then and there, but I knew I needed to stay focused on my half training. But with that behind me, it's full steam ahead with marathon training!!!

Why Savannah?

I love the idea of Rock n Roll race (a different band every mile? Sweet!), and I think it will be tons of fun to share my first marathon experience with the thousands of people doing this run. Savannah is FLAT and GORGEOUS and it won't be too cold or too hot (November 5th is the date). Plus, Savannah is half way between David and me in Charlotte and my parents in Tampa. That means my parents will be able to drive up and share the experience with me. And the most exciting part of this marathon is that I'll be able to run it with my dad, the guy who gave me my running genes!

Hopefully the craziness to run a 100 miler skips a generation though ;)

However thoroughly excited I am to run this marathon, I'm also equally terrified. But I think that is the reason why this is so exciting- I’m going to push myself to do something that I use to think was impossible.

Bring it on!



PS- I'm in the process of making a training schedule, so please please PLEASE give me your marathon training advice!! Anything!

More post-race thoughts

Are you getting tired of me talking about my recent half experience yet? ;)

I really was trying to smile, I swear!

Some race stats
Chip Time: 2:10:16
Overall Pace: 9:56
Overall Place: 266/471
Age Group (25-29):12/36

Some (more) race thoughts
I never race with music on. But for this one, I tried to and it really slowed me down dealing with my broken head phones (ok, it didn't really slow me down, but I could have come in at 2:09 something if I hadn't walked for so long trying to figure things out). Next time, I don't think I'll bother with tunes.

I got asked twice during this race (and once at the last half in Florida) if I needed a medic. People: my face gets so flushed because I'm so WHITE, not because I'm dying!

Even though there were hills, I felt like I conquered every single one of them. I guess that means my hill training paid off.

If I was able to PR on such a difficult course, it must mean that: A) I'll be able to get an even better time on a flatter course and B) I'm still so new to running that my pace is improving by leaps and bounds (not because I'm that good, but because I'm a beginner and haven't neared my 'plateau' yet).

The above makes me very motivated to train harder for another half to see how much more time I can shave off. Hmm... which race to pick?

The three 10 mile pace runs I did helped tremendously! They helped me to figure out how to pace myself so I could have enough gas in the tank to run the second five miles at a similar pace, and they helped me to push myself toward the end of a run when I felt like I had run out of energy.

If I could go back and change one thing about my training for this race, I would have done this: run a 10 mile pace in the morning, and then go out in the evening to run a 5k as hard as I could. I think this would have helped my body get use to the amount of effort it takes to finish the last 5k of a half marathon when your tank is already running on empty.

And yes, the above advice was given to me multiple times from my ultramarathon, ultracrazy running Dad. And no, I never took it. And yes Dad, you may say "I told you so." =)

Mountain Hiking

I grew up in the land of sunshine and tourists, about 15 minutes from the beach. I was cursed with incredibly pale skin and the inability to tan, had a freakishly high intolerance to salt and hated to get sand in between my toes. When I hear people talk about how wonderful the beaches are in Florida, I can't help but grimace and then go put sunscreen on. I'm so not a beach bum!

I'm a mountains girl! But the biggest "mountain" I ever experienced in Florida was the man-made hill at the local park. When I moved to Charlotte and David and I took our first trip west to the mountains- I fell in love.

So when I discovered this half marathon was a mere 60 minute drive from Asheville and the mountains, I could.not.resist! Luckily, David loves hiking through the mountains, Max is perfectly content to sniff any tree at any elevation, and my parents-in-law were game for a trip out west! Hot dog here we go!

The Blue Ridge Parkway is only the most gorgeous road in the entire world, and it runs through the Apps in Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia. All along the Parkway there are 'scenic overlooks' to pull over and drool over Nature's beauty. If you ever get a chance to visit the Blue Ridge Mountains (or the Appalachian or the Smokeys) do it! GO!

Our first stop was Mount Mitchell, which is quite possibly one of my most favorite places on Earth.



Our next stop was Crabtree Falls. We took a 2.5 mile looped trail to get to this baby. The descent isn't too bad, but what goes down must come up. The climb out of the ridge is a killer. Still- completely worth it - I mean, look at that view! (that's David's backside btw)

Mountain Laurel was out in full bloom! Gorgeous!

Hiking up and down those mountains was hard work, especially after that half marathon. Surprisingly, my quads were the most sore, followed by my hamstrings. Do they make compression sleeves for upper legs? ;) The more I got moving, the less I hurt. But sitting in the car driving or at lunch was killer. I foresee lots of foam rolling in the near future.

Maybe I'll give my running shoes a break for a few days too.