The BIG Day

We did it!

Well, I did it - I ran my first marathon! I can't believe it's already been 18 weeks since I started this journey... I'm not gonna lie, I was a little hesitant at first... I honestly didn't think I could run a full 26.2 miles. But, I DID! And another thing that came unexpected... I LOVED IT! Honestly, it was quite exhilarating. Well, here's how it went down...

Saturday afternoon Blake, Gary and I drove down to Columbus and went to our hotel. We went to the expo to pick up our shirts and bibs - boy was that an adventure! It was probably about a mile walk from our hotel to the convention center where the expo was held. Once we got there the people at the shirt distribution area told me they only had larges in the full marathon shirts... WTF? Dude, I signed up for this race and asked for a SMALL shirt five months ago! :-( So, instead of getting a shirt that's three times too big, I just took a small half marathon shirt - same design and color, just had 13.1 on it instead of 26.2. They also had a form to fill out if you wanted to exchange shirt sizes. So I did. No biggie.

I definitely earned that bumper sticker!

We walked around the expo and I bought my 26.2 bumper sticker! Eeeeeeeee!! =-D Then, after we walked all the way back to the hotel room and there was only 10 minutes until the expo closed, I came to realize that I no longer had my bib... I left it on the table when I was filling out the form to exchange my shirt! UGH! Of course I panicked, freaked out and we drove to the expo. It was no easy drive either... One way streets and traffic... Not a good combo. But, I made it in time and a lady in the back had my bib! Thank goddess! (and yes, I meant GODDESS - I heard one of the actors on True Blood say it and I liked it. :)...) Anyways... On our way out, I almost got clobbered by a giant sign that a worker was taking down. He didn't even apologize... And to top it off, guess what my bib number was? 3666! YIKES! lol I found it more humorous than anything though. :)

We went to dinner right after that fiasco with Christa from Grunt Girls and some other runners. What an energetic and pleasant bunch! It was a very entertaining dinner. :) The only downside was eating around 8:30 at night... My stomach didn't like that... I'm normally hungry in the morning, but not that morning and I couldn't get myself to eat my Powerbar. So, I had some Honey Stinger Energy chews - they're like little gummies and sooooooooo good!

Before the gun shot!

We walked to the start line, which was really close to the hotel. The race started at 7:30 AM. I was a little stiff in the beginning and nervous about the miles to come. The marathon was a record breaker in terms of numbers - 4,300 marathoners! That makes it the biggest marathon in Ohio! =-D So glad I was part of that.

Around mile six I felt a little tired and luckily Blake brought along some more of the energy chews, so we shared a pack, drank some Gatorade at the water stop and I was ready to go! I stopped at pretty much every water stop and had Gatorade, expect for maybe two stops in the beginning.

At around mile 15, Blake started to get a little slower, so I asked him if it would be alright if I went ahead and he said it was fine... Now, don't make fun of him, because he did not train nearly as much as I did. He only ran the long runs with me during the weekends. He never really ran during the weeks, which is crucial. If he would have trained more, he probably would have left me behind. So, don't go rubbing it in his face that he got beat by a girl, because that's just ignorant. Thanks. I actually felt bad and like a terrible girlfriend for leaving him... But, I trained hard for it and wanted to do my best.

Anyways... I felt GREAT, and got faster as the miles went on. I signed up for TweetMyTime through the Columbus Marathon website, so when I started, crossed the 10K mark, 15K mark, 20-mile mark and finished it posted my time on Facebook. It was pretty neat! It was great too, because then I could go back later and see my progress. People kept telling me that after mile 20 it all goes down hill, but I actually sped up after mile 20! Mainly because I had some GU around mile 17 or 18. It was the first time I ever had it, so I was kinda nervous because I heard it was nasty. But, they must of had the newer stuff because it was AMAZING! I grabbed a vanilla and it literally tasted like vanilla icing. NOM NOM NOM! After that, I was set! All the cheering spectators and 100's of bands also helped. My endorphins were definitely kickin'!

Although, around mile 18 my right hip-flexer and calve started cramping up - so I had to stop every mile or so to stretch them out and then was on my way.

Once I got to mile 25, I was in disbelief. Did I really just complete 25 miles? Do I really only have 1.2 miles to go? Then I saw the 1/2 mile sign up ahead and started striding it out. We have our names on our bibs so spectators were cheering us on by name and as I sped by one guy he was like, "Wow, there ya go Colleen, look at her speeding through!" :)

All smiles. :)

Then, down the hill of hundreds of spectators... The end was near! I could see the time clock and people crossing the finish line! I passed by so many people that 100-200 meters... According to my marathon results, I passed 347 runners between mile 20 to the finish and only got passed by 12. :)

I couldn't help but smile as I crossed the finish line. I took it all in as I crossed. I actually started tearing up, as lame as it sounds... But I was just so emotional by what I had just accomplished. I did was only 1% of the population has and ever will accomplish. I trained for and ran a FULL 26.2 miles! Now, I didn't break down crying like a baby, but there was definitely a tear. :)

I grabbed some water, waited for Blake to cross and we headed off to the food area! I treated myself to some chocolate milk. We headed back to the hotel - boy was that a painful walk/wobble! Blake and Gary had Chipotle while I got Panera! NOM! Then we headed home. And of course, I slept on the way home.

I was really happy with all the comments I received on Facebook. It really meant a lot to me that people cared. My hope is that people didn't take my blog or any of my posts about training for a marathon as narcissistic or  arrogant, because that was not my intention at all. It was to motivate myself and maybe even others to train for a marathon, half marathon, 5K or even just to get off the couch! It was to keep my friends who care up to date on my training and so I could look back and see what I did wrong and what I did right later.

On my "journey" I've learned A LOT. But the main thing I learned was that I can do ANYTHING if I just put my mind to it and commit. I know it's corny/cliche, but so true! Alright, I'm barely five-foot tall, weigh a little over 100 lbs, my body has been through hell with my eating disorder - yet my little body was able to run for four hours! Nothing but a little hard work and optimism, and I guess athleticism. :)

I'm actually hoping to run in the Toledo marathon in April or the Cleveland in May. It's just I really want to work more on speed for shorter distances, like 5K's. My goal is to finish a 5K in about 21 minutes. I really like the idea of blogging about my running progress - so I think I'll keep it up! Once I set my next running goal in the next couple weeks I'll start blogging again.

Until then, stay fit my friends! :)

First 20-Miler

So, I know it's a little late, but here's a post on last weekend's race! Blake, Gary and I ran in the Akron Marathon Relay last Saturday. We all did more than one leg of the race, even though you only need five people and we had five! :) Overachievers. Here is the outline of the relay legs:

Relay Point	Leg	Location	Miles
Point #1	First	0 mile/Start	3.5
Point #2	Second	3.5 mile/High St.	5.7
Point #3	Third	9.2 mile/Brown St.	6.3
Point #4	Fourth	15.5 mile/Sand Run Pkwy	2.8
Point #5	Fifth	18.3 mile/Sand Run Pkwy/Revere	7.9

 All three of us did the first two legs, but Blake and I ran all the way to point five! We handed off the snap bracelet to one of our team members and she handed it off to the last guy, but we just kept going since we were scheduled to run 20 miles that day.

Surprisingly, I REALLY enjoyed running 20 miles! Never thought I'd say that... I mean, don't get me wrong, it was pretty tough, especially after mile 10, but not as bad as I initially thought it would be. It was great to have so many spectators cheering on the thousands of runners and the pacers, they were AMAZING! Especially the one we ran with, which was the 9:55 min/mile pacer. He was so hilarious and motivational. I only hope he's at the Columbus Marathon in three weeks!

Guess who was at the Akron Marathon Expo the night before? HAL HIDGONS himself! I saw that he was going to be there that night and was so excited, but not excited enough to stay the whole time. We got to the expo, got our stuff  and left! It was just nice to be in the same building as the man who created the training plan that has worked so well for me so far. Also, not to mention how amazing and inspiring he was as a runner himself back in the day!

So, now an overview of the morning and after the race that day. I ate a PowerBar (Apple Cinnamon Crisp), some Gatorade, and made about six bathrooms stops before the gun shot off. Of course, I had the butterflies in my stomach, but that's just expected now. After the race I wasn't all that hungry, so I took a shower first and then had a PB&J, banana and yogurt for lunch. But, a few hours later I was STARVING. So, note to self - eat after finishing even if you're not hungry!! It'll catch up to ya later...

Well, tomorrow morning is my last double-digit run before the marathon! Twelve miles tomorrow, four miles Tuesday, three miles Wednesday and four miles Thursday... Not bad! Boy, is my body going to love these few weeks of tapering!

Well, that's all I can think of to write right now. My brain is throbbing from reading all evening for school... That's what I haven't really been posting as often, GRAD SCHOOL! I know one thing it won't stop me from ever doing though - RUNNING. :) I'll promise you that!

Stay fit, my friends! ;-)

Runners LOVE Vizslas

It's been way too long since I last posted! I've just been so super busy with grad school, work and my puppy. I figure now is better than never! It's about 9:30 PM and I have to wake up at 5:00 AM tomorrow morning, so I should probably be sleeping, but I'm not tired... Anyways, in this post I'll talk (write) about last weekend's Duathlon and then my preparation for 20 MILES tomorrow at the Road Runner Akron Marathon. 

Good thing Gary took pics, since this guy got in the way of my professional finish photo!

BLAKE! Needless to say, he beat me. :)

Last weekend was the Portage Lakes Triathlon and Duathlon. Blake and I competed in the Sprint Duathlon, which was a 5K run (3.1 miles), 12-mile bike, followed by another 5K run. It was not AS BAD as I thought it would be! It was pretty chilly in the morning, but I felt pretty good overall during the race. My overall time was 1:52:15. My first 5K was 26:56, 12-mile bike was 55:57 and my last 5K was 26:35... Not the best, but I didn't want to burn out, even though I felt like I could have pushed myself harder afterwards. I think I'm going to do more duathlons and actually train for them next year. They're a lot of fun!

On another note. We also met Miles' brother's owners at the Duathlon! One of them was competing in the triathlon. Runners LOVE vizslas! Here are some pictures of my little pup. Well, he's not so little anymore, about to be 14 weeks on Monday! Can't wait until he can start running with me. Dexter's (Miles' brother) owners said they've already starting running a couple miles with him. I tried running a little with Miles that same day, but he kept getting in front of me and whining. May take a few more tries. I'm also going to check with the vet on Monday first to see if it's alright if I start running him. Don't want my baby getting hurt, he's got a lot of training and races ahead of him!

Well, tomorrow is the Road Runner Akron Marathon! I'll be running in a relay with Blake, his dad Gary and two other people. Blake and I will be starting at the beginning and running to the last leg of the race to 19 miles, run an extra half mile and then run back and get on the bus to ride to the finish! I'm thinking (hoping) it'll be somewhat easier running with thousands of other people for 20 miles than just the two of us. It'll keep our minds of the pain! :)
Here is my preparation check list for a big race like this:
1. Dinner - Whole wheat pizza with broccoli and green pepper, with some almonds on the side.
2. Prepare breakfast - PowerBar and Gatorade!
3. Set out clothes and have bib by them
4. Put sensor on shoes.
5. Go to bed early (ehh, not happening!)
6. Set alarm for 5:00 AM (BLAH!)
7. Ice lower back for 20 minutes
8. Lay in bed and visualize how I want the race to go. Mentally go through the run and prepare myself for the ups and downs.
9. SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

About to go complete steps 7-9 now! I'll try to post again tomorrow on how the 20 miles went.

Stay fit my friends!:)

The Race Doesn't START Until Mile 20!

Blake and I ran 19 miles today! WOO HOO! A little bit of chaffing and sore legs later, I feel pretty good! I felt pretty good the whole time too - just had to slow down a bit the last few miles... Last night Blake and I made our whole wheat pizzas for dinner - it's our ritual dinner before a long run, and it works! Then about 45 minutes before the run I had a power bar and some Gatorade - which kept me pretty full and energized until the last three miles. After our run we had our favorite - PULP! I was pretty much hungry all day too... A couple hours later I had some Sun Chips and then three more hours I made lemon pepper chicken, whole wheat macaroni and cheese (I'm addicted to it no) and some peas and corn. Now it's almost 8:30 PM and I'm hungry AGAIN! :)

Blake made a good point during the run; it's true, the race doesn't start until mile 20... My legs were tired, sore and if I have to run seven more miles, I would have had a different mindset... It's hard to say how I'll be for that 6.2 race since I've never ran that far before. But, it'll definitely be interesting! Also, note to self, WEAR COMPRESSION SHORTS! The lining of the built-in underwear of my running shorts does some major damage to me inner thighs... I've been walking about like a baby with a diaper on all day! -lol-

Well, in two weeks I'll be running 20 miles at the Akron Marathon as part of the relay with Blake, his dad and some chick. Instead of just running one leg of the race, I'm going to start at the first leg of the race and keep running until I get to 20 miles (Blake is going to do that too). It should be interesting...

Also, next weekend is the Portage Lakes Duathlon in Akron, which is a 5K run, 12-mile bike and 5K run. I'm supposed to run 12 miles next weekend, so I'll just run six more miles on the Sunday after the race - if I can still move!

That's it for now. Getting ready to watch the season finale of True Blood! :)

Labor Day 5K: PRing and Missing the Power of Speed

1st Place Women 20-29!

Today was the Aurora Labor Day 5K at Sunny Lake Park. I not only finished first in the women's 20-29 age group, but also PRed! I ran about a 23:30 5K, a whole minute faster than my time last year at this race! Considering I haven't done ANY speed work at all, that's pretty damn good! My first mile was a 7:30 minute mile. I felt really good too, especially the first mile. The last mile though, I started to get a little tired and slowed down a bit.  But, I think taking a rest day yesterday was a good idea. My legs felt pretty fresh for the first couple miles. Blake was about two minutes ahead of me and his younger brother, Ian, was right behind me pretty much the whole time. I encouraged him the last half mile or so and then.... The last 200 meters the little booger sprinted past me towards the finish! -lol-

Adding on to my 10 + medals. :)

That's alright though, I'm just proud of myself for PRing! I've been running like 24-25 minute 5Ks lately because I don't train for shorter distances and I just run at a comfortable pace. But, after this marathon I'm training for SPEED! I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss speed work! I used to despise it, but it's so worth it! My goal is to place in the top three overall women - and I know I can do it too! The lady who placed third overall today ran a 22:49! I hope to finish in 21-something at my next 5K, which won't be for a long time since it's already September...

Today is also Miles' 10-week birthday!! YAY! In a little less than six months he'll be running with me. :) Can't wait!

Well, off to take a shower and relax. Have a Happy Labor Day, everyone! :)

My little trophy showcase. Everything from 5Ks to Duathlons. 

Happy 10-Week Birthday, Miles!! :)

Slightly Disappointed, But Even More Proud

I'm a little disappointed in myself, but at the same time, proud. This week was supposed to be a 31-mile week, but ended up being only 21 miles... Why a ten-mile difference? Well, Thursday I was supposed to run eight miles, but it turned into a seven-mile run due to a pop-up storm and the fact that my legs were just killing me. Then, yesterday I was supposed to run 13 miles, but since I didn't wake up until around 9:30 AM and by the time I got outside to run it was around 10-10:30 AM and the humidity was hard to bear, my 13-mile run turned into a painful five-mile run... I was ready to give up around mile two! It was so hot and humid, plus my legs were still pretty sore... But, I pushed myself to get to the five-mile mark... Afterwards I felt like I ran 13 miles! I was sweating profusely!

Well, anyways... Like I said, I am also sorta proud of myself this week. Normally, I would have been so disappointed I wouldn't be able to stand it and probably would have kept running and hurt myself. I tend to push myself too hard and in the past it's led to injuries or burning myself out. It's not like I skipped out on my 20-mile run! It was just a shorter, long run - no biggie. Not going to lie though... I even Googled, "Is it alright to skip a long run?" -lol- Someone actually skipped out on a 20-mile run! Now that, that would be bad, considering I only have one 20-mile run in my training. Missing out on a full 13 miles won't kill me. Heck, maybe it'll make me even stronger for having a shorter mileage week!

Friday after work I went to Kent State's Recreation Center for the FIRST time as a KSU student! I went on an Elliptical for about 20 minutes and then did upper body. KSU's rec is A-MAZ-ING! I'm so used to BGSU's tiny little, old rec center. KSU has multiple weight room and cardio areas that I couldn't decide which one to go workout in first! Check out the YouTube video to the right about Kent's Rec Center. Pretty sweet, huh? I'm going to try to go there more often after work on Mondays and Fridays since I don't have classes - maybe even on the weekends for my cross training!

Well, today (Sunday) is going to be a REST day. Tomorrow is Labor Day, so you know what that means? The Aurora Labor Day 5K! That's the main reason why I am taking a rest day today - so that I can run well tomorrow and MAYBE even PR... Maybe... It's supposed to be a five-mile run tomorrow, so I'll run two after I get done with the 5K as a cool down. I'll do another post tomorrow to let ya'll know how I did! :)

Have a great Labor Day weekend! :)

Running on a Team?

So, I'm thinking about joining Grunt Girls, which is Northeast Ohio's only all-women-multisport team. Grunt Girl Racing provides training and support for a whole bunch of different races from 5K's to trail running, marathons, duathlons, triathlons, etc. My neighbor down the street is in the group and loves it! I've been thinking about joining for a couple months now, just haven't got the guts to meet the girls and start running... I've e-mailed back and forth a couple of the members already. They were very encouraging and friendly. I think it would be awesome to be part of something so positive and to be around a bunch of like-minded girls. Plus, I'd like to better myself in racing and explore some of the other races I haven't done yet. Not that I'm getting bored with what I'm currently doing, but it'll be nice to change things up a bit and get a little more competitive. As I mentioned before, my next goal is to do a Half IronMan, but I think before that I'd like to PR in a 5K and hopefully place in the top three females OVERALL, not just in my age group. I've been doing so much long-distance training that I don't really focus on speed work. Especially in my marathon training, there's no speed work at all! Training with the Grunt Girls can help me with that. Plus a lot of these girls have more experience than me, so I can learn from them.

Courtesy of Grunt Girls Racing.

I know one thing for sure, I'll be running in the Grunt Girls' annual Shatter the Silence Trail Run on August 18! It is seven miles through the trails of the Peninsula. A few of the girls in GGR were sexually assaulted and organized this race. Survivors of sexual assault are asked to wear purple the day of the race. How empowering! That takes a lot of courage to do that and I respect each and every one of them for it. The next time they have a trail run I plan on meeting them and running. I'll let ya'll know how it goes of course! :)

Speaking of training, this morning was an easy three-miler and Wednesday was six miles. I ran up a lot of hills over the past two days, so I'm a little sore... Tomorrow is a rest day and I think I'll take advantage of it! I may do some arms and core work, but nothing too much. Saturday is a 12-mile run and it's supposed to be pretty toasty out, so it'll be another early morning Saturday!

Until then, stay fit my friends! :)

Talking to HS Girls About Running and My Own Regrets

So, today I spoke to the Streetsboro High School Cross Country Girls about running and nutrition. Man, was if weird going down the halls of my old high school... So many good and bad memories. I didn't recognize one face in that classroom I've sat in so many times, except one - my old high school teacher/coach, Mr. Kidd. Kidd is the track/cross country girls coach at SHS and he asked me last week to come speak to his girls. I felt so honored! He is the one that really got me into running. I only ran one year of track with Kidd my senior year, which I wish would have been four! But, I'll get into more of that later.

The girls were great! Some of them looked like they were nodding off or were giggling to their friends, but that's what I expected after they had a long day of running. I was pretty nervous going into it. I mainly talked about running and nutrition; what they should be eating, tips on how to pick out the right foods for their bodies, my experiences as a runner outside of high school and I ended with a talk about eating disorders. I brought up my story and how important it is to talk to their friends, parents, coaches, doctors and teachers if they ever develop/have or know someone with an eating disorder. I was kind of winging it, so I really didn't have a speech prepared or anything. So, afterwards I felt like there were a few things I should have mentioned - like signs of an eating disorder and the side effects. Luckily, Kidd said he'd like to have me come back to talk to the kids about nutrition. Of course I said YES! This is what I LOVE to do, educate and raise awareness to others on health and wellness. I'm just so passionate about all wellness topics that I get so excited! =-D

Another thing I brought up to the girls and even told Kidd on the side was that I really wish I would have ran cross country and track throughout my four years of high school... Soccer was fun and all, but let's face it, WE SUCKED! When I played, we only tied like TWO games... I met some awesome girls and was still running, but not to my potential. Softball on the other hand, I could have done without that! We really didn't do much running or physical conditioning at all, expect for the beginning of the season. Plus, I really wasn't the greatest at it - probably because it really didn't interest me all that much. I really only did it because it was something to do and my parents got me into it when I was younger so I felt as though I had to... Plus, I felt embarrassed to go out for the cross or track team when I was younger. I didn't want people watching me run! I didn't even like running all that much when I was younger and couldn't imagine running more than three miles! Oh, silly young Colleen... :)

Me running the 2-mile senior year. I'm the second one from the front.

Luckily, I decided my senior year of high school to say, "Screw softball! I'm running track!" And I did, and fell in love with it! I mean, don't get me wrong, it was TOUGH! But, I was in the best shape of my life and actually was a pretty good runner! Coach Kidd really got me into it! He'd asked me for a couple years to join cross, but I was too in love with soccer... I could have done both, but that would have been tough! I know everything happens for a reason, but I can only imagine all the opportunities and how much fitter I would have been then and now if I would have ran...

Me, Coach Kidd and my BFF Courtney track senior year.

If I could go back in time and change one thing, it would definitely be to have done cross and track in high school... That was one thing Kidd wanted me to touch on, my regrets for not running all four years. Not because he wanted the girls to stick with the sport for his own personal benefit, but for the girls' benefit. He wants to help them with their own fitness and set them up for a lifetime of fitness, not just in high school. And I think that's great! We need more teachers and coaches like Robb Kidd! More teachers and coaches who educate their students on nutrition and fitness, even if they are a history teacher. To want their players and students to benefit from the sport for themselves and incorporate what they learned through sports into their everyday lives as adults too. Too many coaches just want to WIN WIN WIN. That's not what you want to instill in our future, you want to instill confidence and educate them on what will be beneficial for them, not just the team.

So, even though I do indeed wish I would have ran in high school, I try to take an optimistic approach. Instead of "regretting" those three and a half years without running as a sport, I'm thankful for that season of track that changed my life and for the coach who changed my perspective on running and built my love for what I do or think of just about everyday. :)

All that matters is that I am running NOW. I know so many people who back in high school were great athletes and runners, yet they don't do much of anything now. That's what matters. To be an athlete for LIFE, not just high school... Of course, it's important for kids to be active, it helps aid them in their healthand future fitness. But, if you don't continue with that activity level throughout your 20's, 30's, 40's and beyond, you're really not doing anything for yourself. I don't see running as a chore. It's a sport, activity, competition for most - but to me, I see it as a lifestyle. I can't imagine my life without running in it. It's what I look forward to! The early morning runs, the races, the medals and trophies, the amazing sore feeling after a good workout and of course that runner's high. I love every minute of it, the pain to the victory. It's all the same to me - it's all part of my lifestyle.

Chicken tacos!!

Well, getting ready now to eat some chicken tacos I made! Nom nom!


Stay fit my friends! :)

Poop Talk for Runners

DISCLAIMER: This post may be a little inappropriate for some readers. If poop-talk makes you queasy, then you might want to stop after the first couple paragraphs. This shit is about to get real! :)

It's been a few days since I last posted! I've kinda had Blogger's Block. :(

This morning was a six-mile run. I saw lots of things this morning on my run around my neighborhood: a doe chilling in one of my neighbor's yards, a BLACK squirrel with a BROWN tail, and my chiropractor on his morning run (he actually lives right around the corner from me). Also, my Nike iPod tracks my progress as I run and I reached another 250 miles today! I'm at a total of 1,005.73 miles now. YAY! Unfortunately, Nike had Tiger Woods voice as the athlete who congratulated me on my milestone... (whomp, whomp...) =-/ 

I was supposed to wake up at 6:00 AM, but I laid in bed for a while and drifted off again so I didn't get out the door to run until around 6:30 AM by the time I got dressed and made my pre-run trip to the bathroom (you runners out there know what I'm talking about). This leads me to the theme of my post today, pre-run poops! :) 

Now, this blog post is probably not the most pleasant, but HEY, this isn't a cutie tootie, here's-how-my-day-went kind of blog. It's monitoring ALL my feelings and obstacles in preparing for this race. If you know me you know that I am VERY open and may share a little too much about my bowels and such. But, to me, it's really not that big of deal. I fart, poop, pee and so do you. So what's the big deal? Now begins the real poop talk... 

Why is it that before a run or even if I think about running I get that anxious feeling in my stomach and automatically have to go number two? Runner's anxiety! No matter how much I try to trick myself into believing that the race is no big deal or that I'm really not going on a run, it never fails... Not only do I make one bathroom trip, but two, three, four, five, MULTIPLE times! It doesn't matter what I eat the night before, I'm going to have to go and A LOT! However, I do notice that dairy the night before makes it even worse... Now, if I'm just getting up to go on a run by myself, no race, then once maybe twice before I head out the door, sometimes not at all until after my run if it's early enough.

But, before a race... My stomach feels like it has a million butterflies in it and they're tearing up my tummy! It's terrible... I'm not the only one either! I actually Googled "Why do runners poop so much before a run?" I got a lot of different blogs and Runner's World forums. Here's a good one: Poop Question.You should really check this out if you have the same issues I do. I was already aware of the fact that I am not alone with this issue. That's why there are always so many porter potties at the start line of races and lines for them each and every time. The Akron Marathon has blocks and blocks dedicated just to porter potties, yet you still have to wait in line for like a half hour! My first half marathon there was maybe 50 people, so it was a small one. We didn't start until like 10-15 minutes later than we were supposed to because so many people were still in line for the bathroom.

Some people hate porter potties and refuse to use them. Well, if you're a runner, you sometimes have no choice. Some races are near high schools or on universities, so you get to use their nice facilities. But, I'll take a porter potties over running when I have to go!

Sorry for the unpleasant talk... :)

This Saturday is 11 miles - the most I've ran since May 15 at the Cleveland Marathon. Should be interesting... So, until then... Stay fit my friends!

Fourth of July Run!

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Blake, Gary and I celebrated America's birthday with a 5K in Aurora this morning. The weather was perfect! I believe my time was about 24:20-something. I know I beat my time of 24:33 on Saturday. :) This morning's race was quite exciting/social. I saw my Chiropractor at the race, so we ran together while Blake sped ahead. I ran with him for the first mile and a half and then I picked it up. I ran across (literally) a girl who also just graduated from BGSU in May from Solon! We both recognized each other because we both lived in the same apartment complex as well. It was nice to have someone to talk to and stay at my pace. It's crazy how you run into people. She also ran in the Cleveland Half Marathon this year too. We were both saying we wish we would have talked when we were in school so we would have had a running buddy. No one ever wanted to run with me, especially at 6:00 AM... =-(

I didn't place this morning, but that's OK! Blake got third in his age group though! YAY! The shirts this year were so much nicer than the cotton ones they normally have. It's made out of that wicking material. I should have gotten a child's large or something though... The adult small is too big on me! Oh well, still a good looking shirt. :)







Now I'm just waiting for my dad to come pick my sister Lindsey and I up to go to the Aurora festival, maybe go to the movies and then watch fireworks tonight. :)

Tomorrow is going to be a six-mile pace run. Hopefully I won't be too sore.

Have a safe and HAPPY Fourth of July!

July 4th 5Ks and My Future Running Buddy

Just got back from the Tree City 5K Run for United Way of Portage County in Kent with Blake and his Dad, Gary. Boy, was it a hot one! The race started at 7:00 PM and we had to get there by 5:30 PM for a bus to take us from the finish line to the starting line at Dix Stadium at Kent State. I was supposed to run six miles today, according to my training plan. But, according to my body, five miles was good enough. I ran two miles about an hour before the race around the stadium, it may or may not have been a good idea. All I know is that I felt like shit during the race!

I'm not a night runner, I'm an early morning runner. I would have much rather had the race at 7 AM than PM...Adjusting my meal schedule was kind of hectic and I don't think I planned it out too well... I woke up this morning around 8ish and decided not to eat until around 11 am so I wouldn't be starving before the race and have like a snack or something later. That didn't work out too well. Blake and I went to Pulp for a wrap and smoothies around 11:30 this morning (I got an Anna Banana smoothie and an Asian Chicken wrap on wheat - NOM NOM), went to the Post Office (I'll explain why later) and then went home. At around 4:30 this evening we had PB&J's and I had some yogurt and a banana... I think the yogurt wasn't the smartest idea, or maybe just the meal itself... I kept getting cramps during the race and towards the last mile, I felt sick to my stomach. I mean, it was also around 80 degrees and humid so that may have played a role in it as well. I did, however, run a 24:32. Which isn't too bad considering all the hills through Kent's campus, the heat and my stomach. That's around an eight-minute mile pace. I also placed second in my age group. The awards weren't the greatest, a glass that says Age Group Winner on the back... What ever happened to giving out trophies or medals? At my last Duathlon in Twinsburg they gave me a picture frame for placing first... I just want a trophy, damn it! :)

My 2nd Place "trophy"

Anyways... Back to why I went to the post office today. If you've been keeping up with my recent Facebook posts you'd know that I'm getting my vizsla! I found a breeder in Hillboro, Ohio (about three hours from Streetsboro) who just had a litter about two weeks ago. I already contacted the breeder by phone and e-mail. She asks for a $100 deposit, so that's what I went to the Post Office for. I'm so excited! The pups aren't champion-line because the breeder doesn't have time to do shows and raises them more as family dogs, so they're cheaper than most breeder sell them for. I'll hopefully be getting a male puppy and name him Miles. For obvious reasons. :) If not, I'll get a female and name her Autumn. Either way, I'll have my vizsla and be so happy. The puppies won't be available until August 12, so it gives me some time to prepare for the little guy (or girl). I'm a little nervous, especially since I'll be starting graduate school here on August 29 at KSU and I may become overwhelmed with everything, but it'll all be worth it. :)

One of these lil' guys will be mine! 

Monday is the Fourth of July! That means the Aurora Fourth of July 5K Fun Run in the AM. :) Speaking of the fourth... Blake's neighbors are setting off fireworks and I haven't even showered yet! Better ready before I miss the whole show!

Have a SAFE and HAPPY Fourth of July Weekend!

New Training Schedule and NOMalicous Food

Hello there! Yes, that's right I created a NEW word - NOMALICIOUS. It means food that's so good you just want to NOM it.

So, I was on Hal Higdon's website yesterday and saw that he had TWO different types of Novice training plans... He only has one of them in his book, which is the easier one for those who've been running for less than a year (what kind of crazy  person would just start running in less than a year and run a marathon anyways?). Novice 2 is for those who have been running for a while and have done half marathons, 5Ks and such, just never a marathon before. That's me! Here's the schedule... It's really not a whole lot different, but the mileage is higher in the beginning and adds "pace" runs. I think those are either like tempo runs or race pace. We'll see how I feel. I am on my third week now, so obviously the first two weeks were different from this schedule, but not too much. This is the plan I'll be following from today on. I even ran four miles today instead of three because yesterday I only ran four when I was supposed to run five.

Marathon Training Schedule: Novice 2

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Rest	3 m run	5 m pace	3 m run	Rest	8	cross
2	Rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	9	cross
3	Rest	3 m run	5 m pace	3 m run	Rest	6	cross
4	Rest	3 m run	6 m pace	3 m run	Rest	11	cross
5	Rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	12	cross
6	Rest	3 m run	6 m pace	3 m run	Rest	9	cross
7	Rest	4 m run	7 m pace	4 m run	Rest	14	cross
8	Rest	4 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	15	cross
9	Rest	4 m run	7 m pace	4 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Mar
10	Rest	4 m run	8 m pace	4 m run	Rest	17	cross
11	Rest	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	18	cross
12	Rest	5 m run	8 m pace	5 m run	Rest	13	cross
13	Rest	5 m run	5 m pace	5 m run	Rest	19	cross
14	Rest	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	12	cross
15	Rest	5 m run	5 m pace	5 m run	Rest	20	cross
16	Rest	5 m run	4 m pace	5 m run	Rest	12	cross
17	Rest	4 m run	3 m run	4 m run	Rest	8	cross
18	Rest	3 m run	2 m run	Rest	Rest	2 m run	Marathon

Blake ran with me this morning. It was a nice, cool, sunny morning. Perfect weather for a morning run. I didn't have to work until 11 AM, so it was nice to relax after my run before work. OH, and I got to watch LIVE with Regis and Kelly. :) Always a plus. I'm off tomorrow and of course Monday for the Fourth of July. YAY four-day weekends! Two 5K's this weekend too, one Saturday night and the other Monday morning.

Dinner tonight was Hawaiian chicken on the grill, corn-on-the-cob and homemade garlic red mashed potatoes. NOM NOM! Mom worked the grill. :)

I forgot to post the picture of my home-made chicken pot pie me, my mom and Blake made Sunday night. We made everything from scratch, including the WHOLE WHEAT crust. OMG, it was AMAZING! Blake and I have also been making our own smoothies pretty much every night. They are NOMalicious too! Ever had a smoothie from Pulp? Well, our's is better! We use about a half a cup of ice, cup of fat-free Activia yogurt, handful of strawberries, two bananas and two tablespoons of honey... Mmmm...

Tuesday night was turkey tacos with whole wheat tortillas, romaine lettuce, salsa and cheese. I had leftovers Wednesday. I think my seasoning made me sick though... Been running to the bathroom all day. =-/

Well, tomorrow is an off day for the legs! Going to do arms and abs. Then Therese and I are going on a hike at the Peninsula. :-)

The X in P90X and a Message to Drivers

Ahh yes, just got done doing P90X Plyometrics. LOVE plyos! Tony Horton begins by telling you to "Get ready to get airborne" as well as to grab a bucket to prepare for all the sweating you'll do. And he's right! There are 30 explosive jumping moves in a highly intense 50-minute cardio workout. Tony claims it will dramatically improve one's athletic performance, no matter what sport. This isn't a testimonial or anything for his workout, just another blog post. :) Seriously though, if you want to sweat and loosen up your tight muscles, P90X plyometrics is the workout for you! Plyos were always my favorite back when I did sports in school, from soccer to track, I always looked forward to the plyos. Except 
this workout is a lot more intense than high school and is about 50 minutes long.

I think I made a boo boo yesterday... Somehow, I don't know whether it was during my seven-mile run or if I bent wrong, but I did something to my lower left-hand side of my back. This has happened quite a few times before. It's due to my scoliosis... my spine curves about 40 degrees to the right so it can sometimes affect my running... So, I've been going to Lewis Family Chiropractic in Streetsboro. Dr. Lewis has definitely helped my back A LOT. But, sometimes I turn the wrong way during a run and it freaks out on me again... I was still able to do my workout this morning, but when I went to work on my abs is when my back was like, "HEY NOW! I'm hurt, cut it out!" So I didn't get too far on that... I'm going to ice it some more and do some stretches. Tomorrow is another off-running day, so I think I'll do some of Jillian's Michael's Yoga Meltdown. :)


Can't wait for next weekend! I'm doing the Tree City 5K at KSU on Saturday night at 7 pm and then the Aurora Fourth of July Fun Run 5K on Monday morning. Two 5K's in one weekend, YES! I'm supposed to run five miles on Saturday, so I'll probably run two miles early Saturday and then the 5K that night.


Oh, and another thing.... DRIVERS: If you see a person running on the side of the road, please give them some space and try not to get too close to the runner. As I was driving to my Psychiatrist this morning (yes he is open on Sundays) I saw a fellow runner running on the side of 43. Cars were only a few inches from his body... I moved over more into the other other lane to give him more room. Now, I didn't try to cause an accident with other drivers on the other side of the road. But I went slightly over the line in the middle so I wouldn't get too close. He gave me a grateful wave and smile as I drove past him. As I politely nodded I thought, "I understand my brotha... Drivers have no respect for us runners or bikers on the roads..." . Maybe they're jealous? Or maybe they just don't give a shit... I'll probably go with the later as I saw a dead BABY dear lying in the middle of the road close to where I saw the runner... :-(
So, please drive safely out there, whether it's to save the life of a runner, biker or even a poor, little deer...


Have a great Sunday! :)