My First 14K!

Little Miss is content watching Wild Kratts, Hubs is snoring (quite loudly) in the bed, so I have a few moments to put together this blog post!

If you follow me on Facebook, you will already know that I completely surpassed my goal time! I didn't really feel like I was running that quickly but it was soooo cold! I guess I just ran as fast as I could to A)keep warm, and B)finish so I could warm back up in the field house!

Of all the races I have completed, I got the most sleep the night before this time. My Hubs is awesome, he told me to get to bed at 9pm and he took care of Little Miss. I ended up waking up every two hours and drinking water, so I would check in on them. They both ended up sleeping on the couch watching "Peter Pan". So not only did I have the bed to myself, I didn't have to deal with the Snore Monster. I ended up getting about 9 hours of sleep! 

When I woke up, I ate my usual breakfast and turned on the news. I wanted to check out the weather. All week the prediction was no rain, highs in the low 40s. Okay, at least it wasn't around freezing. Lies, all lies! The weatherman was saying while the temps were going to be in the 40s, it was going to "feel like" the 30s. Why, IN THE WORLD, do the weather peeps do that crap? I want to know what its going to "feel like" outside, opposed to what the actual temps are. Grrr. I dressed as warmly as possible then headed out. 

I had to get to the field house early before they closed the roads. So I just hung out in my car as long as possible, trying to absorb as much heat as possible. I had to meet up with my sailor gal friends so I could get my super cool valentine's day themed shirt. We definitely had the best T's in the race. Lots of people were huddled up in the field house then all at once (with like 5 minutes left til start time) everyone filed out and proceeded to their assigned corrals.

*Oh, so funny story about the corrals.* 

I once had a friend tell me this story about how she accidentally entered in the wrong race time when registered for a race and ended up in the first corral with all the super serious racers. On race day, she put herself in a more appropriate corral and tried to keep her number covered up so others wouldn't notice her mistake. All the other races I have run, there have been quite a few corrals. The day before the race when I picked up my number this time, I didn't notice until I got home that I was in corral #2. I freaked out, I was like,

OMG I PUT IN THE WRONG RACE TIME WHEN I REGISTERED....and I am going to be totally mortified on race day!
 
I have never been in that low of a corral number. I was making plans to go back up to the field house and fix the situation so I could get into the right corral before race day. I ended up texting one of the sailor gals and asked what corral she was in, they were in #3. Oh. Then I checked the race's Facebook page. They said there were only 4 corrals total. Oh. Phew. Hubs thought it was pretty funny how I freaked out. 

Okay back to the original story.

So we lined up in our corrals. Lots of people were wearing tutus. Lots of hearts. Quite a few couples were racing together. Total Valentine's Day themed race. All of us were shivering though! I just wanted to dang race to start so I could run and warm up.

I was right, once I started running I warmed up. Though my fingers did stay numb for quite a while even though I had gloves on. The wind sucked. Especially when the trees disappeared and there was nothing to block the wind. I encountered strong winds when I ran the Wicked 10K (compliments of Hurricane Sandy), but this was different because it was so frickin cold. The race path was pretty nice, mostly paved with a few spots in the grass. It had rained significantly the day before so I was happy we were on hard surfaces for most of the run. Watching people try to avoid the mud puddles while avoiding other runners was pretty funny. You had some people that weren't watching where they were going somehow and were totally shocked when they plowed through the water or mud. Other people gracefully lept over the road hazards. Then just a few seemed clueless as to how to go about getting around the mud....they totally stopped running when they reached the edge of the puddle and stared at it, like they were waiting for it to dry or move out of the way or something, *shrug*.  


I do have a few snarky remarks though. While I was in the field house before the race, a lady next to me was stretching. I now know she wears grey leopard VS panties under her black pants. And so do the other 10 or so people that were standing there too. One girl had a wardrobe malfunction during the race. I don't know if the waistband broke on her baggy crop capris or if she just didn't have them tied tight enough, but her butt definitely came out of her pants around mile 5. But no worries, she has on her white cotton granny panties. For once, I am glad someone wore panties under their running pants! No worries though, without missing a step she yanked her britches back up and secured them without slowing down. Either she's had practice doing that maneuver, or she is totally pro. 

And to the one woman that ran in a teddy and yoga pants...I am actually speechless. 

I only slowed down once to get a few sips of Gatorade, I was so proud that I didn't have to stop and use a port-o-potty! I have this nervous fear that I will pee on myself while running so anytime I feel like there is anything in my bladder, I get anxious. My left IT band started bothering me towards the end, but I knew that would happen. They had a "Candy Corner" near the end of the race route, even though I love chocolate I didn't want to eat it just yet so I took off my gloves and shoved the M&Ms into them. I figured Little Miss would appreciate them. I also snagged some beads one of the radio stations handed out just so I could give them to her too. The race ended inside of the field house which was nice, but I was kind of blinded for a moment. It was bright & sunny outside, so when I ran on the ramp into the field house my eyes freaked out from the sudden change of light. Other than that, they announced your name as you crossed the finish line and that was a very nice touch. Maybe they have done this at other races and I haven't noticed? But its pretty cool hearing your name as you cross that line. 

I collected my free goodies: medal, water, gatorade, banana, and beanie. I promptly drank my water and searched for my friends. We enjoyed our 2 free Yvengling beer and chili from Baker's Crust. But once we sat down, it was not so easy to get back up. Since I parked closest, I shuttled everyone to their cars and headed home. All I wanted to do was go home, shower, then sleep!

I was totally stunned by my running time. My goal was to run a 9:30/mile. When I run on the treadmill, I go at a 9:40/mile and the last race I ran I did a 9:20/mile so I figured my goal should be somewhere in between because the weather was going to be much colder than what I was accustomed to. My stats from this race are:

Chip Time: 1:17:01 Gun Time: 1:19:08 Pace: 8:52/M

I am so happy with how I ran. I guess I am stronger than I thought! I would definitely run this race again, it was a great event and I liked the race path. 

I "mustache" you a question, will you be my valentine?

The next race coming up in this area is the Shamrock, they have a full marathon, a half marathon, and an 8k. I totally planned on running the half marathon...but its the same weekend that we are going to be in Disney! So I can't really be sad because well I will be in the happiest place on Earth, but I do wish I could be in two places at once. I guess the next race I will run will probably be in October, there is a half marathon that I can do. I need to see  if there are  e what other events are going on in my area so I can do something sooner!

Now I guess the next thing I can prepare for is...

SWIMSUIT SEASON!   
 


 

Race Day is Coming!

I can't believe that race day is Saturday! It totally crept up on me. I didn't enter the race until maybe 2 weeks ago because I wasn't sure if Hubs would have duty. I mean someone does have to be home with Little Miss, I'm not a fan of racing with her in the jogger. 

The last time I ran an event was the Blue Moon Wicked 10k back in October, I did better than I expected in that race. I finished in 57:54 at an average of 9:20 pace! I have to give credit to my running buddy who pushed me the whole race. She almost decapitated herself on the Christmas lights they were setting up along the Oceanfront...it was an entertaining run to say the least! Lots of people were in costume, her and I dressed as a cop and a "runaway" convict. The Blue Moon beer and Baker's Crust chili were amazing after the race too.

So the race on Saturday in the Virginia is for Lovers 14k. Its a Valentines' Day themed race, they even have a "Lovers Lane" with signs people paid to have posted (proceeds go to the Navy Seal Foundation) and a section with cheesy pickup lines. There are a few sailor ladies I have grouped up with and they made super cute running shirts so we will all match. There is one thing I am concerned about: the cold weather. I HATE running in the cold. I was raised in south Louisiana, I don't have lungs I have gills. When its cold, the air is dry and man my gills don't like it much. I ran outside last weekend in the cold and did better than I thought so I'm not so worried about it now.

My goal this time is to run at least a 9:30 mile. When I run on the treadmill, I run at a 9:40 pace. I usually run faster outside so we will see!

When I think about this race and I think about what shape I was in 3 years ago, its just crazy. I was 40 lbs overweight. I hated what I saw in the mirror, I hated how my clothes fit. I hated what I had allowed to happen to my body. People told me, its okay you had a baby a few months ago! But I had let myself go. I ate so much fast food, I didn't take care of myself. Growing up and even in college, I was very active. When I got pregnant I just stopped doing anything that resembled exercise. When I ate tons of food I just told myself that I was eating for two so its okay, I will just lose the weight by breastfeeding.

FYI, breastfeeding only helped me lose probably 10lbs.  

My metabolism had changed. The only way to lose the weight was the tried and true method: Eating less and moving more. I was too embarrassed to work out at the gym. So I started out simple, I worked out using the Wii Fit at home. I cut out the fast food. I started cooking more. I would get winded just from running in place!  To think that was 3 years ago and now I have the energy to run 8.64 miles FOR FUN!

Its been a long journey and it still amazes me to see how far I have come. After losing the weight, I came up with new goals. I wanted to be strong, I wanted to do things to show the strength I've gained. I can do pushups, like real pushups chest to the ground pushups. I can't do a whole lot, but I'm working on it. I can flip big tires too! Running these races also proves to me how strong I have become.

I think the biggest change for me has been that I don't need to live my life based on numbers on a scale. In order to like what I see in the mirror, I need to like myself first. Even if I am at my goal weight, if I am not happy with myself I will still not like my reflection. 

Like every weight loss journey, there are setback. Holidays, deployments...but what matters is not letting those setbacks deter you from achieving your goal. Getting back up after being knocked down shows alot more character then letting the setback define you. 

I hope that by sharing my story, it helps someone else realize they can do it too. By no means do I think I am special or spectacular, I was just motivated to change. As long as you keep fueling that motivation, you too will be amazed at what you can do. 

 

My First Race, Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon!

Even though this race was a few weekends ago, I wanted to wait until I received my race photos before I posted about my first race!

This was right after crossing the finish line, I was very sweaty as you can see!

It has been on my "bucket list" to run a half marathon. After meeting all of my health and fitness goals last deployment, I decided to attempt my first race during this deployment. I wanted to run a 5k during the summer, but instead I pulled my quad a week before the race so needless to say I didn't run that one. 

After getting back into my workout routine after Hubs went back on deployment after his emergency leave, I saw a flyer at my gym for the Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach and I knew I wanted to run it. I had 10 weeks and even though I hadn't been running, I was doing alot of cardio already so I hoped endurance wouldn't be an issue. I talked to my marathon-pro buddy and she suggested I find a routine online for my running. Sure enough, I found one that suited my needs: running 4 days a week, only 2 days consecutively and gradually building up mileage every week. 

At the beginning of my training, I did really well. I still managed to do a few of my other classes at the gym as well. But as I added more mileage, my body wasn't too happy with me so I stopped doing the gym classes and concentrated just on running. I also went to a running shoe store in town and they were AMAZING! I felt like Cinderella, I must have tried on and jogged in a dozen different shoes before I found the perfect pair. Apparently, I run funny and need high stability shoes. The guy at the shoe store asks me, "Do you notice your knees occasionally colliding while you run?". My response is typical me, "Yah, but I figured its because I am a complete klutz and I was distracted by the TVs while I was on the treadmill." So it turns out I'm not a complete klutz, I just run funny (great excuse, right?). 

I would like to say I stuck to the running training schedule. Well if you have been a follower of my blog, you noticed that my life has been anything but predictable lately. In the middle of training, I began dealing with the problems concerning my niece and her custody situation. That took about 2 weeks out of my training. I was tempted to quit after that setback to my running, but I decided to go through with the race because I had already spent almost $100 on the registration for it (money is a good motivator, isn't it?). 

I did 90% of my training on the treadmill and while I was home visiting my family in Louisiana, I ran outside. 

The day before the race, I met up with 2 of my race experienced friends who held my hand and showed me what to do. We had the race expo to pick up our race packet and number. It was quite the experience and we picked up lots of free goodies. The race shirt was pretty awesome this year too!

The night before the race, I left Little Miss with a friend overnight because I had to be up at 4:30am! I met up with my friends and we took a shuttle to the start of the race. There were these very peppy racers next to us on the bus taking photos and stuff before 6am while I am still trying to figure out what in the world possessed me to think that running half marathon was a good idea...

The first pointer I got was to use the port-o-potty as soon as we got off the bus before the wait was bad. Then we walked around, dropped of my bag, and ate a hot banana. Yup, a hot banana. Apparently your body uses less calories digesting the banana when it is hot. Makes sense. But it also makes the banana taste like crap. After another trip to the port-o-potty, it was time to get into our corral!

The start of the race is pretty exciting, you see the first group of people start as they race in wheelchairs then the "professional" runners take off. Each corral starts cheering as we edge closer to the starting line, then we are off!

The first 4 miles, I had to keep reminding myself to slow down! Looking at my time, I can see I was really pushing myself the first part of the race. I just had so much adrenaline going, there were crowds gathered at the beginning of the race holding up signs and cheering!

On the advice from my friend, I stopped at the water/gatorade stations and drank only half of what was in the cups. The rest of the water I would splash on myself. It was over 80 degrees with high humidity during the race. I was so afraid of getting dehydrated I drank too much because I definitely had to stop at the halfway point to use the port-o-potty! I also had some energy jelly beans that I snacked on throughout the race to make sure my electrolytes weren't getting low or anything. They gave out the energy gels or goos along the race, but my friend told me how they felt in your mouth and she compared it to something that most women don't find appealing so it kind of scared me from using those...

I am very happy to say I ran most of the race. I only walked 3 times, the first time was at mile 7. I only walked about a half mile that time, then started running again. I stopped again to pee between miles 8-9. Then I walked again at mile 11, only for a quarter of a mile though. It was a nice race though, my favorite part was the people that had homes along the race path had their sprinklers set so they could spray us as we ran by. That was very very VERY nice of them :)

Almost finished!

By the end of the race, I was exhausted. As soon as you cross the finish line, I felt like I was on the red carpet or something because there are photogs EVERYWHERE. They hand you your race medal, then you take a photo with a backdrop, then you collect your goodies: sponges sitting in ice water, bottled water, chocolate milk, bananas, snickers energy bars, and popsicles! You could also get a free Michelob Ultra if you were 21, but that was the last thing I wanted after that race. My marathon pro friend finished about 10 minutes before me and my other friend wasn't too far behind me. 

The race ended at the oceanfront, and that is where we stayed for almost an hour after the race just relaxing. There were parts of my body that hurt that I didn't know could hurt! My lower back in particular, that hurt for a few days afterward too. After finally getting back home, I instantly regretted renting a 2 story townhome. Stairs are evil. 

The race was on a Sunday so on Tuesday I was back at the gym, but I only walked for a few miles on the treadmill. By the end of the week, I was surprised that I was back to normal and could work out like I did before the race. I cannot describe how sore I was after running 13.1 miles. 

Now that my first race is out of the way, I want to run another! I registered for a shorter race, the Wicked 10k, at the end of October. It is only 6 miles so that will be much easier than the half marathon I just ran. I am still running 3-4 days a week but I am working back in my gym classes.

Quite a few people have told me that they could never run a half marathon, but I beg to differ! With the proper training and the right mindset, you can do anything especially a race. Okay so maybe you aren't as crazy as me and don't want your first race to be a half-marathon. I don't blame you, that was kind of insane on my part. So start small, do a 5k. Just search online for free training programs for running a 5k and find one that works for you. Who knows, you may even start to like running! I know I sure do, its one of the only ways I can clear my head and just reset. I tend to let my mind go crazy and over-think situations, over-analyze everything. When I run, I just forget about all that stuff. 

I am so excited about the Wicked 10k! I am hoping I can get another friend to run with me, it will be her first race :)

Wanna Run?

I decided this week to do something that I have always wanted to do, but I have been too chicken sh*t to do: I WILL run a half-marathon! 

I don't know exactly what inspired me to finally take the leap; maybe because I'm in the best shape I have ever been in and I figured, why the hell not?

I have been pestering my friends for all sorts of advice. I found a 10 week plan to prep for the big run. So far, I have ran twice. Each time was 3 miles and I had no problems with it. Hooray!

2 years ago when I was 65lbs heavier, I never imagined I could be training to run a half-marathon. I can't wait to share my journey to the half-marathon with everyone!

While I was online searching for a training plan, I came across some inspiration I wanted to share: