My first ever 'winter race'

I didn't want to go into a lot of detail in my last post about the Cedar's Frost bite 1/2 because the focus of my recap was more for Sherry than it was about the race itself. So here is more of some thoughts leading up to / during the race

I convinced Ashley to do this race with me about a week ago, so I knew I'd have some company on the drive. I'd like to think I have mad persuasive skills considering I convinced a co-worker I just met, Jack, to run this race only days before- he had to pay the late fee- a whopping $13. 

We all car pooled together, and despite each of us having different goals for the race, warmed up together. Although I'm an excellent stretcher, I normally don't warm up so this was a nice change of pace--- especially since it was 24 degrees and windy, I needed the extra warmth from blood flow. 

Photo repeat - Before warming up 

The Good

• race was semi-local- 45ish minute drive
• Registration was $6 sans shirt and medal. Technically it was $8.50 after text, but still a great steal
• Everyone there seemed to be FAST. If you like competition, and passing people, this is the race for you. 
• Small race, about 600, so no overcrowding
• They had the walkers start 1 hour before the runners- so no people to trip over right when the gun goes off. 
• free pizza afterward... and coke. I LOVE a little bit of coke after a long run, rarely get to do it. 
• had an indoor center that shielded us from freezing temps before and after race. 
• despite a hard race and walking a ton in the end, still a descent time- 1:53:47
• First race I ran for a purpose- For Sherry 

The Bad

• start time 11am- great for sleeping in, difficult for figuring out what to eat and then it taking up a large part of your day because you finish later than what you're used to 
• during the trails it was single file and it took a LOT of effort to pass- had to zig zag from one side of the trail to the next in order to do so. 
• the weather- low 20s and windchill. I actually ran in tights, long sleeve, and gloves- only removed the gloves sometime into mile 3. My body likes the cold, but it makes my nose run and I had to stop frequently to blow my nose ( i've tried running and blowing.... apparently that needs to be worked on along with my talking and running)
• scenery was boring and depressing
• no spectators and only 3 water stops--- I actually don't need spectators, and the 3 stops were fine considering the conditions, but if you are the type of person who needs these two items, bad move to do this race

The Ugly

• the whole first half of the race--long hills on uneven gravel and potholes My legs haven't been this beat up since the crappy terrain of the Mississippi Blues 1/2. Finally got a break  sometime after mile 6 
• No idea if it was mental or if my body really did give up, but shortly after Ashley passed me around  mile 9.5ish, I just died. I was freezing and my legs were so sore WHILE running (normally get sore afterward) that I decided to walk every so often. 
• 2 mile stretch at the end of upward hills running along the highway- I hate when I can see forever in the distance of where I'm trying to run to.... especially when I'm exhausted. 
• To sum it up--- HARDEST 1/2 on my body in a LONG time. My hamstrings are actually sore, and they NEVER get sore.

Although the race was difficult, I'm glad to get some serious hill and uneven terrain  training under my belt. It reconfirmed how important it is to have tissues handy, as well as updating my ipod so when a motivating song comes on, my body will respond positively. 

Considering the conditions, we all did well-  me just under 1:54, Ashley just under 1:51, and Jack with the big win and a new PR- 1:34. He's training to qualify for Boston 2013, a 3:05 marathon time, so although we ran together on Thursday, he's WAY out of my league for everyday training runs. 

The numbers

Mile 1- 7:46 (was aiming for an 8:30- way off pace)
Mile 2- 8:07
Mile 3- 8:47
Mile 4- 8:12
Mile 5- 8:34
Mile 6- 7:56 (woo off the trails)
Mile 7- 8:47
Mile 8-8:55
Mile 9- 8:03 (Du Hast came on play list and gave me some running mojo)
and then some serious walking
Mile10- 9:14
Mile11- 9:51
Mile12- 9:42
Mile 13- 9:13
Mile.12- 6:05

Cedar's Frostbite half Marathon- My Run for Sherry

If you're a runner (and hopefully even if you're aren't) then I'm sure you're aware of the tragedy that happened to fellow runner Sherry Arnold.
Beth and the rest of her family organized a nationwide remembrance virtual run for Sherry on February 11 and I knew I wanted to pay homage and take part in this event.

Since I'm slowly trying to build up my mileage base to better survive my ultra relay in May, I thought it would be perfect to run the Cedar's Frost Bite 1/2 marathon as both a training and a remembrance run. 

Saturday it was an out of ordinary balmy 24 degrees with a chill-to-the-bone wind mixed in-- LOVELY. Luckily I tricked got 2 people to tag along for race so at least I wouldn't suffer alone

Thanks Jack and Ashley!

Ash and I pinned our Sherry bibs on our back and I had quite a few people throughout the race comment as they were passing me. 

Lately my calves have been giving me a lot of issues with constantly tightening up- knowing that this course was hilly, I just wanted to start out slow and keep a steady pace to enjoy the run and remember why I was out there this morning. 

Since I wasn't "racing" I didn't bother to look at my garmin to see what my pace was until mile 7. The first half of the race was HARD. The course was inside a state park which meant rocky and uneven terrain. If you have weak ankles or hips, this is not a run for you. Miles 3,4,5 were spent on a 2 lane single file trail. When you needed to pass someone you had to zig zag over the pebble median to the small uneven patch of "runnable terrain" - don't get me started on the hills

although in this photo it looks flat, its actually a slow and painful uphill 

Although I was already tired and my body hated me, I think the reason I kept pushing through was I kept reminding myself that I am fortunate enough to be here on this morning to run.  I am lucky to be alive, to breathe in this fresh air when others like Sherry don't have that opportunity anymore. 

After the trails my legs rejoiced to be running on normal pavement and to have some flat surface to run on. 

Like I said earlier I looked at my garmin at mile 7--- 7 miles is one of those mile markers where I  kind of pace where I'll  finish on what the clock says. I normally hit 7 miles right at 1 hour or 1 hour and 1 minute---- regardless of the finished outcome, this seems to be pretty routine for me. Today I was surprised to see 58 minutes. 

I guess when you run for something greater than yourself, you don't realize when you're going faster than you had told yourself you would.  If I kept up this pace I would totally PR, but since that wasn't my gameplan for today, I would evaluate if at mile 10 I was 1:22 or lower.

Sometime around mile 9.5ish Ashley caught up to me looking strong, where I was starting to struggle and my legs just kept feeling heavier and heavier. I watched as she passed and kept getting farther and farther away. Shortly after, I hit the mile 10 marker at a 1:24 and my body made the decision for me that the last 3 miles were going to be slow... like really slow.

Mile 11 and 12 were a L-O-N-G steady uphill that was boring and made me feel like a little kid repeating over and over in my head "are we done yet" --- didn't help that I walked a lot which obviously makes the time tick by that much longer. 

FINALLY we turned back into the park for the final mile and as much as I wanted to just be done, I reminded myself once again that this wasn't a run for me --- this was for a greater purpose and I was just thankful to be part of such an amazing running community (even if a large part of it is virtual) who all came together on one day to run in memory of a woman who was taken from this world far too early during one of her daily runs. 

Total race time 1:53:47

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Starting to clean out my diet

Last week I read a health article that talked about simple ways to start eating clean. A tip that really spoke to me was to find out where you get the largest amount of your calories, and then work on that item first before trying to "clean up everything else" . An example is if  you're a vegetarian and a LARGE part of your diet is produce  then focus on organic fruits and veggies,  If you LOVE your meat, then focus on grass fed organic beef, cage free chickens, so on and so forth.

Unfortunately my diet is really a mixture, I eat meat maybe once a day, I make it a point to buy organic if the produce is on the Dirty Dozen list, and I don't do any processed grains (occassionaly I'll do potatoes). So what that leaves me with is just a few gluttonous items that I CRAVE- bacon, nutella, ranch dressing, reece cups, coke, and beer.  Beer is non negotiable since I  prefer higher gravity over crap Light beer- i'd like to think of the term beer aficionado vs. beer snob

I would say that out of all my "treat items" that Nutella is the only everyday occurrence.  Gosh I cannot  appropriately describe how delicious this is to me. If you ever want sex in your mouth take graham crackers, crush them up into fine crumbs and put into a rammekin followed by 1 spoon of peanut butter, 1 spoon of nutella, a few sliced almonds stir together. Then add on mini marshmallows and put in oven on broil for a minute or two.... I'm salivating just THINKING about it.

Obviously, I love nutella and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Since this is a staple in my diet and I'm trying to get down 10lbs for ideal racing weight, I've been on the search for a healthy version that doesn't require me to make it myself. It drives me crazy how they always market Nutella as a great healthy breakfast.  Its not a big deal, because CLEARLY I still eat it, the problem is that  I think people get confused thinking its like peanut butter because it comes in a jar, its spreadable, and it has 200 calories so it must be a "health food"

Do you see in the red "a glass of skim milk, orange juice, and nutella on whole wheat bread" for breakfast- yikes talk about sugar overload with the nutella, orange juice, bread and only a whopping 3g of protein (which is equivalent to 1/2 an egg). So the reason I bring this up is because this is one of my biggest pet peeves with being a nutritionist and talking to people about healthy options-- we are constantly being mis marketed to, and if you don't know what to look for, you have no idea if what you're doing is truly good for you.

The other day I found a sample packet of Justin's Nutbutter Chocolate Hazlenut in the organic section and figured I'd give it a try

So how does it compare to Nutella- taste wise its slightly thicker and has more prominent hazlenut taste whereas Nutella is pretty much chocolate with a hint of hazlenut. I loved the salty / sweet combo, one of my faves

 

So lets compare:

                 Justins                                                  Nutella 

Calories-        190                                                    200           not a big enough difference to care 

Total Fat        16g                                                    11g         most people stop reading and put back

Sat Fat           2.5g                                                   3.5g       sat fat is what you should be looking for 

Total Carb     11g                                                     22g        double the carbs, really?

Sugar             7g                                                       21g       MORE than double

Fiber              3g                                                       1g

Protein           4g                                                       3g 

Clearly Justin's is better but I wanted to point out something- fat isn't what makes you fat ( although if you have enough big macs, i'm sure it will catch up to you)- its sugar. Most people are so concerned with the fat in every little thing, they stop reading to see how the rest of the product  really is. I can literally have 2 servings of justins nut butter to equal what is in nutella's one serving when it comes to the sugar and carbs-- HUGE win in my book and I think I've found my replacement. 

Mission to replace Nutella with a healthy alternative accomplished. 

Next up- ranch dressing 

do you have any bad staple items in your diet that you'd like to see if you can "healthify" 

Do you relay run?

The last few days my mind and internet search browser has been locked in one one main topic-- running relays.

So far this  year I have 3 overnight relays planned, and all 3are put on by different organizations- there are some pros, some cons, but regardless each is unique in different ways and I'm sure it will be a blast

                                                 New Balance Race to the Beach Relay- May 18-19

• this has my running world turned upside down as I'm frantically trying to throw a makeshift plan together to prepare for an ultra relay.
• regardless of how much I train, I know its going to suck. Its been since summer/early fall 2010 since I've followed any type of training plan. I'm literally lost. I know I need to increase mileage, thats a no brainer- what I don't know is how to do it SMART so I don't have a repeat or last year's ITBS ordeal. 
• Unfortunately they haven't posted the legs yet- but the team captain knows to give me the lowest amount of legs-- still be about 30 miles, but hey its better than 36 lol 

                                      Colorado Relay - Vail to Aspen to Breckenridge! July 27-28

• all lady blogger relay! Our lovely captain Julia H just announced our legs tonight!
• Van 1
• Runner 1- Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner
• Runner 2- Danielle @ Happy, Healthy, & Strong
• Runner 3- yours truly
• Runner 4- Jill @ Run for the Hills
• Runner 5- Lauren @ A Duck on the Run
• Runner 6- Amanda @ Run to the Finish 
• Van 2
• Runner 7- Julia @ Pain, Pride, Perserverance
• Runner 8- Rachelle @ Running for Trevor
• Runner 9- Ashley U @ Ash & Diz
• Runner 10- Ashley R @ Redonk runner
• Runner 11- Jill @ Fitness, Health, and Happiness 
• Runner 12- Kara @ Mile High Maven
• I met Vanessa, Julia, Ashley, and Jill H all originally awhile back at our blogger meet up,  hence where our idea for a blogger relay originated. Jill H and I ran Ragnar TN together where she handed off to me- seems fitting that I'll be handing off to her this go round. 
• The extreme elevation is of concern- my first 2 legs are relatively short, but the last leg... the leg where you're already tired from running, being cramped in a van, and little sleep- thats a douzey. 7 miles starting at 7,000 ft elevation and finishing at 8,000 ft elevation--- a steady climb the whole way- ick I'd  rather just get it over with vs. having to draw it out over 7 miles. Regardless of everyone dealing with lack of oxygen (some ladies have to run in 10,000 feet elevation) I think we'll have a B.L.A.S.T

                                                                        Bourbon Chase- Sept 28-29

• Even though this is the farthest out, I'm captain, thus there is a lot of pre planning with hotels, van assignments, themes, team names etc. 
• I'm excited that I get to run this relay with my brother Eric (i'll be handing off to him), as well as this will be B's first relay as well as probably one of her first big races off her hip stress fracture. She's doing well- still on the crutches so we can always hear when shes coming at work. I believe she gets off her crutches in March ( a solid 6 weeks on them) and will probably be a religious user of the Galloway method until her strength and confidence builds up :) 
• What I'm not so excited about is how much stress this has put me through the last several days. We're having a  hard time with van choices, themes, team names etc and not everyone can agree and its hard to get feeback from everyone.  I guess that is a major difference between a serious runner who wants everything to get done and is just used to doing what I'm told, vs. people that are there to just have fun and there is some running involved here and there-lol I need to remind myself of our differences. 

So for anyone out there that has never done a relay- obviously Ragnar has the most locations across the US, however as you can see there ARE other organizations as well. Typical cost is about  $1200 for a team (100 per person) so its a realistic race fee- then you just have to be smart about budgeting for hotels, vans (about $100-$150) and if you're going out of town- whatever your travel expenses may be 

Happy Running

Race Reveal

So the other day in my "in the last 48 hours" post I had mentioned that I had agreed to do a race I had no desire to ever complete, despite being asked a few times before.


So what changed?

2 things actually---

1.) I need to run with a purpose. I'm a little over a year into my 50 1/2 in 50 states quest and I'm nearing my half way point. I've realized that I can half ass it and pull off a descent (for me) time, so until I pull my head out of my ass and train harder, its not a big challenge like it use to be. I NEED to have something to PUSH me to WANT to be better, train harder... train for a purpose.

2.) Hands down the company I'll be with. Scott, Kyle, and Craig who I ran the Tennessee Ragnar Relay with in 2010, and this year's Vegas Ragnar, as well as Jodi who ran in Vegas with us as well.


So what is it???

The New Balance Beach Relay- ULTRA.

For those who are my facebook friends I said it was the New England Ragnar-- I completely misunderstood Scott when he asked if I wanted to do an ultra relay in Boston in may. Turns out Ragnar is the weekend before, whereas The Race to the Beach Relay is May 18-19 

For those that are unfamiliar with what Ultra means. A normal 200 mile relay is comprised of 12 runners who each take turns running a leg of the race, totaling 3 legs in 24+ hours. 

An ultra relay is the same distance covered by only 6 runners. So instead of running 6 different legs, you still run 3 legs, however, you actually run 2 legs in a row, thus you're covering the distance that normally 2 people would, but in one continuous run.  Actual legs aren't posted yet for this particular race, but I know each time I'm running it will range between about 10-17 miles- YIKES! For those that have never run a relay- there is something about being cooped up in a van with very little sleep that makes the miles harder to run come that last leg----  feels something like this

Its even a BIGGER ball game when after agreeing to do this race, the next thing out of Scott's mouth is "Okay I think we can win this, so I've figured out the mile averages for the boys, and the girls in order to pull this off"

Ya no pressure or anything.

So now I have to seriously up my mileage and start increase my weekly mileage, especially lengthen my long runs.

Yesterday was day one and I did a 13.2 mile training run- obviously I'm capable of this distance since I run 1/2s all the time, but I don't think I've ever ran a training run this far (normally 11 miles), and man did my legs and hips hate me. During races I'll open my stride more since I'm competing with the clock, but yesterday I was just lolly gagging around so I wasn't as focused on my stride. Let me tell you this- IT. MAKES. A. HUGE. DIFFERENCE

So anyone out there run an ultra relay before?!?!

Any advice?!?!


I'm thinking I may have to just start training as if I'm running a marathon, but I'd be excited if someone had a better and less taxing idea :)

In the last 48 hours I have....

It's been a delightful past 2 days.

1. Decided I'm racing this---- Very rarely do I run 5ks- infact in the last 10 years I've ran 3 (2 last year, 1 this year). I've seen this video floating around for The Color Run, and I can't help but not want to do it!

There are quite a few locations this year, 19 to be exact. Nashville is Oct 20, and you can bet I'll be painted up! You can check to see if you city or a city nearby will be hosting this event HERE. I put it on my facebook last night and fellow Nashvillian bloggers  Jill H and redonk runner  are in!!! (as well as a few co-workers I coaxed!)

2. I signed up for a $6 half marathon last night... my bad, after processing fees it was $8.50--- breaking the bank. Frostbite 1/2 marathon in Lebanon, TN- no frills, no medals- maybe just a playful run with redonk runner??

3. Got my Half Fanatic shirt after being involved for over a year!  I've waiting so long to order one because I was told they ran short- I have a long torso and didn't think it would be worth the money if I was just going to be flashing everyone my belly. Sooooo I order a men's tank. It comes in a little around the boobs, but great part is its more breathable and cut looser than the women's option- music to my ears since I sweat A LOT

4. I finally had a Pinterest turned real life recipe! I wanted to make something sweet for our work 'super bowl tail gate' party.  Home made chocolate covered cookie dough balls were born. Got the recipe from HERE. Although they were time consuming, they were infact easy... not to mention orgasm in your mouth! 

5. Helped make a "Snookie Snowman" - some people thought it was Pocahontas, so that works too

** disclaimer- I don't watch Jersey Shore- but apparently Snookie likes pickles, hence the jar**

6. This is probably the most exciting part- earlier this afternoon (when I started this post) a friend convinced me to do a race I swore I never would do... and its in May. So now I DRASTICALLY need to increase my mileage and get in some serious speed to be able to effectively race this--- the actual race itself deserves a post to itself, so I'll reveal what it is in a few day... unless you're my facebook friend, then you already know (eek) 

Good bye January, Hello February

Aside from destroying my pathetic training in December and finding a cross training workout, I specifically didn't make any goals for just January and instead focused on 2012 as a whole.
So what DID happen

Miles ran- 91. I normally track my miles daily via Tall Mom's 1000 club, but to my knowledge she hasn't started the 2012 spread sheet  yet, so I literally just found out my mileage yesterday... didn't realize how close I was to 100.
February- Finally get back into the 100s

Highest Mileage week- 39. This is my highest mileage week E.V.E.R. I was so disappointed in running a whopping 40 miles in December, I went gung ho the first week in January and did in 1 week what it took me a whole month to do.
February- I'd like to do a repeat and do 40 miles again- like I said I haven't a higher week before, so we'll see what is possible

Cross Training- 4 Healthways bootcamp classes, core work every other day, 3 p90x shoulder and arms, 1 p90x chest & back (aka MISERY), and 1 p90x legs and back. Aside from core work, that is 9 workouts--- pathetic but that is double what is normal for me.
February- 1 bootcamp a week (min) continue core work every other day, whatever I find for my "new cross training" idea for February I'd like to at least do that twice.

January Races- Only had 1 planned- RnR Rock n Roll Arizona- recap HERE, race photos HERE
February- 1 half... more like THE HALF that I've been looking forward to with Kim R and Rebecca W and her sis L in Austin Texas (yehaw)- Livestrong 1/2. There are a few local races during the this month, so I may try one out just for different distance.... Chris U. and Ashley R-- I need you to hold me accountable for this!

Current Book- The Nine Rooms of Happiness by Lucy Danzinger & Catherine Birndorf. Great read- basically uses a metaphor of a house and all the rooms in it to identify self-destructive patterns of behavior to eventually be able to live a happy more fulfilling life. My not-so-exciting read- "A competency-based framework for Health Education Specialists-2010"--- ugh its so hard to study when half the material is so foreign to me.

Current Obsession- Pinning. TRYING to be crafty (there is a post in the future about my failures with that), finding the perfect protein meal replacement shake, and lastly figuring out work (one job rejection, opened doors to 2 others they thought I'd be qualified for- just want everything to be finalized already)

Current drink- water, daily coffee, and lately I've been craving Spatze (its technically german) but its literally 1/2 coke, 1/2 orange soda-- hold the ice please. I've been indulging in it once a week!

Current Wish List- Shakeology, Wen hair shampoo + conditioner (have you SEEN the infomercials), It's a 10 spray for hair (i have 4 gfs that SWEAR by it in helping hair grow and repairing damage) I'd also like a tan--- I've been tanning since I was 15, but stopped in May when my mom found out she had skin cancer. Both in saving my skin, but also respect for my mom I've been pasty white since summer tan faded away. There are so many things I wish for- house, husband to be, super high paying job etc--- so i'll just stick with the first part of list since I can make those happen easily :)

Current Dislike- Uncertainty with whats the next step for me in my career- 2 jobs I'm looking at aren't in Nashville and I don't want to get uprooted again, but at the same time, I do have to start looking long term. Just wish I would get a sign of what I'm supposed to do.

Current Goal- Fitness- Breaking the 1:50 barrier in the half marathon , losing an inch of my waist. LADIES any advice on dwindling the ever so stubborn "love handles" is GREATLY appreciated.