Diary of a Fat Girl "Running" Tri-ing/Cycling

Vancouver re-cap coming soon!

2008-05-17T16:31:00.002-05:00

I promise! It's coming! Quick version:

Vancouver is gorgeous.
The marathon was the hardest I've ever done.
The course sucked.
The spectator support sucked.
BUT... I had my fastest time ever.
And the TNT folks are AWESOME! :)

Because Cori asked for it

2008-04-07T21:26:00.003-05:00

Here's the most recent full body photo of me. This was taken right before I left for my birthday party last weekend. I still have a long way to go with the weight loss, but I'm pretty friggin' happy with the results so far. I must admit that I love being able to go into a regular store & have clothes there that actually fit me. I don't think I've ever been able to do that before.

(And in you're interested, you can see more self-portraits from my "365 days" project here on flickr.)

Slacker

2008-04-07T18:34:00.003-05:00

I'm a blogging slacker. I keep thinking about blogging, but then life gets in the way & I just never seem to have time. So today I'm making time. Now, let's see... what's been going on?

First off, I had a birthday last week. On Tuesday, April 1 I turned 37 years old. I keep seeing that number & I can't believe it's true. I certainly don't feel 37, which I guess is what matters, right? As of this birthday, I have also lost 60 pounds. I wish I could've lost more, but I'm still happy with this. I've hit a little plateau again, but hopefully I can get back on track again & start to lose even more. My brother is getting married in 5 months & I'll be seeing family for the first time in over a year & I want to be able to wow them. I need to make sure I don't slack off on my training after the marathon. Working out is key.

Speaking of my marathon training, I've still been plagued by little injuries here & there & it's driving me crazy. I haven't had a good feeling about this season & this upcoming marathon for a while now. I just can't shake it. I hope I'm wrong, but as of today, I'm pretty convinced I'm right. It just seems that the second something good happens, something bad happens to "balance it out".

This past Saturday was our big 21 mile practice. My back had been a little sore for a few days before, but I was hoping it wouldn't be a problem during the run. For the most part, it wasn't. I was a little stiff in the beginning, but once I got going, I felt great. I was making good time & wasn't having any problems for the first 13 miles, then I hit the wall. For the next 4 miles, I slowed down significantly. My toes kept cramping up, my left hip & leg were bothering me, & I was exhausted. I went from doing 13 minute miles to about 16 minute miles & all the other runners had passed me. I was the last person left on the course. I felt defeated & just wanted to quit & go home. Just after mile 17 my coach found me & ran with me for a while. She talked to me & got me going a little faster, then left to get back to the finish line. Mile 18 was the Memorial Park water stop & Carmen did a great job of making me laugh by doing a silly little dance, then she told me all I had left was "a loop in the park" (ie: only 3 miles left). Hearing that made me think that maybe I could actually do this. I grabbed some food & gatorade, handed my fuel belt over to Adrienne (the weather was absolutely perfect & I knew I wouldn't need the belt), & decided that I was going to finish strong. I took a deep breath & made myself run stronger. After about a 1/2 mile, I got my second wind. I was running as if it were the first 2 miles instead of the last. When I got to the finish line & saw all the TNT staff & my 2 girlfriends there cheering me on, I kicked it up another notch & bolted past that finish line. I was exhausted & out of breath, but I felt great at the same time. I'd just finished 21 miles in under 5 hours. 6 month ago, that same distance took me more than 6 hours.

The rest of the day, I was tired, but my body felt pretty good. Then Sunday happened. I woke up with screaming quads & a very sore middle back. I took it easy the whole day, but the pain in my back just got worse & worse. Today it was so bad I had to call in sick. It's a different back pain than I've had before. Mostly because it's in my middle back (it's always been my lower back before) but I also I have no problem bending over. It's straightening up all the way & taking any deep breaths that cause me great pain. I'm not sure if it's the actual spine/discs I'm having a problem with, or if it's just the muscles. I'm hoping it's just the muscles. After all, I was pumping my arms pretty hard for almost 5 hours. Hopefully I'll be fine in a day or 2. *crosses fingers* The marathon is in 26 days & I really don't want to have to switch to the half.

Next weekend is the big 2 day walk for breast cancer. Some TNT teammates & friends are walking in honor of our TNT coach, Emily. Emily was supposed to walk with them, but she just can't do it now. She just got out of the hospital yesterday after having a procedure to clear a clogged stent & she's recovering nicely but she's still in a lot of pain. She'll be at the different cheer stations this weekend & I'm sure she'll at least walk part of the way, but there's no way she can go the full 2 days & 39.3 miles. She's a strong lady, but lately I can see her strength is waning. I'm still in denial over everything with her & anything that forces me to see the truth is not welcome. Deep down I know the inevitable will happen, but for now, I can't think about it. I just can't bare it.

I really hate cancer.

Look at that! I finally updated my blog!

2008-03-12T09:57:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know. I've been seriously slacking in the blogging department. I apologize to my 2 readers (if you're even still out there).

Let's see... what's been going on?

Not long after the Houston half marathon, my back went out on me (the product of attempting to save my car from a 5 gallon Gatorade spill in the back seat), but I think I'm finally over that. I fixed it by stopping running so much & getting back into the pool at least twice a week. My spine just can't handle all that constant jarring from running 4-5 times a week, so now I only run twice a week with the TNT group. Every Tuesday we have our track/speed practice, then every Saturday we do our long runs. The rest of my workout days are in the pool.

Until last weekend, the farthest I'd run was 9 miles. I felt pretty good after that 9, so the next week I was going to attempt to do 12. (The rest of the group was doing 16.) I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but the weather was SO perfect (temps in the 40's & not a cloud in the sky) that it completely jazzed me. I ended up doing 14 miles & I felt fantastic! What's even better is that it was the fastest I'd ever run (& that includes the Houston Half marathon)! I ran the entire time with a pace of just a smidge over 13 minutes per mile. I've never been able to sustain that pace for so long. I was ecstatic! Even better than that, I had virtually NO pain the rest of the day or even the next day. (See? Ice baths after runs really DO work!) I had so much energy all weekend. It was fabulous! My co-worker attributes it all to my continued weight loss. After stalling in that dept for about 2-3 months, I've been able to lose another 15 lbs so far, for a total loss of 55 lbs. I'm hoping to be down at least 60 lbs. by my birthday in 3 weeks. *crosses fingers*

Fundraising is going ok. Because I did Nike last season, I can't really ask people to donate again so I have to rely on big events instead. My friend Carissa & I, along w/ another friend, Eliza hosted a bachelor & bachelorette auction at the end of January & raised just over $6400 in one night. Not bad. We lost at least $2000 at the door because the people we had at the door collecting donations left after only an hour. Oh well. Live & learn, right? We're having another auction on April 17 which should be even better. We worked out all the kinks with that first auction, we have the venue for a much longer period of time, & we have extra help, so we think we shouldn't have a problem raising the $8000 we all need to get to our fundraising minimums.

In some sad news, it looks like things are getting worse for my TNT coach, Emily. Her cancer is spreading. I saw her at practice last weekend & she just doesn't look like herself. She's lost weight, she's pale, she looks SO tired & you can tell she's in pain when she moves. I don't even want to think about what might be to come. Yes, I'm in complete denial. Every time I have a little pain & feel like complaining, I make myself think of Emily & what she's going through. It's a big wake-up call.

Cancer sucks.

But it just motivates me even more to continue with what I'm doing. Running is my way of giving cancer the finger.

Bangs, bruises, & personal records: Race Day

2008-01-18T02:50:00.000-06:00

As I said, I was SUPER nervous about the Houston Half Marathon. I even had a horrible nightmare about it, in which I was 90 minutes late to the start, forgot my shoes, bloks, water, etc. & couldn't remember how to run. It was like I was being held in place by an invisible rope. I was so upset in the dream that I actually woke myself up because I was crying!

The night before the race I laid everything out to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything.

When I woke up race day morning, my back was feeling almost 100% & my knee wasn't bothering me at all.

The weather was clear, cold (about 42º) & slightly windy. I got dressed, gathered all my stuff & headed over to the GRB. Once there, I made a pit stop to the porta-potties, checked my bag, looked for friends (unsuccessfully), then headed to the starting line. There I ran into Adrienne, Carmen, Pam, Angela (who's 5 mos. pregnant!), & Sandi. We huddled together for warmth waiting for the gun to go off. We were in the black corral, which meant we didn't get to start until 7:10 am (vs 7:00 am for the more elite runners). When the gun finally went off, I took off at a fairly decent pace, leaving the girls behind me.

The gloves I had on didn't last a 1/4 mile before my hands were too hot & my long sleeved shirt barely lasted 2 miles before I had to take it off. The first 2 miles we were all packed together like sardines. It was driving me crazy having to weave in & out of people & I almost got tripped several times. Eventually, maybe around mile 4, the crowd thinned out enough to where I felt comfortable ust running & I wasn't worried about getting tripped.

The first 4 or 5 miles seemed to fly by. I was running faster & stronger than ever & I was amazed at how great I felt. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to keep my pace up, but I sure as hell was gonna try. It helped knowing that as soon as I hit Montrose, I would be seeing my friends on the sidelines cheering for me. And sure enough, as soon as I got to the first intersection on Montrose (right around mile 7), I saw my friends Tracy & Jeff. They were shocked to see me so quickly & weren't prepared. They hadn't even had a chance to unfurl their poster. I ran over to them quickly & gave them a big hug & thanked them for coming out. It really jazzed me to see them. :)

Just after mile 8, I saw my friend Don & his wife, Melissa, then a little further down was the TNT tent with all the TNT folks. I saw Coach Bill first, then our honored patient, John Purtee, who gave me a big high five as I ran past him. Then I saw our other honored patient, Jonathan Nitsch, who ran with me for a few moments. I gave him a big hug & wiped my sweaty face in his t-shirt (something I always do after practice because he finishes so much faster than I do & is always changed into clean dry clothes by the time I finish... silly, I know). He laughed & wished me luck. After that I saw Coach Jill, who also ran with me for a little bit. After that I was alone again.

I kept looking for my dad, who had said he was going to try to come out, but I couldn't find him any where. By the time I got to the turn-around point at Montrose & Richmond, I figured he must not have been able to make it. As I headed back up Montrose, I finally saw him standing all alone on the little concrete median in the middle of the road. He was looking all around, trying to find me. I yelled for him & crossed over to where he was. He finally saw me & his face lit up. He gave me a big hug & apologized for missing me earlier. He told me how great I looked & how incredibly proud he was of me for everything I was doing. He tried to run beside me for a while, but his back was too sore, so I stopped. He told me how much he loved me, I gave him a huge hug & a kiss on the cheek, thanked him for coming out to cheer me on, told him I loved him, & continued on my way. He told me again how much he loved me & as I left him, I began to cry. It meant SO much to me that he came out there all on his own to cheer for me. A huge burst of energy came over me & I felt lighter than air. Seeing him was the highlight of my race. :)

Not long after seeing my dad I came upon the TNT group once more, this time seeing John Purtee's mom, Cyndi (who did Nike with me & crossed the finish line with me). She gave me a huge hug & told me I was looking great. Then I saw my good friend, Carissa & her niece, Erycka with their sign & pom-poms. Carissa ran w/ me (in jeans & high heeled boots!) asking me if I needed anything, making sure I was doing ok, that I wasn't in any pain. Again I was just so happy to see someone I loved. :) I said I was fine & didn't need a thing, thanked her for everything, & continued on my way.

By this time I was a little over 9 miles into the race & starting to feel tired, but I pushed on. Just after mile 10, I came across Tracy & Jeff again, only this time they were joined by our friends Jennifer & Christine. They all had signs & noise makers & were screaming for me. I laughed so hard when I saw them & hammed it up for their cameras.
Again I got another burst of energy, just when I needed it most (I was REALLY getting tired). I knew I'd be able to finish & finish strong. After that, it was onto Allen Parkway & the home stretch. There was a decent crowd along Allen Parkway, including the "frat guys" passing out beer. LOL! My favorite part of that section was the huge banner on the Sabine overpass that said "1.5 miles to the finish!" HALLELUJAH!! After that, it was right into downtown Houston. The first few blocks were lonely (no spectators) but I could hear the crowd from the GRB & I could hear the music & the announcer. I was almost there! I made the final turn & could see the finish line in the distance. There was a huge crowd, which of course jazzed me again & made me feel strong. I picked up the pace. When I hit mile marker 13, I "sprinted" towards the finish. My right calf started to seize up on me, but I ignored it & pushed through. I heard the announcer call my name, I threw my arms up in the air, let out a happy scream, & crossed the finish line.

My original goal for this race was to finish in under 3 hours, but with my injuries, I went into it just hoping to finish in 3:15. My final official time:

2:56:14!!!

HOLY SHIT! I finished in under 3 hours!! Not only that, but I broke my last 1/2 marathon record by 31 minutes!! I was ECSTATIC!!! I still can't believe I did it. I have never run harder or stronger in my life. And the thing is, I actually RAN all 13 miles. The only times I stopped running was at 3 water stops when I took my Clif bloks (too hard to run, eat the bloks, & wash 'em down w/ water). I definitely ran slower on a few miles, but the point is, I still RAN. I never in my wildest dreams would've thought I could do that. I can't wait to see what I can do in Vancouver in May!

Here are my final splits:

Mile 1 - 13:09 (couldn't believe this, especially since I was pretty much packed like a sardine in that huge crowd of runners)
Mile 2 - 12:53 (Wow! Seriously? How is this possible with all these people crowding around me?)
Mile 3 - 12:54 (OK! I'm liking this!)
Mile 4 - 13:18 (first walk to take bloks)
Mile 5 - 13:02 (I've never been able to keep this pace up for this long. Usually it's 3 miles, max)
Mile 6 - 12:58 (Wow! I'm totally amazing myself!)
Mile 7 - 13:56 (2nd walk/blok break & 1st hug break with my friends)
Mile 8 - 13:15 (See? I told you my friends gave me a burst of energy)
Mile 9 - 13:43 (stopped w/ my dad)
Mile 10 - 14:05 (getting tired, 3rd walk/blok break, also stopped w/ TNT gang)
Mile 11 - 13:48 (still tired, but jazzed)
Mile 12 - 14:08 (more tired, but determined to pick things up in the last mile & finish strong)
Mile 13 - 13:33 (there we go!)
Mile 13.1 - 1:26 (Done! WOO-HOO!!!)

And there you have it. My best race to date. :)

By Tuesday my quads were SCREAMING & I was walking fairly odd, but today there's only a slight pain left in my muscles & I can walk just fine. I haven't worked out since the race, but I plan to get back into it this Saturday. I'm still in training so I really can't afford to miss many workouts. I've already bought myself a new swim suit so I can be back in the pool next week. I'm curious to see how much I can improve by the time Vancouver rolls around. :)

Bangs, bruises, & personal records

2008-01-18T02:24:00.000-06:00

Wow. Has it really been a month since I posted? My apologies to the 1 (maybe 2) readers I have out there.

Well, after 4 weeks, you can hardly tell I hurt my knee. For quite a while there, I was basically one big bruise. I guess gravity kept pulling the bruising further down my leg until it went from the base of my knee to the top of my ankle. Here's a not so great photo of it. It got much darker a few days after this was taken:
I didn't run for about a week & a half after I fell. When I finally started up again, my knee felt... "off". It was stiff & sore for maybe the first 1/4 - 1/2 mile, then it wouldn't really bother me. However, once I stopped running, it felt like it was just floating around & sort of... out of place? I'm not sure how to describe it. It just didn't feel right. Despite that, I was still determined to get in at least some workouts so I'd be a little more prepared for the Half Marathon. The farthest I ended up running was 8 miles & that was the week before the race. I was SUPER nervous. To make matters worse, 2 days before the race my back started to go out on me. I spent 1/2 of Friday & all of Saturday laying down, icing my back & taking LOTS of ibuprofen. I was so upset I wanted to cry. Between my knee & my back, I knew my dream of a sub-3 hour race was out the window. Little did I know what would happen that Sunday.

To be continued...

2007-12-16T23:40:00.000-06:00

I didn't realize it had been so long since I've written here.

Things had been going very well. I was running more & getting steadily stronger, consistently averaging 13 mins. per mile & was feeling great. Wednesday night we had a little Fall season holiday reunion. About a dozen of us met after work & ran through River Oaks to look at all the Christmas lights. I was a bit worried I'd end up alone because I'm so slow, but I was actually able to keep up with a few of the folks. We had a great short run, then drove to the top of the parking garage we trained in all season long for a little party. A big cold front had come through that afternoon so it really made it feel like the holidays. We had hot chocolate, wine, plenty of snacks & lots of good conversation & laughs. It was just what I needed.

Then Thursday happened.

I'd had a long day at work & was extremely tired by the time I got home. I really didn't want to run, but I convinced myself that I needed to, no matter how tired I was.

Big mistake.

About a mile & a half into my run, as I was crossing the street, I came upon a bump in the road. Only thing is I couldn't really see that bump because it was so friggin' dark outside. My right heel caught the bump in mid-stride. It was like it was all happening in slow motion. I tried to get my other leg out to try to keep running & steady myself, but it was no use. I was going down & I was going down HARD. I stuck out my arms to try to break the fall but it just scraped up my arm instead. My right knee smashed into the road & the rest of my body followed. I was sprawled out in the middle of the road with a car coming. I didn't know if they saw me, so I quickly jumped up & moved to the sidewalk. I could feel my knee & ankle begining to swell almost immediately. Of course I didn't have my phone with me so I had to walk (well... hobble) over a mile home. The knee popped with every step & if I tried to bend it even a little bit, it was excruciating. By the time I got home, my knee was already twice its normal size. The pain was terrible. I sat on the couch for a good 4 hours icing & elevating it.
By the time I went to bed, it felt better & I thought maybe the damage wasn't as bad as originally suspected. Then, around 2:00 am I woke up to change positions. I guess I'd forgotten about my knee & as I tried to move in my bed, I bent my knee. I screamed in agony. OMG it hurt SO f'ing much. I actually began to whimper & cry because it hurt so much. I got up, hobbled to the kitchen, took 4 more Ibuprofen, wrapped another ice pack around my knee & hobbled back to bed. I ended up calling in sick that morning because I just couldn't walk very well at all & figured it would be best for me to stay off the leg for a day & just ice it.

Thankfully today it is all much better. The swelling has gone down significantly & I can now bend & move my leg without wincing in pain. I have a lovely bruise forming around the entire knee, going down to my shin, & I still can't bend it all the way, but I don't think I did any serious damage. I'm pretty sure it's just really badly bruised. Thank goodness! Still, I won't be able to run for what I'm guessing will be at least the rest of this week & that is driving me crazy. The Houston 1/2 Marathon is only 3 weeks away & I need to be back out there training. If I can't work out, I think I'll go crazy. I keep thinking back to what it was like last year after my back injury & I vowed I'd never be in that position again. Then I go & do something like this. Hopefully I'll be a fast healer & be back out there in a few days. *crosses fingers*

Trying not to let the holidays get to me

2007-11-28T22:18:00.000-06:00

It's a good thing I did the Turkey Trot last week because I didn't run again until this past Monday. The weather was terrible all weekend (freezing cold & thunder/lightning storms). Thankfully now the weather has been GORGEOUS (cold, yet sunny) & perfect for running. I ran 3.2 miles in my neighborhood Monday & 4 miles tonight & to my delight I averaged about 13 mins/mile both nights. I really hope I can keep that up all the way through to the Houston Half Marathon. (I can't believe it's only about 5 weeks away. Eeeeeek!)

The new season of TNT begins this weekend with the big kick-off party Saturday morning. Not only have I signed up to do the Vancouver Marathon with TNT, but I will also be mentoring again. I haven't officially mentored in over a year so it should be good to get back into it. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. So far I only have 3 mentees. I have a feeling this will be a very small group. We'll see if they get any more to sign up this weekend. *crosses fingers*

I really need to get back on track. Those few weeks I had off from running took its toll. It's been a lot harder to get myself motivated again, especially with the holidays here. But I can't let myself go back to what I was. I've worked too hard & I've already thrown away all my old "fat clothes". Having this new season start should be just what I need to get my ass back out there on a regular basis & back to eating the good foods.

Here's hoping!

Turkey Trot

2007-11-24T00:22:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving & as tradition in this city, I joined a few thousand runners & did the Turkey Trot in the Uptown Galleria area. The weather was awful! The temps had dropped overnight & it was in the low 40's with HUGE gusting winds, making it feel like it was about 30 degrees. My hands & arms were practically numb.

I was supposed to do this race with my best friend, Kelly, but she developed a nasty upper respiratory infection so I went alone. I ran into my TNT teammates, Sandi & Tim, said a quick hello, then went to look for a few other friends (which I never found). While huddled in the starting line, trying to keep warm, I ran into my friends, Adrienne & Julie. They were as miserable as I was & regretting not staying in our warm beds. They were running the 10K but Adrienne decided right there at the starting line to run the 5K with me. It was nice to have someone to talk to during the race. We were freezing our butts off so I ended up running faster than usual just to try to get my body temp up & to finish as fast as I could. My first mile was 12:48! I couldn't believe it! The 2nd mile was about the same. Woo! The last mile was the worst because we were in a headwind. Sweet JEEBUS was that ever c-c-c-cold! Brrrrrrr! When we saw the finish line, we kicked it into high gear. As we crossed the finish line, I looked at my watch & couldn't believe my eyes... I finished in 37:56! WOO-HOOO!!! PR baby!! My last 5k was something like 46 minutes.

I'm really amazed at how much I've progressed these last 6 months. Even Adrienne commented during the race how strong my running has become. I can't wait to see how much more I can improve in the future. Bring on that half marathon! :)

Quickie

2007-11-17T11:52:00.000-06:00

Before today, I'd only run 3 times since the marathon. I'd hurt my left big toe the day after the marathon (accidentally kicked the back of a guys shoe & ripped the nail off the toe) & it was 2 weeks before I could wear any shoes other than flip flops. By the time I did my first post-marathon run, 2-1/2 weeks had gone by. I was pretty surprised that I was still able to keep up a good pace. All 3 runs (each btwn 3-4 miles) averaged about 14:30 mins/mile. Today was my first "long run".

I'd planned on doing 8 with the TNT group (down Allen Parkway) but at that last minute a friend asked if I could cover for her at a water stop, which I did. After I was done helping out with the group, I did 6 miles in the park. I don't know why, but today I was able to do my fastest 6 miles ever! I finished in 1:20:53 for an average pace of 13:28 mins/mile. WOO-HOOO!!!! If I can keep this up & maybe even get a bit faster, I might be able to do a sub-3 hr. half marathon. (My official half marathon PR is 3:27.)

I'm gonna go for it! :)

Better late than never

2007-11-14T23:27:00.000-06:00

Sorry for taking so long to write this up, but it's a doozy...

RACE DAY:

The time limit for the marathon was 6.5 hours. However, if you were with TNT & knew ahead of time that you wouldn't be able to finish in that time, you were given the option of doing an early start. This way, you'd have an extra 90 minutes (for a totoal of 8 hours) to finish the race. I, of course, was doing the early start.

I'd set my alarm for 3:30 am but it turns out I didn't need it. I hardly slept at all & finally got out of bed around 3:20 & started to get myself ready. I'd laid all my stuff for the race out on the ironing board before bed so everything I needed was right at my fingertips. I got dressed, lubed my feet up, put on my shoes, grabbed a bottle of water, a granola bar, & a protein bar & headed downstairs to the lobby to meet the rest of the early starters at 4:45. I was so nervous I could barely eat but I knew if I didn't, I'd be sorry, so I ate 1/2 the protein bar & 1 of the granola bars. We posed for a few pictures, then headed to the starting line around 5:00 am.
The starting line was just around the corner from out hotel, so we didn't have to walk far. It was about 55º & a tad breezy. Quite a difference from the 100+ temps I'd been running in all summer long! We dropped our gear bags off at the buses down the street & I made a quick pit stop at the porta potties. Then we walked over to the official starting line, right in front of Tiffany's in Union Square. I was surprised by how many people were starting early. I'd say there was at least 1000 of us.
It was pitch black out & there wasn't that big of a crowd of people there to cheer us on, but there was definitely excitement in the air. A few minutes before 5:30, we began to hear the faint song of a choir singing. There were no microphones on anywhere so it took a minute to realize that it was the Star Spangled Banner. Soon all the women in the corral joined in & by those final notes, I had goose bumps on my arms & a lump in my throat. Then a woman standing on a platform began to speak. Again, she had no microphone so she had to shout, but the crowd became quiet as a mouse so we could all hear her. She thanked us all for coming & for working so hard to raise money for such a wonderful cause. Then she told us to all close our eyes & take a minute to think of the reason we were there... for the people we know/knew who have been touched by this disease, the people who are fighting cancer, the people who lost that fight, & for those who have won. The crowd was completely silent except for the sniffles from the tears of many of the runners (myself included). After our moment of silence, she asked us to look at those around us, to look at their faces, to give them a hug, thank them for running & wish them good luck. This caused more tears, but also lots of laughter. Then came the moment we all had been waiting for...

10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!

GO!!!!

And we were off. Down the streets of San Francisco we went, with police on motorcycles leading the way.

Starting line

I started out with my friend, Carmen & her pals from Louisiana. We couldn't go very fast because of the crowd so we were just walking, talking, & laughing. The only people on the streets to cheer for us were the police & it was so dark we could barely see the sights as we ran past them. I almost missed the TransAmerica building!

After about 15 minutes the crowd had spread out a bit & I began to feel restless. I wanted to stay with Carmen, but I wanted to go faster, too. I had a goal to meet with this race & I knew if I kept that pace I'd never make it. Eventually I had to bid her adieu & took off. I thought I'd been going very slow because I never saw any mile markers. Suddenly I saw one that said "mile 2". I looked at my watch & I'd been out there for 31 minutes. That meant 15:30/mile pace, & I hadn't even really been pushing it. I was SO happy!

By this time we were running along the Embarcadero & there was a big choir from a local church singing hymns for us. There wasn't another sole around except for the runners & that choir. It was so beautiful I got chills. A little further down we came upon Fisherman's Wharf. Again, there wasn't a sole around but I could hear the barks of all the sea lions that reside along the pier. It gave me such a big smile. I yelled to the runners around me "Listen! The sea lions are cheering for us!" They all laughed.

Every once in a while, maybe a few blocks apart, there was 1 or 2 residents on the corner cheering. I made a point to thank them all as I ran by. It meant a lot that they would get out of their nice warm beds so early on a Sunday morning to cheer for us. After the Wharf, it was on through the marina up to the Presideo. It was then I saw the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun was just barely rising & the bridge was still lit up. It was gorgeous! I'd forgotten what a beautiful sight it is. I stopped several times to take photos.

Mile 5

(2 second exposure photo of Golden Gate Bridge just before mile 6)

At mile 6 I was at the base of the bridge & at the start of what was the steepest & worst hill on the course... going from an elevation of 25' to 290' in about 3/4 of a mile. I made that sharp turn to start up that hill & was almost stopped in my tracks by what I saw... the San Fransisco skyline perfectly silhouetted against the most gorgeous fire orange, red, & golden sky. The city was still asleep. I told the girl in front of me who was struggling up that hill to take a look. She stopped & took it all in. I think it gave her the strength to get the rest of the way up that hill. I know it gave me a burst of energy. I charged up that hill like it was nothing but a small bump on the course. When I reached the top I couldn't believe it. That's what everyone was so worried about??? That tiny hill?? That was nothing! I didn't even stop at the Oxygen Bar at the top of the hill. I just kept on going.

By this point I was right in the Presideo with all the military housing. There were actually people out there cheering us on, which was a welcome surprise. Just before mile 8 we were all passed by the pace cars for the elites, & soon were passed by the elites. I was in awe of these women as they glided past me. It all seemed so effortless for them. Here I was, out on the course for the past 2 hours & I was being passed by women who had only been running for about 40 minutes! But there weren't as many as I thought & they were all spread pretty far apart, which for some reason made me feel better.

Mile 9 was a tough one. Again it was up a very steep hill, but again, I tackled it like I never thought I could. At the beginning of the hill was a big group of TNT staffers, all dressed as prisoners holding signs like "You can't escape mile 9!" There were also posters of all the honored patients from all over the country. It was quite moving, especially when I saw the poster for my group, with the photo of my friend, Carrie's son. Then I saw Coach Chris & Coach Holly, which was a welcomed sight. They quickly asked me how I was doing, told me I was doing great, then went back down the hill to check on the other runners. A minute later I saw my coach, Dan. He saw me, gave me a huge smile & said "Erin! How the hell are ya?" I smiled, laughed, then yelled "LIEUTENANT DAN!!" He ran up to me & told me how great I looked. I told him I felt great, that I was doing so much better than I thought I would, & that I was having a great time, despite the hills. He ran me up the hill, saying he thought this one was worse than 6, to which I agreed. When we were almost to the top, he told me is wasn't that bad once I looked behind me & saw where I was. I looked & saw that hill, with all the houses along the side & the most beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. It was breathtaking. As Dan turned around to go back down the hill to greet the other runners I gave him another smile, thanked him for everything, & went on my way.

Soon after I ran into the last of our coaches, John around the mile 10 marker. Again I laughed & smiled & told him how great this all was. He asked if I needed any gu's, gels, etc. but I said "nope, everything I need I have in my bra!" He looked stunned. I explained to him that one of the perks of being a big gal like myself is that you have the ability to stuff SO much stuff into your bra. I said "I have 2 ziplocks full of Clif Bloks, a ziplock with baby wipes, & a granola bar in there!" He busted out laughing so hard, said "alrighty then!" & let me go about my merry way. It was at this point where it began to go downhill again & I was able to pick up speed. The streets wound around & around until I came to a big bend in the road. As I rounded that bend, I stopped in my tracks. I was dumbfounded by what I saw. I actually said "HOLY SHIT!" There it was... the Pacific Ocean in all its glory. The sun was up & made the beach glisten like gold as the waves crashed against the shore & there was a soft mist in the distance. I pulled over to the side of the road & grabbed my camera. No way was I going to miss this Kodak moment.
This photo doesn't even begin to do it justice. I swear you could almost hear angels singing, it was so beautiful. It gave me yet another burst of energy.

Mile 10

As I wound down the hill & headed towards the beach, I could see the finish line area & smell all the food they had cooking there. That was not fair! I was SO hungry! But I still had 16 miles to go. We hung a left & kept on going, heading towards Golden Gate Park. Just before mile 12, the half marathoners split off from the full marathoners. Those lucky ladies were almost done. One of the high school girls at the cheer station yelled to me "Way to go! You're almost done!" I yelled back at her "YOU ARE SUCH A LIAR!!!! I am nowhere NEAR done!!! I still have 14 f'ing miles to go!!!" I think I scared her. LOL! She apologized & said that's what she was told to yell. I didn't care. I told her to stop telling people that because it will just piss them off. She didn't seem to get it. I think you have to be a runner to understand.

Running through GG Park was quite pretty. It was lots & lots of trees, which meant lots & lots of shade. A plus in my book. It also had bagpipers in kilts! It was awesome! I of course had to take a picture:
It seemed to take forever to get through GG Park. We went up one side of the street & down the other. It was a bit frustrating seeing all those runners ahead of me coming back down the road. I wanted to be where they were! Where was that damn turn-around anyway? I finally reached the turn-around & headed back down the road. That's when I saw Carmen again as she headed up the road. I hadn't seen her in about 12 miles. She looked tired, but she looked strong, too. There were lots of people cheering up & down the road, which was so nice. It really does help to have people call out your name & simply say "Go Erin!!! You can do it!!!"

Just after mile 15, we finally met up again with the 1/2 marathoners. Suddenly I was in a throng of runners. It was awesome! I got a huge burst of energy & began to run faster. I ran into my friend & teammate Pam there & we had a quick hug before she ran off (she's MUCH faster than I am). Then there was the Nike tunnel. It was a huge long tent set up in the path, down a hill that was blasting Melissa Ethridge & flashing all these inspirational photos on the sides. It was so cool. Again it gave me a quick burst of energy & felt like I was flying right through it.

Just after mile 16, we split off from the half marathoners again just as we hit the Great Highway, along the coastline. There was a HUUUUGE crowd of people there cheering. They were yelling SO loud, calling out my name (putting my name on the front of my jersey was the BEST idea). I actually got goose bumps! I kicked it up a notch & ran faster as I rounded the bend. Once again I saw that gorgeous ocean view. When I hit the mile 16 marker, I looked at my watch. I realized at that point that even if I walked the whole rest of the way & did 25 minute miles, I'd still finish under my goal, so I decided to walk for the first time in I can't tell you how many miles & took in that view. I had planned on walking that whole mile, but it hurt my back so I began to trot.

The further I went down the Great Highway, the fewer spectators there were. There wasn't a bit of shade & the sun was pretty high in the sky. The marching band around mile 18 perked me up a bit, but not too much. I was getting tired. I was so tired that I didn't even realize that my TNT director & all the staff were right next to me cheering for me as I entered in the Lake Merced part of the run until I had passed them. LOL!

(Side note: the day before the marathon I found out there was a time cut-off at mile 18.6, which is where the Lake Merced portion began. If you didn't reach that point by 12:00 noon, you were turned around & told to go to the finish line. I'd missed a time cut-off in San Diego the year before & there was no way in hell I was going to miss one in this race. I was SO nervous that I wouldn't make it there by 12:00. When I finally made it there I looked at my watch. It was only 10:00!!! I'd beaten the time cut-off by 2 hours!! WOO-HOO!!!)

The beginning of the Lake Merced portion of the course was gorgeous. The lake was like glass, there were tons of trees & shade, & it was all very quiet & serene. I thought "oh wow, this won't be that bad."

WRONG!!!

Lake Merced was the worst part of the whole race. We dubbed it Lake "Cursed". After about mile 20, the serenity ended & were were on the side of a major boulevard. The city had blocked off the right lane for us, but the rest of the road was backed up forever with cars & trucks. The exhaust was awful. Then we heard a gunshot! I thought there was a sniper but it turns out there's a skeet shooting place on the lake. Fun.

The further we went around the lake, the hotter & less breezy it got, & the more the roads went up & down & up & down & up & down. I hadn't been taking in enough fluids & it was really catching up to me. I was SO glad to see the one & only water stop around the lake. I grabbed 2 glasses & chugged one & poured the other over my head. I wanted to be out of there & back on the Great Highway. Even when we got to "the Chocolate Mile", where they were handing out Ghiradelli chocolates, I didn't want any. Me? Not want chocolate? Anyone who knows me knows that means a lot for me to turn down free chocolate! I forced myself to take a bite because I figured it would maybe at least give me a quick sugar rush, but my mouth was so dry it wouldn't dissolve in my mouth, so I just threw it away.

Mile 23 was all uphill & I just didn't have the energy to run any more so I walked. I felt terrible. I was tired, I was hot, I was in horrible pain. I wanted so badly to just quit, but I knew the Great Highway & the final road to that Tiffany necklace was only a mile away, & I knew I'd never forgive myself if I quit, so I trudged on despite the incredible pain in my right knee & hip & despite feeling lonely & isoloated. It was around this point when a woman running past me put her hand on my shoulder & told me "Dave would be so proud of you". With a lump in my throat, I thanked her. Then she was gone.

As I neared the top of the hill I heard 2 women behind me thanking each other for staying with the other during the whole race & how much it meant to have each other there, pushing each other, not letting the other quit. I started to get a lump in my throat & I was really wishing I had someone I knew with me. Other than the brief run-ins with my coaches & a few teammates, I'd been running alone pretty much the whole time. Suddenly I heard someone behind me call my name. I turned around & saw that the 2 women I'd overheard thanking each other were none other than my teammates Beth & Marissa! As soon as I saw them I burst into tears. We gave each other huge hugs & laughed. We all agreed that mile 23 was our lowest point in the race. We rounded the bend & saw the most beautiful sight ever... the Great Highway & better yet... the downward hill! Beth said "as soon as we start to go down, we're going to run!" I said I'd run too, but that I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with them. And down we ran, laughing all the way. It wasn't long before they were ahead of me. I said I'd see them at the finish line. I was alone again but my mood had changed significantly. I was going to do it. I was going to finish!!

(around mile 24)

The further I got down the Great Highway, the more people I saw. At mile 24 I saw my coach, Dan again & he ran with me for a short time. He told me I was doing so great & that he was proud of me. I told him I had a great time & thanked him for everything he'd done for me this whole season. (He was such an awesome coach!)

Not long after I saw Dan, I saw Adrienne. She ended up doing the 1/2 marathon with our coach, Emily who has bone cancer & had finished the race about 2 hours earlier. She ran & talked with me until mile 25, where we stopped to pose for the race photographer. After that, Adrienne took off to find Carmen & I made my way to the finish line.

Adrienne & me - mile 25 (photo courtesy of Brightroom Photography)

Not long after Adrienne left me, I heard someone behind me yell my name. It was Cyndi Purtee! Her son, Johnathan is one of our honored patients & this was her very first marathon. I was SO happy to see her! I'd been thinking of her so much during the race, wondering how she was doing. I gave her a BIG hug. She said I was her "Dread Pirate Roberts". (She's called me that for the last part of the training season.) She said "I've been trying to catch up to you for 25 miles! Every time I'd see you I'd say 'how is she so far ahead? It's inconceivable!!' But I finally did it! I caught up to you!" We agreed we were going to run our hearts out that last mile & cross the finish line together.

The crowd was enormous & kept calling out our names. We smiled & laughed & picked up speed. I could see the finish line, I could hear the announcer calling the runners in, & I could see the line of gorgeous men in tuxedos. I could see the Tiffany boxes!! This was it. I was almost done! I was REALLY almost done!! I heard the announcer call my name, I raised my arms in the air & I screamed with glee as I crossed the finish line! I did it!! I really did it!!

I got my beautiful blue Tiffany box & after 7 hours, 10 minutes, & 25 seconds... I finally stopped. Every part of my body began to scream in pain, but I didn't care. I was done. I had completed the Nike Women's Marathon.

When I turned around, I saw Cyndi & I grabbed her. We hugged & hugged & hugged. I told her how proud I was of her & how proud her son will be of her when he hears how great she did. She thanked me for being her inspiration. She told me that every single week she followed me, trying harder & harder to keep up with me. She said she saw my determination & was inspired. She knew that if I could do this, so could she. I hugged her again & told her again how proud I was of her & how it was an honor to cross the finish line with her. I couldn't have imagined a better ending to our race. :)

Me & Cyndi about to finish (photo courtesy of Brightroom Photography)

Nike Women's Marathon FINISHER!

Here are my splits. Average pace was just over 16 mins/mile. I still can't believe I did it.
1 & 2 - 31:20
3 - 15:54
4 - 13:15 (wow! Don't know what happened here, other than a short downhill section in complete darkness.)
5 - 14:23
6 - 15:59 (at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge so of course I had to stop to take photos!)
7 - 16:05 (the end of the steepest & supposedly hardest hill on the course. Whatever!)
8 - 12:56 (What goes up, must come down. YAY downhill!!)
9 - 15:57 (another very steep hill & I still took it in under 16 minutes, thanks to the help of my coach, Dan who ran up the hill with me.)
10 - 14:46 (again, what goes up, must come down. This includes me stopping to take photos of the ocean.)
11 - 15:06
12 - 15:40
13 - 15:49
14 - 17:08 (this is the 1st time I started to get really tired & cranky)
15 - 15:51
16 - 14:57
17 - 17:38 (this is where I decided to slow down)
18 - 17:05
19 - 18:41
20 - 19:25
21 - 19:37
22 - 17:37
23 - 20:21 (worst part of the race... the lake seemed never-ending & this was mostly uphill. Lake Merced="Lake Cursed")
24 - 16:33 (Yay for downhill! Plus, I could see the ocean again and better yet, the finish line!)
25 - 18:51 (Adrienne & I stopped to pose for photos)
26.2 - 20:01 (I forgot to hit my watch at 26, but it was about 16 minutes)

Nike Re-cap - Part I

2007-10-29T22:26:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's already been a week since I got back from San Francisco. It sort of feels like it was yesterday (only I can walk normally today). It truly was one of the best weekends. Not only did I have a great time with my friends, but I had a great time during the marathon. The course, while tough, was the most beautiful I've ever seen. I don't know how many times I was literally stopped in my tracks because of the scenery. I'd do it all again this weekend if I could. Here's a rundown of the weekend:

We got to San Francisco late Friday morning, hopped on a bus to our hotel, checked in, then went to the Expo. Our hotel was in the absolute perfect spot in Union Square... only a 1/2 block from the Expo & the starting line, which meant only a 1/2 block from Tiffany & Co. :) I was a little disappointed in the expo because it was only Nike stuff, no other vendors of any kind. I couldn't even buy the super cute socks I normally do at marathon expos. Oh well. I got some super cool official Marathon gear at Niketown, which was across the street from the expo.

One of the coolest things about this race is that the folks at Nike printed out the names of all 23,000 participants & put them in the window of the huge Niketown store in Union Square. There was a line of participants all trying to find their names. Thankfully mine was at a decent height:

After a full afternoon of shopping, my friend Carissa & I rested for a bit, then got cleaned up & ready for a night out on the town. We went to dinner at the restaurant my Uncle Mark used to own, The Washington Square Bar & Grill. It was such a nostalgia kick for me. I hadn't been there in about 20 years & it looked exactly the same. The food was great, as were the cocktails. It was the perfect start to our night of fun. Afterwards we were picked up by Carissa's friend (a local) & spent the rest of the night hanging out at a great Irish pub with their friends. It was good, good fun & ended in a stretch limo ride back to the hotel.

Saturday was a bit of a recovery day for Carissa & I (Carissa more than me) so we really didn't do much of anything. We had a huge late breakfast with our new friend & teammate, Carrie (Carrie's 4 y/o son, Peyton has Leukemia) then did a little more shopping at Niketown. Afterwards we went back to our hotel room to finish decorating our race singlets.
Originally Carissa & I were going to skip the TNT pasta party & have dinner with some friends, but since it was Carrie's first marathon & since her son is one of our honored patients, we decided to escort her to her very first TNT pasta party. I'm so glad we did. It was amazing. We walked into the Moscone Center & were greeted by hundreds & hundreds of TNT staff, coaches, & mentors, all dressed up, blowing whistles, screaming, cheering, laughing. And just when I thought it was ending, I turned to go down the stairs & was greeted by 100's more TNT-ers. I'd never seen so many TNT people together in one place before. It was even more amazing when I got into the huge hall where the dinner was held. There were tables as far as the eye could see. Turns out it was the largest TNT pasta party in the history of TNT... over 8000 people! (5300 runners, plus their family & friends) I couldn't get over it.
The food was so-so, but the speakers were great. We had John "The Penguin" Bingham, Joan Benoit Samuelson (the first Women's Olympic Marathon Gold medalist in 1984 & one of the greatest American marathoners in history), & a woman named Kim (I hate that I can't remember her last name) who is a Lymphoma survivor. The Penguin was hilarious as always. Joan was inspirational & made us all feel extra proud to be a woman. Kim brought tears to my eyes & made me even more determined to finish what I started.

After the pasta party it was back to the hotel for a few last minute words of encouragement from our coaches before heading to bed. I knew I wouldn't sleep very well. I was too nervous & too excited. I couldn't wait to run.

To be continued...

I FINISHED!!!!!

2007-10-23T10:30:00.000-05:00

I did it! I finished the Nike Women's Marathon!!!! And I SHATTERED my goal time of 7:30 & finished in 7:10:25!!!!! I could have easily finished in under 7 hours but I decided to slow down & soak it all in as much as I could.

I'm uploading photos & will type up a full, huge weekend/race re-cap later, but for now, I'll leave you with this...

I know it's VERY shaky, but you try holding a camera steady when you're running to the finish line after running for over 7 hours. LOL! If you listen closely, you can hear the crowd yelling my name & the announcer calling me in. Every time I watch it, my eyes well up with tears. I still can't believe I did it. What an absolutely FANTASTIC day & a FANTASTIC weekend. I'd do it over & over & over again.

Almost there!!!

2007-10-13T16:17:00.000-05:00

Apologies to my 1 or 2 readers for not posting in a while. I swear I thought I had posted, but I must've dreamed it. So, where do I begin?

Last week's long run was pitiful. I had some "stomach issues" & that really slowed me down, but I trudged on through & finished the 14 miles in so-so time. It was very frustrating, especially considering how great my other training has been. My sprints are the fastest ever, averaging about a 13:00/mile pace. I am tickled pink about that!

Today's long run... my LAST ONE before the marathon... was FANTASTIC! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. I was in heaven! It's amazing what a 20º difference in temperature can do for your pace. I did 13 miles in 3:11. If this had been an official 1/2 marathon, it would've been a PR! (My current 1/2 marathon PR is 3:27) I started out walking the 1st 2.8 miles but I ran the whole rest of the way. I only stopped to walk twice! I couldn't believe how great I felt! I never got winded & my body felt awesome! It was definitely my best run ever & made me SO much more excited about the marathon next week.

Speaking of the marathon, Thursday night I picked up my race packet from the TNT group. They had a happy hour at a local pub, Kobain & all our stuff came in a blue Tiffany's bag w/ Tiffany perfume & a catalog of the most GORGEOUS Tiffany jewelry. OMG, I want! I want! I want! I was giddy with excitement. I can't wait to see what the race necklace looks like. More importantly, I can't wait to WEAR the race necklace. I don't know if I'll ever take it off!

I want the marathon to be here already. We leave at the butt-crack of dawn Friday morning & arrive in San Fran around 10:15 am. We'll quickly check into our hotel (the super swanky Sir Francis Drake) then walk over to the expo. I'm almost as excited about the expo as I am the race! After that, we'll do a short 3 mile run in the city, then we're free until the pasta party Saturday night.

I don't know how I'm going to sleep on Saturday. What sucks is that since I'm doing the early start, that means I'll have to get up at 3:30 am!! But it'll be worth it just to have that extra 90 minutes to run. The only thing I'm bummed about is that apparently we will have a motorcycle escort & we will not be permitted to go any faster that 15:00 mins/mile. My original plan was to keep up a 14:00/14:30 pace for as long as possible so when I slow down later in the race, I'll still hopefully be able to finish in 7:30. But maybe if I'm forced to go at that 15 min. pace it'll help me save some energy which will help me sustain that pace for a longer period of time. I figure if I can keep that pace for at least 16 miles, I'll be able to make my goal.

I still can't believe it's almost here. I keep thinking back to where I was a year or so ago & it amazes me how far I've come. I'm stronger than I think I've ever been in my life & I'm also becoming the thinnest I've ever been. To date I've lost 35 lbs. My original goal was to lose 40 lbs by race day, but I'll take the 35. I figure I've gained SO much muscle that it's basically the equivalent to losing 40 lbs.

I'm going to take a week off after the marathon, then I'll be back running. Next race up after Nike is the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January. With any luck I'll be at least another 20 lbs lighter by then. :)

Hello. How are you doing today?

2007-09-30T21:36:00.001-05:00

Me? I am hanging in there. It's been a rough few weeks.

My paternal grandmother had been very ill & eventually died on the 18th. While expected, it was still very sad to lose such a wonderful lady. I had the worst travel experience getting to Erie, PA for the funeral that weekend. It involved 3 plane rides (including 2 small puddle-jumper jets) which were late & a 100 mile drive through rush hour traffic & construction. And that was just one way! I didn't have to worry about the fact that I wasn't able to get in my long run that weekend because I ran enough miles through all the airports (carrying 2 suitcases to boot). Would it kill them to put the same airline in one single terminal??? JEEBUS!!

Still, it was a bit hard getting back into my work-out routine after being gone for so long with the family stuff. I'm doing surprisingly today well considering I ran 21 miles yesterday. It was a long, miserable, hot run, but I finished. It was a lot slower than I wanted, but then again, I included all the time I stopped to chat & eat at all the water stops, which I will NOT do on race day. So if you take that time out, I think it ends up being not so terrible (but still not quite as I'd have preferred).

I had a minor problem with my right calf, a pain in my right knee (from all the hills) & then a bad pain in the ball of my right foot during the run, but all that is fine today. When I got home I took a long ice bath, popped a bunch of ibuprofin, & wrapped my knee with a big ice pack. I was fully expecting to be walking like a 98 year old woman this morning, but other than a little pain/tightness in my quads & hips, I feel great. Hopefully I'll feel the same after the marathon in 3 weeks. *crosses fingers*

Next weekend the mileage goes down to 14. That should be a piece of cake! I can't believe race day is almost here!

I need your help!!!

2007-09-26T07:09:00.000-05:00

It's almost time for the Nike Women's Marathon, which also means my deadline for raising the money needed for this race is also coming up. I'm still about $1000 short of the fundraising minimum, which is due this Monday, October 1. So please, if you'd like to help me out & help save lives at the same time, click here to go to my fundraising website & make a donation. Simply click on "Donate now!" & follow the easy instructions. Your donation is TAX DEDUCTIBLE!! Plus, you'll help save countless lives. Isn't that worth skipping a few cups of coffee or a few drinks at the pub?

Thanks for your help!! :)

PS

2007-09-15T18:53:00.000-05:00

I saw the CUTEST thing at Memorial Park this morning. As I started my run at 5:00 am, when I got to the tennis courts, I saw a big tent set up across the street by the track with a banner that said (forgive me if I forgot the right names) "Dave & Mindy Wedding Day Run". There was a bunch of people setting up what looked like a mini wedding reception under the tent. Then I saw the groom... he was wearing running shorts & a t-shirt that looked like a tuxedo. SO CUTE!

I was bummed I didn't get to see the bride. I had visions of a woman in a white running outfit w/ a little veil.

Congrats you guys, whoever you are! :)

Slowly getting back into it

2007-09-15T18:27:00.000-05:00

As usual, I got my post-vacation cold & have spent the last week pretty much constantly blowing my nose. It's made for some "fun" workouts. I skipped a few because I felt way too crappy & was having too much trouble breathing just standing still, let alone running. On the days I did work out, I felt as if I hadn't worked out in months. I was SO sluggish & my whole body ached afterwards.

Ugh.

Needless to say I was REALLY dreading today's 18 mile long run. My left calf had been bothering me all week (hill training Wednesday... which sucked... didn't help matters) so I figured it was going to be a problem today. I was wrong. It was my right calf that was bothering me.

WTF???

Despite the calf problem, I actually did pretty well. I was able to keep up my pace for 16 miles before I started to peter out. I really seem to have a big problem with the sun. Once it was out there & the clouds had gone away, I felt my energy drain away. Add in the calf pain & I pretty much just walked the last 2 miles back to the park. Thankfully it really wasn't too hot today or I'm sure I would've petered out much earlier. I guess I have Hurricane Humberto to thank for the cooler/less humid weather. Thanks Humberto!

The fact that I was able to keep my pace for 16 miles was really encouraging to me. I still have a month before the marathon so I feel I'll be able to improve even more. Hopefully I'll be able to keep a steady pace for the majority of the race. I really REALLY want to be able to finish within 7.5 hours. If I can do that, I will be ecstatic!!

Of course, my stupid calves have to heal first or else I fear the marathon will be a total disaster. But I have faith. Don't ask me why. I just have a good feeling about this race.

Oh! At breakfast after practice today, we were talking about our next big adventure... the Texas Independence Relay! Right now I've only volunteered to be the driver, but who knows, if I keep up with my training & lose even more weight, maybe I'll be fast enough to actually run.

30

2007-09-12T23:15:00.000-05:00

As of today I have officially lost 30 pounds. WOO-HOOOO!!!! :D

Stop the screaming!

2007-09-09T10:03:00.000-05:00

Apparently dancing for 3+ hours on your tippy-toes for 3 straight nights isn't that great for your calves, as I found out yesterday during my 12 mile long run. I was doing great for about the first 7 or 8 miles. I ran with Carmen & we were keeping up a pretty good pace. I was feeling good! When we got to downtown, we were testing ourselves by running some sections hard, getting our heart rates up there, then walking, repeating it over again each block as we ran through the streets of downtown Houston. (Btw... I LOVE running through downtown Houston at sunrise. It's SO peaceful.) However, by the time we were on our way back to the park & made it to the water stop at Waugh & Memorial, my left calf was SCREAMING. When I got back from vacation, that same calf was sore & tight, but I figured it would be fine by the long run.

I was wrong.

It was tightening up more & more with each step. I kept stopping to stretch, but it just seemed to make it worse. We pretty much did the "mall walk" for the last 2 miles, which was hard, because when I just walk, my back starts to hurt. I had to figure out which was the lesser of the 2 evils. The back pain was easier to deal with, so I kept walking.

When I got home & tried to get out of my car, I screamed out in pain. It was the world's worst charlie-horse in my calf EVER. I couldn't get the spasm to stop. I got inside & tried to massage the pain away but it didn't work. I took an ice bath, followed by a nice warm shower, which seemed to help, then I tried to roll it out with my stick. OW! OW! OW!!! The only thing that really helped was about 4 Ibuprofin & a 2 hour nap with my leg up. It's still pretty sore today, but at least now I can walk without a limp. Hopefully it'll be better by Tuesday. We have hill training that day & that can be a killer if I still have bad calves. Hopefully that won't be a problem. *crosses fingers*

Post-vacation blues

2007-09-04T23:10:00.001-05:00

Back from vacation. Turns out this past week was a great workout...

Go camping in the middle of nowhere WA state.
Get a campsite the furthest from anything you need.
Laugh so hard your stomach muscles ache, then laugh some more.
Hike 2 miles up & down hills & valleys to the concert venue.
Dance non-stop for 3+ hours on your tippy-toes.
Hike 2 miles up & down hills & valleys back to campsite.
Repeat for 2 more days.

Good golly did I have fun. And I have the screaming calves to prove it. :) I want to go back.

The good, the bad, & the ugly

2007-08-25T19:04:00.000-05:00

Big ups & downs in training this week. Actually, it started last week w/ the long run, which started out great, but ended really crappy. This heat is really getting to me during these long runs. Last week I didn't start until almost 5:30 am & that really cost me. We only did 10.5 miles, which was through River Oaks which meant lots of shade, but those last 2 miles were in the blazing sun & it was SO f'ing hot I had no energy left to go very fast at all. I pretty much strolled back to the park.

Oddly enough, Tuesday's practice with temps equally as hot went really well. This was the week to do 1/2 mile sprints at the track & again, I'm pretty steady w/ times. The only "problem" was that it was VERY windy, but only on 1/2 the track. Of course, that 1/2 was a headwind. However, that wind was also a Godsend because it felt FABULOUS. We did 6 ea. 1/2 mile sprints. Here's how I did:

1 - 7:14:27
2 - 6:59:36
3 - 6:57:65
4 - 7:07:23
5 - 7:01:79
6 - 7:01:82

Total time: 42:22:12
Avg. pace per mile: 14:07

I have no doubt if I didn't have that headwind that at least 5, if not all 6 sprints would have been under 7 mins.

As for my pool workouts, they're getting better & better each day. I've really picked up my speed walking in the pool & I'm getting definite muscles in my upper arms from working w/ the noodles. It's great!

Then there was today's long run. In a word... it SUCKED. The route was to the GRB downtown & back, w/ a pitstop from Waugh to I-10, then 2 miles worth of hills & parking garage runs, with a total mileage of 17 miles. This time I was sure to start right around 5:00 am & those first 10 or so miles were great. I felt strong, I was keeping up a great pace, & I didn't feel too hot.

Then the sun came out in full force.

By the time I was about 12 miles into the run, I was feeling extremely dizzy & nauseous. I couldn't walk a straight line & my mind was very fuzzy. I stopped for a good 15-20 minutes at the water stop to rest & cool off. It was there I decided to skip the I-10 portion of the route. I knew if I did those 2 miles, which were in direct sunlight, I would probably pass out, so instead my coach, Valarie, my teammate, Jonathan & I starting sloooowwwwwly walking back to the park. I was feeling better, so I decided to do the parking garage on the way in.

BIG mistake. The dizziness & nausea came right back. I had to sit down on the curb & was doubled over from the nausea. Thankfully the water was SUPER ice cold so I kept pouring it all over my body. After about 5-10 minutes, I felt better so I walked back to the park. I felt like shit. I still feel like shit.

I hate summer.

Confirmed

2007-08-22T21:24:00.000-05:00

This message is generated as confirmation of your recent registration on Active.com. You have been successfully registered for the following:

Registration:	2008 Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon & EP5K
Purchase Date:	08/22/07
Category:	Aramco Houston Half Marathon - 13.1 Miles
Event Date:	01/13/08
Name:	Erin Nies

If you've ever wondered...

2007-08-19T13:37:00.001-05:00

... what 2-1/2 months of running in the rain & mud does to your shoes, it looks like this:
Which is why I now have these:
Yay for tax free weekends!!!

Sweet!

2007-08-18T13:19:00.000-05:00

I learned something today after my long run (which was crap-tastic, btw)... apparently chocolate milk is the perfect recovery drink! We decided to test the theory today & 4 of us chugged down a nice cool glass with our breakfast.

Ya know what? It works! I feel great! Better than I ever have after a long run. Who knew?

Color me happy!

OH! Another thing that made me happy... Luke's Locker on West Gray is offering EVERYTHING in their store tax free this weekend, no matter how much it costs! I went right over after breakfast & bought myself a new pair of running shoes & a ton of Clif Shot-bloks. Awesome! :)