RunCrimsonRun

Iz Married!

2011-06-03T14:23:00.002-04:00

Soooo....after that Black Love Run post.....I disappeared BUT I had a lot going on, being sick the entire month of March along with work being simply i.n.s.a.n.e. not to mention planning one of the biggest moments in my life (besides being a 26.2 marathoner!) is that I got MARRIED! :) So for those of you who want the update outside of my typical pavement posts then see our wedding story and pics below. Stay tuned on my running entries soon!

Bride:
Stacey Michelle Richards, 35
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Groom:
Christopher Kerry Henderson, 42
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Hometown of the Bride:
Racine, WI
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Hometown of the Groom:
Huntersville, NC
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Wedding Date:
4/1/2011
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Wedding Location:
We had a courthouse wedding in Charlotte, NC!
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Occupation of the Bride:
Nonprofit Professional
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Occupation of the Groom:
Independent Contractor
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Alma Mater of the Bride:
Johnson C. Smith University
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Alma Mater of the Groom:
North Mecklenburg High School
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How they met:
‘Chris and I met nine months ago on a rainy Friday night in August, 2010, at our church singles bowling event,’ Stacey said. ‘We were on the same bowling team.

We really did not take any special note of one another until the end of the evening, when I mentioned needing to get up early to go running. Chris immediately piped up and said he was a runner too and wanted to meet up with me.

We quickly began getting to know each other during our predawn runs each week, and he kept asking me out until one day I decided to give him, and love, a try. We started courting one another within a month.’
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The moment they realized they wanted to be a couple for life:
‘There really isn’t an exact moment we can pinpoint that we decided to be together for a lifetime. The more we learned about each other the more we realized we were made for each other.

Soon after we ran our first race together back in October 2010, a half marathon (13.1 miles), and went on a trip to visit my family, we were certain that we had won each other's hearts!

Chris describes our relationship best. He says we are “a match made in heaven reunited on earth.”
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The Proposal:
‘When we both decided to enter into a courtship, with the specific intent to be married, we discussed it many times and we prayed continuously that we were making the right decision.

During these discussions we not only talked about how marriage would be for us, but what kind of wedding we would like to have, and before we knew it we were planning a wedding … without a formal proposal.

It was all so natural we just flowed right into it! I always joke that Chris got off easy!’
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The Wedding:
‘When selecting our wedding date, we really took a look at the dates and the significance of them. We wanted it to be meaningful.

We selected the 1st of the month because the number one means GODhead, unity and undivided. We both love the month of April since both of our birthdays are in this month and our favorite season is spring. Yes, April 1st, April Fools Day!

This meant we would have just a little over a month to plan the wedding! We thought, 'How appropriate to celebrate our wedding on April Fool's Day, since no one would believe that we got married so quickly.' It fit us perfectly!

The week leading up to the wedding was rainy and we were concerned the actual day would be gloomy, but that afternoon the sun came out and it was simply beautiful.

The trees and flowers were blooming and it was the perfect cool spring temperature.

We were surprised and delighted to see how many couples were getting married on April Fools Day at the courthouse, and as each couple came out there was a wave of cheers that gave an element of fun and excitement.

We selected royal purple as our accent color for the wedding. I had a vintage look in a unique ivory dress, birdcage veil and royal purple shoes to add flare.

We had a small wedding cake celebration afterwards that gave us an opportunity to exchange our intimate and personal vows with each other and express our love in front of our close family and friends. Chris’ mother made the wedding cake which added a special touch to the day.

Some of our guests were oblivious to the ‘special announcement’ we were about to make, which added to the April Fools Day surprise.

Guests had the option to complete a “Love Note” sharing any wedding sentiments or marriage advice to us. This was a unique twist and expansion on the guestbook, as the ribboned cards were later slipped into the extra pages to be remembered.

It was just what we wanted for our wedding day. To be effortless, meaningful and filled with joy!’
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The Honeymoon:
‘We took a couple of mini weekend getaways in our wedding month, all of which were centered around the mountains. We visited Biltmore Estates during the Festival of Flowers and got some quality quiet time at a private mountain home. It was a wonderful way of enjoying our wedding bliss!’
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Their Plans:
‘Our personal backgrounds made us realize why we were brought together. We know that through a ministry in GOD, we are to help others overcome the obstacles we have been through. We compliment each other in that Chris is a visionary and I am an organizer.

As we plan to work together in ministry, we also look forward to starting a family soon.’
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Advice to Others:
‘Make your wedding your own personal statement, and know it is not based on man’s approval but GOD’s approval.

We highly recommend 50 kisses a day (Seriously, it works.) And to always keep GODas your first love, coming together in prayer daily.’

Black Love Runs

2011-02-28T00:00:00.003-05:00

On this last day of February wanted to close out featuring the Black Love Run organized earlier this month with two other couples.

Figured it is rare when you see "us" running let alone couples! So why not get a few of us together?
We had a great time doing about 4.5-6 miles and it was nice just getting together and supporting one another.

Keep the LOVE going!!

Love & Running: Stacey & Chris

2011-02-25T16:16:00.007-05:00

In closing out the month of February, love month, thought I would share what was featured on Black Girls Run site celebrating love and how our men support us!

STACEY:
It’s funny how you enter into one thing for one reason and come out with something different than what you planned. Something more. Something better. Something sweeter.

The primary reason why I started running was to drop 20lbs. Plain and simple. I wanted a total body makeover that would lean me out and a cost efficient way of doing it. It turned out that running was a great source of empowerment for me. It strengthened me at the core and helped grow me spiritually too. All great outcomes I was pleased to gain while running.

And then I began training for a marathon, and while I was out bowling at my church singles night I just happened to mention needing to leave early for a long run in the morning. Chris was on my bowling team and immediately piped up how he was a runner too and wanted to meet up for a run.

Well that was more than six months ago and we are happily still running together. It has been a great commonality for us. I never would have thought in starting to run I would meet my love.

Running together works in our relationship in supporting one another and has become another way we communicate about our day, past, and our future. Chris has even incorporated pray during our running time for the neighborhood and others we see along our run.

Naturally Chris is a faster runner than I am and truly runs more for my benefit than anything, and that means so much to me. The companionship means a lot and getting a call or a text asking if we want to go for a run puts a smile on my face. It means he wants to spend time together and do something that benefits both of us in staying healthy.

Another plus in running with my man is his encouragement when I get weary or hit my weak spots in running. Those lovely hills.

Chris will give verbal encouragement along the way such as:
~ I will preserve I will endure
~ I am the head and not the tail
~ I am above and not beneath
~ This hill strengthens me
~ This hill builds me
~ This hill is iron and I am iron & Iron sharpens iron
~ I look to the hill which comes my help; my help comes from the LORD
~ I conquer this hill for perseverance, I conquer this hill for endurance, I conquer this hill because I am survivor, because it shapes me.
~ Can’t stop won’t stop for the cause of Christ

Chris even holds my hand during the hills for that extra physical support or when my foot begins to numb while running he will massage it along the way.

Now don’t get it twisted he doesn’t “baby me up” all the time and truly gives me the extra push when I need it the most. He even quietly forces to me to work on my pace as I try to keep up with his faster stride, but he normally tends to have to circle back so I can keep up.

As I mentioned earlier there truly is more benefits for me to run with Chris but it really is a wonderful activity we can do together.

CHRIS:
I was a runner before I met Stacey and as we began to talk about running we actually started about the same time. I entered into running because as I watched my parents get older and their health fail I made the commitment that would not happen to me. I wanted to lose weight and stay in shape through running.

I was only about two months in when I started running and completed my first half marathon. I had no idea what I was doing just had a goal and wanted to complete it. It was the most wonderful experience I ever had pushing through at the end all by myself and knowing that God was sustaining me. After the race I slowly stopped running and wanted to get back into it again.

Then I met Stacey who mentioned running the same marathon I did that past winter and that got me excited as I now had a new goal to try and beat my last marathon time, and a way to get to know Stacey more through running.

When I realized Stacey was also a runner that encouraged me even the more to want to run because I was about to lose the passion for running and had nobody to share this desire with so just having her by my side is support enough in sharing this common interest. I have come to the realization that all things are possible through God who strengthens me and having Stacey gives me that extra confidence I sometimes need in running.

She supports me by making sure I am signed up for races and giving me the low down on what is going on in the running community and groups, as well the latest gear and types of food to eat. She has even inspired me to want to run a full marathon since she completed her first one this past December.

As we run together I think about how long we will live together and how running replenishes our bodies and keeps them in great shape. And that our future kids will be running with us and teaching them how to be healthy. Even though I run at a faster pace than Stacey sometimes I enjoy running behind her seeing her little feet point out Haha. So just running and looking over at her and thinking about how much she means to me gives me great joy in running. I struck it rich when I found Stacey. I love running with her and look forward to running with her. And she is everything to me especially when it comes to running.

Run-spirations

2011-02-19T15:37:00.001-05:00

RUN because you have to.

RUN because you love it.

RUN because you want to be fast.

RUN because you want to be skinny.

RUN to find some quiet time.

RUN to sweat.

RUN to eat.

RUN hear your heart pound in your ears.

RUN because you're a runner.

RUN because you gotta keep the streak.

RUN because you don't... know why the hell you're running.

RUN because you fought with your partner.

RUN because your job is sh#tty.

RUN because you got no money.

RUN for the sunrise.

RUN for a race.

RUN because it's impossible.

RUN because it's easy.

RUN instead of doing the laundry.

RUN instead of watching TV.

RUN because no one else understands.

RUN because the cool kids do it.

RUN because you're tired of talking.

RUN for numbers.

RUN for feel.

RUN to prove something.

RUN because it f#@king hurts.

Or don't run. If you got something better to do.

Break Over

2011-01-29T12:55:00.006-05:00

Welp it has been over a month since I did my 1st marathon.
Seems like eons ago but it really wasn't that long ago.

And I still can't believe "I" 'Me" "Stacey Michelle" actually did it!!

Here are a couple of fav pics that trickled in after the marathon

(with my Red Squad group)

I LUV the "pack" look and we so look like a TEAM! Unity!!

And this one of me and my baby :)

(Black Love!)

I still haven't bite the bullet on purchasing all of my marathon photos yet...I gotta hurry up and make the decision before they take them off this week...we shall see.

There are a few things I wanted to mention regarding my "recovery" that I would have done differently:

Take an ice bath!! Yes!! DO IT! And IMMEDIATELY after your race
Take an epsom salt bath a couple of days later
Get a massage! (recommended a few days later as well)

All three of these things I regret not doing (and knew better!) and would have aided in faster recovery with less soreness, aches, & pains.

Life After the Marathon

I took a 3 week break (and needed it!!)
Slowly got back into running by doing intervals (1:2). First run was about 2.3 miles and half way in my knees started aching...lawd help me
My desire to run was - zelch
Getting started again was hard as hell! (Thank you Chris for pushing & encouraging me)
I didn't think I had to start all over again...but I did..literally (did lots of walking and did a lot of 4 milers)
Did my 1st "long" run since the marathon of 8 miles - and thought I was just finished a marathon LOL
My knees didn't get back into feeling "normal" until about 4 runs later
Winter time cold AM temps did not help me get back into my groove at all. As I don't do well with evening runs (hard to squeeze in with busy schedule).
Desire to run any race....nonexistent!
And can you believe I plan to do another marathon this year *gasp*
Overall glad I am back at it again

2010 Race Year in Review

Love that I did so many races. It was my 1st year of running and that is what kept me motivated.

Overall I did 9 races: 3 - 5Ks, 3- 10Ks, 1- 8k, 1 - half, and 1 - full :)

December was my lowest mileage month of 32.5 as the majority of it was my marathon miles and a taper run prior to the race.

As I mentioned I have been having the winter blahs and a rough time getting back into running post marathon well these new kicks shook a little of that off

I won the pair on the right! Why not go for something funky that will make a great racing shoe. Maybe I will get my racing mojo back in time for my half marathon scheduled in March...right around the corner!

Run Strong Peeps!

Because I Can

2010-12-31T00:32:00.000-05:00

Right on time for me and I just loved this blog excerpt By Kristin Armstrong - Mile Markers

"On my jog this morning. The cool air felt fresh in my lungs. My legs felt heavy but happy to move after a period of rest. The morning sun made me squint under the visor of my cap. My feet made the familiar slap slap slap beneath me. I wasn't running to clear my head (it was already clear). I wasn't running as part of a to-do on my training program. I wasn't running to shed any pounds. I wasn't running with a Garmin to keep any pace. I wasn't running with any agenda, direction, or distance in mind. I wasn't running as a have-to, to check it off my list. I wasn't running to alleviate heaviness of heart. I wasn't running to mull over a problem. I wasn't running to burn off a bad mood. I wasn't running to purge any toxins. I wasn't running because I was in a hurry.

Today was one of those times where the sweetness of this statement overrides all else:

I run because I can.

Any time we decide to take it.

So take it. Because you can"

Happy New Year!

Feel The Thunder!!

2010-12-24T00:00:00.007-05:00

I DID IT!!Ran 26.2 miles!!
For the 1st time ever!!

You know...I never really thought from the moment I made my first attempt at running (barely 1 minute straight) just 14 months ago, that I would end this year with a FULL marathon (Thunder Road)....I never dreamed it would happen. But it did!!

My greatest accomplishment to date!!

Leading up to the week of the marathon I was featured in our local newspaper, The Charlotte Observer (blog excerpt here)

as one of the first time marathoners in this big race (over 10,000 participated in some capacity 5K, Half, or Full). What a great headliner and fantastic incentive to not chicken out right before the race! LOL It really built up the excitement of my 1st time and I felt like a kid waiting on Xmas!!

Well the big day came and our race began at 7:45AM. I am really not the type (as my regular blog readers already know) to give out mile marker splits especially for a race. But I will give you some highlights that I recall:

Mile 0: Digested a stage 1 PowerBar and took 4 Advils and 4 Pepto-bismols (be gone runner's trot!).

Mile 3ish: Getting in the groove now and making sure not to get too froggy with my pace

Mile 6ish: Squatted behind a bush somewhere for the 1st pee break. Took a PowerBar Gel #1

Mile 9ish: Saw race road kill!! (a guy cramped up in the middle of the street in severe pain..we had to look away)

Mile 12ish: Feeling good! Took PowerBar Gel #2 (not sure at what mile this pic was taken but I was smiling...good sign)

(CWX tights lover for life!)

Mile 14ish: Took 4 more advils and dashed to a PortaJohn

Mile 16ish: Thinking "I got 10 more miles...really??" Began repeating & meditating on Philippians 4:13

Mile 18ish: Digging deep and growing really weary this is when I started to feverishly repeat out loud now Philippians 4:13 - the only thing that would come to my mind to stay focused!!

Mile 20ish: Weary, took PowerBar Gel #3...my honey met up with me to run the last 6 miles!! YAY!!

Mile 20.1: Got lazy since BF showed up (my personal race angel) and started walking..oh boy. We both were repeating Philippians 4:13 together.

Mile 23ish: Stopped for the block party in NoDa!! Hell I deserved a break! They had this up there:

(How freakin funny!)

In this neighborhood they also had a table full of oranges and bananas along with race flags. I devoured the oranges as I was so over my gels at that point (even though I downed my last PowerGel #4 for good measure to finish off the race).

Mile 24-25ish: A lot of dayum walking

Mile 25.2ish: I can't freakin' believe I gotta pee!!!! Last portajohn stop...finger gestures occur and stares that could kill :-/

Mile 26.1ish: Panic that I won't make it under 5 hours and beast it out

THE END

And then....Relief

Sense of being victorious!! Topped off with some nice heavy hardware :)

Along with the feeling of my legs being insanely sore & stiff = please cut them off...n.o.w.! (even after all of that advil too!)

Other Notes: I ran this race with my training group. I can't not say this enough..group support is SO very important and I could not have done it without them....especially the first 20 miles!

Every 2 miles there were waterstops and so I did speedwalk breaks while drinking. I made sure to hydrate at every stop!

And I ate these PowerBar snacks along the course of the race to stay fueledI never ate the Clif blocks the race offered during the higher miles as I never tested them during my training, and was happy I brought plenty of my personal snacks for the marathon.

I never truly "hit a wall" per say (that was during my 20 miler training run - both mental & phyiscal), but the training definitely prepared me!!

Because I ran a half marathon a month prior (my 1st one) I got this 39.3 commemorative medal:

(13.1 +26.2 Yaaaay Baby!)

The Thunder Road Marathon is known to be a hilly and challenging course (flat is for sissies!), along with the fact it is one of the last races of the year that is a Boston qualifier (not in my cards) so I must say I was proud to squeak out 4:59:35 for my very 1st marathon!

I AM a Marathoner!!!

I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me ~ Philippians 4:13

Marathon Training & Tapering

2010-12-22T14:14:00.003-05:00

Okay...I have already ran my marathon but I had a few notes I wanted to get out there before I completely lost them (race report coming soon!). So here they are:

My Actual Marathon Training plan (from week 6 on):
Warning!! This is not a recommend template (as you can see I slacked big time on cross training at the end), but gives you an idea on how I did my trainings. The BIGGEST help for me was having group support (Red Squad!!) in my long runs on those Saturday runs would have NEVER happened.

Overall I ran: (1) 16 miler (3) 18 milers and (1) 20 miler.

Below is a recap of my last LR and taper runs (read from bottom-up):My one and only 20 miler was HARD AS HELL!! I was weary, ended up having IT band issues so my right knee was killing me especially at the end of the run, and I practically shuffled the last 3 miles.
Lessons learned: Eat more!! (on the front end and during), take IB pills during LR, and it truly is mind over matter. I literally cried the last 2 miles...it was my hardest run that broke me down but built me up at the same time.

Immediately thereafter I got my CWX tights (3/4) and went to a sports med doc to get some treatment - so you will see in Week 16 of my training I did absolutely no running, as to not agitate my IT band even more (per docs orders). Thank goodness for tapering!!

Speaking of which - I barely did any running 3 weeks prior to the marathon. That was not my intent but just how it happened. The weekend before the marathon we had a 10miler scheduled but I went to Walt Disney World (WDW) and did plenty of walking there so I sat out on the taper run. I also took in LOTS of water, I going to the bathroom ever 15 minutes (gish) and ate LOTS of carbs (didn't eat as clean as I had "planned" oh well).

Overall my last 3 training months looked like this:

Sept - 97.4
Oct - 127.0 (my highest mileage - was THICK into long runs)
Nov - 83.6
Dec - 4.0 (yeah...we already discussed this LOL)

Doubt I will ever see 127 mileage in a month anytime soon....well unless I am training for another marathon (ain't in the cards no time soon....at all!)

So as I ended my marathon training it was on this note: Happy to stop spending money on so many gels, KT tape and running gear LOL And excited about not having to wake-up at 4:00AM on Saturday mornings, having the energy & desire to knit again and start back-up my swimming lessons!

Though I will say this has been the hardest experience of my life and the quote summed up best for me my last 4 intense months of training:

"The journey is the reward" ~ Chinese Proverb

And I happily kissed marathon training good-bye!! :)

Run-spirations

2010-12-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

'The race is not given to the swift nor the battle to the strong....but to those who endure"

Ecclesiates 9:11

Gobble Gobble

2010-12-09T12:08:00.002-05:00

During the holidays keeping the pounds from creeping up on you can be a challenge. Which makes me love running even more!!

So one of my friends and I celebrated by doing our 1st Turkey Trot It was so much fun!!

Here we are gearing up to do the 5 miles. It was damp outside but not terribly cold at all. I was more worried that we would end up running in the rain. And we almost did! But thank goodness it stopped and only ended up drizzling.

This race was very popular and close to 8,000 people participated in it along with the 1 mile walk and kid relay.

Since I was at the end of my marathon training transitioning to taper mode, and not wanting to agitate my IT band any more I decided for the first time ever to race with no pressure!

And it felt good just to run it together with a friend at a 'lets have fun' pace

(my 1st action run pic!)

Okay okay you know at the end I couldn't stand it any longer and the last .25 of a mile I took it on in :) Haha! I completed the race with 54:32 and was happy with that, but my inner competitive runner girl would have been pleased with 50:00 ;op

Again my primary goal was camaraderie and reinforcing the lesson of 'togetherness' And that was exactly what happened right before we celebrate the national day of eating :)

Run-spirations

2010-12-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Good things come slow-especially in distance running."

~ Bill Dillinger, Oregon Coach

My 1st Half Marathon

2010-12-06T00:47:00.001-05:00

Exactly one month ago today I ran my very 1st half marathon - all 13.1 miles As I reminisce on this particular milestone race there are a few things I would like to blog journal about:

It was COLD that morning! :) About 32 degrees that morning at start Brrrr

I layered my top twice (one dri-fit t-shirt and then a long-sleeve thermal dri-fit shirt). Had my headwarmer and glove/mitt combo (they are the ones with cut-off fingers and you can flip the mitten top - luv them!) that I purchased the night before from Wal-mart.

I did take along my handheld 20oz bottle - big mistake from mile 7+ it felt like a brick in my hand in which I immediately vowed to wear my fuel belt for any race more than 6 miles!

Let me also say that I did not feel good at.all prior to this race. I had a last minute procedure that required 3 stitches and then I had my monthly visitor - what perfect timing (again)! Not to mention I was just plain ol tired.

I did take pepto-bismol tablets right before the race as my #1 concern was my 'runners trot'. This trick/tip I learned did help keep that little issue at bay (thank goodness!)

With all these physical ailments going on my mind just wasn't in it and "I hit my wall" at about mile 8 right at the point where my most favorite long hill during training was on the course (please note the sarcasm).

It took me off guard because we were coming from a different direction and I immediately started freaking out...I don't know why?!?! I ran this hill at least 20x in all my training runs. Heck I ran 40% of this course during our runs...my head was so not straight for this race.

Well some of my run buddies came out to cheer me on right at the exact part of the course where I was falling apart mentally with these great signs

PRICELESS! My friend Susanne ran up the hill with me holding my hand while I was literally crying...(I know such a baby). But got myself back together again to finish the last part of the course.

I did have another race angel!! He came right before I hit my wall and helped me keep pace right after I squatted in the bushes for a quick TP break Haha! As I needed to quickly catch back up with my group and he helped me. This much older man was using intervals in the race (ran fast for 1 mile and then took a quick walk break) so we ended up running together for a period of time. He mentioned how he had not done a race in 20 years and was happy to be out there again (heart tug!) and he asked for my name as he said he wanted to cheer me on. And sure enough just when I was losing steam, right before I caught up with my group, he came up behind me and said "Run Stacey!"

The last 5K of the race I wanted it to be OVA!!! I was exhausted and was literally thinking "I will not be running a marathon!" *seriously*

My group leader Lucretia literally slowed down to coach me through the last 3 miles (I heart you!). I swear if it wasn't for that police officer playing 'Eye of the Tiger' on his car stereo and hearing the crowd screaming towards the end of the finish line I would have started walking and would have gotten there when I got there Haha! But I didn't. Ran it to the end (I did take a few walk breaks at the water stops)

We all finished and I am so glad!!

This was a challenging race for me and I did it in 2:12:26

Lessons: I learned from this race that running long runs and racing long runs are two different things. And you gotta keep your mind in it. Think on "good things".

"whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things" Philippians 4:8

I was very happy to have shared my 1st half marathon with my heart there. Having him run the race and congratulate me at the end was cherry on top of my race dream!

Onward to my 26.2!

All Wrapped Up

2010-11-04T14:09:00.005-04:00

...in a little bit of everything!

Since my last post (now updated) I notated incorrectly my race time for the HopeBuilders 5K and actually did it in 26:39 (chip time), as well as placed 3rd in my age division! Wowzaa!! :)

Have y'all heard about Athlinks.com? It is another social networking site but for runners/athletes. Kinda cool to keep track of your races over there, especially if you don't blog and see other runners stats/info. Check out the site!

UPDATES:

I mentioned before ever since my 10 mile runs and up the need to wrap my knees and my love for KT Tape.

Well before the morning temps dropped this is how my legs used to look during my LRs

This stuff really has been my cheap way of prolonging my big CWX support tights, as that would be a major purchase for me ;op My girl Ashley with BGR is hooked onto the tape now too! Check out her blog post HERE.

A few weeks ago I came across this cute shirt in M.arshalls (it actually is a really vibrant/deep purple)For only $12.99!!!!! A thermal, fingerless mitt dri-fit shirt!! A freak-in steal!!!!

Yes!! All of that for the low low price of $12.99....how about I have three of them now Haha! They are super comfy and definitely do the job!!

Shoot what I would have paid retail price for one I ended up with three!

On running...

That about sums it up LOL

My sweet 16 mile was a rough one and I was sore but nothing out of the ordinary. The last two miles I was very grouchy and did not want anyone talking to me LOL

Now my first 18 miler I was SUPER sore (and worn out) the day of but was fine afterwards. Truly my iPod gospel play list saved me at the end (I don't run with music now *gasp*). But Runner's Trot has kicked back in because of the longer mileage and is concerning me again...sigh.

I did miss my initial scheduled 18 mile run to do the HopeBuilder 5K so I compromised and ran 7 miles prior, 3 miles for the 5K, and then 3 miles afterwards to get in at least 13 miles/half marathon.

However, this past Saturday I did get in another 18 miler and was just as exhausted the last two miles again.

In fact, my runs lately have been down right sluggish for a few reasons:

Bad eating
No cross-training
Lack of sleep

No Bueno for someone this close to the end of her long & hard training...simply put I am burned out.

Le sigh

I need to get in my Karate Kid mind zone ASAP!

So I have been watching lots of marathon movies lately :)

These two are great:

Spirit of the Marathon & Marathon Challenge

And these books I mentioned way back in August have been keeping the fire from completely extinguishing.

So as my 1st Half Marathon (Dowd Y) approaches me THIS Saturday *gulp* and my 1st Full Marathon (ThunderRoad) in a little over a month away *faint*; I am SO ready for my training to be OVA!!! :)

The hardest part

2010-10-22T09:21:00.002-04:00

is just getting started!

RT @CrimsonPurl: Just posted a 11.55 mi run - Solo LR - 2 portajohn stops & 2 walk breaks. Need to engage my Chi more :)
#HappyWeekend! http://rnkpr.com/ab6vbz #RunKeeper

Sent from my iPhone

Crimsonization VIII

2010-10-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

"It always starts with the mind before the body.

Anything in life can't be changed until you alter your thoughts.

Yep...you can do it with just an inkling.

You know Faith as a mustard seed.

Go for it!"

Sent from my iPhone

HopeBuilders 5K

2010-10-11T14:26:00.009-04:00

I haven't done a race since my 10K Peachtree Road Race back in July.

In fact, I intentionally avoided races up until now for a few reasons:

1. Race burn out (saving up for my big races in Nov & Dec)
2. Stay focused on my training (again on my big races)
3. Keep my race budget to a minimum = < $ :) But when one of my friends asked me to be on her team for her son Oliver in the HopeBuilders 5K there was no way I could not participate and support!

Being on Oliver's Army meant I had the opportunity to help build hope for sick and injured kids in the community.

Pic of my friend Laura and cutie pie Oliver
I had already ran 7 miles prior to clock in some mileage as I was supposed to do 18 miles that day for my long run. I did a total of 13 miles (with the 5K and added on another 3 miles). Regardless of the ladder down in mileage that week my body still hurt!

The race was hilly in having a nice incline on the front end, flat in the middle, then a down hill to pick up the pace to turn right around and go back up another hill to the straight way, and ended with my most favorite hill *sarcasm* that I run every Wed morning for the finish (gawdlawd!!). I would say this 5K race course was about 6 in difficulty.

Regardless, I ended up with a new 5K PR (7 mile warm-up and all)! I did the race in 26:39 at a pace of 8:40 hills and all!!
That is almost an entire minute saved off from my last PR time. Shoot those yassos/speedwork is paying off!

Here is the precious pumpkin I ran for in the 5K! CUTENESS!

And how could your heart not melt after this

He was so worth my pause in my training schedule. Many blessings to all of the babies that need intensive hospital care after they are born.

Fall is here so:

Happy Race Season!!

Runiversary

2010-10-01T17:03:00.013-04:00

So I don't know the exact day of my running anniversary, but I do remember which month I decided to switch my talk into true action.

Last September 2009 I began with my very first step into running! You can read all about that here.

I never thought I would be running as much as I am today. Training for a marathon. Or still stick to running this long! :) Now I know that running is the perfect fitness outlet just for me!

I ended my Runiversary month (Sept) pounding out 97 miles and yesterday being the last day of the month with a run that royally sucked!! Oh well, at least I know that there are good runs and bad runs and charge it up as experience.

While training for my marathon and finally entering into the double digit miles. I thought I would jot down a few notes (for myself really) on how I felt after each long run.

Lets call it my "Run Diary"
10 miles:

I felt good and it didn't even feel like 10 miles. However, I was a bit sore after my run on Day 2. I religiously began to slather BioFreeze on myself while in the women's stall at work, as this is the first time my knees started to actually bother me! They were sore and felt stiff during & after the run.
My massage stick also became my new purse accessory :)

12 miles:

I couldn't freakn' believe it and had an awesome pace (avg 10:00)! I felt great! Soreness was not a big of an issue at all after this run. I did begin wearing KT Tape for my 'runner knees' for support/recovery.

14 miles:
Quietly I had a mini panic attack on the inside before this run as I was feeling terrible the day before and was taking medicine that made me have to use the bathroom frequently. How the h$#@ was I supposed to do 14-freakin-miles like this!?!

Well I slowed down on the meds early as well as my liquids and prayed.

3 miles into the run I had to use the portajohn for serious business and after that was totally fine. Felt great on this run too but about mile 8-9 I realized that at least TWO energy food packets are needed to keep me going (I was getting weary), and this was the 1st time I freezed my water which was warranted.

Recently I was chatting it up with some people at a volunteer event (Ramblin Rose) about my training, and this one guy said you really should not train by mileage but rather by time. If you can run 3:00-3:30 hours straight you can do a full marathon. I could see the logic in that. Heck I can't believe I am running more than 2 hours now!!

Happy Runiversary to me!

Video Run-spiration

2010-09-23T10:23:00.002-04:00

I watched this short 5 minute video and was instantly moved & inspired to keep on going with my dream

Be Strong
Be Encouraged
Be Happy

Run-spirations

2010-09-21T13:15:00.002-04:00

Your biggest challenge isn't someone else.

It's the ache in your lungs and the burning in your legs,

and the voice inside you that yells "CAN'T",

but you don't listen.

You just push harder.

And then you hear the voice whisper "can".

And you discover the person you thought you were no match for

is the one you really are!

~ I heart to run

Personal Records

2010-09-07T11:49:00.010-04:00

Looks like I met my personal goal/challenge to clock in 80 miles for the month of August:

I also was able to get up to 8 miles for my LR in the month of August and did my first 9 miler this past weekend in September.

Now comes the double digit runs *gulp*.
I have never ran 10+ miles before and a little anxious about it but know I will be okay this week.
What concerns me is when I see the numbers go up to 16, 18, 20, 22....

Say what?!?

Yep I just put it out there.....

I am thinking about doing my 1st full marathon this year in December at ThunderRoad instead of scheduling it as my second half marathon.....we shall see.

It all depends on how good I feel about my long runs. If not, no biggie.
I will run the mini marathon as originally planned (and already registered!).

As far as training I am only running 3x a week, but that does not include my speedwork so I guess technically that is 4x a week.

I am running with a training group that is doing the LRs for a full so I will continue with them while I have the support/encouragement and pull back guilt-free if I need to before then.

My primary goal is to have a successful training (which means injury-free along with strong endurance/speed) and overall good marathon (half or full) experience. Period.

Yep so that's what I will be working on!

Run-spirations

2010-09-02T16:58:00.002-04:00

"I hated every minute of training, but I said,

"Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."

~ Muhammad Ali, is the greatest!

Runner Sightings

2010-08-26T16:57:00.005-04:00

So I just started with a new speedwork group last week Luv the ladies in this group and the format of the speedwork.

I have learned in my two previous "not so happy" attempts that I don't like "hill" speedwork (and definitely not in the freakin' rain) and I hate doing it on a school track.

This speedwork group does it on the street with markings of 200, 400, 600, 800m with about a quarter mile walk in between each lap.
I like the feel of the neighborhood when doing it vs. running around in circles like a dog chasing his tail. And on race tracks I just can't measure/figure my meters out, whereas on the street I can easily see them.

The biggest PLUS is that these ladies freakin' rock!! They are mad cool, hard pushers, and very encouraging. So now I can work on my speed for training with some motivation.

During our quarter mile walk in between our speed laps I came across this:Well...
Well...
WELL!!! Now THAT is motivation!!! :) LOL

This scrumptious runner let me take his picture (see his smile) and yes he just so happened to be standing just like that while waiting for the light!!

Did you notice his feet yet?? YEP! He is a barefoot runner! Mad cool! AND his feet happen to be cute (well at least from a distance LOL).

He is the second person I have came across IRL (in real life) that I've seen (with my very own eyes) practicing barefoot running (*please note* I will never do that rotfl).Y'all know I had to get a pic of him from the rear too LOL :)

After our 800 Yasso speedwork we like to recover this way:

Yasso's Recovery Hot Legs :)

This morning I come across another sighting

If only I had my iPhone camera ready in advance to get a front shot of those two fine specimens. That was a breathe of fresh air to witness on my walk into work! Runners really do come in all kind of skittle flavors :)

Crimsonization VII

2010-08-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

"It's not about being comfortable.

U are gonna be hot...U are gonna sweat...U are gonna hurt.

That is why they call it a "work"out.

U gotta push thru the distractions just like life."

Keep going!!

Sent from my iPhone

Run Goodies!

2010-08-17T04:19:00.004-04:00

There have been some running goodies coming my way lately!

Not too long ago one of my run buds introduced me to kinesiology tape (click on that linky link to learn what it is and the benefits of it).

All I can say is I was not a believer in some flimsy tape taking away my aches and soreness on my muscles....let me just say...it is MAGIC!!!

I tried out the KT Tape and will wax poetry to it any day now! LUV IT! You can get it at any of your local running stores.

Well my e-run bud Juliette (RuntoNamaste) had a giveaway on her blog from some of the Rock tape that I haven't heard about
Well I sent off for a free sample and got it in like 2 days! Wow!
I haven't tried it out yet but I will say that I already like the KT Tape better off the bat; because it already comes pre-cut and rounded along with the option to split it down the middle for the "Y" strip (lots of great videos on the website). Call me lazy but no fuss is my motto :)
Extra bonus is that KT Tape is about $7 cheaper than the Rock Tape...no brainer for me!

Then I met a new run bud who surprised me on our first run with theseHow cool is that!! Too bad he doesn't know that I am a red girl ;)
However, it was a great gift to keep me motivated for my 1st half marathon!!

Yep Kiddos CrimsonPurl will be doing her first 13.1 race in November. My training has begun
Those books have been great resources. The one on the left has me believing I can do a marathon and the one on the right keeps me laughing with each page turn :).

I also decided to try out the 22oz Elite Quickdraw bottle for my soon to be long runs *gulp*. I have taken it out for a spin once and so far so good.

I luv my hydration belt but for some reason I just don't want to mess with it the longer I have to run with it around my waist and reaching back for a bottle. The quickdraw you don't have to clutch at all it literally stays fitted in your hand.

In other "prepping for my half marathon" news - I tried on these puppies

Let me tell you...they can stand up on their freakin' own!!! I am so gonna invest in these for my marathon...when I win the lottery LOL They are very pricey but now I understand why...MEGA SUPPORT!!! (They use the kinesiology wrapping within it...See!) They will be worth it! And heck..I am worth! (so are my buns and back Haha)

Until next time..keep kickin' those miles!

Crimsonization VI

2010-08-08T19:10:00.002-04:00

~ Rarely will you find glory without struggle

Sent from my iPhone

Crimsonization V

2010-08-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

"Running raggedy just to get it in is not always the best way....such is life".

Sent from my iPhone

Run Status

2010-07-29T00:09:00.006-04:00

So I have still been running...yay! :)

Have new goals & races on the horizon...yay! ....I think....

This is what the months of June and July have been looking like:
Ur um...I've been kicking up my mileage that is for sure (should have 70ish miles by this Sunday).
In July I finally broke my 5mile wall and now I typically run 4 or 6 milers.

I've also been doing a lot of back to back running too....no bueno!
That would explain why I have been so tired and sore lately huh??

I also noticed a complete gap in one of my run weeks (see red arrow). Yep that was my 8 day hiatus while I was moving...boy did I pay for that big time. I should have at least done some very light 2 or 3 milers just to stay "in shape", but I was sooo tired and busy. I was foolish to think I could keep up with my norm running schedule and just as foolish to think I should take an extended break. Oh welp lesson learned now I am back at it again.

Well this nice little tube right here has been helping with my sore muscles

My cousin calls it the new & improved bengay LOL

You can get that tube of magic at Walmart for under $10 bucks! Jeez-yay! I've also been using 'The S.tick" it has been helping a lot with my sore muscles, especially on my glutaeus maximus! ;o)

June Goal: Was to run 6 miles by EOM. Status: Didn't happen.

July Goal: Was to comfortably run 6 miles & to increase my endurance (less walk/run) Status: I guess so - doing it, just not sure how comfortable lol

Sidenote: Honestly...I can't even believe I am running 6 miles!! I used to dream at running 10Ks on a regular!

August Goal: To begin my half marathon training!! *gulp* (increase to 7 miles by EOM) & sign up for swim classes (done)

Let me just say I have re-worked my training template at least 10x and it is scrapped again LOL At least I have a framework and will just have to go with the flow. Right now I am concerned about my long runs (LR) and having a group or someone to run with me but it will all work out!

Speaking of folks to run with...since my move I've needed to get readjusted to a new running community. Lets just say it has been slightly disheartening, but with a few rainbows within my short time here (met a great new run bud and old ones still around).

Two run buds came on my side to run with me one Sunday morning which sparked me wanting to pound the pavement with BGRs that I always promise to run with some day and it never happens

Well we did it and had a Sistah Sunday Run! It was a light 3 miler on a cute greenway, and just early enough before church, brunch, and the heat. What FUN!! We'll probably do it again from time to time just for some good ole BGR camaraderie :)

I made my first race picture purchase...finally some pics I liked!! Peachtree Road Race was so good about sending you a link in advance where your pictures would be posted, giving coupon discounts and making sure you had some great poised ones too.

Here is my FAV one!!

(Can't believe my legs)

I am still on Cloud 9 about this race. My favorite one to date!!

Tweet Run Randomness

2010-07-22T10:16:00.003-04:00

Had my first true speedwork session. Did it off of 3hr sleep a glass of wine 3 course meal & a mean martini.
#notagoodlook (via @CrimsonPurl)

Thank you MaxFreeze gel for working on my sore muscles
#Ihurt (via @CrimsonPurl)

Sent from my iPhone

Run-spirations

2010-07-13T17:15:00.000-04:00

I ♥ to run ‎......My therapist is the pavement.

My drug is endorphins.

My foe is the next hill.

I am a runner.

A Peachy Race!

2010-07-09T00:00:00.013-04:00

Peachtree Road Race Baby!! :)

Let me just say up front that it was FUN (with all caps!) and I highly recommend every runner to put this on their race log! It was VERY well organized from registration (alpha) to post race party (omega).

Luckily, this year was the coolest temperature wise since 1996....(God did hear my prayers!!)
Starting at 65 degrees at kick-off and climbing up to 80 degrees. Thank goodness because it was HAWT the week before....whew!

I finally went to my first race expo (I really wasn't interested in doing Cooper River Bridge for some reason), and my girlfriend who was doing the race with me went on down there the day beforeAnd we got lots of freebies!

The next morning we made sure we would be out the door by 6:00AM in Buckhead to "walk" a short journey of about 2miles to the MARTA (sigh...I was evil about this walk on the way back from running 6.2mi!). I am sure I did at least a total of 10miles this day....

Sidenote: That AM I did pop two ibuprofen to mitigate any upcoming sore muscles, and took two more after, along with two more later that evening...so I was pretty much numb race day :) But BAAABY the very next day (that Tues) I felt it ALL! My thighs were s.o.r.e. beyond measure and an epsom salt bath helped some followed by a 3mi recovery run (sure wish I had one of those massage sticks or foam rolls now!).

~ Antyway ~
We reached the MARTA

And as promised hundreds of people filled the station!You could truly feel the vibe! And I was not a bit nervous at all....pfft this is my 5th race come on! ;op LOL

Of course there were a few sights to be seen lots of red white and blue costumes and such...unfortunately I did not take lots of pics of the crowd (in fact excuse all of the iPhone quality shoots) but did get this one "Mmmh I look Good I mean Really Good"......okay *chuckle*

Here is my friend Giselle and I before the race looking...non-sweaty LOLAnd of course I got a beautiful view right above me of the American flag...how patriotic (minus my finger haha)

As I mentioned before there were running "waves" A-X and I was placed in "F" because I submitted my previous race times during registration (be sure you do that!). However, my friend did not and was placed in "X".

We tried to sneak her up into my wave and was successful until we had to advance to the start line by waves and "the race cops" caught her...poo. This meant she had to start an entire hour after me! No running buddy :o(

But with a race this large (over 50,952 finishers!!) you are never alone! :)

So my wave kicked off at 7:55AM - Yes! And everything after that is a BLUR! LOL

I will say I never had to turn on my headphones for music (that you are technically not supposed to have but lots of people were in violation then Haha), as the crowd participation was GREAT!

And there were BANDS at every mile!! So got to experience my own "Rock & Roll" race far cheaper ;op

I ran under EVERY sprinkler that they had set up! It TRULY kept me cool down while running this race. Sooooo grateful for them.

There were plenty of water stations lined up on both sides (that I never used - y'all know how I do haha) and lots of PortaJohns - that I was trying not to use Haha! (close to it but thankful I didn't have to stop like during the RaceFest 10K)

All kinds of things were being handed to you if you wanted the items. I took the ice pops to hold in my hands to keep cool and then eventually ate one ;op

I saw the priest that throws holy water on you during the race and gladly got dosed!

I didn't see any Krispy Kreme :o(

Towards the end there was a band playing "Born in the USA" and talk about perfect timing/how appropriate!

The Course: Is not one I would recommend for someone doing their first 10K. It is a bit challenging and Atlanta is just as hilly as Charlotte.

I had braced myself for the notorious "cardiac hill" that was between mile marker 3-4 by the hospital. So I knew when/what to look out for it.

So I see the hill among the mass of people and gear up for it (I had delayed taking my jelly belly beans until the first mile so I could be ready for the cardiac hill...should have taken right at the beginning of race though). I run up the entire hill and pat myself on the back that I didn't chock on it. Took a quick walk break to gear up for the next one and as I am running this one I noticed the hospital in my scenery....Oh Crap...THIS is the Cardiac Hill!!!!! And I see why b/c I just got done with the "pre-cardiac" hill that no one talks about which makes this one the cardiac hill!!! I got to the top and walked the rest of it out Haha!

I will say I had about 4-5 walk breaks..whew I was hot and tired. There is one last evil hill right before you hit mile marker 6 that no one talks about either....laaaaaawd I was done :) But got thru it too.

During the race, I happily made race buddies (you know I typically call them my race angels!) and we had so much fun giving each other challenges and playing 'tag' along the way. I will always remember them!! (see below pics to check them out)

Here is a view of the crowd in Piedmont Park...thousands of folks!

Well I didn't make my dream time goal of 60:00 though I tried towards the end when I realized how close I was with my interval lady chirping in my ear to say I was at 59:00 and almost at the end of the race route. That's when I really kicked it up some more!

I did make my realistic goal (less than my last 10K which was 1:08:23). My time:

YAYAYAYAY!!!!!! That is an average pace of 10:00

And here are my running angels Corey and Sean!

We realized we were a red, white and blue team!! :)

Corey was such an inspiration just being cleared to run the race after breaking her hip! And she has run in a race before with a broken foot so I knew I had to keep up with her LOL

She actually made me think my 60:00 goal would be possible because that was her target too and so we said lets go for it!

We had a good time at the race celebration getting all kinds of goodies but most importantlyPEACHES at the Peachtree Road Race of course!! :)

My race buddies hung out with me until I meet up with my friend Giselle who finished in 57:40
She did a great job!

On our way out I couldn't pass up the photo opp in Piedmont Park with the Atlanta skyline behind me

It was truly a wonderful and peachy race!! :)

Run-spirations

2010-07-04T00:00:00.002-04:00

"Winning is not about headlines and hardware [medals].

It's only about attitude.

Is a winner a person who goes out today and every day and attempts to be the best runner and best person they can be?

Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up."

~ Amby Burfoot

Got My Bib!!

2010-07-01T18:15:00.001-04:00

It came in the mail via UPS Express the day after my last post entry....WHEW!!!

Now onto HOTlanta! :)

PRR

2010-06-28T12:01:00.007-04:00

I've had this post in "draft" mode since mid-April!

And that is for a couple of reasons:
1. I wasn't sure if I got "in" yet
2. And even if I did wasn't sure if I was going to be "able" to go

But looks like I am going to be doing the nation's (used to be the world's) largest 10K....Peachtree Road Race (PRR) in ATL!!

This race will have 55,000 participants (Cooper River Bridge only had 35,000) running down the infamous Peachtree Street on a hot balmy 4th of July!

I registered way back in March by paper application because all 44,000 online slots were sold out within 4 hours!! The remaining slots were done by lottery only which you just have to "wait" and hope you get in.

Well my girlfriend and I sat on pins & needles for about a month before we knew anything and then saw that they cashed our checks! (to PRR no news is good news LOL).

Since then it has been quiet with periodic e-newsletters or "Peachbytes" updates, as well as reading PRR's blog/website that kept my excitement going.

But recently we were just informed of our race number that determines what "wave" you will be in (I had to submit my race times - thank goodness I had some - so I wouldn't be placed waaaaay in the back). Thank goodness I am in Wave "F"...unfortunately my friend didn't do the same and she is in "X"....pooh. Y'all this is serious business LOL

And then as a participant I received a 40 page Peachtree Road Race magazine full of info, history, and stories...it is going to be FUN! Bands at every mile, sprinklers, holy water being thrown on you (haha) and I hear this race for sure is going to have a Krispy Kreme stand (we shall see)

There is one problem....I don't have my race packet yet...(I am trying not to have a heart attack). PRR messed up and didn't send a small groups' info until today! They were supposed to go out last week...well it wouldn't be a big problem but I have moved!! And now my mail is being forward "if" they forward that packet and "if" I get it in time before I leave to go out of town.....*exhale*

relax.relate.release

In the meantime, my training has been alright, as I was on a short hiatus since I was doing so much with my move; and just picked it back up last week clocking only about 15 miles.

Yesterday I ran 6 miles during my predicted wave race time (and it was hot as hades!!!) It was not a good run as I walked the last 2 miles so you can't really say I ran much LOL

I don't feel as bad since this runner doesn't train and runs with a cigar during every PRR!

However, still trying to keep my mind focused and positive ju ju going...(my number better get here!) Lets just hope that the picture above will be a great visual to "will" it here on time :) :)

My GOALS for PRR:

~ My dream ~ 60:00

~My reality ~ Beat my last 10K 1:08:23...even by a second ;op

Welp only

Until I run my 3rd 10K to date, and then the fireworks will sound off for the race!!

Run-spirations

2010-06-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

"It's not the work that's hard, it's the discipline."

~ Anonymous

Footwear Happenings

2010-06-23T16:56:00.008-04:00

Well I must say my first "good" pair of running shoes really did right by me.

These puppies took me from the beginning of this year until my last race at the end of May.
I probably could have squeeked out some more miles out of them but didn't want to push it.

So RIP my lovelies as I know there will be many more to come :)

D.I.C.K'S Sporting Goods has this awesome replacement plan where you purchase a pair of shoes and once you wear them out can bring them back to turn in for store credit equivalent of what you originally purchased them!

So my brand spanking new sneaks were only $35 buck-a-roos!!

(Normal value $99 - only sale for $95 and had a $60 credit from old pair - Woot!!)

Since I was feeling friksy I threw in a pack of running socks too which I have now tested them over the past month and LUV them!

As you can see the Asics 2150s come in a "red-ish" color and I was over the moon about that!!And the cute interior design doesn't hurt the eyes either. They make me smile on the inside :)

As you may have noticed I am a "stability" shoe runner as I overpronate. Here is a link to an article on how to pick the right running shoes for YOU and avoid common shoe mistakes.

I highly recommend that you get fitted for running shoes BEFORE you begin running as that is the #1 investment that you should absolutely make first and IT IS worth it.
Once you know what kind of shoe you need to be in then you can shop around for bargains! Typically prices for running shoes range from $60-$120 depending what sales you catch (some models are phased out and that is when you should grab them!), shop online or box stores, etc.

Just be sure it is the RIGHT shoe for YOU and not settle (like I did at first) for cheap because you end up potentially injuring yourself (like I almost did).
You can still get a bargain and not compromise your phyiscal health while running!

New Happenings:
So last night I visited a local running store (Run for Your Life -Dilworth) that was having a "L.adies N.ight" with a spread from Great Harvest Bread Co. and Redwood Creek Wine along a personal wellness/massage person there too (he really worked out the soreness in my hips from my 8 day running hiatus while I moved), along with a raffle of prizes and goody bags
Check out my goodies!! :) I never tried Glide before and now they have it "for her' and hope I don't have to use those cute band-aids ever!

But how about I scored those nice running socks while there as they threw them in with my FREE sneakers!!!
I won the raffle prize for a free pair of Saucony Guides (the ones I laid to rest earlier in this post!) YAY!!!!! These are the Guide 3 and when I bought the other pair those were the first version talk about moving on up and having a back up pair!! WOOT WOOT!

I was absolutely THRILLED!! Free hip massage, free goody bag, free munchies, and FREE SNEAKS!! Truly made my evening Haha :) And I got to meet some kewl new running people in my new community too. All the way around win! So blessed indeed!

Summer Running:

2010-06-20T20:57:00.003-04:00

Make your own dayum breeze by making your sneakers fly!!

Sent from my iPhone

Crimsonization III

2010-06-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

Running, much like life:

"You gotta pull your own weight"

Summer Run Gear

2010-06-12T00:00:00.007-04:00

I need some ice cream (that I can of course run off),
because it IS so dang on HAWT outside and summer is definitely here!

I've been meaning to blog about summer gear for a while now. Ever since we had our "heat wave" back in April when I was doing dry course runs for RaceFest 10K.

That is when I realized that running in heat will not be my cup of tea :-/ and that I did not have one stitch of summer running gear!

So I set off to find a pair of running shorts ASAP and went to one of my favorite exercise gear stores TJs :)

Yep that right there gang is an entire run outfit for the low low price of $23 (the shirt was a steal).

How about I hate the shorts and the socks!!!

The socks keep sliding down and the shorts keep bunching up in the middle. Grrrrr

Now I was on a quest for the best running shorts for me within my budget (*wink wink*). Turns out....even though I don't have what some my deem thick legs, regardless my thighs rub together causing the bunch issue.

That's okay...I had already been admiring the cutest running skirts, but never really pursued it because they weren't in a sistah's budget (ranging $32-$60).

However, I stumbled across a cute running skirt last month at Kohl's that was on sale for $11.99. How about I already had a $10 coupon from them too!

Behold my $2.12 running skirt!!Cha-ching!!

All the sizes are almost gone now online and in stores, but you best believe I got a raincheck whenever (if) they decide to stock back up.

So this past Saturday heated up big time! And my "1" running skirt just wasn't going to do......so......off to my fav exercise gear places

Gotta luv TJMaxx :) I decided against the running skirt since I already have black, but luv'd the wicking tank top as it has been very humid here.

I then strolled on over to Marshalls were they had theseMore $12.99 running skirts in different colors!!! SCORE!!

This now makes me very happy for my summer running :)

What kind of summer gear do you run?

Training & Goals

2010-06-10T12:04:00.012-04:00

Well I've realized that I haven't posted up what my training has been lately and how I need to do a status check on my run goals.

So lets begin with what I did to prep for my Thin Mint Sprint Race last month.

Leading out two weeks prior of the race I decided to start hitting the treadmill a little bit more than the road and worked on interval training about three times a week.

I did 11:2 sets of 11 minutes running at normal pace and then for 2 minutes I picked up the pace increasing my mph every new 2 minute set when it recycled.

My goal was not only increase my speed but maintain my endurance as I never stopped to walk the entire 30 minutes. I made sure I did at least 3 miles before attempting a "walk break", and I was able to accomplish it.

I believe this method definitely helped me shave off some of my race pace time as I ran faster than I thought during that 5K race and surpassed my initial goal of 30:00 and did sub! Yay!

If you recall the last time when I set some running goals back in March, my short-term was to be able to easily run 5-6 miles by June 1st.
I did not make the June 1st date, and in fact didn't start working on increasing my mileage until after my last 5K race since I wanted to focus on speed/endurance.

So "technically" I didn't start on increasing my mileage until the last week of May to try and readch the 5-6 mile goal. In fact, I am still at the "comfortable challenge" (= not easily running) thru my 5 mile runs.

I basically recognized for some time that I was staying in my 'comfort zone' of 3-4 miles during my runs and needed to challenge myself by breaking my 'run ceiling' (how on earth will I ever accomplish Goal #2 - run at least 13 miles for my half marathon goal).
This article on running past your mental blocks REALLY helped me to keep things in perspective! Check it out!

So one day I was twittering it up and noticed one of my e-Tweet runner pal Ms. TheFitLounge in how she increases her mileage; and I decided to adopt something similar:
Run Day 1: 4 miles, Run Day 2: 5 miles Run Day 3: 5 miles
Then the following week repeat or increase more.

I personally plan to continue this method about every 3 weeks before stepping up .5 miles. Another good reference article on how to safely increase your mileage was a good read too!

Another push for me to get past my 3-4mi zone was to finally wake up at O'dark:Thirty in the morning (5:30AM run kick-off to be exact!) with the Ebony Eagles group on Tuesdays and Thursday (they do anywhere from 4-6 mile).
I even got Ms. Marilie to go with me couple of times too!! :) Yay!

This will keep me on target in doing my run routine something like this: Tue - 4 mi Thurs - 5 mi Sat - 5 mi.

Let me also say that the route we run has two nice 'creeper hills'!! BTW is great prep training for my upcoming 10K race.

I decided that only for the month of June to run this route with Ebony Eagles since I won't be on the same side of town anymore after that.

This is my third week now trying this method and will push myself next week to do 5.5 miles. My goal is to get up to 6 miles by the end of this month (*crosses fingers*).
Speaking of goals...I have reached a big one.
I started out running initially as a cheap way to lose weight and have a total body workout. And that certainly happened by remaining steadfast and having great encouraging people around me (old and new!) the entire time. THANK YOU!

Since I started running in September until now I have reached my "happy weight" and lost a total of 16 lbs!

That makes me very happy and will continue to stick with running as not only a way to keep the weight off but to remain healthy!!

Happy National Running Day!

2010-06-02T21:23:00.002-04:00

I actually didn't know there was such a day :)

And of course I celebrated by NOT running Haha.
Ironically today was my rest day ;)

So I thought I would at least drop a quick note and do this fill-in the blank exercise

"I run because _______":

~ I never thought I would

~ it humbles and builds me up at the same time

~ it empowers me!

~ it's the one thing I know is 100% me

~ it makes me feel like I can do anything

Sent from my iPhone

Thin Mint Sprint 5K

2010-05-27T20:41:00.000-04:00

Hey my fellow runners!

I know a couple of you wondered how my race went last Saturday and I am very sorry it has taken me this long to update (busy bee).

But I have floated down from my Cloud 9 :) The Thin Mint 5K race went very well! I luv'd it!! It was a very small race....just shy of 200 racers of all ages (6-64) and only had one vendor (Earth Fare - nice) there, but despite them not having a whole lot of pomp and circumstance it was a great race for the best bang for my buck (only $20 to register) and we got these cute eco friendly cloth bags with our t-shirtsNot to mention the best part....stomping around Carowinds Amusement park for our course!! Score!As you can see it was a very gloomy morning, and in fact stormed so bad the night before I was concerned it was going to rain during the race (*silent prayers were answered* Yay!). I'll take the gloom over the rain!

This race started earlier than most at 7:15AM so I wasn't used to that but it was very easy to access and a breeze to check in for our bib & timers

You see that right there! LUVs a D-tag!! Woot! Woot! (Did I mention this was only a $20 race!)

I was greeted by my own personal cheerleader this time Loree with PRBC! She came out to support and another running buddy from the club Tasha

I also saw my line sister Debbie who co-founded the Ebony Eagles running club with her daughter

(post race pic)

On your Mark, get Set, GO!!

And we were off able to romp around the amusement park ground as fast as our legs would let us :) It was not that hilly maybe two spots, but I quickly realized that I should have got in front of the pack as I was trying not to push little girls out the way ;op LOL

So I had to remember this is "their" (the actual girls IN Girl Scouts) event and not try and hurt someone Haha!

But I was focusing on trying to make time! Dangnabbit!!!

I liked the small crowd for this race, but I will say it was a bit too small as when you were racing on the course there were times you felt like you were by yourself.

Of course another running angel (and a half) joined me on this race too! As you make it thru the first loop....yep you read that right! We had to do the course TWICE for the complete 3.1 miles (that sucked! - the only part I didn't like) and they gave you the green beads (see pic above) when you did the first lap (which I almost wanted to smash on the ground since I had to do the lap again but decided that it is supposed to make me happy so I took them ;op). Can you tell I was not happy about that second loop Haha!

So after the first loop I walked a "smidgen" and this guy who I had been seeing for most of the way yells to me "Come on! You're my pace!" :) I was like 'yeah yeah yeah'. Aafter I made it up the small hill for the 2nd time (ugh!), I quickly decided he was right and that I should keep moving so I can make my 30:00 goal. And as soon as I started running again he started walking...I grabbed him by the elbow (literally) and said "Nope you are my pace!!" :) He just started laughing. So we kept going and when he stopped at the water station I pressed on (y'all already know how I feel about those). I did walk once more just for a quick minute towards the end but realized how close I was so decided to suck it up! ;op

As I kept running the 2nd loop (Dangnabbit!!) I saw this cute little gurl just sprinting and then walk all exhausted...she would then sprint off again and then walk *repeat* Haha! But she was all by herself running so I said to her "Keep on running" when she was walking and she would sprint off again! *repeat*

How about after we completed the race I thanked her for being my running buddy (and coincidentally she did Girls on the Run too where I volunteered at earlier this month)

But she did the sweetest thing and said to ME "You did a great job!"....WOW! Gotta love the kids. Thanks Amy!!

So the last stretch of the course is in the parking lot on nothing but 100% flat as a pancake pavement.....and you just want to get it over with...especially after the 2nd round....Dangnabbit!!!

And I was exhausted....but then I saw my cheerleader Loree!! I turned off my music so I could hear her cheering me on and knowing my goal I heard her say "You'll make it under 30:00"....WHAT?!?!? Did I hear her right?!? Let me go find out! Haha!

And I did!!

27:52!!! I PR'd!!!!!!!!! (race results)

And then the most craziest thing ever.....I also placed 1st in my age group!! Haha!

It's crazy because I never thought I would ever do that......ever!! Gotta love a small competitive race...I'll take it! :)

If you place then they give you a box of thin mint cookies!!Oh you betcha I

Definitely will do this race next year!!! :) Luv'd it!

Race Expectations

2010-05-21T17:15:00.012-04:00

Tomorrow I am running my second 5K ever.
Seems like I have run a ton of races but this will only be my 4th race!

Can I also give you some TMI??
My upcoming race will make it 2 out of 4 that my monthly visitor has been with me ;op (told you it was a bit much Haha). That is 50%! And a sistah iz ty-red of them all landing during this time period. Aaah the challenges of being a woman runner ;o) Grrrr

I will be in the Girl Scouts Thin Mint Sprint and what is cool about this race is that it's on Carowinds amusement park grounds!

This race is dear to my heart in that I volunteered as a leader with Girl Scouts for almost 10 years!

My goal for this race is to break even at 30:00. My last 5K race (and 1st race ever!) was in 32:38.

So I have a tad bit anixety in wanting to do better than my last 5K and then read this great article from Active.com that really made me change my 'Race Expectations' (esp. the ones I italicized )

Great Expectations
Maintain perspective (about racing/running). This is a hobby. You do this sport for fun; you aren't getting paid for it. I am not saying don't try hard, just avoid totally geeking out. After days / weeks / months of doing what you love daily (most likely early, alone and in the dark), you now get to celebrate your passion by competing with hundreds and thousands of other folks just like you. It's not pressure, this is a party!

1. Know that the only person who really cares how you do is you. Your friends and family just want you to be safe and happy. You owe them that.

2. Keep a smile on your face all day; you are blessed to be physically and financially able to compete in this event. There are many others who couldn't even dream of being in your shoes their lives are so hard.

3. Focus externally on the other folks during your week, saying hi to the other athletes and thanking the volunteers and local establishments who make your event possible. It will keep the good karma flowing and keep you in check. (yep love race day karma!)

4. The only time that matters is what the clock says at the end of the day. There will be challenges throughout your endurance day; it's what's supposed to happen! Your ability to handle them quickly and effectively will ensure you spend less time on the course and get to the finish line faster.

Alright I will be back some time soon with a race report :)

Run-spirations

2010-05-12T17:15:00.000-04:00

"Running well is a matter of having the patience to persevere when tired

and not expecting instant results."

-R. Castella

Racing 360

2010-05-09T09:33:00.010-04:00

What I have come to realize quickly in running races is that I can't do them all.
Whether it's time, physical energy or money. Primarily for me race fees add up fast and it can get expensive!

So since I may not be able to run in all races I figured I could participate in a couple of ways; either being a cheerleader :) or thru volunteerism.

I decided to give my time at the Right Moves for Youth Twilight 5K (RMFY) this past Friday night
and then turned around early the next morning to help out with the Girls on the Run 5K (GOTR)
Both organizations hold a special spot with me. RMFY I helped write a grant for them during my graduate studies and became very familiar with how they help youth succeed in school (low dropout/truancy) and to stay away from risky behaviors.

During the RMFY Twilight 5K I assisted with the chip pick-up processFirst of all....I think these little devices should be extinct. It is a waste of time energy and resources on both sides (runners picking-up and race coordinators spending time to organize them) IMHO.

*in my Forest Gump voice* And that is all I'm gonna say about that :)

I just wish all races would move away from these chips to D-tags or bibs with the timing device. The races I sign up for that use these disposable timing options will always get two thumbs up from me!!

That evening was above normal in temp for spring and to say it simply...it was hot for an evening run! LOL

I saw lots of familiar faces in the running community that I am becoming more exposed to little by littleand got to see my favorite local running public figure Thedon :) who wrote a great post about his run during this race.

The next morning I was reporting for duty at 6:45AM for the GOTR 5K to help work the pre-registration.

I have always admired GOTR over the years because of my personal passion to uplift girls self-esteem in any capacity.

To give you an idea of how it was going this was the line that morning

Lots of young girls and parents everywhere. Hindsight being 20/20 I wish I had volunteered as a running buddy during this non-competitive race, and will be sure to do that next year instead.

I luv'd the fact that everyone, specifically the girls all had the same bib number :)

How cool is that!!

Well I must say I have now experienced races from a 3-legged stool perspective in being a racer, cheerleader, and now volunteer. Full circle. 360.

And I must say all three require hard work & energy, but being a racer is the best of them all!

Liquid Fuel

2010-05-07T12:22:00.005-04:00

I wanted to share some of the liquid fuels I consume mostly after runs (sometimes before), as SingleMa prompted me (with a recent inquiry about post run meals) that I had this post in "draft" mode for a while now in my head :)

So I heard about this option for runners before and always loved it as a kid, but was just surprised it was a simple as thisChocolate milk apparently has the right combo of carbs and protein your body needs after a run!! I've been drinking this from time to time after my Saturday runs since February/March and it has been a 'quick' fix. However, I don't like that it has such a high sugar content.

I also started drinking V8s (low sodium) primarily as a fast way to get potassium in my body570mg you can't beat that with a stick!! Protein is zelch but I mainly drink it so for muscle soreness/relaxation pre/post runs. 30 cals is not bad at all. Will have to consider coconut milk one day...but V8 is just easier in my mind.

Now for a meal supplement and to get some protein in me I drink this GNC shake mix mainly as my breakfast and sometimes post runs when I don't have an appetite (but know that I need to get something in me).
I have been drinking this since last November and only buy it when it is BOGO ;o) And I luv that there is no mess or fuss with it by just using this easy shaker
Add 12 ounces of water to that baby (milk w/ this powder gives me bubble guts ugh) and viola! there is my easy meal replacement all 180 cals and 9g of protein.

Now don't get me wrong nothing can replace real protein, fruits and veggies as your real source of nutrients because these items listed above are truly just supplements in a pinch.

Here is a great article about 10 different post liquid fuels that you should read. I may have to up my intake of green tea for this buddah belly of mine :)

What liquid fuels do you digest??

I already know for summer and longer runs I am going to have to include more options (and would luv to hear about other protein shakes too) so I am definitely open to hearing what you all may do.

Until next time...Drink Up!

Run-spirations

2010-05-02T22:30:00.002-04:00

"The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running."

~in reference to Ecclesiastes 9:11

Keep enduring! Keep persevering!

Sugar Does Melt!

2010-04-28T00:00:00.001-04:00

Tuesday night I was available and had been wanting to finally make it to one of my running groups "hillwork" session.

Now mind you I had already made the announcement in advance several times on various occasions to numerous people that I do not run in the rain. I don't do rain. period.

Ur uh...yeah

That day it rained on & off the entire time into the evening. I made a late afternoon tweet announcement to Ms. Marilie and KD that I will not be running if it is still raining at 6:45pm! :) They scolded me telling me that was a whole 3 hours away and anything could happen by then.

Well it sure did!!

It was only sprinkling when it came time for me to leave and head on over, so I decided to be a trooper and go.

....then it started to get heavier...I texted KD and asked...are you still going? She gave the affirmative reply and I was like...guess I still keep going Haha!

We were all there....all 4 of us LOL and I was hoping someone would say "lets just skip it" as I would have immediately hopped back in my car ;op Didn't happen.

We did a 1 mile warm up on the winding hills (whew) and planned to do 20 sec sprints up a designated hill for ten repeats. By the time we got out the second sprint it cracked, thundered, and lightened ALL at the same time as I let out a Yelp!! Grabbing on "somebody" Hahahaha!

Finally someone came to their senses and said lets GO!!! :)

And thank goodness one of the guys who organizes the running group circled back to check on us and took us back to our cars!!!
I was so not up to doing the mile back in the pouring rain and possibly getting LIT UP on our way to safety Hahaha!

Needless to say I was proud that I finally got broken in and RAN IN THE RAIN! With my sistah gurls too :)
But neva again!! (if I know in advance)

Don't y'all know sugar melts when wet ;o)

Rah! Rah!

2010-04-26T18:15:00.005-04:00

So over the weekend I was supposed to run my second 5K, but ended up feeling under the weather and my registration got messed up so it all worked out.

Instead I was happy to play the role as a cheerleader again for my fabulous running group PRBC!!

Here are most of the ladies from the group before the race started.

That morning it was drizzling and then turned into light rain (but didn't last long at all). It was a great showing despite the weather and the racers got cool logo t-shirts this year too (I was able to cop one also).

PRBC ladies warming up

The big start/finish

Since I previewed the course the Wednesday before with two of my pals, I knew what the runners were going to experience. So I happily posted up on the corner that was the last quarter mile and nothing but downhill to the finish line yelling "All downhill!! Run Hard! Go Go Go!" just cheering away!

Let me just say....the cheer crowd was practically non-existent!!! I was really shocked by that.

I was literally the only one on my corner shouting and yelling and clapping for the runners. The few who stood near me was doing just that...only standing (and you know how I feel about that from my last post...."kick rocks!!")

But this guy right here (Nicholas)

Was THE best goodwill runner ever! I have never seen someone during a race actually running with the runners and cheering them on, and then run back and do it all over again..and again..and again!! He was literally the hype man!!

Well for more detailed race reports by those who actually ran it Haha! Check out my other fellow bloggers Ms. Marilie and BlackGirlsRun.

Even though I didn't feel up to running, I was more than happy to go out and support my group!!

Be Encouraged Boo!

2010-04-21T20:29:00.007-04:00

Yep I have another race coming up!

This Saturday it will be the CPCC Skyline 5K; at least this one will only be 3.1 miles vs. 6.2 miles :)

After this one I won't have another race until late May so I am done with actually running races for a moment (not long though!).

"Test drove" the course today after work to get personal with all the dips challenges and markers. I believe it will be just fine as the last .5 miles is all gravy = downhill!!

In the meantime, thought I would post up a quick note as I saw a thread on the Cool Running FB page about "What phrases of encouragements do you like to hear in a race??"

Would love to hear yours :)

Mine would be something like: "Keep Going!!" "Run Hard!" "GO GO GO!"

Personally I love the clapping and cheering the best as they get me crunk!!!
I detest those who come out and just standby to "watch" us run like we are some show in the early freakin' AM on a SATURDAY!! My Thoughts: Stay Home!

Here are some others good ones I read in the thread that I liked:

"You can do this!"
"You are doing great!"
"Keep it up!"
"That's the last hill!" (Tee hee!)
"Stay strong" (now that's a good one!)
"Food over there!" ROTFL

Things some runners don't like:

"You are almost there" (ur uh..no I am really not LOL)
"You are looking great" (really I am about to have a panic attack Haha)

Honestly I must agree that anyone that shows up and says anything positive is a GOOD THING!! Y'all know I am big on cheerleaders at races! Soooooo appreciative of them!

One person mentioned how they "adopt race families" Haha!! Which I thought that is so true and neat. As I've always wished those families who were standing waiting on "their" runner to cheer with the special poster, pom poms and such was really my family cheer squad. So I think I am going to start pretending to do that too now ;op

In fact I recall seeing a family and saying that I imagined that was my name on the poster (because they still cheered for me) Haha!

Truth be told.....I have this favorite "running song" by Kirk Franklin that is called Brighter Day and in it at least twice he says "Don't Be Cute With It!" and "Come On!". And he has another song called Looking For You where he repeats/says "Be Encouraged Boo!" BOTH of those songs help me push it out!!! e.v.e.r.y. single time!! Just luv it!!

Welp thought I would just share some encouraging cheer phrases we runners like to during races to keep us going!

Until next run time :)

RaceFest 10K or Bust!

2010-04-13T00:00:00.004-04:00

I flattened those hills baby!!!! (well...almost all of them LOL)

As I mentioned in my last post this course was very hilly on the front and back end!
Lets just say I loathe the streets named Barclay Downs & Runnymede LOL

I did the 10K which made it my 2nd one within 2 weeks!! Yes I was crazy but my eyes were filled with stars for that darn medal!! They gave them out for both the 10K & marathon. You rarely see that for 10Ks, plus it doubled as my birthday run too!

And I got it!! YAYAYAY!

My Prep for this race was what I mentioned in my last post. Ran the first two miles of the course on the Monday before and the last two miles of the course on that Wednesday (the hardest parts) with rest for two days before race day. I was glad that I did a course preview by foot (as it lessened my anxiety some).

I also pumped up my potassium with V8 and continued to pop my fish oil pills in hopes to alleviate cramping.

The morning of I was able to do "my duty" :) and ate a small bowl of oatmeal. I also chomped down on my sport beans about 15 minutes before the start time.

The race itself was filled to capacity at 2,800 so this is a very popular race here in Charlotte! Both mini marathoners and 10K runners started out together but split at the 3 mile marker.

The first two miles I ran continuous just to push thru the hills and a cutie doing the 1/2 marathon was pretty much running beside me keeping me going with his cute legs ;op

With my continuous pace and my avg 11:00 pace I was ahead of my girlfriends a bit. About mile maker 1.75ish...I had the urgency to pee!! UGH!

Thank goodness for the PortaJohns at mile 3 (whew!) that ate up 3-5minutes of my time waiting in line..ugh!

So I was able to catch up with my running pals but soon passed them as mile 4-4.5 on Sharon Road is pretty much flat land so I kicked it up a bit; and that is when I found my "Running Bunny".

I always look for a "Running Bunny" who is someone that is almost running the same pace as me or a tad bit faster that I "follow" or won't feel like I am running by myself. This gurl and I was pretty much "instep" even though I could tell she was a bit faster than me but she kept me going!!

Right before the "Big A" hill in the neighborhood I slowed up because my right foot started going numb on me!!!!!!! But at least it was only one this time (gotta figure this issue out..sigh) so I paused to wiggle my toes and adjust my socks and walked it out a bit.

I then geared up to tackle the "Big A" hill and kept running after I went over it until I saw the last water/gatorade stand. Let me just say I typically never like stopping for those but this time a cute little gurl had her hand out with the green gatorade cup and I was like "gimme that cup lil gurl!!" I kept running and sipped on it happily via Chicrunner style (she has it down to a science how you drink & run with those cups that she has on video Luv it! haha).

I then kept running thru my numb foot up Barclay Downs when I started losing steam...that is when I started encouraging other people that looked like they were struggling...Why?? Because that is what encourages me!

Pushing my way up the slowly growing and winding hills I noticed a guy who was in the race straight up strolling...I mean enjoying his walk LOL And I said to him over my music "You wanna run with me?".

Do you know about 30 secs later he started running with me!!!!! Theme for this race: God Truly Sends You Running Angels!!!

I truly believe that now! Last 10K it was Cedric Lucky (how ironic) my conversation buddy, and this time his name was Mike the guy who got me thru the end (thank goodness for men!). I could tell he was actually faster than me but was keeping pace for my benefit Haha! He literally ran with me to the VERY end!!!! (we have the exact same time too). We sprinted thru the finish line together!! I canNOT tell you how much that meant to me!! (and I told him that too!)

I made it! (1:08:23)

Towards the end when I knew I was getting closer to the finish line I could feel myself having trouble breathing (truly)..and I don't know why...b/c I didn't do that last time. So I had to calm myself down Haha. I think it was the anticipation of the finish line and the frustration not knowing where it was at (how about we got duped at the 2nd to the last timer thinking it was the last one and we weren't thru the finish line yet...doh!!)

I was able to shave off 3 minutes of my CRBR race time with a more difficult course, a numb foot & a potty break too!! YAYAYAY!

The end of the race party was great by giving out wine and beer. Yep....I made sure to have my limit :)

What a great way to celebrate 6.2 miles!!

I also saw another familiar face in the crowd after the race that was at my first 5K (Cupid Cup) and she gave me some great pre-race tips.

Tips I learned:

Take ibuprofen before the race as it will offset any soreness in advance!
Drink your caffeine/energy as it will absorb faster in your system
Raise your arms and keep walking after you finish a race if you are having trouble breathing

We had a good time hanging out together afterwards and hope to see her at many more races to come!

My last sighting was a blogger I love following and on his FB fanpage too! :) Theoden is a hardcore runner and who I just admire and get lots of inspiration from to keep going!! Glad I got to meet him in real life even though I was looking crazy lol

This race was so worth the prep and whining and complaining especially, just to feel that bday medal weight around my neck!! :)

Run-spirations

2010-04-11T00:00:00.002-04:00

Winning has nothing to do with racing.

Most days don't have races anyway.

Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism,

and never, ever ever giving up.

~ Amber Burfoot

Post Race/Next Race

2010-04-09T22:31:00.000-04:00

So thought I would jot down a few thoughts from my last race (for my own journal purposes really) and let you know about one that I have coming up tomorrow!!

Post-race stuff:
My running leading up to the week of the CRBR race I did 4.5 miles run/walk the Saturday before and then 4 miles on Monday hoping to have my last easy run on Wednesday. But I was too exhausted that day and ended up doing 3.4 miles on the treadmill that Thursday. I really wanted a 2 day rest in between before race day.

I haven't had the chance yet to mention how I do not care for bananas at.all....well since I have become a runner it is an option only out of necessity :)

How about directly after the CRBR 10K I devoured not just one banana but TWO! I was famished and apparently really needed it LOL

Theme to note for that weekend was: Everything goes according to plan. (truly!)

When we got back to the hotel showered up and had a great lunch how about I could NOT take a nap right away (like I thought I would) so I just laid in bed to rest up before our early dinner. However, by that evening I slept slept slept until the next morning.

Surprisingly, I was not sore or anything at all...not even a couple of days later either YAYAY! After my 1st race (Cupid Cup) I had hip joint pain and soreness but nada this time!! My V8 prep and fish oil pills may have helped that from happening..not sure.

I really didn't feel back to "normal" post-race until about that Wednesday and had my 1st decent run that Saturday with PRBC. I truly didn't expect to take that long to recoup (BUT I will say I still ended up not getting enough rest afterwards with more late nights and going out..sish). I will do so much better about resting up and taking it easy post-races. I will say an epsom salt and lavender bath was luuuuurvely post-race!!

One more foolish thing I forgot to mention I did post-race. That Monday after I still kept to my schedule and ran with my 4miler group.....BIG mistake!! I was still very tired from the 6.2 and it was just way too much too soon. What I should have done was a nice easy "Post Race" run. I know better for next time trust :)

Speaking of next time!

Next Race stuff:
Soooo...I think I may be a little out of my mind signing up for another 10K two weeks apart from my last one!

BUT I really wanted to do a race around my birthday (it was on April 8th! Yayay) AND you actually get a medal for doing this 10K (this rarely happens for 10Ks). So because I already had a few friends I knew that were going to run it I went for it!!

I will be doing this race on tomorrow:

I did a course preview via my car a couple of days after I signed up and I have been down these streets many of times but never paid attention to them from a "running" point of view....lets just say this route is HILLY and windy both on the front AND tail end, with a lovely BIG A hill at mile marker 5.0 ish!!! Gish! (course map here)

Therefore, I decided my runs before the race would be the actual course so my body could get used to it........well Charlotte decided to have a HEAT wave that week filled with POLLEN!

On Monday I did the front 2miles out and 2 miles back for a total of 4 miles and huffed and puffed the entire time!! The last mile I actually had to walk b/c BOTH feet became numb. I think it was mainly because I was overheated. This was really a crappy run for me and I felt bummed about it. That was my 1st time I needed to wear shorts/sunscreen...y'all it was sunny in the high 80s here!! Guess that was good practice "if" I get in the Peachtree Road Race for 4th of July....we shall see.

I decided to go back on Wednesday (insane) and the weather was much cooler out. This time I did the last 2 miles out and then reversed it for a total of 4 miles as well. This run was a tad bit better but I still struggled.

So essentially I did the hardest parts of the course on both run days. My calves ached A LOT on the first day and my legs and knees were sore. On the second run day my hamstring and hip joints were sore...this course is rough y'all.

I am over here trying to get my mind right about this race!!! Keep happy & positive thoughts for me. Will be back next week with a race report once I recoup...whenever that will be :)

My First 10K

2010-04-05T21:38:00.002-04:00

Ooh boy! I've have lots to share with you and will try to play catch up this week :o)

But must talk about my 1st 10K!!!

I did the Cooper River Bridge Run (CRBR) on Saturday, March 27th and it was a good trip!

Charleston is such a beautiful place (luv it) and is a short enough trip to feel like a getaway. We arrived at our hotel

And let me just say I got a lot of R&R this weekend :)

After check-in we headed out later on that evening to the heart of the city for a pre-race dinner

The food was delicious!! And the broccoli cornbread was something new to me!

Some of the ladies from my running group PRBC was able to join us to load up on carbs!

Let me just preface my running report right now to say...I was TIRED the entire week!! I had been running around, staying up late, etc. the week before leading up to that weekend = not good!!

I did take a 2 hour nap on the way down (thank goodness I was a rider this time!) and after dinner I pretty much was knocked out (around 11:00ish) in my comfy hotel bed until 4:00AM the next morning!!!

The race started at 8:00AM however we opted to take the 5:00AM shuttle bus over concerned about traffic and would hate to come all that way to miss the race!

We waited 2.5 hours (felt like an eternity) in the WIND (13mph!!) and cold before the start time!!

We was C.O.L.D. and huddled up in a corner to avoid the wind! GO PRBC! :)

I did my usual prep for race by warming up on the treadmill...with no luck (if you know what I'm saying haha). I ate a granola bar about 1 hour before the race and downed some Sport Beans 15 minutes before start time (that was a very good decision!). And got in the very very long PortaJohn line about 30 minutes before and handled my biz! YAY! :) *whew anxiety over*

The sun finally started coming up and we were anxious to get the race started!

It was really inspiring to see these runners compete...I "know" I can do it now!

I will say I was not as nervous about the bridge as I initially was once we drove over it to get to the start line. It's basically one big highway!

And the folks dressed up in various costumes were hilarious along the way and made it so much fun! :)We had heard a rumor that there were Krispy Kreme donuts around mile marker 4 or 5 and we couldn't wait to get to them (even though we thought we would hurl if we ate one Haha). No dice..oh well!

The crowd was thick and you never felt like you were running alone. I really enjoyed the energy and large crowd more than I thought I would!

Took our time approaching the slow climb to the bridge and took lots of picsEven texted and facebooked while running Haha!We wished it was sunny out and clear (came later on that afternoon go figure)The gigantic presence of the bridge was overwhelming and just GREAT!!!! (excuse the iPhone pic my digi came died by then ;op)

Other than the 4% incline of the Ravenel Bridge (that I speedwalked up the entire way!) the race course is relatively flat. Which made for a pleasant 1st time 10K and would recommend this race to first timers!

I will say around mile 4.5ish/5.0 I was losing steam BUT ran into a fellow frat who I ended up chatting it up with until about 5.5 marker which was a great distraction, and after that I just pushed it out. Those darn jelly beans were fab! Haha :)

My overall time was 1:11:28 and I was very happy with that result! Especially with it being my 1st 10K and only second race ever!! Plus I was really not pushing it too much and had fun snapping pics/texting, doing 13:2 intervals and such.

There were 7 of us in our group (see above of huddle/freezin pic - my fav) and all of our 1st time doing the CRBR race!!

We did an awesome job ladies!!!!

Run-spirations

2010-03-25T12:41:00.002-04:00

"The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life

is often merely the will to try it

and the faith to believe that it is possible."

- Richard M. DeVos

Crimsonization II

2010-03-19T00:00:00.001-04:00

Much like life you have the good days and bad days

Your heart is willing but your legs are not having it! ;op

Crimson's Goal Update

2010-03-18T10:47:00.001-04:00

Time for a quick update what's going on in my own running world :)

Yesterday, a friend and I decided to do a quick run in Center City Charlotte since we both work uptown, the daylight is getting longer, and we have both just been stressed out with work.

Solution: Hit the pavement!

So we were trotting along clicking away at our 3.5 mi run/walk (dang those stop lights/traffic) and trying not to inhale nicotine from all the street smokers *roll eyes* and it dawns on us why we were seeing everyone dressed in green with hats and boas and such thangs LOL

It was St. Patty's day...duh! And ironically I was wearing my bright green running capris (with of course my Cooper River Bridge T-shirt on!). The clothes matching up with the date was so unintentional! :o)

Right before my run I chowed done on one of theseJust discovered them so they are new to me. I tried the chocolate pretzel bar (since I love white fudge pretzels IRL) and really enjoyed it. We will see how the other one tastes but this may be in my regular rotation to munch on moreso after a run (unless I am running in the evenings I will do them pre-run). What are your favorite pre/post bar??

So Cooper River Bridge Run 10K (CRBR) is approaching fast (I am sooooooo excited!!) and trying to get as much running time in to build up my endurance so the 6.1 miles won't take me out LOL
Received my packet in the mail and was happy to go thru it, and you saw I wore my t-shirt in advance :) The magic # y'all is 31599!! Yay!

I already know that I will be doing a walk/run during this race, because I am not yet running 6 miles in my every day runs. My expectations have adjusted quite a bit from when I first signed up = no pressure!! So I am looking to just have a good time and run as much as possible!

I still have a mini-CRBR goal and that is to complete it within 1.30 hours.

I have also set up a couple personal running goals too:

Short-term: Run easy 5-6 miles by June 1st

Long-term: Run 13.1 miles by December 1st

If I stay at the same training schedule now (about 3-4 days a week of running) and continue to push myself wtih comfortable challenges I think I can accomplish those goals!

Crimsonization I

2010-03-12T07:20:00.005-05:00

Running is really a metaphor to life in soooo many ways. The mini realizations of them all hit me from time to time...hence "Crimsonization" :)

"Running has showed me you can push past pain/discomfort and become stronger.

That's what made me stick with running.

When I needed it the most, it gave me evidence that I can make it thru the pain of life

if I just hold on and keep on pushing with God!"

On Being a Cheerleader

2010-03-09T00:00:00.010-05:00

This past weekend I had the first time experience and pleasure of being a Race Cheerleader! :)

My running group Purple Butterfly Running Club ran on Saturday in the Corporate Cup 5K. They did a great job!
I just had to give back the 'race cheer karma' by making my way out to take pictures, clap, chant "Go Go Go" "Run Run Run" "3 miles down", and "Push that baby" (lol) to all the runners as I truly appreciated that when I ran my 1st 5K a couple of weeks ago. You know that thing of doing positive things to runners/while running (great blog post)

There were tons of people out there and it was great to see all ages, body types, and paces coming down the road! It was also interesting seeing various runners reactions to the cheering too....some received it well/happily and others looked like "shut da hell up I am just trying to make it thru this" rotfl

Truly motivating and it was great to get another perspective on a race since I am a newbie to them right now.

On Sunday it was a BEAUTIFUL 62 degrees...it actually looked AND felt like it too! So I definitely took the opportunity to run outside for the first time without my hat or gloves; and I even switched out my windbreaker for a long sleeve dri wick shirt (note: need more of these for the spring weather).

I went on the greenway by myself this time, but you can tell things are definitely warming up as there were tons of people out and about. It also made me realize I have not yet run in the "spring season" yet! :) Can't wait, however my watery eyes and runny nose is NOT cute so I will be poppin' some allergy meds soon.

As far as my goals I have been maintaining them thus far by not running less than 3 miles and trying to cap at least 4.0 miles per week. I just joined a 4 miler run group that will help me stay on track and will allow me to get more road time in w/o running alone.

I enjoyed it and so glad this nice runner kept pace with me (10:40-11:04) on the dark roads...whew lets just say it was a comfortable challenge Haha! I will return as long as she is there with me :)

Looking back I can't believe I used to be stoked about running 5 minutes straight and now I am counting by miles! I truly can't believe I run 3 miles now and look forward to the day when I will view this post and feel like 3 miles is a breeze.

Luv that progress is happening slowly but surely. Yep, I am sticking with this thing called running!

Run-spirations

2010-03-05T09:33:00.002-05:00

"If you run, you are a runner.

It doesn't matter how fast or how far.

It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years.

There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get.

You just run."

- John "the Penguin" Bingham

Getting Over That First Hill

2010-03-02T16:00:00.006-05:00

I tell ya....every time I get ready to run there are two things that are always the hardest hills to get over for me

The 1st continuous five minutes of running, and
The 1st mile

I swear those are my biggest hurdles out the gate in getting my run groove on!

What about your hills?

How do you push past them?

Me.....I just zone in on my music and pray to hit 4:59min and 1.59km fast LOLGotta get over that hump! :o)

Since running my first 5K (and now looking at less than thirty days to my first 10K) I have set the following goals:

To run a minimum of 3 miles every time (except during recovery runs)
When on the treadmill to stay at a 2% incline
Run at least 4 miles once a week (adding on until 6mi)

Thus far I have done all three since last week when I established my goals...now lets see if I can run over 4 miles this week....um 4.5 anyone? lol

I believe those are comfortable challenges for myself right now, but know when not to go too hard (at least I like to think I am that smart).

Hope everyone is getting some good running time in!

Run-spirations

2010-02-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing.

You have to make the MIND run the body.

Never let the body tell the mind what to do.

The body will always give up.

It is always tired morning, noon, and night.

But the body is never tired if the MIND is not tired.

When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body never tired...

You've always got to make the mind take take over and keep going!"

~ George S. Patton, U.S. Army General & 1912 Olympian

My First 5K Experience

2010-02-22T13:37:00.007-05:00

Just wanted to jot down a few thoughts from my 1st 5k experience!

As I mentioned in my last post I was all hyped up for Cupid Cup scheduled for 02.13.2010.
But then we received some "flurries" the night before and the race was postponed for our "safety" (*eyeroll* from this born & raised Wisconsin gurl!) to 02.20.2010.

So by the time the race came I didn't have the butterflies in my stomach as I thought I would :)

I indeed did my homework in advance and looked over the course map several times, and "intended" to actually drive it to get a feel for the "rise/falls" of the course but never got around to it (would definitely do it next time!).

However, one of the blogs I follow did a great job of providing a course description of what to expect. So helpful!!

And a map was provided on the race website as well.

However, the "up" hills were a bit of a surprise to me and was happy I did a road run the week before that had some hills.

Prior to this race I ran outside all of about a handful of times (6ish??), as my primary training was done on the treadmill.

I had just started getting into a "running program" last fall doing C25K. BUT I will say I did feel like I was prepared for this 5K and the outside running helped out tremendously! I also could/had ran at least 3 miles a few times prior (not with ease but completed it Haha). SO glad I had that under my belt or I would have really struggled.

I would have loved to run the entire 3.1 miles, but I did 95% of the time and was satisfied with that.

The best advice I received prior going in was "Run YOUR own race"! You know don't worry about what everybody else is doing. Do what YOU can and the biggest win will be that you didNOT quit!! Yayay! :)

I strayed away from drinking before the race and in fact cut off ALL my liquids 8:30pm the night before (I have "issues" with using the bathroom while running to put it lightly LOL - a whole 'nother post). I was also in bed by 10:00pm (and did some right on time blog reading too - 5K Strategies by Runners) to be "well rested". Which didn't happen...I think it was my nerves kickin' in.

This race started at 8:00AM and I got up around 5:00AM did some light stretches (the day before was a rest day - no running, but did stretches on that day as well) and started to "wake" my body up. Took my time getting myself together (as I already set everything out the night before - definitely do that!! Per another GREAT related post: Getting Ready for a race).

Once I had my running clothes on I actually hopped on the treadmill for about 15 minutes for a warm up (.90 miles 5 min walk/5 min jog/5 min walk) to wake-up my intestines now (giggle). I had also read another great article the night before which talked about warming up your legs/body in advance (runners doing 2-3 miles for a 5K....mmmh not this chick! LOL I did my cool 15 and saved my energy for the real race ;op). The warm-up did the trick! And I was back home "taking care of business" :) Perfect! Haha! Then I ate a 1/2 bowl of oatmeal for some quick carbs (dinner night before was chicken parmesan).

Got in the car and met up with my friend at 7:15ish to find parking and did a brisk walk over to the starting area and began the race!

My friend Katrina gave me the green light well in advance that I could leave her (guilt free) and that was so helpful! So we ran together the 1st mile (and she had the nerve to try and stop by the water station - I made her keep moving LOL) and after our first up hill she wanted to walk, but I kept it pushing and waved "bye bye" :) She did great too and was only 3 minutes behind me for her total finish time.

Meanwhile, since I didn't have a running buddy anymore I began to pick "rabbits". You know someone who may be at the same pace as you are/slightly faster, that you focus on to keep up with or run after. And that helped out A LOT for me! Of course my music was bumping in my ears. As I crafted a nice motivating upbeat playlist to get me thru along with interval beeps that let me know where I was at in my progress in miles, pace, etc.

Towards the end of the race I was getting weary but it was all on a downhill so that kept me going! Let me tell you the people who stand by and are the "clappers" are THE BEST ever!! For some reason the clappers were "lite on their duty" that morning Haha! And I took a moment to gasp out to one of them "thank you for clapping", it truly makes you feel SO good!

I tell you one thing is for sure if I don't run a race I just may go down and support by clapping! Hmmm my PBRC group (Purple Butterfly Running Club) is doing a race very soon so I may do just that!! Yay!)

Race Verdict: I enjoyed this race, it was a great intro course, and luv'd the theme for the time of the year and cause they were raising money for so I would recommend and do it again!

Well that is it! I have officially been "de-virgintized" on 5Ks! Yay! :)

I Got the Bug!

2010-02-20T17:46:00.004-05:00

I went off and did it.....I got the bug! The RUNNING Bug! :) Last year I really wanted to look into running as a cheaper alternative to exercise and a way to transform my body.

I had bumped into two friends (Madinah & Joyce - Heeeey!) and asked them what they had been doing b/c they looked so great!! And they replied "running" which got my wheels turning.....

However, I was all "talk" about getting running shoes for months!! l.i.t.e.r.a.l.l.y Like from March to August *gawk* Finally broke down to get the proper fitting and went off and purchased an "entry" running shoe type (bad decision - another post).

The Couch 2 5K (C25K) was my mission plan to accomplish a goal I discovered in my old exercise journal waaaay back in 2001 (to simply run 10 minutes straight - amazed I can do that now!!). I could barely run 90 secs back in August '09! And running 3 minutes seemed like an eternity!!

But I started noticing myself improving little by little. So I kept at it. It took forever...and I mean forever to build up my endurance as I repeated C25K weeks several times. I attempted to run outside once and decided I was a punk and would remain a 'Treadmill Baby' :) :) Besides it was getting cold out and winter was setting in..hmph

However I knew I needed to push myself in order to get over my 15min ceiling. I discovered a wonderful running group (another great post) in early January '10 and that did the trick!! I started hitting the road and had women there to support me with no pressure!

By then I caught another bug....The RACE bug!! I initially signed up back in mid-January for the Cooper River Bridge 10K that is to take place in March.
Say WHAT?!?!? Was I thinking??

I was introduced to it by one of my co-workers who heard the zeal in my new running adventures. However, I didn't realize how "big" this race is (3rd 10k in the nation) until 'after' I registered LOL

I was intrigued by the race b/c it would demolish 3 of my fears at once - running my 1st race, heights/bridges, and swimming (I can't lol). Plus I LUV Charleston and had not been there in 5 years (mini vacay all rolled up into one!)

Well after I rounded up some girlfriends to go in on this crazy plan of mine Haha I started getting nervous about how I could barely run 3 miles let along SIX miles and that this would be my first race. So I immediately signed up for another race instead (and begged for someone to do it with me - Thanks Katrina!! xoxo) :)

My very first 5K on TODAY!!! (Cupid's Cup 5K)

Funny pic I had to take since it was the "Cupid Cup" and all LOL

This race technically should have been last week but Charlotte had a "snow blizzard" (being sarcastic) that happened the night before so it was postponed. I was so hyped and had all my fellow running buddy tips in my head - but nothing...such a let down. Pooh.

So this morning when I woke up...I really wasn't all that excited or nervous...just ready to DO IT! Plus the extra week gave me more time to train and buy some thermal DriFit leggings I needed Haha (guess it really does all work out for the best).

My goal for this race: To get from the start to finish line not crawling on my knees! LOL
Then it started to vary...at first I wanted to do it within 30 minutes...then just to run the entire 5K period...then run it within 35 minutes (which was decided 2 secs before the gunshot Haha). All that didn't matter as...I just wanted to DO IT!! And I DID!! :)

I ran it in 32:38 minutes! And at a pace of 10:31 minutes a mile...woot!

Here is a "course map" from my RunKeeper GPS app. There were two UP hills and two down hills. After I got up the second hill I did walk a 'smidgen' ;op But was overall pleased with my 1st run.

I have now started my 2010 race list!!! (another post)

Hence me now catching The Running Blog Bug!! I started to randomly lurk on a few that are very helpful/informative and realized literally just last night that I should be journaling about my experience as a beginner! :) I really wish I had started sooner to see the changes I was going thru at the time. So here I am...and I promise all my posts won't be this long LOL (hey it's the inaugural one!)

My reasons now for running have evolved (separate post too),

but it is safe to say that I have a "strong like" towards it! :)