Friday may have been the best day ever. In the words of Barney Stinson, it may have been “Ledgen--------wait for it-----dary!” Nothing major happened, but there were a series of great events throughout the day!
There is a new girl in the offices that runs and happened to run the Disney half marathon in CA back in September. We started talking about my upcoming race schedule (and I tried to recruit her) and plans for a half marathon in Orlando next year when she told me about the BEST RACE EVER. Disney apparently hosts a Princess Half Marathon. Visions of tutus, tiaras and pageant waves flashed into my head and I was so there. The race is in March—as in a month away-- and I will not be ready for this. But sign me up for March of 2011. I have managed to recruit several other people into this, you apparently get killer rates at the various resorts through Disney and I am already planning out my race outfit. I am a big kid at heart, and I love Disney, so I am planning on a few extra days down there. My husband is all for it, because he can golf his little heart away at the courses there and come out on race day for support and H2O service.
Admittedly, I have a bit of a shopping hobby (or problem if you ask my husband). I stopped at Marshalls on the way home from work (Hey, at least I am bargain shopper!) and was digging through the workout section when it felt like a light shined down on me and the angels in heaven sang. There in front of me was a CW-X Xtra Support Bra in white with lavender trim (which I can not find anywhere). I snatched the only one on the rack up and checked the size. The only one in the store, and it was my size and it was $19.99 (normally retails for $57.00). I felt like the stars aligned for me and it was some higher power than drove me to that Marshalls on that day. All kidding aside, the CW-X is probably the BEST bra I have run in (even if you need to be double jointed to get into it), but I tend to shy away from it because of the price. Finding it at that price was a huge surprise and made my day.
My running was derailed over the weekend. I run at the gym because 1-my neighborhood is only about .75 miles long, 2-the road outside my neighborhood is major and has way too much traffic on it to feel safe running on, 3- I don’t like running after dark (bad experience when I was running 7 years ago and had a guy following me at night in my nice, quiet, upper class neighborhood in Alexandria) and 4-I like to people watch and my gym has a CAST of characters. We were supposed to get a dusting of snow on Saturday, so I didn’t think anything about it. After 5 hours of steady of snow, and 5 inches on the ground, I knew I would not be able to make it to the gym. Sunday, after running errands, my husband and I got home after sundown and ice was starting to form and my husband did not want me out. Monday was shot because of class (though I did some weights and lunges at lunch) so yesterday I took a Pilates class and went for a run after that. I thought I was in shape but boy oh boy was I wrong. Parts of my body were burning in the class that I did not even know I had. I enjoyed the class and I think I will keep up with it, but who knew that such little movement could have some serious effects on the muscles. I followed the class up with a nice speed work out and three miles--I wanted to do 5, but it was snowing again--, so it ended up being a good day. With another wallop of snow forecasted for the DC/Baltimore area again this weekend, I am planning some long runs during the week in case I am stuck in the house again.
Hope everyone has a great day!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A bit of pain, a bit of fear and a vacation!
I started seeing a chiropractor last week and, as suspected, my hip and back are a problem. I have some joints out of place, so we are working on that. Luckily, my chiropractor is also a physical therapist and is doing more than just manual adjustments. He is helping me learn more stretches to loosen up my hamstrings and calves and giving me some workouts for my core that will help my run better. In the two sessions I have had with him, I feel taller, straighter, and overall much more comfortable, especially when I run. I managed to get in 4.5 miles on Saturday with no pain at all—a wonderful improvement from Wednesday. I am behind my goal of hitting 5.5 miles by last week, and 6 this week, but I am sure I can make up for it over the next few weeks, especially if I do the exercises recommended by my chiro on a regular basis. I am worried I might hit a wall around 6 miles though, since a 10K is my furthest race. Anyone have any recommendations on how to overcome a running wall?
I started thinking of the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler and how fast I run. I will finish the race in just about 2 hours, which is fine with me because at least I will have done it--although I am fearful that I will fall under the 14 minute mile pace and some huge hook will yank me off the street saying "too bad fatty--you were going too slow!" As someone who suffers from ADD (albeit self diagnosed) I really wonder if I can do it. Can I keep myself going for 120 minutes? At the gym, I get bored after about 20--and just push through the next 30-40 minutes, depending on my goal. What on earth am I going to do for 120 minutes? Luckily, we will be running through DC and the surrounding areas, so there is always stuff to look at, but I am still worried that I might do poorly because I am just bored. Any thoughts, suggestions or advice?
I was suprised to note the other day that I have not had a cold all winter *knock on wood*. I typically get at least one bad cold a year that will last about 14-16 days from start to end. People around me have been really sick with colds, my husband had a terrible flu at the beginning of the year. Me--not so much. This is the first winter that I have been exercising regularlly and I have to say, I think its really helping my health--beyond my waistline and the reflections in the scale!
My husband is turning 30 is a few weeks! He is an avid snowboarder and golfer, so I figure we would take a trip somewhere cold and snowy (which is fine—I snowboard as well, enjoy the cold and love snow) to celebrate, but nope! We are headed to Puerto Rico for 5 days! I am so excited and super motivated, since I plan to spend most of my time in a swimsuit, going kayaking and relaxing beach/poolside! Luckily, our hotel has a full fitness area, and we are going hiking a few times in the rainforest not far from where we will be staying.
I started thinking of the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler and how fast I run. I will finish the race in just about 2 hours, which is fine with me because at least I will have done it--although I am fearful that I will fall under the 14 minute mile pace and some huge hook will yank me off the street saying "too bad fatty--you were going too slow!" As someone who suffers from ADD (albeit self diagnosed) I really wonder if I can do it. Can I keep myself going for 120 minutes? At the gym, I get bored after about 20--and just push through the next 30-40 minutes, depending on my goal. What on earth am I going to do for 120 minutes? Luckily, we will be running through DC and the surrounding areas, so there is always stuff to look at, but I am still worried that I might do poorly because I am just bored. Any thoughts, suggestions or advice?
I was suprised to note the other day that I have not had a cold all winter *knock on wood*. I typically get at least one bad cold a year that will last about 14-16 days from start to end. People around me have been really sick with colds, my husband had a terrible flu at the beginning of the year. Me--not so much. This is the first winter that I have been exercising regularlly and I have to say, I think its really helping my health--beyond my waistline and the reflections in the scale!
My husband is turning 30 is a few weeks! He is an avid snowboarder and golfer, so I figure we would take a trip somewhere cold and snowy (which is fine—I snowboard as well, enjoy the cold and love snow) to celebrate, but nope! We are headed to Puerto Rico for 5 days! I am so excited and super motivated, since I plan to spend most of my time in a swimsuit, going kayaking and relaxing beach/poolside! Luckily, our hotel has a full fitness area, and we are going hiking a few times in the rainforest not far from where we will be staying.
The Frog Bra= LOVE
So, I receive my order from Title Nine Thursday night—yipppeee! I ordered three bras, only to discover I had two of the ones I ordered already (again, no bra names given, just manufacturers listed). The bra I did not have and promptly tested on is made exclusively for Title Nine called the Frog Bra. It’s a pretty basic pullover sports bra with a racerback. No fancy wires, hooks or straps. The distinguishing feature of the bra, however, is that it boasts that it is made with 32% Lycra and that it’s a major “masher bra.”
When I first put the bra on, and then a t-shirt, I looked semi-flat chested for the first time in my entire life; I really felt like my girls were contained! I jumped around, and noticed there was not a lot of movement. I often worry not only about the up and down movement, but the side to side movement and this bra really kept everything in place (Did you know a woman’s chest will make a figure 8 motion and she moves). I headed for the gym to go for a short run with the bra on and was pleasantly surprised. Typically, I feel racerback bras pulling between my shoulder blades and get a bit of discomfort. This bra has a very wide racerback, that stretches over the shoulder blades and fit very comfortably. After running about 2 miles, I did not feel as though the bra stretched out any because of my sweating.
My only complaint about the bra is that the materials seems a bit stiff from the amount of Lycra in the bra. I am willing to take that given the support and compression that came with it. For those who worry, since this bra is a major masher bra, there is undeniably a uniboob situation. For me, I prefer to have the locked down chest, so I am willing to overlook that drawback of the bra. I love this bra so much, I replaced my two originally ordered with these.
The bra comes in S-XL (I ordered a L and I am a 38DD) sizes and in white, blue and black. It costs $33 of one and $32 for two or more, which is a steal when looking at the prices of other bras for women with larger chests. If you are in the market for a new bra and can overlook the uniboob look, give this bra a try.
When I first put the bra on, and then a t-shirt, I looked semi-flat chested for the first time in my entire life; I really felt like my girls were contained! I jumped around, and noticed there was not a lot of movement. I often worry not only about the up and down movement, but the side to side movement and this bra really kept everything in place (Did you know a woman’s chest will make a figure 8 motion and she moves). I headed for the gym to go for a short run with the bra on and was pleasantly surprised. Typically, I feel racerback bras pulling between my shoulder blades and get a bit of discomfort. This bra has a very wide racerback, that stretches over the shoulder blades and fit very comfortably. After running about 2 miles, I did not feel as though the bra stretched out any because of my sweating.
My only complaint about the bra is that the materials seems a bit stiff from the amount of Lycra in the bra. I am willing to take that given the support and compression that came with it. For those who worry, since this bra is a major masher bra, there is undeniably a uniboob situation. For me, I prefer to have the locked down chest, so I am willing to overlook that drawback of the bra. I love this bra so much, I replaced my two originally ordered with these.
The bra comes in S-XL (I ordered a L and I am a 38DD) sizes and in white, blue and black. It costs $33 of one and $32 for two or more, which is a steal when looking at the prices of other bras for women with larger chests. If you are in the market for a new bra and can overlook the uniboob look, give this bra a try.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Frustration
Running is my sure-fire pick me up plan. If I ever have a bad day, get stressed out from school, work or life, or if I just need some space and time to think, I go for a run. Once I pop those earbuds in, get into a groove and get going, I just forget about all my concerns and worries and just go. I am a much happier, relaxed and less anxious person when I run.
So what happens when you just can’t go? Last week, I was really happy with my progress. I ran 5 miles in just over an hour (slow, yes, but still 5 miles J and half the distance I need to be ready for the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in April) and logged just over twenty miles for the week for the first time in about three months. I had an easy run on Monday, took Tuesday off to babysit the world’s cutest 10 month old (so my friends husband could take her on a surprise date) and yesterday planned on speed training. I got about 1.2 miles into my planned 1.5 miles and just felt like my body shut down. My hips hurt, my knee was bugging and my arches were aching. Rather than run through the pain, I walked to cool down and hopped on the elliptical to finish my workout.
I am fairly disgruntled. After a really positive week, I feel like this week is turning out to a major let down. Yesterday was not one of my finer days, so I could have used the planned pick-me-up run I intended to complete. I felt like not completing a substantial run tipped the scales on my already questionable mood and set a tone for the remainder of the evening; nothing seemed to go right for me for the rest of the night! I am trying to stay positive and will probably do some strength training tonight in lieu of a run. Maybe it was just my body’s way of saying “Hey Fatty---give the joints and muscles a break!”
I decided to make an appointment with a chiropractor, at the suggestion of a coworker. I figure being the FatGirl, maybe it’s just too much pressure and jostling on my joints and is the source of my problems. I am going to start stretching much more on a daily basis. Maybe I am just too tight when I start running and never can get completely comfortable.
Tonight, my order of sports bras from Titlenine.com is due to arrive, so be on the lookout for reviews of the two bras I ordered in the next couple of days. If you struggle to find a sports bra for being a well endowed girl, I am going to be testing out several to find the answer for the no bounce. Title Nine offers a plethora of bras, tested and rated by various staffers and reviews and was a really helpful website in ordering new bras. My only complaint: While they do tell you the manufacture of the bra, they do not give you the manufacturer’s name of the bra, just their own. I like to scour for the best deals online, and while it makes it difficult, I can find the bras after enough research.
I am hoping to be more diligent about posting blog entries. I have been reluctant to turn on my computer at home during my winter break from school, but with classes starting next week, I will be on the computer more, and hopefully, writing more.
Hope everyone has a great day.
So what happens when you just can’t go? Last week, I was really happy with my progress. I ran 5 miles in just over an hour (slow, yes, but still 5 miles J and half the distance I need to be ready for the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in April) and logged just over twenty miles for the week for the first time in about three months. I had an easy run on Monday, took Tuesday off to babysit the world’s cutest 10 month old (so my friends husband could take her on a surprise date) and yesterday planned on speed training. I got about 1.2 miles into my planned 1.5 miles and just felt like my body shut down. My hips hurt, my knee was bugging and my arches were aching. Rather than run through the pain, I walked to cool down and hopped on the elliptical to finish my workout.
I am fairly disgruntled. After a really positive week, I feel like this week is turning out to a major let down. Yesterday was not one of my finer days, so I could have used the planned pick-me-up run I intended to complete. I felt like not completing a substantial run tipped the scales on my already questionable mood and set a tone for the remainder of the evening; nothing seemed to go right for me for the rest of the night! I am trying to stay positive and will probably do some strength training tonight in lieu of a run. Maybe it was just my body’s way of saying “Hey Fatty---give the joints and muscles a break!”
I decided to make an appointment with a chiropractor, at the suggestion of a coworker. I figure being the FatGirl, maybe it’s just too much pressure and jostling on my joints and is the source of my problems. I am going to start stretching much more on a daily basis. Maybe I am just too tight when I start running and never can get completely comfortable.
Tonight, my order of sports bras from Titlenine.com is due to arrive, so be on the lookout for reviews of the two bras I ordered in the next couple of days. If you struggle to find a sports bra for being a well endowed girl, I am going to be testing out several to find the answer for the no bounce. Title Nine offers a plethora of bras, tested and rated by various staffers and reviews and was a really helpful website in ordering new bras. My only complaint: While they do tell you the manufacture of the bra, they do not give you the manufacturer’s name of the bra, just their own. I like to scour for the best deals online, and while it makes it difficult, I can find the bras after enough research.
I am hoping to be more diligent about posting blog entries. I have been reluctant to turn on my computer at home during my winter break from school, but with classes starting next week, I will be on the computer more, and hopefully, writing more.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Marine Corp Marathon 10K
Marine Corp Marathon 10K Recap
Ok, so this race was back in October, but I just started my blog so I thought I would start with the race that had me hooked on running!
First, I stayed up way too late before the race so I could watch Iowa beat Michigan State (Stanzi threw a touchdown on a play that started with only 2 seconds on the clock) so I was too excited as a result. As I was trying to fall asleep in my cousin’s guest room—I was running with her husband in the morning—I had a ton of anxiety. I had never completed 6 miles in my training—the furthest I had gone was 5.7 miles. What if I couldn’t finish? What if I got lost? What if I had people saying “run faster fatty, run faster” as I ran by? Suffice to say, I did not sleep much at all the night leading up to the race and 5AM came way too quickly.
As we got ready to leave, I made sure to grab a bagel to chow on during the commute in and felt like throwing up the WHOLE time. When we arrived on the mall, and dropped off our bags, I was really proud to be part of this big group of people. CDH (cousin’s dear husband) and I ran some warm ups and stretched, and eventually made our way to our respective corrals (me in the 70Mins +, CDH in the 50 Min) and got ready for the race to start. After a nice rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by Miss Washington DC (where the vast majority of the runners were signing their hearts out aside from a few girls who were mocking the singer—very annoying and disrespectful if you would like to hear my two cents).
Once the race was under way, it was a bit of a mad dash. I had never run a race of this size or that started on such a narrow pathway. I felt squished. The problem with being in the 70+ corral is that there was a wide assortment of runners at different speeds. Once the pack started to thin out and groups started to form, the race became a bit more comfortable in a sense that I did not feel like I was going to be trampled.
Running through the streets of DC (my favorite city in the WORLD) and surrounding areas, I was able to enjoy the views, even though we headed over to Crystal City, VA shortly after the race started. I was feeling really good, no pain, not too short of breath, and enjoying a clear, cool morning. While running through Crystal City, there was an area where runners looped around and were running against each other. It was nice to see the support the runners had for each other; high fiving each other and yelling out encouragement. Along the run, I noticed a spectator wearing a hat with the Iowa Hawkeye logo, so I had to swerve and give him a high five. I was unsure how far we had run as I did not feel like I saw many mile markers until 4 miles into the race.
Running past the pentagon was a somber experience. I moved to the DC Metro area 8 months after 9/11 and remember driving past the Pentagon daily and watching the construction crews work on the project. It’s truly a site to see and running past the building, with Marines posted along the way.
The final portion of the race puts your right by Arlington National Cemetery (I remember thinking “Gosh, I am tired” but seeing those headstones gave me an extra push). The race finishes straight up a hill and I just pushed myself hard through that .2 miles. I remember finishing the race and grinning like a big dope. I felt so wonderful; I was truly experiencing my first runner’s high!
The MCM 10K was a great experience! I was happy I ran it, because I signed up for the challenge, but it totally got me into running.
I hope to (maybe this year, maybe next) to run the whole Marine Corp Marathon. As for now, I have signed up for a few more 10Ks, a couple of 10 milers and probably a half marathon in Baltimore!
Does anyone have any good 10 Miler plans? Any recommendations? Any thoughts on how to get past the mental hurdle of running a marathon?
Ok, so this race was back in October, but I just started my blog so I thought I would start with the race that had me hooked on running!
First, I stayed up way too late before the race so I could watch Iowa beat Michigan State (Stanzi threw a touchdown on a play that started with only 2 seconds on the clock) so I was too excited as a result. As I was trying to fall asleep in my cousin’s guest room—I was running with her husband in the morning—I had a ton of anxiety. I had never completed 6 miles in my training—the furthest I had gone was 5.7 miles. What if I couldn’t finish? What if I got lost? What if I had people saying “run faster fatty, run faster” as I ran by? Suffice to say, I did not sleep much at all the night leading up to the race and 5AM came way too quickly.
As we got ready to leave, I made sure to grab a bagel to chow on during the commute in and felt like throwing up the WHOLE time. When we arrived on the mall, and dropped off our bags, I was really proud to be part of this big group of people. CDH (cousin’s dear husband) and I ran some warm ups and stretched, and eventually made our way to our respective corrals (me in the 70Mins +, CDH in the 50 Min) and got ready for the race to start. After a nice rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by Miss Washington DC (where the vast majority of the runners were signing their hearts out aside from a few girls who were mocking the singer—very annoying and disrespectful if you would like to hear my two cents).
Once the race was under way, it was a bit of a mad dash. I had never run a race of this size or that started on such a narrow pathway. I felt squished. The problem with being in the 70+ corral is that there was a wide assortment of runners at different speeds. Once the pack started to thin out and groups started to form, the race became a bit more comfortable in a sense that I did not feel like I was going to be trampled.
Running through the streets of DC (my favorite city in the WORLD) and surrounding areas, I was able to enjoy the views, even though we headed over to Crystal City, VA shortly after the race started. I was feeling really good, no pain, not too short of breath, and enjoying a clear, cool morning. While running through Crystal City, there was an area where runners looped around and were running against each other. It was nice to see the support the runners had for each other; high fiving each other and yelling out encouragement. Along the run, I noticed a spectator wearing a hat with the Iowa Hawkeye logo, so I had to swerve and give him a high five. I was unsure how far we had run as I did not feel like I saw many mile markers until 4 miles into the race.
Running past the pentagon was a somber experience. I moved to the DC Metro area 8 months after 9/11 and remember driving past the Pentagon daily and watching the construction crews work on the project. It’s truly a site to see and running past the building, with Marines posted along the way.
The final portion of the race puts your right by Arlington National Cemetery (I remember thinking “Gosh, I am tired” but seeing those headstones gave me an extra push). The race finishes straight up a hill and I just pushed myself hard through that .2 miles. I remember finishing the race and grinning like a big dope. I felt so wonderful; I was truly experiencing my first runner’s high!
The MCM 10K was a great experience! I was happy I ran it, because I signed up for the challenge, but it totally got me into running.
I hope to (maybe this year, maybe next) to run the whole Marine Corp Marathon. As for now, I have signed up for a few more 10Ks, a couple of 10 milers and probably a half marathon in Baltimore!
Does anyone have any good 10 Miler plans? Any recommendations? Any thoughts on how to get past the mental hurdle of running a marathon?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Cherry Blossom 10-Miler
Ok, so I am totally excited!!!! The group that we organized and submitted for entry into the lottery selection for the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler (the only way to get into the race) got selected!!! I am sooo thrilled and nervous at the same time! We have to keep at 14-minute mile pace for all 10 miles, so I really need to get on top of my running!
To come, although much belated, I am doing a recap of the MCM 10K I ran at the end of October!
To come, although much belated, I am doing a recap of the MCM 10K I ran at the end of October!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Ambitions
I get these crazy ideas now and then.
- I am going to take a full course load at school and work full time
- I am going to start tearing apart the house and remodeling by myself.
- I am going to run a marathon.
Let me say that again. I AM GOING TO RUN A MARATHON??
Who am I kidding? Sure, I was on the track team in high school, but as a sprinter. I hated the idea of running more than a lap around the track. Yes, I run now, and enjoy it, but he furthest I have run ever is 6.2 miles (first every Marine Corps Marathon 10K--such an incredible experience).
Why did I decide to run the marathon? The blog name says it all--I am a big girl, although noticably smaller with a few 5Ks and a 10k under my belt. I want to keep it up and see myself getting thinner (and healthier) until my debut at a marathon.
So, why start a blog? Maybe someone will come across it, and maybe someone will follow it. I need that accountability; someone to ask "how's it going?" or "how much longer do you have until the marathon?" or a simple "Good Luck!"
So, this is the start of my journey to a distance runner. I am looking forward to the ride!
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