Getting back into the swing of it

Hello Bloggy World!




Yes, I have been absent for a while. Honestly, I have been swamped at work and have not wanted to turn on my computer once I get home. Too many evenings of doing school work have left me hating my laptop. And honestly, this blog is about the making of a runner. One who has not really been running with any sort of regularity.


It was a good time for me to reflect on my running though. Thanks to everyone who offered wonderful words of wisdom and encouragement to my pondering of tackling a marathon. After reading some lovely race recaps of the San Diego Marathon (Katye, The Dawn, Laura) I got really pumped up by the idea.



But first, I need to refocus. Honestly, since running the Broad Street Run, my training has been extremely lax. As in to non existent aside from a race or two. That will not help me with the Rock n Roll Half in Philly (which I think I talked Kristen in to---yay!!), the Baltimore Half or the Army Ten Miler.



My goal: Get Faster. I will never win a race, my age group, or anything like that, but I want to be better. Be Faster. I mean, as slow as I run, getting faster should not be too difficult a task, right? I mean, the few times I was able to run, my interval training on the treadmill (which I used to dread) was not bad at all. Twenty minutes of intervals, one fast (ish) mile and I felt great. It’s a sign of progress, so I am starting a training program well ahead of some other people’s starting points.



I was traveling for work this week and had some errands to run, so tonight, I am committing fully to developing and sticking with a training program. I should probably consult with a running coach (hello, any offers out there??) or online and develop a plan and go for it. I am a runner, regardless of my pace, but I want to be a faster runner!



Probably the largest obstacle I will have to overcome is my brain. Seriously, running is totally mental. I know what my body is capable of doing—my head just needs to be able to make it through as well.



So here is to recommitting myself to something I LOVE.  Keeping checking back for regular updates. If you are on the daily mile, add me (Erin G), and keep me in check on there.



Hope you all have a great weekend! I will start posting with some regularity from now on!

A hot, sweaty mess--with pics

Sunday, bright and early, I got dressed (Camo and Purple Running Skirt, white tank---CUTE) and to head down to Annapolis with my friend H and to meet the other members of Team ELK for our first official race of the Zooma 10K!

First, if you are local and have never run this race, you totally should. The vibe was awesome. You get to run through beautiful downtown Annapolis Maryland and over the Naval Academy Bridge over the scenic Severn River (no, I do not work for the Annapolis Board of Tourism). You finish at the Navy Football Stadium, and gather for a nice after race expo. I think that as long as I am in town for this race, I will continue to run it every year. I really enjoyed it!!

The only down thing about this race; the weather!!! The race started at 7AM, which would have been fine if it were not already in the 80’s with 98% humidity (it was 90 by 9:30 Sunday morning). I can deal with the heat, but the humidity kills me. I find it soooo hard to catch my breath!! Thank you mother nature for that. I am not sure if you are trying to help me build character or what, but the cold front that moved through the area at 4 Sunday afternoon and the humidity was gone and its only in the low 80’s now makes me think you were playing a prank!

I found my friend K (L was in the 9:00/corral) and, along with H, we started the race together. H was off (she did her first half marathon in 2:25—speedy girl) and K and I managed to stay together for about the first mile. I was running slow, but I was ok with that. My ankle is still not 100% and I didn’t want to push it.

Within the first mile, I was already a sweaty mess. I was glad I took my new handheld because I was dying and the first water stop was not until mile 2.

I had to stop and walk around mile 1.75. My ankle was killing me. I walked for about a quarter mile, and then decided I would do intervals. I ran .4 miles, walked .2, ran .4. It helped a lot with catching my breath, but that pesky ankle was still acting up. I took advantage of a family with a hose squirting runners (though I just wanted to stop and let them soak me) and carried on. I walked most of mile 3 (yes, I am a pansy) and started intervals again at the bridge.

I do not know how to take a pretty picture

Love the new handheld.  Totally needed it!

Throughout the race, I noticed a girl I ran my last few miles near during the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. I stopped and walked with her and chatter for a bit before we split (she was doing the half, I was only doing the 10k) and decided to fly down the bridge. It felt great to just break open, let gravity help and go pretty fast down.

The last mile was pretty uneventful. We were headed back to the stadium and I decided I would just go for the last .2 miles. I was dying at the end, but glad to be done. I finished right around 1:24, but given the heat, humidity and my ankle, I will take it. I know I could have done better, but I think my head was not completely in it. At a point, I just decided to go and enjoy myself, take in the sights and the spirit of the day. It was better than being stressed about beating a time on a course slightly longer than 10K. Congrats to Jamie who also completed this race and her farthest distance to date!

I have decided that a 10k is my favorite distance. I think that 5Ks just feel too short and 10 miles/Half Marathons I can feel myself breaking down. I am, by no means, going to stop running 10 Milers or Half Marathons, but I really enjoy a 10K. The distance is perfect.

I have also been going back and forth about becoming a marathoner. Honestly, I am not sure if my body could handle the distance and I really question if my brain could. I am not abandoning the idea entirely, but still just trying to make a decision. What has been your experience? What did you think of the jump from a half to a full?

Also, a couple of quick shout-outs. First, HUGE congrats to Laura who became the youngest female to run a marathon in all 50 states. If you do not follow her, you should. Head over there to congratulate her!!!!


Secondly, congrats to Katye who finished her very first marathon this weekend with an awesome time! Make sure you go tell her congrats too!!!

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

My nephew says this all the time when playing games (even if he does not win).

Everyone give a congrats to Tracy for being the lucky winner of my giveaway.

Tracy, email me at erinmarissa (a)t comcast (dot) net with your home address and I will get your package off by Friday.  You will soon be rocking some awesome socks.  Wear them proudly!

8 days ago

Its hard to believe I finished my first half marthon 8 days ago.  Even more shocking; I can't seem to get my body to run.  I have tried to run, but it seems that forces in the universe have wanted to stop me. 

Since the race day, I have been dog sitting my cousin's wonderful, three year old yellow lab with an abundance of energy.  I figured some runs with Turbo Tail (my affectionate nickname for him) would help his energy at night, but he does not want to run.  He wants to walk and sniff, until about two miles into it and then I drag him the whole way back.  I tried to run on the treadmill, but again TT made that plan go awry as well.  He tried to get on the treadmill with me when I decided to run some quick intervals.  After he flew off the back (completly unharmed-yes its ok to laugh) I decided running on the treadmill would not work.  

I met with Katye Sunday morning to try and get some miles in but my ankle was still bothering me from the race (GRRRR--after talking to another person who ran the race, I realized that EVERY turn in the race was a right handed turn and my right ankle is the one that hurts)!!  I walked it out and was glad for the company and awesome conversations (and whole wheat pumpkin muffins from Wegman's YUMMMM) and even have to laugh about the turtle we saw ans saved from a potential bike accident on the trail (seriously, universe you are FUNNY; the irony was not lost on this turtle was out of place on the running path!!!).

Right now, I am sitting, again frustrated after a failed attempt at running.  I want to go.  My ankle felt fine!  I want to feel the way my body cuts the air and humidity but something is stopping me and I can not figure it out!  I came back after a disappointing mile and subjected myself to lunges, squats and Jillian Micheals (yelling at her on the TV made me feel marginally better).  I am at a loss now.  Am I really walking around in the same body that carried me through a half marthon??  My legs felt heavy and I just felt sluggish. Seriously, what gives?

Sorry about the gripe, but I needed to vent.  The husband does not get it at all, so I turn to you in the blogosphere.  Has anyone ever had this happen?  I suppose its all in my head, so I am just going to attempt to turn over a new leaf next Monday after the Zooma Women's 10K and my dog sitting duties are over.  Until then, poor Turbo Tail wil have to keep up with my 5 mile walks after work!! 

In much happier news, I FINALLY ordered a running skirt last week.  Thanks to Tricia and her refund code, I got a nifty 15% back and felt better about a little bit better about what I spent on them!  The Pink Polka Dot Skirt should be here before the 10K and I plan to look cute and bright, if not fast!!

Just remember, today is the last day to enter my giveaway.  You have until midnight tonight and I will have the winner announced by 12:00 EST June 1st.

I hope you have all had a great long weekend.  Happy running!

Tag!

I was tagged by the lovely Katye to reveal 7 random facts about me.  You are all just dying to find them out, right?


1. I grew up with vegetarian (pescetarian to be exact) parents, in Iowa of all places. My mom (who grew up on a chicken farm) and dad (who got extremely ill from meat) were always nice enough to cook meat for my siblings and me. I did not realize adults ate meat until I was about 10 or 12. I ended up marrying someone who is a total meat and potatoes guy.


2. My husband’s father was my sister in law’s father’s doctor (did you get all that) when he was going through dialysis. My brother and sister in law were not dating at the time and this was before I moved to the east coast and even met my husband. My sister in law recognized his last name and put the two and two together.


3. I am extremely sensitive to noises. I have great hearing, which can be such a pain. I live in a townhouse and can hear my neighbor’s fan going, fighting, etc. I can usually hear even with earplugs in.


4. I worked at a drive in diner all through high school. No roller skates, but I have had plenty of food trays fallen on me because people rolled their windows all the way down.  And there was nothing like the pervs who used to come to the diner in the rain to get the teenage girls to wait on them.


5. I am deathly afraid of snakes and heights. Crippling, paralyzing and irrational. I can’t even watch snake shows on TV because I start shaking and freaking out. I have to cross draw bridges to get from my house to my work. I have been stuck on a draw bridge for two hours and cried the whole time.  It only gets worse as I get older


6. My oldest niece (7) tells me I am her best friend and favorite aunt (no, I am not the only one). It’s probably the best thing anyone has ever said to me in my entire life. I live to spoil all four of my nieces and nephews.


7. I am obsessed with General Hospital and I have no shame about that. I would LOVE to just one day work with the writers, visit the set and get in one scene. Sure, it’s unrealistic, the plots are super twisted and real people don’t behave that way (or I would hope not) but its my guilty pleasure. And when my husband thinks I am not watching, he watches it too.

I know I am supposed to tag 15 of you, but I am still getting to know you all through your blogs.  So, if you are a follower, consider yourself tagged!

Have a lovely day!

And I used to think 10 miles was far

Sunday was the big day; my first half marathon (the Maryland Half) and Katye had graciously signed up to be my pacer/personal cheerleader. Unlike my night before the Cherry Blossom, I was not nervous. I stayed up by the course with a friend and we had a nice girlfriends night; pizza, salad, watermelon and drinks (woops!!!). I went to bed around 11 and woke up a couple times during the night (new place, new sounds). When I woke up around 5, I heard the sound of rain. Not just regular rain, but pouring rain. My heart sank, but I got up, got myself moving and got to the course with 30 minutes before the start.

I found Katye inside the grandstand, and she looked super cute as usual, in her pink plaid running skirt and compression socks. We made our way out to the start and the rain stopped! Maybe this was going to be a good race for me after all!

Once we started out, we were running about an 11 min mile, which I felt ok with. I knew I was not in shape to SUSTAIN it, but I was in shape to FINISH it. Katye was great; she kept talking to me about various things, kept encouraging me and was warning me about what was next so I could prepare mentally.

I learned a few things during the course of the run. I for SURE like running with people better than myself. I was actually ok running without music too. I also should have gotten my tushy outside for a few more runs instead of totally slacking the last three weeks. Finally, I HATE HILLS. There were so many hills, steep and long. I just tried to go to the next cone on the road before taking a break and walking. I would pick another cone to start at and so on. I tried to power up hills the best I could, ignoring my burning quads (in my mind the faster I go, the sooner it’s over and its worth it—Katye even noted that I run faster up the hills than down them).  Katye told me to get mad at them, so every time we started a climb, I said "son of a b*tch" and just went for it.  It worked, until the Mays Chapel Road. Honestly, if I could have sat down, cried and just waited for a police officer, ambulance, stranger or animal to drag me, I would have, but Katye kept me going. It was daunting just to look at, and challenging to walk up. I had a hard time catching my breath up this bad boy and my hip was starting to bother me during the climb. Seriously, whoever designed the course must HATE runners!

We made it to the top, finally, and started to go downhill. Most of the last section of the race was downhill and it was soooooo nice to let gravity help me move. When we got to mile 11.25, which is the farthest I had ever run and I hit my wall. I was ready to quit. I was ready to cry. I was trying to hide it, but I think my face and eyes gave it away. Katye noticed and talked me through it, kept me focused on finishing; honestly I know my body got me to the finish, but Katye got my head there, which was just as important.
The last 1.75 miles was a combination of walking and shuffling (but I was moving). Katye had been telling me I was sprinting the last .1 miles. I didn’t think I could do it, I was not sure where I would be able to get the ability to sprint it from. Then, I just realized (even though Katye was telling me at mile 2) that I had it. That I was .1 miles away from finishing something many people don’t ever attempt and I just let go. I somehow mustered up enough strength, endorphins and excitement to get to a 7:07 mile pace for the last .1 miles and crossed the finish line at 3:05.

So sure, it’s not the goal I had in mind, but maybe it was silly to set a timed goal. I was not disappointed I missed it; in fact, I could care less. I was just happy to finish, to run further than I ever had before and being able to say I could do it!

Again, I would not have made it without Katye. She is an awesome pacer and a great person to run with. She kept me focused, positive and kept my head going when it was so far out of it. I hate to think what the race would have been like without her, because she made it what it was for me, so thank you for that Katye! If you follow her, make sure you tell her that she is a rockstar and you can't wait to run a race with her, and if you don’t follow her, why the heck not? She is awesome!!!

Now, I am just nursing some aching muscles and a sore foot/ankle. I am not quite sure what happened and there is no swelling, but my right ankle/foot is bugging me pretty seriously. Hopefully it just needs some rest and ice so I can get back out there for my next run!!!

Will this euphoria end? I am just so psyched that I did it. By 10:30 yesterday, I had done more than most people do all day and I loved that feeling!  How about you? How long does your race excitement last??

Big News and a Giveaway

First—the big news. Since you know I graduated from college this past weekend, I had been planning on speaking to my current employer about my position within the company and my salary; I am fairly more marketable now, with 7 years of hands on accounting experience and my BS. Turns out, me talking to them was unnecessary. I was pulled into our VP’s office and given a pretty big promotion (or title change—my job function has been that of a corporate accountant for a couple of years now) of Corporate Accountant and a raise to boot. I didn’t even have to ask! That just made my day, week, and perhaps entire month! It’s nice to know they recognize my busting my hump at work and outside of it.


 The Maryland Half is in just three days!! My husband is constantly shaking his head at me, but I am getting soooo excited. I am thrilled to have Katye as my pacer/photographer and all around cheerleader for the race and I know that with her by my side, I will hit my 2:40 goal. Heck, I hope I surprise her and get under 2:40 (even if its 2:39:59). Cute outfit is planned already, so keep a look out for my recap!

 The Husband and I are heading to the Laurel Mountains in PA tonight for a quick get away. Husband is playing in a big Pro-Am Tournament (he is 3.2 handicap right now—looking to get to scratch at the end of this season) and I am planning on running the hills around our place to get ready for Sunday. Apparently it’s a hilly course, so I am just going to go up and down part of the mountain a few times to get myself ready. Hopefully I do not die tomorrow trying!!


 As promised earlier this week, I am having a giveaway! One lucky winner will get two pairs of super cute knee high socks, two packs of Luna Moons (my favorite prerace and race fuel—honestly, it taste better than anything else) and a $10 iTunes gift card.

How do you enter, you ask?

• Add me to your blogroll and comment here.
• List my giveaway on your blog and comment here.
• Enter Chelsea’s Run, a virtual run hosted by Katye (and I am already signed up for). Tell her you want to enter her race from reading about it on my blog and then comment here. You will get THREE entries for entering the virtual run, once I confirm it with Katye.
• Offer me your best piece of half marathon (or just running) advice. Each piece of advice will get you one entry, so the more advice you give, the better your chances
  

The giveaway will end on Sunday the 31st at midnight and the winner will be announced on Monday, June 1st (Crap!!! How is June already here?)

Have a great day all!