Second chances

When I have a bad race experience, I usually don't hurry to sign up the next year.  There are a multitude of races that I can choose from locally and race entries are not cheap. Last year, I ran the Go Girl Half and didn't have much positive to say. I won't list all my grievances here, but I did let other runners know that I wasn't running it again.  

But they kept sending emails. Kept showing the huge medal.  And so many of my running pals were doing it.  So I signed up crossing my fingers that it would be better this time.  

Thank goodness I gave it a second chance!  Course was much improved, support was better, and the post-race food was great!  But, the best part was: a new pr by 8 minutes and 27 seconds!!  Thank you Go Girl Half for a great race!

 

Playing games

As a sweatpink ambassador I got the awesome opportunity to try out a new fitness ap and share it with you guys. The Fitness Games ap is unlike any other ap I have ever used. You not only keep track of your gym activities, you can challenge your friends to beat your time, reps, distance or whatever!  

When you open up TFG, your screen will look like this and you can chose the workout you are doing, build your own and challenge a buddy to take you on.  I especially love that I can challenge other runners and they can run at the same time or take the challenge later!  

I have several running friends spread out across the country and now I feel like we can go for a run and cover the miles together.  

The only downside for me is that it wasn't ideal for tracking the Bar Method and yoga classes I go to. That is strength work, but I wouldn't record it as 2 sets of 20 bicep curls for example.  It is really ideal for athletes that do gym workouts or cardio that are individual and not in a class.  

I am really excited to use it more to work on getting training runs in and challenging my friends. 

Summer recap

I keep thinking that I need to blog about different things lately, but just need got to it.  I get lazy, I feel uninspired, I just don't follow through. So, in order to catch up, here is a top ten list of summer events. 

1. Got some awesome real and virtual bling. Check out virtual nerd runs for their Jedi challenge. 

2. Was hired by Weight Watchers and started my training to be a leader. 

3.  Ran 4 on the 4th. Love this race shirt. 

4. Did not drowned doing my first tri.  It was HARD, but I loved it.  

5.  Married, I mean, saw JT in concert.  

6.  Earned more awesome virtual bling. 

7.  Spent a lot of time discussing, fixing and watching Dragons.  

8. Had time to actually read books!

9. Marathon trained with Team in Training to raise money for LLS. Go Team!!

10. Had fun with kiddos!!  

Back to work teaching now, starting my Weight Watchers job and running for pie!

Wrong Turns Were Alright (in the end)

Sometimes you have a day when nothing goes as planned and you feel like you need a do-over.  Today was one of those days for me.  On the schedule: run a marathon and go to work.  What actually happened: 7 miles and an afternoon of fundraising.  In the end, it was a good day, but it was way off course.  

After 3 weeks of no running I was nervous to test out my knee this morning.  I started slowly and took it easy. I was feeling really good about running again, and then I took a wrong turn. Yes, leave it to me to go the wrong way at the only turn in the whole race.  I would have been ok with adding a mile or 2, but it took me longer than that to realize what I had done.  My detour added 5 miles and over an hour.  I knew I didn't have a 50k in me and I was supposed to work later.  When I got back to the place where I went wrong, I headed to the finish line. I was disappointed and I felt very stupid. But, I took a minute to think and I had to laugh at myself and be happy that I got 7 miles in today after 3 weeks off.  My knee didn't hurt.  That is reason to celebrate. 

(This was on the wrong way, but it was pretty)

So, I drove toward home (was cheered up by Justin Timberlake) and went to brunch with my husband.  Work got canceled for today.   Then, I remembered a fundraising opportunity that I could participate in now that my schedule changed.  I got to spend time with friends and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society all because I took a wrong turn earlier in the day.  Every mistake is a new opportunity. What follows depends on how you handle the change of plans.  

Product Review: PureLyft CleanCaffeine

As a coffee lover, you know that I am no stranger to caffeine. I love to have a cup of coffee before a run, but I'm not a huge fan of the coffee breath that it gives me pre-race.   So I jumped at the chance to try Pure LYFT.  As a Sweat Pink ambassador I was given the chance to sample 2 stir sticks of this Clean Caffeine and blog about it. I received no compensation beyond the samples and these opinions are my own. 

Each stir stick has the caffeine equivelant of a tall coffee and 0 calories.  It was easy to open up the stick and stir it into my water. I even kept it in my water bottle until I got home and close to a recycle bin.  It has a slight sweet flavor, but not overpowering.  I think you could mix it into just about any juice and not change the flavor.   

I used the second stick to give myself a pre-workout boost before an early Sunday morning Bar Method class.  It was really hard to get up early before heading to Weight Watchers to get to class, but the caffeine helped and I could drink it on the way to class without the worry of having to brush my coffee breath away.  

I think I would love to grab some more PureLYFT especially in the summer when I may not necessarily want a hot drink, like coffee or tea.  If you would like to try some natural caffeine with no chemicals give one a stir!

Fun in Fargo? You Becha!!

Running has giving me so many opportunities over the last 4 years and the latest adventure took me to Fargo, ND this weekend.  I got the chance to work as a race expo rep for Bondibands (awesome sweat-wicking headbands and accessories: www.bondiband.com) at the Fargo Marathon. While I was there, I HAD to get a race in, of course.  I had the best time working at the expo and meeting runners from all over the US and Canada and the race was one of the most fun I have done.  

Last weekend I messed up my knee at the Prairie Fire Half in Wichita, so this race was all about finishing and not making it worse.  The Fargo race was a party from start to finish: music throughout the course, residents tailgating in their driveways, friendly volunteers and a huge post-race party.  My knee started talking to me at mile 5 so I started race walking.  I stopped for several photo ops: 

My new favorite sign!

Hanging with a troll with some fellow Norweigans. Uff Da!

My walking buddy, Thor, from mile 9 on. 

A cute dragon mascot selfie. 

The bling!  

Not my slowest race ever considering I walked so much.  Would I run it again? You Becha!

50k? Certainly that must be a typo.

I've neglected the blog for a bit.  Since I last posted I ran the Hogeye Marathon March 30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  It was mentally challenging but it was worth it to cross the finish line with my 5 year old son. 

On April 12, I ran Rock the Parkway Half Marathon in Kansas City for the third year.  This time I ran as a Girls on the Run Solemate and fundraised for this wonderful organization. Here is my fundraising link if you would like to so are before May 10 https://www.raceplanner.com/donate/Girls-Rock-the-Parkway TIA!

I had a great race and set a new PR :)

And I got the best finish line photo EVER:

(Time not adjusted for wave start)

April 26 I traveled to Springfield, Missouri to tackle my first 50k.  I have never gone farther than 26.2 and honestly, never really planned to.  How did I get in this mess?  A friend posted on FB that she was going to run the Frisco Railroad 50k, so I commented that I would do it too.  No one even had to ask or persuade me, I just volunteered.  I think I have a problem.  

I didn't follow the training plan I expected to, but I figured that finishing 2 fulls this year would count for something.  My strategy to cover the 50k was to stick with another friend  of mine who had gone past the marathon distance twice before.  I didn't want to start off too fast and hit the wall.  So we planned on doing 30 second intervals of running and walking and I hoped I could stick with her.  

The forecast for race day was supposed to be sunny and in the 80s, but luckily it ended up being overcast at the start and we actually got rained on for most of the first half off and on.  At times it was chilly, but that is always better than too hot. The Frisco race started the marathon, 50k and 50 miler at 7:30 and the half marathon and 8k at 8:00. We knew that the fast halfers would catch up to us and pass us. It got pretty annoying after they turned around and would tell us "almost to the turn around, ladies"!  Our bibs were color coded based on distance, but they must not have known that.  We kept trucking on through the rain and some thunder, dodging horse poop on the trail.

The aid station right before the marathon turn around was stocked with snacks, beer and Jell-O shots. I had some peanut butter and jelly and some salty snacks.  I really love how ultrarunning  includes more food.  At this point my right hip was starting to bug me.  By the time we hit out turn around I was in quite a bit of pain.  I told my friend I was going to have to walk a lot more.  I fell a little behind and it got really hard mentally. The sun came out, too and made the temperature rise.  

 As I hit the food stocked aid a volunteer asked if I was ok and noticed that I was limping. They gave me some prescription strength Advil, a pickle, and more pb and j and I headed back out. My hip started to feel better, but I continued to walk most of the time.  Going beyond 26.2 had me holding back on my pace.  I didn't want to struggle too much those last 5 miles so I kept a brisk walking pace. When I looked at my splits after the race, those last few miles got faster and faster!   There was a photographer around mile 20: 

The last 2.5 miles or so were back on an asphalt trail, a long uphill, full sun, headwind, and the trail labeled every tenth of a mile that we covered.  I felt pretty good physically, but it those (1/10) mile markings really messed with my head.   It felt AMAZING to finish!!  Adding 5 miles was not as hard as I expected, but I had the blisters to prove that I had done over 31 miles. (31.6 according to my phone).  I hobbled over to eat some chips, a slice of pizza and 2 cans of Mountain Dew, which I never drink in real life.  I cannot believe I am an ultra marathoner, I have qualified for Marathon Maniacs, and I am searching for another 50k to run to improve my time.  Is a 50 miler in my future?  Possibly.  I've pretty much given up on saying "never" at this point.  

An EPIC Adventure: Little Rock Marathon Race Recap

I had so much fun running the Little Rock Marathon in 2013, I just had to do it again, especially when I saw it had a superhero theme this year.  My husband and I drove down with a friend of mine and her husband.  She was doing her first half and our husbands get along really well so we made it a couple's trip. I have never had my husband along for a marathon so I thought it would be nice to have him at the finish. And, I had never run the same marathon more than once, so I wasn't sure if I would find it to be an advantage or disadvantage.  This entire race weekend turned out to be pretty unique, to say the least.  

On Saturday my friend and I went to the expo while our husbands went to the Clinton Presidential Library. The LR (Little Rock) expo is the only expo I've been to where the theme of the race is front and center and it is fun.  Before we walked in we did silly pics (see above) and were greeted by this:

We got our packets, did some shopping (Bondi Bands, Runningluv, and ponchos for the forecasted rain) and I stopped for a pic with the ladies of Another Mother Runner. 

We also signed up to win free entries to about 6 others races, and didn't win. But I signed up or one, The Hogeye Marathon, when I got home.  Yeah, I'm crazy, but it sounds like a fun race. 

We actually finished at the expo before the guys finished at the library, so we explored local life looking for some post-race pie. We found a funky little coffee shop and a slice of lemon icebox pie.  Mugs Coffee shop is on the list of places to hit next year! 

The weather forecast for race day was not looking great: Dropping temps, possible lightning, and of course rain. It was challenging to chose the outfit I wanted to run in. I didn't want to get overheated at the start, but I knew I was going to get wet. After must deliberation here's what I chose: capris, Sparkle Skirt for the pockets and extra layer of warmth, tank, Swirlgear long sleeve top, visor and Runningluv on my wrist.  The poncho fit in my pocket and I opted to skip the Bondi band on race day. 

 After a pasta dinner we headed to bed. Little Rock has an early start option for those who need more than 6 hours to finish the marathon. That's me!  We woke up before 5:00 to get ready for my 6:00 am start.  I was honestly not expecting anything from this race besides finishing. I hadn't run very much this winter, my longest run in a year was 13.1, and the weather wasn't looking like it was going to be helpful.  I found the 6 and a half hour pacers and hoped to stick with them as long as I could. Last year I ran this course in 6:45, and I was better trained.  I did have to take a "superhero" pic before the start, because that's how I roll.  

After a prayer and the Star-Spangled Banner we were off!

Miles 1-2: got to know the pacer and the folks in the group. My pacer was wearing a Sparkle Skirt, too!

Mile 3: a band on the side of the road just happened to strike up the theme from Rocky just as we ran past.  So hard to take it easy when that song is pumping you up.  

Mile 4-7: a few sprinkles started hitting us.  I tried to get my poncho on in the wind.  I bet that looked classy. 

Miles 8: Still felt good, but the rain officially started to be poncho worthy and it was getting COLD! 

Mile 9: a police officer was passing out candy :)

Mile 10-12: I started hanging out a little bit ahead of the pace group.  My walk was a tad faster but my running a tad slower.  It all evens out.  

Mile 13: the elites started passing us from the half and the full

Mile 14: the hill by the school for the Deaf is not fun. I did some run/walk intervals to stay on pace and enjoyed the "couch potato" mile volunteers.  No pics because of rain. 

Mile 15-16: still uphill!  The Hillcrest neighborhood is cute and quirky and last year tons of residence were out cheering is on. This year the weather had an impact on crowd support, but there were still some fantastic people out there this year. 

Mile 17: down hill!!!  But my pacer had I use the bathroom. She took off and I didn't see here again until mile 20.  (Not happy about that)

Mile 18-21: out an back along Riverfront Park. Nice and flat, but my glute was really bugging me at this point.  It hurt to run too long, but otherwise I felt ok.  I was really really cold though.  I saw that the pacer was behind me now, without her sign.  

Mile 22-23: we start hearing rumors from the aid station that they are closing the course.  A thunderstorm was heading in. Alert level was high.  :( The pacer blee past me.  I thought that my pace must have really slowed for her to pass me that fast.  My garmin was at home so I had no way to know.  

Mile 24 marker: a police officer announces that the course was closed and busses were coming.  I did not come this far to not finish!  I hear him say that we can continue at our own risk.  I, along with dozens of others kept doing.   2.2 miles to go.  

Mile 25: up hills again!  

Mile 26: beer and bananas at the aid station. Beer now. Banana in pocket. I grabbed lipstick at the lipstick station for later. My hands were too cold and shaky to apply it.  Stopped for a pic with Captain America. Approached the finish line and saw my time was almost exactly on pace!  If I hadn't stopped for that pic I may have done it. 

But I love this pic!!

Mile 26.2: I have never been so happy to finish anything!!!!!!!! The weather made this race the toughest but the most rewarding.  Official time: 6:31:47, my second best marathon! I found my husband after I got my giant medal and headed to the Perks Pavillion for a massage.  I found my friend and we all headed over to Vino's for pizza and beer.  

I  am bummed that some people were redirected or didn't get to finish. I am frustrated that the pacer didn't pace after mile 17. I wish the weather didn't keep the spectators away. But I really enjoyed my race experience and the accomplishment I feel from running my 4th marathon.  I can't wait to run Little Rock next year in better conditions! 

Race Report: Sweetheart 5k

I talked my non-running husband into walking the Sweetheart 5k.  The medal was too fun to pass up and I couldn't do a sweetheart race without a partner.  I planned on running my race and then going back to meet up with him so we could finish together.  

I have run this course before for another race, Overrun Ovarian cancer 5k in 2012 and I actually PRd. I wasn't trying to PR this race since it was a couples thing for us. Before the race we got to hang out inside which was nice and I ran into a few friends and made a new one.  Before we headed out I had to take a quick pic of my outfit to share with the Sparkle Skirt Princess FB group and the Swirlgear community.  Especially since this was my first race wearing Swirlgear, and the long sleeve shirt was perfect for the 28° temperature.  

I took my place toward the back of the pack and waited for the start.  I started my Nike+ app and set off.  There were a lot of people walking this race, which doesn't bother me at all, but the course was pretty crowded.  One lane of the street was coned off and I dodged around people until the very end.  I felt really good the entire race.  There are several up hills that I remember walking part of last time I was on this course, but this time I felt strong and kept running the entire race. I have figured out that I hold myself back and don't race like I could.  Part of it is that I still see myself as the "big girl" trying to run and part of it is fear of burning out too early.  I know it is all in my head and I'm trying to leave it all on the course.  This time I raced my 4th fastest time, 35:57, despite the crowd!  I think I'm getting better at pushing myself and I know my strength training has helped so much.  

After I received my medal: 

Which is one of the cutest medals I have, I walked back to meet with my hubby.  He refused to run ;) but we crossed the finish line together. 

 He said that he had fun, we'll see what other events I can talk him into.  He is going to Shake with Your Sweetie tonight at Bar Method and then dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day belated.  It was really fun to share this race with him and he was a good sport!  

Helping others to help ourselves

At this morning's Weight Watcher meeting we tackled the always present issue of emotional eating.  I think I will always battle this to some degree.  I know I make more bad choices when emotions run high, and stress and anger are the worst offenders.   Over the years I have learned to turn to exercise or a creative outlet more and more when things get me rattled and I want to turn to food.  But today, someone suggested volunteering as an outlet. I had never really thought about it that way, but it really made sense to me.  

1. It keeps you busy

2. It forces you to take the focus off of yourself, and put it on others

3. It gives you perspective.  

4. It can give you a sense of accomplishment to help your community. 

It may seem selfish to "use" volunteering as a tool to help yourself, but everyone will benefit.   And any way you choose to help out is valuable.  Don't downplay the work that you do.  

Here are a few ideas of ways to volunteer:

Give blood

Volunteer at local races

Work at a food bank

Get involved with fundraising for various organizations 

Knit for Warm up America

There is a volunteering opportunity that matches everyone's abilities and time availability.   

Calling in Sick

This week I have spent 3 days on the couch and my trash can looks like a Kleenex graveyard.  Advil and Mucinex are my BFFs and I honestly believe that my fitbit thinks I have fallen off the face of the planet.  The only running going on here is my poor sore nose.  Guess what is scheduled tomorrow? Chocolate Rush Half Marathon.  It is a fun local race on the paved trails I run on quite frequently.  Right now those trails are under a foot of snow and the race officials have opted to not cancel, but have warned us about safety concerns and provided a virtual race option. Also,they

have marked a shorter path that runner will lap 4 times.  If I were healthier, I would give it a shot.  I love running in the snow and I own some Yaktrax. It would be an adventure!  The runner in me doesn't want to take the virtual option: I feel like I am chickening out. But, I have to realize that I am still fighting this virus and 13.1 snow climbing miles would hinder my recovery. I have a full marathon and a 50k to train for.  I know there are more hardcore runners out there, but I have to call in sick for tomorrow's race.  

How do you decide when to call in for injury or illness?

Cozy Steel Cut Oats

One of my favorite breakfasts, especially this time of year, is hot oatmeal.  When I started doing monthly cooking, I included large batches of steel cut oats cooked in the crockpot.  It is so nice to have a stash of a healthy breakfasts for me and my kids.  I love having the option to use fresh ingredients and controlling what is in each batch.  I didn't invent this method, I just love it. 

Here is how I made my batch of banana blueberry oats and stocked my freezer. 

The Ingredients:

I let what I had on hand dictate the flavor.  Those bananas were going to be used for smoothies, banana read or oats yesterday. 

4 ripe bananas

1 pint of blueberries.  Fresh or frozen. 

1 24oz. Package of steel cut oats. Not quick oats

4 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 cups water (any 6 cups of milk and water combo works. It's all about your preferences)

a pinch or so of salt

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Cinnamon to taste (optional) about 

1/2 tsp

Honey, maple syrup, etc. OPTIONAL

I tend to skip adding honey or anything to sweeten because the fruit really sweetens the  oats.  You can always add more when you reheat your serving and customize it to who is eating it.  

This recipe is easy and flexible. There is room for so much improv, but don't skip this step: grease the crockpot before you put the ingredients in to prevent sticking. I use about 1/2 tsp of coconut oil.  I warm it up by rubbing my hands together and then rub the inside of the crockpot before it is on.  You can spray if you want, just use an oil with a neutral flavor, not olive oil. 

Here's the hard part: put all the ingredients in and stir. That's it. I also stir occasionally while it cooks. 

After 4 hours on low it looks something like this: 

I like a really thick oatmeal. If you prefer it thinner, just put less oats in the crockpot, or add liquid when you reheat.  

To prepare my freezer bag servings, I let the crockpot cool and then put it in the fridge overnight.  You need to make sure it isn't hot when you bag it up.  I used a 1/4 cup scoop to place 3/4 servings in each quart size bag. (3 scoops per bag)

Then you squeeze excess air out to prevent freezer burn. And load the individual bags in gallon size bags labeled with the contents and points plus value or whatever you need to know about it. To eat: simply reheat a serving by removing it from a bag and microwaving it for approximately 90 sec or in a saucepan until heated.  Yum! 

After I bagged it up and counted how many servings I made, I headed over to my Weight Watchers Recipe Builder app to figure out points plus per serving.  I also did it before I started to get a ballpark number.  I enter in exactly what I put in and how many servings I made. 

2pp per serving as I made it this time !  Next time I may add honey or more milk and that would change the pp.  Simple, cozy, comfort food that helps you stay on track and avoid prepackaged processed foods.   17 healthy breakfasts are ready to enjoy!