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Ah, Monday morning

I had a lovely weekend.  Saturday, I planned to go to the gym and it just never happened. I was so incredibly sore from getting back into my routine last week that I couldn't even walk without being in pain. This made me cranky and I decided a rest day to recover was the best idea.

Sunday, the soreness was a teeny bit better and I headed to the gym to do my scheduled training run. There is a super fabulous cinema room where the movies are rotated daily and I was delighted that I got there just as Return of the Jedi was starting.  Princess Leia in that slave costume is certainly a motivator!  4 miles later, I was done.  The run also helped alleviate more of the soreness. 

After that, I headed home for a shower and a quick protein shake before taking my oldest daughter to her first soccer class.  It was a lot of fun to watch her despite the hot day and she had a wonderful time.  She has ADHD and Aspergers so she has some trouble with her attention span but she did really well and I couldn't be more proud of her.  She seems to love sports and I've also signed her up for a running group.  She's really excited about that so I hope she gets in.  If so, she will complete her first 5k in November. I'd love to have her as a running buddy, but I suspect she will be a lot faster than  me!

I ended my day with 2 1/2 hours of belly dance classes to start off the fall session. It was nice to have a break after summer but I was really happy to get back into that again as well. I managed to get home in time to watch a DVR season premiere of Boardwalk Empire with my husband before showering and bed.  

I got to bed late but still planned to go to a 6AM Body Pump class. Yeah, no. I needed more than 6 hours of sleep. Workout will have to wait till this afternoon. 

Now, to work.  Happy Monday! 

P.S. I love this!

Back into it

Ah, Fall ... My favorite time of year.  My girls went back to school yesterday and I miss them already.  The house is quiet, but that also means I can work uninterrupted and I can go back to the gym on a regular basis which is a good thing because I'm supposed to be training for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November.

I'm taking it slow, but I'm surprised that I don't have any knee pain anymore like what plagued my body this past spring.  Maybe time off was necessary. Decisions on the London Marathon will be sent next month and I'm cautiously optimistic that if I'm chosen that I will be able to accept. I'll just have to wait and see what happens. 

I put forth a valiant effort to eat healthy his summer, but I admit that I completely lost it by August especially during our big trip to Vermont and need to lose a few pounds I gained.  Deep fried Oreos, anyone?  But, being back in my old fitness routine makes healthier food choices a lot easier. That said, I felt like I needed a little guidance so I'm loosely following the food plan from Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 while doing my own workouts, trainer appointments and race training.  It the amount and foods I already eat, but having it laid out makes it super simple.  I will have to eat more because of race training but at least I have a basic guide. 

I started the day with Greek yogurt topped with strawberries and almonds. It was incredible. Like dessert for breakfast!  I plan to run 3 miles later today. Happy Wednesday!

Nike Women's Half-Marathon 2013

So, the inaugural DC Nike Women's HaIf-Marathon.  

First, the Expo or as Nike called it the "Expotique".  I thought about this for days.  It was in Georgetown. Great for Nike so that they can get people to go to their store nearby, but not so great when there is limited parking and no metro nearby (the closest about 1/2 mile away). I only had 4 hours during which my daughter was in preschool. Metro would have taken about 90 min each way.  A little close for my comfort.  I took my chances and drove. I found street parking but had no change and couldn't get the automated system to work. I ended up having to use a garage at the bargain price of $18.  

Anyway.

It was Friday morning and the expo had just opened.  I got my bib quickly (separate area) and headed over to the expo tent. I was honestly really disappointed.  Lots of empty space and a bunch of Nike displays and sponsors.  Bare Minerals doing makeup and some hair company doing hair.  Things that don't interest me. Luna Bar was there as well as a company that is new to me called Somersaults whose snacks I really liked. Besides that, no vendors advertising other races, selling gels or running gear like at other expos.  It was a big turn off and I took one quick walk through and left.  Kind of a waste, but I got my bib and took a couple pictures. 

My friend had been to the expo and told me about this sign on the side of the Nike store. From a distance this is what it looks like ...

... But up close it was the names if all the participants!  That was very cool. 

On to race day.  I got up at the usual ungodly hour, caught a cab to the metro and headed into the city. Upon arriving there were a ton of porta potties and they weren't busy so I took the opportunity to use one.  After that, I walked around a little found my corral, and checked out the finish line area before heading back to bag check and using the potty one more time. 

I was as ready as I was going to be but my knee was still achy. I expected to suffer but I was determined to do my best. Two friends I went with went to their corrals and I headed to mine.  It was chaos getting into the corral.  It was way too crowded but I made it in and I found myself right by the 2:20 pacer.  I started thinking. My goal had been 2:15, but I no longer felt like that was possible with the knee situation. On the other side of the sign the pacer held was 10:40.  A nice easy pace.  I looked for a 2:15 pacer over the heads of everyone but I never saw any other pacers. I decided to stick with 2:20. I could do 2:20. 

You can just see the starting line here and the Capitol way in the distance. 

Me. Ready to go. Shoe laces in honor of Boston. Speaking of Boston, there was a moment of silence before the race.  13,000 people so quiet that all you could hear were a couple of birds chirping. It was incredible. 

So the race. 

The beginning was a little crazy. They didn't space out the corrals. They let ALL the corrals go at once. It was a little slow, but nothing terrible. However, the pacer was really moving. I started thinking that the pace didn't feel like 10:40. Well, it wasn't. Her pace was 9:30!  I knew I couldn't maintain that.  I wondered if she would walk water stops and I kept up. The water stop came ... And went!  She never stopped and between trying to get around the mob at the water stop and trying to stay with the pacer, I missed the water.  What the heck was she doing??

I was irritated. 

I ran with her a bit more, then decided I was going to do this on my own.  I ran on and went with what I've always done. Run comfortably and walk through water stops. I couldn't deny that the pain in my knee was getting worse. I just tried to focus and keep moving. I got really hot and started regretting missing the water stop and thinking that I needed to get more at the next stop. 

Eventually, I got to Hains Point. There is so much hatred of this area from runners.  Granted, I've never done a marathon but my 2 experiences there have been good ones. I find it beautiful running along the water and this day I have never been so grateful for the BREEZE that came off the water. That saved the race for me. 

I was in a lot of pain and after Hains Point there were a couple of hills.  I swore under my breath and walked. My knee simply couldn't handle the hills. 

Made it to 10 miles. Thought - only a 5k left.  At mile 11, I almost started to cry. The pain was excruciating. I told myself to stay strong and not cry. What if an official saw me and tried to stop me?  What if another runner saw me and tried to offer support?  I didn't want anything to stop me or break my concentration.  2:15 was gone but 2:20 was still possible. 

I made a turn and I could see the finish line far off in the distance.  I was going to do this.  I thought of the blue Tiffany box waiting for me and it was so close.  I ran and ran and the finish line never seemed to get closer. It was further than it looked even though I could see it.  Still I kept running and gave it all I had. 

As I approached the finish line, I was struck by the incredible number of spectators lining the course.  Just days after the Boston, so many people there to  support us. It was wonderful.  I finally crossed the finish line.  Time 2:20:36. Not the time I had hoped for but a 3 min PR.  I did it with an injury and I fought for it.  I was proud. 

The finish line was mobbed but I collected my blue box from a man in a tux carrying it on a silver platter and walked on picking up some food and finally the blue bag to carry everything.  I made my way through the tables of finisher shirts picking one up and headed out of the finisher area. 

I started heading back toward bag check and found an information volunteer who told me where to find a medical tent. I went there and got a bag of ice and picked up a few snacks I'd missed weaving through the mob at the finish line. After that I picked up my bag and parked myself to ice my knee at the meeting point my friends and I had decided on prior to the race.  

There, I opened my box.  

Not the best pic, but the pendant is sterling silver and has a woman running through flowering trees on the front (very DC) and the back says NWM Half Washington 2013.  I love it more than I thought I would. I haven't taken it off!

I met up with my friends who both did great (they are both faster runners than me) and we headed back to the metro.  At our stop, we came upon a runner whose knee looked to be in even worse shape than mine so I gave her my ice. 

I hobbled to brunch where I had an omelette and a mimosa and it was absolutely delicious. 

I finally hobbled home and relaxed the rest of the day. The rest of the week actually. My knee was in bad shape for a couple of days so I took it easy and just did my session with my trainer. She mentioned to me how she had gone through a period of doing a lot of races and she had hurt her knee too. She is in great shape so somehow, that made me feel less pathetic. She also suggested trail running might be less stressful on my legs. Something to try. 

I had planned to do the Frederick half this past weekend but after trying a short run Saturday, I knew there was no way without going back to the pain from the previous weekend or worse.  So that's it. No more races until November (Wine and Dine Half in Disney)!

Oh my, Where have I been?

Still here. Barely.  

On a positive note, the GW Parkway Classic 5k went great! I wanted to beat 30:07 from last year.  that 8 seconds killed me last year but I knew I had a better time in me this time.  the weather was perfect.  things couldnt have gone better and I did it this year in 28:34.  Personal best!

It's a special race for me because it was my first race 3 years ago.  I really can't believe how far I've come.  Me.  A runner.

After this race I tried to really rest my knee and kept my workouts to a minimum. I'll share my Nike Women's Half experience tomorrow. 

5 AM

Just me and Delilah up bright and early.

Awesome playlist ready to go.

 

Ready to RUN!

Race Tomorrow!

My knee is feeling a lot better. In fact, I managed to get in 2 - 45 minute elliptical workouts (plus a mostly upper body training session) this week. Of course, the elliptical was probably too much since my knee was a little sore. I took today completely off because I'll be running the GW Parkway Classic 5k tomorrow. This was my first race 3 years ago so it's fun to see my progress each year. Someday, I'd like to do the 10-miler, but not this year since I'm running the Nike Women's Half next weekend.

Tomorrow is Sunday, but I'll be up at 4:30 to find consciousness, eat, dress and gather my things before heading out. It's going to be rough getting up that early when I could be sleeping in, but I consider myself lucky to be able to run at all since the horror in Boston. Boston is actually the reason, I have to get up earlier than usual. Despite the end to the fear of a perpetrator, there is added security that might add to the time I need to arrive on time.

Looking forward to ending my 2 week running break!

Idle

3 years ago, I had one pair of sneakers. I never wore them so they lasted for years. Now, I have an expanding collection. 2 for running, 2 for the gym (retired running shoes), casual sneakers, trail shoes ... And they last about a year at most.  I wish I could have more but budget and closet space don't allow.

Sadly, none of these are seeing any action these days (except the casual ones). I went to the gym and rode the stationary bike yesterday since my knee was feeling better. Well, by last night I was achy. 

More rest for me.  *sigh*

Cherry Blossom 10-miler 2013

I had quite the eventful weekend.  I admit, I haven't exercised much due to laziness and the "I don't have time" excuse, but also because of injury.  Last week, I managed to squeeze in a trainer appointment followed by a 3 mile run and that's about it.

Friday night, the minute my husband walked in the door from work, I flew out in a hurry to make it to packet pick-up for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler.  I made it there in an hour.  The building was beautiful and packet pick-up was a breeze with no line. 

I like how Metro added the Cherry Blossoms to their stations. I made it back home with my packet and a Smartrip card for race morning.

Saturday morning, I took my girls to a kids dash.  It was freezing, but so much fun.  My older daughter, Zoe, took off like a flash and she loved it.  My little one, Sydney, cared more about the cute clothes but she finished the race like a little star.  I'd love to take them to do it again sometime - maybe when it's not so cold.  It's one thing for me to suffer in the cold for a race, but my girls are too young for that misery. 

I spent the night at my running buddy's apartment since she lives closer to the city.  We feasted on pizza and snacks and eventually went to sleep.  I got up around 4:30AM, had some coffee and 1/2 bagel.  I also realized that I forgot my emergency TP stash so I asked my friend for a ziplock and some paper towels.  I mention this because it is critically important later in the day.

Rather than walking, we cabbed over to a Metro stop for the ride in.  I think I had too much coffee, because this situation was happening on the train ...

Normally, we try to stay warm in the station but the police booted us out into the cold.  It wasn't terribly cold, but the wind made it feel pretty brisk.  Here I am at the starting line trying to avoid hypothermia ...

After bag checking and the requisite potty stop, we headed to the corrals which were empty but filled to the brim fast.  The race started and the corrals were off one by one.  We were in the corral for about 30 min. and by that time, I had to pee again (too much coffee!) and my friend - well, she had other issues.  Finally, our corral was off with only my fingers and feet suffering frost bite.

Everything was fine and as we got to the first water stop, I asked my friend if she wanted to stop at the potties there.  She said she did, but she didn't want to stand in the line.  I hadn't even noticed the crazy line.  We ran on.

Passed another water stop.  Same situation.  This whole time we were on the look-out for bushes, but things were pretty bare.  Finally, at the third water stop, there was a lovely group of large bushes and we headed toward them.  My friend asked for the ziplock bag.  I asked her how many she needed - ALL of them!  I took one since my situation wasn't dire and gave her the rest.  I went right onto the bushes ignoring the fact that they were thorny and tearing at my arms and legs.  I was pretty well covered but I figured if anyone saw me, it's not like I was ever going to see them again.  I found relief and was glad I no longer had to think about how bad I had to pee. 

I came out to see my friend only backed up into the bushes and still clearly visible to the world including the hundreds of runners that passed.  I told her this and she didn't seem at all concerned.  As I waited, a man approached me and asked if she was ok.  I looked up and realized he was a medic.  I told him she was fine and he just said, "Oh, just mother nature?"  Yep.  Then another runner came over in desperate need of a relief.  She seemed really concerned about whether people would see.  I told her what I'd just said to myself - You will never see any of these people again.  Off she went.

We returned to the course and there were some people cheering for us.  It was all such a comical sutation!  As my friend said - Gotta take care of business. 

That's bad?  Well, to me, what happened next is worse.  Around mile 7, I started having serious problems with my knee.  I had been running slow expecting to speed up in the final miles, but I ended up having to slow way down.  I was in serious pain.  I tried walking, but that was actually worse, so I just decided to run to the finish as best I could.  On the way there, we saw a woman on the ground surrounded by medics and later an ambulance on the way to get her.  I figured things could be worse for me.

I told my friend that I needed to head to the medical tent at the finish.  I was ok, but happy the race wasn't a half and that it was over.

We walked and walked and walked ... and finally got water.  I didn't see food anywhere and figured the next best thing to do was to get my checked bag.  It was windy and cold and I knew my temp would drop fast.  After wandering around in the general direction of bag check, I finally found a very small banana and a small muffin.  I was starving so I scarfed that down quickly.  Luckily, I had thrown a Clif Bar in my bag so I ate that as well.  I was a little surprised by how little food there was compared to other races I've done.

The race was really crowded.  To me, this was nothing more than a long run so I didn't care much about speed, but it was tough running surrounded by so many people.  I mean, my worst race experience was running from the last corral at the Disney Princess half which was so bad that I had to walk in several places and ran in the grass most of the race but this wasn't too much better.  For this reason, I'm not sure I'd do it again.

I ended up skipping the medical tent because I was feeling ok walking at that point so instead we headed to the Metro.  We went for breakfast and when I got up to walk out, the pain was really bad.  We stopped at a running store for a patella strap since it was on the way back so I can try that in the future.  However, the pain at this point was so bad, I could barely walk.  My friend even carried me part of the way back to her apartment.

We were supposed to go to a wine tasting, but since I couldn't move fast, time was short and we decided to skip it.  We ended up just hanging at my house with ice on my knee.

 

And so, I won't be doing much of anything this week.  Also, this does not bode well for my next few races.  I'm definitely worried. 

Spring Break

I'm feeling pretty good. No knee pain or any other pain for that matter. However, this week is spring break for my daughters so getting to the gym will be a challenge. My husband and I have also planned a little getaway to Cape May for the weekend. I'll have to see how things go.

Today, I'm just trying to figure out what the following from my training plan means. I'll probably just take my best guess. Heck, if it's wrong, it's still some kind of running.

Sunday Night

There are 182,000 other people out there watching Swedish House Mafia play their last show ever at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. I'm not sure if that's an amazing or pathetic way to spend a Sunday night especially since I'm going to pay for this when I try to get up for work tomorrow morning.

But this is the music I love. The music that gets me through the last painful miles of a race so I'm going to call it amazing. Farewell Swedish House Mafia. And thank you for the inspiration.

Edit: The feed reached 210,000 viewers. Spectacular!

New York-bound

It's been an interesting week. I figured that since I took it nice and slow on Saturday that I could just go on training like usual. Not so much.

I struggled through a cycle class on Wednesday. My training appointment went great (got that good kind of soreness) but yesterday I had 10 miles on my training plan and it wasn't so good. I decided to use the treadmill at the gym to avoid hills since my knee isn't 100%. I started running out of steam around mile 5 and also had some tummy issues. I spent the next 3 miles thinking of what could possibly have done it. Ice cream the night before. Ugh. I can't have dairy before a long run. Still, glad I did the 8 miles.

I guess I need a little more recovery time and it works out because I'm actually headed to NY for a funeral and its going to be a quick trip with no time for workouts. Sunday, I have a belly dance show so that's not looking good either and next week is spring break for the girls so it might be a tough week to get workouts in. I'm hoping a few days rest does me some good and I can get in a few good workouts in the evenings.

I'll end here with this lovely tile at the station. Happy Friday!

Health and Fitness are not luxuries.

Since I was a teenager, I've had periods of exhaustion affecting my daily living.  I even remember my parents taking me to the doctor because I slept so much, only to find every test come back normal.  It wasn't a big deal because when you don't have kids, you can just take a nap after work and sleep in on the weekend.

The real probem began after I had kids, especially having kids who have emotional challenges and don't sleep well (more on that another day).  Giving birth brought the blues which I managed to recover from ok, but it also highlighted my own sleep issues.  I even developed insomnia at one point after my second daughter was born and quite by accident I discovered that birth control pills were causing it.  However, dropping that medication and getting past insomnia didn't solve all my problems and even though I could sleep now, like before, I just couldn't get enough sleep. 

I eventually got to the point where I couldn't function as a mother because of the exhaustion.  My husband was understandably irritated and overwhelmed having to be both father and mother while I was essentially incapacitated.  I felt awful, but what could I do when I was so tired I couldn't see straight?  The exhaustion dragged me down emotionally.  I didn't feel like it was depression (having experienced that after my divorce) but there was a sadness and weariness to my daily existence.  Again, doctor visits yielded nothing.

One day at a routine visit to my gyn, I mentioned it to her and she asked me what I ate, especially for breakfast.  She suggested that I might try eating more protein throughout the day, including for breakfast.  I thought, "It can't be that simple."

It was.

I started paying more attention to what I ate and noticed that on days I ate protein for breakfast - eggs, greek yogurt, etc. vs. a bagel or cereal, I didn't feel like I was going to collapse at 3PM.  I can't believe that all along what was happening was a major sugar crash every day.  I guess I'm just really sensitive to carbs.  Around this time, I also started running for the first time.  My energy level went through the roof and I was happy.  REALLY happy! 

I can't understand why I had to struggle for 20 years when the solution was so simple.  Since making that small adjustment to my diet, I've never felt better.  More doctors need to be aware of how important nutrition is and that it's not always something that they need to throw a bunch of tests and medications at.  I am so incredibly grateful to my gyn for her knowledge.  She changed my life! 

This brings me to an article I came across over the weekend that really captures exactly how I feel. I took a quick phone pic because I didn't want to forget the exerpt, but of course, I forgot which magazine it came from.  Maybe Health?

Sometimes, I feel guilty that instead of going home and cleaning, or doing mom-type things like it seems the other moms do, I head straight to the gym after I drop my girls off.  Then I think of how this is not recreation like say scrapbooking or a photography hobby might be.  If I don't do this, I am left unable to function physically.  I can't be a good mother, a good wife.  Sometimes I wonder if people look at me and think of how selfish or spoiled I am when they see how I spend my time.  Yes, I am lucky to have the opportunity to work part-time and be able to get in 90 minute workouts, but it is truly something I need to live.

As for my husband, I have asked him more than once how he feels about what I do.  His answer is always the same - He is not a fan of mud runs or obstacle races because he worries about my safety, but other than that, he doesn't mind one bit.  He is a huge support and I could never train for or participate in races without him.  I am mindful of his time as well and as the article above mentions, we have a similar method to taking turns.  He goes to the gym during the week at a different time and on weekends, I arrange my workouts around his gym time. 

I hope we are setting an example for our daughters.  I want them to see how important eating well and being active is and wish for their happiness and health without having to experience the struggles that I endured.

Week of March 17th

I plan to take it easy this week to rest my knee and I'm heading to NY friday for a funeral so there is a little interruption there, but I think getting the half in puts me a little ahead of the game.  Sometimes life happens and that's ok.

March 17th - 23rd:

Sunday - Weights (ended up being a rest day post half)

Monday - Stretch

Tuesday - Rest

Wednesday - Trainer appointment and cycle class

Thursday - 10 mile run

Friday - Weights (Will be traveling.)

Saturday - 6 miles (Funeral and travel home.)



Rock 'n Roll USA

I had the greatest time at the Rock 'n Roll USA half-marathon yesterday!  

I spent the night with my running friend since we had to be up and on our way to the train so early in morning - 5:30 AM.  We were pleasantly surprised by how warm it was and that it wasn't raining given the expectation that it was almost certainly going to rain and we would probably have a very soggy race.  

We checked our bags, got some food and water provided (loved this!), and headed to the potty lines.  After that, we went to look for the pacers but couldn't find them.  We didn't actually want to run for time so we just decided to do our own thing and went to our assigned corral.  As the race started with corrals moving, we both wanted to use the potties one last time and finally found some that didn't have super long lines.  This is one of the things I always hate about races.  There are NEVER enough potties.

Once we crossed the starting line, we took a nice easy pace (this was more of a training run for us than a race).  I actually looked around to catch the sights and stopped at the Washington Monument for a picture.

Yes, those are socks on my arms.  I use them for almost every race.  They're effective and cheap enough to toss if I don't want to carry them.

We crossed the bridge and made the loop around to cross back over.  The best thing about this race was that it was such a great tour of D.C.  The only other race I had done in the city was the Army 10-miler but I really liked this race more.

The race started heading uphill around mile 4, but it wasn't anything terrible and I wondered if maybe the elevation map looked worse than it actually was.  Then, we hit some big ones after mile 6.  Luckily, we weren't going at a hard pace so it wasn't so bad, but my knee started feeling it a bit because of it.  Once we got to mile 7, it was flatter and downhill for a while.  We stopped so my friend could hit the bathroom and I took the opportunity to take in a gel, some pretzels and some water while I waited.  

A couple of things to note - At a lot of the water stations, you had to pour your own water.  This didn't bother me since I wasn't in a hurry but if you were running for time, this might have been a problem.  My guess is that they just didn't have enough volunteers.  What can you do?  Also, I can't say I was terribly impressed by the bands.  I liked a couple of spots on the course, like the pumpin' dance music at one of the tents (not a band) and there was a group of girl drummers that was great but that was about the only things that made an impression with me.  I didn't really care much because I had my own dance party going on with my iPod.

The spectators were a lot of fun - the most fun I've experienced to this point.  Below is my favorite race pic ever.  It really captures the fun mood!

We started heading towards a gorgeous view of the Capitol but the hills started again. I was fine, but since it was the later miles, I could feel it more.

My friend and I stopped chatting the last 3 miles.  She was feeling it and I tried to let her run her race.  As we approached the finish line there was a heck of a hill going up.  She just said, "We aren't walking this." and we didn't.  We finished together and got our medals!

Post race, we got quite a lot of food and drinks - water, Gatorade, chocolate milk, bagels, chips, Powerbars apples, bananas and a bag to put it all in.  I was really hungry so I was happy to have food.  Then, we headed to packet pick-up.  Some of the lines were insane, but luckily our lines were short and we made it through without a problem.  

Here's were the bad part comes in.  The signage wasn't great so we went the wrong way trying to leave.  We had to walk quite a way to get out.  Then we got to the Metro.  It was a mess.  There was a giant mob just trying to get into the station.  We decided that rather than wait in that, it would be better to keep moving and try to find another station or find a cab.  Cabs were scarce.  Lots of other runners were looking for them too.  So while we tried to figure out which way to go, we were joined by another woman who decided to join us for the long walk to the next Metro station.  I think we walked a couple of miles.  My hips, knees and feet were killing me.  I was dying and miserable but we finally made it and I've never been so happy to sit down.  Once we got to our stop, more walking back to my friend's house to retrieve my car for the drive home.

I have to say, I would do this race again because I felt that it was well supported and I didn't think it was as crowded as some people said, BUT I would pay for parking next time.  The Metro situation was just unacceptable.

All along, we had planned to go to Shamrock Fest afterwards, but we lost HOURS due to the Metro mess. My family wondered where I was and I wasn't even sure I wanted to go anymore.  I just wanted to go home, shower and die.  Once I got in my car (more sitting) I felt a little better and finally getting a shower and a little more food made me feel like a new woman.  We decided to head out to Shamrock.  

Shamrock was pretty much the drunk-fest I expected it to be and we got there so late that we missed some bands we'd hope to see, but we had a really great time watching CelKilt.  I'm not a beer drinker at all, but I had been saying all along that I was going to celebrate with a Guinness.  They actually ran out at one point, but my running mate came through and found some for us!

It was really cold so we went to the DJ tent to warm up for a bit.  We all wanted some food, and none of us were interested in carnival food, so we decided to head out and hit a restaurant on the way home.  After that, we were all pretty beat so we headed home.  My parents (who had been babysitting) headed out, my friend crashed on the couch and I went to bed.  I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.  All-in-all, a really great day.

I had a wonderful night's sleep that I really needed.  Today, it's all about my girls.  Taking them out to see Wreck it Ralph.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

Packet Pick-up!

Packet pick-up for Rock 'n Roll USA today was fun. I snapped this pic in a mirror after getting my bib. I got my hair cut and they straighten it when I go so I don't quite look myself.

I watched a video of the course. We signed up with a pace group but aren't sure we'll stick with it. There's an gradual incline between miles 4-7 that makes me nervous and it's going to rain but I'm excited!

I'm having family night with my husband and girls then heading over to my friend's house to spend the night since she lives right by the train station and we're heading out at 5:30AM. Hoping adrenaline gets me up. If not, I guess there's always coffee.

Piña Colada Smoothie

I am having special delishiousness for breakfast today. I found a recipe for a tropical smoothie and decided to tweak it a little to make it taste like a piña colada. So good!

Piña Colada Smoothie
1/2 cup milk
1 banana
1/2 cup pineapple
1 tsp coconut extract
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
Ice

I put all this in my Magic Bullet and voila!

Yum!

Wednesday

I had a training session this morning and she was kind enough to spare my lower body since I have a race this weekend.  I did 45 min on the elliptical after that. My knee feels good so I'm hopeful resting has done me some good and the race will go well Saturday.

I was at the gym later than usual so I had to rush home and quickly shower before picking up my little one at preschool. Unfortunately, that didn't leave me any time to eat and I was starving when I got back home. I made a yummy tuna, hummus (instead of mayo) and spinach sandwich on whole wheat with a Fuji apple and yogurt dip. Devoured it!

5 days till Half

Last week's schedule didn't quite go as planned. 

                      Plan                       Actual
Sunday -       Strength             Pilates.  Nice easy start.
Monday -      Intervals            Rest - My knee hurts.  Not a good time for intervals.
Tuesday -      Rest                  Rest
Wednesday - 4 miles              It's snowing!  I can't make it to the gym but I have a race in
                                               a week.  Panic and do a 10 mile run on my treadmill.
Thursday -    8 miles              PM training session and 30 min on elliptical.  Knee isn't feeling so hot.
Friday -        Strength             Rest - Knee achy.
Saturday -    7 miles               Rest again.  My knee feels better but I'm resting so I can have a good
                                               workout Sunday.

Not such a great week.  My knee started bugging me a little the previous week and hasn't really recovered 100% So its dominating my workouts (or lack thereof).  Yesterday, I did Body Pump and 30 min. on the elliptical but it's going to be an easy week.  I'm following the training plan for the Nike Women's Half in April but I don't plan to do ANY running this week leading up to the Rock 'n Roll half-marathon on Saturday because of what's happening with my knee.  My friend and I are taking a nice, easy approach to this race but I don't want to take any chances.  The only other workout I have planned this week is a personal training session and some cardio (elliptical) on Wednesday.  Fingers crossed my knee feels okay but Saturday.

Daylight Savings

It was tough adjusting to springing forward today and I'm sure it didn't help that I spent the previous evening drinking a bottle of wine and snacking into the night with a friend. I finally got out of bed in time to make it to the gym but it resulted in a bit of a rushed breakfast. 1/2 a Power Bar.  I've said I'm not a breakfast person but working out on an empty stomach was resulting in migraines for me for a while.  A friend suggested getting some sugar in my body and it seems to do the trick.

60 minutes BodyPump. 60 minutes elliptical. Knee is still a little achy so I'll be icing and taking most of the week off so I'll be ready for my half next weekend.

It's gorgeous out and I'm lame to stay in but I really do want to stay off my knee.  Nap time.