Shouldering the Responsibility

I may have bitten off more than I can chew but I've never been so excited to test my mettle as I am right now! 

I met the president of the Mon-Yough Trail Council at the Dead Man's Hollow clean up a few months ago.  While I had her ear I suggested a race on the Yough River Trail to benefit trail maintenance and expansion.  We parted ways with promises to stay in touch and work towards making it happen.  I was doubtful that it would happen but hopeful still.

I decided that if a race was going to happen I had better present a strong case to the Council.  I approached Kevin Smith, owner of Elite Runners and Walkers, and he suggested I plan a 5k and Half Marathon to maximize the attraction.  He gave me a list of criteria to consider and then graciously offered to be the presenting sponsor before there was even a race to be sponsored.  I feel so blessed to have Kevin helping the Trail Council and myself untangle the mysteries of race directing!

To make our ideas reality I approached the Mon-Yough Trail Council president, Judy Marshall, at the beginning of their monthly meeting.  She was very pleased that I was still pursuing the race and offered to give me the floor to present my ideas.  I have never been very good at public speaking but I guess I did well enough because they voted to approve the race, unanimously!  Wow! 

 Judy took it upon herself to approach the Regional Trail Corporation for approval.  Thankfully there was no problems and all we have to do is fill out an event form!  Judy, Kevin, and myself will be meeting this week to work out the details, design an application form, begin marketing, and PICK A NAME!  Yes, we still need a name for this race!  Please kindly give me all your ideas!

Now I am frantically searching for a timing company, photographers, food, water, volunteers, race schwag, radios, and the like.  I really hope I can make this a race memorable for all the participants and make it an annual event.  Having a race in my own backyard is going to be amazing, even if I'm directing and not running! 

Running Cold

My wonderful husband convinced me to do another 5k this past weekend.  I guess I'm as crazy as I think I am because I went along with it!  We registered, bought toys to donate, and found a sitter.  Next thing I know I'm in one of the craziest races I've ever run!

I really hoped I could PR in this race but that wasn't to be.  The weather and the cumulative fatigue from my marathon training combined to beat me down.  However, it was a wonderful experience in a lot of other ways!  So on to the race!

We arrived really early thanks to my husband's worry that it would take twice as long as Mapquest predicted.  I had picked up our race packets the day before so there wasn't  much to do.  We got our numbers pinned on, picked up our chips (I had to show my husband how to attach his!), and dropped off our toys for the Amici Mentoring Program.  Then we waited...

 My husband in the car

I look thrilled don't I?

Finally, people started heading to the starting line.  We convinced another runner to take a picture of us before we lined up.  You can tell how thrilled my husband was with the weather, 22* and snowing!

Kevin, the owner of Elite Runners and Walkers announced that the turn around was a simple orange cone so we should be careful not to miss it.  Then we were off!  

I figured I would go out a little conservatively since the trail was fairly trampled and icy already.  I started out feeling great at about a 9:45 pace.  Sped up a little at the half mile point.  First mile in 9:20.  As I'm heading toward the turnaround I see my husband coming back towards me.  We high-fived and continued running.  I figured I must be close to the turn around since we ran similar paces at our last 5k.  Turns out my husband must have been drinking some magic juice or something because I was still 1/10th of a mile or so from the turn around.  I thought I'd somehow managed to miss it.  Then it was there!  I have never been so happy to see that turn around before!

Things were starting to feel really hard and my right hamstring was tightening up with every step.  The ice meant I was pushing harder but getting slower.  I felt like I was running on a treadmill.  Forward motion was hard to come by in this race!  My pace kept dropping and I hit mile 2 with a 10:28 average pace.  I tried to keep it up and I'd get under a 10 minute mile and then slip back again.  It was extremely frustrating watching a PR slip out of my hands but I just held on for dear life and reminded myself that a post-baby PR wasn't out of the question.  I took a quick walk break to get some water and let my hamstring loosen up and then picked it back up but it wasn't enough to save my race.  Mile 3 came in at a 10:29 average pace.  The course was a little long according to my Garmin and I finished the last .2 miles in 1:54, getting as fast as a 5:48 pace over the finish line.

My husband was there shivering and waiting for me.  I turned in my chip and we climbed in the car.  My first comment was, "How did you do?" to which he responded, "You don't want to know".  Of course, I HAD to know.  Turns out 3 weeks of running turned my husband from penguin to speed demon.  He finished in a respectable 26:25!  I was very proud of him.... until he wouldn't let me live down him beating me by 5 minutes.  Yes, I finished in a slow 31:43.  Still a post-baby PR but disappointing nonetheless. 

My husband finishing (in the middle)

Today was a scheduled 3 mile run for me so I decided to do it on the treadmill and see just how fast I could do a 5k in close-to-perfect conditions.  I started at a 9:31 pace for the first 2.5 miles.  I edged up to 7MPH at 2.75 miles and finished the last 1/10th of a mile at a 7:30 pace.  I finished my 3.1 miles in 29:09 and felt like I probably could have done it faster.  I promise a true PR is mine at the next race that's not on ice!  

P.S. Can you tell how much I love my running skirt?  If this blog ever gets a good following I promise to give one away!  You have to try them!  I have two, one red plaid and this grey preppy skirt, and I almost always wear them for races and get so many compliments them!  If you are a woman and you don't run in a skirt you should definitely try it!

Pushing Boundaries

I had my second training session with Ed over at Strength, Fitness, and Speed, Inc. this morning.  Last week's workout left us both surprised.  I expected to be a blubbering mess on the floor by the end and Ed must have too.  Instead we were both pleasantly surpised at how much of my fitness has returned post-baby.  I did my 3 mile run before I went and was scared it was going to make the training even harder but I surprised myself and excelled beyond both of our expectations!

Today, I knew Ed would be ramping things up a little but I was less nervous.  We did some plyo drills, some strength training, and some circuit training.  I was a little sore afterwards but not as much as I expected.  I put off doing my scheduled 4 mile run for a few hours for fear I would feel it then.  However, I finally sucked it up and jumped on the treadmill.  (I still haven't braved the snow/rain yet!) 

Once again I was pleasantly surprised.  I figured I would just go all out and see if I blew up or not.  I started out at a 10 minute mile pace (yes, I'm slow, I know...) and stayed there for mile 1.  Mile 2 I pushed to a 9:30 minute mile pace.  That actually didn't feel too bad!  I had an outside chance at breaking my official 5K PR of 29:59 (I pulled a 27:xx in training but never in a race).  I kept pushing the speed through mile 3 until I got to 7MPH.  I managed to hold myself together to the 5K mark and shaved 6 seconds off that race PR!  I was elated (and wheezing, choking, red-faced....)!  I wasn't sure how well I would finish off that last mile to get my scheduled 4 but I didn't want to chicken out now.

I kept pushing, dropping back only to a 10 minute mile pace instead of 11 or 12.  I got myself to the 3.8 mile mark and notched the speed up to 6.5 MPH and then edged up to 7MPH for the final tenth of a mile.  I finished that 4 mile run in 39:45, an average pace of 9:41!  A truly amazing accomplishment for a penguin like me!  I'm going to rest up and really hope that I can break my pre-baby PR less than 4 months postpartum.  And, if the weather is only 20-ish degrees like they're forecasting, then there's an outside chance I could snag myself another age group award! 

I have to say I'm pretty fond of my newfound pain tolerance and 'speed'!  I'm starting to think I do have an outside chance of having a good first marathon and setting a new PR at the Rachel Carson Challenge this summer and still being able to walk in the days following.  So here's to pushing ourselves beyond our wildest dreams and finding that perserverence and determination are the keys to opportunities doors!

Things to be Thankful For!

The past couple weeks have been (mostly) amazing!  I'm so grateful that I have a husband that helps me achieve my running goals and now I can be thankful that I have a husband that runs too!  He did his first 5k with me a few weeks ago and now he's been running a mile every morning.  This morning he bumped it up to 1.5 miles.  I feel blessed that he has taken it upon himself to get healthy and is using the sport I love to do it!

I am also incredibly grateful to the race director of the Dirt Monster 5 Mile Trail Race for sending me a gift card with a beautiful note.  I missed an age group award by one place in her race and I almost cried because I wanted it so bad I could taste it (and got it at my next 5 Mile race!).  She must have felt horribly for me because she wrote that I deserved the gift card more than some others for completing her race less than three months after giving birth. 

Lastly, I hope I'm going to be thankful for my personal trainer, Ed, at Strength, Fitness, and Speed, Inc.  I have my first session in 40 minutes and I'm looking forward to it with some dread and trepidation mixed in!

Always Earned, Never Given!

My running partner and I signed up for the Marshall Mangler 8K, 22.5K, and 50K trail race this past weekend put on by Elite Runner's Trail Runners.  I was determined to nab myself an award and set a post-baby PR!  My previous 5 mile trail race ended with a disappointing 1:09 finish and missing an award by one place.  This time I outsprinted two girls in the pouring rain in the FINISHING SHOOT!  Heck yeah!  I brought it!  Official time was 1:03 and change.  Not a bad improvement for one week's time!  And the best part....

I earned my first ever award!  Sure, I have finisher's medals but this is an AGE GROUP award!  It's not a big deal to most runners but it is to me!  And the fact that I didn't get it by default (there were more than three people in my age group!) makes me so very happy! 

I got myself a $10 gift certificate to the local running store and an engraved medal (yet to be returned from engraving!).  I think that's a pretty awesome prize and I'm stoked that I earned it on a difficult 5 mile trail race!

My running partner earned himself an award as well.  Overall it was a great race and we had a blast!  Definitely signing up for the 50K next year!

I just realized I need to take a pic of the awesome shirt I got for this race!  It was worth running just for the shirt!  Be back with that ASAP! And did I mention I got a ton of compliments on my rockin Dirty Girl Gaiters?  Absolutely in love with them!  I will have to do a giveaway when I get some followers!



Redemption is Mine!

I decided to go ahead and do another race on Sunday after my disappointing 5 mile trail race.  The closest one (with the best cause!) was the Operation Troop Appreciation 5K.  I have to say it was a wonderful cause, great set up, well run, hard course, and just a blast to take part in! 

There were men in uniform presenting the flag, an old style barbershop quartet singing the National Anthem, runners in their camis (military issue camo uniform, not camisoles!), and many civilians just showing support.  The Pittsburgh Penguins mascot and a few members were there and the OTA crew made a video of all the runners, the race, a few interviews, and such to send to the troops over seas.  The best part of all, for me, was that my wonderful husband, Shane, decided to run it with me!

He was supposed to pace me to a PR.  He kept telling me that a 5K would be SO easy! HAHAHA!

He took off like a shot at the gun (no pun intended!) and I paced myself for a PR.  Shane kept stopping or running backwards to wait for me but I didn't want to get off my pace.  Then 1.25 miles in we came to one of the biggest road hills I've ever faced!  Even the leaders were walking the top of it over a quarter mile ahead of me!  As the reached the turn around at the top and came back down I could see they were pouring sweat and they could barely offer words of encouragement as they worked to keep upright on the steep slope.  Shane visibly slumped and I could tell he was ready to give up so I charged ahead and walked with him to the top.

We took off running again at the top, leapfrogging eachother as he took walk breaks between sprints while I stayed at a steady pace.  After the downhill there was another fairly steep grade but much shorter.  We walked it and then I took off my hat and gloves, handed them to Shane, and took off for the finish.  I kept up a great pace (for me) until about 2/10th's of a mile from the finish.  All the sudden my stomach churned and I knew I'd over done it.  I made a B-line for the grass and just made it in time.  I whipped off my shirt and wiped my mouth and threw it in the grass before picking up the pace again for the finish.  (Can I just brag about how awesome my husband is here?  He picked up my nasty shirt and carried it to the finish so I wouldn't have to walk back and pick it up later!)

I rounded the last turn and could see the shoot.  I couldn't make a PR but I could make a post-baby PR!  I floored it with everything I had left, cleared the finish mat, and promptly puked again.  Shane finished about 30 seconds behind me.  We were 166th and 172nd respectively!  Not too bad for Shane's first race with NO training.  My officially time was 31:48 but since there was no starting mat I am going with my Garmin time of 31:42!  That's over 4 minutes off of last weeks 5K even with a giant hill that I almost completely walked!  I KNOW I could have PR'ed if I had an easy course!  (My pre-baby race PR was 29:59 and my training PR was 27:xx.)

Since I didn't take a picture (What was I thinking?!) here's a pic of my husband and I at the Baltimore Running Festival last year:

Lastly, let me say thank you to all of the veterans out there!  To those who have served, are serving, or will serve please accept my heartfelt gratitude!  I hope our race entry fees sent you a well-deserved luxury item or two!  Happy Veteran's Day!

Lessons Learned

I took part in a Halloween 5K last weekend, the Zombie 5K.  I assured myself that it was okay to be last or whatever because I 'just had a baby'.  It was a three loop course and I took it easy on the first two laps.  I wasn't used to running on hills and this course was all rolling hills complicated by the fact that the trail was sandy-silty material and very soft.  I finished in 35:58 and reassured myself that I was okay with that, especially since I ran in costume and it was my first post-baby race and it wasn't worse than my personal worst and blah, blah, blah.  Excuses, excuses, excuses.

This morning my running partner, Tom, dragged my butt to the Dirt Monster 5 Mile trail race.  The people who set up the course were telling us how the leaves were dry on top but wet underneath making the trail treacherous.  They said the leaves were hiding a lot of rocks and roots and to be really careful not to turn in ankle.  At that point I was already doubting my ability to run 5 miles let alone on a trail since my longest run to date was 6 very ssssllllllooooowwww miles with Ash in the BOB.  I think I just mentally gave in before I even started.  Half a mile in there was a giant hill that just kept going up for over 1/2 a mile so I told myself it was okay to walk it and I did.  I kept walking the uphills and I was holding back on the downhills because I was afraid of falling or hurting myself.  At the 2 mile marker I let the girl behind me pass thinking I could catch her again.  I stuck to her like glue until around the 3.5 - 4 mile mark (I forgot my Garmin).  At that point one of the local Hashers started chatting with me and we stopped and walked and chatted and I let my rabbit get away.  My goal of a sub-60 minute finish slipped away and I didn't care.  I set a new goal of sub-1:10 and just enjoyed my new acquaintance's ramblings.  As the final hill came into sight I let it carry me down to the finish shoot.  I could see the clock, 1:09:22, and I quickly floored it through, finishing with an official time of 1:09:34.  I looked at the RD and said, "How many people in my age group?"  She said 4 or 5 and I got really excited thinking I might get an award. 

I should have known I couldn't lollygag my way to some hardware.  Results were posted and I realized I had come in 4th in my age group (out of 5 or 6).  That girl I let get away got my hardware!  I am so mad at myself right now!  I can't wait for revenge!  There is an 8K trail race next weekend and you better bet I will NOT be passed again!  Sub-60 minutes (and hopefully hardware!) here I come! 

Alternative Medicine

I have always kind of looked sideways at people that tell me about their herbalist, acupuncture guy, chiropractor, etc.  I guess it's the pessimist in me, "If REAL medicine can't fix it then how do you think that voodoo will help?!"  But since my last pregnancy I've started to realize there may be more to it than I know. 

Around 35 weeks into my pregnancy with Ashlyn I developed preeclampsia.  In a desperate effort to avoid induction I tried tinctures, old wives tales, recipes, and acupuncture to start labor naturally.  I actually did get some good contractions going a few times and, after the acupuncture, I contracted for three days.... until I went into the hospital for some good old fashioned Pitocin at 39 weeks.  DOH!

I figured since I did get SOME results from all those things during pregnancy I should be a bit more open minded post-baby.  After all marathon training is half faith right?  Faith in my body, faith in my training, and faith in my own inner strength.  So, after a few days of a nagging back ache I decided to use that open mindedness and make an appointment with a chiropractor. 

Well one hour and about 30 adjustments later, I feel great!  My chiropractor is a lot like myself, active with kids and largely dedicated to the areas trails and parks.  We discussed the best trails for running, hiking and children.  We talked about our kids who are similar in age.  We even realized we have the same degree of scoliosis (yes, I knew I had it already!).  And all the while I barely noticed that he was manipulating my spine into odd and crazy contortions.  After about 40 minutes of pushing, pulling, and stretching my back he hooked me up to a TENS machine and zapped those pesky, spasming latissimus dorsi into submission!

Walking out of the office I felt about an inch taller and I no longer felt like my legs were unequal.  My nagging runners knee wasn't screaming quite so loud and my SI joints didn't cry for mercy when I got into my Jeep.  On the drive home I felt relaxed, almost sleepy despite the huge amounts of caffeine I consumed this morning.  Maybe there is something to this alternative medicine stuff after all!  Or maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part.  Either way I'm going back Thursday for another dose!

Oh, and did I mention the chiropractors in this office are super cute?!

Burn Out

I took an unscheduled rest day today.  I know, I know... What's the big deal right?  Well to me it's a huge deal.  I feel antsy and wired even though I'm physically wiped.  Mentally I'm doing backflips and climbing the walls.  I did homework (and some of next week's homework), I did laundry, I cleaned, I watched TV....  Nothing takes the mental power that running and exercising does.  And now it's my bed time and I'm thinking, "Well I could just sneak down to the basement and knock out 30 minutes".  But I know that I won't feel physically better tomorrow if I do that.  I know that I won't make the gains in strength and speed that I need if I do that.  I NEED to go to sleep.  I need to down a glass of chocolate almond milk and cuddle up with my baby in front of the fireplace.  But my mind won't stop begging me to "Just do something"!  I never thought in a million years that I would be addicted to running.  I have always loved being active but I've also always loved my television and my couch.  I don't know what's changed over the last two years but I'm extremely proud of myself.  Now if I could just quiet that voice down so that my rest days (scheduled or not) could be as enjoyable as they used to be.  And then maybe my screaming quads would also take a rest!

I hate it but I love it...

I ordered the P90X workout DVD's and they arrived today.  I couldn't bear to pass up giving it a whirl right away so I skipped the fit test (I'm a runner, I have to be fit enough right?) and just took measurements and a before video (camera battery is dead) and then went straight into Day 1.  Day 1 is the Chest & Back DVD followed by the Ab Ripper X DVD. 

Now I never have had any upper body strength but I felt that my abs were pretty okay.  Wrong!  Apparently I'm even weaker post-baby then I remembered.  Push ups have always left me drained and gasping for air and I've never managed a pull up in my life so the chest and back workout completely shredded me.  It was 53 minutes of sheer torture.  And I loved it!  I've heard that some people think Tony is annoying but I didn't think so (of course, anyone is tolerable for one hour though).  I really enjoyed watching the Tony and his crew zip through exercises I can barely manage while daydreaming about being able to keep up.  I don't have much hope of ever looking like they do but I sure can aspire to perform like they do!

Moving on to the abs was like a breath of fresh air.  The first 2 sets of moves I flew through.  I was starting to feel smug about my advanced core strength.  I will NEVER let myself believe that I can keep up with P90X again!  As soon as we moved into crunchy frogs and V-rollups I was mush, and it wasn't even half over.  The oblique V-ups cemented my place on the floor where I remained for several minutes after the 'completion' of Ab Ripper X. 

Thankfully running is always there to bring me back up when I'm down.  A slow (very slow) 2 miles on the treadmill perked me back up and helped me breath in a somewhat normal fashion again.  I hate to say it but I'm already looking forward to Day 2 and Plyometrics...

And in case you're curious, I promise to post my before pics/video and measurements once I have some results to post next to them!

The Beginning

I guess for my first post I should talk about how I got here. 

My life hasn't been anything special.  I haven't raised millions for charity, developed a cure for a debilitating disease, or set a world record.  I'm just your average American woman.  The best thing about me is my children (5 and 2 months) and for that I am truly blessed.

I started running in 2008 after the break up of a long term relationship.  I ran to feel better about myself.  I ran to gather my thoughts and find the woman inside I'd lost touch with.  I ran my first 5K and I was hooked.  I skipped the 10K and headed straight to a half marathon.  After that a marathon seemed like it was nothing more than doubling something I'd already accomplished so I set my sights on ultramarathons.  I picked a trail ultra with a course that was open extremely long.  I finished but just barely.  I couldn't walk for a few days and I waddled for weeks.  I loved every minute of it!

I promised myself I would be more prepared the next time and I set myself to a new challenge, my first road marathon.  By this time I had met my now-husband, Shane, and we had moved in together.  He supported my running and my goals.  I couldn't picture my life being more perfect but it was about to be.  On an 8 mile training run I felt oddly drained and walked more than usual.  My Australian Shepherd was looking at me like I was nuts every time I tugged his leash to slow him down.  I waited until Shane left for work and took a pregnancy test.  It was immediately positive and I almost lost my mind.  I went through every emotion possible in the span of about 10 seconds and was basically a heap on the bathroom floor.  I left the positive test on Shane's nightstand and went to bed but didn't sleep.  I should have known better than to worry.  He came home in the morning and saw the test.  We worried about how to work things out for about 24 hours and then gave in to our complete joy.  Shane put the icing on the cake when he proposed right before Christmas.  We originally planned to wait a year to have the wedding but we decided to just jump in head first and we were married on March 22, 2010. 

My pregnancy was picture perfect for the first 35 weeks.  I gained a good bit of weight but I was still running and then I kept walking after running became too hard.  At 33 weeks I began to swell noticeably.  My midwives told me everything was fine.  They reassured me every week that I was perfectly fine.  However, in my 38th week I started having regular contractions but nothing was actually happening.  After 70-some hours with no sleep and contractions 4 minutes apart I asked to be admitted to the hospital.  Once out of the care of my midwives I was diagnosed with preeclampsia.  I had to give up my dream of natural childbirth and accept Pitocin and Magnesium.  Thankfully I still was able to avoid pain medicine.  Nineteen long hours later our beautiful daughter was born.  I was in Heaven!

Around 1 week postpartum I started walking again and everything seemed perfect.  My midwife cleared me at my 2 week check up and at 3 weeks I started run/walking again.  I started to have some heavy bleeding and I backed off.  My midwives again told me I was fine so I ran through the pain and bleeding.  At almost 6 weeks postpartum I decided I wasn't fine and went to the local ER.  I am so thankful that I listened to my body this time!  I had retained a large piece of the placenta and that was the cause of the bleeding.  I was severely anemic and barely above needing a blood transfusion.  One day and one D&C later, I was on my way to recovery again.  I was sidelined for a week and then began running again.

I am now 9 weeks postpartum and I have gone from running 1 mile to being able to run 5 again.  I registered for the Pittsburgh Marathon in May and I plan to PR at the trail challenge again in June.  So this is my way to hold myself accountable with my training and share my trials and triumphs with those like me.  I hope you'll join me or at the very least cheer me on and maybe find it within yourself to take the steps to get healthy for the ones who matter in your life!