Petersburg half marathon

Last week Megan, Jen and I headed to Richmond to run the inaugural Petersburg half marathon. We stopped to eat near my house trying to give 95 a chance to die down on a Friday night. Not sure if it helped or not. We got into our hotel around 9. Packet pickup was the morning of the race so we had no reason to hurry to get to the hotel. When we made it to the hotel we grabbed a cookie.

We may need the carbs in that cookie the next day!  One should always properly carb load with a cookie prior to running a half marathon. 

We got up early and headed to the race. The race was capped at 2,000 runners so we knew packet pickup should be fine. I wanted to get there before the morning fireworks!  Fireworks and did I mention a civil war re-enactment!  Fireworks and muskets being shot at us! It really can't get much better than that. 

We started out on a bit of cobblestone road and quickly turned and ran on pavement. I don't really enjoy running on cobblestone. Jen and I were running together. At the beginning we ran into Sandy from run club. 

Sandy ended up falling in a small uncovered hole on the road. She had some scraped hands and knees but assured us that she was fine and we should go on.  Soon we ended up in the battlefield area. I could hear the battle taking place and I was getting excited!  To pass the time I thought it would be great to give Jen, who is from Canada, some civil war history. I showed her interesting spots like the tree that gen Lee planted in hopes of taking a group selfie. Yes selfies have been around for awhile. I showed her where the troups stopped to have a round of golf and play corn hole. They often carried a lot of yard games from place to place to pass the time. If nothing else Jen is much more knowledgable about the civil war time period. 

We had to stop to get a picture with my people, the Yankees! The confederate soldier being shot at was not to happy to hear that some of us were rooting for the union!  The battlefield area had some hills but I'm proud to say we ran through them!  

Jen's leg was not feeling great. I'm thinking I must have passed my aches along to her. I was feeling great!  No leg pain at all!  I'm hoping that I've seen the last of the leg/knee pain for awhile. So around mile 8 we started some run/walking. 

I noticed that we created a lot of traffic backups. Some of the locals were not happy with us.  One lady was yelling at one of the police officers and demanding the name of his supervisor. I guess next year they will be better prepared to stay away from where the runners are running. 

We ended up running in some areas that had a lot of old broken down homes.   People were out on their porch probably wondering what is up with these crazy runners!  They were all very friendly. I thought the old homes would be beautiful if someone had the money to fix them up. You could tell that they were beautiful homes back in the day. 

I found my next job...cleaning service! 

The day was hot!  Running through the town was great but it didn't offer up much shade.  Sandy ended up passing us in the last mile and a half. Both Jen and I were done with the heat and running. I was wishing that I packed a tank top. Ugh. 

We finished!  It is always great to cross that finish line.  

You're missing the nice ribbons hanging from the medal. It was an awesome medal!

Pancakes and beer after the race. Megan finished before us and got beer and pizza. 

It was a very well organized race, especially for a first race!  

We headed back to the hotel to shower and then find some local food. 

We got some bbq. 

It was very good. 

Then we headed to a cute bakery that some people told Megan to come back for a donut after the race. So that is just what we did. Boy was it good!  I had a Boston creme donut. Probably the best I've ever had. It was very light and not too sweet. 

Another go at 18 miles a.k.a why did I sign up for a marathon again?

I took a week off hoping the rest would help my itband. Last weekend I met up with Jen and Sandi to run 18 miles. Sandi had 13 miles on her training schedule,so she was only running the first 6 miles with us.  Then she was heading back on her own.  It's always better to get a run in with friends. Sometimes the conversation can distract you from how you don't want to run.  The temps were high 30's low 40's. So not too bad for a long run. 

We were running an out and back on a bike path. Not too hard. At mile 6 we said goodbye to Sandi and continued onward. Around mile 7 it happened, I put my foot down and pow! The knee felt like it was going to give and a lovely pain shot up my leg. Thank you itband!  We continued on to mile 8 and turned it around. 

From mile 8-16 it was a shuffle at best. We took some walk breaks. The down hills were the worst. I love running down hill!  But not that day I didn't. We got in 16...not bad considering. The good thing about out and back is the fact you have no option once you are out there. You have to make it back so you are going to get the miles in. Now we did cut off two miles but not sure I would have gotten the miles in if I had the option of quitting. 

 Still smiling as I head home to a warm shower. 

I also made a new friend. 

Riley is not impressed with my friend the foam roller. Ugh I hate stretching but looks like if I want to run I'm going to start to love stretching. 

It takes a village

After Kristi finished her first half she enjoyed it so much she wanted to try the full together. I may have groaned a bit inside. Looking back over last year, racing sucked. It sucked because my training sucked. As I've told my students I wasn't good at doing my running homework. When you don't do the homework, race day is not much fun. 

This marathon is going to be different. The village is coming together to keep me accountable. First kristi's husband Shawn is currently deployed. He is state side for now. He is running the marathon training program along with Kristi even though he is not running a race. He is also checking in on my training to help me keep on track. He knows I'm not the best at keeping to a program. I randomly get messages on Facebook and texts asking about my long runs. 

Thanks Shawn for keeping me honest!

Kristi also checks in on my training. She doesn't want me to be left at the start line on race day. It's great hearing her excitement as she runs longer and feels pretty good. I guess that is what happens when you follow a program. 

Jen has been great about running long with me. She has a half in February and yet she is currently plotting our 15 mile run this weekend. It is so much better to run with someone. I think Megan may be joining us in a few weeks too. She has a full coming up in May. 

It definitely takes a village to get me across the finishline of my third full marathon. But come March it will be worth it. 

The day my cheeks almost fell off!

On Sunday Jen and I met up to get our long run in. She is training for a half marathon in February and I have the full in March. She was looking to run ten and I was looking for 13. Being the good sport she decided to run my 13 with me. We picked Sunday to run since it was the warmer weekend day. I was hoping that the temps would reach 30 degrees.  I don't think it got that warm. 

We headed out after talking about our outfits. You would think by January I would figure out what to wear in the cold temperatures. No, I still am figuring it out. I'm sure I will get it right around March. I decided to lose the knit hat and go with a baseball cap to keep the sun out of my eyes and some ear headband. Turned out the headband didn't last a mile before I had to tear it off. I also had my tights on with some shorts overtop since my rear always gets cold. 

We took off and had a nice slow run along the Potomac river. 

By the turn around point everything from my butt down was starting to get icy.  It was great having Jen to run with because I'm not sure I would have completed the entire cold thirteen miles. But we slogged through them. We even stopped to a photo along the way. 

By the 11th mile I was convinced that I was not going to have a$$ cheeks left because they were ice cubes. My knees were also turning into ice cubes too. The last two miles were by far the most horrid of the entire 13 miles. Im also convinced that someone moved Jen's house farther away!

When we got back to Jen's she was kind enough to make some hot chocolate to help warm us up. It didn't really work.  I couldn't get warm at all.  I headed home and took a nice hot bath. That is the only way to warm up my body, a hot bath. Next weekend I have 15 on the calendar and it is supposed to be in the 40's. So hopefully my lower half will stay warm. 

She's back!!!

Well I looked at my running calendar and it is starting to look much better than  June.  I am running more.  I still need to work on my long runs, but I will take that I am running more.  This weekend I have 11 miles planned.  Let's hope that it is not too painful.

I did not run a long run this past weekend because my friend Becky was visiting from Colombia!!  I went to pick her up after summer school on Thursday and I have been running (figuratively, not literally) all weekend.  Thursday we had a run club get together.  We all met at Guapos for dinner and then headed over to listen to the 19th Street Band.  Great night! 

Then after school on Friday Dena wanted me and Becky to check out a localish winery.  So we went there and I hung out for a bit and then left Becky with Dena as I had to go back home to meet my old college roomie and her family.  They were stopping over for the night on their way to the beach on Saturday morning.  I miss seeing Mary!  We end up seeing each other every year or so. 

Saturday we headed to another winery to hang out with some people that we worked with.  It was a beautiful day to just hang out outside enjoying some wine.  Becky thought we would only be there for a short time,but I knew that once she got to chatting with people she hasn't seen in a year, we would probably stay for most of the afternoon. 

Sunday was a very laid back day.  Some tv watching and then we went to meet a former student of Becky's and her mom.  We had lunch and then some ice cream.  It was fun catching up with them.  I then dropped Becky off at her former teammate's house for dinner.  I then went to  have some dinner with our friends Brandon and Jen while waiting for Becky to join us after her dinner with Christine.  At this point in the weekend I was so stuffed from eating crap that I didn't really eat much on Sunday and ended up taking half of my lunch and dinner home.  Could it be that I was actually craving a salad and fruit??  I know my diet is not perfect but I don't think I have had as much fast food as I ate from Thursday to Sunday.

Monday it was time to say goodbye to Becky.  It was great seeing her.

Fitbit and slurpies oh my!

Late last year I bought a fitbit.  I really love my fitbit!  It has helped me add steps to my day.  My dog loves it because he gets more walks.  I'm friends with people I know and some I don't know.  I am secretly a bit competitive with some of my fitbit friends.  I am friends with a parent from school.  We will often leap frog each other.  There are days that I purposefully look to see how many steps she has and if I can beat her.  She doesn't know that I have this little competition with her. :)  There were days that our numbers were close and Riley got an extra walk out of the deal just so I could get more steps in for the day.

Last week I became friends with Zack and Becca.  They are my friends from high school and are engaged. Zack is a bit sarcastic, a bit competitive and likes to make fun of his friends.  Well if you do not have a fitbit you may not know that there is a place where you can send a cheer, taunt the person or send them a message.

Who would send a taunt?  Really why is that there?

Well last week I found out who would send a taunt and his name is Zack.  Now I will say that I'm not sure how Zack is getting in his steps, but he is averaging 22,000 per day.  I have asked him if he is training for something?  No.  He claims he is just walking.  I think that sounds suspicious to me.  I haven't been able to catch him yet.  I'm building up my steps so it could happen.   Becca averages 16,000 steps.  I was told I could not taunt him since his fiance is also beating me.  So I have been out to beat Becca's step and send Zack taunts.  I am pretty sure Becca knows what I am doing. :)   Poor Becca I think she has been forced to go hiking for most weekends so both her and Zack can have lots of steps. :)  I did send him a nice message about his feet are tired and he should spend the afternoon napping.  He sent back a message about he enjoys sleep walking.  Ugh...  So because of some fun taunts I have now upped my walking game.  I also keep it on when I run, but it is my walking that really has increased.  I have even started taking Riley on a walk and then after a mile I drop him off at home and continue on with my walking.

In other news Friday was free food day.  If you dressed up as a cow you could get free chick fila, Krispy Kreme donuts were buy a dozen and the second dozen was 77 cents (bet there were lots of offices that had some donuts on Friday) and it was 7/11 so free slurpie day at 7-eleven!!

I did not take advantage of the Chick fila since I just had lunch there the day before.  But I did take advantage of free slurpie day!  I stopped and got one after summer school.  Traffic was bad and I was passing a 7-Eleven.  Well I am was just sitting there so might as well stop and get a slurpie...a blue slurpie my favorite kind!

I finished that up sitting in traffic and decided that I would stop at the 7-eleven near my house for my second free slurpie of the day.  So 40 minutes later I had my second free slurpie.  I had strawberry Fanta.  Not bad, but not my favorite.  I would have gotten blue raspberry but they did not have it at my 7-eleven.  All in all a great7/11.

Did you get any free food on Friday?

What is your favorite Slurpie flavor?

Running at run club? Say What?!

Last night I ran at run club..I haven't done that in quite some time.  Yesterday it was probably in the high 30's when we ran.  A perfect night for a run.  I was questioning my clothing choice.  Everyone looked like they were ready for a winter storm.  I had on capri's and a long sleeve shirt..oh and to look like one of the cool kids I added ear warmers that I found in my running bag.   Yeah the ear warmer headband will keep me warm.  Those ear warmers didn't last long..Turns out my outfit was perfect.  I was a bit chilly on the return run because of how the wind was hitting us but I was pretty comfortable.  When you haven't ran outside in some time it is hard to figure out how many layers make for a comfortable run.  I sweat.  I sweat in 100 degrees and I sweat in 30 degree weather.  So I am never quite sure how many layers to go with.  Last night it was the perfect amount.  I also will say that I felt pretty good during my run.  I could have ran a bit faster too, but I was staying with Jen.  You do not want to leave someone to run by themselves in the dark.  And it is always nice to chat while friends while you run.

Next up: I have two 5K's this weekend.  Both Valentine's Day runs.  

Three Things Thursday

For my Thursday Randomness...

1

I love Swedish fish!  I love to eat them as I run and I love to pop them in my mouth when I am bored and not really hungry. :)  I have to keep them in the cabinet that I don't open a lot to keep myself from chowing down on these little sugary goodness.  

2.  I hate my scale!  I'm sure that number one has something to do with it...I've been doing really well with eating at home and eating some yummy fruits..watermelon and cantaloupe are in the fridge right now... I've been upping my walking with Riley and running...yet that stupid scale is stuck!  Grr...Some of my pants are a bit looser so I am focusing on that and not that stupid number..I hate that number!!

3.  I love seeing my old college friends!  I see Kristi a few times a year..but the other girls from college I do not get to see as much.  My old roommate Mary stopped down on her way to the beach and she is going to stay over with her family on her way home from the beach!  I love seeing Mary!!  We had such fun in college!  

I have a half marathon in 17 days in Erie, PA!  I would love to get a new PR...we will see.  :)  

Good Luck Becky!

So Becky is heading off to teach in Columbia (the country, not Columbia, Maryland)..She has sort of been crashing at my place for the last month.  By sort of I mean she has been storing her stuff here since her lease ran out and then suddenly has been dog sitting for everyone under the sun.  :)  So she has been in an out for the last few weeks.

Well  its here.. Becky's last week in VA.  So sad to have a friend leave but happy for her and her new adventure.  Last week was a busy week of let's say goodbye to Becky.  It was fun, but I think I gained five pounds with all of the beer and food that it took to say goodbye.  Who knew that you had to eat and drink so much to say good bye to someone.

First we had the last runclub..(it sounds like the end end..but she will be back)

 We've had a lot of cupcakes at run club..so to say see you later and good luck we had cake!  Let there be cake!

 And she earned her 100th run shirt on her last night of run club!  Go Becky!

We all have a bit of the devil in our eyes to see Becky off.

After the last run club you have to have a run club goodbye outing :)  Lots of people showed up and Becky was so excited to see everyone.  Love the support from all the runners we have met on Tuesdays.

The margarita stare off...

Then it was the work send off...by this time I was tired from the week of saying good bye to Becky and getting stuck on 95 South for an hour...so I was a bit late to the party.

It was a great turn out to wish Becky good luck on her adventure.

Going to miss seeing her daily.  School and run club just won't be the same!  Don't worry Becky I will be down to visit and see Columbia :)  You will have lots of fun and meet so many new people!  Enjoy your new adventure!

Real Whiticar returns

I met my friend Whiticar two years ago in June.  How do I remember when I met Whiticar?  Well pretty easy, we met while volunteering at the Northface Endurance Race.  Becky and Whiticar were partners in crime marking and keeping track of the marathon runners. Becky mentioned that he should come running at Run Club and voila! 

Whiticar is hanging out behind Becky

I guess he had so much fun hanging out with us that he decided to come to Run Club!

Whiticar started to become a regular runner at run club.  He is a great guy and we loved hanging out with him.  Some Tuesdays he would run a bit longer since he was training for his first Marine Corps Marathon.  

Well we couldn't let Whiticar run without cheering him on and making a sign for him at the Marine Corps Marathon!

He did great! Go Whiticar Go!!

Well turns out that Whiticar wasn't going to be such a regular at run club anymore.. he was getting deployed to Afghanistan!  We would miss our friend Whiticar!  

 So we had a farewell and good luck dinner/drinks to wish Whiticar well.  While he was gone, we made some flat Whiticars to run with.  This way that it will be like Whiticar is running with us.

Becky, Megan and myself all had our own Flat Whit to run races with.  It was a great way to keep in touch with real Whiticar.  We would post our running with Flat Whit to facebook and run some races with Flat Whit.  Flat Whit even became a flat Half Fanatic!  Yeah he had lots of races last year. :)

Well Flat Whit is now retired.  No more racing for him because look who is back!!!!

Yep, real Whit is back!  So great to see a friend come back to Run Club!  

Welcome Home Whiticar!