The End?

I haven't written because I couldn't bring myself to. But at some point, I have to face reality.

Thursday night I couldn't even stand on my right leg. So I made a doctor's appointment. They did an exam and took an x-ray, but saw nothing, so they put me on crutches and made me an appointment with Sports Medicine on Monday. They sent me to do an MRI at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Then they called me later that day and simply said I had a stress fracture in my hip, I need to stay off it completely, no running, no swimming, no yoga, no anything. Crutches 1 - 3 months.

I don't even know anything about the fracture. Where is it? How serious is it? What can I do to help it heal faster? I was so overwhelmed I couldn't even think of the questions I should ask.

I have cried so many tears over this. I registered and paid for 5 races, and I can't run them. That's so much money lost (that could have gone towards paying for those x-rays and that MRI). So many medals I'll never have, so many PRs I'll never set. And I'm alone--family and boyfriend far away, no roommates--it's really hard to figure out what to do about cooking and cleaning and getting groceries. And working? How am I supposed to do my job on crutches? I'm so stressed trying to figure all this out, but my method of stress relief has been taken away. And the person who I would normally turn to for support, the person who would most understand... well... that's also not an option anymore. What started out as an exciting and promising season has ended in massive heart break.

I can't think of anything else to say. I guess when I know more maybe I'll post an update, but I think this is goodbye for now. Maybe for always. Maybe my days of marathoning are over, before they ever really got started.

Days 106 - 115: Vacation

I said I was taking a vacation from everything, and apparently that really meant everything. Sorry for my disappearance. Now, where to start, where to start--guess I'll just give a brief update by day.

Monday, 8/29: 9 mile run in Lullwater on both the paved and unpaved trails. It was nice to get off the cement for awhile. Had a really strong start, but then some serious tummy troubles, so our time slowed way down and we finished in 1:39:03.

Tuesday, 8/30: 1250 yards at the SAAC pool. I was trying to get some last minute sun in before my trip. The water is getting cold though... probably done swimming for awhile. Also my last dance class for Djenna Djenna. Well, aside from the hours and hours of rehearsals I'll have since I'm doing it for the show. But I don't mind... I LOVE this dance.

Wednesday, 8/31: Nothing. Flew to NJ for a blissfully happy, long overdue reunion with Randy.

Thursday, 9/1: 6 mile run, with Randy joining me for the first 3. (He's all runner-like now with his running shoes and running 3 days a week and post-run smoothie deliciousness. So proud.) He has these really nice "trails" around his apartment complex perfect for runners and walkers, so he showed me the loops he usually runs. Lots of people out... it's good to see the area is so active. Saw some bunnies. :-) Randy's speed has seriously improved, so I finished my 6 in 58 minutes, under the hour mark.

Friday, 9/2: Uh, we're going to pretend that when it comes to training, this day didn't happen. Cuz there was no training going on. There was, however, cake for breakfast, a chili cheese dog for lunch, sunbathing at the beach, and a giant hamburger, tons of peanuts, and ice cream for dinner. All in the name of nostalgia--we were visiting places I used to go when I lived in the area. Totally worth the round belly for the next like 3 days.

Saturday, 9/3: Also rest. Ok, we hadn't seen each other in like 5 months, and it's not like I know the area enough to go find yoga or belly dancing or whatever. I was on vacation. Totally acceptable. Besides, it's a step-back week anyway.

Sunday, 9/4: 10k run, as per the step-back week. Randy ran the first part with me again, then I set off to explore a different trail about a mile from his place. It was pretty and peaceful--ran along a creek and some woods, and at the middle was a giant grassy field with picnic tables. Time was about 1:02. Not great, not bad. But my right hip was a little achy at the end.

Monday, 9/5: Nothing...

Tuesday, 9/6: 3.5 in about 38 minutes. Supposed to be 10. Giant fail on pace and distance. My hip was in excruciating pain. I was actually in tears. I tried to push through it for awhile, but once I hit 3 I knew I was done, so I did some jogging/walking/limping back. I don't know what I did. I don't remember injuring it in any way, and it's supposed to be my good hip. I'm going to try some new shoes, rest, yoga & weights to stretch and strengthen everything, since I've been neglecting that sort of thing lately. Hopefully it'll be better in a few days.

Today: Hot yoga. Supposed to run with Chris, since he's abandoning me this week, but there's no way I was running with my hip in this condition. After yoga, I had about 30 minutes pain free, and now it's more of an ache instead of a stab, so that could be a good sign. Debating what to do next about shoes--go back for more support, or test out this less-is-more theory that's catching like wildfire and try something more minimalist? Maybe I'll go to Big Peach for some advice and opinions tomorrow, but not make any decisions until Friday. I just want to be able to get in my 20 miler, cuz I can't start missing those or I'm doomed for the marathon. Keep your fingers crossed this heals quickly.

Days 99 - 105: Lazy

I think I'm falling off the wagon. I'm just not feeling it lately. My two-a-days are over, and I'm not as motivated to fit workouts in when things get busy. My week this week:

Monday: 6 mile run (it's a step-back week) through Emory campus and Lullwater park. Uneventful. 1:04:00. Other than the awesomeness of an exact time, I have nothing to say about this run. Just getting it done.

Tuesday: My paper got accepted. But there was no celebrating. I had to work on putting together this book chapter so we could submit it Wednesday. But it was too much. So I gave up and went to dance. Worked on the choreography some more and corrected the issues from last week. It's fun, I love it. I'm going to perform it in the fall show.

Wednesday: Nothing. I worked late. After working late Tuesday. I spent a collective 16 hours in two days getting this chapter together. Still not submitted. Too tired to think. Went home and did nothing.

Thursday: 6.25 mile run (I failed at planning the route). 1:04:56. Book chapter finally submitted, so it was a good way to clear all the junk out of my head and wake up my body from sitting hunched in front of a computer for so long. Followed by wine and pizza with some friends to finally do a little celebrating.

Friday: Nothing! Ate tacos and went to watch Decatur High School football game. (Don't ever go to a high school football game when you are over 18, single, and childless. You're not there supporting a child, and you're not there with your high school buddies. And they know this. They're like vultures. And it will just remind you of how much you hated high school...)

Saturday: 18 miles. Finally, a good workout. It was a fantastic long run. We stayed strong all the way through mile 16. I had a pretty exponential crash after that, but we finished in 3:!8:13, which is almost exactly an 11 min/mile average, which is exactly our marathon goal pace. Fantastic. Promptly ruined all benefits of exercise with tacos, margaritas, and cake.

Today: Dance. Last Shake It Like Shakira class. Learned a new move that seriously worked my obliques. I'll be feeling that in the morning. Then hot power yoga. For some reason, my muscles were really tired; I had to take a lot of the easy options, because I physically could not do more. It was weird. But still a good workout and stretch, and it seems to have helped my hip feel a bit less sore.

Anyway, overall, not an impressive week. I think there's just too much right now. The weather is too hot and humid to really enjoy running. I've had a stressful few months with work: an international conference, a committee meeting, and 4 publications since May. Randy being gone doesn't help either; we waited too long to see each other. All this stress... I haven't slept through a night for months. So I'm tired. I just need something to give a little.

Thankfully, all that work stress is over and I can get back to the bench and just keep on keepin' on for awhile, instead of constantly feeling the pressure of looming deadlines. I'm going to see Randy Wednesday. And rehearsals for the belly dance show start soon, so that will be fun and different. I just want to feel motivated again, instead of simply going through the motions. Maybe a race will help too... just over 1 month until Wine & Dine. Anything to help put a spark back in my training. And make me feel less guilty about all the tacos and cake I've been eating...

Days 93 - 98: Carry me

Seriously. Because I can barely hold myself in a sitting position. The end of this week got out of control.

Tuesday I just had dance. Started the choreography, but we had a sub, so really, we'll probably actually start the choreography this week. It looks like the dance has potential though... I hope so because I want to perform it in the Fall Studio Show.

Wednesday... what even happened Wednesday? I don't even know what day of the week it is right now...

Oh yeah! Wednesday we submitted my paper to the actual journal, so now we're just awaiting the final yes or no on acceptance. I hadn't slept in weeks and had been baking a ridiculous amount (I'm like Izzy Stevens... in 4 days I made a lemon poppy seed cake, a cheesecake and banana oatmeal cookies), and I must have looked like crap because my boss told me to take a day off. I had stuff to do, but I went home at 2:30 and having that stupid paper finally out of my hands was such a relief that I slept until dinner. Then I don't remember what happened, but I assume dinner and more sleep. The ultimate rest day.

Thursday the peace at work had worn off (only took about 24 hours), and I left livid. We were supposed to do a 50 minute tempo run, but I was too mentally exhausted to do that much thinking, and WAY to angry to put up with a treadmill. So instead, I dragged Chris through the hilliest 5 mile pace run I could possibly plan. It was good... we kept it right at half marathon pace despite the wicked hills, and I felt a little better after.

Friday I finally decided to give in to my aching hip and sore quads and went to hot yoga, just the regular old Bikram style class. Ah, the healing powers of yoga. I felt a million times better afterward. And I actually had a really great class, considering I hadn't been in awhile. It was perfect. Exactly what I needed.

This weekend at the belly dancing studio was Haflanta! Which is basically a weekend full of workshops on special subjects. And also a ton of dancing. Yesterday we had a 45 minute yoga/stretching warm up followed by 3 classes. The first was an ab workshop, where we learned how to do all kinds of cool ab tricks, and also worked on some basics, like figuring out where our upper, middle, and lower abs are and how to move them each individually. It was exhausting! Woah. But I think I'm getting the hang of stomach rolls both up and down. The flutter though... not so much. The second was an introduction to Persian Bandari dancing, which is really fun and earthy and not quite as formal as traditional belly dancing. The studio owner taught the workshop, and she's super cute. I'm not sure I learned much technique, but we had a good time and a good workout. The last class for Saturday was a veil technique course. I actually hate the veil. I'm not feminine enough to look right doing it. But I have one, so I might as well learn how to use it, right? The instructor was so graceful and feminine, and I just didn't relate to her teaching style, so it was a struggle. But It was a good arm workout, and I learned some new moves I hadn't learned when I took the choreography class.

When I woke up today I knew I was in for trouble because I wasn't sure if I could sit up. That's how sore my abs were. But I manned up and dragged myself to the studio for round two. After the 45 minute yoga/stretch warm up, I was feeling better. The next class, though, which was hip hop belly dance fusion, wrecked me. The instructor for this workshop is by far the best choreography teacher in the studio, and she wasted no time. We learned a bunch of little combos and then put them together into a bigger combo to "Do It Well" by Jennifer Lopez. The combo was actually AWESOME, and I wish they'd make a full choreography. We had a ton of fun, and I think I'm starting to pull off some of those hip hop moves without looking like... well... a white girl from the suburbs. But we were all exhausted. So much dancing. I can't even tell you. It was good that the next workshop was a little slower: the art of Taksim, which is the slower music, no shimmies or shakes allowed. We drilled the basic moves that can be used during these slow sections or songs and then practiced using them. The final workshop was double isolations, which, technically, was a failure. I'm getting good at most of the single isolations. But I cannot hip shimmy and camel at the same time. Or knee shimmy and maya. My body just does not work like that. But the instructor was hilarious and told us just to do our best and have a good time. We learned a fun combo to "Do You Love Me" and laughed a lot. But again, exhausting. It was a fantastic weekend; I could not think of a better way to spend it than dancing with those girls. But my abs and thighs and arms and back are so sore.

This was not helped by the fact that we had a 13 mile run tonight. I was so tired, I knew going in that it was going to be rough, so we just decided to make the most of it. Unfortunately, we got caught in a storm. But once we were soaked, we decided to just keep going, and actually kind of enjoyed it. It was much cooler and less humid, and it was kind of a fun little obstacle course jumping over puddles and whatnot. By the end, though, even the joy of the rain wore off, and I was just done. I got through the whole thing, but I am about at the limit of what my body can do. Dance is really hard... it requires a lot of strength and stamina and really works your muscles. And so much dancing on top of a long run... it's taken its toll. Not that I would have given up any of it. It's totally worth it. Hopefully in a day or two when the pain and swelling subside, I will have some awesome abs!

Days 88 - 92

Cycling once again through the however-many stages of grief, we're back at acceptance. It's hot and humid and our schedule is erratic right now and I need 1000x the normal human amount of iron. It is what it is.

With this in mind, Thursday's pace run was slightly less depressing than the rest of the week's runs. We did 5 miles at a 9:59 pace, which is basically the EXACT pace we want for the half marathon (we're hoping for 10 min miles). So I can't complain, mission accomplished. We ran at race pace and got through the whole distance.

Friday I just wanted to do something, and I hadn't been to the pool in FOREVER, so I joined my coworker at the pool for a quick swim. Sadly, I found out that my "mile" swims were only half miles... sigh. Armed with the correct dimensions (people who design pools apparently don't know the rule that you need to measure in the same units, since our pool is 50 meters x 25 yards. Fail.) and some shiny new math skills, I swam a half mile, flip turns and everything!

Due to Chris' busy social schedule, we couldn't run Saturday morning. So I went back to the pool. I decided I was going to go for a full mile. I mean, why not? It's only 36 laps, and I'd done 25 once... Mistake. I destroyed the first half mile, but after that 25th lap, I was struggling. I'm too stubborn to give up though, so I did it. Took me about 45 minutes. I was TIRED. Oh my gosh, who knew swimming makes you THAT tired? Now that I've done it once, though, I totally have to do it again.

Sunday morning we did our long run. 17 miles in 3:04. Still seeing improvement in our strength and endurance on these runs, which is excellent--we can run a little farther and a little faster every time before we hit that barely-dragging-our-feet stage. It's good have physical verification that your training is working.

Unfortunately, Sunday morning runs are followed by dance right now. Let me just tell you, there was no Shakin' it like Shakira for me after that 17 mile run. Of course, our normal teacher was out of town, and our sub was this fiery little dancer that worked us extra hard. Excellent. But she was hilarious and the class was fun and we learned a cute little combo. It was just a bigger struggle than usual.

I paid for this weekend today. My quads were super sore all day, and then we had our 9 mile run. You might as well move me into the nursing home now. Started out ok, but by the half way point I was sort of limp-running (lunning? rimping?)... I probably looked hilarious. (Or pathetic...) The ankle I sprained in Switzerland is swollen (although not painful, which is weird), my bum hip is protesting, and my quads might spontaneously combust every time I try to stand up, sit down, or walk up a stair. (Side note: Google does not recognize "combust" as a word. What?) What's even more fun is... if we're going to do the Goofy, this is what I have to look forward to every week between the end of October and January. Seriously... they are preparing my room in the geriatric unit right now...

Days 82 - 87: Feud

I haven't been posting because I hate running. Seriously, we might have to break up or something... it's becoming an abusive relationship.

Friday and Saturday I did nothing. Sort of. I had a friend in town, and we did a lot of touristy things, so we walked around downtown a lot and climbed a (sort of) mountain. But we'll say they were rest days. Since it's an easy week, they were supposed to be rest days anyway.

Sunday called for a 10k. Which sucked. Ok, it wasn't THAT bad, but it wasn't great: 1:02:27. I think I felt slower than I actually ran, partly because it was grossly humid and I felt like I was swimming, not running.

Since our schedule is all crazy now, we had an 8 miler Monday. That run was even worse. The worst kind of run. It was SO. FREAKIN. HOT. And humid. And I was tired, and hungry, and apparently dehydrated, since I actually stopped sweating midrun. Final time 1:29:53. I should be better than that. Two bad runs in a row... I was nearly at my breaking point.

Thankfully Tuesday was full of belly dancing, which usually improves my mood. Finished the choreography for the African drum solo--super cute and fun; another class I'm sad is over. I have to back off on the classes--no money, need to try to catch up. Hopefully I can pick up again in a few months. Until then I guess I'll just have to dance in my living room. On the bright side, that might help me get back at my obnoxious neighbors...

Today I was indecisive about what my cross training workout should be, but ended up going to a hot power yoga class. I haven't been to yoga in forever, it seems like. It was good to be back, although it was one tough workout. I was going to swim after, too, but I was exhausted, so I just came home and watched Grey's Anatomy instead. Fail.

I'm a little worried. I am reaching a level of exhaustion that even coffee cannot conquer, and my running times are dropping. Stress and heat and humidity? Or iron issues again? I really don't think I can go through that mess all over again. I've been choking down red meat a couple times a week to try to compensate. I don't want to choose between running and red blood cells. Why can't I just be a normal person and have both?

Dreading tomorrow's run...

Days 79 - 81: Redemption

Workouts improved as the week went on.

Tuesday I had two dance classes: African drum solo, where we worked more on the choreography, and Djenna Djenna, where we drilled a lot of moves. My whole body hurt by the end. But... between classes the instructor came up to me and said she could tell I've been practicing really hard and coming to a lot of classes, because she can see that I've really improved. How's that for a confidence boost? So happy.

Wednesday I had another dance class; we finished the choreography to Blockhead. I'm really sad this class is over. The dance is so sassy and fun and different from any other dance I've done. No more classes on Wednesdays for awhile... I have to cut back on classes to save money. Sad :-( I'll just have to practice in my living room I guess. Maybe I can still devote 8:00 - 9:00 on Wednesdays to dance... just in my apartment instead of in the studio.

I call today's run "Redemption Run," brought to you by Cake and Anger. I'm angry about a lot of things right now, and that is, in fact, why I run, because apparently you're not allowed to cry or yell or have temper tantrums when you're an adult, and I'm a huge push over so I also can't ever tell people how angry I am. So it just all bottles up, and today I was good and mad, and I blew through that first mile like a thoroughbred at the derby. Anger and stress are also, ironically, why I bake... baking is quiet and pretty and focusing so hard on making a perfect pastry takes my mind off the rest of life. I made a cake last night, and enjoyed a guilt free piece last night and another today at work. And my cake and anger fueled run was fantastic. 55:37. Take that, Monday run.

That is all. I might go eat more cake.

Days 73 - 78: This is why I'm a pessimist

Blog fail, sorry! Busy, busy, busy...

Wednesday I had dance. I love, love, LOVE this dance. It's so awesome and hilarious and I totally can't pull it off, but I love the sass. I'm also completely obsessed with the group that performs the song now (Beats Antique)--expanding my music horizons! I'm going to be sad when this class is over.

Thursday morning I ran by myself because that was the only time I could fit it into my schedule. Supposed to be a 45 minute tempo run. I went a little longer to fit in the even 5 miles. Tempo runs outside are really hard. The treadmill is easy because you just set the pace on the machine. But I'm not good at organically feeling my pace... I think I'm going super fast, but it's actually really slow, or I feel like I'm crawling but I'm actually zipping right along. Hills don't help anything either. I did go to the mall, where it was relatively flat for part of the run. However, it was also more dangerous, since people don't observe stop signs, and I was nearly hit 3 times by careless drivers. In the end, I felt pretty satisfied with my run: 5 miles in 47:08, pace 11:00 - 8:30.

Friday was a rest day, and by rest I mean gorge myself on delicious food because my lovely Little was in town, so naturally we had to go to all kinds of fabulous places. Sushi, chocolate martinis, etc. Excellent use of a rest day. :-)

Saturday was a 16 miler. Our first 12 were solid, so that's 2 miles farther than last time. We started to get tired then, so we did some run/walking for the last 4. I think part of it is that we're starting out faster-- our first 12 were pretty consistent between 9:30 - 10:30, instead of the 12:00 - 15:00 we were doing last season (yes, I AM bionic now!). But mostly I think it's the conditions. It's SO hot and SO humid and we're working on distance and speed. It's a lot to deal with. The highlight of the run was right at the end, despite our aching legs, burning lungs, and sweaty, disgusting everything: there was a guy outside mowing his lawn as we jogged past, and he stopped and asked us if we needed any more water or anything. How sweet is that? That is one of the best moments I've ever had on a run. Briefly restored my faith in humanity. I hope I live somewhere with lots of runners when I "grow up" (i.e., buy a house) so I can be nice to them like that. I'll also be sure to put a sprinkler out close to the road so they can run through it to cool off. That's always a lovely bonus during our long runs.

Sunday dance again. This Shake it Like Shakira class is hard work... we're learning 5 - 6 moves per class plus a new 1:30 - 2:00 combo each time. Not for the faint of heart, and definitely testing my skills and stamina. But fun, for sure.

So I was feeling pretty good about myself--made tangible progress with our long run, feeling confident with my dancing, great weekend with a great friend... but today's run crushed all that. It was the worst run ever. I haven't cried over a run in a very long time. I could blame a multitude of factors. It was 90 degrees when we started. I didn't eat or hydrate enough during the day. I'd been up since 5:30. I'm used to running in the morning, not the afternoon. I didn't plan the route, so I didn't know where we were going, and there was a lot of treacherous terrain. I'm fairly certain the entire first half was uphill. The second half, it poured. As in flash flood, puddles up to my ankles, feet squishing, polluted water stinging my eyes, weighed 5 extra pounds because of how wet everything was poured. I felt tired and hungry and slow and heavy and grumpy. Looking at our time, it wasn't quite as bleak as I'd thought: 6 miles in 1:03:25. I think the rain made us pick it up a bit in the second half, because I know the first half was unacceptably slow. I feel really bad about this run. And betrayed. I hate when the thing that is supposed to make me feel better about myself, about life, actually makes me feel worse. What am I supposed to do then? Shouldn't have gotten cocky about our running. Just makes this bad run sting more.

Off to continue moping and licking my wounds, and dreading Thursday's run.

Days 71 & 72

So since Chris has this super annoying thing called a job now, we can't run in the mornings anymore unless we want to run at like 5:00 a.m. I'd rather stab my eyes out with a spoon. So we have to run in the afternoons or evenings, and try to work around the heat. Also, I since I currently have back-to-back dance classes Tuesdays, we have to run Mondays until that's done. So yesterday we did our 8 miles. Unfortunately, it was storming, so we had to do it on the treadmill. Talk about miserable. We started at a 9:30 pace, and threw in some hill intervals. But my stomach was hurting, so I had to stop, and Chris got ahead, so then I upped my pace to try to catch back up. But then we both ended up pushing the speed, and the last mile was approaching sprint speed. Almost died. Thankfully, I had baked a delicious cake to come back to. Good reward.

Apparently, however, my body saved all of its hateful revenge for today. I felt every single workout from Sunday and the run. So sore and stiff and miserable. And I had dance tonight, as previously mentioned... my arms were hardly up to the task. I persevered, though. We started choreography for the African drum solo... I can only describe it as a joyful, happy dance. Love it. I'm also taking my first intermediate level class... I think the only real difference is less talking, more drilling. But it's good... I was feeling stalled in the beginner's classes. I'm ready for the step up. If only they offered more intermediate level classes...

Hopefully tomorrow my body is done punishing me so I can survive the awful day of work waiting for me and enjoy dance.

Days 68 - 70; What a weekend!

Friday I was tired and grumpy and my head hurt and my tummy hurt and... basically I was being a big, lazy baby. I ran some errands after work, and after that, I was so lacking motivation that I just gave up and watched Pride & Prejudice on my couch, talked to Randy, and went to bed. It's technically a rest day anyway, right?

Saturday was a 15 miler. The first 10 were actually really good. We stuck to the shady neighborhoods, so it was late enough that the early morning stickiness had worn off, but there was a light breeze and the shade kept it from being too hot. After a slight detour to feed my friend's cat that I'm sitting for, though, the temperature jumped, and of course it was the sunniest part of our run. My legs were on fire, and Chris was feeling the heat, and of course I had over planned the distance, so after the 13 mile mark, we ran/walked the rest and ended up doing a total of 15.65 in about 2:51. That's not terrible though, really... the strong first part really helped us. Next week we're going to start a little earlier, and maybe I'll try to keep it a little shadier... try to eliminate most of that sunny part.

Today I made up for Friday and fed my addiction: Dance, yoga, swim. Back-to-back-to-back. Shake it like Shakira class this afternoon--we learned a little combo to "Beautiful Liar" by Beyonce and Shakira using some moves that definitely worked the thighs. Then a friend of mine wanted to go to yoga, so I went with her to a Hot Power Class. The first 15 minutes were awful. I wanted to leave. The room was too hot and we were moving so fast there was no possible way to coordinate my breath with my movements. After that, though, the teacher turned the temperature down a little, and we started moving at a more normal pace, and it was actually great. It's harder than the regular Hot class, I think, because we're flowing the whole time. It requires a lot of arm strength, which I don't have, so it was an extra challenge. But we hit pretty much everything: balance, stretching, strength. I think I want to start going to more Power classes... the classes will get easier as I develop all those areas, and I think all are beneficial to me as a runner. Finally, since Chris and I have been trying to swim more, but I couldn't for awhile because of my thumb, we're trying to get back into it now, so we wanted to get a swim in today. I was pretty tired after dance and yoga, but once I got in the water I was so happy to be back in the pool that I got a second wind and ended up having a great swim. We also met a woman who apparently went to the Olympic trials awhile back, and she taught me how to flip turn. So that's exciting... although I need to work on it. But both Chris and I got in a mile, and I'm glad I went, even though now I'm so tired I might fall asleep any secccccccccccnnnnnnnnn..........

Just kidding. But seriously. I'm going to bed. After some well deserved ice cream... and another desperately needed giant glass of water.

Days 66 & 67: Tequila! (is a poor life choice)

Wednesday I was going to go to the pool after work, but it stormed. And then I was going to go lift weights, but I got held up doing errands and was exhausted when I got home. So I went with a one workout day and just headed to dance class. We started choreography for this dance to a song called "Blockhead." It's really modern, and the dance is kind of a belly dance/hip-hop fusion. Super sassy. I'm not sure that I can really pull it off. But most of us in the class are in the same boat--we got an extra workout from laughing at ourselves so much. At least it's fun!

Last night I met up with some friends for some birthday beverages. Because they know the people at the restaurant, my plan of a margarita or two turned into 2 - 3 margaritas, a tequila shot, and a beer. Don't do this, ever. I was still planning on running in the morning, until I woke up at 7:45 a.m. with a trail of my belongings all over my apartment, still wearing my jewelry and with my hair still done. Running clearly did not happen.

It actually worked out for the best, since Chris (who has been back since Tuesday, btw, and just hasn't felt like contacting me) texted me and hadn't run either. Unfortunately, since we missed out on early morning acceptable temperatures, we were stuck with a choice between a heat index of about 100 or the treadmill. It was only a 4 mile pace run, so we opted for the treadmills. We threw in a couple hill intervals (might as well multitask) and had plenty to talk about, so it went by pretty quickly. The silver lining is that with a treadmill, we could set the 9:30 pace and stay at the 9:30 pace without having to think super hard about it.

Well, that's it. Water and bed for me.

Days 61 - 65: Just dance!

But not like Lady Gaga, k?

Friday I was going to go to yoga, but then I forgot my mat, and by the time I realized it, there was no way I was getting home to get it and then getting back to the studio in time. So I did nothing. Apparently my spirit is easily broken. Rest day anyway, right?

Saturday I was supposed to do a 5k "race," but since we hadn't signed up for anything and Chris was still out of town, I just ran a 5k in Lullwater with my coworker and her dog. It was actually quite cool, and a little misty... a welcome break from the intense heat. Time was 33 something... not really that important.

Saturday afternoon I had a special work shop for belly dancing: fan veil technique! 3 hour workshop, about 2 of those spent really dancing. It's hard! It looks so pretty and graceful and light when you watch dancers with the veils, but by the end, my arms were sore and my hands were on fire and all torn up from the wooden fan base. I can't wait until they offer a choreography though... it's totally the coolest prop. Well, except fire. But I'm not advanced enough for that yet.

Sunday I started a new 6 week course for dance: Shake it like Shakira! I'm apparently obsessed with Shakira, since this is my second Shakira-based class. I guess her music is just that awesome to belly dance to. She actually does belly dance... she is part Lebanese, so she's been belly dancing since she was really young. You can definitely see the influence in her videos. This class is a combination course, so instead of learning one big choreography, each week we'll learn some of Shakira's belly dance moves and then put them together for a short combination to one of her songs. Should be fun. I finally made it to yoga on Sunday, too. The thumb seemed to hold up fine, so I consider it healed.

Monday I was also going to go to yoga. I even remembered to bring my mat with me to work this time. But... then I went for margaritas with some girls from work instead. Almost the same...

Today the schedule called for a 7 miler. I was solo again, but it was actually a fantastic run. It wasn't hot, although it was humid. My joints were a little creaky getting started, but once I warmed up, I kept a pretty consistent pace, and it was a beautiful morning--I could see actual sun rays through the trees thanks to the slight haze from the humidity. It was quiet, and I was able to just listen to the sound of my own feet, meditate, and focus on myself for a little. Time was 1:06:57, without too much stress about it during the run, so I'm pretty proud of that.

Back-to-back dance classes tonight, too! (Yes, that is 3 classes and a workshop in 4 days. Yes, I have a problem.) In the African drum solo class we drilled chest drops and pelvic drops, so my uppermost and lowermost (is that a word?) abs want to cry right now. We also drilled knee shimmies. It's amazing how each class you can learn something different related to a move you've done a million times, just because it's explained a slightly different way. I've been doing knee shimmies since my very first class, but however the teacher explained it today just clicked, and I finally feel like I have the right technique down. I was super excited. I also noticed how much more flexibility I have in my chest now... no more pathetic lifts. You can tell I'm moving! In the second class we finished our Tahitian drum solo choreography. It's 2 and a half intense minutes of hip shaking! The last part is a little sketchy for me... I'm pretty certain I'm not doing it right and probably won't ever be able to, but I can fake it, so it's fine.

I'm pretty exhausted. I consumed 3 liters of water today. 3 liters! That's a lot. Even though it's only like 0.8 gallons, for all you non-metric people out there. I'm about to go drink more, so I might make a gallon today. Maybe have some ice cream too... I think I earned it. And hopefully sleep... too much work stress, even the exercise isn't helping. But I definitely need to try to sleep.

Day 60: Friendly 5er and frustration

My coworker is missing her regular running buddies too, so we teamed up this morning for a 5 miler. We brought her dog with us and just enjoyed an easy pace and good conversation. It was nice to slow it down for once and really just get into the run, not worry so much about time.

I also went to lift weights today, since I figure if I'm going to do it, I might as well do it right and try to get in at least 2 times a week. You know, until I'm so frustrated and bored I stop going. I hate the gym so much! Current pet peeve: super skinny girls with perfect bodies who run in only a sports bra and low rise short shorts inside on the treadmill. Outside, when it's 85 degrees and 80% humidity, you wear whatever you want, so you don't get all hot and pass out and stuff. Heck, even I ran once in only a sports bra (and shorts, of course) because the heat was almost unbearable, but we had to get the run in, and the only time that worked was during the absolute most miserable time of the day. Safety first. But inside, you have air conditioning and ceiling fans and unlimited access to as much free water as you can possibly drink without bloating your perfectly flat tummy. So wear clothes. Everyone else is already self conscious enough without having your perfect body flaunted in our faces. Plus, think of all the extra sweat that gets everywhere. Unless they don't sweat, cuz, you know, they're perfect... End rant.

Point is, got the run done, got the weights done. Tomorrow I'm working in the lab and going to yoga. Stupid finger. I don't care! It'll be fine.

Days 57 - 59: Ouch

So since I can't do anything, Monday I sucked it up and went to the weight room and did every machine available, so about 45 minutes worth. And then I woke up Tuesday and wanted to die. I was perhaps a little over-zealous for someone who hasn't lifted since... um... I can't remember...

As punishment, Tuesday's run was a struggle. My legs felt heavy and dead. Plus Chris decided to go home and see his family this week instead of run with me. How dare he! So I was all alone, which leaves very little motivation to maintain any sort of respectable pace. Oh yeah, AND it was more humid than the rain forest. I was dripping, even though I ran early. Gross. With some pushing, I managed to finish the 5 miler in a quite respectable 47:36... almost dead on the 9:30 pace. Not bad for being sore, partnerless, and practically running through water. (Funny... last season I would have been like "WOAH 47:36?! That's AWESOME! I'm AWESOME!" And now I'm like "yeah, well, you know, it's pretty ok." Ah how times have changed.)

Tuesday I also had two dance classes: African drum solo and Tahitian drum solo. The thing about drum solos is... you shimmy. A lot. Everything: hips, shoulders, etc. All that shimmying combined with my soreness from lifting left my abs wishing they could curl up and cry. You know, in a good way. Or something. Anyway... 5 mile run and two dance classes made for one exhausting day. But I've got several more weeks of that ahead, so I better get used to it and stop whining. It just means I can take it easy other days, right? Psh... yeah right...

I was still sore today. I had my stitches taken out, but I still can't use my thumb for a few days, so STILL no pool or yoga. Gah. Also, they made me get the DPT vaccine (they are like REALLY worried about tetanus. Do people still get tetanus? Isn't there like 1 case a year or something?), which apparently will make my arm feel like someone's punched me. I have yet to feel pain, but I do feel tired, dizzy, and nauseous (stupid immune response), so I skipped the weight room after work and took it easy until dance. I figure three workouts yesterday makes it ok to do just one today. :-p Lots of hip circles today... worked the obliques pretty hard.

Early run tomorrow. If I still have an arm...

Days 54 - 56

It's been 3 days? Wow, I thought it was only 2...

Friday I actually took a rest day in the real sense of the word. About time, I guess. I was going to lift weights, but then I went out for margaritas instead.

Saturday we had a 13 miler. I know I said not getting in the 12 miler wouldn't hurt us, and it won't long term, but man it didn't help us this week. The start of our run was great... we had a strong, consistent sub-10 first half. But it was humid, and all of a sudden the temperature sky-rocketed and the sun became brutal. And I apparently planned a super hilly route. And since we haven't run farther than 8.7 in a LONG time... we were hurting. It was bad news. But we finished. And actually, our time was 2:14:40, which, if we had run that extra 0.1, would only have been a minute slower than our current half marathon PR. So if we're starting close to PR level while fighting all those obstacles, it can only get better, right? Anyway, I enjoyed a thoroughly lazy afternoon to recover from the run, complete with AC, a gallon of water, and several episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

Today was my last upper body technique class for dance. She made sure we were going to remember everything though... my abs hurt so freakin' bad. We drilled and drilled and drilled. I don't think I ever want to do another camel. In fact, even the word camel makes me shudder. It's good though... improving my technique and working my core. Now if I could just get rid of some of this "lady insulation" so all that hard work would be visible...

Days 52 & 53: Gross

Man, I was really adjusting to that two workouts a day routine. I feel gross now :-( Doesn't help that I've been sitting a lot during the day since I can't do lab work. And it's not like I'm eating less... who can give up ice cream or Taco Mac? Fail. Heal more quickly, stupid thumb!

Yesterday I went to dance for my cross training, even though it hardly counts anymore. Not because it's not hard, just because... well... it's dance. It's just a part of my life now. But then again so is running, and that still counts, so... Anyway, yeah it was way hard. I guess after sitting around reading all day I needed a good ab-kicking, and that is precisely what I got. Upper and lower... my arms are sore too. The Wednesday night teacher is serious about drilling moves so that we get the technique down, and we do everything really slow, which works the muscles and is like strength training, and then pick it up, which gets your heart going like cardio. Best of both worlds. And you get to look fabulous while doing it. And no thumbs required. :-)

This morning Chris and I ran a 7 miler in 1:07:23. It was hill-tastic, so I'm pretty proud of that. We're settling in to a "comfortable" 9:30 - 9:45 pace, which is great. That used to be pushing it for us, so if that's now our easy pace, just imaging what we can do when we push. Like a sub-2 hour half. :-p (I can dream)

I want to get some sort of light workout in tomorrow, since normally I'd be going to yoga, and I've been a "slacker" this week, but what to do? Weights maybe? A walk? Pilates moves that don't require my hands? Hopefully I'll be inspired tonight or tomorrow.

Days 50 & 51: Rollercoaster

10k PR YAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!


Chris and I ran a FANTASTIC Peachtree Road Race. The weather was perfect, I thought... much cooler and not as humid as last year. Although they apparently kept saying on the news that it was one of the hottest Peachtrees ever and I did hear a lot of complaints about the weather conditions. But I thought it was great. 60,000 runners this year... madness! The race was full of all the usual festivities: people in costumes, local bands, radio stations playing music, vendors throwing T shirts or serving samples, beer, etc. It was a crowded, slow start, but we pretty quickly made our way to more open space, and kept a pretty steady pace after that. We only had one mile over 9 min, and that was 9:03, and it was the mile with Cardiac Hill, a half mile uphill section, the worst of the race. It's good we train in such hilly neighborhoods, because it's no worse than what we usually run, honestly. It's not too steep, it's just long, and it's where we separate the men from the boys--you get to pass all those perky people who ran past you in the earlier miles as they slow down or walk, but you just keep chugging right along. Good for the ego.

Our fast past had me worried that I was going to fall apart in the last mile, but we had a super strong finish. The Garmin's time for 6.2 miles said 52:50. Weaving in and out of 59,998 other runners makes the run a little longer, so our official clock time was 54:11. That's 8 minutes better than my time last year. Incredible. Our average pace was 8:31... a minute faster than our goal. There's nothing new that I can say about how I feel, you know it all already. This is going to be a year of crushing any and all previous race times. I'm so happy and excited and proud of us. This race gave me this little glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, we can break 2 hours at the Wine & Dine half marathon. Maybe. Not gonna worry about it yet. Just gonna enjoy the glow of this fantastic race for awhile, and see where training takes us.


After the race we met up with some other Emory runners at the Emory Healthcare tent, where we were treated like VIPs. There was a line of volunteers in their Emory shirts applauding and congratulating us as we walked in, and there were bagels and bananas and oranges and muffins and granola bars and cold water (unlike the water that had been sitting out in the sun that everyone else got) for us. We admired the prize winning design on the coveted Peachtree shirt and shared race stories and took some pictures. Then Chris and I headed across Piedmont Park to Park Tavern for their race after party. Basically, we just sat around and enjoyed some cheap beer and took in the morning's events. Then we headed to Willy's for lunch, because they were giving $4 burritos to anyone who came in wearing their Peachtree shirt. As you can see, the sum of all these events makes Peachtree the most awesome race ever! And I will be very sad when I can no longer start my 4th of July with this race.

Sadly, during our 4th of July pool party and cook out, I sliced my finger open with a knife trying to cut a watermelon (more sadly, I wasn't even intoxicated, making this easily the most lame way I could possibly have injured myself on the 4th of July) and had to go get stitches. It was a late, exhausting night, and I'm banned from lab now until the wound closes (really, who wants to risk getting staph or meningitis or gonorrhoeae in their finger?). I'm also banned from swimming and hot yoga, so it's time for some creative cross training ideas. I might be doing a lot of dancing. Maybe some stationary bike or some Wii fit... as long as it doesn't involve my hands, it should be ok. But I'm pretty sad about it. One, because I'm stupid. Two, because I don't want to lose my momentum with swimming and yoga. And three, because, well, it really hurts and it sucks having only one useful thumb.

We made today a rest day, since we ran yesterday. But I had two dance classes tonight, so I still got some exercise in. The usual Tahitian drum solo, where we started our choreography, which is going to rock, and then started an African drum solo class, which could be fun, but it's too early to tell, since you never do much in the first class. But it got me out of the house and my mind of my hand for a little, and both classes involve lots of shimmying, so you can't help but feel happy.

Well, since yesterday was a late and traumatic night, I'm off to bed. Hopefully I'll dream of an entertaining cross-training regimen for tomorrow. Just because my Independence Day celebration ended early doesn't mean I didn't eat well... I definitely need to burn off this weekend's festivities! You know it's bad when even running a 10k can't keep you on track...

Days 47 - 49: Rest, run, and race-day eve

T -11 hours until our Peachtree start time...

Friday was a "rest" day, and with the race coming up, I decided to take it easy, so I just went to a hot yoga class to get everything stretched out.

Saturday was supposed to be a 12 mile run. We had the most beautiful start ever. 3 nearly perfectly consistent miles, right around the 9:30 pace we're shooting for for the Peachtree. I had originally mandated that we take it easy, but we're not so good at that anymore. Chris laughed at me because shortly after we started, a woman turned the corner in front of us, and I promptly sped up to pass her. What can I say, I'm like a fox: sly enough to get Chris into the Peachtree, and I can't resist a rabbit! Hopefully that competitiveness will help us out tomorrow.

Unfortunately, our run didn't continue as excellently, as Chris ended up getting sick. We did a run/walk and finished about 8.7 miles. I was a little disappointed to not get the distance, but I've been there, and god knows Chris has dealt enough with me being sick on many a run. Besides, we're early enough in the training that missing the distance isn't going to hurt us. Next up is a 13 miler, which, after 4 half marathons and a full, we can basically do in our sleep. Better to take it easy right before a race anyway.

We went to the Peachtree expo to pick up our numbers yesterday as well. Oh, how I love expos! This one is huge, too. And... while we were there... we saw Jeff Galloway! Like the real, live person! He was at a booth for his training program. It was so awesome to see him in real life. I wish I had gotten a picture though. Darn. (If you don't know who that is, he's a big deal in the running world. Look him up.)

Speaking of pictures, I got an AWESOME new toy for races. It's a teeny tiny little camera and camcorder, slightly larger than a business card and super thin. So it fits perfectly into my little pouch without being big and bulky like the 90s-era disposable cameras we had to use for Disney. So hopefully now I can take more pictures at races and during training... it will make this thing a little more exciting, no?

Today was supposed to be a rest day so we're ready to go for tomorrow, but I had dance. It was the upper body technique class, so it shouldn't affect me too much. Got in some great ab and arm work though. I realized during class today that when I am in correct posture, I can literally feel each individual ab muscle. Now, if only I could move them each individually... We also tried something new, where we sat on the floor and practiced the moves. It actually amps it up a little, because you can't cheat and have any of your lower body help you. And it lets you focus on the actual move, instead of worrying so much about keeping everything isolated at the same time. So hopefully practicing like that will help get the muscles really strong so it will be easier to isolate when we're standing.

Chris and I made cauliflower macaroni and cheese tonight for our carbtastic dinner. (Recipe from Runner's World: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-303-504-13847-0,00.html. Delicious, and healthy, and doesn't taste like cauliflower, I swear). Now it's just bed and then the race! I'm sooooo excited!!!!! I've really come to love this race. I mean, it's the biggest 10k in the country, maybe the world. 60,000 runners... there's a lottery to get numbers. And it's just so much FUN. I'm seriously hoping we can break an hour tomorrow. I know physically we can run that fast, but with the crowds, we might not make it. It won't be the worst thing if we don't though... the experience is worth it no matter what the outcome.

Full race report to come. Catch you on the flip side!

Days 45 & 46

Uneventful couple of days.

Yesterday Chris and I met at the pool for a quick 1 mile swim. Then I headed to dance, but since it was the first day of a new 6 week series, we didn't do too much, so I'm not sure I should even count it.

Today we met early to run. Pace run, 4 miles. Although I'm not sure what we were actually pacing for, since we finished in 34:28, so an 8:36 pace. Pretty far from the 9:30 we're supposed to be shooting for during the 10k. Oh well, faster is better, right? And we were tired at the end, but I think I recovered pretty quickly. The nice thing about this whole anemia ordeal is that almost every run is a surprise, and leaves me feeling excited and accomplished. I never would have dreamed of running 4 miles that quickly, but today I did. I'm so much more confident, and I'm motivated to reach my fullest potential, since I know there's more there than what I thought.

I was going to go to yoga today too, but then I got cholera or EPEC or something, so I spent the rest of the day on the couch. I think a little rest is probably good for me anyway, since "rest" days are starting to mean days when I only do one workout instead of two. Hopefully I'm over the bug and back at it tomorrow.

Day 44

Ran 6 with Chris this morning. It was so hot and so humid even at 7 a.m. I hardly slept last night and am still fighting the Swiss plague, so I informed Chris this would be a slow, easy run. But we're not good at that anymore. So, 58:38 it was. Granted, not our best pace, but not too shabby for a "slow" day.

Also had my Tahitian dance class tonight. Luckily, we were working on some belly dance shimmies, so for the last half of class I knew what I was doing. It's good to know I can still rock the hip shimmy. I need to figure out how to strengthen my ankles, though, because I can't balance when we do moves up on our toes. So if you know any good ankle strengtheners, please share!

Tonight I will sleep! At least I better, or I might actually pass out at work tomorrow.

Day 43: I really should be resting...

Hi, my name is Elizabeth. I'm an exercise-aholic.

I really might have a problem. Running, dance, yoga, swimming... I love it all, I don't want to give any of it up! But I think I'm headed down the path of the over-trained, at this point. I gotta cut out the double workout days. I'm exhausted, and I have a sore ankle, a tweak in my elbow, a tweak in my back...

Of course if I slept like a normal person and didn't suffer from irrational insomnia, this might help too.

Anyway, on my "rest" day today I went to hot yoga. The regular hot yoga class, not the power class of death. I can't get over how good I feel after. Really the only word is clean. But you know that by now, so I should lay off. So I'll just say, good class. End of story.

Days 39 - 42: Double work out weekend!

So the blogging failure over the past couple days is not entirely my fault. I swear I have been training intensely, but evening circumstances just kept me away. Let me explain...

Thursday, due to having to be at work early and important evening social obligations (aka Taco Mac), was a rest day. No need to blog about that.

I did Thursday's run Friday morning. It was a BEAUTIFUL morning for a run. Not too hot, not too humid, clear skies... just about everything you could ask for. I added an extra half mile onto the 4 miler just because I was enjoying myself. Unfortunately, however, my coworker had lovingly shared her viral Swiss plague, and by late morning my throat was on fire, my ears hurt, and my neck was swelling. So I decided to hit up the hot yoga class that evening to try to sweat out the virus. Typhoid Mary actually ended up coming with me, and it turns out there's some truth to that weird idea, because we were both feeling tons better by the end. I should probably sterilize my towels and yoga mat now, though. And while I would have loved to write about my beautiful run and cleansing yoga class, there were MASSIVE thunderstorms Friday night that knocked out my internet, so, alas, I could not.

Since this week is technically a step-back week (seems silly after my fail week in Europe, but who knew?) our long run was an 8 miler. We were brilliantly fast: 1:16:45. If we can run 8 miles at that pace, we are solid for the Peachtree (a week away, yikes!). We both felt good, too, so we're not overdoing it at that pace. I'm excited. We could end up with some killer half marathon times this season. Yay! Anyway, as I'm still atoning for my Swiss sins, I decided to do another hot yoga class, since this studio has an early afternoon donation class that doesn't count toward my pass and costs whatever you can afford. This turned out to be a bad idea. I was expecting a basic hot class, but it was actually a hot "power" class, which is secret yoga code for "hell." I've never done sun salutations so fast in my entire life, much less at 95 degrees. I thought I was going to die. The heat was lower, so it was less sweaty, but more exhausting overall. Punishment accomplished. And again, while I had thought up some witty remarks about my class and was excited to share our awesome run time, things just didn't work out... see, we had tickets to the Atlanta Summer Beer Fest last night, which was awesome and fun and amazing and delicious, and I had every intention of blogging when I got home, since it ended at 10... not too late, right? But then I woke up this morning feeling like I was in the middle of a Katy Perry song, so... yeah. Beer and blogging don't mix. Unless you're blogging about beer I suppose...

Today was only full of more punishment, because obviously now I have beer fest sins to atone for as well. I haven't been swimming in forever, and Chris and I are determined to be tan and toned for the 4th of July party, so we decided to swim some laps at the pool. Swimming while hungover maybe not the best idea, but I managed to do a mile and a half in 40 minutes, so I'm satisfied. Nothing cures a hangover like an intense workout. I also had belly dance today. I need to stack my workouts better, because swimming before a class that involves entirely shoulder, upper back, and upper ab muscles is not a good plan. But how was I to know? Anyway, we learned some chest circle thing that I don't think is actually possible to do if you're a real person, so I'll be practicing that while plating bacteria at the bench this week, I'm sure.

Ok, all caught up on the blog. But you see, there were just circumstances beyond my control.

P.S. Double work outs 3 days in a row is a bad idea. My body hates me... I'm fairly certain every single muscle is sore. I'm going to try to get some real sleep tonight and take it easy tomorrow... hopefully recover. I think this means I can stop punishing myself for all that wine and cheese in Switzerland though. It's gone, I'm certain.

Day 38: It was a dark and stormy night...

... so I almost talked myself out of going to yoga. I'm so tired. Geez. Maybe I should go back to taking 1,000x the normal amount of iron again or IV some caffeine or something. I don't know what's going on.

Anyway, yoga. There was a convenient break in the downpour long enough that I couldn't justify skipping, so off I went. Same class as last time. Same lovely cleansing effect. I actually noticed an improvement from last class too, which is a good sign. And I felt energized afterward... I saw a couple people running and wanted to go lace up my running shoes. But that's just crazy talk. Don't want to push the ankle, and over-training will just make me more tired. At least I know I'll be excited for my next run.

Day 37

The day started well. Chris and I met early for a 4 miler, which we did in 38:37. The ankle was feeling great, and it was good to see some recovery of my speed. Kind of downhill from there though... I'm so tired for some reason. Jet lag still? Dunno. Had dance tonight--a Tahitian class, for something new and different. Similar to hula, except your thighs actually burst into flames from working so hard. I missed the first class while I was in Europe, and I was really, really tired, so I don't think I did as well as I could have, and I was feeling a little frustrated. I'll probably practice some this week to try to catch up. The ankle is bothering me right now though... I hope it's ok. The last thing I want is to have to go back to the doctor. I swear I'm like an 80 year old woman...

Day 36: Feelin' hot, hot, hot!

New yoga studio thanks to a groupon-like website called Tippr. Red Hot Yoga. Started with their "classic" class today to get a feel for it. Basically it was a 90 minute Bikram class, so very classic. It was hard. I haven't done real hot yoga in a long time, and it was HOT. The sweat was literally pouring out of me.

Having had a particularly rough day, I think this class was a good choice. I have a love/hate relationship with hot yoga: the first 20 minutes are almost unbearable, but once I can just accept the heat and the sweat, it's very calming and cleansing. I'm fairly certain I experience all 7 stages of grief in a single class, from denial (there is no way I'm doing this) to acceptance/hope (ok, I'm sweaty and hot, but that's a good thing... I'm getting more flexible and stronger and I'm sweating out all the toxins [specifically wine and cheese from Switzerland] and if I can just get through this class, I will feel calmer and more at peace and I have a relaxing night ahead of me). I guess dealing with it through yoga helps deal with what's going on in real life. It's almost like you sweat yourself clean. By the end, you're not the salty, sticky, I-need-a-shower-now kind of sweaty; everything is gone, and once you dry off you feel... clean, inside and outside. That's the only way I can describe it. (I of course still showered, because if I'm going to be clean, I might as well go all the way, right?) And after spending 90 minutes only able to focus on dealing with how uncomfortable you feel through concentrating on moving with your breath, your brain is clearer. I just feel better. The experience of a hot yoga class creates a perfect metaphor for struggling through a crappy day, and getting through class helps you get through the day. I guess that's the real point... a true mind-body connection, right?

Enough philosophy. Off to ice the ankle and ibuprofen up before bed so I can run bright and early tomorrow.

Days 24 - 35: Europe and beyond!

Wow, it's been so long. Unfortunately, not as much to report as there could be, as I shall explain...

After arriving in Geneva last Wednesday, there was no way I was doing anything... long plane flight, missed connection, lack of sleep, etc. Thursday we spent the day in the car and walking around some beautiful little Swiss towns: Montreux, where the big jazz festival is held (you know, "Smoke on the Water"), and Gruyere (like the cheese... we ate fondue... delicious... but cheesy...). Friday we actually did get out for a run/walk around the lake in the town we were staying. We did 3.5 miles total, and since Thursday's run only needed to be 3, it definitely counted. I also got up to run Saturday to atone for my lack of exercise Wednesday, and did another quick 3.5 before we headed to Zurich for the evening. We did a lot of walking in Zurich too, so perhaps that helps with the rest of my rather pathetic training in Europe.

Sunday we had to get to the conference center in Les Diablerets, so there wasn't technically a workout... however, after lugging my baggage on two trains, a bus, and a third train, I think I got a pretty decent upper body workout at least. I did my long run Monday, which was supposed to be 9 miles, but with the high altitude, the mountainous terrain, and a mile or so of wooded trail, I only made it 7.5. But given all those extra obstacles, I think it's ok. And it was a beautiful run... mountains, a river, adorable little Swiss cottages, cows... I stopped for a drink at a natural spring... best water I've ever tasted. Probably one of the best runs I'll have during our training.

Tuesday I was going to try to get back to a somewhat normal schedule, so I went out for a run with another coworker; however, I rolled my ankle on the trail, so we only made it 3 miles. I didn't think it was too bad, but by Wednesday it was swollen and bruising, so I decided to take some time off. So... no training Wednesday or Thursday, then traveling again on Friday.

All that time in the airplane and running around airports and a serious lack of sleep only made my ankle worse, so I took yesterday off as well. I had a lot of catching up to do anyway... sleep, bills, unpacking, laundry, errands; I took a lot of ibuprofen and tried to keep my foot elevated as much as possible. By the end of the day there was really no pain anymore and most of the swelling was gone, but I have the grossest bruise ever... I kind of want to take a picture. It's like a rainbow of colors... pretty awesome. Actually not. I can't look at my foot, it makes me want to throw up.

I was determined to get in some sort of run this weekend to try to get back on track (and get rid of the wheel of cheese and case of wine sitting in my stomach), so Chris and I set out slow this morning with the knowledge that we might have to quit. But we actually ended up making it through our entire 10 miler. I had no sharp pain, just some aching, and I was actually super glad that because of his knee, Chris wanted to walk the major hills, which probably helped. I think the ankle is ok for now... I got some new bruising after the run, but no major swelling or pain. So I'm going to try to stick to the normal schedule this week and see how it goes.

Oh yeah! I also went to belly dancing today, which didn't go so well. I haven't danced in two weeks, and it was really obvious. We did a lot of arm and shoulder work though... it was nice to target some new muscles. Hopefully the next class will go better.

The trip was awesome, but I'm so glad to be back, and ready to get back to training and a normal diet. How are Europeans so thin, anyway? They don't seem to drink water, or eat fruits and vegetables, or sleep... and they drink a lot and smoke a lot. What are we doing wrong over here? Ugh, I'm tired just thinking about it. Is it wrong if I go to bed at 8:30?

Days 22 & 23

Monday I went to walk in and work out at the belly dancing studio. It was extra fun because my sister and my coworker came with me. I think we all had a good time. Lots of leg work... my thighs were killing me! Good strength to aid the running.

Chris and I met this morning for a 5 mile run. I was crunched for time, so I told him we had to run fast... and we did. Our time was 46:26, and that included walking up the big hill at the end since Chris' knee was bothering him. Crazy. I felt great afterward though, despite being incredibly sweaty and gross from the heat that was already well on the rise.

I am actually off this afternoon to Switzerland for 10 days. My whole lab is going to a conference in Les Diablerets, but my coworker and I are visiting Geneva and Zurich for a few days beforehand. Should be exciting, although I'm not sure how much training I'll get done. Back to high altitude though... maybe I'll come back even more of a machine! :-p Hopefully I'll be able to post a little of my hiking and running adventures in the mountains. Otherwise, see you when I return!

Days 20 & 21

We switched up Saturday and Sunday this weekend due to a very important appointment I had on Saturday morning. (And by important I mean the salon... it is important, seriously! I haven't cut my hair in a year and a half, and I'm about to go to Europe. I NEEDED to get rid of that rat's nest)

I wanted to double up some workouts while I have the chance, since who knows how much training I'll be able to do in Switzerland. So I went to the belly dance walk in and work out class after I had my hair cut. We did much more than belly dance though... I think I experienced dance moves from every single continent. (Maybe not Antarctica) Including the Macarena. Yes. Imagine belly dancing while doing the Macarena, and that is exactly what it was like. Weird. But a good work out!

It ended up being a good thing I was going to "double up" my workouts, because Chris and I got to the pool to swim some laps, and it was closed. Why? Because some kid decided the world is his toilet. Including our beautiful Olympic pool. Add this to the growing list of reasons I will never have children. Since we were already sunscreened and suited up, we came back to my apartment complex and went to the pool here. There was no lap swimming, of course, although we pretended. Mostly we just messed around and enjoyed the water and the sun. Oh well.

This morning Chris and I did our long run. Since it's a step-back week it was only 5 miles. We ran a set of loops in Lullwater. It was a really strong run. Our time was 48:01, so our average pace was 9:36, which is well under our half marathon goal pace and right near our 10k pace. It was hot, but our course was mostly shady so it wasn't too painful.

Today I successfully doubled up my workouts, as I'm starting a new 6 week series for belly dance: Upper body isolations. It's a technique one class, so I've definitely seen all the moves before, but I think focusing only on the upper body moves for 6 weeks should help me improve a lot. We did all chest work today: camels and chest circles. My upper abs and shoulders are super sore. Which I'm actually excited about. I'm determined to have awesome abs by the end of the summer!

Days 18 & 19: I just can't get enough

Thursday evening Chris and I did our required 3 mile run in the old neighborhood. We have to start getting familiar with those hills again, or we're going to get weak. (Well, you know, relatively... it's not like we've been running totally flat routes.) We realized that we really must be insane... it was 95 degrees and super humid, and we were both feeling sick by the end. Despite all that and conquering the hills, our time was still 28:54... maybe we can slow it down next time and not feel sick. Or maybe we can just run early when it's not so hot... Anyway, we jumped into the pool for a little afterward to cool off, which was a brilliant idea, and I believe we should make it permanent practice after our summer runs.

My coworker texted me last night and asked if I wanted to run with her this morning before work. Never mind that she texted me while I was out on a run... why not run two runs in 12 hours? Totally fine. Good practice for the Goofy. So I met her and her pup this morning for a nice easy run. Temperature was by far better, and it was a lovely start to the day. So much for a rest day. Guess it makes up for my lack of activity Monday.

Weekend, hurray! Gonna be a crazy one though... not that that's so different from normal.

Day 17: Dancing the night away

No more yoga. :-( So I went to a walk in and work out class at the belly dancing studio. Less itchy, less grumpy, better class. Definitely worked up a sweat, and the fun, silly atmosphere in the class had me smiling by the time I left.

I am finally starting to notice an improvement in the stomach area. The problem with marathon training is that during training you get stronger, leaner, thinner, more fit (fitter?), but once you stop training, you get all soft and giggly and all that "insulation" returns and you just want to watch Bones in bed all evening (or Jersey Shore, maybe... whatever your guilty please is). Training makes you more energized, more confident. Not training makes you a blob of self doubt. So... you pretty much always have to return to training, or you feel sad with yourself. In other words, all this talk about retiring after we complete our holy grail (the Goofy) is crap. I'm gonna run until I need hip, knee, and ankle replacements. And then maybe I'll take up racing in a wheel chair. (People do it. I've seen it. Their arms are the size of my thighs... but all muscle.)

A wise woman (coughBethcough) once said to me that my blog was aptly named, because I always seem to be running just "one more marathon." I suppose that's true. I originally named it as an acknowledgment of how terribly cliche it was to have a blog about training for a marathon. I was at that time 100% sure I would never want to run another. And now it's taken on a whole new meaning. How fortuitous. Look how clever I am. :-p

Ok, enough touchy feely philosophical stuff. Off to hydrate in preparation for what will no doubt be a scorching run tomorrow...

Days 15 & 16: Yeah, yeah, whatever

Lack of lustre for all things in life right now, writing included. I'm just so tired. It's like moving underwater. Probably from being constantly stressed out for the past... month? Two months? Whatever, I'm just being a baby.

Yesterday I actually used as a rest day like the schedule says. I did 15 minutes of yoga to wake up, and was going to do more in the evening, but after wandering around the Renaissance Festival in 90+ degrees and then coming home to do laundry, I could barely stand up. So I just turned in my rest day token.

This morning I had to get my run in before work. It's a step back week, so just 3 miles. First early morning run in a long time, and it was a sluggish start. But once I got going it was great. I ran in the old neighborhood to tackle the hills I've been avoiding since last season. It was tough, but even with those hills and my groggy start I finished in 28:19, so I think I'm in good shape.

I also had belly dancing tonight. Since I had been going nonstop since 7 and didn't have time for dinner before and at some point during the day my body developed into a giant ball of hives, I didn't go into it with the best attitude. Tired, hungry, and itchy is not the way to go to class. Of course today is the day we worked on the one move I cannot seem to get... it just doesn't make sense to me. So then I was even more frustrated. Ugh. But I know I worked my obliques hard, so my abs will thank me in the morning I suppose.

Tomorrow will be a better day... I hope... sleep and Benadryl should help.

Days 12, 13, &14: Loving the long weekend!

Holiday weekends make training so much more enjoyable. Mostly because you don't have to cram your workouts in around chores, errands, social activities, and sleep. There's plenty of time for everything!

Friday was a rest day, and I did just that. Saturday was a 7 miler. We met up with my coworker and some of her running company (there's like an army of them, I swear!) and did our first 4 in downtown Decatur with them, then finished our last 3 around Agnes Scott. It was nice to run with a different group and definitely nice to change up the scenery. It was a great run; our time was 1:08:23, and I felt really good afterward. Not too hot but definitely humid... the summer is rapidly approaching.

Today we enjoyed some time poolside like good Americans should on Memorial Day weekend, but we didn't spend too much time lounging. Got in a good swim... about a mile and a half in 35 minutes. Chris did great too! (I owe him a shout out cuz he was offended I gave him a hard time after last week)

Between two good workouts, finishing my paper for work, and a myriad of shopping trips and social activities, I'm exhausted. I'm so glad tomorrow's a holiday... gives me time for a true rest day. Although I'm not so certain that will actually happen...

Day 11: Fighting the treadmill blues

Thunderstorms and torrential downpours and flash floods don't really make for the best running conditions, so Chris came over and we ran on the treadmills in the gym at my apartment complex. Thankfully, our assignment today was a 30 minute "tempo run," so the time was short, and it actually made the task easier. I've never done a tempo run, and I was feeling a little apprehensive about it, but the treadmill is great because you set the speed. Takes the uncertainty out of it.

Basically, our run looked like this: 7 4:30 segments at the following paces: 11 min/mile, 10, 9:30, 9, 9:30, 10, 11. For minute 3 of every set we increased the incline to get a little hill work in as well; the percent grades were as follows: 5, 4, 3, 2, 3, 4, 5. The remainder of the run was at 1%, since apparently running on a 0% grade on the treadmill is actually like running slightly downhill. Don't want to make things easy.

Anyway, we went about 3.2 miles in 32 minutes and ended with a much needed stretching session. Overall a good workout.

P.S. My mom and her friend are thinking of training to walk the Disney Half Marathon this year when we run the Goofy! Wouldn't that be so awesome? I'll have my mom convinced to run races in no time! :-p

Day 10: Well-balanced workout

30 minutes cross training today, which I'll say I met with an hour and 15 min yoga class. My last class at Urban Body Studios on my Groupon. Super sad. I love that place so much... it's just too darn expensive for a starving graduate student.

The class today focused on balancing poses. Tough stuff for the legs and core. I seemed to be pretty well balanced (physically...) today so I pushed the limits a little where I could and it went well. Good end to this month's yoga adventure. Now on to other things...

Day 9: Baby, it's HOT outside

Holy heatwave, Batman. I'm not sure how many more 90 degree runs I can do. And it's only May! Chris may have to sacrifice a few of his leisurely days with nothing to do for some early runs, or we may die of heatstroke.

Four miles today, a "fun" run according to good ol' Hal. It actually was. I was super excited about work today (mark it on the calendars, kids) so I was already full of adrenaline and we had some good conversation almost the whole way. Despite all our gabbing and the intense heat, we still did ok pace-wise: 39:54. Just made that 10 minute mile cut-off.

Belly dancing tonight as well. It's possible the instructor was trying to kill us. My abs are so sore it hurts to sit upright. Definitely raised the bar as far as our technical skills go too... worked on some tough stuff. I'm not sure I can do four different things with my body all at once. It's good for me though, I suppose. Definitely tired. Should sleep well tonight!

Day 8: "Rest"

Week 2!

Mondays are rest days, but I did some yoga. Ended up being a whole class on legs. Good because it was excellent strength work and helped me focus on getting the bum hip aligned. Bad because my legs work all the time when I'm running... I need to work on the arms and abs (mostly the arms... seriously, they need help).

Short post... off to enjoy the rest of my evening and getting in that "rest." :-)

Day 7: First long run!

First long run of the season. 6 miles today. All I can really say is... not our best. We started too late in the day, so it was HOT, and we have been running in some lovely cool weather recently, so we're not quite conditioned for heat yet. I also think we were both a little tired from swimming yesterday. I always feel the effects of my swim workouts the day after, and I was feeling a little sore and heavy today. I know Chris was definitely feeling it as well. And I forgot about the whole it's hot and we're running for an hour so we need to stop to hydrate thing. And I may have had one too many "Ring in the Rapture" margaritas last night. So all of that adds up to not stellar. But our time was 1:03:15, which actually isn't terrible... well under the 12 min/mile pace we've set for our marathon, and not too far off from the 10 min/mile pace we've set for the half. So we know what to do for next time, and we have somewhere to go with our training. It wouldn't be training if you could just wake up and run it, right?

Day 6: The margaritas stole my title

Cross training day! I firmly believe the 2.5 hours I spent cleaning my apartment (and it's still not done... gah) should count. Regardless, Chris and I went to the pool and swam for ~40 minutes (we were supposed to do 60 minutes of cross training, which is why I feel cleaning totally counts to make up for the rest... I moved furniture, ok?). I made it about a mile and a quarter. Chris had some trouble keeping up... obviously because my swimming skills are becoming awesome. Or because the last time Chris swam more than one lap was... never. Regardless, I feel I can still give him a hard time :-p.

It's getting so hot outside now... which is great for swimming, but our run tomorrow might be sad... first long run though, yay! Hopefully I sleep well tonight so the run will be successful.

Daus 4 & 5: Rest and run

It doesn't technically count as missing a day if it's just a rest day... what am I supposed to write? And yes, I missed the midnight cutoff so this will say it's posted a day late, but I haven't gone to bed yet, so I consider myself safe.

We switched Thursday and Friday due to my busy social life. So Thursday was a rest day, which I took full advantage of, trust me. Today was a 3 mile pace run, meaning we were supposed to run all three miles at our goal pace, which for us currently is our 10k goal pace of 9:30/mile. We failed at that, however, in the opposite direction one might expect. Our splits ended up being 8:29, 8:53, and 9:11, for a total of 26:33. If we keep running like that we might need to challenge ourselves a little more and drop our goal time. But I think we should wait to see how we handle the longer distance. No need to rush into things, right?

Day 3: EXTREME YOGA

Let me preface this entry with a couple of points:
1. I worked a nine hour day, during which I did an incredibly stressful growth curve and finished writing the first draft of my first paper (finally...)
2. Nine hour day was not as bad as the 11 hour day I had anticipated... thanks to some very cooperative cells, I ended up with 2 hours of free time
3. For those of you not in the loop, the bf has moved to NJ, and is currently vacationing in Hawaii... so even talking is nearly impossible, and I'm bored and lonely
4. It was too cold to swim

I tell you this so you know that no, I am not actually crazy. (Ok, well, debatable, but in this case... not crazy.)

My cooworker had a pass to a yoga class that was going to expire today, and she couldn't make it, so she gave it to me. So upon prancing out of work 2 hours earlier than expected, I headed over to do the Hot Core Power class at Decatur Hot Yoga. I haven't done hot yoga in a LONG time. I forgot how much harder the heat makes it. It was a really great class though.

I had originally planned to go to the beginner's yoga class at Urban Body Studios tonight, so, since I had nothing else better to do, I decided I might as well still go, since the other class let out in time for me to eat a quick dinner and make it to the Highlands. I'm not gonna lie... it got a little tough towards the end there. The class focused on back bends, which are pretty intense to begin with, so I had to take it easier than I might usually. Also a good class, though... my back feels great!

Wednesdays are cross training days, and while there is some debate about whether or not yoga counts as cross training, I was only required by the schedule to do 30 minutes, so I feel 2 and 1/2 hours of yoga should suffice (I will spare you my tirade on why yoga definitely counts as cross training). Maybe not back-to-back classes next time though...

Day 2: So far, so good

Getting off on the right track by updating daily. Don't worry, I'll probably drop back to weekly in no time... we saw how well daily posts worked out last time around. Also, I realized last time I kept track of the days. I kind of like that. Stats to keep track of for the end of this season: days of training, miles run, weight lost... I'll probably think of more.

First official training run! 3 miles... so, cake. I was itching to run all day. The weather is on the chilly side for Atlanta this time of year, but it's perfect running weather--I barely broke a sweat. We did 3 miles in Lullwater around the lake and the president's house. Our time was fantastic: 28:03. Our goal pace for the 10k is currently 9:30/mile, but if we keep getting times like today, we might be able to take it down to 9:20. Time aside, it was a thoroughly enjoyable run, and I could have kept going, but no reason to push it--we have 24 weeks, might as well take our time and keep on schedule.

I also started a new belly dancing course today (yes, I'm still doing that, believe it or not): traveling moves, my first technique 2 course (that means intermediate)--I'm well on my way to becoming a professional! (Just kidding... or not... some days it sounds like a better life plan than science.) Because it's only a four week course instead of six, each class is an hour and a half. Turns out, that's a LONG time to belly dance. My quads and obliques hate me. But it was, as usual, totally fun (did you know you could belly dance to Michael Jackson? Yeah, me neither...), and between the running and the dancing and the yoga, I should be ready for the pool in no time! Take that, flabby off-season body! Also, hopefully all this core work will help prevent those back aches on long runs.

One run down... a LOT more to go...

Blog, revived: Marathon Try 2

Went to the doctor Thursday. Guess whose iron and hemoglobin are right smack in the middle of normal range? This girl's!!! So you know what that means? I have the official go-ahead to start training!

Good thing, too, cuz today is Day #1 of Race Season of Ridiculousness Training. Using a slightly modified version of good old Hal's Marathon 3 training schedule (http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novice3intro.htm), we will spend the next 24 weeks preparing for the Atlanta Marathon on October 30th, with the Peachtree 10k and the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon thrown in there for good measure. But we're not stopping there! The rest of our season is as follows:
Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon: Nov. 5th (Yes, that is the weekend after the Atlanta Marathon...)
Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon: November 24th
Savannah River Bridge Run Double Pump! (15k): Dec. 3rd
And then, of course, the ultimate goal--the Disney Goofy: half marathon on January 7th, full marathon on January 8th. (This, by the way, was Chris' idea... but I'm the one who started this madness, so I can't very well tell him no, can I?)

So what to do after the Atlanta Marathon until the Goofy as far as training goes I haven't quite figured out yet... that's going to take some research. Which I will think about later, when I'm wasting time at work or something (ok, so maybe, like tomorrow...).

Strangely enough, Mondays are rest days, so our first day of training actually calls for... nothing. I'm not really a nothing kind of person though, so I went to yoga class. I'm back at Urban Body Studios right now (hurray Groupon!), which is good, because I took some time off yoga, and their classes are really good for improving form and foundation, so it's been a good refresher. I also did 20 minutes on the Wii fit, just for fun... and I needed to use its scale because Chris and I, lamenting the flabbiness of our untraining bodies, are going to see how much weight we lose between now and the end of our race season. We don't have numbers, but we're fairly certain that last season it was a lot, so we want the numerical data (we're scientists, ok?). I think we should have a fun prize or something... like... a shot for every pound we lose at a post-season party! Or maybe just a cookie per pound or something safer than, you know, a gallon of vodka. ;-)

Oh, it's so fabulous to be back to both writing and training. First official training run tomorrow!

P.S. If you're interested, check out the pictures I added (Thanksgiving, Disney, Run before you crawl, and Sweetwater)! Pictures make things more fun. I'll try to stay on top of that this time around.

Sweetwater 420 Fest 5k

OMYGOSHICAN'TBELIEVEIFORGOTTOWRITEABOUTTHIS!!!!!

Fail me. I should have written about this yesterday AFTER it happened, but the day just got out of control. So much to do... anyway...

4 words: 5. K. P. R. Ok, I don't know if any of those count as words, but, you get the idea. Chris and I killed that course in 25:25. That's, like, impossible. Our first mile was 8:01, and I was shocked, but thought we were excited going out of the start and it wasn't too hilly, so we'd had a good first mile and would slow down. Second mile: 7:36. I don't even know how that happened. I haven't run a mile in under 8 minutes since high school. And somehow, despite all that quickness, we still finished the last of it strong in under 9 minutes. I almost cried, literally. There really are not words to express how much this PR means to me. I just always thought I could never be fast, that I was stuck in the 10 - 12 minute mile box and that was fine, I had endurance, so I'd go for distance. But I guess I really was sick, I guess I had a lot of potential I just couldn't reach because of the whole anemia mess. I thought that was just how people were. But now that I'm healthy, I can do speed work, and it works! I feel like I'm not making any sense, like I'm not conveying how excited I really am, but there's just no way. All I can say is it was a glorious moment, and I am so so so thankful to finally be healthy and tapping into my real potential, and of course for having such a great support system and running buddy!

The course was much less hilly than last year, more rolling hills instead of uphill the whole way. The weather was perfect: sunny and warm but a lovely cool breeze, definitely better than the equatorial heat wave we ran in last year. Two other friends ran with Chris and I, and since our race registration not only included an awesome, super soft shirt, but also free entry into the festival and a free beer, we of course stayed after the race to enjoy our well-deserved beer and check out the bands and other festival activities (we tried to convince Chris to ride the mechanical bull, but he chickened out. Lame.).

It was a spectacular day overall, and I couldn't be happier about it, despite my rather painful sunburn. I might have to retire from 5ks now though... how can I ever beat this time? Next challenge: Peachtree 10k in under an hour!

East Atlanta Village Run before You Crawl 5k

Awesome 5k today! Pretty hilly, but rolling hills and not as bad as we were expecting. Randy's first race ever... so proud! We finished in 31:43, which is so great for a first race, especially for someone who's never run. I am really just so proud. It was fun to train with him too. He's even pondering getting some real running shoes and trying to run a little on his own. He's already said NO to any half marathons, so I assume the full is out as well. :-p But I'll make a runner out of him yet!

We had a small group of 14 that showed up to run, including the overall women's winner of the race! Obviously cuz our group is awesome. We had a great range of times and several first-timers, and everyone had a good time and we all met our individual goals, which made for a very happy race ending.

The best part, of course, was the pub crawl afterward. 5k + 5 bars = great idea! If by great you mean hung over by like 3:00 in the afternoon, but... totally worth it! Warning though: eating only two bananas and running 3.1 miles in the humidity makes you a lightweight.

It was good to race again, and this was just a fun race to do. It's not often you can get so many of your friends together to run and spend the afternoon together. We have lots of great pictures... I'll try to get some up soon. Maybe from the marathon too... so you believe me that I'm really doing all this!

Another 5k next weekend... also followed by beer-based festivities... I might have a problem...

The grass is always greener... literally

Dear blog,
I miss you. Almost as much as I miss training. I thought our relationship was temporary, that I just needed you to get through my first marathon, but I can't stay away. So I am planning my race season, and get ready... you and I are going to get very close starting this summer. Sadly, I can only visit you intermittently until then. Sorry.
Love,
Liz

While reveling in the off-season, I decided it might be a good idea to give back to the running community that I have found so wonderful and supportive throughout my rather tumultuous running career, so I talked Chris into volunteering for the Publix Marathon and Half Marathon (aka the Race Formerly Known as ING). Today we worked packet pick up, so we got to give runners their bibs, shirts, and bags of awesome free stuff. It was kind of interesting to be on the other side and see what goes into getting the race together. We also learned a very important lesson: BE NICE TO THE VOLUNTEERS. While I enjoyed getting to talk to so many runners from all different backgrounds and sharing race stories and aspirations, I was also slightly disheartened by the number of rude people. People who think the rules don't apply to them, people who argue with and yell at volunteers for things that we really have no control over. Volunteers are just that: volunteers. They don't plan or direct the race, they don't decide how things will be, they just do the grunt work that needs to be done so all you runners can run the race. So if you have problems, take them to the race authorities, and leave the poor volunteers alone.

Bonus of being a volunteer: free shirt! Just cotton, but free shirts are always good. The volunteer shirts today were neon green. Like I glow in the dark green. Totally awesome. We got some free time to walk around the expo too, another excellent bonus--all the free samples and expo fun with none of the muscle-tearing, join-wrenching, bone-jostling racing. I got myself some snazzy new running shoes from Karhu... bright orange! Super light and surprisingly comfortable... I can't wait to see how they work on the road. I think I'll buy all my shoes at expos from now on... I can buy nicer shoes for the same price because of the discounts offered at the expo booths.

I was supposed to work tomorrow morning at the race finish line, but I somehow decided it would be a good idea to perform in my belly dancing studio's spring show, and our dress rehearsal is tomorrow, so I can't make it (I think I'm picking up a second addiction... this could be a problem). Poor Chris is stuck waking up at 6:30 and standing at the finish line for hours alone. This is why he shouldn't let me talk him into these crazy things. Oh well, I'm sure he'll make friends.

In happy running news, I'm running a 5k on the 9th of April. We'll ignore the fact that it's followed by a bar crawl. But Randy is running it with me! His first race! It's very exciting. We've been doing some training. A lot of our friends are actually going to run it with us, so it should just be a fun, easy race to keep me entertained in the off-season. I'm hoping to get some pictures up from Disney, and hopefully this 5k. Oh, AND... I set a 5k PR!!! Too bad it was just during a training run. But 29 minutes! 29! One of my miles I ran in 8:53!!! That's crazy!!! I'd have to say I'm getting this anemia thing beat, and I'm enjoying my new found zest and quickness from actually having oxygen in my blood. So I'm totally ready to jump back into training ASAP.

Definitely glad to be back. Hopefully another update soon!

Day 232: WALT DISNEY WORLD MARATHON 2011!!!

OMG I FINISHED!!!!!!! I did the whole thing!!! I had to walk a lot, but we ended up finishing in 6:17:11... WAY better than the whole 7 hours we thought it was going to take, and even better than 6:30, which was my secret hope.

Chris and I got an early, as in 2:15 a.m., start because we had to be in our corral by 5:00 a.m. and we had a 45 minute drive and were warned about traffic. But actually we had no traffic, and were there by 3:30, so we hung out until 4 in the car, then braved the cold to wait outside and eat breakfast. It was surprisingly cold... too cold to stretch well, really. Once we were all crowded together it was a little better, and we made small talk with several people to distract ourselves from the long wait. Race day definitely brings people together.

There were fireworks and a DJ and Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy at the start. I was so nervous crossing that starting line... all I could think was that this was a really bad idea, I wasn't ready, maybe I should have listened to the doctors. We had a really good start though, and ran 6 miles before we stopped to walk. It was really surreal, actually, running under the ball at Epcot all lit up in the dark. I managed to keep up running through the Magic Kingdom, which was incredibly motivational. There were tons of people lining Main Street and we got to run around and then straight through the castle. Awesome.

I had a little scare around mile 11 when my heart skipped a bit, so we walked awhile, and after the half point we started alternating miles running and walking (but made sure to run through Animal Kingdom to show off). I actually made it all the way to mile 20 still feeling like a person. By mile 21 I was starting to get light headed, felt some tightness in my chest, and it was getting harder to move my muscles, so we just walked through Hollywood Studios and all the way to mile 25 back in Epcot. But I was running that last 1.2 miles, no matter what. It was slow and painful, but I did it.

It was incredible. We saw tons of characters on our run, and there were marching bands and cheerleaders at several points (poor kids... what high schooler wants to get up that early and be out so long?). The hydration and food stations were well organized, and all the volunteers were incredibly supportive. And there were so many people out to cheer us on... family and friends of runners, Disney World staff, and just regular park and resort guests. They made an amazing cheering section, had some really creative and touching signs (highlights: "Run, walk, crawl... just FINISH!" and "I'm a complete stranger and I'm proud of you!"), and used the names on our numbers to offer us some personal support (people called my name 21 times... Chris only had like 9. Which is awesome cuz usually all the girls cheer for him during our races and I get no love :-p).

I really can't believe I finished. It's so amazing. I almost cried when I crossed the finish line, and again when they gave me my medal (which is AWESOME, by the way). My mom was there and it was so great to get a huge hug and see how excited she was too. Plus I got like 10 text messages from friends that had been tracking me online or just knew that I was running today. I was white and shaky by the time I got to the car, and I can barely walk now. But it was worth it. Basically, it was a completely amazing experience. And... I totally want to do another one. Maybe this one again, maybe a different one. But I want to see what I can do when I'm actually healthy. I think I'm an addict... great.

So... I guess this concludes the blog... for now. Thanks for reading! Perhaps I'll have to revive this for our next adventure... the triathalon! After a few months off, of course...