Long time, no see...

Yeah, I've been super busy sitting on my ass for a good long time.  I didn't train for the Dumbo Double Dare and it killed me.  I'll have to write that sad story some other time.  Maybe when I'm over it. 

For now, we'll focus on the phoenix rising from the ashes and my glorious restart into fitness.  I am way out of shape, so right now I am just walking.  I started again because I am signed up for two races coming up in the next two weeks.  Because that's how I roll - I sign up months and months in advance and ignore it pretty much until a week before when I panic.  That brings us to now... panic time. 

In 5 days, I'm doing the City Of Oaks 10k with my daughter.  It's a 14 minute mile pace and there is no way I can make that.  We'll probably be asked to finish it on the sidewalks so they can open the roads.  I am prepared for that and for being last.  It is what it is.

The week after is the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon which was so much fun last year.  By "so much fun", I mean I was slightly more trained and almost threw up because it was way past my bedtime.  Disney has a 16 minute mile requirement and this one I think I can do under the current conditions.  I just can't stop for pictures or potty breaks, which is fine.  I've done enough Disney races that pictures are not as necessary.  Maybe at some point where I actually train and not stress a half marathon, I can enjoy the whimsy of photos again.  Until then, I plod along.  If I get swept, it's not the end of the world... I'll just have more ammo to trash talk myself!

I'm really not as depressed as all this sounds!  I am glad to be back to doing SOMETHING (ANYTHING) and hope it's the start of a renewed commitment to fitness.  I was in love with my bad-ass triathlon self and I'd love to get back there again.

So, this is just to check in and say I am going to give this some effort and see where it takes me.  I am starting huge with two races I am unprepared for, but I will get through them as gracefully as possible and continue to move forward.

Day (I've officially lost track) of 100 (AND Princess Half Recap List!!)

Yesterday I added weight training so within weeks, I will be ripped like Linda Hamilton in Terminator!!  While I'm super excited for these excellent muscles, today I feel like I've been beaten in all my tender places.  :(

I also ran yesterday and since I have been somewhat inconsistent and have been wanting to increase my intervals, I re-started Couch 2 5k from Day One.  It was not terribly hard, with 1 minute run/ 90 secs walk, but I pushed hard on the intervals and did the whole thing.  Recall from previous posts that I peter out at halftime, regardless of the length of run.  I was pleased that I didn't give in to that little voice that tells me I can just skip a run interval and pick back up again next time.  I never do.  It's all walky-walky after I cave in.

 

Now then, you are invited to consider my big dilemma!  I was in Japan during the Dumbo Double Dare sign up.  To be honest, as much as I wanted to do this race, I just didn't see it in the cards for 2014 so the sign up day came and went without much thought.  Also, I was in Japan so I was pretty consumed with thinking about any food I could eat other than rice.

Imagine my surprise when I got an email from RunDisney saying I was signed up!  What?  Yes, well, that guy who's not really my boyfriend signed me up without my knowledge/consent/permission the day it went on sale.  So, I have mixed feelings because on one hand, DUMBO DOUBLE DARE - YAY!! And on the other, airfare and hotel and park tickets, oh my.

Also, if I'm going all the way to Disneyland for a race, I might as well do that Coast to Coast thang again. I was thinking of doing Wine & Dine anyway.  My question with this is that our big local race, City Of Oaks, is the weekend before W&D and I hate to miss it again.  Last year, I volunteered, but it was my first half and it holds a special place in my heart.  I could probably do both on back to back weekends, but do I want to?  It seems like you need a burning fire in your heart to want back to back halves.

 

Speaking of RunDisney, it was just Princess weekend and man, I missed not being there.  I think I will try to be a charity runner next year.  I've got to figure out a way to do more Disney races without selling my much-needed organs.  Here are some 2014 Princess Half Recaps.  I'll add more as I find them of  if you have one, please leave it in the comments!  (Here's mine from Princess 2013.)

Disney Princess Half Marathon Race Recaps - 2014:
Rachel - Undercover Diva: A Sitcom
Amy - The Point One Will Getcha

Amy - Mom's Magical Miles
Catie - Thank You For Running
Amanda - Disney Everyday
Tabetha - I Run On Water
Karen - Losing The Glass Slipper
Heather - Run Heather, Run: 26.2 or Bust
Meranda - Fairytales and Fitness
Jennifer - JennFaulk.com
Erika - Running Toward My Happy Ending
Amy - The Relocated Tourist
Bonnie - 'Cuse Runner Girl
Lauren - Will Run For Disney
April - Run The Great Wide Somewhere
Kara - Makeup, Cupcakes & Running
Julie - Run.Walk.Fastpass.Repeat.
Hildarys - Running Through Theme Parks
Patty - Margaritas, Miles & the Mouse
Laura - Run. Write. Rejoice.

And tell me, what should I do about my fall race schedule?  I only did my race goals for the first six months of 2014!!

Volunteer Report - Raleigh City Of Oaks 2013

My morning started very early, but thankfully Daylights Savings Time meant it started an hour later than my body thought it was.  Today was the Raleigh City Of Oaks Marathon and Half Marathon!  Last year, this was my first ever half marathon and I have fond memories of the cheerful volunteers encouraging me to keep going when I was oh-so-tired.  So this year, I decided to be a cheerful volunteer!

I arrived at my intersection at 6am.  In retrospect, I am not sure why they asked us to be there so early.  A police officer did not come by to clear the course (as we were told) and the road did not officially close until 7:30am.  I sat in my car inflating balloons until 7:30 and made a big poof for my back and two pom-poms for my wrists.

 

I wanted to do something fun that would make people smile as they ran by.  It's kind of the RunDisney spirit in me, I guess.  Part of what makes Disney runs so fun is the DISTRACTION of bright and colorful characters.  So, that's me today - a bright and colorful character!

The race started at 7am and I was located at the intersection of Brooks and Kilgore at mile 9.3.  The first super-fast runner came by at 7:48am, running what had to be 5 minute miles.  He did not smile or enjoy my cheers outwardly, but I'm sure all his energy was being spent moving forward more quickly than I ever will be able to.  About a minute later, the second guy came by, then about 10 more before the first woman came through.

I noticed something about these fast runners... they really aren't smilers.  I didn't have too many smiles or happy faces until the 9 minute mile folks came along.  Then it was non-stop smiling and high fives until the 12 minute mile people were all through.  By the 13 minute pace, most people were unhappy again - many struggling to just finish the race.  Those are my people, so I know how they feel.  However, I hope I smiled more at the volunteers when I was slow and tired.  I will definitely make a point to do so going forward.

The clearing pace police cars came up behind a small group of walkers and I was told to clear the intersection.  There were a few people walking with bibs behind the police cars on the sidewalks and I cheered for them as I packed up my stuff and de-ballooned myself.

I learned a lot being a race volunteer today.  First, I really am inspired by the happy, middle-of-the-pack people.  They really seemed to be enjoying running and were so pleasant.  Many thanked me for volunteering and several stopped to take their picture with me - which I thought was so fun.  I want to be those people - faster, yes... but HAPPY and ENJOYING RUNNING.  That was a really cool thing to see.  Second, I am so proud of those who kept moving forward when they were getting passed and when the pace car was nipping at their heels (and even passing them).  Maybe they didn't have a lot of smiles to give, but they were working just as hard as that unsmiling first guy and probably using their energy just the same as he was - to keep going as fast as they could toward the finish line.

I will definitely volunteer again!  Not only did I have a great time, but check out this sweet swag:

Scotchy Scotch Scotch

This post has nothing to do with running, but everything to do with why I am chubby.

 

Best ice cream related news ever:  Ben & Jerry's Anchorman Ice Cream

Anchorman is my FAVORITE movie of all time!  Fortunately, I like butterscotch because I will be eating Anchorman ice cream regardless of the flavor.

Here's the new trailer from Anchorman 2:

 Ok, enough of that.  I rode 15 miles in a little under an hour on the stationary bike yesterday.  I am due to run 5 miles today.  Trying to do my runs later in the day or evening to get more prepared for Wine & Dine.  I'm pretty sure there is a 50% chance it won't happen since I'll have to do it after dinner and that's the time I start checking out.  I also have a volunteer meeting for the City Of Oaks Marathon.  I am going to be a course monitor since I am not running this year.  I'm thinking that it makes better sense to run in the day (when I know I will do it), than wait for evening (when I can talk myself out of it).

Raleigh City Of Oaks/Rex Healthcare Half Marathon - November 2012

I have completed my first half marathon! 

It is also now 58 days until my next one: the Tinkerbell Half at Disneyland in California.  I am also registered for the Princess Half in February.  So, in short, I need to get off my ass and start seriously committing to some mid-week runs.  It all started two weeks before the COO when I had to travel.  I teach balloon decor and travel usually once to twice a month, depending on the month.  No complaints - I love what I do... it's just hard to maintain a running schedule when traveling.  I'm also on Weight Watchers and I don't have to tell you how hard it is to maintain points while eating at restaurants 3 nights out of 7.  Anyway, on to the COO!

I was nervous and excited as the big day approached.  I knew I could do the distance, as my Galloway training had prepared me for this.  I just worried about the pace.  I wanted to finish a sub-three-hour time and so I thought I would start with the 2:30 pace group and then I had some wiggle room.  HA!  This is hilarious in retrospect.

Here's the starting line - you can see the arches waaaay in the distance.  I started pretty far back because I was not the fastest gal on the track.  I ran into Danielle, another Galloway runner, and we were excited to have found a friend to run with.  This lasted until the end of mile 2.  She was just too fast for me.  I think I ran a 12 minute & 13 minute mile those first two.  I just couldn't keep that up for 13 miles.  And I was cursing myself for the rest of the race for not doing my mid-week runs and not pushing myself harder during training.  I ran with the 13 mm pace group, but we always run at 15mm or slower and I never pushed myself harder than that.

After I sent Danielle ahead with all my well-wishes, and got passed by the 3 hr pace group (::cries::), I just decided to finish and do what I could with what I had.  We ran past the capitol building and I stopped to get a pic:

Notice how few runners were in front of me.  There were actually quite a few behind me, so I didn't feel too badly.  So, after the capitol, it got hilly through some residential areas.  As you know, hills are NOT my friends and I was getting tired and discouraged.  The only thing keeping me moving forward was knowing I was going to see my family at mile 6.2.  I had never been so tired and unhappy by mile 4 since I started running!  But I kept going - through the awful hills - and kept moving towards my kids waiting at Cameron Village.

Here's me hugging my daughter.  I have never been so happy to see these people EVER.  I had been struggling for about 4 miles all alone and up in my head, and seeing my kids, mom, and my ex-husband (yes! He was there to support me too! Yay!) was the best, most emotional thing I have felt in a long time.  It, more than finishing or getting a medal, was the highlight of the race for me.

My son took this photo of me as a ran away from the hugs, and I am posting it because I have lost 25 pounds through running and WW and I hope it serves as inspiration to lose more:

Ok, I was half way through and my next goal was to get to my friend Emma, who was volunteering at the race.  A few words about Emma - She is amazing!  So outgoing and friendly in this super easy way to talk to.  She befriends everyone and is just someone you want to be around.  She is also so encouraging and I knew she would fill up my motivational reserves when I made it to her.  It was about three more miles before I got to her and then I got to see her twice since she was at the juncture of an out-and-back road.  I kept thinking I was ALMOST DONE because I was close to Hillsborough Street where the finish line was, but NOOOOOOOOO, I was still about 4 miles out.  It's kinda cruel actually, because just when you reach Hillsborough, you have to do three out-and-backs before you can run down Hillborough to the finish line.  The first two were not bad, but the last one was all the way to Western Boulevard before turning back.  I was way ahead of the street sweepers and there were still lots of people behind me, so I knew I was doing ok.  I did start walking quite a bit more and usually just running on the downhills.  This is something else I want to improve before the next half - I have got to keep my intervals going!  About mile 10, my leg starting hurting - can't remember if it as my knee or my calf now, but I was crampy and slowed down a bit.  I ran past my Galloway friends Sue and Margaret and that helped me keep going.  Only about 1.5 miles left!

As I got close to the finish line, I saw my family again and I wanted to stop but I was so close and they actually ran along side me (behind the fences) to the finish line!  They were so proud and that was a nice feeling.  I was glad it was over and HUNGRY. LOL

Here's me with my medal:

So - yay!  I didn't feel as life-changed as I thought I would, but now, weeks later, I can say it was a pretty great thing.  I don't plan and work towards a goal as a general rule and this was something I really followed through with. 

I am going to try to blog more - only because I think it helps keep me accountable.  My next races should be fun with lots of photos.  I do plan to dress up for both the Tink & the Princess (and truth be told, that the whole reason I wanted to start running - LOL).  Oh!  My official time for the COO was 3:14:27 with a pace of 14:50 mm.  My Garmin had it a little different: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/240138965#.UK-ZNh_kFxt.email

And I also got a new charm for my bracelet:

 

Many lessons learned!  Now I just need to apply them...