What I've Overcome...

I discovered the song "What I've Overcome" by Fireflight awhile back and I have to tell you that it is pretty meaningful to me. Especially the chorus (full lyrics at the end of the post):

If only you could see me yesterday
Who I used to be before the change
You'd see a broken heart
You'd see the battle scars

Funny how words can't explain
How good it feels to finally break the chains
I'm not what I have done
I'm what I've overcome

It's odd that after having lost 100+ pounds, I can look in the mirror and still see who I was back then. But the truth is that I shed that person with the weight. I am no longer who I was when I was so overweight that my life was in jeopardy. I couldn't play with my niece and nephews the way I wanted to. I had very little energy and even less stamina and endurance to walk or anything else. And let's not even think or discuss what my nutrition looked like.

It's funny how shedding that weight and that person has changed me. I won't lie, I have changed. I have gained more confidence, more strength, more speed, more endurance, more stamina, etc. I have gained a lifestyle that enables me to meet people I likely would never have talked to before because they were into fitness and I felt that they looked down on me.

There are a lot of days when I struggle with where I am because my motivation slips a bit and I get frustrated and don't feel great about myself. The problem is that I am trying to look at the big picture, at the road ahead and I have forgotten to acknowledge how far I have come. I don't feel like I need to dwell/focus on my past, however it is something I need to remember. I AM a different person. As my favorite Amplified Athletics' shirt states I am "Stronger Better Faster...Built Rebuilt".

It dawned on me a couple of weeks ago that when I got the new flowers on my tattoo, that I would never in a million years think I would have gotten one flower tattooed for running a half marathon...now I have 13! I used to set limits as to what I could and could not do. I have grown past those limits. I never would have thought that I would love hitting the gym and lifting weights either. And now I can go into the gym and push myself and lift with good form alone. I still love training with a partner because I tend to push harder, but I now feel confident enough to go in alone also.

I think sometimes we all forget our motivations and our willpower slips. We all stumble. We all fall down occasionally. But we have to remember that we still have the ability to get back up and keep on going. We cannot let our past keep us down, nor can we let the fear of our future keep us from achieving what we are truly capable of. We have to push ourselves each day, a little harder, a little further. The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results. It doesn't work that way. If you want results, you have to make some changes. You have to allow yourself to grow and evolve.

So, what's holding you back? Acknowledge where you have been. Set goals (and mini goals) and constantly remember that the only thing keeping you from where you really want to be is you. We all have excuses. We all have fears. Rather than sitting on the couch stuffing your face with Oreos, get up, be active. Change your life little by little. No one said it would be easy but it is most definitely worth it. And know this, even though you may change and become someone different, you never really lose who you are, you just become a better, more fit version of yourself.

I shared this with some friends the other week. I had been told when I got the shih tzu puppies that I would never have running partners. Apparently no one ever informed Mayhem and Minion that they would not be my buddies. Those little girls LOVE sprinting. They LOVE getting the opportunity to run with me. And they are by far my favorite partners for HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).  Don't let others set limitations on what you can accomplish. Don't limit yourself! Push yourself.

My running partners :) We've got some speed here!

I encourage you to get out there and make every day count. Don't give up on yourself and don't let yourself be bogged down by excuses or anything else. Each day is brand new...put the mistakes in the past and move forward! Life is way too short to focus on your failures. Learn from the mistakes and never settle for mediocrity!

My running mantra I had tattooed on my right arm :)

What I've Overcome lyrics

I've got this passion
It's something I can't describe
It's so electric
It's like I've just come alive

I feel this freedom 
Now that my past is erased
I feel the healing
I've found the meaning of grace
(I found grace)

If only you could see me yesterday
Who I used to be before the change
You'd see a broken heart
You'd see the battle scars

Funny how words can't explain
How good it feels to finally break the chains
I'm not what I have done
I'm what I've overcome

I know I'll stumble
I know I'll still face defeat
These second chances will define me

So I'm moving forward
I'm standing on my two feet
I've got momentum
I've got someone saving me
(got someone saving me)

If only you could see me yesterday
Who I used to be before the change
You'd see a broken heart
You'd see the battle scars

Funny how words can't explain
How good it finally feels to break the chains
I'm not what I have done
I'm what I've overcome

I make mistakes and I might fall
But I won't break
I've got someone saving me

If only you could see me yesterday
Who I used to be before the change
You'd see a broken heart
You'd see the battle scars

Funny how words can't explain
How good it feels to finally break the chains
I'm not what I have done
I'm what I've overcome
I'm what I've overcome
I'm what I've overcome

Divas Half Marathon North Myrtle Beach Race Report (05/20/2012)

I have been wanting to do an all girls' race for some time now. The Divas Half Marathon looked pretty inviting but the locations were so far away and would involve quite a bit of funds. So, when I heard the Divas Half was coming to North Myrtle Beach, I knew it was the race for me. After all, I really need some girly bling, right? :)

Having competed in the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon and then the NC Half Marathon, I had become acquainted with Kendrick Ribeiro through his running tips, encouragement and advice, I knew I wanted to meet him. Unfortunately, he had not been able to make it to either Myrtle Beach Mini or the NC Half. As the official coach of all of these half marathons, he stays pretty busy but always finds time to send out encouragement and advice to the runners and I had really been helped and inspired by him. So, my first stop at the expo after getting my race packet was by his table to give him a big hug and chat for a few minutes. He was just as awesome in person as he has been online. So, it was great to get the chance to talk shop with him for a little bit. I did get to give him a big hug and he insisted that I had to wear the tiara and wrapped the boa around my neck for our photo :) LOL

I did a little bit of shopping at the expo. I bought a Sparkly Soul headband that I loved. It never slipped or moved the entire race. I love my Sweaty Bands but I didn't have one that matched what I was wearing, so I thought I would give this a try. I think they are awesome!!

We were kinda chill after the expo, grabbed dinner, grabbed some food for breakfast the next morning. And then I laid out all my stuff and clothes for the next day...of course, I would be representing Amplified Athletics by wearing one of their awesome shirts :)  For some reason, I had a horrible time getting to sleep before this race and only managed to get about 4 hours of sleep.

Since the hotel would not approve a late checkout for me until the next morning, I headed there at 5 a.m. to ask about it since they had told me the night before someone would be available. After waiting 10 minutes for someone to show up, I was informed that I would have to check back at 7 a.m....kinda difficult since I would be at the start line for my race. I ended up having to wake Jason up to have him check for a late checkout when he got up. Then as luck would have it, my GPS dislikes Myrtle Beach and got a bit turned around and I ended up getting to the shuttles later than planned. Luckily, I arrived at the start line with plenty of time.

Check out all the Divas getting ready for the race to start. The race had been sold out and there were around 4000 people registered for the half marathon. There was also a 5k which men were allowed to run that would start after us. (They gave out a medal for the 5k too which was pretty cool!)

While waiting for the race start, I chatted with a few people. I had planned to walk this race with a friend who doesn't run but she decided that she didn't want to do it about a week or so before the race. So, I had not planned to run which was probably not the worst thing ever since I had just recovered from the horrible blisters I got at the Flying Pirate Half Marathon. There was a walker back there who was terrified that she wouldn't finish, so those of us seasoned half marathoners were giving her some advice. Of course, I informed her not to get on a bus unless she was bleeding or had bones showing and to just keep going.

It was there I met my new friend, Lauren, who I found out was 26 weeks pregnant! This was her last half marathon to compete in until her next child is born in August. I loved hanging out with her and chatting as we completed the half. Her husband and son met us twice during the half marathon and Lauren actually carried Eamon as she crossed the finish line...that was amazing :)

It was a great course, we ran Ocean Boulevard for a lot of it and it was a very flat course. I would not consider the minor hills in the course anything to be worried about...they didn't last very long and their was not much elevation to either of them. The miles seemed to flow by the first half with plenty of coverage from trees in the residential areas. The course was well marked which is always nice. There were lots of water/gatorade stations which was awesome. The only time I was nervous was when we were out on one of the main roads because  I was right next to a whole lot of cars!!! And the last half of the course was full sun and all I could think about was the fact that I had neglected to put on sunscreen and had just gotten off an antibiotic!!

The boa and tiara station was right before the finish. I just got my tiara...as hot as it was there was no way I wanted a boa around my neck or to have to carry one. Lauren and I stayed together right up until the end. She was carrying Eamon and I saw the finish line in sight. So, I turned to her and said "See you in a few." I love running a finish line and this one was no different than the others.

So, I ran the finish line. I was not wearing my tiara because it would have flown off, so I ran with it in my hand.  And then I had a very hot looking shirtless guy hand me my medal. And I found the firefighters there too :)Yeah, that was a nice view.

And I saw Kendrick at the finish line and chatted with him briefly and introduced him to Lauren and Eamon :) I also found the champagne at the finish line and yes, I did enjoy every sip of it :) We headed over to get our pictures made and then to refuel.

After thanking Lauren for being my race buddy and agreeing to hook up on Facebook later, I headed back to the shuttle to get to my car and got back to the hotel with 15 minutes to spare to get showered and packed. I was very pleased that I did not experience any odd pains, no blisters, no issues. Hard to believe, I know. Perhaps my last two races took care of the worst of my issues for this one :) Let's just say I didn't question it. And I liked this race so much that I know that I want to run it next year and I will plan to run it from the start. I am pretty stoked about it!

Philadelphia Half Marathon 9-18-2011

Here it is...finally, my race report. Wasn't sure it was going to get done until later in the week, but here you go....

So, before I give you my race report, I will give you an update on life for me lately. It's been an interesting year. It's hard to believe that I only have 2 more half marathons to complete before I can stick my tongue out at the naysayers who said I was crazy for doing 6 in one year. Yeah, I won't lie, it is part of my motivation :) As usual before I do any race, I somehow manage to injure myself or have some kind of crazy issue...I think that is normal for me. So, right now, I am under the care of the orthopedic surgeon again....Dr. Ekman is taking care of my left wrist. It has been bothering me for about 5-6 weeks and I was finally able to get in to see him yesterday. He believes that it has been injured in the past, though I am unaware of any injuries and so is my mother. In addition to it being completely abnormal (so were my hips! LOL!), arthritis has set in and made lifting and little tasks like opening bottles, driving, etc. painful. So, I am now in a wrist support brace for the next 30 days to try and get it back to normal and I am on anti-inflammatories!! I had gone to see a chiropractor that I could get in to see earlier than Dr. Ekman and found out that they couldn't do anything for my wrist but my back and neck are way out of alignment. So, now I am on the chiropractic route and in a wait and see pattern about the wrist.

So, that is what's going on with me prior to flying out to Philly on Friday. We got into Philly and were able to get our rental car and get to the Expo. And I shopped...found lots of fun stuff...like the perfect shirt for me that says "I Run So I Don't Kill People" and it has the chalk outline. Yeah, I couldn't resist :) The expo was fun. We headed to what Food Network says is the best place for philly cheesesteaks only to find out that no one agrees who makes the best. It was a pretty fabulous philly though! The day before race day, poor hubby forgot that a walking tour would be a bad plan and walked me to death which agitated my hip and legs and back. So, on race morning after standing in the forever long port-a-potty line (and I forgot to stuff my bra! Bad morning). I headed over to join in my corral.

I started off with a pretty good run pace. And then I spotted my kindred spirit. Deanna is a runner who also does the run/walk program and she was injured. She was doing this half marathon with a broken foot. She was only 6 weeks out from the break and was determined to finish. Luckily, she did not require surgery. So, I made Deanna my best friend and decided to do the smart thing and stick with her as she walked it since she was doing about the pace that I wanted at that point. I figured that my neck and back would be helped greatly if I took it a bit easier this early in to therapy. Deanna was a rockstar...we talked the entire time distracting each other from any possible pain. And yes, we finished and finished strong. I had fun. And I remembered my dear friend and ironman, Taz, telling me that I needed to stop pressuring myself and have fun. I never even thought about the time for a second. It was great. Beautiful course. It ended near the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where Rocky ran the steps :)

All in all it was a great race. My post race recovery though was not up to standard. I did not factor in a recovery day, so we rushed back to the hotel, got me a shower and packed up and then had lunch and headed to the airport. We managed to fly out standby and got back in earlier than expected. I did not get much sleep Sunday night due to a neighbor whose car decided to have the alarm go off for 4 hours...yes, 4 hours. It was insane and kept me up most of the night. Then, I had to get up early and head out to see Dr. Ekman and then off to the chiropractor. Stop for a quick lunch where I forgot to eat a sufficient amount of carbs and then off to work for 6 hours. Work was fun...I have half marathon brain :) Then I headed to grab dinner quickly and got a post race massage. When I got off the massage table, my body started shaking uncontrollably. I went in to shock. I was able to get the shaking to stop and then headed home where my hubby and my friend helped me in. I got a shower, warmed up and my body began the uncontrollable shaking. I was also fighting a headache all day that wouldn't go away. After trying to go to sleep, I gave up and decided since I was now unbelievably hot to check my temperature and had a nice temp of 101.9. The fever finally broke around 2:30. And of course, after very little sleep, I was up early to get in to work today. It's going to be a really fun week of recovery!! I fully intend to listen to my body and go to bed when I get off work tonight...promise.

But next week, I am gearing up for Myrtle Beach in October. Then a nice recovery run in Savannah. Clearly even though I thought my body could handle what I was putting it through, it let me know otherwise which means I will plan for a much easier day after the race to recover better and much more sleep.

I loved the course in Philly and could absolutely see myself doing it again :)

Challenges

Just because you've always done it, doesn't mean you must continue. Just because you've never done it, doesn't mean you cannot start now. (Ralph Marston)

I love this quote. It is so true. I find often that we sit back and wait for things that we want to happen to finally come true. I was that way with weight loss for the longest time. I wanted to be fit. I wanted to lose weight. I would put in a half-hearted effort and expect to see results. So, I would continue on and believe that the reason I couldn't lose weight was because nothing worked for me. The truth is that even when I was putting in more than a half-hearted effort, I was not committed fully to the endeavor. What I was attempting was really more of a short-term fix instead of a long-term change. Until the journey became about my life and about changing my life, nothing changed. Until I finally challenged myself to be all that I wanted to be, I was never going to get there.

How often do we look at the challenges ahead of us and become so overwhelmed by the task that we quit before attempting it? How many times do we think about things that sound interesting or fun and decide that we cannot do these things because we've never done them before?

This journey I am on has been a long one and many ask me if my journey is over. And honestly, it's not. I am still actively working on my weight loss and I am still working towards new fitness goals. I tell people that my journey evolves with me because I am not the same person I was when I started. Along the way, my goals and thoughts change. When I started this, I had no idea and certainly no desire to run, much less start competing in half marathons. I would've laughed at you for suggesting it back then. Now, it's a part of my life. It's a challenge that I continually put out in front of myself. Was it a bit ambitious to challenge myself to do 6 half marathons in one year? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was about challenging myself to think outside of the box, to reach for greater things than I could've expected, or even to see myself in a different light? Whatever the underlying reason might have been, the reality is that I have been challenged this year by the first three half marathons.

My friend that I met at the Marine Corps Historic Half this past weekend had run several marathons and half marathons and made the very correct statement that no matter how many races you run of the same distance or even on the same course, each race presents new and different challenges. It's very true. I have competed in several races multiple years and no race is quite the same. Sometimes it's little things...changes in training, mental preparedness, race strategies, unexpected injuries...whatever it is, there is challenge there.

The truth is that I do love a challenge. I like to constantly better myself and look for opportunities to move beyond my capabilities. I strive to increase my fitness level. I want to be a better runner. I am challenging myself to take my running to the next level. And though sometimes I am not quite up to the challenge I present myself, other times I exceed my own expectations for it.

Right now, I am realizing that just because I can complete a half marathon without proper training, does not mean I should. Also, I know that if I am truly to exceed my own expectations and to reach my goals, then I must better prepare myself. It's one of the reasons that I am truly excited about the work that Tripp and I are doing together. Our training is working. We've been working together for two weeks and not only have I seen greater increase in strength, endurance and stamina, but I have also seen weight loss. I feel like I am getting back on track and on my way back towards my fitness goals. I sincerely desire to be a better runner. Part of that requires weight loss because running will be easier and require less effort with less body weight. And the other part requires more dedication to proper eating and strength training which enables my body to better face the challenges that running presents. So, now I continue on with the work that Tripp and I have been focusing on and I start putting more emphasis into my running form and skills. I expect to see much improvement in my racing in the fall if I put more time and dedication into this endeavor.

And when I reach those goals, there will be something new and exciting to follow. I am not ready to settle down and I am certainly not ready to give up!

Life is challenging and it's unexpected at times. But without challenges, can there truly be change? If we continue to live as we always have, can we possibly grow or become better than we are? Are there areas in your life that you need to challenge? Look at your life and see where you have grown complacent or overly comfortable. Step out of that comfort zone and reach towards something greater. A life well-lived is a life that is full of trial and error, successes and failures, but in the end, that life is actually lived instead of endured.

Palmetto Half Marathon Race Report :)

Why is it that every race seems to include some type of injury for me beforehand or during that I have to overcome?? LOL...The Palmetto Half Marathon is no different than the others! On Thursday, I was getting something out of my pantry and had a Tupperware container of coffee filters fall from the top shelf onto my pinky toe on my left foot...and well, there we have a broken pinky. And because I couldn't be done with just one injury for this race, I managed to twist my right ankle, falling and scraping my shin and bruising the middle toe on my right foot as well. Yeah, it was all painful! But I had a race to run and couldn't let a few minor details keep me from it.

In addition to my injuries, my training prior to the race was extremely sporadic and sometimes non-existent. After the Did Not Finish during the Columbia Half, I was having a really rough time staying motivated and fighting the inner voice that kept telling me that walking off a course is going to be easier the second time than it was the first time. So, I was quite nervous and spazzing out. The only saving grace for me was that Cathy agreed to run the race with me at my pace. I felt pretty good that I could make it to the finish line with Cathy spurring me on!

I did contact my favorite trainer, Tripp, and let him know that I was having a difficult time pre-race and needed one of his pep talks. So, I got an awesome pep talk the night before the race from Tripp. He told me a lot of things that I needed to hear. He reminded me that the important thing to remember was to have fun and to finish. He said even if it took me 6 hours to finish that I had to stick with it and complete my race. I was so thankful that he took the time to encourage me and help me out before the race!

On race morning, I was doing pretty well. Other than being a bit tired and needing some caffeine, I was ready. Cathy and I searched for Ricky. We wanted to see Taz!!! I knew he was planning on running the half and we had really hoped to catch him before the race started. It was like playing a game of Where's Waldo! We were calling out for Ricky and searching the crowds. And then, Cathy spotted him!! It was great to see both Ricky and Kathy! We chatted for a few minutes before the start of the race.

Before the race began we were informed that if racing conditions became unsafe during the race that we were on our own and should get to somewhere safe! LOL...apparently there was no way for them to pick up the runners if the race was canceled because weather conditions became worse. At least we were prepared with ponchos in case it rained!

The race started pretty well. It was a bit chilly but not bad once we started moving and the rain seemed to be holding off. I jogged for awhile until my toe began to ache a little bit and I was worrying a little about making sure the hip was warmed up well before pushing it too hard. So, I decided to do some walking and I jogged when I was able to without pain. I kept reminding myself that this race was for fun. I was not concerned about my time. I was concerned about finishing my race. I was so thankful that Cathy was with me because I know there were a couple times early in the race that I thought I was certainly insane for doing this!

Around about mile 4, we picked up a new buddy, Ron. (That's right, even though I had a partner already for the race, I found another friend who was doing his first race and his buddies left him behind! That is apparently my normal race thing!) So, we befriended Ron and continued to encourage him and help him along the way. We had lots of laughs and jokes along the way. We especially enjoyed when the first downpour began, Cathy managed to get into her poncho with a bit of difficulty. However, I opted against it since I was already wet. Shortly after Cathy got her poncho on, the rain stopped and then she was jogging in her poncho and told us it was a bit warm! When she finally took it off, Ron and I were convinced it would start pouring again. And it did :) LOL

It was not the easiest of races. However, we persevered. We were wet, sore, and had sausage fingers, but we kept going! We sent Cathy ahead of us a little before mile 12 because she had a goal of finishing the race before the girl who was ahead of us most of the race (and she did!!!) Mile 12 seemed to be the longest mile ever. I didn't think it was going to ever end. It was a bit of torture because my feet and legs and hips were hurting and there was a short period of a torrential downpour on us. I just wanted to be done. I was tired, soaked and in desperate need of caffeine :) But then the finish line was finally in sight. And we made it. We finished the race and we had fun!!!

I did find this race to be a very well organized race. There were lots of volunteers and the course was marked very well. There was also a good amount of water/gatorade stations with fruit as well. I was very favorably impressed with the set up. I even liked the race shirt :) The course was a bit hilly but overall I felt it was a good course and I would consider running the race again.

So, now I am at home. I had a good post race massage that has helped to ease up the lactic acid in my muscles. And I am chilling with Advil in my system, an ice pack on my pinky toe and drinking lots of water. Tomorrow I know I will be sore but today I am happy. I finished my race and I survived! Ultimately, it was a great day. After some recovery, I will hit the floor running again to get ready for the race in May :)

My Latest Half-Marathon Playlist

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was compiling a new playlist for my half-marathon. Several friends asked me if I would post that list. So, here is the list of songs that I had in my playlist for the half-marathon. Word of warning...I listen to just about every and anything. I love music. Songs that some find offensive, I may like for the music not the lyrics. I am able to listen to music without paying the slightest bit of attention to lyrics. Weird...maybe, but absolutely true. So, if you are someone who feels the need to be judgmental about what I may be listening to or if you are easily offended, please skip this post.

If you're still reading...I love this music. The majority of the songs on there are performed by females. There are a few exceptions to that, but my friend suggested that I make my playlist a "Girl Power" list.

Here's what I listened to during my 13.1 mile run :)

My First Kiss (feat. Ke$ha)	3OH!3
Pump It	Black Eyed Peas
Just Can't Get Enough	Black Eyed Peas
My Humps	Black Eyed Peas
I Did It For Love (featuring Sean Garrett)	BoA
Dress Off	BoA
Obsessed	BoA
Hypnotic Dancefloor	BoA
Fighter	Christina Aguilera
Can't Hold Us Down	Christina Aguilera
Not Myself Tonight	Christina Aguilera
Fallin' for You	Colbie Caillat
You Decide	Fireflight
Unbreakable	Fireflight
Stronger Woman	Jewel
Teenage Dream	Katy Perry
Hot N Cold	Katy Perry
Waking Up In Vegas	Katy Perry
Peacock	Katy Perry
Firework	Katy Perry
California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)	Katy Perry
Your Love Is My Drug	Ke$ha
Take It Off	Ke$ha
Kiss N Tell	Ke$ha
We R Who We R	Ke$ha
Blah Blah Blah (Feat. 3OH!3)	Ke$ha
TiK ToK	Ke$ha
My Life Would Suck Without You	Kelly Clarkson
If I Can't Have You	Kelly Clarkson
Whyyawannabringmedown	Kelly Clarkson
I Do Not Hook Up	Kelly Clarkson
I Run To You	Lady Antebellum
Love This Pain	Lady Antebellum
Telephone	Lady GaGa
Bad Romance	Lady GaGa
LoveGame	Lady GaGa
Monster	Lady GaGa
Just Dance feat. Colby O'Donis	Lady GaGa
Poker Face	Lady GaGa
Disco Heaven (Bonus Track)	Lady GaGa
So Happy I Could Die	Lady GaGa
Paparazzi	Lady GaGa
Money Honey	Lady GaGa
Starstruck ft. Space Cowboy & Flo Rida (US Bonus)	Lady GaGa
I Like It Rough	Lady Gaga
Spank My Booty (Reprise)	Lords of Acid
Pump My Body to the Top	Lords of Acid
Mister Machoman	Lords of Acid
Ride	Martina McBride
Can't Be Tamed	Miley Cyrus
Party In the U.S.A.	Miley Cyrus
The Time of Our Lives	Miley Cyrus
Kicking and Screaming	Miley Cyrus
I Will Run	Misty Edwards
One Way or Another	My Fitness Music
Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun	My Fitness Music
U + Ur Hand	P!nk
Stupid Girls	P!nk
There You Go	P!nk
Raise Your Glass	P!nk
Get the Party Started	P!nk
Don't Let Me Get Me (Radio Edit)	P!nk
Try Too Hard	P!nk
Trouble	P!nk
Funhouse	P!nk
Bad Influence	P!nk
So What	P!nk
F**kin' Perfect	P!nk
Respect	P!nk & Scratch
That's What You Get	Paramore
Pressure	Paramore
CrushCrushCrush	Paramore
Holding Out for a Hero (Workout Remix)	Power Music Workout
Disturbia	Rihanna
Only Girl (In the World)	Rihanna
Can't Get You Out Of My Head	S.H.E
Click Click Boom	Saliva
I Can't Explain	Sixpence None The Richer
Rock What You Got	Superchick
It's On	Superchick
One Girl Revolution (Battle Mi	Superchick
Bowling Ball	Superchick
One More	Superchick
Cross The Line	Superchick
Me Against The World	Superchick
Anthem	Superchick
Get Up (Heelside Mix)	Superchick
Carmina Burana	Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Tracers	Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Charleston Half-Marathon Race Report

First half-marathon of the year...done...finished...history. Personally, I am hoping that the next 5 go a lot smoother than this. I have never in my entire running career been this frustrated before, during and after a half-marathon. It was certainly not one that I could write about how I did 13.1 and was still smiling.

So, the race I ran this past weekend was the 2nd Riverfront Race Festival's Charleston Half-Marathon. I figured since Charleston hosts the Cooper River Bridge Run and it goes fairly well, they would do well with this one. They definitely have some room for improvement, but that's a growing pain issue so hopefully they will listen to the runners and make some changes. Here's how my weekend panned out...

Friday, Chuck and I did a great stretching session with my trainer, Tripp before heading back to the house, showering, grabbing a quick lunch and heading to Charleston. Tripp gave me a thumbdrive with the MP3s that he spent about 2 hours recording for me to go on my iPod. I was so very stoked about them and couldn't wait to listen to them. My plan was to download them on to the playlist and then strategically place a message every several minutes (depending upon how many there were). When I went to put them on the computer, I discovered the first disappointment of the weekend...they were not on the thumbdrive. Tripp was really upset. However, as I told him, he told me the one thing I needed to hear from him on Thursday when we were training. He told me that even if I had to walk the whole race and did my absolute best, that he would still be proud of me. That meant so much to me. I cannot wait to get the MP3s from him tomorrow and listen to them and use them at my next race in March.

Also, on Friday, we picked up our race packets, bibs and t-shirts. We got in there and got everything with relative ease. After grabbing all the information, we both realized that neither of us remembered what time the race started and where the start line was. I knew where we would be parking (near the start) but that was it. So, I scoured their website for the information and could not find it anywhere. I searched for the information in one of the pre-race e-mails they sent us and found nothing. Thankfully, on one of the e-mails we had a phone number of someone to call. After calling the number, I found out that our race started at 8 a.m. and we needed to be just a short distance away from the parking garage area for the start.

We ate our pre-race dinner at an amazing little restaurant in Mt. Pleasant. You should totally check this place out if you are feeling Italian. La Pizzeria was delicious. We ordered a fusilli con pollo dish (cream sauce with homemade fusilli noodles, pan-fried pancetta, chicken, and artichokes) and a pizza with black olives, artichokes, mushrooms and sausage. The pizza was okay...a bit pricey and they tend to have their specials as what you would maybe expect at true Italian restaurants. The fusilli dish was delicious...I believe we both could have enjoyed having our own plate rather than sharing!! Yummy :) After pre-race dinner, we headed back to the hotel and started planning out race day and preparing.

We got up about 5:45 on race morning. The plan was to get dressed, grab breakfast and leave the hotel a bit before 7 and get to the start line early. When we woke up, it was about 27 degrees outside with about a 4 mph windchill. Yep, that's chilly. I grabbed our preworkout (1MR) and mixed doses for us both. Then, I got the rest of my gear ready to go. We left the hotel about 7:15 and got to the parking area by 7:30. We finished getting ready by the car, drank our preworkout and headed to the start line. It was soooooo cold out!!!!

It was a confusing start line area. As we were walking up, people were warming up by walking or running in the direction we were coming from. There was no clear delineation that we were in fact near the start line. And it made me a bit nervous. I took a few pictures for Chuck since this was his first ever half-marathon and then we waited for the start. The gun went off and we had the slowest run ever to get started. Once the path cleared up a bit, we were able to do more than walk towards the start line. I crossed over and that might very well be the last time I saw Chuck...he was in the zone!

This race, I really was focused on closing in on my best race time from last February (3:07:12)...that was the race where I tore my labrum in my hip. I wanted to beat my best time. I won't lie, I was hoping to beat that time. I ran Myrtle Beach in October...my first half since surgery and ran it in 3:16:11. So, I was really wanting to improve my time and of course, for me looking for that elusive under 3 hour half-marathon. So, I had a good mindset. There were no doubts about whether I could finish or fears that I wouldn't make it in under 3:30. I was ready.

For the first 6 miles or so, I kept a pretty awesome pace. I was pounding out the miles and focusing. I promised both Chuck and Tripp not to make friends on this race and get sidetracked from my goal. I know that I have that habit and I needed to focus on my race. So, I kept to myself. It was me and my iPod. My playlist was a selection of all female music...it was a Girl Power list :) The mile markers were really well-placed for the first 9 miles or so. Every two miles, there was a water and gatorade station. About mile 4, I drank a gatorade (grape flavored), this was not a wise choice for me. I would later around mile 10 end up having it come back to visit but not puking it. Yuck!

About 2 hours and 20 minutes into the race, I was running perhaps one of my best races ever. I was on par for finishing really close to that 3 hour mark. I was not feeling any pain yet and was keeping a pretty great pace. Round about that time, a police man drove by on a motorcycle announcing that all runners and walkers needed to "get on the sidewalk if you are going to continue or get on the bus as it is passing you." Seriously, the bus was already picking people up and well, I have been in a position where I have known the bus was somewhere behind me and knew that I had to keep moving faster to stay off the bus. But I am now running my best race and I am being passed by the bus. I freaked out. And not just a minor freak out. This broke my concentration. It broke my spirit and definitely broke my pace.

After being passed by the bus, I figured this would be the end of the insults. I was wrong. The bus passing me was the start of it. Then, several of us would determine that they were no longer blocking off streets and the volunteers were now very sparse. There were several streets where myself and other runners had to wait for traffic to pass. I will admit as soon as I saw no cars, I hauled butt across the street and did not wait for the traffic sign to notate that it was safe to cross. I hit about 3 of these situations and got angrier each time. Then, the mile markers became sparse and with few volunteers, I became a bit more frantic. At one point, there were two runners about 15 feet ahead of me and other runners were crossing to the other side of the street but I could not determine why. I kept following the two runners in front of me who eventually crossed the street and then they turned down a side street. By the time I turned down the side street, they had all but disappeared!! I was freaked out. I managed to determine which way they went and followed them as quickly as I could. At this point, I just barely missed being hit by two cars in the neighborhood we were now running through!!

We were also promised bananas and hammer gels at mile 10. There were barely cups of water and gatorade at mile 10 and there certainly were not volunteers handing out cups. I had to grab my own. I guess I should be thankful that I didn't have to pour my own cups! At mile 11, I ended up not watching the road closely enough and stepped into a big pothole and twisted my ankle. Ouch! It wasn't a horrible twist but enough to start giving my left calf real issues when I was running. I started having horrible leg cramps in that calf! I got through the worst of it. I admit it was really difficult for me though when the 10k runners who were finishing up joined the course. They were running past me looking so refreshed and one of them turned to me and said "Come on. You can do this." I barely resisted the urge to be ugly. I was hurting at this point and angry and unfocused, but I soldiered on because they would be handing me my medal!

Mile 12, while the scenery was beautiful while we ran through a Riverfront park, was the longest mile ever...it seemed to wind on and on. Every time I thought I was closer to the finish, there was another twist and turn. Then finally, there was the finish line. I was so ready to cross the line. I did so and grabbed my medal and had my finishers' photo taken.

I found Chuck with somewhat ease. Speedy Gonzales ran the race 2:20:12. He encountered a few issues along the way including losing both headphones during the race and not having any music. He said it was quite difficult to run a race for 2.5 miles counting just your pace and breaths! I am quite thankful my headphones did not break (we bought new 180s headphone earwarmers for the race...great cold weather plan when the earphones aren't defective!) Also, he was unable to find any Gatorade or electrolyte drinks following the race. So, as he waited for me to cross the line, he ended up crashing. He threw up a few times and after I crossed we found a water station with bananas and oranges. Never found any Gatorade. We ended up getting on the bus to head back to the start line and parking garage. We ended up sitting in the back of the short bus (no seats just in the cargo area) and that was interesting. There were 7 of us cramped in the back. The driver asked us to sit down on the floor. At this point, Chuck got a huge calf cramp and my left hip locked completely. A little bit further on the ride, my right hip locked and Chuck started getting really pale and looked like he was about to puke again. Luckily, there was no puking on the bus. But in the parking garage, he spent a good 2 minutes puking.

I got him back to the hotel and threw him in the shower and tried to help him through the crash as best I could. It was horrible. I got cleaned up and nursed him for awhile. Then I grabbed lunch for us about 3 hours after the race (not smart for me!) and both of us had trouble eating. It was a stellar post race.

One would think with all that going on that I would be relieved when I finally got my race results in. It was at least what I had hoped for...a culmination of all my hard effort. No. It was not to be. I wore both my Garmin Forerunner and my iPod Sport for the race. I started the iPod as soon as I started running and I turned the Garmin on a bit late. And I ended up turning off the iPod a bit late. So, nothing I had on me had the correct time. Results finally got posted and Chuck got his official time. I was very excited for him and went to find my results. I searched and searched and searched and found no results for me. I have been angry before when I didn't get a finish line photo but to not have your time recorded is the worst. I knew for a fact that I hit the pad both on starting and finishing. The only thing I could figure was that the night before I had noticed that Chuck's timing chip was at the bottom of his bib and mine was at the top....but could that really have made the difference?

Luckily, I had that phone number I had called the day before about the time of the race and I took a chance that maybe someone might answer. As luck would have it, it was the phone number for the director of the race. He gave me an e-mail address for the timing company and promised they would fix it. And I gave him an earful about the royal screw-ups from the race. I made a point of letting him know that I was not new to this game and this was my 5th half-marathon. I know it's only their 2nd year, but they need to step up their game considerably.

After having the wind completely knocked out of my sails, I finally got my race results today. I ran the race in 3:10:41. This means I shaved 5:30 off of my time from October. And I am only 3:29 off of my best time. I am hopeful that Tripp and I can keep working and shave more of that off before my next half in March.

Ultimately, I am pleased with my results. After all that struggle, I can honestly say I earned the cheap medal and ugly t-shirt. I have felt exhausted and like I have been run over by a bus for the past couple of days. But the worst is over. I will take it easy this week and a little light next week and then back to training for the half in March. I am really hoping to close in on my under 3 hour half.

And just to seal the deal on having 3 half-marathons under my belt by the end of April, I scheduled my next appointment with my tattoo artist today to add 3 more flowers to the ankle tattoo :) Oh yeah...it's on. Columbia in March and Palmetto in April :) I also got a little focusing reminder added today while I was scheduling...my mantra is now on my arm for me to read when training and running..."NO EXCUSES". Oh yeah, bring on the next two half-marathons...I am ready!

6 Half-Marathons in One Year?!?!?!?!

Yep, that's right. I said it and I am going to do it. I am going to put this as my number one goal for the year 2011. I want to run 6 marathons this coming year. I have been working on my running and working with my trainer, Tripp, on improving my muscle endurance and strengthening my core to be an injury-free runner.

I have been told that running 6 half-marathons in one year is crazy. Well, I started out in 2008 running/walking one half-marathon and that was crazy. Then, 2009 brought 3 half-marathons, 2 10ks, 2 5ks and a hip surgery and that was crazier. So I guess I will have to continue on my path of craziness :)

I am realistic about the half-marathons. I do not necessarily want to get a personal record on every one of them. Although if I did, that would be totally awesome to me :) I will be using some of them as training for the next race. I certainly will do my best in each race and reach for my own personal goals. However, I am not going to stress myself to kill myself each race because that would cause me to burn out before I get to the next one. I have learned to pace myself and will be doing that during training and each race.

And for those questioning my sanity, it's not a bad plan. I know of others who have even higher goals set for themselves for the year. I am a very determined person. I am goal-oriented and I love pushing myself towards my goals. Setting this as my goal for the year will cause me to be focused and ready to go. And I am looking at doing a full marathon in 2012 or later so this will be good training grounds for that.

If I had not been sidelined last year by my hip surgery, I think I might have attempted another half. However, hip surgery and recovery brought me quite a bit of difficulty and stress. In fact, at one point, I was unsure whether I wanted to race again or even run again. There was a period of depression and a period where my mental toughness was called in to question.

Now, I am back and I am stronger. I owe this in part to my trainer, Tripp, and in part to two of my friends who I have done races with, Cathy and Chuck. Tripp has changed up my strength training routines to help me strengthen some areas that will help improve my running and most importantly help me to run injury free. He has helped me to feel like my goals are more than achievable and improved my balance and made me excited about training again. Cathy and Chuck have helped me to focus and kept me going when I didn't want to. They both have encouraged me to keep pushing it. Chuck has even worked with me on improving my running form so that I am a better runner. I am so blessed to have them all in my corner!

So mentally, I am ready for race #1 next weekend. Will I get a PR (personal record)? I don't know. What I do know is that I have a strategy and a game plan. I will be getting some MP3s from my awesome trainer to add to my running playlist...those will be a great encouragement on my run! I will be spending the next few days in preparation for the race. I have one last leg day and a strength training session and a light training day with some stretching planned. I will get a little bit more mileage in this week but nothing crazy.

Come next Saturday morning, the race is on!

Where Does the Time Go...

Wow...it's hard to believe it has been a month since I last posted anything. Life has just been so very busy and there is so much to do and so little time to sit and write. Some days that is a good thing but other days, it becomes a frustration.

So, what's been going on?? I am still working at Staples part-time. And I am still keeping Jacob and Jillian at least one day a week. I do so enjoy our time together. I love their sweet spirits and have a blast playing with them!!

I have a new trainer now. Tye accepted a job elsewhere and I had to try out a new trainer at the gym. Luckily, I adore my new trainer, Tripp. I admit I was very skeptical at first. I was nervous that he would not be what I needed. It turns out that I was very wrong because he is exactly the trainer that I need right now. I love his enthusiasm and I love his wisdom. He has given me some amazing advice in regards to nutrition and supplements. And his workouts are just plain awesome. I am reaching muscle failure quite often and I am finding myself sore for a few days after our workouts. All in all, I absolutely think this change was a good thing. (And for a girl who is not fond of change, that's really saying something!!) I find myself even more excited about training than before. My time with Tye was precious and we did great work together. My time with Tripp is about learning new things and pushing myself further. I cannot wait to see how things progress!

I am relearning things in regards to running. It has been so frustrating having to rethink the way I used to run and having to relearn the proper form and improve my running. But I am thankful that I have the opportunity to do so. I am also thankful for my friends who run that help me to continue to push forward and continue to work on improving my running. They challenge me and keep me going in so many ways. I just did a 5k this past week and now I can see some things I need to work on in order to improve. Every race, I learn more about myself and my running. Some days and some races, I get frustrated and want to quit, but I persevere. I am not a quitter. I have to keep pushing.

I have also been spending lots of time with my friend, Ann. I have enjoyed helping her with several projects at her house. I love being able to use my talents in the art of organizing as well as painting to help others out. And I have really enjoyed the quality time that I have been spending with Ann and her hubby, Charlie. I do love the both of them...they're so much fun and so awesome!!!

And I got a brand new tattoo this past month. It's a 13.1 with flowers to represent each of the half-marathons I have completed. I LOVE it!!! So awesome!! It's totally different from what I was looking at getting, but I am so thrilled with the concept that Matt Terry (my tattoo artist) came up with!! I cannot wait to run more half-marathons and add more flowers!!! And I love the fact that this tattoo is a one of a kind piece of artwork!!

Other than that, life is just keeping my quite busy. It's been a strange year, but I really feel like I am growing into myself and learning even more about who I am and who I want to be.

What's in store in the next month or so...to be quite honest, I have no idea. I am just trying to stay in the here and now. I do know that I will be looking for another half-marathon to run at the beginning of next year. As for anything else, I am up in the air.

Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon Race Report

I had a great weekend and enjoyed getting to race with Cathy again. I love starting out with her. I know I cannot keep up with her because she is faster than me but I enjoy starting our race out together! She also gives me that nice kick in the butt I need on race day (literally!)

I have to admit that I started this race out once again stuck in my head. Lately, this has not been a great place to be. I continue to struggle with whether or not I want to keep racing, much less running. I also worry about this repaired hip and when and if it will ever be back to 100%. And for some reason, I keep fixating on whether or not I will be able to finish when a race sets a time limit on it!! Ugh!! So, going into a race with these thoughts churning around is not a great feel. Luckily, I also remember my friend, Ricky's last e-mail about my 10-k and his encouragement and I worked on re-focusing!

Saturday morning, I decided to focus myself on a thought from a good friend...”Shut up and run, woman!” LOL! It was a good focus. The morning was perfect for the run...great temperatures and a great course. I was running with a brace on the left knee and a knee strap on the right knee because I had been fighting a little bit of knee pain. I was a bit concerned since I had not run with either of them on before but I had worn them prior to the race to get used to them.

I was on my own for the first 4 miles...I ran as much as I could and then walked in between and kept a really good pace. I refused to look back to see if there was a shuttle following because I knew there was nothing I wanted behind...my medal was at the end of the race and ahead of me. So, I kept my focus on a couple of ladies who were running a similar pace to mine. The first 4 miles were mental for me again. I struggled with just giving up and accepting defeat around mile 2. Somewhere around mile 3, I remembered that I have everything in me to complete this. I have done my mileage and my long slow distance days. The only thing I needed to do was get out of my head and in to my run. So, I decided to kick my own butt. It was also around that time I saw a shirt that read “Dead Last Finish is better than Did Not Finish” So, I knew that I was in it to finish no matter what.

Around mile 5, I ended up running and walking with the ladies that I was following. Of course, I enjoyed some great conversation and made the miles and the time pass quicker. I started feeling some real pain in my left hip around mile 8...I started walking a bit more at that point but did not slow my pace. I also started to feel some blistering happening on my feet. And of course, I felt the urge to pee early in the race. I decided unless the urge became overwhelming that I would not be making a port-a-potty stop since every time I passed one, there were lines. One of the ladies decided to pick up her pace, so the other lady and I continued our race together. It was a good choice because it was her first half and she was struggling. So, we encouraged each other.

I could have left her around mile 12 but she started to really struggle around then and I wanted to help her cross the finish line. She kept looking backwards, so I re-focused her and then we began pushing each other to the finish line. When I finally saw the finish line in sight, I knew I was home free. I had reserved a little energy for my finish. I wanted to make sure I could run across this finish line! So, I took off and finished it strong. I was sore crossing the line but my knees and my hip were not dead.

There were about 4000 people registered for the race. So, I feel pretty great to be one of the 2699 runners to finish the race!

I learned a lot too. I know that I am not 100% recovered from surgery yet and cannot expect to repeat my best time just yet. But I was thrilled to finish this race in 3:16:11 since I finished Nashville this year in 3:19:25. So, with a repaired labrum in my hip and a lot of hard work, I knocked 3 minutes off my time. I figure there is only a matter of several more months and training and I will be hitting under 3 hours since my best time was in Columbia (February 2010) at 3:07. So, I have a goal in mind and that gets me more focused.

In the next couple of months, I will be working with my friend, Chuck, to improve my form in running. Before I tore my labrum, I was on the track to running better. And now, I am struggling with overcompensating for injuries and I am back to square one. Now that I have a good half under my belt and the confidence to head towards my goal of under 3, I will get some great training in and some refocusing and my next half I will be pushing myself even harder across the line!! And I will be reminding myself yet again, that I am so not done with running or racing.

Overall, I felt that they did a great job with the race. Absolutely no safety concerns while running. The police kept the roads clear and I didn't have to worry about being run over. There was also plenty of water and gatorade on the course (and not red gatorade! LOL!) It was a pretty flat course too. I really enjoyed it and am considering running it again next year. I hate the technical shirt...the design was just dull. The volunteer shirt looked much better. But the medal was huge and really heavy! So, I guess they spent their money on the medal. All in all, I felt it was a great race and will likely do it again.

Doing What I Can....

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do" -John Wooden

Love this quote that I just found. And it is so fitting for where I am right now in my running. I admit that I don't like the fact that I have had to start over in my running. I liked where I was prior to hip surgery (minus the pain/frustration with my hip). I was becoming a much stronger and better runner then and injury really has completely sidetracked me and forced me to start all over. Ugh! But with a repaired labrum in my left hip, I have to be careful about overdoing it and I need to challenge myself too. It's a strange predicament to be in! I mean, seriously, how do you challenge yourself without pushing yourself a bit further? That's where I am and what I am working on though.

I did get a really cool present for my birthday from my dear friends, Cathy and Robert...a Nike Ipod Sport kit. Here is a pic of the sensor that goes in your Nike shoe or if you are like me and have another brand, in your shoe adapter that attaches to the front of your shoe by the laces. There is another piece that you plug into the bottom of your iPod and you use it when you run.

You start your workout. As your run or walk, the sensor sends information to your device, tracking your time, distance, pace, and calories burned. If you choose, real-time, spoken feedback can even alert you to milestones throughout your workout. Then you download the information back to the Nike website and it gives you all your workout details. You can track all your info. At the website, you can set up for coaching for certain goals or races. You can also join challenges or set goals for yourself. All in all, I am pretty impressed with this. I have used it multiple times and it is such an awesome tool to aid me in my return to running!

I will also be getting another new tool in my training. Tye informed me this past week that he will be leaving the gym for a better job offer. I am so happy for him and very excited about his opportunity. However, I am terrified about what this means for me. I still have 4 months of training left. I am going to try a new trainer out on Friday and feel him out and see if it is a good fit. I really hope that it is, because I would prefer to not have to cancel my training contract early. I already knew I was not going to renew when it was over, but I wasn't prepared to lose Tye this early. So, I will keep you posted on how the new trainer and I work out. I have always said that choosing a trainer is similar to dating, if you don't get a good feel for the trainer, then you are not going to work hard for them. I am very apprehensive, but I also feel this may end up being a positive thing too. So, for now, I am reserving judgment. We shall see!

Today, Cathy and I got together for our long slow distance day. The original plan was to shoot for 8-10 miles. We ended up doing 11.5 miles. And some of those miles included some insane hills!! I felt pretty good about today. I worked hard not to overwork the hip but also challenged myself too. This week, I am hoping to get 3 days of running in with about 3-4 miles each day. And then on Saturday, we will be doing another long slow distance day and our goal is going to be 12-14 miles.

And after our mileage today, I was a good girl. I did a long period of stretching to help ease up the muscles. Tonight, I am icing the hip and my knees to relieve any stress and inflammation. And I took some Advil to ease the irritation. Hopefully after a good night of sleep, I will be recovered and ready to hit some more mileage in tomorrow.

Anyways, my new goal for the half in Myrtle Beach is no longer trying to beat my times from previous halfs. I am no longer stressing over time or trying to compare myself to my pre-surgery running. For now, I am relearning my love of running and rebuilding my endurance. Any other races that I do this year will go in the same category. The past 10k and 5k, I pushed myself harder trying to compete with my pre-surgery running and it didn't work as well. So, I decided to be more realistic. Also, Chuck has been coaching me some on my running and has finally beat that into my head! I am relarning running strategy and building endurance. And I am excited about Myrtle Beach at the end of the month! Now, I just have to get my mileage in every week and plan for some recovery miles each week too!

Well, it's been a long weekend and I am so ready for bed!! Time to let the body get some recovery in!!

Biggest Loser 5K Myrtle Beach Weekend Recap

Don't compete...just complete. That was the motto of the Biggest Loser 5k that was run and walked by about 2600 people on September 25, 2010 in Myrtle Beach. Jason, Chuck and I headed up to Myrtle Beach on Friday afternoon to get registered and enjoy some beach time. Chuck and I were able to get in and out of registration pretty quickly and also picked up Cathy's registration since she and Robert were heading in later.


After we picked up registration packets, Jason, Chuck and I headed down to pool and then the beach. The sun had gone down and there was a chilly breeze out by the pool area. So, we headed out to the beach where the sun was still shining. I cannot recall the last time I played in the ocean. I had a blast jumping in the waves and being knocked around by the waves. Everything was going pretty well. We were all enjoying our play time. Then, tragedy struck...Jason was stung by a man-of-war. The first sting was apparently just a small one on his back where the tentacle just grazed his back. The second sting, the tentacle attached itself to his elbow.


Jason ran out of the water. In fact, I cannot recall ever seeing him move that quickly! By the time Chuck and I reached him, he was standing under the outdoor shower area trying to remove the tentacle from his arm. I recalled that his mother had mentioned that a couple years back his nephew had been stung and they peed on him and it helped relieve the irritation. So, we went back up to the hotel room and we peed on him. I say "we" because Chuck peed in a cup and I poured it on him! LOL...I know it's pretty special! Then, Jason got in a really hot shower and washed it with soap. It was still bothering him quite a bit, so we went to the grocery store and got some vinegar. Jason almost passed out when we poured it on him the first time. It started to look worse, so we decided it was time to head to the ER.

This is what it looked like at the ER.

So, we gave the ER all the details. There was much laughter about us following the wives' tale and using pee on his sting. The doctor who saw Jason said that this was called Maximum Marine Envenomation. Basically when Jason went and put fresh water on the sting and the tentacle was still attached, every stinger that had not fired, immediately fired on him. The pee didn't help out at all and neither did the hot water and soap. The vinegar would've been great had we used it first. So, they marinated him in vinegar for about 45 minutes. They gave him Zantac, Solumedrol (a prednisone), and Benadryl through an IV. After the ER, we picked up prescriptions and then went searching for dinner.

We all wanted pancakes...we saw several pancake houses earlier in the day and we really started craving pancakes. So, we drove around looking for pancake house and found one that opened at 10 p.m. After searching for others, we finally ended up back at the one that opened at 10. And we enjoyed our dinner!!! Then we went back to the hotel and everyone went to bed.

Chuck and I met up with Cathy around 6 a.m. We walked several blocks to the start line. We chatted and waited around and finally lined up at the start line. Finally Bob Harper arrived and he spoke for a few minutes and then he had to speak again because apparently the filming crew did not get exactly what it wanted. So, we endured that and waited for the start.

Finally the race started. It was the slowest start I have ever had because it was so congested and the area was so narrow. It was hard to even get into a running rhythm. I also had trouble finding holes to get in and out and around people. I know the plan was not to compete just to complete. However, I was competing against myself and really wanted to do my very best.

I ended up doing a lot more walking due to some horrible shin splints and just a slight inability to get going when I needed. I jogged as much as I could when I could. I ran in some very strange ways...alot of sideways running which was a bit painful on the hip. But I muddled through. It was hard completing a race with so many people who did not know race etiquette. It didn't matter if you hollered "on the left" or not, people just didn't move. Then they had the bright idea of letting the 1 mile people start in enough time that they could complicate the finish line towards the end for those finishing up their 5k. This was the first time I ever got pushed as I was crossing the finish line. I was not very happy at all about my finish. I had plans to beat my best training time, but it didn't happen. Part of my problem was that I was also racing like I would a half-marathon...reserving something for my last mile. In shorter races, that is not good strategy.

So, for my next 5k race, I will be in a more competive race :) But seriously, I will plan a bit better to try and keep a steady pace the entire race and maybe leave a small amount in reserve for a push across the finish line!

I forgot to mention, during the race, I had the opportunity to high five Bob Harper and he told me "Keep it up! You're awesome!" It was pretty cool. I also got a high five from Sherry from last year's show. I did not stay to get a picture with Bob Harper because Jason was at the hotel and I wanted to check in on him and make sure he got his breakfast and medicine. We ended up heading out of Myrtle Beach after Chuck and I both got showers and breakfast.

All in all, I am relearning my running strategy and basically starting over again. It stinks, but I have to relearn my old running patterns and maybe even some new running patterns so I can prevent injuries and be a better runner. It's all learning for me now. I am hanging in there though and continuing on.

Dam Run 10K

Okay, here it is...my race report from my first race post-hip surgery. This is the race that almost didn't happen...for real. I got a stomach bug two weeks before the race which kept me from doing any mileage at all prior to the race. And to be quite honest, my mileage prior to this was pretty low each week. The stomach bug drained me and left me feeling pretty weak and tired. Not to mention, there is a great deal of fear that I have been dealing with since surgery and it all came to a nice frenzy on Friday!!

Friday morning, I was all out of sorts. I was terrified of the race and of my hip and of everything in general. I had read earlier in the day that if you did not clear the roads by 9 a.m. then you would be picked up by the shuttle and not finish the race. I was very nervous because I did not want to not be able to finish my race. I needed this finish to give me a bit more confidence about my other upcoming races. So, I ended up getting extremely teared up during training...enough that we had to stop training so Tye could go into pep talk mode. He understands where I am since he had surgery on his shoulder last year and has had some struggles trying to regain where he was prior to surgery. It was a good pep talk but still not enough to calm my nerves. I picked Chuck up and he promised me a nice kick in the butt for Saturday. Cathy also promised me a good kick in the butt too. But mentally, I was not ready for this race. I was a bit paralyzed by fears. My goal for race day was simple...finish the race. I wanted to finish this race and finish as strong as I could.

Saturday morning came too quickly for me. I did not sleep well. I got up and got myself ready. I tried to make sure that I had everything together and prepared for the race. I stretched and I kept trying to psych myself to where I knew I needed to be. This was much harder than I thought it would be. Cathy arrived and the three of us headed down to the dam to get our timing chips for the race and get ready for the start.

Before the Race
The race started at 7:30 a.m. We got in to position early. However, Cathy and I had expected there to be a strip for us to run over that would start the timing chip for accurate timing. There was not a strip so the fact that we started back further makes a difference in our times. I wish that I had worn my watch so I could have had a more accurate time. Anyways, we all started off and I had a pretty nice rhythm jogging from the beginning. It didn't take long before my shins and then my hips started to feel aggravated. I slowed my pace and then started walking. This was the first time I had ever thought of not finishing a race and I had not even moved past the first mile. This was not a good start for me. I was tired and mentally drained. I was hurting and I actually considered letting the shuttle pick me up sooner rather than later.

After I came through the 2nd mile and got my first cup of water, I was feeling a bit better but still worrying about the shuttle bus and where it was. I refused to look back and see what was behind me. I focused myself on the person directly ahead of me and trying to keep up with her (as much as was possible). During mile 2, I caught sight of both Chuck and Cathy ahead of me. They were doing awesome and I was excited for them! I had a little renewal of spirit and knew that I had to do the best I could because they would be waiting for me at the finish line. So, I continued to push through the doubts and fears and continued looking forward. At each mile marker, there was a person reading out the time to you...which was a huge help because I had a decent idea of where I was in my time. And I was so happy to see those water tables at mile markers 2, 3, 4, and 5!

As usual, I found a couple kindred spirits and chatted with a few of my fellow runners/walkers along the way. There was a woman who kept running ahead of me and then turning around and running back towards me. After the third time she did this, I stopped her and asked what she was up to. She was actually trying to get mileage in for a full marathon that she is doing in a several weeks. I also spoke with a young lady who had a similar stomach bug two weeks before the race and was feeling the same as I was about her endurance level. And then there was the lady behind me with the Garmin who was keeping a slower pace but fast enough to finish before the shuttle would have to pick me up. I then knew I had to stay ahead of or with her in order to avoid the shuttle.

Mile 5 was the hardest for me. I was hurting and aching and tired...so tired. I was pushing myself to keep moving but not pushing myself. I was holding a slight bit in reserve in order to actually finish. I knew that I would have to have something left to run across that finish line. So, I kept a reserve. I did not give this race everything I had but it took everything out of me. Once we got close enough to the finish line, I started running faster. I heard Cathy and Chuck cheering me on and knew that they were there, so I pushed as hard as I could to finish. I finished strong.

Me, Chuck and Cathy after our post-race breakfast at Cracker Barrel

I needed this race and this finish. I know several things now. 1. I am not ready mentally or with my mileage for my half-marathon in October. 2. I am still able to push through the pain and mental crap to finish my race. 3. It is time to kick mileage into gear and ramp up training to get me ready for the half.

Even though this was a difficult race, it was an important race for me. It was the race that told me that I still have it. I am still able to compete. I still have what I need mentally to continue on this journey. And I know that I am not ready to give up running yet. I may be starting all over again, but I will fight to keep in this sport. I will work smarter and harder to prevent future injuries, but I will continue to run and continue to compete. I am looking forward to my 5k next weekend. I am going to get some more mileage in this week and work a bit on my endurance and speed. And I have a goal in mind for next weekend, but I am ready...at least mentally.

This race reminds me of a song that I listened to repeatedly when Dad was sick and I was traveling back and forth to VA to help out. It's called "Stand" by Rascal Flatts. The particular lyrics that stuck out to me were "Cause when push comes to shove, you taste what you're made of. You might bend til you break cause it's all you can take. On your knees you look up, decide you've had enough. You get mad, you get strong. Wipe your hands, shake it off, then you stand. Then you stand." I am still determined and motivated, no matter how afraid I might be, I am still facing the challenge and standing strong. I finished my race and finished strongly and I will continue to keep pushing and fighting.