Whoa, it looks like I took a 3 month hiatus from the old blog!! Sorry about that. I honestly was struggling for awhile there though. After we moved I couldn't hit the weights & I wasn't motivated to run, so I took some time off :( We FINALLY got a membership to the Y in August & it's been awesome ever since!! I started a new lifting program in September & I'm just starting Phase 2 today :) I love seeing myself get stronger, I am writing down the weights I lift & it's been so cool to see where I started & where I am now. I've still been having trouble cleaning up my eating, but I am working on it. We're going on a cruise at the beginning of December & I want to look good for that!! :)
I also have some awesome news. I have been picked to be a Train Dirty Fitness Ambassador!!! What that means is that I get to promote the Train Dirty Fitness mentality; here it is in Crystal's own words:
TDF Ambassador: someone with a kick a$$ attitude who believes in the vision of TDF: #safeplace, free of judgement, everyone fits in, and health/fitness are consistent not quick fixes.
It's been awesome to work with Crystal & be a part of her TDFA team :) The ladies there are amazing & totally supportive!! I love it. I am also planning on getting certified to train groups in Train Dirty Fitness bootcamps! That's coming up in November & I am putting together birthday money & Christmas money to do it LOL
Other than that, life has been interesting!! The girls started Kindergarten, which has given us all a new routine. Charlie is still at home with me all day, which is so fun. I even asked him this morning if he wishes he went to school, but he said he's happy being at home with me :)
Have a great week friends!!! I'm hoping to be blogging more, especially as I get more involved with TDF & look ahead to new fitness ventures!!
A look at faith, fitness & running through my eyes.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
July & a Giveaway!!
Hey fitness friends :) I hope everyone is doing well!! So we are finally at the mid-way point to 2013. How are everyone's new year's resolutions coming?? I have started training for my marathon!! I should be on Week 3, but only just started running again, regularly, last week. I joined a July challenge to run at least a mile every day & I figure that will help me get my training in check. I am excited!!
I am also excited b/c I have my very FIRST, EVER Giveaway!!! It is a new fuel company called Frog Fuel. I am really looking forward to trying their products, especially with all of the running I'll be doing this month!!
From their website: Why use FrogFuel?
1. It's hydrolyzed. Faster absorption means better performance and quicker recovery!
2. It's a Pure Collagen Protein - Improved skin, muscle mass and tone, increased joint flexibility, healthier bones, arteries, hair, nails and eyes.
3. Contains Taurine - Help rebuild muscles faster!
4. Used in the health care industry and qualified as a medical food!
5. You can toss it in your go bag.
Pretty cool, huh?? I can definitely get behind this company & their product!! If you win the Giveaway, you will get 3 protein shots & a Frog fuel sticker. To be able to win, just take the quiz below & comment on the blog with the result you get!
Frog Fuel Quiz
I am will be choosing a winner TONIGHT at 9 PM!! So take the quiz ASAP & get back to me, let me know what your Fuel level is!!
I am also excited b/c I have my very FIRST, EVER Giveaway!!! It is a new fuel company called Frog Fuel. I am really looking forward to trying their products, especially with all of the running I'll be doing this month!!
From their website: Why use FrogFuel?
1. It's hydrolyzed. Faster absorption means better performance and quicker recovery!
2. It's a Pure Collagen Protein - Improved skin, muscle mass and tone, increased joint flexibility, healthier bones, arteries, hair, nails and eyes.
3. Contains Taurine - Help rebuild muscles faster!
4. Used in the health care industry and qualified as a medical food!
5. You can toss it in your go bag.
Pretty cool, huh?? I can definitely get behind this company & their product!! If you win the Giveaway, you will get 3 protein shots & a Frog fuel sticker. To be able to win, just take the quiz below & comment on the blog with the result you get!
Frog Fuel Quiz
I am will be choosing a winner TONIGHT at 9 PM!! So take the quiz ASAP & get back to me, let me know what your Fuel level is!!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Chicago Women's Half Marathon
I signed up for the Chicago Women's Half Marathon in December or January...as soon as it was possible. Last year was the first year for the race & they gave away yoga mats!! I am a sucker for cool giveaways & I love yoga mats...but this year we didn't get something as big. We got Sweaty Bands, which I never use, but I used the morning of the race & it truly didn't slip!! I was impressed, so I might need to get some more of those :)
Anyways, my goal was once again, to come in under 2 hours. I really do think I broke 2 hours in Kentucky, but since it wasn't my official time, I feel like it doesn't really count. I started off pretty well, I was running about 8:30 min/miles for the first few miles. I kept trying to slow down to conserve energy, but I could only slow down to 8:45 min/mile!! However, it was getting hotter as we ran (race started at 6:30 AM) & I haven't trained in the heat this year. In fact, I wasn't trained well for this race very well. The last run I had over 10 miles, heck, over 5 miles, was the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon, in April!! I had been lifting weights 6x a week in April/May, but not really running. I've run a few times since we moved & got in a 5 mile run last week, but that was it. I knew I would be pushing my body & most importantly, my mind to finish this race.
Quite a few times I wanted to give up, eventually, at about mile 8.5 I just wanted to finish!! I was done trying to come in under 2 hours. The sun was hot & the course went from shady/to open trail along the lakefront. I met a friend along the course at about mile 9, we had originally wanted to start together, but we didn't have each other's correct phone #s. We ran together for about a mile & a half, when she kept going & I started walking LOL I just really couldn't do it anymore. So the last few miles I ran/walked b/c I was just so hot & not in shape for the race.
I finished the race in 2:02:58. I am PROUD of that time!!! It is my fastest "official" time at a race, plus with being over heated & not really trained for the race, I am ecstatic!! Now I need to sign up for a fall race to really prove to myself that I can achieve a sub 2 hr half-marathon. I KNOW I can do it...I just want better weather to do it in. There are some halfs coming up this summer...but I feel like it would be even hotter in July/August. Plus, I would almost rather do trail runs than road races at this point. I just enjoy them more :)
SO-this whole race was awkward for me. My eye started watering in the car on the way to the race. It calmed down a little bit before the race, but once I started running, it was watering beyond my control. I literally had a tear coming down my face for almost the whole race!! Needless to say, my eye make up on that one eye was GONE, while the other eye had all of my make up on! LOL I looked horrible. Not to mention being hot & sweaty and stinky...OH MY..I was a hot mess! Literally!!! LOL I was embarrassed of how I looked, especially as I walked around after the race & picked up some goodies & talked with my friends. Ay yay yay, every race comes with a story, does it not?! Thankfully I had previously read a blog about a woman who started her period while running a marathon, which I kept reminding myself of when I felt embarrassed. At least that didn't happen to me...yet! BAHA!
Anyways, my goal was once again, to come in under 2 hours. I really do think I broke 2 hours in Kentucky, but since it wasn't my official time, I feel like it doesn't really count. I started off pretty well, I was running about 8:30 min/miles for the first few miles. I kept trying to slow down to conserve energy, but I could only slow down to 8:45 min/mile!! However, it was getting hotter as we ran (race started at 6:30 AM) & I haven't trained in the heat this year. In fact, I wasn't trained well for this race very well. The last run I had over 10 miles, heck, over 5 miles, was the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon, in April!! I had been lifting weights 6x a week in April/May, but not really running. I've run a few times since we moved & got in a 5 mile run last week, but that was it. I knew I would be pushing my body & most importantly, my mind to finish this race.
Quite a few times I wanted to give up, eventually, at about mile 8.5 I just wanted to finish!! I was done trying to come in under 2 hours. The sun was hot & the course went from shady/to open trail along the lakefront. I met a friend along the course at about mile 9, we had originally wanted to start together, but we didn't have each other's correct phone #s. We ran together for about a mile & a half, when she kept going & I started walking LOL I just really couldn't do it anymore. So the last few miles I ran/walked b/c I was just so hot & not in shape for the race.
I finished the race in 2:02:58. I am PROUD of that time!!! It is my fastest "official" time at a race, plus with being over heated & not really trained for the race, I am ecstatic!! Now I need to sign up for a fall race to really prove to myself that I can achieve a sub 2 hr half-marathon. I KNOW I can do it...I just want better weather to do it in. There are some halfs coming up this summer...but I feel like it would be even hotter in July/August. Plus, I would almost rather do trail runs than road races at this point. I just enjoy them more :)
SO-this whole race was awkward for me. My eye started watering in the car on the way to the race. It calmed down a little bit before the race, but once I started running, it was watering beyond my control. I literally had a tear coming down my face for almost the whole race!! Needless to say, my eye make up on that one eye was GONE, while the other eye had all of my make up on! LOL I looked horrible. Not to mention being hot & sweaty and stinky...OH MY..I was a hot mess! Literally!!! LOL I was embarrassed of how I looked, especially as I walked around after the race & picked up some goodies & talked with my friends. Ay yay yay, every race comes with a story, does it not?! Thankfully I had previously read a blog about a woman who started her period while running a marathon, which I kept reminding myself of when I felt embarrassed. At least that didn't happen to me...yet! BAHA!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
20 mile run & new products!
Hey there!!! How is everyone doing?? I feel so bad for not being a better blogger. I keep meaning to do a new post, but there are only so many hours in the day & my life is full of kids to take care of and a husband who wants to spend time with me! It's good to be needed, but it makes it difficult to fit in everything that I want to do :)
SO- I have some news. I am one step closer to crossing off one of the things on my 2013 resolutions, I signed up for a 20 mile training run in September!! I am on my way to running a full marathon this year!!! I even found one that I want to do, it is in Indianapolis in October. The Chicago marathon is crazy expensive & was crazy to get into this year, there was a lottery this year due to their website being messed up when registration opened...anyways, I am getting excited!! I've taken a few weeks of from running, I've been concentrating on lifting more, but my training starts in June, which is quickly approaching. I can't believe we're over half way done with May! I am excited & nervous to train, to run further than I have ever run before. I KNOW I CAN do it, but it's still intimidating to think about. These legs are willing, but my mind is weak right now.
OK, SO, my new products :) There is a company called "NLA for Her" NLA for Her website & I had ordered some whey protein for them. Unfortunately, I wasn't a big fan of the taste; I ordered it thinking that it would taste chocolate-y, but it tastes VERY cinnamon-y & I can't get over it. I contacted their customer support & asked if I could try their other products b/c I wasn't happy with their whey. I was thinking I would send their whey back to them, but they never asked for it back, so I've used it a few times more & I still don't like it LOL If I add a banana, some almond milk & peanut butter, I can make it taste OK, but it's still not my favorite.
The other products that they sent me were their aminos (to take when I work out) and their thermogenic fat burner. Let me tell you, I LOVE them!!! I really enjoy the Pink Lemonade flavored aminos, which are gluten free & sugar free. I end up filling up my water bottle A LOT, just so I can keep drinking them! LOL They increase endurance, build lean muscle & enhances recovery.
On to their fat burner, called Shred Her. I was curious to see how this works, since I am in the May challenge for the bathing suit & I really want to win!! So far, I haven't noticed any side effects, other than feeling amazing. I take one before I work out & then another one a few hours later. The ingredients include: Green tea extract, Raspberry ketones, caffeine, citrus aurantium extract & ursolic acid. I am hoping to see a big difference in my progress pics from May 1- May30, although I've only been taking these supplements for about a week.
SO- I have some news. I am one step closer to crossing off one of the things on my 2013 resolutions, I signed up for a 20 mile training run in September!! I am on my way to running a full marathon this year!!! I even found one that I want to do, it is in Indianapolis in October. The Chicago marathon is crazy expensive & was crazy to get into this year, there was a lottery this year due to their website being messed up when registration opened...anyways, I am getting excited!! I've taken a few weeks of from running, I've been concentrating on lifting more, but my training starts in June, which is quickly approaching. I can't believe we're over half way done with May! I am excited & nervous to train, to run further than I have ever run before. I KNOW I CAN do it, but it's still intimidating to think about. These legs are willing, but my mind is weak right now.
OK, SO, my new products :) There is a company called "NLA for Her" NLA for Her website & I had ordered some whey protein for them. Unfortunately, I wasn't a big fan of the taste; I ordered it thinking that it would taste chocolate-y, but it tastes VERY cinnamon-y & I can't get over it. I contacted their customer support & asked if I could try their other products b/c I wasn't happy with their whey. I was thinking I would send their whey back to them, but they never asked for it back, so I've used it a few times more & I still don't like it LOL If I add a banana, some almond milk & peanut butter, I can make it taste OK, but it's still not my favorite.
The other products that they sent me were their aminos (to take when I work out) and their thermogenic fat burner. Let me tell you, I LOVE them!!! I really enjoy the Pink Lemonade flavored aminos, which are gluten free & sugar free. I end up filling up my water bottle A LOT, just so I can keep drinking them! LOL They increase endurance, build lean muscle & enhances recovery.
On to their fat burner, called Shred Her. I was curious to see how this works, since I am in the May challenge for the bathing suit & I really want to win!! So far, I haven't noticed any side effects, other than feeling amazing. I take one before I work out & then another one a few hours later. The ingredients include: Green tea extract, Raspberry ketones, caffeine, citrus aurantium extract & ursolic acid. I am hoping to see a big difference in my progress pics from May 1- May30, although I've only been taking these supplements for about a week.
Friday, May 10, 2013
the struggle
I went for a run yesterday, just me, my shoes & my Garmin. A perfect trio! :) Without my Ipod, I was able to enjoy the sound of the birds, I could focus on my breathing, I took in more of my surroundings than I normally do when I run with music in my ears. I loved it!! I did a quick 3.75 run, if I had to run longer, I might have wished for some music, but sometimes, it's better to enjoy the run, rather than try to tune it out. Anyways, it got me thinking about my "get fit" journey.
As I was running I saw a woman in front of me, she was walking quickly, obviously working out & had weights in her hands. I loved it!! I got excited to see her moving & taking her health into her own hands! When I caught up to her, she turned to look at me as I passed & I said "good job" and gave her a thumbs up :) Hopefully it was encouraging to her, but I don't know. It made me think of where I began.
I started getting interested in health & fitness a few years ago, after I had my son. I really wanted to lose the "last 10 pounds" and get back into pre-baby shape. I ate better & started doing workout DVDs & running again. I started to get serious about fitness when I came across cross fit in the fall of last year & really wanted to look like the cross fit girls. They were strong & healthy and looked amazing, no matter what age they were. Soon, I felt called to begin a fitness ministry at church in the winter/spring of last year. Unfortunately, I took the summer off of working out/running & ran a few races in the fall, but that was about it. By the end of last year, I had gained back some of the weight I had lost & I was just feeling upset with myself. I felt like I always had to hide my tummy or mask my muffin top. I didn't like my thighs & I was self concious of how I looked.
I finally decided that what I was doing wasn't working, I didn't love myself, I was ashamed of myself & I decided that I HAD to do something different than what I was doing. That's when I decided to do the Whole30 in January. I lost 8 pounds that month & kept up with clean eating after the month was over. March was a little dodgy as I kind of ate a lot of crap, along with eating clean. In April I signed up for a detox/meal plan with Cathy Savage and have been following it since then. I am down to my lowest weight since even BEFORE getting pregnant with the twins in 2007.
I am finally proud of my body b/c it is a result of all of the hard work I've been doing this year. I am not totally to where I want to be, I don't necessarily want to LOSE weight, I actually want to gain weight b/c I want to gain muscle. I am working hard at lifting & fueling my body properly. It is a sacrifice b/c I have to give up junk like pizza, cookies, and sweets, but it is SO worth it!! My husband asked me if I felt deprived last weekend after we went out to pizza & I got spinach and a chicken breast and I could honestly tell him No. I remember how I felt about myself when I was eating junk & I don't want to feel like that anymore. I love how I feel about myself now!! It is definitely a motivator to keep going & keep working hard. I look back at pictures from Jan-Now & I love seeing the progress I've made! It makes me want to keep it up & be able to see even MORE change in the future months. :)
As I was running I saw a woman in front of me, she was walking quickly, obviously working out & had weights in her hands. I loved it!! I got excited to see her moving & taking her health into her own hands! When I caught up to her, she turned to look at me as I passed & I said "good job" and gave her a thumbs up :) Hopefully it was encouraging to her, but I don't know. It made me think of where I began.
I started getting interested in health & fitness a few years ago, after I had my son. I really wanted to lose the "last 10 pounds" and get back into pre-baby shape. I ate better & started doing workout DVDs & running again. I started to get serious about fitness when I came across cross fit in the fall of last year & really wanted to look like the cross fit girls. They were strong & healthy and looked amazing, no matter what age they were. Soon, I felt called to begin a fitness ministry at church in the winter/spring of last year. Unfortunately, I took the summer off of working out/running & ran a few races in the fall, but that was about it. By the end of last year, I had gained back some of the weight I had lost & I was just feeling upset with myself. I felt like I always had to hide my tummy or mask my muffin top. I didn't like my thighs & I was self concious of how I looked.
I finally decided that what I was doing wasn't working, I didn't love myself, I was ashamed of myself & I decided that I HAD to do something different than what I was doing. That's when I decided to do the Whole30 in January. I lost 8 pounds that month & kept up with clean eating after the month was over. March was a little dodgy as I kind of ate a lot of crap, along with eating clean. In April I signed up for a detox/meal plan with Cathy Savage and have been following it since then. I am down to my lowest weight since even BEFORE getting pregnant with the twins in 2007.
I am finally proud of my body b/c it is a result of all of the hard work I've been doing this year. I am not totally to where I want to be, I don't necessarily want to LOSE weight, I actually want to gain weight b/c I want to gain muscle. I am working hard at lifting & fueling my body properly. It is a sacrifice b/c I have to give up junk like pizza, cookies, and sweets, but it is SO worth it!! My husband asked me if I felt deprived last weekend after we went out to pizza & I got spinach and a chicken breast and I could honestly tell him No. I remember how I felt about myself when I was eating junk & I don't want to feel like that anymore. I love how I feel about myself now!! It is definitely a motivator to keep going & keep working hard. I look back at pictures from Jan-Now & I love seeing the progress I've made! It makes me want to keep it up & be able to see even MORE change in the future months. :)
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Protein Pancakes & bathing suits
So this morning I embarked on a culinary adventure!! I made protein pancakes for the very first time. I heard about them awhile ago, but never had the motivation to make them, although I've been intrigued by them for awhile. I found a recipe online that called for oats, eggs, greek yogurt, a few scoops of protein powder, some cinnamon, etc. It was pretty easy to threw together & it smelled delicious when I was cooking them in the griddle. The kids even came out of their room to see if I was making cookies LOL I had really high hopes for the pancakes b/c they smelled so good, but then when I took a bite, they were pretty dense & didn't really have a taste. I promise I put even more cinnamon than the recipe called for AND added a dash of vanilla, but those things didn't help with the taste. I am wondering if it would have tasted better to use vanilla flavored yogurt, instead of plain...I also want to try making them with a different flavor of protein. I used vanilla flavor, but I wonder if something bolder would have stood out more. Here's the pics of my pancakes this morning:
The pictures that motivated me to undertake protein pancakes had ooey gooey, creamy goodness all over them. http://well-girl.com/vanilla-chai-zucchini-pancakes/ At first I wasn't going to try any of that, however, when the pancakes turned out to be tasteless, I had to do something!! My sister had made me some sweet potato pancakes when I visited her in KY this weekend & she had made some YUMMY peanut butter creamy topping to go on them. I threw together what I thought she mentioned she had used to make the topping. I had to add water a few times to make it more gooey, and the topping tasted pretty good, although I used almond butter....so all in all, it was kind of a fail! It makes me sad b/c I was really hoping to find a new & yummy & high protein for breakfast. Now I want to try to make the sweet potato pancakes that my sister made me this weekend. They were sooo good!! Here's the recipe: http://www.sprint2thetable.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6038451
SO bathing suits....I already have a few, but the cleanse/detox group I am a part of started up a challenge for May. We are done with our cleanse & are working on our maintenance and the leader of the group said that whoever has the best transformation pictures for the month of May, will win a FREE bathing suit!! I am SUPER excited, it finally gives me a goal to work towards LOL A lot of the people in the group are doing figure competitions, which is not something I'm currently doing, so they have a show date, which gives them more focus. I'm kind of just doing the maintenence to help me eat clean, but the challenge is definitely motivating me to clean up my diet even better than I have in April. So I told Nick, that for me, May would be a pizza-free month!! I did it in January, I know I can do it again. (we eat a lot of pizza in this house!) I am also trying to stick closer to the meal plan. Our meal plan has a cheat meal built in, but now I'm debating if I should even do those or not. I am trying to lift heavier so that my muscles will change even more than they have in the past few months. I really want to WIN!!
The pictures that motivated me to undertake protein pancakes had ooey gooey, creamy goodness all over them. http://well-girl.com/vanilla-chai-zucchini-pancakes/ At first I wasn't going to try any of that, however, when the pancakes turned out to be tasteless, I had to do something!! My sister had made me some sweet potato pancakes when I visited her in KY this weekend & she had made some YUMMY peanut butter creamy topping to go on them. I threw together what I thought she mentioned she had used to make the topping. I had to add water a few times to make it more gooey, and the topping tasted pretty good, although I used almond butter....so all in all, it was kind of a fail! It makes me sad b/c I was really hoping to find a new & yummy & high protein for breakfast. Now I want to try to make the sweet potato pancakes that my sister made me this weekend. They were sooo good!! Here's the recipe: http://www.sprint2thetable.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6038451
SO bathing suits....I already have a few, but the cleanse/detox group I am a part of started up a challenge for May. We are done with our cleanse & are working on our maintenance and the leader of the group said that whoever has the best transformation pictures for the month of May, will win a FREE bathing suit!! I am SUPER excited, it finally gives me a goal to work towards LOL A lot of the people in the group are doing figure competitions, which is not something I'm currently doing, so they have a show date, which gives them more focus. I'm kind of just doing the maintenence to help me eat clean, but the challenge is definitely motivating me to clean up my diet even better than I have in April. So I told Nick, that for me, May would be a pizza-free month!! I did it in January, I know I can do it again. (we eat a lot of pizza in this house!) I am also trying to stick closer to the meal plan. Our meal plan has a cheat meal built in, but now I'm debating if I should even do those or not. I am trying to lift heavier so that my muscles will change even more than they have in the past few months. I really want to WIN!!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Kentucky Derby Half-Marathon
Hellloooooo!!! I feel like it's been awhile since I've been on here, but I was out almost all last week trying to recover from the Earth Day Race LOL I was.in.pain!! I don't think it was necessarily the 15 miles that did me in, I think it was those darn hills!! My leg muscles were sore for quite a few days after the race. I ran a mile for recovery last Monday & then I don't think I ran for the rest of the week. I did continue with my weight lifting plan though.
ANYWAYS, that's old news, the really exciting stuff I want to talk about happened this weekend!! I drove down to KY this weekend for a race. It was the first time I traveled for a race. Originally, my plan was for my younger sister to come with me & to stay with my older sister, but those plans changed due to flooding in the area & my younger sister's sewer backing up into her basement...yada yada yada, I ended up driving down alone! It was a 5 hour drive & it was lonely. I drove straight to the expo in Louisville, which was pretty fun, but again, lonely doing it alone!! Everyone else had someone to talk to & by that time, I had driven 4 hours & just wanted to go to my older sister's house, which was still an hour away. I did pick up a cute running t-shirt along with my race packet, so that made me feel better LOL I got lost trying to leave Louisville & then I got lost driving to my sister's house (Google maps does NOT know the quickest way to get there!!), so my BIL offered to drive me to the race on Saturday morning. I GLADLY took him up on his offer, so that I wouldn't have to spend the morning alone, AND he knows his way around the Louisville area, so at least I wouldn't be late to the race or driving around trying to leave Louisville after the race.
We woke up at 5 AM (but it felt like 4 AM Chicago time!) and I got all of my race stuff together, but my packet didn't have any pins in it for my bib. My BIL couldn't find any around the house...so I just hoped that there would be some at the race. We drove and talked for the hour it took to get to Louisville & then as we got closer to the race, he let me jump out while he parked. My plan was to go to gear check & then use the bathroom before it was time to race. I couldn't find the freaking gear check & I wandered around the Start along with many other people looking for the gear check. Finally, someone knew where it was, so I dropped by stuff off & picked up some pins for my bib! YAY!! However, there was a sea of people between me & the potties, so there was no way to go to the bathroom before the race! NOT COOL!
The race started & I was feeling good! I LOVED racing in a new city, looking at all of the sites & taking it all in. The people of Louisville were out, we never went long without coming across someone or a group of people cheering us on. It was really awesome. I held myself back through mile 5, I didn't want to go out too quickly & burn out towards the end. I felt good the whole time & was enjoying the race so much that I forgot we got to run into Churchill Downs!! When I saw that we were coming up to Churchill Downs at mile 8, I was SO excited. We didn't run on the track that the horses race on, we ran in the middle of the track, but we DID get to see some horses running, it looked like they were training, but it was SO exciting to be near the track of the Kentucky Derby AND to see the horses there too! :) I loved it.
This is where my race goes downhill. At mile 9, the marathoners & half-marathoners split up. Up to that point, we were all running together. The Half-marathoners were going to loop back up near the Start to go to the Finish line. The marathoners, however, were going to run another 3-4 miles AWAY from the Finish line, before heading back up to complete their 26.2 miles. Unfortunately, I ended up following the people in front of me, not really paying attention to where I was supposed to go & I ended up on the marathon course. I was still feeling awesome, I was even starting to ramp up my speed at mile 10, thinking that the finish was only 3.1 miles away! Looking back, I did wonder why there wasn't that many people along the route, cheering us on at mile 10, since we were getting close to the Finish line (or so I thought). Finally, we came upon Iroquois Park, which I KNEW was part of the marathon course & where there was a BIG HILL!! This was where I realize that I was NOT going the right way :( I continued through mile 11 and then I asked a runner next to me what race he was doing. He told me that we were doing the marathon!!! LOL
I stopped running to tell one of the police officers along the route that I was not supposed to be running the marathon, I had signed up for the half!! He told me that there was no way to get to the Finish line, but to keep going b/c I was half-way done! UMMM...he is obviously NOT a runner, training for a half-marathon is NOT at all like training for a full marathon!! I wasn't ready to make the 13 mile run back to the Finish line :( I kept going though, thinking that since I knew I wasn't close to the finish line, I could at least go to the bathroom & started looking for porta-potties along the route. No such luck :( I reached mile 13 & didn't know what to do!! I went a little further & there was another police man, along with a few cheering people & an ambulance! I figured they might take me away in the ambulance if I told them my situation. AGAIN, the police officer said that there was nothing he could do and that I should just finish the full marathon. UGH!!
One of the ladies who was there cheering for her husband over heard me talking to the police officer & told me she was heading to the finish line, once her husband ran by. FINALLY!! I only had to wait about a minute or two, he stopped by, she gave him a bar of some sort, he hugged his kids & then he was on his way. So we went back to her car, along with her 3 kids & we start to head to the finish line. Unfortunately, it was hard to find it since most of the streets were shut down due to the race. It was nice to talk to her, she had twin boys who were 10 & a little 5 yr old girl. So we chatted about twins & the difference between boys & girls. She was really sweet!! Our drive to the finish line took about an hour! My poor BIL was waiting for me to meet him at the runners' reunite meeting area. I told him that I would be done in an hour, but now it had been 3 hours!! I didn't have a phone on me, so there as no way I could let him know what had happened! :( I felt SO BAD for him!! When we got close to the finish line, I thanked the nice lady & ran off to try to get back into the race.
The first police officer I talked to told me that once I was off the course, I couldn't get back on :( I REALLY wanted to run through the finish line and get my metal at that point. I was SO upset about the way the race went. There was another man who I talked to, who went & talked to a few other people & they waved me into the race. I was FINALLY able to run through the finish line, with my official time being 2:49!! GAH!! A whole hour longer than my 13.1 run :( BUT I did get my metal & my BIL was right where we agreed to meet, so we could finally head back to my sister's house.
Thankfully I had my Garmin on & I was able to see that I definitely made my goal of finishing 13.1 miles in less than 2 hours, but it wasn't official :( I went from enjoying the race & loving every second of it, to my world crashing down as I realized I wouldn't finish at 13.1 miles & might possibly have to run a FULL Marathon!! CRAZY!!! I am finally at peace with how things went, but I really had to process my emotions about it. I was mostly disappointed with myself for not realizing sooner that I was on the marathon course. I hated the way I felt at the finish & wished I could have run triumphantly through the finish line under 2 hours. I am SO upset that it didn't happen that way, but I am also proud of myself for reaching my goal. It's a bittersweet feeling though. I am now on the lookout for another half-marathon to crush!!
Me with my medal after the race!
ANYWAYS, that's old news, the really exciting stuff I want to talk about happened this weekend!! I drove down to KY this weekend for a race. It was the first time I traveled for a race. Originally, my plan was for my younger sister to come with me & to stay with my older sister, but those plans changed due to flooding in the area & my younger sister's sewer backing up into her basement...yada yada yada, I ended up driving down alone! It was a 5 hour drive & it was lonely. I drove straight to the expo in Louisville, which was pretty fun, but again, lonely doing it alone!! Everyone else had someone to talk to & by that time, I had driven 4 hours & just wanted to go to my older sister's house, which was still an hour away. I did pick up a cute running t-shirt along with my race packet, so that made me feel better LOL I got lost trying to leave Louisville & then I got lost driving to my sister's house (Google maps does NOT know the quickest way to get there!!), so my BIL offered to drive me to the race on Saturday morning. I GLADLY took him up on his offer, so that I wouldn't have to spend the morning alone, AND he knows his way around the Louisville area, so at least I wouldn't be late to the race or driving around trying to leave Louisville after the race.
We woke up at 5 AM (but it felt like 4 AM Chicago time!) and I got all of my race stuff together, but my packet didn't have any pins in it for my bib. My BIL couldn't find any around the house...so I just hoped that there would be some at the race. We drove and talked for the hour it took to get to Louisville & then as we got closer to the race, he let me jump out while he parked. My plan was to go to gear check & then use the bathroom before it was time to race. I couldn't find the freaking gear check & I wandered around the Start along with many other people looking for the gear check. Finally, someone knew where it was, so I dropped by stuff off & picked up some pins for my bib! YAY!! However, there was a sea of people between me & the potties, so there was no way to go to the bathroom before the race! NOT COOL!
The race started & I was feeling good! I LOVED racing in a new city, looking at all of the sites & taking it all in. The people of Louisville were out, we never went long without coming across someone or a group of people cheering us on. It was really awesome. I held myself back through mile 5, I didn't want to go out too quickly & burn out towards the end. I felt good the whole time & was enjoying the race so much that I forgot we got to run into Churchill Downs!! When I saw that we were coming up to Churchill Downs at mile 8, I was SO excited. We didn't run on the track that the horses race on, we ran in the middle of the track, but we DID get to see some horses running, it looked like they were training, but it was SO exciting to be near the track of the Kentucky Derby AND to see the horses there too! :) I loved it.
This is where my race goes downhill. At mile 9, the marathoners & half-marathoners split up. Up to that point, we were all running together. The Half-marathoners were going to loop back up near the Start to go to the Finish line. The marathoners, however, were going to run another 3-4 miles AWAY from the Finish line, before heading back up to complete their 26.2 miles. Unfortunately, I ended up following the people in front of me, not really paying attention to where I was supposed to go & I ended up on the marathon course. I was still feeling awesome, I was even starting to ramp up my speed at mile 10, thinking that the finish was only 3.1 miles away! Looking back, I did wonder why there wasn't that many people along the route, cheering us on at mile 10, since we were getting close to the Finish line (or so I thought). Finally, we came upon Iroquois Park, which I KNEW was part of the marathon course & where there was a BIG HILL!! This was where I realize that I was NOT going the right way :( I continued through mile 11 and then I asked a runner next to me what race he was doing. He told me that we were doing the marathon!!! LOL
I stopped running to tell one of the police officers along the route that I was not supposed to be running the marathon, I had signed up for the half!! He told me that there was no way to get to the Finish line, but to keep going b/c I was half-way done! UMMM...he is obviously NOT a runner, training for a half-marathon is NOT at all like training for a full marathon!! I wasn't ready to make the 13 mile run back to the Finish line :( I kept going though, thinking that since I knew I wasn't close to the finish line, I could at least go to the bathroom & started looking for porta-potties along the route. No such luck :( I reached mile 13 & didn't know what to do!! I went a little further & there was another police man, along with a few cheering people & an ambulance! I figured they might take me away in the ambulance if I told them my situation. AGAIN, the police officer said that there was nothing he could do and that I should just finish the full marathon. UGH!!
One of the ladies who was there cheering for her husband over heard me talking to the police officer & told me she was heading to the finish line, once her husband ran by. FINALLY!! I only had to wait about a minute or two, he stopped by, she gave him a bar of some sort, he hugged his kids & then he was on his way. So we went back to her car, along with her 3 kids & we start to head to the finish line. Unfortunately, it was hard to find it since most of the streets were shut down due to the race. It was nice to talk to her, she had twin boys who were 10 & a little 5 yr old girl. So we chatted about twins & the difference between boys & girls. She was really sweet!! Our drive to the finish line took about an hour! My poor BIL was waiting for me to meet him at the runners' reunite meeting area. I told him that I would be done in an hour, but now it had been 3 hours!! I didn't have a phone on me, so there as no way I could let him know what had happened! :( I felt SO BAD for him!! When we got close to the finish line, I thanked the nice lady & ran off to try to get back into the race.
The first police officer I talked to told me that once I was off the course, I couldn't get back on :( I REALLY wanted to run through the finish line and get my metal at that point. I was SO upset about the way the race went. There was another man who I talked to, who went & talked to a few other people & they waved me into the race. I was FINALLY able to run through the finish line, with my official time being 2:49!! GAH!! A whole hour longer than my 13.1 run :( BUT I did get my metal & my BIL was right where we agreed to meet, so we could finally head back to my sister's house.
Thankfully I had my Garmin on & I was able to see that I definitely made my goal of finishing 13.1 miles in less than 2 hours, but it wasn't official :( I went from enjoying the race & loving every second of it, to my world crashing down as I realized I wouldn't finish at 13.1 miles & might possibly have to run a FULL Marathon!! CRAZY!!! I am finally at peace with how things went, but I really had to process my emotions about it. I was mostly disappointed with myself for not realizing sooner that I was on the marathon course. I hated the way I felt at the finish & wished I could have run triumphantly through the finish line under 2 hours. I am SO upset that it didn't happen that way, but I am also proud of myself for reaching my goal. It's a bittersweet feeling though. I am now on the lookout for another half-marathon to crush!!
Me with my medal after the race!
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