I'm not getting any younger....

My runs this week since the half-marathon have been rather uneventful, to my pleasure, but I have been having some hip pain that flares up around mile 4. I have the 10 mile run this Saturday with the LRM Group, so I'm hoping that doesn't interfere. I have decided to get some IT Band Compression straps, maybe that will help. While on the subject, I must give a "shout-out" if you will, to Kim for telling me about them, I didn't know they existed and am excited to try them! The IT Band stretches I have been doing are helping some..

But, alas, that is not the subject of my post today. Yesterday I went to Pilates, thinking that it would really help me to do some more stretching and increase my flexibility, especially when my muscles get tight from running. I used to do Pilates on a regular basis, but I knew that I was nowhere near what I used to be doing. So...I decided to take it very easy and be careful. Well...I don't know if I hurt myself in that class or if I slept in a weird position, but I woke up last night with my neck KILLING me! It was the weirdest pain. I am used to neck stiffness and soreness, since I unfortunately "wear" my stress in neck aches and pains, but I couldn't tell if it was a muscle spasm or a pinched nerve. It felt like a shooting pain that went from my right shoulder, up my neck and the right side of my head...I tried an ice pack and that didn't help much, and finally took some Ibuprofen and was able to rest enough to go back to sleep....Ugh...

I woke up with it still hurting and anytime I lifted anything over 5 lbs. in my right hand, my neck and arm hurt...Geez...Since I don't know the source of how it happened, I'm not sure how to avoid it. Needless to say, I spent the day babying my neck at work and trying to avoid lifting too much, as not not make it worse....I didn't go to my Sculpt class tonight for the same reason. I just found myself thinking..."Man...I can't ever take NOT being in pain for granted again.."

I guess I'm not getting any younger, but I hope that doesn't mean living with this crap for long...

Soaring....Running....I figure it's the same thing...

A momentous day in history.....I did my FIRST HALF MARATHON!!! It was the Inaugural Soaring Wings Half Marathon in Conway, AR....A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY!! Okay....at least, to me....


Pre-Race: Got up about 5:00..finally decided on my running skirt, tank, and long sleeve performance shirt for the race, with my PINK FLEECE along for the ride for post-race chills. Feeling rather bloated, I realized to my horror that my skirt was riding a bit higher than usual due to my monthly "girth expansion" (aka PMS), but the alternative, my Sugoi pants, were so tight, you could see my panty line...ick...I figured, "It's not Halloween and there WILL be small children there, best not to scare them...." It was cold, somewhere in the 40's, but not as cold as I expected. I grabbed an Odwalla Bar for breakfast to eat on the way to Target, where I was supposed to meet Cheryl and the "Infamous" Kim at 6:15, so we could ride together. I sat in the parking lot for about 2 minutes, adjusted my shoes and thought "what if they are waiting on the side of the building?" so I drove over there to make sure. They aren't, so I drove back to the front, just in time to see them pull up. I grabbed all my gear and off to Conway we went. We chatted all the way up there and we seemed to get there really fast! At first, we couldn't tell where to park, the driveway to the McGee Center was blocked off and there were no signs. We drove around the corner to a church parking lot and walked to the McGee Center from there. We got our packets with bib, chip, and t-shirts. The shirts were huge for the size indicated, so I was hoping that my medium could be traded for a small later. We headed back to the car to get closer parking and found that there were still some great spots on the grass near the finish line, although the parking guy was a bit RIGID on exactly where we parked! We went inside for a bathroom pit stop and I met some of the other running gals that Cheryl and Kim know. Not long after that, they announced that the race would start in about 10 minutes and that we should be making our way to the starting line. We quickly took some pics to commemorate the event and headed down the street.

During the Race: As soon as the "Go!" was shouted, we took off. Kim basically shot off and we never saw her again until after the race. Cheryl and I started off kind of fast, but gradually got into a groove. I had to stop and tie my shoe once, and boy I had to really take off to catch up with Cheryl again! I had a G2 with me, so I sipped that throughout and ended up taking some Gu about mile 5 and 9.5. Energy-wise, I felt okay, but I really started to get sore in my right hip and knee about mil 10 or so. When we hit mile 12, I was like..."Where is that finish line?" Cheryl reminded me of my medal awaiting me, and that was the incentive I needed to go that last 1.1 miles!! She asked me if I was going to cry at the end and I didn't think so, but I did tear up when we rounded the corner. No Kim in sight, but we virtually crossed the finish line at the same time and I was SO EXCITED!! I wish they had announced my name, but I was just so glad to finish at all!

Post-Race: They cut the chips off our shoes, gave us our medals, and we headed for the food!!! But not before Cheryl gave me a hug and congratulated me on my first half-marathon! We stretched by the road block and then went to look for Kim, our "invisible cheering section", she was nearby talking to a guy she knew from work. We walked around a bit, I got a hamburger, talked to some of the running gals, and went to get some pics at the finish line. When we got to the t-shirt table, not only did I get to trade in my t-shirt for a smaller size, we got to buy the short sleeve performance shirts that we had all been lusting over that morning for only $5 each! That was AWESOME! After the pics, we headed to the preliminary finishing list to see who placed. None of us did, although I was sure that I would place...I mean, I was awesome! Kidding....We all did PR...wait, can I PR? I mean, this was my first half.....I was fairly pleased with my time. I didn't really have a goal, but I was satisfied with 2:04:58...

Finally, at the car to leave for Starbucks, Cheryl and Kim gave me this bag of goodies (that almost made me cry) to celebrate my first half-marathon. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me.....I normally keep those things to myself and these 2 ladies were allowing me to celebrate (and celebrating with me!) an accomplishment that means alot to me and something I didn't think I could do! Pardon if I get sentimental here...but sometimes, I really believe that God puts these blessings and people in my life to really show me He loves me. And I am grateful......Now, back to my story....we went to Starbucks for some yummy and much awaited coffee and Kim and I discovered that we not only have the same phone, but we also both have Verizon, so we can text like crazy now!! We went to Target and Old Navy, but didn't find much (although I almost shoplifted some panties at Old Navy), but it was still fun. By the time we got back to NLR, Kim and Cheryl had talked me into doing the St Jude Memphis Half Marathon and spending the weekend with them and Aunt Martha.....Boy, that should be a weekend to remember!!

All-in-All....a wonderful day with wonderful new friends....I hope to start running with them, next week in the mornings, at least on Monday and Friday mornings...and maybe the running clinic in Cabot on Tuesdays.....more fun to come!!

Will I soar at Soaring Wings???

Well....it's merely hours until my first half-marathon....I didn't even know about the Soaring Wings Half Marathon this weekend until Cheryl mentioned it last Saturday at the River Market. As the weekend went on, I just could not get it out of my mind and when Cheryl told me to look at it as a treat to myself after coming home from Harrison, I just couldn't say no. I went online and registered and let her know right away. We have been obsessing ever since...

Now..I''m kind of nervous about it. I ate a good dinner and feel ok, except all the bloating from all this PMS crap. I was going to wear my running pants, but they are so tight...ugh....My left knee is sore too and I'm not sure why. I never have problems with my left knee or foot, it's ALWAYS my right.... I hope a good rest and a few ibuprofen take care of it before tomorrow morning. I tried an ice pack, but it hasn't seemed to help much.....

Tomorrow I am meeting Cheryl and Kim at Target in NLR to carpool to Conway. That should be fun and may help settle my nerves some...I've got most of my gear together so I won't have to fly around like a maniac in the morning looking for everything...my Gu, gloves, ipod, headband, LED light, fleece (of course) and my G2. I will probably wear a running skirt and long sleeve performance shirt. Cheryl is supposed to bring her running gloves and fuel belt in case I want to use those...

Looking forward to it!! My first medal!!!

A shameless plug for pink fleece and cupcakes.....

PINK FLEECE!!!!!PINK FLEECE!!!!! I FINALLY GOT TO WEAR MY PINK FLEECE!!! OK.....now that we got that out of the way...

Today's run was down at the River Market, over into NLR and back up to Kavanaugh. Tried to look for Cheryl as we started, but alas, no Cheryl...I was having flashback to the first time I ran the Capitol run and was really dreading those hills...At first, it felt like I was dragging along and could not imagine finishing today, but somehow after I passed the Blind School, I got my second wind...and the rest of the run wasn't too bad. My G2 Gatorade kept me going, as did my energy gel, but the kind I had with me was one that Cheryl had given me to try, forgot the brand name, but the flavor was Strawberry-Kiwi. (Sorry, Cheryl, no offense, but it reminded me of warm snot and I almost gagged. I think I'll stick with the Chocolate Gu.) I was comfortably warm in my PINK FLEECE (how many times can I say that....) and the weather was beautiful. Of course, I didn't QUITE follow my instructions right and turned left on Cross St. (like my paper said) but apparently, that was assuming everyone would know to go up to Victory St. first....Oh well, once I caught my mistake I ran up to 4th and back down Broadway.. (Note to self: Tammy, just follow everyone else, you apparently NEVER know where you are going).

The outside of my knee has been bothering me and I think I am self-diagnosing in saying that I have ITB Friction Syndrome. Maybe with some more good stretching and building my quads and hamstrings more evenly, I can nip that in the bud. Man, I wish I had been able to go to the Marathon Meeting on Tuesday....I picked up one of the summary info sheets by Lace Luedke, and that was helpful. I do say with an extreme amount of glee that I will be home after this week in Harrison and I am looking forward to being able to have a life. I hope to do some runs with Cheryl at some point, and maybe go to a running clinic??

I was tempted to head over to Panera after my run, (I was going to meet my mom, but she got busy and couldn't go) but didn't really feel like driving that far, so I headed over to Starbuck's, with a few short stops at some garage sales on the way. Nothing too spectacular today, although there were garage sales galore. I skipped my Power Pump weight class at 8, I just didn't feel like it. Went over to Target and bought a welcome mat with an owl on it that says "Who's there?" A little cheesy, but cute. I was also going to go over to Cupcakes on Kavanaugh (my sister works there and told me that today they have the Pumpkin Spice Cupcake with Cream Cheese frosting), but she was baking and they don't actually open until 11am. Sweet as she is, she said she would get me one and bring it to me later!!! YAY!! I love all the Pumpkin recipes that come out in the fall and can't wait to start cooking with it myself!



Cheryl mentioned the Soaring Wings Half-Marathon next weekend, and although I have no business even thinking about it...I am sooooo tempted. We'll see how I feel, 9 miles today was brutal enough....I don't want to overdo it, since next week I will be incorporating one more day a week running. I'm sure that I will be updating on whether I am crazy enough to do it...

HELLA work week, but fleece makes it all better....

Glad to be home after my 2nd to last week in Harrison. This week was HELLA at work. My patients were REALLY sick and (pardon me for saying so)...their families were REALLY annoying. I was running non-stop for almost the whole 13 hours I was there each day and nothing seemed like enough for anyone!! Aghhh....needless to say, I was anticipating coming home.....

I did 5 miles this morning in my neighborhood, and it was colder than expected. I just wore shorts, a t-shirt, and a fleece pull-over, but I did have to wear a headband over my ears...ahhhh, cold weather running....it felt pretty good and I started to feel comfortably warm about halfway through my run. I think tomorrow morning is supposed to be a FEW degrees warmer, so I will probably wear a running skirt and a long sleeve performance shirt.

My weird splits were: 1st 2.5 miles, 22 minutes
2nd 1.5 miles 13 minutes
3rd mile 9 minutes

Don't ask me to average that out....I'm too lazy and too focused on time lately...setting myself up for failure I think....

I need to be incorporating more hills and speed work into my runs soon...my routes are getting boring and I think I am reaching a stagnant plateau. I would love to do some stuff with a running clinic, whenever I am home on a regular basis, after next week...will probably ask around on that one...

Lastly....I am having runner's lust for any and all things fleece....can I be saved?
Maybe I will get to wear my pink-fleece tomorrow morning for the River-Trail run....9 miles...ugh...

Beyond running....

Still a little sore from yesterday, but the am LR Marathon group run went well. It was SOOOOO foggy. My hair was soaked from all the moisture, but once the sun came up it was beautiful, fog and all. Finally met Cheryl, after commenting on each other's blogs for a while. It was nice to run with someone, and I didn't even miss my ipod! I have really enjoyed getting to know some of my fellow runners in the "running community". It has been inspiring and helpful...sharing struggles, getting advice, and learning to love running all over again.

It was 8 miles again, the group did 7. I felt a little slow this weekend, somewhat stiff, averaging close to a 10 minute mile. Only 2 more weeks in Harrison, thank goodness, so I can run more days a week and get used to the increased mileage. I hate treadmill running, even on the rare occasion I feel up to it after work. When I get back to working at St. Vincent's in a few weeks, I'll be doing mostly 8 hour days, so I will be able to do my runs in the evenings and go to some of the sculpt classes I have really been missing. I'm sad I won't be around for the LR Marathon training meeting on Tuesday. Hopefully people can fill me in on what I missed! Looks like a 9 mile route next weekend, if I'm up to it....

Martin Luther King (Blvd., that is) is not my friend....

Dark, as usual, this morning, as I made my way to the LR Marathon running group meeting place. We were at the Arts Center (downtown), doing the route that passes by the Governor's Mansion and Central High. It was cool, as will probably be the norm for the next, oh, 6 months or so...but seemingly, not as cold as last Saturday morning.

Today was another 7 miler, and I say WAS because I had an interesting and slightly scary experience this morning. I forgot to email Tom and Hobbit and request a 7 mile route, so he had to modify an 8 mile route and adjust the directions for me. I thought it was fairly clear....apparently not. I know you're not supposed to follow the pack in front of you, in case they are doing different mileage, so you don't get stuck doing 20 miles when you meant to do 4....Still, the directions Tom gave me had me bailing from a fairly decent sized group, and I thought .."surely all of these people aren't doing over 8 miles......Well, I screwed up the directions anyway, and headed down martin Luther King Blvd. going the wrong way...

So, there I was, like the idiot that I am...a random white girl, running in the semi-dark in my cute running skirt...through shanty-town...hoping and praying that I would come upon Capitol Rd. so I could get the hell out of there.....I feel so stupid....I just kept going, praying that no one would attack me and I ended up at the damn State Fair Grounds!! Yes, that's right, folks....2.5 DAMN MILES, out of the way....

I finally had the sense to turn around and found my way back to where I should have turned before and after running past the RiverMarket to Commerce St., I cut my route short, headed to 10th St. and went back to the Arts Center early. So.....all that to say...what was SUPPOSED to be 7 miles, ended up being 8.2, even with me cutting about 2 miles off the original route.....Note to self....take the time to email Tom....or stick with the whole group...

One bright spot is that I got to go to Panera Bread for breakfast and got a Pink Ribbon Bagel (with vanilla, nuts, dried cherries, and dried cranberries) and coffee. It was SO good and I needed that reward. I also went to Target and Academy for some retail therapy...got a pink "performance" long sleeve running shirt (of sorts) at Target and some Gu, an awesome pink fleece pull-over, and a black headband with a little pink ribbon on it (they selling alot of pink ribbon stuff, I'm assuming for the Race for the Cure..) at Academy. I skipped weight class this morning, I was so sore anyway and I just didn't feel up to it after my "ordeal". It was bound to happen, I'm a newbie...I guess, now, I have all these "funny" stories to tell to my fellow runners..ha ha.....