The Anti-Running Runner

Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. Humperdink is.... Wait, no, that's another story. Today, I'm back after a long time lapse. I've blogged about writing quite a bit over at Writing for the Love . But it's been a tough summer for running. I feel like that every summer, but this one felt worse than others. It didn't rain as much as usual, and I have a theory that the heat index was higher because of it. The humidity...killer. Although my running suffered from consistency this summer, I still ran fairly regularly. Thanks to the bi-weekly group runs at  St. Pete Running Company , I was able to join in a few times and ran with friends new and old. The Blackjack group run. I'm in pink in the center. We all got two cards on the way out and back. At the store, we could hit or stay. Winners got a prize. They think up such fun things for the group runs. More on the SPRC  below. On Wednesday mornings, I got up early to meet a friend, Te...

At 6:30 AM on Jan 19th, hubby dropped Alyssa and I off at Coachman Park. A ride to and from any race is such a blessing. Alyssa and I have decided it's essential for a marathon. We don't recommend driving yourself if you don't have to. A side trip about my pre-race eating habits: I have finally learned what works best for me and my uber-tender running stomach. It tells me loud and clear what it does and doesn't like. The problem? During long runs when I haven't eaten the way my body wants me to, what I have often felt is motion sickness. At least, that's the closest thing I can compare it to. Once in the fall during a late evening run with Hea (18 miles), it felt like that creature from Alien was about to burst through my diaphragm. Mainly because I ate a sea salted almond around mile eight. Body rejected. It should've been an unsalted almond, but now I can't eat any type of almonds before or during a run. The other thing I've learned is tha...

After running three marathons that went from bad to worse, I thought it must be impossible to enjoy a marathon. I'm overjoyed to be proven wrong. Of course, training and eating right makes a difference. The right shoes make a difference. Some of those things affected my previous marathons, and I finally learned what my body wanted to eat, how it wanted to train, and what shoes were best for me. A lot of prayer has gotten me through each of my marathons, and there is something wonderful about how terrible they were before Jan 19th. It's much easier to say that in hindsight, of course. I had to rely on Jesus, lean on him, draw strength from him in my weakness. It's a great place to grow. From the moment I started distance running in college, I became the Anti-Running Runner. It was this burden that I knew I had to carry if I wanted to get through any of my jogs. There were always things that helped, like running with Alyssa and other family and friends. But it's al...

To pick up where I left off... Around mile 11, I started feeling it. I'm convinced it was full-on 85 degrees at that point, it was so hot. That same feeling I usually get around mile 18 came and I was already struggling. Alyssa promised to stay with me, and we slowed the pace. Jenni went ahead on her own where she experienced those heat stroke symptoms I mentioned in Part I. It felt like a really long two miles to get the halfway mark. In my mind, I kept thinking, We have to do this again. Ugh. And then we were introduced to the sand pit. That's right. A sand pit. Not hard sand, but a half-mile stretch of really loose sand that none could go around. The only answer was through. Shoes sank in, making it almost impossible to run through it. We sort of skip-walked through. At that point, I realized that I was not happy. I was struggling before, and now I was getting angry. Because the website made absolutely no mention of the half-mile long sand pit that we would have to go t...

Completed marathon #3: X-Country Marathon in Alafia River State Park Nov 17, 2013 Started with hubby, Alyssa, Jenni, Hea, Mike, and Zach. The course was two 13.1 laps around the park. Completed half due to injury: Hea Completed half due to no desire to finish this ridiculously unfun trail race, plus didn't care whether he ever finished a marathon in his life: hubby That means we lost two out of seven people in our group alone. There were likely a lot more DNFs at this race. I imagine there are worse marathons. The Sahara Desert Marathon, for example. The hills in places like San Francisco make it difficult to even compare to the X-Country Marathon in Florida. There are inclines, not hills. Therefore, I resisted titling this post Worst Marathon Ever. It was my worst ever, but there are so many factors contributing to why some races are tougher than others. This one was tough, first of all, because it was 85 degrees and humid. Total fluke. No one's fault. It didn...

There are seven Team SPOR Runners doing the X-Country Marathon tomorrow at Alafia River State Park. Hea, Mike, Zach, Alyssa, Jenni, hubby, and me. I'm trying not to think about it because I'm quite nervous. But I know it will be fun, especially with our great group of people. I've been focused on my fiction writing lately, so I haven't been updating on my training, but I'm as trained as I can be. Now I just need to relax and give it to God because it's out of my control. Hea and I did 21 miles together three weeks ago. I've got a blood-blistered toe to prove it. After horrible 16 and 18 milers, I was relieved the 21 went as well as it did. No major issues (didn't feel the toe until it was over). The following Saturday we did 12. Last weekend hubby and I did 8. Oh, tapering. So lovely. This last week I carbed up and today I'm doing my eating regimen that I discovered works best for me on runs longer than a half marathon distance. Every two ho...

Hubby, Hea, Mike, and I are in full swing with marathon training. We also have three other friends who will be running the X-Country Marathon with us in November: Alyssa, Jenni, and Zach. We have a team! So we came up with a team name and shirts. Hea and I before the 14 miler TEAM SPOR RUNNERS because some of us live in SP (St. Pete) and some of us live in OR (Orlando). I know, it looks like we left of the T in SPORT. Or, as one of my forum friends described it, that the E in SPORE is missing and we're a "group of escaped infectious lab test subjects from some fungus-based zombie disease, a la The Last of Us." In my mind, SPOR rhymes with Thor so we can raise our fists and shout, "By the power of SPOR!" Anyway, Friday night Hea, hubby, and I ran 14 miles. We had fun, chatted a lot which helped the time pass, but it wasn't easy. Especially since next Saturday we're scheduled to run 16. The miles just keep going up and up. I still haven...

That's right. I'm doing it again. And hubby is doing his first marathon. What marathon are we signed up for and when? The X-Country Marathon on Nov 17, 2013 This is a trail marathon in beautiful Alafia River State Park (east of Tampa). Same place where we run The Claw Run 10 Miles. We're signed up for that race again at the end of April. Hubby doesn't like road races, but has wanted to run a marathon. When we found out about this trail marathon not too far from us, he said he would be interested in doing it someday. That day is now officially on the calendar. And it's not expensive. Only $55 for early sign-up. Hea and Mike are signed up. Hopefully, Alyssa will be able to join us, too. I once swore that I would never run a marathon. And then Alyssa talked me into Disney 2009 which was the week before my wedding. I don't recommend that, by the way. After the Disney Marathon, I swore that I would never run another ma...

After my rare and delightful runner's high, I pretty much expected a runner's low. The twelve-miler was a week and three days prior to the Rock N Roll Half Marathon, so I decided to rest until the race. I ran one stair jog, but that was it. The half marathon was tons of fun, especially while running and chatting with my dear cousin, Alyssa. Like last year, they had bands every mile. Music helps mentally boost me. Catching up with Alyssa for 2:21:47 (our chip time) feeds my soul.  Lyssi and I having a ball. Thanks, Jeremy Carlson, for taking pictures! Our good friend, J.J., spotted us on the course, so we got to have some of the race documented. I don't like carrying things, such as phone/camera, so it's really nice to have friends taking photos. This was not a low after all, but nothing close to the high either. Around mile nine or ten, I felt the normal challenges of a half marathon. Legs hurting, my right glute started going numb, making it diffi...

Another fun Jingle Bell Run 5K! I enjoy this race every year. It starts in the dark on the pier, and they seem to have added more stuff this year. More live music, more sights and lights along the way. Good times. It wasn't cold or warm, but pleasant. Hea and I ran a moderate pace together. Normally, we try to PR at this race, but both of us were not up to it this year. She is dealing with knee pain and I had some bad chili the night before (too much info, I know), so we were all about keeping a comfortable pace. And we both ended up feeling great and had fun catching up. My favorite part about running is probably the time spent in good company. We both had our men and dogs their to cheer us on. Afterward, we got gelato with my college roommate, Tavanya, and her family. They all did the 1 mile walk. Downtown St. Pete is festive and decorated for Christmas, which I love. It was so fun to visit with friends and have hubby there. He had been gone all week, I missed him! ...

I had such a pleasant and enjoyable 5K Sunday morning with the Race for the Greys. The only downside was losing that hour of sleep. And, sadly, I didn't bring Lance but ended up wishing I had. Because hubby couldn't come, I wasn't very comfortable running Lance in a race with other dogs. He's never done that before, but I realize now that it would have been fine. Seminole Lake Park is beautiful, and I hope to bring Lance to run the trails another time. It was a casual and friendly atmosphere. The race began with a volunteer shouting, "Ready, set, go!" after explaining the course. "Follow the yellow ribbons" was pretty much all I heard. The trails in the park did a lot of winding, which I enjoy in a race. I actually passed about five people, which is not the norm for me. I'm usually the one getting passed! I started out slow to see how I would feel, probably an 11-minute mile average to start, and eventually I must have increased to something b...

First of all, I must thank Jesus for getting me across that finish line. There was a man who collapsed and was obviously hurt, and I pray that he's okay. But it reminds me how careful I need to be in the heat. And this was a HOT race. I threw water over my head at almost every water station, and usually more than one cup at a time. Still, I was sweating a ton (not like me) and my face felt like it was on fire. My husband and his coworkers and his coworker's wife all ran, and they all did awesome. I guess I did pretty well, too, but I felt awful the last half of the race because of the heat. True, 79 degrees is not so bad for Florida, but I just ran in 40 degrees at the Rock N Roll Half a few weeks earlier. It hasn't been very hot while I've been training, and honestly, I haven't been training very consistently in the midst of all these races. My biggest problem, however, was starting too fast. I went out with the group, and I immediately felt the pac...

I have a dear friend who volunteers for Greyhound Pets of America  - Tampa Bay. They have an upcoming event that could use your support, and it involves running! Race For the Greys is a charity event that will be held at beautiful Lake Seminole Park on March 11, 2012. There is a 5K run/walk that begins at 8am and a 1 Mile walk that begins at 8:05am. The website (linked above and below) has information on the main page if you scroll down to this picture: Bring your dog and run or walk either event, or become a sponsor! All the information you need is on the website to support this wonderful cause. My dear friend, Hea, will be joining me as we run the 5K. I'm hoping my hubby will be able to come and bring our dog, Lance, who is an English springer spaniel. All dogs are welcome at the Race For the Greys. Click here for more info.

This final vlog is Alyssa and Jenni finishing the full marathon! I am quite excited to see them looking so good, so there is some screaming from me. Hopefully, it's not too loud. :) Sadly, my camera stopped working when Hea and Jason finished the marathon, but they also looked great. I'm so proud of Hea for completing her first marathon! And Jason, too! James completed the half ahead of me and did awesome. We had three people cheering us all on. Mike (Hea's boyfriend), Erin (Jason's wife), and Cami (James's wife) were all there supporting us. We had so much fun and I recommend this beautiful, flat race to anyone looking for a fun full or half marathon. Just be sure to look over my recommendations from the "Bienvenido A Miami" blog.

Every race is an adventure, but some more than others. I realize I have a lot of adventure stories from past races that I'd like to blog about sometime. Stay tuned for those. Last weekend, I ran the Miami Half Marathon with my dear cousin, Alyssa, and her friend, Jenni. Both of them ran the full marathon. Because the full and the half start together and stay together until mile 12.5, I only had to run the last half mile alone. While this wasn't my best half marathon (2:35), I always feel accomplished when I finish. I pray a lot during and I'm so grateful each time I cross another finish line. Alyssa, Jenni, and I chatted throughout, admiring the gorgeous waterfront scenery. This was the most beautiful marathon we'd ever done. The temp was around 71 degrees most of the race, and it was overcast, but also very humid. That made it challenging, along with the fact that I didn't sleep the night before! That doesn't normally happen to me. The adve...

Technically, tomorrow is New Year's Day, but I thought I'd wish everyone a Happy New Year today since I'm here. I had a poll question in December about how holiday treats affects you and your running. I must admit, I didn't expect to run as little in December as I did, or to eat as many goodies. I also wrote a lot less than I had planned. On Writing For The Love (my writing blog), I revealed my plan to try writing 50,000 words in December just to see if I could. I didn't participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and thought, why not try it on my own and just see? December was not the best month to pick, but I did manage to write about 11,000 words and that's nothing to be ashamed of. As for running, I took a two-week break somewhere mid-December. It wasn't my intention to do so, but something amazing happened. I relaxed, I got some of those 11,000 words written, and I came back ready to run on Christmas Eve morning with my amazing runner ...

My family ran the Turkey Trot in Clearwater Thanksgiving morning, and we had such a great time. Alyssa, my hubby, and I ran the 10K while the rest of the fam ran/walked the 5K. We also ran with Hea and a friend from high school, Karol. The Thanksgiving meal was even better after burning all those calories and making room for all the food. If you've never done a Turkey Trot, I hope you'll consider doing it next year. Makes for a great start to the day. And I'm certainly thankful that God has given me the ability to run and be healthy. But more importantly, I'm thankful for what Jesus did for me when he died on the cross and of course for my wonderful and amazing hubby.

I love the feeling of finishing a race no matter what the distance. Every race is an accomplishment. There is no such thing as "just a 5K" or "just a half" or "just an insert race distance. " All races from 1K to 100 miles are difficult in their own way, though I personally will never know the difficulty of a race beyond 26.2 miles. My cousin, Alyssa, my best friend, Hea, and I ran the Women's Half Marathon yesterday. The race began at 7am amongst a crowd of 10,000 women. Right when the race started, Hea and I almost lost my cousin because she was in the eternal bathroom line. Luckily, she is a speedy girl and caught up to us about five minutes after the horn sent us all off. The pictures were taken by our good friend, Jeremy Carlson, who spotted us along the route several times. Thanks, J.J.! The downtown waterfront in St. Pete is a scene I know so well. We traveled past the Vinoy toward Snell Isle Bridge, made our way ...