The Anti-Running Runner

Yes, it's mid-November and I'm just getting around to the Halloween Halfathon. In a nutshell, Team Hea and Bria had a blast! Before: Pumped up and ready to go! I'm Wonder Woman (the lazy version), Hea is a cat After: We did awesome! Mike helped us keep a good pace We finished faster than I expected: 2:17:52 chip time. That includes a bathroom stop. We averaged 10:37 mins/mile. I'm really happy about that! Because Mike came as support, he helped push Hea and I along perhaps a bit faster than if he hadn't been there. Not too bad, though. Mile 11 was the longest of all (strange how that works), but we still managed a strong finish. Hubby brought Lance to cheer, but I had told him to expect us no sooner than 2:25. Thinking he was early, he showed up literally one minute after we finished. But he did capture the above photo of all three of us. One of the best things about this race (besides the wonderful organization, fun medals, and route through Ft....

Hea, Mike, and me ready to run together! Pic by James Sciandra. Our first race of the season! It's always an exciting time, even though I'm only signed up for two more races at the moment. One of my favorites, the Women's Half Marathon here in November, was canceled for no given reason. I've heard from a reliable source that a low number of sign-ups was the cause. That seems crazy to me because it's always a huge turnout. Anyway, back to the Sunrise Run ! This is one of my favorite 5Ks ever. Karen VanderPloeg, a sweet friend and sister in Christ, created this faith-based race several years ago. Because of her health, she was unable to have the run for the last couple of years. I was so happy when she announced that it was coming back. Many friends from the church I used to attend and the one where I attend now were there either volunteering or running. What a blessing to reconnect with these dear friends, some that I hadn't seen in years! Stephanie,...

Back on April 28th, I ran the Claw Run 10 Miles with hubby, Hea, and Mike. Our friends Robert and Russ ran the 5 Miles. This race in beautiful Alafia River State Park has become a favorite of mine. I can't believe someone had to talk me into doing it the first time. We ran through forest trails, up and down hills and berms, through a green valley that smelled like mint, slid on our butts down steep slopes, splashed through ankle-deep water, and waded through a waist-deep river (probably my favorite part because it's a wonderful cool down). The best of all was that the four of us stayed together. Usually I'm at the back of the pack but someone is always kind enough to stay with me like Hea or Alyssa (who sadly couldn't make it this year). But this time, we ran as a group and felt like a team. Of course, staying together still meant staying with the slowest person (me), so I was especially grateful that everyone stuck to the plan. Later, it became clear why Mike, t...

If the horrible 8-miler I did the week before The Claw Run was an indicator of my finish time for the 10-mile race, I would have guessed a three-hour, sluggish, slow, and painful finish time. Praise God that wasn't the case and my time was a respectable two hours and nine minutes. Luckily, the adventure run took my fears away as soon as the horn sounded. My cousin, Alyssa, and I took off through the woods on a shaded path behind my hubby and Hea's boyfriend, Mike. They got ahead of us pretty quickly, but Alyssa stayed with me the whole time. The sad part was the fact that Hea of Team Hea and Bria had a knee injury and couldn't race with us. She was a trooper and still came to cheer. Two other friends, Robert and Russ, ran the 5 miles and did great. Robert was kind enough to drive us again this year. Alyssa and I raced through forest trails, open fields, up and down "hills" (he...

Team Hea and Bria cannot be stopped! We had such fun doing the 5K together last Friday evening. We did a decent time of 27:20 or something close to that. No chips but a close estimate. It's a very good time for me. The Honda Grand Prix track is put up throughout the streets of downtown St Pete. We run where the cars race. It's a neat and different experience. This year was thankfully cooler and less humid than last year. Still sweaty, we went to dinner afterward at a St Pete staple, Harvey's. A friend we saw at the race joined us, hubby stopped bathroom rebuild project to come, and a friend from Orlando was on her way to stay with us for the weekend, so she also came. I ate way too many onion rings, but they were oh-so-good. What is it about greasy food after a race? I tried their chicken walnut salad on a croissant, as did the other girls, and that was delicious. We almost did Yogurtology (LOVE that place), but it was so late we all decided to head home. No races ag...

Next Saturday, I'll be doing the Gasparilla 15K with my hubby, his coworker, and his coworker's wife. I'm excited to be doing less than a half this time. I'm also excited that my husband's coworker talked him into the race because he's not a fan of road races, which he considers boring, so he rarely runs them with me. Today I plan to run around 6 or 7 miles, and maybe a few shorter runs next week. I'm enjoying the cooler winter weather and I hope it will stick around longer this year. By April last year, it was hot and didn't really cool down again until the end of October. Don't get me wrong, I love the heat, but training in it can be a challenge. The following Saturday after that, Team Hea and Bria will be doing the Race for the Greys 5K. I'm looking forward to that and still debating whether to bring Lance along. He's a good runner, but I worry about how he'll behave in a large crowd of dogs if hubby is not able to come. So we...

After doing two half marathons two weeks apart, I’m reminded of why I’m not eager to do another marathon quite yet. The time it takes to train, the pain, the agony, the misery, the crying… Anyway, I’m happy to report that the St. Pete Inaugural Rock N Roll Half Marathon was a blast. Team Hea and Bria ran together with my college roommate, Brenna. We stayed together and enjoyed the great route and the scenery. Even though we started in different corrals, somehow Hea found us in the crowd of 10,000! She knew which corral we were in, so that probably helped. The one downside: the temp was 40 degrees! That’s right, it was 70-some degrees on Saturday and on Monday, but a freakish low temp swooped in Sunday and stayed for the length of the race. My layers: dri-fit short-sleeved shirt, dri-fit long-sleeved shirt, cotton hoodie, black tights, shorts with pockets over the tights, and gloves. I carried some Ibuprofen in the pocket, but nothing else. No iTouch this time. I expec...

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...

Last Friday, I ran my last long distance prior to the Miami Half, between 11-12 miles. It's a nice feeling to get a long distance run out of the way, and then focus on shorter runs and resting days and carbs. Two weeks ago, I ran the last 10 miles of Hea's 20-miler. She's doing her first full marathon in Miami. Team Hea & Bria get to start the race together, but she'll be doing twice my race distance. We had a really enjoyable run together. Her boyfriend rode a bike the whole 20 miles, and even carried things for me when I joined them. It was a huge blessing to have him along. I keep thinking about doing another marathon, but I'm so happy that I don't have one coming up. It takes so much time just to train for a half, and way more to train for a full. Alyssa and two of her friends, and a group of Hea's friends will all be doing the Miami Marathon. For many it will be their first. I think we'll all have a blast together. And I'll get to fi...

After a hard rain yesterday, the cold weather flew in on the back of gusty winds, making the Jingle Bell Run feel just about right (freezing!) at 7:30 pm. Team Hea and Bria made it, and we did awesome, I'm not ashamed to tell you. And I'd like to thank Jesus for that. For those who don't know, Team Hea and Bria is what I like to call my running partner, Heather, and I when we race together. We almost always stay together during races, and last night was no exception. We ran into a group wearing shirts with Isaiah 40:31 on the back, which drew my attention because that's the verse I repeated during the Gasparilla Marathon when I thought I would die. Then I noticed the shirt also said Calvary Chapel where I go to church. They started a running team, and the director was there and said both of us could join, too, even though Hea goes to a different church. He gave us each a long-sleeved dri-fit shirt (amazing, as you can see) and trusted that we would pay him la...

Sept 24, 2011 ~ One Step Closer to the Cure 5K Team Hea and Bria ran this race in downtown St. Pete a few weeks ago. The race surprised us because we both felt destroyed 0.2 miles into the race. The humidity must have been at 100%. The temp likely began at 88 degrees, increasing to 91 or so by the time we finished. Those numbers may be off, but do reflect my feelings on the matter. Dawn broke just before the race began, increasing the temperature with every second. Meaning, I felt every second of that 28 minute, 11 second race. Yes, it's a decent time and I am happy with it. But in the moment, I wasn't happy at all. St. Pete's downtown waterfront area is beautiful, especially at sunrise or sunset. But I wasn't soaking in any beauty. My lungs felt soaked with water, and Hea and I could barely talk as we plodded along past the Pier and towards the Vinoy. My body felt devoid of energy, even reserves. Everything in me cried out to stop running. Around that time, Hea f...

I have a race coming up this Saturday. The Sunrise Run is a faith-based race that was started a few years ago by Karen VanderPloeg. I'm running the 5K at 7:15am along the waterfront in downtown St. Pete. It's a beautiful run and lots of fun. Karen is an amazing woman of God who has been battling cancer and still plans to run/walk this weekend as far as I know. I've always had great respect for Karen and her joyful spirit through all things. Sadly, my team will be incomplete this year. My best friend, Heather, has been sick and can't make it this time. Illness gets in the way of running and turns even the most dedicated runners into anti-runners...at least while they are recovering.  Photo by Jason McElhaney  Team Hea and Bria, The Sunrise Run 2010  Photo by Karen VanderPloeg  Team Hea and Bria, The Sunrise Run 2009