Another half marathon in the books! {A long review of my latest race}

Over the weekend, I ran a half marathon.  It was my goal to run one after each baby to get back into shape.  And I have accomplished that goal each time.  I'm proud of myself for setting this goal and meeting it THREE times!

I ran the OKC Memorial race {again} and it was as humbling and motivating as last time.  It is a true blessing to run to remember the 168 lives lost 19 years ago.  I met a woman who was cheering on her family as they ran different races.  They lost an 18 month old cousin in the bombing.  A sweet boy, Blake, who would be 21 this year.  My heart was saddened, but drawn even closer to this city I love.  

I may not be a born Okie, but I do love this great state.  

And I'm proud to be raising Okies!

The race day was already looking daunting as we checked the forecast days before -- warm and humid!  That was a bummer since I had trained in pretty cool and windy weather.  I was praying for a low 40's start temperature.  Maybe a slight wind.  Instead we had high 60's, humidity and severe storms.

As I got to the starting corral, the sky was already grey and overcast. We were waiting a little past the 6:30am start time to see what would happen. The potential for storms was very high, the momentum just as high.  There were 26,000 full and half marathoners ready to run! 

At first there was a 15 minute delay.  Most everyone waited around and took shelter in parking garages and open buildings.  But once the weather reports were more solid, the delay was pushed back to 8am!!! At that point I decided to run back to our hotel room because I would need to feed Elise again before I could run 13.1 miles!  She would starve otherwise -- haha!

The weather guys were hopeful, but not encouraging in their reports.  But there were a lot of runners wanting to run.  After training for four months, you want to see the fruits of your labor! I headed back to the corral as it started to storm.  I ran in the pouring rain and hail, but I made it! :)  The race finally started at 8:20am...

I couldn't find my friend Megan, who I was running with, before the start.  After watching for her for several minutes I decided to start running.  I didn't make it a mile before she called -- I stepped to the side and waited for her to find me.  Then we were chatting and running and cheering on the fire fighters running in their gear.  I checked our mileage around 4 1/2 miles.  It didn't feel like 4 miles at all!!!

At mile five the sun started coming out and it started getting a little warmer.  We downed some gu at mile six and kept going.  The crowds were awesome and cheered everyone on with great excitement! At one point I almost got a cup of vodka because I thought it was a water stop -- nope! Just a friendly neighbor handing out alcohol!  

I think it was mile seven that I started to get a little tired.  We split with the full marathoners at mile eight and I remember thinking that I couldn't imagine running 18 more miles in this weather! {Side note: one of my closest friends ran her first 26.2 and she rocked it! I am so proud of her!} I think it was at this point that I really needed to go to the bathroom and had peed my pants a little {truth of having three babies}.  

I was fading fast in the heat and at mile nine I ran into a port-a-potty and was glad to have an empty bladder!  That gave me a little more momentum.  You should know now that if it weren't for Megan, I don't think I would have finished strong.  She was an incredible motivator and a kind friend to stick with me at this point!

I told Megan several times to run ahead without me.  She is a champion runner and was beyond sweet to stick with me.  And I think it was fairly early in the race when I looked over to her and said, "I'm so glad we have Elise, but she did a number on my hips!" At around mile nine and a half, I couldn't keep running.  I walked for a little bit -- and then we would run again.  My legs were cramping so badly!  We would walk and then run again until the water stop after mile 12.  At that point, I knew where I was and how much further I had to go.  So we picked it up and ran to the finish! It was so good to be done! 2:42 was my official finish time -- 13 minutes slower than my slowest half before this race. {this was my 4th half}

I cried a little at the finish line -- not in pride, but disappointment.  I had trained so hard and so well.  I put in my time and effort.  But it wasn't enough to fight the heat and humidity and my lack of pre-race nutrition.  Next time, I'll down a teaspoon of salt before a warm race!  I have to remember, though, that this wasn't a time goal -- it was a get-back-into-shape-after-having-a-baby goal.  I need to remember that my body is very different after having three babies and being 32.  I need to remember that I ran the best I could in the moment and I did finish.

It was my hardest race and my slowest to date.  I would run in the snow for days rather than the heat, ever! :)  And right after the race I told Patrick that I couldn't imagine doing another one.  But yesterday morning {the day after the race}, I woke up ready to redeem my time goal and train for another half marathon.  This time without giving birth just six and half months prior!

Here's to a kind and faithful God who has given me both a healthy body and three sweet babies.  Here's to a faithful and encouraging friend.  Here's to an incredible husband who supports my insanity.  And here's to one more race!

Here are a few phone pics!

Race delay -- hotel picture :)

Post race selfie! Done!!!

Just one more! Love this girl so much!

B running his race!

I certainly cannot forget to tell you that Benjamin ran the kids marathon! They did 25 miles of running in PE class over the last four months and then they all ran 1.2 miles together at the race! He LOVED it.  And apparently he ran hand in hand with our friend Jerome -- and counted the entire time. Hahahaha! I love this kid so much.  Maybe someday you'll see me and B running together -- in fact, I really hope you do! :)

I ran {another} race...

Maybe you're tired of reading about my races. "Oh well", I say to you!

Just kidding, sort of.

So my goal of running a half marathon each time I have a baby is going strong. I'm two for two here, folks! I ran, and finished, the Route 66 Half Marathon in Tulsa on Sunday.

Two cheers for me! Woop, woop! And a kissy cheer to my love who let me run a race on our anniversary!

It was cold. It was 34 degrees. It was cloudy. And not warm even a little bit. I had on three layers, on top. Too bad I didn't consider wearing two pairs of pants. Oh well, my calves survived. {even though I couldn't feel them for a very long time}

It was a good race. The course was really great, not too hilly, not to flat. Fairly windy. Lots of gorgeous houses. One really cool Catholic Augustine school. A lot of people. And Danny from season 8 of the Biggest Loser! {Who I introduced myself to. He is a neat guy!}

I ran the entire time. I've never done that before. Both of my previous races were a mix. This time I just kept running. I take that back, I walked through three water stops because of the insane amount of people who just stop at the water stop! But other than that, I ran.

And ran. And ran.

I felt good. Although I was cold, it wasn't enough to make me tell you that I felt anything other than good. Just me and my ipod and a lot of other people...running the morning away. It feels so good to do that.

I finished in 2:29 -- which is just six minutes longer than my personal record of 2:23 {from my first half}. I'm okay with this time because my goal was just to finish and I did a lot better than I thought I would. Also, I had a baby six months ago. And one more also: I don't sleep well or much.

I called Patrick around mile 10 to let him know I was 3 miles away. He and the boys were hanging out at the hotel. Having fun, relaxing, eating breakfast -- good, normal Sunday morning things. They rushed down to the finish line to cheer me on and gives me hugs and kisses. That one of my favorite parts about the end.

When I passed the "Mile 12" sign I decided I was done. I didn't want to be running in the cold anymore and I just wanted to see my boys. And I really wanted something to eat. So I just straight up sprinted for 1.1 miles. And it felt so right. "Why wasn't I pushing myself like this three miles ago?!", I thought. I rushed by several people and ran through the finish line. Yes!

There were a few tears, before and after. Tears of pride. Tears of fear. Tears of knowing I met another goal. That's a good feeling, friends.

I was a little sore, but better than I expected. We had to walk back to our hotel -- which was about a mile away -- and that was awful. I've never been so cold in my life.

I always tell myself when running, "You can do anything for __ miles/minutes." And it's true. It's just mental, mostly. There was a girl holding a sign on the course that said, "When your legs tire, run with your heart." So I did. And I prayed a lot.

And I kept singing part of the Toby Mac song, Hey Now. You know it? It's good motivation.

"So whether you're a loser or a winner by the numbers

Everyone knows a tie goes to the runnerSo lace up your shoes, get yourself in this raceCause this little thing here gonna set a new pace"

It was a good race.

{PS - Patrick and I had a great weekend talking and reflecting on SEVEN (yes, 7!) years of marriage. I'm a blessed woman to be married to that man, y'all. God is so good to me through Patrick.}

OKC Half Marathon

Oh my soul. Today, I ran another half marathon. First I will say this: this was the most humbling and moving race I've done. It was such an honor to run with men and women who knew and loved the people who died in the OKC bombing in 1995. Truly humbling.

(After the race was over, we stopped my the memorial. There were medals and bibs tied to chairs. A lot of runners had "In Memory Of" bibs on. It was really emotional.)

This was the 10th anniversary marathon for the memorial. This year marked the 15th anniversary of the bombing. The event was awesome! The course was really great. There were tons of residents along the route cheering runners on, holding up humorus signs (my favorites: "release your inner Kenyan" and "what? the free beer at the end is almost gone?"). The sponsers of the race had really great water stations. Plus, the post race party was awesome. Free burgers, beer and massages. I, however, did not partake in any of that. I grabbed half of a bagel, some oranges and water. I'm so lame. Maybe the best race I've run to date (and my friends, I've run a lot of races).

You should know that I've got a cold. Not just any cold. It's the "welcome to Oklahoma" cold that people get when they move here. Here is my lesson of the day/note to you: Don't run when you have a severe head cold and cough. Just don't do it. Also, you should know that I didn't train for this race in the slighest. I ran a 10k on April 3rd and ran a few short runs (3 miles-ish) since then. Someday, I'm going to train the right way for a half marathon!

There were 22,500 runners this year. And please know that if there were that many runners, the crowd was at least that size! Patrick and I couldn't find one another until I crossed the finish line. Even then, it took me 15 minutes to find him. Like I said, the course was really good and really fun.

(The crowd and the runners!)

I ran this half marathon much better than the last and only walked for about four (and a half) minutes total. BUT I did need to pee like crazy and that cut out a solid 3 minutes while I waited in line and did my thing. I didn't hit a wall, if you will, until about mile 9.5, which I think it pretty good. The sad thing about hitting the wall is that my ipod died about then, too. The last three miles were tough! At this point I had completely given up on breathing out of my nose and just kept my mouth open the whole time. The wind is crazy down here. I almost got blown away once and that was enough to keep me from getting on the outside of the pack the rest of the race.

At mile 12, I reminded myself I could do anything for a mile. Although, I was not convinced because I was certain that my head, or left knee, would explode before I reached the finish line. Then, I saw it! The finish line!!! I pushed myself and ran as fast as I could. I just wanted to be done. I finished in 2:25:00, officially. This is two and a half minutes slower than my last half, but with my current circumstances I'll consider it a success!


Near the finish line. I'm so exhausted. This is the first time I saw P since 6:00am (the race started at 6:30am). I was so excited to see him!

I may have been all smiles....
but this is how I felt.

Oh man, I love these guys! They are SO supportive of me and I couldn't be any more thankful for them!
Me and the babe!You can't keep this cool cat confined. He needs to move. Seriously. That's all he does, all the time. Move, move, move!
Just a little creativity...

Making last minute memories

Our last days in Indiana are coming to a close. It's been my hearts desire over the last six weeks to make the most of our time here. And I can confidently say I have.

The last two days have been no exception! Friday was spent hanging out with Meghan. We got pedicures and had lunch. Together. Without boys. For the first time, ever. It was so much fun. We grabbed some steaks from Cunninghams and grilled out with all our guys.

Our friends threw us a going away party. It was so much fun to see everyone, chat and spend time with people who have been our community and our family for the last three and a half years. We will certainly miss our friends here in Indiana. There is no doubt about that.
Patrick and James, talking about something great.

Nancy, Aubrey and Will Seale. Little Aubrey is just 9 days old! I've had the privilege of walking through so much with Nancy over the last few years
Foulk's. We love you.
Al and B just playing.
This morning, Meghan and I ran a 10k. It was a little warm, but it was a great morning to run. This is the farthest Meghan has ever run. I'm so proud of her. Although, I'm sure she wanted to punch me a few times on the course :)

Typical us.
The boys playing.
We finished in 1:03:19. Pretty awesome, if you ask me! After the race, I headed to the hospital to see a brand new baby, who is incredibly beautiful. I love when my friends have babies!

I ended the day with a "moving sale" of sorts. I didn't get rid of everything I hoped, but did make $80. Not too bad. Anyone need a hutch? The perk of the sale is that a few friends stopped by and stayed for a while. It was so great to talk and sit and enjoy sunny moments with people I'll miss!

Whew! Two more days in Indiana and they won't be boring. There is a lot to do and it's starting to sink in that we're not going to live here anymore. And friends, I have loved living here more than any other place I've lived.

Just a Short Run

On Saturday, I ran my first race of the season. It was a 5k in Pittsburgh called "Just a short run". It was a great event and well organized. This race was super fun and very special because I ran it with my great friend Meghan. We've been training for this since January 3rd!

This was Meghan's first race, ever. Her new years resolution was to get in better shape, start running and finish a race. Meghan is an awesome workout partner because she's got drive, perseverance and a serious competitive streak like I've never seen! She's so good for me! My friend has lost 11 pounds and went from running an 11 1/2 minute mile and about dying to finishing a 5k in under 30 minutes!!!

(Squishing through the finish line. It got kind of crowded right there!)

The race time is still unofficial (the results aren't posted yet), but we're pretty sure we finished in 29 minutes. This is a personal record for me. I've not run too many 5k's, so the record wasn't hard to beat :) My goal is to run another 5k this summer and finish in 26 minutes. I've been speed training a lot this year and I really want to see the fruits of my labor!

(Finished!!!)

Meghan and I have had so much fun training together. We were already close, but this definitely sealed the deal :) I'm so proud of her. She's come so far and it's been such a blessing to watch her grow and change and turn into a runner!

We all went to Cranberry the night before and hung out. We scored a hotel on priceline (for a steal!)! We let the boys play in the pool, had a nice dinner and Meg and I even got away to do a little shopping and have some girl time. I just can't tell you what a fun weekend this was!

Bonus: I got Meghan to sign up for a 10k this weekend! I'm going to have this girl addicted to races before she knows it! Holla! I'm so excited to do a 10k. It just makes me want to sign up for a half marathon!!!

Playing in the pool! B was loving it. Dylan, on the other hand, took a while to warm up!
Having fun with daddy!
Swimming with momma!

Running fun

With 2010 just around the corner, I've started thinking about how and what I'm going to be training for in the coming months. Ideally, I would be pregnant or have a baby sometime next year, but we all know how the first time worked out. So, I'm going make my running plans and if a baby comes along, well I'll just keep on training as much as I can.

I know that I would love to do a 5k in March and a 10k in April and/or May. The summer is full of awesome events and I'll probably do as many as I can just to keep up my training and running endurance. I would really like to do another half marathon. If I'm able, I'll do the Spirit of Pittsburgh again and maybe one at the end of September. These are just thoughts I'm playing around with, but goals nonetheless.

Anyways, I read this funny little bit on "Running Rules of Thumb" in Runner's World magazine the other days. It was adapted from The Runner's Rule Book, by Mark Remy. I got a kick out of it and nodded in agreement several times.

1. If you see a porta potty with no line, use it. Even if you don't need to.
2. If you have to ask yourself, Does this driver see me? The answer is no.
3. If you have to ask yourself, Are these shorts too short? The answer is yes.
4. 1 glazed doughnut = 2 miles
5. You rarely regret the runs you do; you almost always regret the runs you skip.
6. Not everyone who looks fast really is, and not everyone who looks slow really is.
7. Nobody has ever watched Chariots of Fire from the beginning to end. Not even the people who made it.
8. You can never have too many safety pins on your gym bag.
9. Running any given route in the rain makes you feel 50 percent more hard-core then covering the same route on a sunny day.
10. If you care even a little about being called a jogger verses a runner, you're a runner.

Ha! So many truths. I really love reading Runner's World. It has excellent articles and it always makes me want to lace up my sneakers and train for something insane. I love that!

Happy running! (or not, to those non-runner blog readers ::Grin:: )

Finisher!!!

I did it! I set a goal. I trained for my goal. And I finished! I was so nervous leading up to this race (as I'm sure you could tell from my last post). There's so much I want to say about this experience.

First, we stayed in a hotel downtown before the race. It was a very nice hotel and would have been a very nice night... except Patrick was up vomiting all night and Benjamin didn't sleep much. It wasn't exactly the rest I was hoping for, but we all made it through. The good news is that the night before, we all slept great! Getting up super early was a little tough, but adrenaline got me going!

I had to go to the bathroom so bad before the race, but the port a potty line was at least 20 minutes long. I decided to suck it up and go along the course if I needed to (there were potties available and I didn't have to go, as it turns out). That made me kind of nervous, but you do what you have to do!

When the start horn went off, I admit, a few little tears escaped from my eyes. The nerves, the pride, it all was so overwhelming. I was actually doing something huge. I was accomplishing this awesome goal. It felt so good! The start was crowed (there were 3500 people there) and pretty enthusiastic. I got in line with the "2:20" pacer instead of the 2:30. Bring it :) "Let's get it started in here..." was blaring through the speakers as I ran by and it was enough to pump me up for a few miles.

Hundreds of ponytails were bouncing around in front of me and I spent a lot of time watching other people run and taking in the gorgeous scenery. I checked my mile times and set out a plan for each mile or so as it passed. At 35 minutes, I passed the 2:20 pacer and took off. I felt really great - until mile seven.

Miles seven through nine were TERRIBLE. Maybe worse than child birth. At one point I didn't think I would be able to push through and run anymore. It was certainly a mind game at that point and I set little goals to get me through these miles - "just run until that sign", "keep running for another three minutes and then you can walk for one." When I saw the mile 10 sign I did a little dance, in my head, and smiled. Double digits! I knew I only had a 5k left and that was pretty motivating. I started hurting pretty bad around mile 11.5, but I had to keep going. I wasn't out of breath, my legs were throbbing and felt like jello! I was pretty encouraged by my endurance through the whole race.

At mile 12, there was a water stop. I grabbed a cup and walked for about thirty seconds. I threw my cup down and took off. The last half mile I sprinted. I was so close! As I got closer to the end there were more people on the sidelines. They were yelling and cheering. It felt so good to be encouraged! I couldn't stop now. When I saw the finish line, I cried a little more. I was so excited to be done, but mostly I was proud of myself.

I finished in 2:22:53 (officially). I came in 858 out of 1078 women. My official pace was 10:54, which I think is pretty great for not training as well as I could have! I only walked about eight minute the whole race. Most of that was after mile six. Side note: Our goodie bags were pretty sweet and loaded with stuff. I love that all of the "Spirit of Pittsburgh Half Marathon" gear said "finisher" on it! Yes!

My legs were wobbly and my arms were a little weak. My knees were hurting so bad. However, I felt so great. I would do another in a heartbeat! I've never had such a thrilling moment than crossing that finish line (okay. childbirth is probably the top, but you know.)! Sitting and getting back up, walking up and down stairs and generally moving was difficult until this morning. A little motrin and ice and I'm good as new!

Ah. It's nice to be done, but I can't wait for the next race. They are addicting (I should know, I've run in 5 races this year! Sheesh!) and I'm okay admitting that :) I'm going to take a month or so off from races, but by the new year - watch out! Bring on the races!

Pictures:

My little pumpkin on Halloween!Getting ready to trick or treat. We had dinner with our friends Andre and Margaret, so Benjamin and I went around their neighborhood. We only went to 5 houses. Also, my child is sticking out his tongue. Awesome!

Benjamin's halloween costume :)
Start of the race!
My goal! Patrick took this at 59 minutes. The first finisher came in at 1:06! Holy cow! He is a fast runner.
Me coming in...goal in sight. Sprinting like crazy! Can you see that smile on my face?!
Finish line! I'm feeling good! Under my goal, even!

After the race. Medal in one hand, protein shake in the other :)
Me and the babe after the race. 7 1/2 months after giving birth.

Here we go...

Well, my long awaited half marathon is just a day and some away. We are heading down to Pittsburgh tomorrow to do some shopping. Then we'll head over to the expo where I'll pick up my goodie bag, bib number, etc. How is it already the end of October? I'm not ready for November 1st to be here!

I'm a ball of nerves. My heart starts racing and my stomach turns to mush every time I think about this race! I didn't make training a priority over the last month and that hasn't helped my confidence at all! Does anyone know how incredibly difficult it is to train for a half marathon with a 7 month old baby and a working husband? I do! Geez, it's insane!

I'm trying to remind myself that most of the race will be mind over matter. I'm sure my body will begin to freak out around mile 10 and I'll have to convenience myself to keep going with sheer reliance on the Lord's kind Hand to push me from behind. I'm prepared for that. I'm also prepared to walk a little. This only means I'll have to train for another half marathon and run the whole time. Considering that I make it alive through this one.

I know I can run 6.5 miles in an hour. I know that being around 3,500 other people will motivate me. I know that adrenaline really does a number on me - in a good way. I know that I can get slightly competitive and just need to pick out a slow person to beat. I know that by finishing this race, I will have compelted and accomplished a goal I set for myself seven and a half months ago. I know, whatever happens, I will be cheered on and supported and welcomed excitedly over the finish line by an incredible husband and a sweet little baby.


Here is a peak at the course. My goal is to finish in 2 1/2 hours. That's giving me plenty of extra time to slow down. My strategy (at this point) is to take the first two miles fairly easy and consider that my warm up. Run at a 10 minute mile pace for the next four to five miles and then slow back to a twelve minute mile for a mile or two. Um, that's just my mental plan. We'll see how it turns out in real life!



So, here it goes. Ready or not, I am running 13.12 miles on Sunday morning (at 7:30am!). I covet your prayers!! :)

HeartWalk!

Today was the 2009 Heart Walk, put on by the American Heart Association, in Indiana. I participated in the event in memory of my dad. I was pleasantly surprised by the crowd that showed up. It was a 5k at the local hospital. Five laps around the parking area and that was that. I walked for three laps and ran for two. Patrick and Benjamin walked two laps with me. I would have happily ran the whole thing, but no one else was running and since I have very little leadership confidence I walked :)

Thank you so much to those who supported the AHA, through me, for this event! It won't go unnoticed - so many families and individuals will be forever grateful for the support of the AHA!

Here I am crossing the finish "line". Once you crossed they handed you a bag and told you to get free goodies. So I left with a lot of pens and entered a lot of random drawings :)



I wore this large sticker on my back. I wrote in my dad's name and birth/death date. I was glad to see others wearing these too in memory of their family members!
As a side note, I think I would like to help plan next years event. It was very unorganized and there was very little information prior to arrival. I think it could have been much better planned and played out. I'm just saying...

Oh boy...

Well it's decided. I'm committed, no matter how hard it gets. I'm going to do it. What am I going to do, you ask? A half marathon! I know, I know, people do them everyday. But me, I do not do such things every day!


I'm so excited. It seems kind of funny to be excited to run 13.1 miles - without stopping - in who knows what kind of weather. I am excited to train, to accomplish a goal, to do something I never thought I could or would do.

Training has been good, considering it's my first week. Patrick has been (and will definitely continue to be) super supportive. He certainly makes my five day a week training schedule possible. I do two regular runs a week, one long run and two cross training (with strength training) days each week. It's a really great, challenging training schedule and I might just keep it up after the race is over!

So the race is November 1st in Pittsburgh. We'll go down the night before for a racer expo to get my goodie bag, bib number and chip. They are even offering a pre-race pasta dinner the night before at the Spaghetti Warehouse! Alright! What an excellent way to get people pumped about running :)

My goal is to finish, not to place. I'm not so naive to think that I'll be one of the top runners. I'm really not that strong of a runner, but I love it and that's what matters.
I'll keep you updated on training and such! And a goal time once I get stronger :)