Psst... Can you keep a secret?

I ran tonight...against doctors orders. Shhh..dont tell him!

When he told me Wednesday I could walk the race I was really happy with that. But over the past couple days I had been getting that running itch. You know the one! I tried to find a walking buddy but had no luck. So what's a girl to do? Run of course!

I rode to the race with my brother in law and niece. There were over 1400 preregistered so it was a big one! It was in Frankfort ky, the state Capitol. It actually started at the old capital and went to the new one circled it and then back to the old one.





Here's a pic I stopped to take.

I started off walking. It took a couple minutes to get to the start pad. We had gone to the back since he had a stroller ad I wa going to walk. After passing te start mat it took 4 minutes of walking before Jordan had any space to start running. Weaving in and out with a stroller is not an easy task. I continued to walk for a bit more til I had a good opening then jogged til I caught up to the next clump and walked. I continued doing this for all of mile 1.

Mile 2 was up hill around the capital then back downhill. I walked the uphill and then ran the downhill.

Mile 3 I ran the whole thing minus about 10 yards of walking.

My hip didn't hurt at all! I would have walked more if it had. It really felt good to get out and run tonight!! The weather was nice and brisk and it just felt GOOD!!

My time was 3 minutes off my best. I am really happy about that considering how much I did walk and that for my best time I didn't walk any!! That made my day!! I am really looking forward to being officially released to run and working on my 5k speed!

Here's something I noticed tonight though it took a bit to get warmed up. By mile 2 I was feeling in the groove. At the half marathon I felt in the groove after mile 3. I see runners running before the race.

Do I need to do that so I get in the groove quicker. When the race is only three miles I can't wait til mile 2 to be feeling it. But I dont want to get tired and die out at the end of a race if I do run beforehand. So what do you do to get "ready"??

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Good news!

The chiropractor said I can walk the 5k on Friday! Woohoo!!


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no running for me - dr's orders

I went back to the chiropractor today. He said no running for me til at least next week.  Which means no black cat chase 5k on friday! :(   i'm pretty bummed about this.  i was looking forward to this race, all my friends are doing it! plus, i have already registered and paid for a tech shirt.  however, i was starting to get worried about it since i have only run once since the half (and that was my 2 miles of pain), so i guess this is a good thing????

he also said no biking either til wed or thurs. I told him i did on saturday bc i didnt know i wasn't supposed to.....WHOOPS!!  he did say i could swim just no kick sets.  so i guess i'll be in the pool this week!

Chiro update / biking

I went to the chiropractor on Friday and he is fabulous!! I was nervous bc I had never been to one before but he put me at ease within the first couple minutes. He is a runner himself as well as his wife, so that made me feel confident that he would be understanding and aware of running injuries.

He explained what he does and how chiro helps people. Then he took a couple x rays. There was not a fracture which was a good thing!!

He said 4 of my 7 neck bones were out of place so he put them back. He also said all my ribs popped and asked if I had been doing a lot of twisting. Which I had been twisting a lot while shelving journals over the summer and last week at the library.

After he looked at the x rays he said that I was out of line. My right side has higher than my left was putting extra stress on my left hip which is most likely the cause of my problem.

He popped and pushed and got me put back together. I have another appt on Monday to get adjusted and make sure I stay that way.

He didn't say anything about not running so I had all intentions of running today. However, one of my former swimmers called and wanted to ride bikes. It was so pretty out I couldn't say no. Plus I thought it would be a good idea to ride rather than run today so I could rest my hip a little bit longer.

After 7 miles I stopped to get water, and I couldn't get started again. I felt sick, like I was going to throw up. I couldn't move. I was hot and took off my helmet to cool off! I have never felt that way before during a workout. The only time I remember feeling that way when I took surf lessons and swimming back to shore did me in. After about 10 minutes it passed and we rode the 4 miles back to the car at an easy pace.

I had eaten lunch an hour before we rode... I am guessing my sugar bottomed out but don't really know for sure. Hope it doesn't happen again though!!


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The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad run!

The night after the half and the day after both my hips were hurting. Monday they were better, not great, but better. By tuesday I was finally pain free so I thought running wednesday would be ok.

First run, or attempt at a run, after the half was supposed to be yesterday but due to working til midight the night before, coaching 6AM swim practice, job #1 at 10am, and job #2 at 4, it didn't happen.

So today ended up being the day!! I was looking forward to running again.  I have in my head if I can for 13 miles, then I should definitely be able to run 3 miles faster than i have before. It started off with wanting to be an easy run, just 2 miles. I had hoped for a good run but that quickly went out the window.

The first couple tenths I could hardly catch my breathe. I had to stop to walk which normally isn't a big deal but I have a 5k next week and really would like to get a pr. So I was not happy when i had to walk to catch my breathe only a couple minutes in.  I can run/walk for 3 hours but not just run/run for 20 min?
I decided to try out one of the bondibands that I bought this past weekend. It would NOT stay on my head.  granted it was very windy out so dont know if that was the issue or bc i wasn't wearing it on my head correctly.  i'll try it again before i give up on them...

After half a mile, my shins started burning. Then my left hip also started throbbing! I ended up having to walk the last mile and a quarter bc it hurt too much to run. My hip was pretty unbearable. I finally hobbled back to the car. :(  Jeremy suggested i take off a little bit longer. I reminded him i have a 5k next friday that has already been paid for.  So he suggested a chiropractor which is what i had already been thinking about on my way to the car. 

I made my appointment for tomorrow.  I'll update after I go and see what he says.  I am hoping that will help. I really don't want to have to back out of the 5k next week but I know I can't run it if I have pain like I did today!




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13.1 = 31. Indianapolis Half Marathon

Before I get to the race recap I have to start with my weird love of numbers. I am one of those people who constantly look at their odometer to see if there is a pattern to the numbers and to see when a new thousand rolls over. Cool thing #1 - On the way home my car hit 90,000 miles. Cool thing #2 - 13.1 on my 31st is 13131!

That being said let me get started on recapping mine and jeremys first half marathon.

Day before:
I picked up my mint chocolate chip birthday cake and Twila after work and went back to my house to get Jeremy. We stopped at subway on the way out of town. The drive up was pretty uneventful. We found the hotel with ease, checked in, then left to go to the expo.

I was really excited about the expo but once we got there was pretty dissappointed. There was only a couple vendors set up to sell running stuff. They didn't even have 13.1 stickers or magnets - the one thing I definitely wanted to buy. I did buy a couple bondibands though. (I had to buy something!)

At the expo! J and I were 533 and 534.

After we left the expo we decided we would try to drive the course. Not exactly a disaster but Jeremy and I don't do well when we don't know exactly where we are going. It's really the only time we argue. Good thing Twila was with us bc we were both on our best behavior (sort of). We were able to drive part of it, then went to look for the spot where twilas family was going to watch her at mile 17 and 21.

After that we headed to ocharleys for dinner where Jeremy could get pasta and Twila and I could get chicken. Then it was back to the room to get everything ready for the next day and relax as much as possible.

My shirt, shuttlle ticket, bib, and timer chip

I was a little overwhelmed trying to get everything ready. I was terrified I was going to forget something important. But it all got packed and I was as ready as I was going to be.

I slept a well as could be expected. I think all three of us were awake on and off throughout the entire night.

Race day:
Jeremy woke me up at 6am. We all started getting our race gear on. We were our of the hotel by 6:45. We drove to the host hospital and took a shuttle to the race. Good thing we had driven around the night before bc the shuttle driver didn't know where she was going. The directions she was given were not clear. I had to tell her to go down to the next road from where we were to turn.

Pre-Race - Getting ready to leave the hotel

We got dropped off and went straight for the portapotties. Then headed to gear check to drop off our bag, to the post race cook out tent to stay warm for a few minutes (38 degrees at start time) then back to the portapotties one last time.

Then we broke apart and went to our seperate corrals. Jery was in E, Twila was in G, and I was in H. It was a little lonely in the corral. Everyone was with a friend it seemed like. I had gotten used to doing my long runs with someone so I was sad I had no one to run with this time.

We ran under the flag at the start.

The national anthem was sung and then the race was on!! It was very congested. There were a lot of walkers in my corral so it took over a mile to break free and not have to be weaving in and out of people. During that first mile I ditched my ky sweatshirt I had worn to stay warm.

Miles 1-3 felt ok. I did my run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute interval. I had debated on a higher one but decided not to change anything and go with what I had done before. I also had my iPod and yurbuds in and jammed to some nickelback and prince for most of the race. I finished the race listening to the chili peppers.

The course was beautiful. It went through a state park. The leaves were changing and it was gorgeous!

This was on one of the bike paths we ran on

I took a caffeine GU at mile 3 and really felt a difference after that. Miles 4-6 felt great!! I caught up with Sarah and Ashley who were from Danville and also whose birthday it was. It was good to see someone on the course I knew!

I was holding a faster pace than all my previous long runs and knew if kept it up I would be able to get my A goal of being under 3 hours.

Miles 6-9 went by fast I was still holding my A pace but had to go to the bathroom. I passed some portapotties but decided to push through.

At mile 10 I couldn't wait any longer due to a monthly visitor. I hurried as quickly as I could but that mile time was well over my average pace. Unfortnately that bathroom break cost me an official under 3 time.

Right after I got out though I saw Twila running. She was going strong with her pace group! It was great to see her. I had hoped to Jeremy on the course but never did.

The last 3 miles were rough. I had heard that when you sit down (like to go to the bathroom) it shifts something in your body and makes it more difficult to run again. That was definitely the case with me. I really struggled after the bathroom break.

My garmin was reading faster than the mile signs on the course. According to my watch I was at 2:59.51 at 13.1. But still had about another tenth or so left on the course. The finish was great. People were lined up on the street and since the bibs had our names on them, they were cheering for me using my name. I saw Jeremy at the finish and crossed the official finish line at 3:00.42. If only I hadn't gone to the bathroom!! But I know that I really did do it in under 3 (just not officially!)

My average pace for the whole half was a full minute faster than my previous long run averages. 13:44. My ten mile time was 10 minutes faster than my previous three training 10 mile times!!

Post race:After the finish line I got my medal and a water and went to walk around with Jeremy. My legs were very stiff and I had some pain below my knee. I went to one of the therapy tents and had it looked at. He said it was my it band but it wasn't too bad. He gave me a stretch to do and said that should keep it from getting worse.

While I was there we saw Twila cross the finish. She was stoked bc she had gone under her A time.

Jeremy has happy with his time and also disappointed bc he went 2:02.46. His A goal was to be under 2. He was so close!!

Post race pics of us and our medals!

We went back to the hotel where I dug in to my birthday cake, then took a long nap. We got up, showered, ate at outback, then came back to the room to watch the end of the uk/sc game. UK ended up winning and the fans rushed the field. I have always wanted to rush the field!! That would have topped off the perfect birthday. Guess I can't have my cake and eat it too so to speak. There is always next year and beating Florida!

Pics will be up soon. Check out Twila and Sarah's blogs as well as Sheri and Bobbie's. (they had a half today in Louisville to celebrate Sheri's birthday)



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Prerace purchases

Last week Jeremy and I went to lexington to a localy owned run/walk store to stock up on items before the half. I wanted some more GU and either a pair of shorts with a pocket or a spibelt.

They had my favorite GU flavors mint chocolate and chocolate outrage! I also grabbed a couple other flavors that I liked: strawberry banana and tri-berry. :)






Unfortunately, there wasn't many summer running clothes left so no shorts! However they did have spibelts so I got one. I can put three-four gus in the pocket. I figure I can use it with all my shorts that don't have pockets so it will be more cost efficient.




A friend asked me to pick up some colorful striped socks for her while we there. She told me they had some with polka dots so of course being the person that i am, who loves polka dots, i had to buy them!! Aren't they adorable?!






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the Sugoi shirt winner is........

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1
Max: 23
Result:
16

bobbie said...
I like my sugoi visor but would love to try out some other products

it's your lucky day bc you get to have a sugoi shirt!!

Happy 6 month anniversary to me and running

Today is my 6 month anniversary of running. 6 months ago today I started the couch to 5k (c25k) plan. if anyone reading this has tried running but just can't "get in to it" or hasn't had success doing it their own way, please try couch to 5k! you wont regret it! i am so glad that i found this program and didn't quit running after last summers mishaps.

before i had even finished the c25k program this summer i had my eyes on another goal - a half marathon. my hubby, however, trying to be realistic thought i needed to be able to complete a 5k first before i set my sights on something that big. well, that just made me more determined!!! so i found a half i wanted to do and started working towards that. i picked the indianapolis half marathon which is ON my birthday. how awesome is that?!

i finished the c25k program in a little longer than the 9 weeks it is supposed to take bc there were some weeks i just couldn't get in 3 runs. then i started on jeff galloway's half marathon program. another awesome program to use after you finish c25k if you want to do some longer distances and/or if you want to aim for a time goal in a particular race.

running wise in the past 6 months i have completed several 5k's successfully (aka: i finished and didnt quit midrace) unfortunately i can't say that about last years season...., i completed one sprint triathlon, and in just 10 DAYS will be competing in my first half mary!!

other than running there have been a lot of changes in the last six months: i started a new full time job at centre college's library and started a new part time job on top of that at bate middle school's library (both of which i love!) high school swimming has started back up this week. i'm still the head coach, but bc of my work schedule will only be there part time. after 9 years, this will be my last year coaching. :( i'm going to miss it but the work schedule just makes it too hard to continue. i have found an assistant though that will take over as head coach next year.

needless to say i am busy, busy, busy!!! trying to get my workouts in is proving very difficult but once i get my schedule more regulated (i'm working around 2 schools fall breaks that dont fall the same week) i'm sure it will be easier.

for the next 6 months, after the half is over, i want to return my focus to 5k's and work on my speed. i have already signed up for one 5k at the end of the month and know of one in both november and december that i want to do. i also have a couple "big" races that i want to do either next year or the year after. check them out in the left side bar under 'race wish list'

dont forget to register for the sugoi shirt giveaway that will end tomorrow!

happy anniversary!

Sugoi shirt giveaway

Another great giveway - a green sugoi running shirt (large)




This shirt has side vent panels and a zipper pocket to put your food products in!! (can you tell I really love things that have pockets and zippers so I can put my food in?)

Ways to enter:
1) be a follower or tell me you are already (leave a comment)

2) like sugoi on fb (leave a comment)

3) go to sugoi's website and tell me what item you like best (leave a comment)

4) post to your blog, fb page or tweet it (leave a comment for each)

5) tell me what color your running clothes are or what your favorite color to run in is (leave a comment)

Giveaway ends Thursday october 7th at 11:00 pm!

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GU winner

True Random Number Generator

Min:
Max:
Result:
11

Mindy from Mindy's Marathon!!!! Congrats!! send me your mailing address to my email (estes45@yahoo.com)