Hydration & Black Toenail....polish..

Of all these posts discussing the highs and lows of training, I think I have left off the news of my toenail...it happened.  It's black.  I thought it would never happen to me, but my left, "index" (?) toenail has been black for awhile and I have been in denial.  I am looking at it as initiation into being an "Elite Athlete" and it's nothing some cute nail polish can't mask :-)

Speaking of feminine products, I wanted to actually discuss waterproof mascara.  I thought naming my blog this was witty and fitting for my personality, but I do have a confession:  I run naked.  Well, make-up-less.  My experience with running with make-up, waterproof or not, results in it inevitably pouring into my eyes and I am then blinded by the burning sweat/make-up mix.  I have tried a specific brand of waterproof mascara (Maybelline..) and it couldn't hold up to my intense training.  Any suggestions??  I will be happy to try them and offer an unbiased review.

Besides being blinded by any remnants of make-up/sweat mix, I do tend to run out of water during long runs and am then stuck searching for replenishment.  Recently, I have been toying with getting a Camelbak to train with.  It holds 50 oz. of water which knocks my 16 oz. right out of the water (yes, I went there!).  Has anyone tried this??  

The last 3 weeks..

I have kept up with my training and am getting excited//nervous about the next few weeks.  I am only 40 days away from the first marathon my body will endure and I am surprisingly still able to stand! 

As you saw on my latest post, the half-marathon went great!!  I did have to go to work afterwards and ended up feeling wiped out with a major headache all evening.  The great feeling of accomplishment though, did keep me beaming though!  

A few days after the race I FINALLY got my long awaited shoes:

Mizuno Wave Elixir 6

 

 

.....AND THEY FIT!!!!!  Oh how I wished I had them during the race, however, my feet now willingly enter the comfortable new shoes and rejoice when they have room to breathe.  My last shoes were also Mizunos and other than them being too small, I LOVED the light weight feel of them.  I can easily say that I am a Mizuno gal through and through :-)

Throughout the past several weeks, it is amazing to be able to compare runs and try to analyze what works, what doesn't and why.  For example, last weekend I had a 16 mile run which went EXCELLENT!!  I was able to run the entire time from start to finish with one small break around mile 10 to stretch.  I also refilled my water bottle at that time and continued the route.  What an amazing feeling!!!  This past weekend though, I ran 12, and man, I struggled through it.  I just couldn't seem to get in a groove and stopped several times to either walk or stretch.  I would like to blame it on the meatloaf I ate the night before but at this point I can't be certain.

Immediately following the 12 miles of ache, I went to try and raise money for my DetermiNation goal (I am short about $560.00--To donate, click on the link on the right side of the blog...THANK YOU!!!) and worked at our booth set-up at Effingham's Oktoberfest.  I face painted for about 2.5 hours and had an amazing time!!!!

Me & a brave Samaritan!  What a spectacular day!!

I didn't have a poster set-up with painted options and instead tried my fate by asking each child what they would like.  As expected, I had some wild requests!!  Purple tigers, cats, dogs, fire-breathing T-Rex mixed with a Dragon, etc.  Fortunately, I grew up loving to draw and they didn't turn out so bad :-)  In fact, there were these two little girls that I painted and as a thank you, they brought me a hand-made necklace!  Fundraising or not, being able to see the happy faces and excited responses were worth every second.  I really wish I would've arrived earlier.

Our (Me & Jer) Cross-Training yesterday morning was SUP Surfing (Stand Up Paddle Board-Surfing) and was hosted by East Coast Paddleboarding (http://eastcoastpaddleboarding.com/).  They were excellent and I had a great time!!!  I highly recommend them to others and will definitely go there to rent boards.  I did, however, under estimate the beach's sun from 9A - 12:30P and ended up burned.  Not good.

AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!  OK, I had to get that off my chest.  This upcoming weekend I have an 18 mile run..longest to date.  It really is amazing to think how quickly this is coming.  I feel so proud to have been training and participating in something so big and I thank you for being interested enough to keep reading.

Our First Half-Marathon!! (Training purposes..)

This past Saturday, Sept 3, marked our first half-marathon race!!  This was the, "Milestone 13.1" that was host by FCA Endurance to serve as a training race before the big one (26.2!) in November.  That's right..we ran a half-marathon race....just for training/fun. 

Before the race began

Putting this race on was such a good idea and allowed us participants to gauge our speed, nutrition and fluid intake to help us be more efficient come November.  Our long runs during training, are at a slower pace to build endurance and add time and miles to our physique...this one though..was created to test our "race pace."

At the beginning, the pack took off!!!  It is so hard to stay back and remember we are not racing the other competitors, we are testing ourselves.  Falling into the pack trap, we started at a faster pace than normal and stuck with it for about 2/3 of the way.  At about mile 9ish, it started to catch up to me and I was starting to get tired.  My pace slowly crept up and I began counting the minutes and searching for my binoculars to find the finish line.  At this time, Jer and I wished each other luck and he moved forward breaking the sound barrier with his speed while I was trying to remember the story of the tortoise and the hare...Did the hare win?..the tortoise?..did anyone read the fine print of the two relaxing under a shady tree?  No?,..oh..

Action shot!

It was about this time I met a fellow runner, Catie.  This was also Catie's first half-marathon and bravo for her..she was actually training for the half in November and decided to give this a shot with only have a 9 miler long run under her belt.  Turns out, she is also a fellow blogger (Quest to 13.1)!!  Maybe that will change to 26.2?

That is one of the reasons I love the sport so much..the genuine support and friendliness of the other runners sharing the road with you.  Giving a nod, a small wave or even taking the time to say a, "way to go!" to a fellow runner really goes a long way!  for those runners out there who run right past their peers - Running 101 - be courteous. 

Catie and I ended up running the last few miles together and crossed the finish line as new pals!  The race felt great and would definitely consider this a success!

Advice for future- stick with my slower start, stronger finish, just like in training..try to avoid pacing with the fast starters..as difficult as it can be, so I can finish faster!


The finish!

Jer & I with our medals!!

Fellow DetermiNation runners! VTB & Nancy Shippee!

Catie and I receiving our medals!

Picture left to size small for a reason....not pretty

What an amazing race!  Official race results have not yet been posted, however, my Garmin clocked it at 2:27 with 11:17 avg pace.

Wait..what was that?  Did my shoes come in time for the race?? (see blogs below)...............

Nope!  I left with (3) painful blisters on my toes due to wearing my too-small worn-out shoes for my first half-marathon.  Oh how I long for my shoes to come in before my little piggies 'go to the market' or 'stay home.'


This week we can officially pick up our other medals..the 13.1 stickers for our cars!! :-)  FCA did a great job and I am so glad we were able to participate in this great event.  Way to go!!

UPDATE!!!!

OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:  2:20:41 

Very proud!