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!

Out with Old in with the New

Yesterday Jer and I went for our weekend long run and I cut mine slightly short.  I began to walk at 11.67 miles while Jer successfully completed the 12.5 we were going for.  Unfortunately, we left the door later than we would've liked and if you are familiar with Savannah, you need to get as many miles in as you can before the sun finds you!  I was so hot and out of water so I cut my run short, SAFETY FIRST!

NEW SHOES!

A couple weekends ago when I went to Fleet Feet for the injury clinic, I also got re-fitted for shoes.  I hadn't purchased new running shoes since last October and for some reason they felt.....like they shrunk?  My toes would get blisters at the tips and would be sore after long runs.  Once I got re-fitted, turns out, they are at least a 1/2 size too small!!???!  Holy moley.. no wonder my feet would be sore (I wonder if my grandpa foot from a previous post has anything to do with this?)  I was re-sized and video taped on the treadmill with my current, too-small, worn-out shoes and then video taped in new shoes that aren't worn out and fit.  Let me just tell you what a difference they made!  My shoes are so broken down that my regularly neutral form was no longer.  My right foot remained neutral while my left began pronating.  Once I put new shoes on, re-video taped and compared videos, my left foot didn't pronate NEARLY as far (poor shoes a contributing factor for my left knee IT Band syndrome?).  Amazing.  I visually witnessed the need for new shoes.  These shoe people are not just trying to sell you new ones for the heck of it, they know what they are talking about!

I am a Mizuno gal and before I purchased the newer version of the Wave Rider that I currently have, they want to try my in the Elixir.  Unfortunately, they didn't have my size in stock and so they special ordered it for me to try (they are so great here in Savannah..they go above and beyond and genuinely focus on building a healthier, safer, you).  They haven't come in yet so I am still squishing my toes into the too-small worn-out ones and keeping my fingers crossed I get them in this week....Pics to come when they do!
 :-)

Ouch!

Whew!!  What a busy couple of weeks.  My apologies for not posting sooner but I will let you know what was missed....

My first diagnosed running injury

A couple of weeks ago (most likely since my last post) I had been experiencing some knee pain, specifically my left, when I would run or go down stairs.  I figured I must have landed on it funny but the steps thing threw me off.  I could go up them with little to no pain, however, I could barely get down!  I also live on the 2nd floor of an apartment building and for some reason, my dog, Lucy, wouldn't take herself to go...,"outside" ..by herself, even though she must've known I had trouble going down.  I even tried to hand her the leash so she could carry it herself!!  Nope..wouldn't go without me.  Lazy bum:

Cute as can be!!  Worth the pain to take her potty

Fortunately, Fleet Feet Sports here in Savannah does a free injury clinic once a month and I decided I should at least get it looked at.  Turns out I have a very common injury, "I-T Band Syndrome" (feel free to look it up.)  The Dr. was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about this and gave me the best news ever:   

I DIDN'T HAVE TO STOP RUNNING!!!  

Oh man, that would've been awful.  Instead, he gave me instructions on specific stretches, icing and recommended Kinnesio tape for any run longer than 8 miles.  Since I had a 12 mile run the very next day, he have me some extra strips to hold me over until I could get my very own roll...Here is how my Sunday morning 12 mile run looked:

Ignore the crazy look on my face, it was early and I was tired!

FYI - Don't try to stick, remove, stick, remove 3-4x before running..the sticky part will no longer stick.

The run itself went great until my Garmin lost it's charge about 11.5 miles into it.  I didn't charge it the night before but a couple hours of running needs it!  It was our longest run to date and went well :-)  

This past week though, I took a few days off in an effort to heal my leg a little more and it really helped.  I can actually move down steps without cringing and feel more confident in training with a peace of mind my leg won't split in 2 places.  I also bought some beige Kinnesio tape so it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb...er...leg ;-)

REST CAN BE GOOD

Rolling through Training, Foam Rolling, and Rolling Back Time

Where are we in training??
According to our marathon training plan we have reached the end of week 6 of 18!  YAY!!  Is it all downhill from here?  I am very proud of Jer and I for sticking to the plan day by day for the last 41 days so far..:-)

Making break time at work productive

My dear friend introduced me to something I had not used nor seen before: a Foam Roller.  Is this common?  How had I missed this?  Anyway, as she introduced this tool to me complete with an excellent demonstration, she proceeded to say how much it, "hurt so good".  Now, with that description, I was a bit skeptical what to expect..Have no fear, the more you use it the better it feels, or so she says.  Being the good sport I make the effort to be, I agreed to give it a try during a break at work...

Here is VTB looking all innocent before she said anything about pain

Turns out, rolling out my hamstrings were the most tolerable :-)

Well, she was right, it did hurt..but compared it to getting a deep tissue massage.  Let's just take a moment think about getting a massage.. ::::::::::::moment of peace::::::::::::::.....

OK we're back! Well, I didn't "roll" very long because I still had a 5 mile run that evening and was afraid my quads or t-bands would tear into pieces, so I stuck with the hamstrings..which DID feel good :-)
Speaking of massage though...I haven't had a professional massage in a couple years and being an "elite athlete" and all, technically, I am supposed to have them frequently...right??

Pace adjustments..another form of feeling good about training 

After these weeks of training, I looked back at the history saved in my Garmin (which I LOVE and HIGHLY recommend) to see how my avg pace has changed from before training began, beginning of training, and after 6 weeks of diligent running.  Wow, this was really neat and made me feel like the training program is really working! Currently, I am running about 10:30+/- min/miles when going anywhere from 3 miles all the way up to 9 miles consistently (exceeding 9 miles the time was slightly higher).  Towards the beginning of training I did about 11 min/miles and months ago before training began, I avgd at 11:30-12:00ish min/miles.  It was SO COOL to see that although my distances are increasing, my time has been decreasing! This was hugely motivating and really gave the mental part of the training (just as important as the physical part) the boost I needed to continually give the extra effort each time I put my running shoes on.

Watch out Savannah Rock N Roll speed racers!  Here I come!

I LOVE Clif Products!

Usually people only write about products/services when they are dissatisfied (see my post below regarding my less than satisfactional armband), however, I also like to make sure credit is given where credit is due.  In this particular case I am referring to the Clif Company:  http://www.clifbar.com/

Not only are they are an organic and all natural food/wine producing company, good for the environment and sustainable, their products are UN-MATCHED.  As you may have seen in previous posts, during long runs, we have used sport beans and GU's, neither of which really stood out in flavor, however, both gave the energy needed.  This week, during our longest run to date (10 miles) we brought with us Clif Shot Blocks (thanks VTB!!!)................

WOW!!!!

These not only gave us the energy we needed but were also DELICIOUS!!!!!!!  Now, we are regular consumers of the Clif Bars (Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Crunch) and we also enjoy their Cabernet pouches:

 

Camping in WV..around the fire, by the lake, with a delicious glass of wine

However, after the run today we will also purchase their energy products.  What an amazing company and I highly recommend them to anyone and everyone for all of their products!!  Job well done!!