Where's the Beach?

I truly had good intentions of getting my Soaring Wings Half Marathon race recap posted Monday. But, yeah, well ... Let's just say I took the day off, went out for a recovery run and got a massage instead. Saturday I raced my 9th half marathon, the 4th time I've done this particular race. It's usually one of the first cold runs of the season. It's usually a really good race because of that, especially coming off of a brutal summer. And there is usually a fantastic crowd support on the course. Usually is the key word here folks. This year Mother Nature had something else in store. It was 60 degrees at the start of the race, sunny and temperatures quickly increasing. It was also nice and humid. A winning combo right? I lined up in Corral B, which only had one pace group of 1:35. I knew I wasn't going to be able to hang with that time. It's a hilly course and then with the heat added into the mix ... well, I was doubting myself from the beginning. My fastest...

This coming Sunday I will be running in the Little Rock Half Marathon for the 4th time. I ran this race as my very first half marathon in 2010 . I was nervous beyond words. I had trained hard though, and that training paid off. I finished my first half strong at 1:54. I was beaming with pride. I had done something I never thought possible. It was an accomplishment greater than finishing my MA to be honest. I went on to run my second half marathon that October - Soaring Wings . I was starting to experience piriformis issues. I even had to walk once during the race. And, I was ill-prepared for the hills. My time was slower than I had wanted and expected. But I was still proud. I was still doing something I never thought I was capable of accomplishing. If you haven't followed my blog for long, a quick back story is that I grew up with very severe asthma. There were times when I was a child when I was carried down the hall because I couldn't catch my breath to even walk to ...

I wanted to write some fantastic, funny, witty race recap. I always enjoy those. Apparently I don't pay enough attention to the details during my races though. So, here's my race recap from the Soaring Wings Half Marathon as best as I can tell it. Saturday morning started off super early, dark, and cold. We woke up around 5:30. I wanted plenty of time to wake up, get breakfast down, and allow for any delays. Let's just say Jason can be hard to get out the door sometimes. After lots of debating, I ended up wearing shorts and a long-sleeved top and throw away gloves. It was about 40 degrees out, dry, little wind. I should have gone with short sleeves, but I just couldn't convince myself. At least I was able to push my sleeve up during the race. I also ditched my water bottle for the first time. I feared this would be my undoing for my time goal. PB & Bananas for the win The race was about 30 minutes away. Not a horrible drive, but just enough to make me...

I don't have anything for Tasty Tuesday, or even Taco Tuesday, so how about Taper Tuesday? Ok, it's technically taper week for me. But, Taper Tuesday sounds good together. Sorry for the weird smile, I take terrible selfies - any pointers from the pros? Saturday I got in my last long run - 12 miles - before my upcoming half marathon. Saturday I'll be doing my 6th half, Soaring Wings . This will be the 3rd time running this course. I'll be honest, this one is a tough one for me. The first year I ran it, I had not been doing hill work. The city is flat. Well, so I thought. They apparently found the only hills in Conway. The first 4 miles are reasonable, but then they just start coming at you. Mile 12 is literally on a hill. Thankfully the last mile is down and then flat, but it's the longest mile of course. Also, this tends to be the coldest morning of the fall. Right now the temps are looking to be between 40-45 depending on what meteorologist I follow. I...

Saturday morning I started waking up a little after 5 am. We needed to be up around 5:30 ish to start getting ready for the race. I did stay in bed until the alarm though, just letting myself slowly wake up. I got up and got on my running outfit. I spent an entire week fretting about what to wear. It was going to be about 33 degrees at the start (sunny thank goodness), but not much of a warmup during the race. I always get so hot when I run and had to keep that in mind. I ended up going with a tank with my arm sleeves and knee-length capris. I also wore some cheapo throw-away gloves so that my hands weren't frozen solid at the start like they were last year. I tossed them around mile, 4 but there were some winds that came up that often made me regret that choice to toss them. I have some spirulina pills that I have been taking for early morning runs that really seem to make me alert. I had never tried anything like that until I had the opportunity to review the EnergyBits. I ...

This morning started off dark and early. I actually slept really well and started waking up on my own around 5:20. The race was actually about 30-40 minutes away, so the plan was to leave by 6:45. It was so dark, and so cold. Jason brought his bike along so he could be my personal photographer and cheerleader (thank you honey!!!). I was really worried about the cold and not having trained in it at all. Also, what to wear? I ended up buying some arm sleeves yesterday and cannot believe I have not owned any sooner. I knew that with those, I could slip them down my arm if I did get too hot rather than trying to peel off a layer while running. I also strapped on my iPod just in case I needed a pick me up (never used, but maybe I should have). For the most part, I was fairly calm - as calm as you can be before a race I suppose. I made a pre-race pit stop at a gas station near where we parked then jogged over to the start. I figured the brief job would at least help me warm up a bit. T...

Fun Facts Friday Today is my second (gasp) rest day of the week. But, I'm not complaining mind you. I know it's absolutely necessary so that I'm better prepared for tomorrow's race ( Soaring Wings Half Marathon ) ...um run. I'm trying really hard to not let nerves get the best of me. I know I have the mileage down. I'm not worried about that. I just get myself worked up being competitive with myself for starters. Yes, it's really stupid. I know this. My brain just doesn't know. I'm actually a little worried about the temperatures tomorrow to be honest. It's supposed to be about 40 degrees at start time (8 am). I've not been training in colder temps - we haven't had them really. The coolest it's been when I've started my runs has been about 55 degrees, sunny, and then a quick warm up. Tomorrow it's not supposed to be warming up quickly, or that much. It is supposed to be sunny at least. That will help make it feel warmer...