Chi Town Half Marathon: Ups and Downs

Oh hey there, friends.

Let’s talk some more about that lil’ half marathon, shall we?

Overall, I am pleased with the outcome. It could have gone better, but it also could have gone much worse. I’ll be thankful for hitting that middle ground.

And will be back to beat my 2010 half marathon time of 1:54 later this year. You can count on it.

Anyway, as my experience was filled with ups and downs, let’s just try and lay it out…

The weather on Sunday morning was wonderful. Even though there’s nothing I could have done, I was obsessively checking the weather every day last week. And it changed dramatically. Every day. There was still early morning rain, but at least the thunder and lightning supposedly in the forecast never happened. A little cooler than I prefer, but then again there was no rain during the race. Phew.

We got there early because I’m always scared of chaos, but the whole race was pretty organized and efficient. Except with the bathrooms- there weren’t nearly enough.

I almost missed the start of the race because the lines for the port-a-potties was so ridiculously long. And naturally, I got in the slowest moving line.

The race was smaller (about 1500 in the half marathon), but since it was on the path along the lake, this was ideal.

After shaking out the kinks in the first mile or so, I was doing SO well for the first half of the race. I felt good and realized I might be on pace to kick my PR in the butt (there were no clocks along the race path, just mile markers). 

Also, one thing that kept my pace up may have been the moaning man behind me. Around mile 3 or 4, he sounded like he was struggling. That or turning into the Hulk. Either way, I was scared and wanted to get away. Just in case.

At mile 6, I broke out the energy gel in attempts to keep up the energy level.

Pretty sure this was my mistake. My costly mistake.

I should have had more water at one of the stops. The first time I actually reached for a cup from the sidelines, it was gatorade and I immediately threw it down after gagging on the first sip. Gatorade grosses me out. So dehydration and the sudden increase in sugar in my system from the gel did not mix well. By mile 7, my stomach was cramping. Badly.

Stop and stretch. Run. Pain is still there. Repeat. Repeat again. Get frustrated. Motivation goes out the window.

My parents had posted up at around 8.5 miles. I spotted and ran straight towards them. There may have been tears as my mom scavages for water in her bag. I believe I cried ”It hurts and IT WON’T GO AWAY!!!!” Not sure if I explained that well, and may have freaked them out. Sorry…

This may have been a little dramatic. But at the time, I was SO ANGRY.See? Angry.

However, after getting water, I continued on and felt SO much better. The stitch went away and by the time my parents saw me at 10.5 miles, everything was all good.

I was giving a sad thumbs up to my mom to let her know I was feeling better. She was concerned- with the water ready.

See? Happy!

However, my pace was completely shot. I knew there was no way I’d break my time and was wondering if I’d even get in under 2 hours. It’s not fun trying to make up time without completely killing yourself in the process.

The 13th and last mile was also pretty ugly. Barely shufflin’. LMFAO would have been disappointed.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:58:46. Just as my happy song, “I’m Gonna Be” started playing.

Check out that disgusting arm band I've got on. I need a new one so bad. I feel gross just having it near me. Blech.

Perfect timing.

Annoyed that I screwed up the last half of the race. But relieved to keep it under 2 hours and still 7 minutes faster than the Go! St. Louis Half I did last spring.

And really- I can’t be that angry. Because it was my third official half marathon. And I’m proud of that.

Half Marathon Happenings

Just a quick check-in…

I did it!

We can talk more about the race soon. There are still thoughts to be harnessed. But the day was definitely a good one. I even had a little cheering section:

That Mizzou flag has been to every race my mom has attended. It’s nice because I have something to watch for among the crowds. Oh and there’s nothing she loves more than for people running by to give her a “M-I-Z!” shout. So if you happen to ever see her cheering at a race, keep that in mind.

After the race, my cheering section and I headed to Ann Sathers for some post race awesomeness. Because come on- you know that’s one of the best parts about signing up for races.All that food was MINE.

I picked Ann Sather specifically for the cinnamon rolls. There’s a reason they were featured on “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”. Can you believe the two monster rolls are just a simple side to the rest of my meal? Glorious. And probably one of the reasons why the place was PACKED.They may have also stuck us in the very tight corner because I was gross.

I’m not offended because it’s true.

After a necessary shower and the departure of my parents, I went out to have a celebratory drink with this girl and this girl.Parental visit. Half marathon. Cinnamon rolls. Delicious beverages.

Solid weekend.

Rest Day Numero Uno

Good morning everyone!

My parents are coming to visit today! What does this mean exactly? It means I get another weekend of quality family time, along with food from the farm. It also means my hands may permanently have the smell of clorox and windex from the amount of cleaning I’ve done in the last 24 hours.

Since I’m on official “race rest” until Sunday morning and my roommate is saving her energy for a big bachelorette bash later tonight, we spent last night getting in some roommate bonding time. Much like every other night of the week. I’ve been told we’re like an old married couple. So what? A quiet night in with a wholesome dinner, a movie, and early bed time is a rockin’ good time on a Friday night.

If there was a little wine spillage on the bib number, it totally means good luck, right?

Wait… what?

We decided on watching Young Adult. It was either that or Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. But we both felt the need for something light.

Or so we thought that’s what we were getting into. “Light” is what the trailers for Young Adult portrayed it as. Definitely not what it was. It ended up being a “grass is greener on the other side” sort of movie that ended with the same feeling as it began with. I’ve had better.

Alright, time to break out that windex one last time and finish my laundry. When the ‘rents give an estimated arrival time, it really means they’ll show up about three hours before then.

You think I’m kidding.

Better Than Anticipated

A week from now, I assume I’ll be getting over a Sunday of celebration. A celebration spent with a finisher’s medal around my neck and a drink in my hand. Hopefully eating a few seriously amazing meals.

Until then, I’m getting through the last few days of putting in the hard work for this half marathon. Saturday was the last long run of training and I was doing it outside, rain or shine.

Or… fog…It’s like I was running in a horror film. At 10:30 in the morning. Wouldn’t it have been cool if M. Night Shyamalan popped out and yelled “CUT!” at some during the trip along the lakefront and around Lincoln Park? I was totally waiting for it.

It was foggy and dreary and threatening to rain. But I didn’t want to push the run off a day. My Saturday night plans were not going to make a Sunday morning run overly pleasant.

I armed myself with a windbreaker, a hat and my bus pass. Just in case. Because sometimes I’m prissy.

10.6 miles happened pretty easily. Or as well as 10ish miles could possibly go (we’ll never call it “easy”). I didn’t hit a wall at any point- another promising sign that the race this weekend should go somewhat smoothly. And maybe better than anticipated?

Surely another 2.5 miles won’t completely break me. My pace, according to the MapMyFitness app, is rivaling the pace of my first half in 2010. Let’s not get our hopes up, but to beat it would surely be amazing.

Again, let’s not get overly excited. Chillax, Amy. Chillax.

I also armed myself with my debit card to pick up a few things from Trader Joe’s.

A word of advice? Do not go into a Trader Joe’s after running 10.6 miles. You’ll be gross. You know it. The workers know it. And every customer in there knows it.

Sorry guys. Just needed some wine… carry on…

Why? Because I had a hot date.Aren’t they sexy?

After our long walk last week, Mon, Annie and I decided it might be nice to have a little low key social outting. And who doesn’t love trying out a new BYOB restaurant? Out to the burbs I went!This pic was before my eyes started watering from the spiciest pad thai I’ve ever had in my life.All three of us ended up getting the same special- pad thai with glass noodles. Only difference is I had chicken, Mon went with tofu, and Annie chose the pork. Mon and I said we wanted “spicy” without questioning the level of heat.

It may have been smart to inquire about that part.

Seriously. I love spicy food. But this was almost out of control.

Even an hour after eating, we were still filling ourselves with water and wine to put out the fire.

A good meal, however, when it comes to Thai, I think we all realized it’s important to find a favorite spot and stick to it.

Because of the long run on Saturday, I kept it low key on Sunday with some ab work and a stretching of the legs on Michigan Avenue.

Seriously guys- This is my third trip to Michigan Avenue in a month, but I swear I’m not shopping myself into credit card debt. I just happen to be on the search for a nice dress to wear for Easter and it’s nice out. Why not use window shopping as a way to be active and move around?

Also, it was justified that if I walk to and from the custard shop, buying the actual custard is acceptable and even encouraged.

Totally.

The Non-Plan Plan

Oh hey there.

It’s day 2 of the first full work week since mid-December.

My patience with this week is already starting to waiver. Just a bit. But I’m a Leo and have never been known for patience, so really, any at all is a win, right?

Another win?

Trading a bowl of homemade beer cheese soup for 2 cupcakes. Yeah. Like you used to do in elementary school on the playground before lunch. But at work with a coworker. It’s how I roll, yo.The cupcake had a rough trip home, but still tasted quite lovely. I licked the gladware container directly after. It, as expected, also tasted quite lovely.

In other news, my spur of the moment decision to switch to an earlier race than planned has thrown me into half marathon training once again (thank goodness if I keep consuming cupcakes like I do). While lying around doing nothing all day Sunday, I contemplated how to approach it.

A life without structure is no good for me. But a tediously drawn-out plan has often left me rebellious, pouty, and hitting a wall mid-plan.

So we’re compromising.

Introducing my loosely-structured “Non Plan Plan”*:

Monday and Wednesdays: Run between 3 and 5 miles. If it’s only 3, I best be busting my butt. If it’s 5, there’s a little less pressure. (I ran 4.2 last night at 8:22- Holla’)

Tuesdays: Strength training with some cross training (err- elliptical or stairs). I hate this day of the week anyway, so may as while pile it on, right? We’re going to call on Jillian and my collection of her dvds for assistance here. Bonus points for free weights done while catching up on my DVR. Every little bit counts.

Thursdays: Rest Day. Can be switched up with Fridays if necessary. I can’t predict the future and we’re close enough to the weekend where cocktails may be necessary. Not often, but sometimes.

Fridays: Cross training. Or also known as “Free For All” day. Just no running and some sort of strength should be involved at some point. That’s the rule.

Saturdays: Long run! I have no idea why the exclamation point happened. This is easily the roughest day. My long runs (start at 5 and slowly progress to 11 miles) are scheduled for Saturdays because I have been known to party it up more on Saturday nights than Friday nights. Priorities.

Sundays: Yoga if I feel like it. Anything else I do has to be low impact. But being as how most Sundays are spent on the couch watching the slow cooker work magic, this shouldn’t be an issue.

So there you have it. A perfectly reasonable semi-plan that seamlessly works into my already-set schedule.

*This is all subject to change 100 times as weeks go by. Life happens.

Current Events

There really isn’t anything major to report in my corner of the world, so it’s time to catch you up with all the things running through the mind of Amy B.(Source)

Oh you’ve been running through my mind, too, babe. Don’t you worry.

1. I’ve recently realized my true fear of sitting in traffic under an overpass. This happens almost every single day. And every single day I sit and think about how I really really hope the overpass doesn’t collapse because I really don’t want to die.

It happens, people! Do not call me irrational.

That's totally brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes sauteed in General Tso sauce. It worked weirdly well together.

2. I’m reading a new book. My friend Mary gave me The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for Christmas. She absolutely loved it and said I really need to jump on the bandwagon. Even if I am, like, a decade late or whatever. However, it’s great timing- there is a 60-cent fine on my account at the library and they won’t let me check out any more books until it’s paid off. 60 cents is truly ruining me- the hours for the branch by my house are horrible and you can’t pay it off online. Wtf?

3. I signed up for a half marathon!

In all reality, I was planning on doing the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon again. After a not-so-fantastic time during last year’s race, I really wanted to go back and kick it in the butt on April 15th. However, race fees went up before the decision was finalized, traveling to Missouri 2 weeks in a row seemed daunting, and the travel/lodging costs seemed a little impractical when there was a perfectly good half marathon just a short train ride away from my house.

We’re starting off the year with an attempt to be financially responsible. Yay!

Still steaming! More Bertolli frozen soup from the giveaway I won. My roommate and I are killing this stuff. I'll be sad when it's all gone.

4. This race is two weeks earlier than the other one. This means training starts… um… subtract 4, add 7, then carry the 1… Monday. Oh dear.

I need to take a few deep breaths before panic mode takes over.

Ok… we’re good.

Those silly brussels sneak into anything and everything...

5. Soup and salad for the win! (Duh- if you haven’t already noticed the pictures.) The whole “watch what I shove into my face after the holidays” thing is going decently well. I already feel better than last week. As good as those Christmas treats are, it’s nice to get everything (digestive organs included) back on track.

Now if only I could get my pretzel and peanut butter issues under control…

6. Speaking of Christmas, my tree is still up. For a girl who doesn’t get super into holidays, I’m having a hard time letting go.

That or I’m just super lazy about it. One year in college, our tree didn’t come down until April. April. The ornaments came off the week before Valentine’s Day- so after that we just called it “greenery” being used to spruce up (no pun intended) the place. True story.

Stopped by Whole Foods earlier this week when my friend was still here. Got coffee on a super sale. The food bar? Not so much.

7. Yesterday I had to go to Target. A mental list was in my head all week long and I thought “I won’t forget this”. Yesterday afternoon before leaving work, not one thing on that list that could be recalled. Luckily, with help from my messenger convo with Mon, I at least remembered to pick up toilet paper.

Whew. Disaster averted.

8. I will never attract a lover at the gym. Why? Because I’m either rolling out of bed at 5:30 in the morning (no explanation necessary) or going after work with imprints on my legs where my knee high argyle socks were (hello signature style at it’s finest) and glowing like a ghost. I could use a spray tan. Or a beach vacation. Either/or.

Maybe I’ll just settle for the weekend and some Jergen’s Natural Glo?

It’s a start. Happy Friday, people!