I am a Half-Marathoner! - Wineglass Half Marathon Recap

Location: Corning, NY

Date/Time: October 4, 2015

Size: ~2500

Weather: high 40s - mid 50s, sunny, slightly windy

Course: Flat road race with overall net decline

Time: 2:01:33 (gun time), 1:59:57 (chip time)

Rank: Overall: 578/2391; Age Group: 20/83

Night Before the Race

Tomorrow is the big day.  Tomorrow, I'm running my first half marathon - the Wineglass Half Marathon.

I can hardly believe I signed up nearly a year ago, and I've finally made it here.

I wish I could say I feel ready, and that I'm ready to take it on.  I would have said that a week ago.  I had just done many long runs.  I was feeling confident, excited, and strong.

Things change fast, though.  I had a lot of exams at school and it has been a very, very tough week.  I thought the timing was fine at first - I knew I wouldn't have time to run, but I needed to rest before the race anyway.  But, I didn't have time to eat properly, or sleep either.  I abused my body this last week, and now I'm paying the consequences.  I'm having headaches, I'm having stomach troubles, and emotionally, I'm not where I should be.  Right now, my main focus is trying to rest and getting enough (bland) calories.  I know I will get better, and I really hope that will be in time for the half marathon.

But if not, I'll still be thrilled to walk Wineglass.  There are always more races.

Pre-race Ginger beer to soothe the stomach.

I have a 5k I still need to recap, and then hopefully, I can report back on Wineglass soon!

Oak Tree 5k Race Recap

Location: Geneseo, NY

Date/Time: September 6, 2015

Size: 333

Weather: 70s, sunny, slight wind (perfect weather!)

Course: Road race with a slight hill at the start, and steep hill at mile 2

Charity: Geneseo Valley Conservancy

Time: 26:05

Rank: Overall: 96/333; Age Group: 5/12

Effort

I'm sitting up in bed right now with a pillow against my back.  I would put a heating pad on it, but I'm already sweating just lounging around in my home, and I don't have air conditioning.  I think I strained something right in the curve of my spine - nothing too serious, I'm sure, but it's making me think nonetheless.

This is probably the first time I have ever had a backache, and I think it's correlated to my run this afternoon.  It was hot, but the humidity was the real killer today.  I didn't take this into account, or rather, I chose not to take it into account.  So I would have to put int a little more effort to keep a pace I liked - working a little harder won't kill me.

After the first mile, I realized my pace was almost a full minute slower than what I wanted to maintain.  I was already really uncomfortable at this point.  My stomach was queasy, and my quads were unusually tight.  But my lungs were still feeling good, so I did the rest of my run at a much faster pace, trying to make up for lost time.

As soon as I got into my car, my back spasmed.  I was still able enough to run the rest of my errands for the day, but I definitely had a hunchback doing them.

I think I overdid it.  I think I am overdoing it.

Training for a half and summer goals

Summers are gorgeous in this area, and it seems like everyone has come out of hibernation and laced up their shoes.  Running culture is pretty prominent here, and I am constantly hearing my coworkers talk about their race schedules and how they are training for their next event.  They are using apps, books, online coaches, etc.  My company blog has even started a "Get Fit Series".

And everyone once in a while, someone will stop by my cubicle and say, "I heard you're running Wineglass!  How is training going?"

Cue the crickets.

The truth is that I'm not really training.  I'm not following any plan.  I just run when I can, and I trust that by the time Wineglass rolls around, I'll be fit enough to finish.

Body running amok

I've always prided myself on having a very strong immune system.  During college, I got sick once, maybe twice.  And if I did get sick, I just denied, denied, denied until it went away so I couldn't remember if I was ever sick in the first place.

This has not been the case this week.

One of my favorite sitcoms to air was Dharma and Greg and this episode describes my situation to a T.

Ok, so I don't have gout.  But in the last week, I've had 5 migraines, 2 sore throats, a cough, a runny nose, a 24-hour fever, 2 cases of pinkeye, 1 puffy foot tendon, a persistent case of the hiccups, some mystery face bruises, and approximately -100,000 hairs on my head.  Not to mention I was just sick little over a month ago.  All minor things, but this is coming from someone who worked in an ER in the midst of flu season without even catching a sniffle.

I'm getting worried, not because being sick is so terrible, but because I think that I brought this illness onto myself.

Being proud

I am done with the semester!  I can't even express how relieved I am, because it has been a very hard semester.  I was a straight-A student right up until I graduated high school, and even though I got a "B" here and there in college I finished my first (very tough) degree with honors.  One would expect college 2.0 would be pretty effortless for me.

Not the case.  Last week, I went into one of finals feeling adequately prepared.  When I looked at the test, it was like it was in a foreign language.  I don't know what was going on with my brain (anxiety attack, maybe?), but I couldn't understand a thing.  I turned in the final three hours later and begged my professor not to fail me.*

Yeah, I'm one of those students who always leaves a test thinking that "I failed" when I probably got B.  Only this time, I was pretty sure I actually failed, as in F.

And yet, I can't regret what I did this semester.  I put in 100%, and while it's frustrating to get such mediocre results, I know I could not have possibly put more effort than I did.  Maybe I took on too much.  Maybe I'm getting too old to compete with the youngsters (I'm only 22, but if you're 18, enjoy it while you can cause it all goes downhill from there).  In any case, I'm proud of everything I did, even if I don't have anything to show for it.

Another thing I'm proud of?  My run last night.

6.1 miles.  8:54 min/mile.

It was long.  It was fast.  And I didn't feel like I was going to die afterwards.  I probably could have gone a couple extra miles, but it was already 7:00 pm  and I was hungry.

Honestly, I don't always love running, but I love seeing these achievements.  Not everyone can run 6 miles, especially the girl who couldn't run the mile in gym class.  Now if only that could get me into graduate school...

*I didn't fail!  Now, wish me luck in organic chemistry...

"You look like a bagel."

That's what my mom said to me today.

I was trying on some dresses from her closet, and she made a comment about how she didn't understand why I still had some belly fat even though I'd been running more.  I mentioned that I thought it was because I had eaten a bagel earlier in the day, and that I was bloated (I think I have issues with gluten).  She laughed, saying, "You look like a bagel."

And people wonder why I moved out of her house...

Even though I told her multiple times, my mom doesn't understand that she hurts people with the things that she says.  Whenever I tell her I was hurt by something she said, she refuses to listen, and somehow ends up blaming me for being too sensitive and restricting her freedom of speech.  But, if I could talk to her, these are the things that I wish I could say:

Just keep running...

As if you haven't heard me complain enough...this has been a very tough winter.  And just when everyone thought it was over, it snowed earlier this week, at the end of April.  My new policy is if there is no snow on the ground, I must make every effort to get out and run, because who knows when the next time will be?

Luckily, today was a lovely day.  High 40s, a little windy, but very bright.  I put on my technical jacket and running tights and went to the canal.

7:53 and 70 degrees

Do you see that 2 mile split?  7:53.  What?!  I did that?  Excuse me while I take a moment...

No more races?

I'm getting to a point where I love running.  I love having that time to myself to forget about the million things I worry about at any given time, to be able to zone out, learn something new on my favorite podcast, and see what my body can do.  That being said, I don't think I love racing.  Granted, I've only run three.  But, while I feel like a lot of people run to race, I just run to run.  For now, I think I might hold off on the races, and these are some reasons why:

The Runner's Body

I found this YouTube series called "The Runner's Body" and I was very inspired.  I watched every single video.  I love that the interviews covered runners of all types of body types and backgrounds.  Here's just one example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-RtKmzJv0E

And just for funsies, I decided to answer the questions too!

Where did I move to - Siberia?

Seizing every (warm) opportunity.

I've always thought of myself as a winter person.  I get excited at the year's first snowfall, and I would rather freeze than sweat.  That was, until I had to deal with upstate NY.

We had a snow storm last weekend, and one the weekend before that.  Luckily, there's no storm this weekend, but the temperature is forecasted to drop into the negatives.  I've already gotten frostbite on my toes twice this winter, so I'm not taking my chances with going outside unless absolutely necessary.

Needless to say, I haven't had much of an opportunity to run.  In fact, I haven't run outside in 2 weeks.  I've been supplementing with cardio kickboxing, albeit with socks on, because my apartment stays at a toasty 47 degrees.  Seriously, I measured it.

Yesterday, though, we had a warm spell.  I didn't realize it until I had finished class.  The temperature had risen to 32 degrees.  It was bright, but not so bright that the reflection off the enormous 10ft snow banks would blind you.  And there was a gentle breeze.  In other words, it was too perfect of a day not to run.

The only problem was that I hadn't planned on running.  I had an hour an a half to before I had to get to an interview, which meant I also had to fit a shower in.   I figured I had no more than twenty minutes to run and make it to my appointment without being a stinky, sweaty mess.

It's unbelievable the amount of stuff you can fit into an hour and a half when you're on a mission.  I'm pretty sure that under normal circumstances, it would have taken me 4 hours to do everything.  But that precious, beautiful run....

I'm glad to say I succeeded.  Here's to hoping this winter ends soon.

How cold is too cold?

Today is one of those days where I planned on running and I didn't.  So I'm feeling so extraordinarily guilty about, I'm turning to the Internet to justify my reasons.

It was 10 degrees outside today, but the wind chill made it feel like -5.  I had planned on running after classes, but I was shivering inside my wool coat, and my toes were thoroughly frozen.  So yes, I could have taken the miserable route and have gone running, but instead, I'm now curled up under my covers, looking up cardio kickboxing workouts.

I chickened out today.  But my question is, how cold is too cold?  At what point do you decide to let the weather get the better of you?

Snow and Ice and Everything Nice

I really admire the people who go out and run no matter what the weather.  Maybe their area is more mild, or maybe they are just immune to the cold.  Whatever it is, it took a lot of planning and a great deal of willpower for me to go for a run this very frigid January.

 

Polar Vortex and Cardio Kickboxing

I never thought I would have to experience another winter as brutal as Polar Vortex of 2014.

2015 is coming pretty close, though.  The new year started off with record low temperatures.  I forgot to turn on my heat before going to bed one night and I think I woke up with frostbite.

You can imagine I was looking for any opportunity to run outside, and yesterday, with the temperatures rising into the 20s, I snatched my chance.

Unfortunately, when I stepped outside, I slipped in the slush got pelted by a flurry of ice pellets.

I decided to do the smart thing and skip the run, but I was still feeling horribly guilty about my lack of cardio as of late.  So I asked an athletic friend for alternative solutions, and she suggested cardio kickboxing.  I had never tried it before, but it sounded fun, and more appealing than falling flat onto icy pavement.

When I got home, I played the first beginner's cardio kickboxing workout I could find.  While I was doing it, I thought the workout was too easy.  I wasn't horribly out of breath.  I'm also not the most coordinated person ever, so I was moving like some spastic circus monkey, and I figured there was no way I could be getting any fitness benefit from that.

By the end of the workout, though I was dripping sweat.  I could feel some soreness creeping into my shoulders and triceps.

Today, my range of motion is pretty limited.  DOMS is hitting me hard.  It's the good kind of soreness, the kind that lets me know muscles are getting stronger, and making me excited to try another workout.  I'm pleasantly surprised.

It looks like I found something to do while I wait out this winter.