Snowmageddon 2014

For anyone who doesn't know....I live in southeastern Virginia.  In 30 minutes, I can be sitting in my beach chair with my toes in the sand, soaking up the sun with a sea breeze in my face.....except it's winter.

I tell you about my location to remind you that we aren't so prepared for snow down here.  We maybe get 10 inches a DECADE.  (That might be a slight exaggeration, but only slight...)  Last week we got 2 inches or so and we were out of school for 2 days.  Tonight we are expected to get 10 inches...10 INCHES of SNOW.  We might be out of school until March.  

Because we don't get snow very often and it's going to be up to my knees when I wake up in the morning, I decided to stick to the plan and get my run in tonight.  Since the opportunity doesn't present itself, I did my run outside...in the snow.  I put on some fleece lined tights, my running tights, two shirts, a sweatshirt, a pair of gloves, my neon yellow running hat, my pink socks and my running shoes and I hit the road.

There was about a half inch of snow on the road when I started.  I didn't know how far I was going to go when I started.  I turned on my music and quickly turned it off.  I liked hearing my footsteps crunching in the snow and the snow falling around me.  It was just quiet and peaceful.  To keep my husband from worrying, I stayed in my neighborhood to stay safe since there are crazies out on the snowy main roads.  

As I started my run, it was obvious that I was the only one out and about.  I loved it!  

As I started my second lap, my footprints were starting to get covered with snow.  After a mile and a half, I knew that I wanted to keep going, but I started to want my music, so I turned it on and kept going.  As I was finishing my last lap, my neighbor poked her head out of the door and yelled to me.  I think she thought I was crazy.  She's probably right.

I ended up running 3 miles in the snow tonight.  The snow was getting deep as I was finishing, so I am really glad I didn't try to wait until tomorrow when there will be 10 inches on the ground.  

I really liked running in the snow.  It was quiet time with me.  I think what makes it so exciting is that we don't get to do it very often down here in the South.  

And now for something completely different....

Today I ran.  It was "only" 3 miles, but I did it.  I had a slow, cold, and super fun run with 3 of my MRTT friends.  I have run at least a little ways with each of them, but I have never run with all 3 of them together.  It was a blast.  I wish we could have kept going.  I think I had 5 in me today.  :)

But, the run was just the appetizer.  The main event today was a Yoga for Runners class.  Taught by our fearless MRTT leader, we knew we would be in for a treat.  This class had some die hard yogis (is that even a word?) and some brand newbies (like me.)  I'm going to be perfectly honest, I was a little scared going into this.  I have heard about yoga and it's zen and chi and all of that jazz.  I had visions of falling out of a pose and starting the domino effect as I knocked everyone around me over.  That would have totally messed up the zen.  Plus, the yoga class at the Y that meets right before my Zumba class is SERIOUS...I mean bring your own mat and wear your lululemon yoga outfit serious.  That is NOT me.  I don't own a pair of yoga pants and I showed up in a race t-shirt.  Our fearless leader had her work cut out for her.

After our run, we all came into the studio, beautifully arranged our rainbow of mats and got the low down on what would be happening.  We started with a lot of Downward Dog, did some Plank, went into Warrior 1, 2, and 3, did some Lizard Lunges, and ended with some Pigeons.  There was some mean and just evil core work in the middle, but I am really trying to block that out.  My favorite of all of the poses was Child's Pose.....because you just lay on the floor with your behind in the air.

Make no mistake...yoga is HARD.  People are hard core about it for a reason. There was a lot of balancing (hard in bare feet...my ankles were hurting) and pulling your legs into unnatural positions while you are balancing.  I am not graceful enough to flow.  My movements were jerky and uncoordinated.

I was totally out of my comfort zone.  I pretty much hated yoga.  I don't think I would ever get up enough courage to crash a yoga class at the Y.  But, I was with some amazing women in that class today.  I would go to another yoga class with them.  One of the girls said it was "the noisiest and most entertaining" yoga classes she has ever been to.  It was.  Even though I was awkward and it was hard and I fell out of most a few of the poses, it was fun and it was encouraging.  

Our fearless leader said she may offer these classes as community classes in the future.  I would give it another try....but only with her.  :)  She would just walk over and adjust me (some other people, but mostly me) and keep talking.  And, everyone keeps saying that the more you try yoga, the better you get. 

I certainly hope so....I really couldn't get much worse.  :)

And, I came home and went another (even slower) mile with my boys for their final mile training.  

Running for Meg

Today, a women that I have never met and will never have the pleasure to meet got me out the door.  A woman who lived over a hundred miles away from me motivated me to suck it up and run.

You see, last Monday, after putting her babies on the school bus, Meg Menzies was hit by a drunk driver while she was on her morning run.  She did everything right.  She was wearing bright clothes.  She was aware of her surroundings.  She was running on a running path....a running path.  She never saw him coming.

Her death sparked a running movement across the country.  Meg was associated with the Moms Run This Town, which is my running group.  She may have been a third cousin once removed, but that's close enough.  She may have run the some of the same races I have....that means we ran together.

I tried every excuse I could think of to delay my long run.  I had a morning choir rehearsal.  I had a headache.  (Really, I had a POUNDING headache...I wanted to sit in the dark with my eyes closed.)  I had somewhere to be later....the list goes on and on.  Every excuse brought me back to Meg.  Saturday was Meg's Miles day.  The running community was honoring a fellow runner and bringing awareness to running safety (and driving awareness) on Saturday.

So, I got dressed.  I dropped the little man off with my parents, because hubby and the big boys were doing Boy Scout things, and I ran for Meg.  She could have been me or any one of my running friends.  She was a wife and a mother....and a friend and a daughter.  She was a runner.  She was training for Boston.  (Okay...that's where the similarities stop.)  She couldn't run, so I ran for her.  We all ran for her....because she would have run for us.

6 miles done...for Meg.

Hark how the bells....

Today had nothing to do with running.  Today had everything to do with bells....kettlebells.  Apparently it's the new fitness craze.  My local Y has added a KettleWorx class to the group fitness schedule.  Kettleworx is a 30 minute kettlebells class that is choreographed to music.  The classes are so popular that you need a ticket to get in.  Most of the classes don't fit into my life schedule...most of them are in the morning while I am at work.  There is one at 1:00 on Thursday afternoons, so I made it a point to get there today.

I don't have my little man with me on Thursdays.  He goes to his other school (not the school where I am) and my mom picks him up on those days.  She decided to meet me at the Y to do the kid transfer and she volunteered to grab me a ticket to make sure I got into the class.

At 12:30, I flew into the Y and greeted my little man.  Of course, today he decided that his "tummy was hungry" and didn't want to stay at Child Watch.  That great mom of mine agreed to take him home and feed him while I did my class.  (Thanks, Mom!)  I changed into my gym clothes and headed in.  After 30 minutes of chatting with someone I knew in the class, it was time to start the 15 minute demo class before the 30 minute real class.

Today was KettleWorx Cardio.  (The other classes are Resistance...much like Cardio, and Core.)   It's 30 minutes of pain and hard work.  You hate it while you are doing it, but you are glad that you did.  Some of the ladies in the class burned 400-500 calories in a half an hour.  Because the classes are new, the instructors start with a 15 minute intro class.  The intro shows some basic moves, techniques, and then the two major moves for each of the 5 main workouts.  After the intro, it was time to get going.

The class started with a warm-up and then there were 4 songs of work and then 1 song of abs/cool-down.  I was tired after the warm-up, so I knew the class was going to kick my behind!  When the first thing the instructor mentions is burpees and I have never actually DONE a burpee, trouble is on the way.

Surprisingly, I was able to keep up!  I figured out how to do a burpee and get it done.  Kettleworx is a LOT of squats.  Let me say that again....it's a lot of squats.  You work your arms (presses and rows and lifts and curls and all of those arm exercise words) while you are doing squats.  Then, you just do some more squats for fun.  There are squats to the front and squats to the side and squats to teh front and squats to the back.  Sometimes, you even pass the bell between or around the legs while you are doing the squats.  The Cardio class throws in some jumping and some of those burpees just for fun.  

About 15 minutes in, I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction that we will just mention with no elaboration.  (Because that's always fun in the middle of a group exercise class!)  It made the rest of the class a little difficult, but I kept right on going.

The last song was a cooldown with an emphasis on abs.  I didn't know that I had abs, but apparently I do.  I also didn't know that slow crunches could be worse than fast crunches.  I am afraid that now I know both of those.

One thing that I learned - I LOVE the swings.  It's ab work, but it's fun!  I know that I will feel it tomorrow.  :)

So, there's my quick overview of my first "real" KettleWorx class.  I am looking forward to doing it again in 2 weeks!  (Have to take next week off because we are surprising the boys with a trip to Great Wolf Lodge!)

And, if you are in the Great Bridge/Hickory area of Chesapeake, Virginia, join me for the 1:00 Kettleworx class on Thursdays.  I'll be the one in the tech race shirt.  :)

Getting It Done

I have grand plans.  Every day, I have plans.  Yesterday, I planned to go to Zumba after the baby's Little Gym class.  Plan - executed!  Check!

Today, I planned to go to the gym after homework but before basketball practice started.  I figured it would be a great way to actually get to the gym - I had to be there anyway.  There would have to be some creative scheduling since the kids can only be in childcare for 2 hours, but I really thought I had a plan.  

And then homework happened.....and it took forever.  And then vision therapy happened....and it took forever.  And then, all of a sudden, it was 4:20.  We had to be at the Y for basketball at 5:00.  The while plan looked like it was going to fall off the rails.

But, never fear!  Things didn't fall apart.  I got my planned workout in.  I didn't get to run as far as I wanted to today and I didn't get to run outside.  But, I did get 30 minutes on the treadmill AND I got 45 minutes in the weight room.  Plan - Sort of executed.

And....my arms are going to hurt in the morning.

Plan for the rest of the week - 3 miles on Wednesday, Kettlebells class on Thursday, and a long run (6ish - maybe 10 miles) this weekend.

Miles today - 2.29

Miles so far this year - 22 (or 22.29 to be exact)

Time for a Change

I bought my current pair of shoes in August.  I remember it clearly because it was right before the Rock 'N Roll and I got a Brooks VIP Potty Pass.  I gave it to my BRF because I was running the second half of the relay and wasn't going to be at the start to use it.

But, back to the matter at hand....that was 6 months ago.  6 months and 6 half marathons.  6 months and miles of training runs.  I know that I haven't put 500 miles on these shoes, but my knees are starting to hurt.  That is an early sign that I need some new shoes.

So, here's the problem - I wear Brooke Adrenaline GTS-13.  Yep, 13...as in 2013.  Shoes are like cars - a new model comes out every year.  And that model is like the old one, but it's not the same.  There is something different about the new shoe.  But I like my shoes.  I bought the EXACT same shoe twice in 2013.  I like how my feet feel in them.  They are my fast shoes.  (Haha....just seeing if anyone really reads my ramblings....unless they have rocket launchers, no shoe is going to make me fast.)  But, you get my drift.

Here's another problem - my foot is huge.  No shoe store buys more than like 3 pairs a year.  I've already bought 2 of them from the store, so chances are good that the shoe store doesn't have them and will either try to convince me to buy the new (NOT ON SALE) pair or make me start all over with a new pair.

Because I am not ready to start dating shoes again, I went online.  The GOOD thing about wearing last year's model is that everyone wants to get rid of it, so it's ON SALE!!  Bonus!

I did what any brand loyalist would do in this situation....I bought two pairs.  That will get me through 2014!

That just means that I will have to jump back into the dating pool next year.

What shoes do you wear for running?  Do you change models or brands when you can't get your favorite??

Runner's Logic

I'm tired.  It's been a long week and it's only Wednesday.  I've been out late and up late and not home EVERY.SINGLE.DAY this week and there is no end in sight. (Navy Spouse event tomorrow night and basketball game for kiddo #1 on Friday.) Not to mention the fact that it is cold outside and it's hard to get motivated when it's roughly 20 degrees. 

So, after a 2 hour meeting at school today, 45 minutes of first grade homework (don't panic....it was 20-ish minutes of homework twice because one got lost in the bathroom), and another 25 minutes of Vision Therapy homework, I decided to go to the Y so I could get a run in.  I had about an hour to drop the monkeys off at Childwatch, run, and get back to pick everyone up to get back to church in time for dinner and my 2 choir rehearsals.  Running when tired and busy and cold....Runner's Logic.

Once everyone was happily in Childwatch, I headed out for a quick loop around the Y.  From the front door, I head through the Gone with the Wind neighborhood (down O, Ashley, past Katie Scarlett, up and back down Tara, and then down Melly to some other road), through this other neighborhood that is not NEARLY as exciting as the Gone with the Wind streets, to Mt. Pleasant (which is a big road) and then around back to Battlefield (a bigger road) and back to the Y. The route was just at 3 miles....good enough for a Wednesday.

It was a decent run today - there were a couple of moments of fast, but mostly it was just steady.  The first mile or so was a little rough, especially coming off a half this weekend, the middle mile was nothing spectacular, but the last mile felt pretty good.   I didn't have the burning desire to keep going, but I wasn't staring at the watch, willing the running interval to be over.

Today's lesson was mostly about my new running gear.  Since I am finally in the 21st century with a Smart Phone, Santa brought me an arm band so I can carry my phone with my music.  (Thanks Santa!)

Here's the problem - I mostly hated it.  Apple and I have a love/hate relationship and I can't figure out how to make a running playlist.   I also can't figure out how to get rid of the music that Russ likes that I hate and the entire Star Wars soundtrack that we downloaded for a birthday party and can't get rid of.  If the music just isn't working for me, I have to unlock the phone before I can change it.

So, I need to get some tech help to get a running playlist of the songs I like most during a run and then maybe I won't need to skip songs.  (In related news....the arm band is pretty comfy.  I would like to see how it works when my shirts are sleeveless.

It's also time for some new shoes.  My IT Band is talking to me.

3 miles today in just over 38 minutes.  Not my best showing, but it will do.

Miles for 2014 - 22

The Road to 50 States: West Virginia

This weekend, 4 friends and I hit the road to check West Virginia off the 50 Races in 50 States checklist.  After an 8 hour adventure to get there (a misguided GPS, an ALMOST reckless driving ticket, twisty and dark and icy roads, and great conversation) we got to Fairmont, WV.  We ate a late dinner at the hotel and headed to bed. 

Normally this next part talks about how we got up early to head the the race.  Not so this time.  The Literacy Volunteers of Marion County Run to Read Half Marathon started at 2:00 in the afternoon.  This was very uncomfortable for me.  I mean, I get it....winter in the mountains of West Virginia....they needed all the time they could get for it to warm up.   A 7am start time would have been a bit nippy.  However, every race is a learning experience and I learned that I don't know how to fuel for an afternoon race.  To make matters worse, the whole day just felt funny since I didn't fall out of bed and run.

At about 12:30, we made our way to Pricketts Fort State Park to pick up our packets.  Packet pick-up was in the "Old Visitors Center" which a nice man directed us to.  We parked, got our packets (which didn't have a shirt, but had a knit hat and a pair of gloves), and headed up the snowy hill to look around.

Thanks to Kristobel McNamee for the picture.

Thanks to Kristobel McNamee for the picture.

  

The running girls....thanks to Kristobel McNamee for the picture

After a couple of potty stops, some looking around, and a few minutes warming up in the car, we made our way to the top of the hill to the starting line.  We lucked out on the weather in West Virginia in January.  The temperature at the start of the race was about 45 degrees.  This was a teeny, tiny race.  There were 267 finishers.  And, even though the race was marketed as being "walker friendly," it was  FAST field.  I mean, FAST.  I knew it going in, but that just gave me hope that I could win one of the awards they had for the back of the pack.  (SPOILER ALERT - I was slow, but I wasn't slow enough...no winning for being the biggest loser this time)

The gun went off, the fast people went off, and then I went off.  From the beginning, something just didn't feel right.  The lungs and the legs and the music and the trail...were just off.  But, when the going gets tough, the slow people just slow down.  The course was a two leg out and back.  The first leg was 2 miles up a paved trail, which had been very well cleared.  After about a mile, the trail led through an old train tunnel.  It was dark, sort of long, and really cool!  It was probably my favorite part of the race!  At the 2 mile turnaround, there was a water stop and then we headed back (though the tunnel again) toward the starting line.  After we passed by where we started, the trail went down a little hill beside the river where the finish line would be.  

Then things got a little tricky!  I have mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of winter or mud or yuck.  I am also a pretty big fan of pavement.  All of my least favorite things collided for just about 9 miles.  The trail (while quite pretty) was muddy...yucky, wet, mucky mud....with patches of snow and ice in the shady spots.  (Huge props to the park service for clearing the trails as much as they did!)  The second out and back took us for 4.5 miles along the river.  

Thanks to Kristobel McNamee for the picture.

It was a lonely race.  With 267 runners, I spent a lot of time by myself.  (Back to the fast field....227 of the runners were faster than a 2:30 half.  There were only 40 slow people in the WHOLE race!)  It was also the race that never seemed to end.  All of this just made the hard harder.  It was not my best showing, when I really wanted it to be, and that made me frustrated.  My official finishing time was 3:01:19 (13:50 minute mile), good for 258th place.  9 people finished after me.  (To make me a feel a little better, the race was chip timed, but not adjusted.  My Garmin time was 3:00:28 - 13:44 minute mile.)

So, let's focus on the good:

- The company, my BRF, my fast friend, and 2 brand new running friends on a road trip.  Thanks girls!  I hope we can do it again soon!

- The Literacy Volunteers of Marion County were some of the NICEST people I have ever met.  They had great communication leading up to the race and on race day.  I think the race director thanked everyone for coming at least 20 times.  

- The race was also VERY walker friendly, even though it was a fast field.  

- While I didn't have any of the post-race chili, it was all homemade and the other girls said that it was really good.  I did, however, have 2 kinds of the homemade cookies and they were FANTASTIC!!  

- The snowy background for the run, with the frozen waterfalls, was beautiful.

- The temperatures were just how I like them!!

- My fast friend Susan took 2nd place in her age group!  Yay for fast friends and driving a winner home!!

- I met some other Half Fanatics who were great support and just nice people.  I hope to see them again at some races soon.

- West Virginia: DONE

So, what wasn't so good:

- It was a long, lonely course.  It is most like running the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail out here in Chesapeake.

- The on course support was lacking.  They had water stops (not as many as a J&A race, but enough that there was water and a smiling face when you needed it), but we get spoiled by the signs and the cheering down at the Oceanfront.

- There were no trashcans at the water stops.  I probably lost 5 minutes at water stops because I don't fancy myself so important that I need to throw my cup on the ground.  I also stopped to chat with the water stop volunteer at the last one.

- Paper cups.....paper cups...paper cups.  Styrofoam doesn't bend.

- It got cold....fast.  I really wanted my gloves and hat at about mile 6.

What went wrong?

- I need to train better.  (Check back to that post on New Year's Resolutions.)  Running more makes it easier.  I've done just enough to maintain, but I am not seeing consistent progress.

- 2:00 in the afternoon is not my best time for running.  I think I rather like the early wake ups.  (It would have gotten us home before midnight.)

- Could the altitude have thrown a wrench into things?

So, next up - Myrtle Beach on February 15.  Maybe the beach is where I run best!  Don't worry...I'll let you know.

Relationships are Complicated

I'm just going to say it....I wussed out today.   I didn't run outside.  It was cold and it was windy and I just didn't feel like being out there.  So, I went upstairs, turned on the window air conditioner (the room over the garage is the hottest room in the house), and tried to kiss and make up with my treadmill.  It's been neglected.  I can't remember the last time I was on the treadmill.  After we got back on speaking terms, I got started.

I really hate the treadmill.   It's boring.  It's like being all dressed up with no place to go.  But, I had to do it.  So, I started with a quarter mile walk.  It wasn't all that fast, but it got me reacquainted with the monotony of the treadmill.  (We used to have a TV in that room.  I would watch Jeopardy and get smarter while I was getting fitter.  Now I just have to run....like a real runner.  I liked it better when I was still a wanna-be runner.)  Anyway, after my little walk, I restarted the timer and planned for a 5K.  I started on 2:1 intervals (2 minutes running, 2 minutes walking).  We all know that I am slow, so my running was at a 6.0...which is about a 10 minute mile.  I walked at 3.7...which is about a crawl.  I am happy to say that I was able to keep those intervals for just about the entire run.  There were some times when I walked a little longer (but never REALLY long) and one interval that I ran at a 5.5.  I finished my 5K in 36:30 (about a minute off my fastest 5K, but most definitely not my slowest...).  After that, I just kept walking.  I walked another 3/4 mile to bring the entire journey today to 4 miles.

Completely off topic, but while I was running along at a 6.0, I was reminded of the early days of this running adventure.  I walked at a 3.5 and could barely run at  4.0....4.5 was pushing it.  Sometimes, especially when it is hard, it's nice to look back and see that there has been progress....slow progress, but progress just the same.

My knee is talking to me again.  This was the exact same time of year that I got IT Band Syndrome last year.   Looks like I have a date with my foam roller tonight!!

In other news, Frick and Frack (aka - the Big Boys) are all signed up for the Shamrock Final Mile.  We have 25 miles to get through together between now and March 15.  I am really excited to start this journey with them.

Start Your Engines

New Year's Day is a chance to start over.  I welcomed the new year by meeting my MRTT (Moms Run This Town) friends for a New Year's Day group run.  We met at The Little Gym in Virginia Beach.  Some ladies dropped off their kiddos  (I didn't have to, thanks to the awesome hubby) and then we set off.  The course was a 3.1 mile loop around the shopping center, through the neighborhood, and ending up back where we started.

I really wanted a great run to start the year.  I was even prepared to run 6 miles if it was feeling good.  It wasn't.

The company was great, but I just wasn't feeling it.  It felt slow and heavy and sluggish.  I was hot in my layers and uncomfortable when the layers started coming off.  I willed the watch to beep so I could just walk.

Maybe it was staying up too late for New Year's Eve.  Maybe it was a change in the pre-run routine because the run was at 10:00 in the morning.  Maybe it was just an off day.  Whatever it was, hopefully it was a bad practice before game day, because I have a race on Sunday.

Either way, my engine was started.  (It blew smoke and sputtered a lot, but it started.)  I am ready to tackle the New Year.

Just in case you are wondering, here's the race calendar (so far) for 2014:
January -

• Run to Read, Fairmont, WV, January 5

February -

• Myrtle Beach Half Marathon, Myrtle Beach, SC, February 15

March (now check this out):

• North Carolina Half Marathon, Charlotte, NC, March 8
• Shamrock Half,, Virginia Beach, VA, March 16

April

• Still undecided.....

May

• Frederick Running Festival, Frederick, MD  May 4  (Doing the Nut Job Challenge, 5K on Saturday, Half on Sunday)

June

• Run for the Dream, Williamsburg, VA, June 1

July (it gets better....I hope I can actually do this!!)

• Jamestown Half, Jamestown, RI, July 12
• Shipyard Old Point Half, Portland, ME, July 13

August

• Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon, Virginia Beach, VA, August 31  (Yep, doing the whole thing this year)

September

• Bird in Hand Half Marathon, Bird in Hand, PA, September 6  (Doing the Fireman Challenge - 5K on Friday, Half on Saturday)
• Neptune Festival 8K (TBD)

October

• Hershey Half, Hershey, PA, October 19
• Wicked 10K, Virginia Beach, VA  October 25

November

• Undecided, but either the OBX Half again or the Freedom in Norfolk

December

• Undecided Half
• Christmas Town Dash 8K (TBD)

It's a big year!  14 half marathons in 2014!!!