Wednesday, March 21, 2012

My first Half/ my first DNF part one

I wanted to write a different re-cap, in fact in all the ways I played out my first Half Marathon going, this was never one of them. The thought never even crossed my mind that I would have to tell everyone that I did not finish my first half Marathon, let alone barley get started.

Race: Yeungling Shamrock Half Marathon
Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Weather: 55 at the start....Beautiful

5:30- up and at 'em, not tired, excited, nervous, excited, need coffee.....nope nope coffee make me gag this early...Gatorade and an apple that works!! Potty one more time hurry Dad and handsome along.....
6:15-kiss sleeping babies and leave the hotel room
6:40 -Waiting in corral six excited, nervous, excited, nervous excited, excited, excited

6:55-kiss handsome once more knowing I will see him about mile ten, kiss Dad and tell him to have a great race and to run his best I will see him at the finish.
7:00 - The gun goes off and were moving, so excited and feeling great.
7:08:38- Mile one......holy balls 8:38 mile one....let's back off a little...I can still see Dad up ahead.
7:17- hey 17 is my lucky number and we are at mile two in 9 mins still going waaay to fast!!!
7:23- about 2.5 miles in...ouch, ouch, ouch what the hell is that...my knee?? Why is my knee bugging me?? ugh..keep moving, it will shake out....

With each minute the burning intensified.....come on come on you worked for 15 weeks, there is no way your quitting1 almost 3 miles in.

7:28- Mile 3 Medic tent......do I go? should I go? I better go?....I hop into the medic tent...where I burst into tears and medic Tom is being as sweet as can be, it pokes he prods, and says "let's give you some Tylenol and do a hefty tape job and see if you can keep going, you are going to have to walk every water stop, and listen to your body".....I nod praying the tape and Tylenol is all I need to at least get across that finish line...

7:35- I am back on the course, and trying to run, I am taped everywhere and my gait is so weird, but trying to get through the motion hoping it will feel a little more natural.

7:36-Pace group 2:30 passes me and I probably had the lowest moment of my running career...to know that I had been so far in front of them that I had gone three miles, and been in the med tent and had to start walking before they caught me was a huge blow to my self esteem it was my only goal to stay in front of them....the tears started flowing as the pain was still searing....and I started walking.

:7:40-I start to self talk...ok fine if you have to walk the whole damn thing fine at least you will cross the line...

8:10-mile 4......I am only at 4??? the last mile took me 25 mins to "limp/walk" pick up the pace you can walk this ....

8:30....mile 5 tears and pain....do I quit....the little voices, no, no, don't quit you can do this...I start bawling as I realize had I been running I would be more than half way done around mile 8 or 9

8:50 Mile 6.....some overly nice lady tells me "it's ok, when you don't think you can do any more you just keep going....I was too distraught to explain, that I was hurt not a quitter....."

9:00- I sit on the side of the road and rip off all the tape Medic Tom put on me in hopes that if I can just pick up and run with my natural gait all the pain will shake out and I will finish this thing after all....I see very few people still walking...

9:10- Mile 7 is in the distance and I am in more pain then ever...limp one, limp two, come on you can do this....

For the next 20 mins I cry out loud...and limp/hop as I look for a medic or race official of some sort....

9:40-Mile eight water station....I hop up to the first water passer outer and choke out the words "I need a medic".....her response "oh baby do you have a cramp??" to which I burst into sobs of "I need a medic I can't walk"......which freaked her out!!!! She started screaming............MEDIC!!!! WE NEED A MEDIC!!!! MEDICAL.....I told her to calm down I wasn't going to collapse, the medic put me in his truck and called for a Sag vehicle.....he was so kind...

9:48- I made the call that I never ever thought I would have to....."Hi handsome, it's me, I am hurt and cannot go on....I will be in a SAG van back to the finish line" I said that threw choking tears.....and "I am so sorry's" to which handsome said "please stop apologizing, I will find you when you get here."

10:15- I see the very last walker, walk threw water stop eight and although she is moving slow, she has so much pride, because she is doing this and doing it well, and scream as loud as I can "woooooohooooo great job....keep it up".

10:30- I see the first three elite Marathoners come through what would be mile 21 for them...and I am in awe to see how amazing their bodies are

10:35- Sag van shows up, and I cannot put pressure on my left leg at all..they help me to the van and I ride to the finish area....

10:50- I get out of the van and decide I can probably find handsome from here....except I can't walk....the Sag van driver takes me by the arm and puts me back in the van and calls Handsome him self....then he wraps me in a space blanket because I am freezing..Handsome makes it moments later...and they discuss the fact that there is no way I can walk back to the hotel.....I sag van it back to the hotel and Handsome with a baby on his back helps me hobble to our room. At this point I am still thinking there is a way for me to hobble down the board walk and cross that line...................

I will have to continue the rest of my long story tomorrow hope you come back to hear all my drama :) Congratulations to all the races this weekend!!

Monday, February 20, 2012

So Much to say.....so little time

Hello Monday!! You never fail to show up!! So much going on in Mama's world...so I will do my best to highlight, I really need to carve more time to get words down in the blog...

1. Family that races together stays together???? Last weekend after a stint at great wolf lodge we packed the car and drove an hour south to Virginia Beach. The little girls 5, 3, and 9 months were running their first race, the "Virginia is for lovers 1.4 mile run." To say the were stoked would be an understatement! They knew what they were doing at the packet pick up and the expo, they are getting great at finding all the free loot :) On Race morning they popped out of bed at 5:45 without a single fuss and put on their hot pink "running clothes" and their race numbers!!

Fully expecting them to run some, walk some, ride in the stroller some we loaded everyone and headed for the races.....my sweet babies ran the entire 1.4 miles!! (the 9 month old rode in daddy's arms) I was off running the 14k and was sad not to see them finish but still so proud! I had to immediately sign them up for their next race.

at the finish!

I firmly believe healthy habits as a family will prove to be long standing, in their lives we had a fantastic day followed up with a delish sushi lunch!


2. Handsome running- I don't if I had mentioned this but Handsome has been on the injury list for some time. His knee was causing intense amounts of pain on every run. After seeing Dr. A we were told it was a pronation problem.....after countless pairs of shoes (ohhh my wallet is still crying) nothing was working. Upon returning to Dr. A he was told to just stop running.......this is when we decided Dr.A clearly wasn't for us! Onto Dr. B who has been FANTASTIC....it had nothing to do with pronation as he mostly has a neutral gait, it had everything to do with hip strength! She gave him a few simple exercises reduced his mileage and IT'S WORKING!!! thank goodness after almost six months a simple little fix is working!! He is running pain free and is planning to race the 8k at Shamrock!! :)

3. Long runs- I never knew I had it in me!!! In the past I would sign up for a half, pick a plan do the first week and then quit. Not this time I am on week 9 of half training and I feel pretty dang awesome!! 10, 11, 12, 13.1 miles does not seem nearly as daunting as it once did. Not that I don't completely respect those miles, I just know I can finish them now :)

4. Adrenaline- If we could bottle this stuff we would be millionaires! I ran 9 miles two weeks ago and finished 1:46:46 last weekend I raced a 14k (8.7) miles finishing time 1:35:39 hello almost ten minutes!!! I was shocked, I felt wonderful the entire race! I hope this shows up on the day of Shamrock (my first 13.1)

5. Weight- I am Well on my way to that 50lb goal! I had plateaued for two weeks, and finally on Monday last week I saw another drop...this morning the scale was down 14.2 pounds and I need a new pair of jeans :) With a more zeroed in focus on what we are eating the weight loss is coming pretty easily so far....I hope it stays that way!!

Since that was one big brag fest.....hey it's my blog I'll brag if I want too... What are your spring race plans??? Any one going to be at Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach??? I know some tough chiks will be there, my kids are doing the kid dash, Handsome the 8k and my dad and I 13.1.......would love to meet other bloggers if your going to be there, I will also be doing the Charlottesville half on April 7th...let me know where your racing!! and how your goals are going!! Happy presidents day!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

11 random things about me!!

Thank you Shannon for tagging me!! I couldn't wait to do this one and now it's my turn and I can't think of five Random things about myself.....

Here are the rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

Here are my 11 random things…

1. I got married when I was super super young....like so young that if any of my Three daughters think they are going to get married at 19 they had better think again!! Although, things have worked out pretty darn good, we knew then that we were going to be together forever and we still know now 10 years later! :) I have met very few couples who are buddies the way handsome and I are.

2. I used to be a competitive gymnast, for punishment we would have to run...I loathed the run, hated every minute....now I wonder why I couldn't stand it so much, without running I would be a total nut job....well I am a nut job but less of one because I run...did you get all that??

3. who ever decided that doing this----> ........ <------- was ok is my best friend I am addicted to those continuous periods in a row.......I even do it in my own head when I talk to people.......I love them......so addicted......somebody stop me....I bet it is really annoying to English majors ......:)

4. I like to be really very silly! I often knock it down about ten notches when I am around people I don't know, for fear of offending them.....

5. I have 3 beautiful, bright, bouncing girls 5, 3, and 8 months old, they are all so different and I love them more than life it self......I however always thought I would have a bunch of rambunctious boys and don't really play "princesses" all that great, give me a nerf gun and I will kick your ass....give me a barbie and I can....rearrange her face?? what can I say I'm trying??

6. I am a quest to lose 50 pounds by my birthday May 17, so far I am down 12 and loving it :)

7. Running makes me feel like a rock star....people get so amazed when you tell them you ran 4 miles.....:)

8. My hubby (also known on this blog as Handsome) is my best friend!! Seriously we have more fun with each other than most girl "friends" I have ever met! We are each others lobster (ok that got super cheesy...sorry)

9. I am a recovering coke a holic.....(let me clarify to COCA COLA peeps) I can easily drink 10 a day without blinking so far I have had 1 this WEEK!!!

10. My first declared college major was "Pre-Med" it then changed to "biomedical engineering" I finally decided on "Marriage and family therapy" I gave birth to our first daughter the day after my final, final exam and have never once used my degree.

11. On a regular basis when I am out with all three girls people will ask me if I am their nanny/babysitter.......hmmmm nope they are all mine...and then occasional I will get asked if they all have the same dad....hmmmmm yes as a matter fact they do....and sometimes people will take it as far as you people been busy their so little.....actually there is 2 years and 15 days between the first two and 3 years between the second two??? Weirdo people...I always want to say something like one of your boob's sags more than the other...but can't actually bring myself to do it

Here are Shannon's questions for me:

1. What is your favorite TV show? ohhh this is tough...I don't watch much t.v. but when I do I love silly sitcoms so maybe Modern Family

2. If you had to eat the same meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? filet Mignon and potatoes.....although I have not had much meat since back in Dec when we decide to "clean up our diet"

3. Do you cry at sad movies? No I always feel like a total wimp, if I do so...but I cannot watch "All dogs go to heaven" that one gets me every single time.

4. Do you have any pre-race rituals? If so, what are they? Yes I roll out of bed to the right, hit the ground for 3 push ups and then spin around 4 times....ha just kidding, no Handsome always has to pin my race number and I have to have peanut butter something or another.

5. Mac or PC? PC

6. If you could pick the color of the new Tough Chik running singlet. what color would you pick? I am feeling really green lately maybe because I am praying for spring to hurry and get here!

7. How did you find out about Tough Chik?
I have a tough chik shirt and had read about TC on other blogs.

8. What is you favorite song?
Zac Brown band-"keep me in mind" I love love love this song...."how come all the pretty girls like you are taken baby.....lifes to easy to be so damn complicated"

9. Any Superbowl plans?
House full of chiks and the one male is not a football fan...so I am typically out numbered on super bowl night...

10. How do you take your coffee, if you don’t drink coffee, what is your morning beverage of choice?
I like a little coffee with my sugar and cream
11. What is the worst job you have ever had?
I was an assistant to an assistant for an extremely wealthy financial dude....I would have to go pick out $500 ties, and $200 jelly beans for clients, I was always getting yelled at and it was the most stuffy uptight place I ever worked.....horrible!

11 questions for my taggies:

1. Favorite race ever?

2. Do you have a diet plan (clean eating, paleo, vegan??) Does your family follow with you?

3. What animal best describes you??

4. Did life turn out the way you imagined?

5. Who is your best friend and why?

6.if you could live anywhere in the world for 6 months where would you go?

7. How are your new years resolutions holding up?

8. Do you and your family take one big vacation or a bunch of little ones or both?

9. What is the most challenging part of your daily life?

10. How old were you when you got married?

11. Dream Job?

11 peeps to be tagged:


I am pretty darn sure I am the last to do this, I know this is cheating but for the sake of getting this thing up I am saying if you have not been tagged you are now tagged and if you want you can shoot me an email and I will link you in.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Three things Thursday -rocking it out!

There comes a time where you start to love the run, it's not so painfully hard but still a challenge and your body craves the need to sweat it out!!!! ....I'm here at this place right now and I love it!

1. Trail Running-wooowza what a wake up call, Handsome asked if I wanted to get three miles in on the trail..."sure no problem" I thought my paces were much slower, the run was beautiful and then I was lost, the white trail turned into the orange trail, but I was still on the white trail( I just didn't know that) and it paralleled the orange trail Oh my!!! When I finally found my way my run was over and I was mad that I had wasted so much precious time trying to figure out if I was lost!! White trail redemption in my near future!!

2. Baby in the Jogger- On Thursdays I run with the babe (who is Eight months old yipes!! time flies) in the jogger on one of our local paved "trails" today was no different and I set out to run a gentle four miles, but wanting to push my pace as the jogger tends to slow me down quite a bit. Mile 1 -10:26 awesome, I am rocking this, Mile 2 10:43 still pushing the pace Nice, Mile 3-11:00 ok getting tired!! and then it happened... I bonked for the entire fourth mile I would stop and stand and then start running, I would walk a second and try running again....much to no avail I finished mile four in 12:48.....ugghh hate when that happens....but I was willing to get over it since the first three miles were awesome!!

3. My kids have been the most well behaved, obedient little buddies lately. They have been getting out of bed on their own, getting dressed, doing their own hair and teeth and then proceeding through the rest of the morning without screaming, arguing or fighting.......they are 5 and 3 (and 8 months but clearly she doesn't do these things) I am waiting to get struck by lightning or for the other shoe to drop or for them to show me some catastrophe they have been hiding!! Until then I will take their sweet, smiling, ready to go attitudes.....I even served a Hershey kiss with breakfast this morning to show my gratitude :)

OOPS I realize it's Friday and I just now getting this up!! Oh well that's my life! Go TINKERBELLS GO! and all other racers this weekend!!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Three things Thursday Busy Edition

Wow the new year and we are 12 days in!!! I have just come to accept I will blog when I blog, I clearly can't conform to any set regime, so I will have to make my own! :) Hence, is why I love Three thing Thursday it's an easy and quick catch up!

1. Holy busy schedule batman!! I promised myself after the holidays we were going to slow up a little bit! Turns out when you have a daughter in kindergarten, and competitive dance, a 3 year old in pre-school and non-competitive dance, an 8 month old, and two parents on training plans......uhhhh well let's just say free time and a clean house are lacking.....yikes!!

2. Laundry...does your family make as much laundry as mine ????? I can easily do two loads a day and still be behind. I eventually by some grace or miraculous act catch up, and when I turn around there are 5 more loads to be done.....Maybe I just suck at staying on top of it...or maybe a house with four females and a male just really make that much laundry....don't kid your self male species I would say the one male in this house is the worst offender!

3. I ran a 5k this past weekend!! I had a long run of Six miles on Saturday and it went very well, but I was sore and tired and started to regret my decision to run this 5k, but alas I had paid for it and my whole crew wanted to go.....I tried to make it sound less appealing, as in "do you guys really want to get up that early", "mommy could just do this one by herself" "it's gonna be cold out there!!" They didn't care they wanted to be there!! So at 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning we loaded the van and headed for the races. My plan was to meet Pam (fellow tough chik and new friend extraordinaire!)and to take it easy. I had a great race and finished in 33:22 which was a 10:46/min pace. January's race is in the books! and I inspired the whole family to run, when we got home Handsome hit his run and then the little chicks took theirs!` Super cute :) and I have a new friend!! Can't beat that kinda day!


Pam and I after the Race! Tough chiks Rule :)


On a very serious note please continue to pray for Sherry( Cousin of Beth )who went missing on her Run Saturday. Her friends and family are doing their best to spread her story in hopes that someone, somewhere has seen something!!

Have a great weekend!! How long is your long run this weekend???

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Three Things Thursday!! Cooollllddd Edition

Sorry to Fuss about the Cold I just really dislike it!!!

1. This week Running= freezing your nuts off! But, at least the cold keeps you moving, if it's that cold when your heart rate is 150 I can't imagine how cold it would be if you stopped to walk, which means this weeks training has gone excellent as I have found motivation to keep moving to stay warm and get back home....I almost caved yesterday and headed for the treadmill but decided I would most defiantly hate that more! This morning 33 degrees never felt so warm (compared to the 17 degrees it was yesterday and the 19 the day before)

2. Frigid people make me insane......ok look I am no longer a city dweller and I get that your pace of life is a little crazier than mine, and you don't normally see one lady and three little ones making their way around town without a bunch of nannies to help them out! But.....I am that Mom and I have no problem dragging three little with me to Whole Foods in the middle of the city...yes I am a nut job, yes my hands are full and yup my kids are well just that ....kids, I don't care about your snooty looks and I was sorry my kid "bumped" you with our cart, however after your rude 'tude I'm kinda glad she did! She is only 3 after all and apologized......(disclaimer; I know all city dwellers aren't jerks)

3. Froze toes......When this race popped up on my screen I knew it was for me!! Ha I know it's not on my training plan but it's just a 5k and looks fun!! So that being said On Sunday I am running froze toes in Manassas just for the hell of it!! and I am going to try to do one race every month this year...because I feel like rocking my year like that!


Good luck to anyone braving Old man Winter's wrath this weekend to pump out those runs!! Anyone else experience rude people in the city???

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

ohhh January!!

January has reared it's ugly head!!! You see I am more of a Hawaiian type girl 80ish degrees with a gently breeze all year round and I'm golden!!

Too bad I live in Maryland where one day it's 55 degrees and your in a short sleeve shirt and running shorts (Saturday) and the next it's 19 degrees and you can't find enough layers to even consider being warm (today).

I hate being cold.....plain simple truth

That being said, today's 3 miler didn't suck. To begin with I was already proud of myself that this is week three of 1/2 Marathon training and I have yet to miss a run. In other previous era's of my running life I might get through the first week, never to the second and sometimes never even started at all, totally flaking on race day. Not this time, I am not letting myself quit.

I had a fantastic 5 miles on Saturday as it was the first time I had run that distance since Richmond. 3 miles today were cold to start but defiantly kept me moving! I keep having excellent first and second miles and then kinda dying off in the third or any additional ones after that. I refuse to care about mile splits.....ok well I care but I am trying not to get hung up on them and just keep my feet moving.

2012 is off to a wonderful start, I have many goals, hopes and dreams for myself this year most of which I plan to turn into a reality! In case I haven't told you I have joined Team Tough chik and I am beyond excited about these fabulous ladies!

I will leave my goals for another post, but I would love to hear what some of your goals are and how you have started off your new year!!