Half Marathon # 8: Virginia Wine Country

Best. Wine. Weekend. Everrrrrr.

For serious, y'all.

I just returned from a five day getaway to Charlottesville, Virginia. It was bliss. All I did was eat, drink, and run. Please, friends, take a moment to appreciate that: I spent five days guiltlessly indulging in delicious home cooked meals of a fine-dining caliber paired with exquisite wines from all over the world, but I was there to run and run I did.

Momma and Papa Sandvig both decided to accompany me on my journey east. I actually suggested the Patrick Henry Half Marathon in Ashland, VA because I knew they would jump on the opportunity to join me, and it would give them the perfect excuse to visit their best friends in Charlottesville. That's just the kind of daughter I am. You're welcome, Mom and Dad.

We left for Washington, DC early Thursday morning. And when I say early, I mean I was up before 4am. I think our flight was at 7am, but to be honest, I was in such a semi-conscious haze that I hardly remember the details. I think I ate a bagel. After arriving in DC, we hopped in a rental car and prepared for a 2+ hour drive to Charlottesville. And then something funny happened. My mom pulled out a map. A real, old-fashioned, paper road map. We all have iPhones. At this point, I decided to put my needs (i.e. more sleep) aside and play the role of Navigator.

Old-fashioned Momma Bear with her map.

We arrived at Amy and Bill's house early in the afternoon, and we weren't even there for an hour before Bill made us all delicious cocktails from his diverse and expansive liquor selection. I enjoyed a lovely Mint Julep on the patio. It was the best Mint Julep I'd ever tasted. Actually, it was the first time I'd ever had a Mint Julep, but it was everything I'd hoped it would be and more.

Mint juleps

And then came the wine.

I'll refrain from going into too much detail about the different wines. If you know me, you know I could go off on a tangent rambling about the wines and the grapes and the cheeses and etc.

Since the race was on Saturday, I had every intention of taking it easy on Friday and mentally preparing myself for the run. After breakfast, I went out with Amy to the vineyard and helped pick some of the chardonnay grapes to take to her wine-maker to test the grapes' sugar levels. Did I mention that Amy and Bill grow their own grapes on their property? Their little vineyard is beautiful. Imagine waking up every morning and seeing a vineyard and rolling hills. Absolutely lovely. Everything was going swimmingly until Bill came home from work and suggested we do a California Pinot Noir tasting with dinner. Four bottles of wine later, my dad and I were on the road to Ashland to stay the night.


When we arrived at our hotel, I was in that perfect state of drowsiness. It was only 9:30pm so I had high hopes of crashing early and waking up nice and refreshed. And as soon as I hopped into bed, I was wide awake. I hate how that happens. The last time I looked at the clock it was 12:15am, which was awesome considering I had to be awake in less than five hours.

Picking chardonnay grapes

Nevertheless, I woke up feeling fine. I wasn't tired, and I wasn't hungover (thank God). It was a dreary morning, cool and damp with a light rain. The weather was absolutely perfect for running. The feeling I had that morning was similar to the feeling I had a few months ago in Madison. In hindsight, I would describe it as a relaxed kind of focus. I wasn't chatty, I wasn't thinking too hard about how I was going to approach the course, but I was in the zone. I was surprised by how many runners were there. I was prepared for a race similar to my New Braunfels one, but this race could not have been more different.

I always listen to music when I race, and I usually make a playlist in advance for raceday. I decided to switch it up and listen to both of Kid Cudi's albums from start to finish. I only mention this little tidbit of information because they are the perfect running albums: solid, steady beats for a long distance run and dark enough to give you something to think about for 13.1 miles. Just a suggestion if anyone's every looking for some good running tunes.

Olympians do it...

The course was challenging: lots of hills and turns along country roads; however, a steady drizzle kept us cool and refreshed throughout the entire race. I ran most of the race with my dad. We usually don't run together since I tend to start too fast and have him pass me around mile 8 or 9. This time I started more slowly. At mile 9 we picked up our pace and we were on track to crush two hours. And then came the cruel trick of the race-planners. At 11 1/2 miles, the ground started to slope upwards. The whole course had been hills so I approached it hard, ready to take it on and conquer it. But then it just kept going. And it kept getting steeper. At every turn I expected the hill to start sloping downwards but that break never came. That hill sapped the remaining energy out of my tired legs. We passed the 12-mile marker and the hill was still going. I'd estimate that it lasted approximately 3/4ths of a mile. Once I re-calibrated after the monster hill, I was running strong again, and I finished strong. My official time was 2:02.35.

Even though I didn't break two hours, I don't think I could have run that race any smarter or any better. The conditions were perfect, I felt great, I ran hard, and the course was fun. The running etiquette was unmatched, and the race was well organized. I could not have asked for a better race.

Saturday was a perfect day. After the race, my dad and I returned to Charlottesville in time for lunch. We ate mussels on the porch and uncorked our first bottle of wine. We went out to Bill and Amy's "Party Porch," a little screened in abode out in the woods, and played cards. We switched partners, but my team won every time. Naturally. The wine flowed throughout the evening, and we paired it with some home-made pizzas.

We stayed in Charlottesville until Monday, but I won't bore you with more stories of food and wine. My parents were sad to go. It was kind of strange to imagine my parents being my age. I've heard some of their stories, but seeing them hang out with some of their oldest and best friends put things in a different perspective. They tell dirty jokes and reminisce about things that make them seem so normal. I saw a snapshot of my parents' lives from when they were in their mid-twenties.

I can't believe I've finished eight races now. I love that sense of accomplishment when I cross the finish line. My next race is September 23. I'm back in Texas for this one. I'm not sure what to expect at this point, but I just hope the weather in September is better than it was in July. You never really know down here.
 
Thank you for reading, thank you for the support, and I'll see y'all next month. 

Race # 7: Orange Leaf Half Marathon, New Braunfels

Well, we all knew sooner or later I would have a bad race. I guess I couldn't continue to improve forever.

Race # 7 took place in New Braunfels, TX last Saturday and it went as badly as one might expect a race in Texas in July to go. Let's just say I would rather cut off my big toes than ever run that race again.

I will admit that I didn't have very high expectations of the race. However, I had higher expectations of myself.

The not very crowded parking lot early in the
morning. 

This race was the first one my dad and I ran together since March. I was looking forward to running with him again and (hopefully) beating him, too. We decided to drive to San Antonio the night before the race to stay with my aunt. Road trips with my father are always interesting. For someone who generally takes such good care of himself, he seems to have a knack for choosing the worst "local" places to stop for food on the road. I remember him stopping at greasy hole-in-the-wall diners while transporting me to and from college. He would always go all out while I would sit there scowling and hungry. This mini-road trip wasn't very different. An hour in to the drive, he decided he wanted to stop at Dairy Queen. Not exactly "local" but you get where I'm going with this. I don't know if I had ever actually been inside a Dairy Queen. Now I have. The pops ordered some chocolate-fudge-sundae-milkshake-malt-slushie or something to hold himself over until dinner. Dinner was better, but only because I got to pick the place.

We hit the sack pretty early Friday night. Since we were staying in San Antonio, we had to set our alarms for 4am to make it to New Braunfels in time for the 6:30am start. We got to the race at around 5:30am and they were still getting the course organized. The race started in front of the Orange Leaf yogurt shop and went through cornfields. Only about 400 people were signed up for the race, and about 100 of them signed up on Friday. All of the other races I've run have had thousands of people running them.

Me and Alexis 

The course was miserable. Although it was relatively flat with a soft asphalt surface, this race was the most boring and uncomfortable one I have ever run. My goal was to break two hours and continue my streak of consistent improvement. I knew I wasn't going to break two hours within the first couple of miles. I was on pace, but I was working uncomfortably hard to maintain that pace. The humidity was unbearable and the race was shrouded in a thick fog that prevented runners from seeing more than 30 yards into the distance. The fog coupled with the tall cornfields flanking both sides of the path made for a pretty boring (and slightly eerie) course. I imagine it was comparable to running on a treadmill in a steam room. All I could think about during the run was how disappointed I was. Disappointed in the race, the weather, myself, etc. After having so much fun in my past three races, I just couldn't get over the let down that was the Orange Leaf half marathon. Mentally, I just was not in it.

Duchesne runners

My final time was 2:05, and my slowest time in two months. But a few good things did come out of this race. Apparently everyone ran their worst times and I actually placed 4th in my age group. The girl who won my age group with an incredibly fast terribly slow time of 1:30 even said it was her worst time. She finished 3rd overall. Prior to this race, I also learned that a girl with whom I went to high school, Alexis, is also a dedicated runner. She ended up placing 2nd in our age group and it looks like we'll be running a few more of the same races this year. I don't know many people who are in to these kinds of races so its fun to share this as a common interest with someone. A couple other girls from our high school, Christi and Mindy, were also there offering their support. We hung around and chatted for a bit after the race and discussed our upcoming athletic projects.

And the best part about this race? Another half marathon finished. I can now cross July off my list and add another medal to my collection.

I have six weeks before my next race in Ashland, VA. That should be plenty of time to get in some serious summer training and get back on track with improving my time.

Oh and the pops decided on Whataburger for some post-race munchies. Not exactly my ideal post-race meal. I prefer raw oysters on the half shell.

Thanks for reading and I'll see y'all in August!

Update

What's up, homies?

Here's a quick update on my plans for the rest of the year. I have finalized my race schedule through the rest of 2012 and am even flirting with the idea of continuing on in 2013. Ok, I'm more than just flirting with it, we've already decided on a first date. I found out earlier this week that I got into the Houston Marathon. This race has become so big that it has taken on a New York meets Boston approach for entry: lottery entries and qualifying times. My time is now so fast that I qualified for the race. That's actually a lie. I'm just lucky.

Here is my schedule for my next seven races:

July 14, 2012 - Orange Leaf Half Marathon in New Braunfels, TX
August 25, 2012 - Patrick Henry Half Marathon in Ashland, VA
September 23, 2012 - Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon in Plano, TX
October 7, 2012 - Half Marathon Castelli Romani in Rome, Italy (I know, right?)
November 11, 2012 - Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Antonio, TX
December 9, 2012 - Fayetteville Half Marathon in Fayetteville, AR
January 13, 2013 - Houston Half Marathon in Houston, TX

I've provided links (obviously) to all the races in case anyone wants to join me. I'm always looking for more running buddies.

I'm sure I have mentioned in previous posts that my dad and I are running buddies. I'd say we only run with each other maybe once a week right now, but we always discuss our runs and our race plans. My dad ran both my February and March half marathons with me this year, and he will be joining me in my next five races. Running in Italy was also his idea. Obviously I had no objections. This morning I sent him an email proposing he do another year of races with me, and we've agreed to revisit the discussion in a couple of months. However, I did suggest that we try to keep our 2013 races in Texas.

So there you have it, my update for future races. Again, I invite anyone who is interested to join me. Or at least join me for brunch and a beer afterwards.

In the meantime, I'm going on vacation, so I will see you cool cats in July.

Half Marathon #6: The Windy City

Well guys, I've hit the halfway point. I have run six half marathons in six months. I have to be honest, saying that statement out loud feels pretty good. Believe me, I made sure to tell every person I met in Chicago this past weekend. 

I've started to make the most of my race weekends. The 13.1 Half Marathon in Chicago was my third out of state race in three months. These out of state races are proving to be perfect opportunities to visit my friends (and family) scattered around the country. One of my college friends, Clarke, and I have both been bugging the other to visit. I finally caved and made the first move. 

This race was the first race where I set some concrete goals for myself. I have never been concerned with time; my focus has always been on finishing a race every month. However, I knew in the beginning that I would eventually be unable to resist setting more goals. My goal for this race was to break two hours. 

The circumstances surrounding this race were pretty interesting. I arrived in Chicago close to 8pm Friday evening. Clarke met me at the airport, and we spent about an hour on the train to downtown Chicago. After quickly dropping my bag off at his place, we decided to go grab a couple of beers. I was excited to see my friend and wanted to hang out for a little while before going to bed. Unfortunately, I didn't fully comprehend the fact that my Saturday morning race was located about half an hour south of downtown and the shuttle to the race start left at 5:30am. 

Despite our early night (we headed home at midnight), I still had to be up at 4:30am. I try to make sure I get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep the night before a race. I have never run one after only four hours. Well, there's a first time for everything, right? 

Snapshot on my way back to Clarke's apartment

In my sleepy haze at 4:30am Saturday morning I forgot two important things: sunscreen and breakfast, two things I never leave the house without. Let's face it, at 4:30 in the morning the possibility of a sunburn isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Once I got on the shuttle, I realized I was kind of hungry. These races always have food for runners, though, so I wasn't too concerned. I would have plenty of time to grab a banana before the race started. But no. Not at this race. Once I got off the shuttle, I went over to a volunteer tent that had coffee, muffins, granola bars, etc. I was about to grab a granola bar when a snooty volunteer informed me that the snacks were only for other volunteers. I laughed and asked him if he was joking. I mean, let's think about this for a second: snacks are only for the people who are not about to run 13 miles? Seems counter-intuitive if you ask me. I became increasingly cranky. I was two hours early to the race, I had only four hours of sleep, my stomach was growling, and the sun was already starting to reflect off the lake and I just knew I was going to get a sunburn. If I had known I would be sitting around doing nothing for the two hours before the race, I would have taken a later shuttle and eaten breakfast in downtown. I took out my frustrations the only way I knew how at that point: I texted my parents and went on a Twitter rant. 

After I was satisfied with whining, I started thinking about the actual race. I promised myself back in January that this year was the year I stopped making excuses as to why I could not do something. Something always happens and there is always a reason why I should not be able to run my best race. In March we were late and started by ourselves. The hills in STL were brutally challenging. In Madison I faced "extreme temperatures" (haha) less than four weeks after having surgery. And despite these circumstances, I have managed to improve my time every single race. I had no reason to mentally psyche myself out before this race. Defeating myself before the race even started over a hungry tummy would be counterproductive. So I decided I would suck it up, run my hardest, and break two hours. 

The 2 seconds I stopped to take this pic could have
made all the difference

I knew I could do it in under 2 at mile 5. I felt even better about my chances at mile 8. I got goosebumps at mile 12 because I felt like I was either going to throw up or pass out. I told myself I could do both after I finished. When I finished the race, I knew I was either just over or just under two hours. I called my parents out of excitement. My mom got online to check my official time: 2:00.01. I missed my goal by two seconds. I was (and still am) torn between feelings of accomplishment and disappointment. 

I decided to spend some time at the post-race party. I satisfied my hunger pains with pizza, a banana, and beer: the breakfast of champions.

Delurcious.

I have managed to take 12 1/2 minutes off my half marathon time in 6 months. In the past 2 weeks, I knocked 4 minutes and 18 seconds off my time, my biggest improvement yet. I've also finished 6 half marathons. 

I ran my first marathon in 2007 and my second in 2008. I feel more accomplished after these 6 races than I did after either of those races. Every month I have improved and the consistent improvement continues to motivate me. 

So now that I have reached the half way point, I think its time for me to set some specific goals for the remainder of the year. I want to break two hours. I want to continue to improve my time every race. Most importantly, I want to take another 13 minutes off my race time. Let me elaborate on that last point: I want to run my half marathon in under 1:47.01 by December. I will have to work harder to achieve these goals but they are all realistic ones. 

My next race is in New Braunfels, TX on July 14. There's nothing like running 13 miles in Texas in July. Bring on the next challenge!

Cheers to six more!

Half Marathon # 5: Memorial Day in Madison

Well I have had quite an eventful 6 weeks since my last week. Where to begin?

Well for starters, I met my brother's ferret. She reminds me of a snake with hair and legs. Seeing her run around gave me the shivers. She also learned how to break out of her cage while I was staying at my brother's place. Little bitch...sorry, that was rude. I'll get back to Claire (the ferret) later.

Post-op. Couldn't move my middle finger yet. Woops.

I also had wrist surgery at the beginning of May. I had a cast, a sling, stitches, the works. I took five days off from running. They were 5 very long days. I asked my doc how long before I could start running again after my surgery. He advised me to wait until my cast was off but that I could go for walks and silly things like that in five days. I mentally filed his advice under options to consider (ignore) and did a short four mile run on the Monday after my surgery. I ran consistently over the past few weeks, but the longest distance I ran was only around 6 or 7 miles. And by "consistently" I mean I managed to squeeze in maybe 4 runs a week.

I also adopted a puppy. His name is Anders and he requires lots of attention. Who knew puppies were so much work? He's adorable though...most of the time.

Handsome baby Anders.

So with all that stuff going on, training wasn't my biggest priority this past month. My next race is June 9 in Chicago so I decided to use the Madison half as more of a training run.

My brother lives in Madison, WI and the half marathon and full marathon falling on Memorial Day weekend presented the perfect opportunity for me to pay him a visit. I flew up on Saturday morning. Upon arriving in Madison, I learned that the full marathon was already cancelled because of "extreme weather." Apparently it was supposed to be dangerously hot. After walking around Madison for a while, I also noticed how incredibly hilly it was. My legs were getting tired just from walking. The hills seemed even worse than the ones in St. Louis. Naturally, I was already making excuses for a less than stellar race time.

Posing with the badgers. Duh.

I stayed at my brother's apartment/fraternity house. If you've never spent the night in a fraternity house, I envy you. They are disgusting. Upon arriving, I had the unfortunate experience of becoming acquainted with Claire. She stinks. I had to share a room with her. A room that was not air conditioned. That technology hasn't reached Wisconsin yet (I kid! I kid!). Fortunately, I was allergic to the house so I didn't have to smell much of the resident rodent. But enough about that...

I awoke around 6am Sunday morning for my race. Brother gave me directions to the starting line/Capitol. The race start was only about a 10 minute walk from his place and the weather was absolutely beautiful. I think it was in the mid-sixties. As I was preparing for the race to start, I could not believe how nice of a morning it was and how good I was feeling. Despite feeling more unprepared for this race than most of my previous ones, I put in my new noise-cancelling headphones (thanks, Mom!) and was ready to cruise through the course at a comfortable pace.

Shot of the Capitol from the starting line.

I had more fun running this race than any of my other ones. The weather was great. I felt great. The course ran along the hills rather than up and down them, and had a minimal number of turns. The race went through many neighborhoods with leafy trees blocking out the early morning sun. The crowd support was the best yet. Everyone seemed to be out on their porch supporting the runners. I was even on pace to run this race even faster than I ran St. Louis. Halfway through the race I decided that I was going to try to break 2 hours. Then at mile 8 a girl gave me a banana, providing me with a  very appreciated extra boost of energy. Bananas FTW! The course had approximately 9 or 10 water stations that kept me well hydrated throughout the run. And did I mention my totally awesome playlist? I was in the zone!

Happy Memorial Day, y'all! 'Murcka!

I ended up finishing the race in 2:04.19. The last quarter mile was a steep uphill slope that totally kicked my arse. This time was my new fastest official time to date. This race was the most fun race I have run. Having my dad with me on previous races and my friends' support in STL was great, but this actual race was the most enjoyable. As in, the running part, not everything surrounding the run. I would love to run the Madison half again next year.

The rest of my trip was also fun. I went to lunch with brother's girlfriend and fraternity brother (my brother can't function unless he gets a total of 12 hours of sleep). We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the weather and drinking beers on the porch. Claire joined us for a bit. Her presence added some excitement as my brother tried to throw her on me. We finished off the night with some competitive shuffleboard. I can now add "Shuffleboard Player Extraordinaire" to my resume.

In a week and a half I will return to the Midwest to run my June race on June 9th in Chicago. This race is going to be the one where I officially break the 2 hour barrier. I hope. Wish me luck!

Five down and seven to go! Thanks for your support!

Half Marathon #4: Go! St. Louis

What up, peeps?

I know you've missed me. Don't worry, I'm still here. And I even finished another race this past weekend: the Go! St. Louis half marathon. I should warn you now, this post will be long, so feel free to stop reading after the race.

I was so excited to head to St. Louis for the weekend. I went to college at Mizzou and now many of my friends live and work in STL. This trip allowed me to run another race and visit a bunch of friends AT THE SAME TIME!

Now onto the race! One of the coolest things about this race was that five years ago to the day I ran my very first full marathon. My very first marathon also happened to be the Go! St. Louis marathon.

In my coral at the starting line, the sun is starting to come up behind the arch. 

After half marathon #3, I wanted to make sure I arrived bright and early. I arrived an hour early. Because I had run this race before, I also had an idea of what the course was like. I remembered lots of hills. Unfortunately, the memory of those hills softened after five years. Silly, naive, little Kristen, you thought running the bayou would be sufficient training. How wrong you were. And I told myself, "Kristen, don't fret, for every uphill, there is a downhill!" Here's the thing about hills: running uphill puts a strain on the hamstrings and calves, while running downhill puts a strain on quads and joints. I could not get a break. I almost preferred the uphill to the downhill because at least that relieved the pounding on my joints.

My goal for this race was originally an hour and 55 minutes. By the time I reached the first water station, I knew I wasn't going to make it. The STL course is tough. As soon as I passed the water station, all I could think about was how long it would be until I reached the next one. I even took two cups of water at every station. I was so thirsty. I was starting to regret those bottles of wine I split with Taylor and Charles on Saturday (yes, that is correct, I said "bottles").  I adjusted my goals pretty early in the race. I would have been happy to finish in under 2:20. Fortunately, I somehow managed to run my second fastest time. My chip time ended up reading 2:06:05. And those sadists in St. Louis actually made the last .3 miles of the race all uphill.

Post race, holding my finisher's medal from my 4th half marathon this year.

The race was challenging, but I never hit that wall where I felt like I couldn't do it. Every race I had run previously, I encountered one mile that was just physically and mentally tougher than the rest. They all were equally brutal for this race. Thankfully, John was at the finish line ready to greet me and I immediately forgot about how much I hated that race when I was overcome with joy. My first non-family supporter! I enjoyed my now traditional post-race beer while John and I watched the very first of the marathon finishers. I still can't believe marathon winners finish 26.2 miles only about 20-30 minutes after I finished 13.1.

John and I then went back to Sean and Charles' place where I proceeded to wake everyone up and be as obnoxious as possible. Naturally, I encouraged all of them to mix a few drinks and join me for Sunday Funday. Being the supportive friends they are, they obliged. Then they let me do "man things" with them like watch sports and blow things up (we didn't blow anything up). The boys (Sean, John, and Charles) then accompanied me to partake in my favorite post-race/Sunday ritual: eating oysters. Sean and I ended up eating three dozen between the two of us. Three. Dozen. Oysters. And I loved every single one of them. I probably could have eaten more but I decided after 18 it was time to start exercising some self restraint.

I had such a great weekend visiting my friends. It's great to know that even though time continues to pass, we still manage to stay close and keep in touch. Forgive me as I cheese it up a bit, but the rest of this post is for those friends.


When I was little and aspired to be a famous actress, I would practice my Academy Award acceptance speech. Now I am in my mid-twenties and no closer to giving that speech, so I am going to offer a cheesy and special thanks to a few select people on here (feel free to skip down if you're not interested in this part):

First, I want to thank my friends, Sean and Charles, for opening up their home and allowing me to stay with them for most of the weekend. If it weren't for the two of you, I would be staying at someone's parents' house. Sean also drove me to the airport Monday morning. Because he's awesome. I would also like to thank Taylor for letting my stay with her the night before the race. God knows those boys would have done everything in their power to get me good and drunk. She also woke up with me at 5:45am on a Sunday morning to drive me to the starting line. If you're in your mid-twenties, you know we don't typically wake up that early on Sunday mornings. In fact, sometimes we even finish Saturday night around that time. So that was pretty cool for Taylor to do. I was just going to wing it, maybe jog to the race as my warm up (I probably would have just called a cab). I want to thank Desi for taking me to a lovely dinner on Friday night. He always picks a place right up my alley (i.e. wine bar) and I feel like I never get to spend enough time with him whenever I visit.

Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, I want to thank John. First, John picked me up from the airport when I arrived Friday night. John was also the very first non-family member to actually show up for my race. Let me tell you why his presence was such a big deal: John has been promising me for months that he would be at the finish line with beer for me. He has been promising me for MONTHS (maybe a month and a half)! John also spent Saturday afternoon at the opening day Cardinals v. Cubs game. Additionally, John went to the STL Blues play-off game Saturday night. I don't know if you've ever met any Cards/Blues fans but I'll tell you a little bit about them: they drink like sailors. If they lose, they drink away their sorrows and if they win, they drink to celebrate, and they celebrate all night long. Now let me tell you about my friends: they drink twice as much as your average fan. The Cards and Blues both won. I seem to have that affect on STL sports teams. Every time I come around my awesomeness affects the whole city. But I digress. Considering the events of Saturday, I was convinced that there was no way John would be at the finish line waiting for me. Sunday morning, 9am, John was at the finish line. I was so incredibly happy. I don't think he realizes how much it meant to me. And he even brought me a beer.

Kraftig beer, courtesy of Johnny dearest. 

Half Marathon #3: The Armadillo Dash

Family, friends, countrymen:

Please, do not be alarmed by back to back posts. I warned you that this was coming (if you read my last post, you would know).

So I want to touch on a few things that I didn't mention in my previous post. The first and most import, I got new shoes! Better yet, I got two pairs of new shoes. And compression socks. So many things! I might love one pair of my shoes more than the other, though. My Newton Lady Isaac shoes may be the best things that have ever happened to me. My Nike Free Run shoes are the first pair of Nike's I've owned in over ten years. I am pleased with both, but the Newton shoes are lovely.

Wow. That was boring. Onto the race!

The Armadillo Dash takes place in College Station, TX. I managed to convince my dad that he had to run it with me, too. Yay, moral support! This year was the Armadillo Dash's 6th year in existence. Naturally, you would think they would have all the little kinks figured out by now. This race was hands down the most disorganized disappointment of an event in which I have ever had the misfortune of participating. Ok, maybe not ever, but you get my point. My dad and I stayed at my aunt and uncle's house in College Station the night before the race. We woke up and left with plenty of time to get to the starting line. My dad estimated that we would arrive about 30 minutes early. He estimated wrong. Traffic was so congested that we sat in it for over an hour. The race started at 7am. We didn't even get to the starting line until 7:35am. Yes, you read that correctly. We were 35 minutes late to the start of our race. Fortunately, I had my GPS and that nifty little electronic time chip most races have you attach to your shoe; therefore, I was able to at least keep track of my time and pace.

Half the fun in participating in these monthly half marathons is the opportunity to run a race. No one would care if I ran 13.1 miles on my own one Saturday morning. I wouldn't care. Races are so official. Somehow, they matter, even if only to the people running them. I ran cross country and track in high school. Something about being at the start line with all the other runners gets your adrenaline going. You all experience this sense of anticipation as you wait to hear the gun signal the race start. That energy is exciting. That energy makes these races fun. I missed out on that experience last weekend, and that was disappointing.

However, I would like to mention that I knocked ten minutes off my time in only two weeks. Yes, that is correct, I dashed the Armadillo Dash in 1:59:01. So I actually knocked almost eleven minutes off my previous time. Go me. No tightness, no painful final mile, no disappointing finish. I felt great. After the Rhythm & Blues race, I couldn't even think about the Armadillo Dash. After the Armadillo Dash, I felt fresh and energized. Ok, not really. I was pushing so hard through those last few miles that I skipped the water stations...which would have been fine, except those super smart race coordinators ran out of water at the finish line. I repeat, they RAN OUT OF WATER AT THE FINISH LINE. This race wasn't some silly 5K (no offense meant to 5K runners), this was 13.1 miles. People are going to be THIRSTY when they finish. I was wandering around like a mad person at the finish line. I was pushing people and bumping into them. I wasn't walking straight. All I could think about was my quest for water. I almost thought about running back to the last water station on the race course. (I didn't really consider doing that). I couldn't focus on anything else. My dad (who still managed to finish before me) and I immediately hopped in our car and drove to the nearest gas station. I then proceeded to enjoy the best tasting water ever to have touched my lips. What a delightfully refreshing experience that was.

This race was a unique experience. I doubt I will ever run the Armadillo Dash again, but I am pretty pleased with my time. For half marathon #4, I shall return to St. Louis. The race takes place April 15. I have six weeks to prepare. The St. Louis marathon was the first marathon I ever ran. I remember the course being pretty tough with plenty of gradual hills. I am mentally and physically preparing myself for those hills. I also get to visit all my old college friends who have made wonderful promises of beer coolers at the finish line. Needless to say, I'm excited for many reasons.

Get ready, St. Louis, y'all remember what happens when I come to town. 

Half Marathon #2: Rhythm & Blues

Salutations, friends!

My pops before the race.

This post is about three weeks late, but you know what they say: better late than never! Life has been so busy lately that I can't seem to find a spare moment to even update my blog. But never fear, my slacker tendencies haven't extended to my running. It's been quite the opposite, actually. Those of you who know me understand how much I hate waking up early. Consider a testament to my commitment that I have been waking up at 6am to squeeze my runs in pretty regularly. Now onto the reason you actually read my blog (maybe)...

The Rhythm & Blues half marathon took place on February 19 in downtown Houston. I have to admit, I was a little excited to be running in my home town. I had these fantasies that all of my friends were going to wake up, make signs, and cheer me on as I ran those 13 miles. But alas! I then remembered all of my friends are in their twenties and probably went to bed only a few hours before I woke up. Oh well, that's why we have parents. 

This race had its ups and downs. Literally. I never realized how many "hills" Allen Parkway had. (Houston joke!) Back on track: the best part about this race was that my dad ran it with me. Running is our thing and it was really nice to have him standing next to me at the starting line. I twisted my ankle (i.e. had a rough fall) running at Memorial Park the weekend before the race so my main goal was not to hurt myself any more. I started the race a little faster than I intended. I was feeling pretty good though so I decided just to roll with it. The race consisted of a 4ish mile loop along Allen Parkway. Three loops around allowed runners to become familiar with the course without making the course too monotonous. Once I hit the halfway point, I started to slow down. My ankle wasn't really giving me trouble but my knees were a little sore from the pavement pounding. The race became increasingly difficult. That last mile was brutal. My hips tightened up and all I could think about was how much I didn't want to be running. I felt like I was crawling past the finish line. The experience reminded me of a cross country race my freshman year of high school. Haley, Adrienne, and I were the very last three people to finish the Rice University race. The memory makes me laugh. After finishing that high school race at Rice, all I could think about was how I never wanted to run again. The feeling I experienced at the end of the Rhythm & Blues race was similar. I hurt so bad in so many places. Fortunately, beer was available at the finish line. My mother, who had been moving along the course cheering for me all morning, was waiting to congratulate me. Despite feeling absolutely miserable, I ran the race in 2:09:54, thus knocking a solid 2 1/2 minutes off my previous time. Success! 

Pops and me post-race with our finisher's medals

My father, a seasoned marathoner, clocks a 1:57 half marathon these days. I haven't told him yet, but halfway through the year he is going to be pushing himself to keep up with me. 

I even have pictures from this race! Don't get too excited though...I haven't uploaded them onto my computer yet. But once I load those puppies, you can feel like you were right there running beside me. Half marathon #3 has already come and gone, as well, so I will be posting my reflections on that race before the end of the weekend. And I really will, do not let my past failures lead you to doubt me. The story of number 3 is better told sooner than later!

Ciao bellas. 

My momma hangin' out with me as I sip my post-race beer.

Team Fox

It's official: I am now a registered athlete with Team Fox. Better yet, Project 13.1 is a registered event. Please visit my personal page if you're interested in donating money. My goal is to raise at least $5,000 for Parkinson's Disease research by the end of the year. It will be absolutely fantastic if I can surpass that goal.

Why Parkinson's Disease, you might ask?
This past year I have had the opportunity to become acquainted with one of the most interesting and generous men I've had the pleasure of meeting, Brian. At the end of last year, I learned that he is also a dedicated marathon runner who has run the 26.2 mile race on every continent in the world. He also happens to be battling Parkinson's Disease and is an active member of Team Fox.

I have always considered myself a runner. When I was 10 year old, I had to run the mile for my first time. It was some elementary school fitness test. I was the fastest girl in my grade. I remember my dad (who was already a marathon runner) being so excited for me. He encouraged me to join the track team the next year. I ran track all through junior high. I ran three years of varsity track in high school, and four years of varsity cross country. I ran my first marathon when I was 19; and my second when I was 21. And then the summer I turned 22, I had knee surgery. Since my surgery almost three and a half years ago (yikes!), it's been difficult for me to fully dedicate myself to running again. There always seems to be a reason not to jump back in, whether it's the lack of time or some new injury (gravity and I have had several altercations over the years). Brian inspired me to start running again. Now that I'm back, I am starting to remember why I love to run. It seems only appropriate that I run for a cause that is important to him.

My next race is this Sunday in Houston, TX. The start time is 7:30am at Sam Houston Park. The course is a loop that goes down Allen Parkway. Half marathoners will run the loop three times. I'd love it if anyone could come downtown and show me some support. I invite anyone interested to attend the post race party with me afterwards and then go out for brunch. If you can't come watch, that's ok: just be sure to make a donation to Team Fox :).

Thanks for your support. 

The Texas Half

Something about the Dallas skyline makes me giddy. Every time I drive up I-45, I get excited as the lights come into view. I have such fond memories of taking weekend road trips this past spring and summer with my good friends.

My trip to Dallas was short and sweet. Once I was settled, I met up with my friend, Nick, to catch up and have a beer. I was so pumped up for the race as I drove into town that it was nice to relax and have some company. Although it would have been nice to spend more time enjoying the city, I turned in at about 11:30 to rest up for the big event.

I arrived at White Rock Lake at 7am to pick up my bib number and racing chip. I tend to be a bit of a baby when it comes to temperatures below 65 degrees, but Saturday morning was COLD. Thankfully, I had a Mizzou sweatshirt in my trunk.

The race started at 8am. I decided to start slow and make sure my muscles had ample opportunity to get warm. Now I have a confession to make: I have not run 13 miles since 2008. My longest run in my "training" for this event was only 8 miles. 8-ish. Needless to say, I didn't want to over exert myself and end up with an injury. I didn't have a very specific goal for my race time. I was hoping to finish in about two hours and twenty-three minutes, averaging and 11-minute mile. Right after I crossed the 6-mile marker, my mother sent me a text message. When the message flashed on my phone, I saw the time for the first time since I started running: it was 9 o'clock. At this point I realized I was on pace for a two hour and ten minute race. And I felt amazing. I picked up the pace for a few miles. However, I hit a wall at mile 12. The final stretch of the race was also the steepest part. Finishing was tough but I managed to end with an official time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 25 seconds. I was super excited about the time. Although it is relatively slow, I think it serves as good benchmark. It's not embarrassing, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

When I finished the race, I was so parched and all I could think about was finding something to drink. Interestingly enough, the first beverage I encountered was beer. And that's the first thing I drank after my race. It was delurcious. I have no idea of what kind of beer it was, but I was able to chug sip my tasty drink while I searched for the elusive water bottles. (I found them.)

A few things made this race particularly difficult. Although the course was relatively flat, there was zero crowd support. It was also the first race that I ran completely by myself. I didn't begin the race with any other running buddies and didn't know anyone else participating in the event. These circumstances made the race more challenging, psychologically. Fortunately, I had a good playlist and zoned out to some good tunes. The best part of the night before and morning of the race was all the phone calls, text messages, and emails from my friends and family. I was so excited that so many people wished me good luck and offered their congratulations to me. It meant more to me than I can even begin to express. I would like to especially thank my friend, Jacqueline, for giving me a place to stay while I was in town. Her hospitality made it easy for me to get in and out of town without any trouble.

My next race is right around the corner. I'll be running the Rhythm and Blues Half Marathon in Houston on February 19, 2012. I'm currently looking into running for Team Fox to help raise money for Parkinson's Disease research. I'll post more on running for the cause this upcoming week when I have more information. I have also stepped up my training for the next race. I'd like to invite anyone who is interested to join me for a training run or even participate in the upcoming race with me.

Thanks for all the support and I'll be updating soon!

New Years Resolution

I usually don't believe in New Years Resolutions. Everyone dreams big at the beginning of the year. "This will be my year! This year things are going to be different!" I would rather think of this "resolution" as a goal. Rather than resolving to do something, I am going to achieve something instead. This year I am going to run a half marathon race every single month. Twelve half marathons in twelve months.

At this point, I don't have any goals for time. However, I'm sure that as the year progresses, I will inevitably expect better results. Most of my races this year will most likely take place in Texas with a few special out of town appearances. Hopefully, St. Louis, Madison, and Napa Valley, to name a few.

Ideally, I'd also like to run to raise money for an organization. More on that later, though.

My first race is tomorrow morning. I'm going to be running the Texas Half Marathon in Dallas, TX. My dad and I have already decided to run the Rhythm and Blues Half Marathon on February 19 in Houston, TX.

I will be posting updates on my training schedule and racing schedule for anyone who is interested in following my progress. If anyone ever wants to join me on a run, I always love the company.

Wish me luck tomorrow and look for my post-race recap some time next week.