Hot Chocolate 5k/15k DC

The Hot Chocolate 5k/15k is a race series that started in Chicago and is now in several cities. This was the first year it came to the DC area. It was extremely hyped up and seemed to appeal to beginner runners as there was a lot of swag touted and much chocolate to be had after the race. I decided not to register because I knew it was going to be a cluster and I really, really, hate crowded courses. Well, lo and behold, three days before the race, I got the itch to get out there with the other 20,000 runners. I bought a 15k bib off of Craigslist for $40 and my name was Alayna for all intents and purposes the day of the race.

The race was not actually held in DC proper. Rather, it was held at National Harbor which is a tourist trap on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. It has several hotels including the Gaylord, restaurants, and stores. It is easily accessible over the Woodrow Wilson bridge from Virginia. Being as how I live less than 1 mile from the bridge on the Virginia side, I decided to run with Bridget to the packet pickup on Friday. I had decided to bike to the race so I found a bike rack to use on the day of the race and figured I had the best plan of anyone.

The race expo itself was not an issue for me. I got there at 10:30am even though I knew it wasn't open until 11. I figured I could wait in line for a few minutes but the doors were open and I got in and out in ten minutes.
The weather for Saturday was posted on a dry erase board at the expo and it said the temperature at the start would be thirty six degrees. Brrrr!(It hasn't been that cold here all fall.)

The 5k (3.1 miles) was scheduled to start at 7:30 and the 15k (9.3 miles) was supposed to start at 8. With this in mind, I left home on my bike at 6:30. I saw the traffic backed up immediately. The exit for 495 to cross the bridge was PACKED. No cars were moving. It was brake lights as far as the eye could see. (Thank you, thank you, WW bridge for your pedestrian onramp from route 1!!) I passed all of the cars and rode the 3.75 miles to National Harbor in twenty minutes. It was a little before 7am and I saw the 5kers headed to the start which was a twenty minute walk from the harbor. I locked up my bike at the harbor and started to walk up to "the plateau" which is the top of a hill behind National Harbor from which you can see over the WW bridge and into Virginia. It was the staging area for both race starts/finishes, the gear check, and the after party. It was 7:30 and the 5k hadn't started yet. I heard that there was a car accident by the entrance to the race and that the race would be delayed indefinitely. I was still waiting to meet my friends so I was standing by the gear check, freezing, and checking my phone incessantly. At 8, I met up with my friends who I knew were running, I checked my stuff, and we walked to the 9 minute mile corral which was quickly filling up. (Keep in mind that it is freezing. I couldn't feel my toes by now.) The 5k hadn't started yet. I don't think it started until 8:30. The announcer was trying to keep everyone excited but we were just getting annoyed at standing in the cold for over an hour without our coats. (Note: I prefer not to look like a homeless person as I run with jackets tied around my waist after stripping them off once being warming up. I stick with a throw away shirt, a tank top, and arm warmers.) We no longer gave a crap about hot chocolate or fondue fountains. At 9:15, we heard the horn and assumed that the 15k had finally started. It was still 16 minutes later before we crossed the start line which was a quarter mile away. (Shuffle, shuffle, stop. Shuffle, shuffle, stop.) A wide corral gave way to a narrow start line and the bottleneck was impossibly congested. After a long wait, we were off! Uphill!! Yay. We ran out a quarter mile and turned around. Some (dumb) girl next to me insisted that the people running the opposite direction next to us were already on mile five. (In 20 minutes? Really?) We turned down a road, ran another two miles downhill and turned around to go uphill. We were like a herd of cattle. People were WALKING in the middle of the road. If you're going to walk, move to the right, or don't enter a 9 mile road race. I got some nasty looks from people as I weaved in and out of slower runners. It was rather impossible to have a pace so I just sprinted in and out of people until I could get into an open space. (Oh, did I mention that there was still traffic? Yes, for some reason, dump trucks were trying to get past us. Some guy in a BMW almost hit me and I was not outside the cones.) At mile 4, my time was 35 minutes. I skipped the first water stop. It was lacking volunteers, cups, water, etc. It wasn't worth the hassle. At mile 5, I grabbed a cup of Gatorade. BLECK YUCK WHAT THE HECK IS THAT? They were serving gatorade concentrate. No one had mixed it with water. It did nothing for my thirst. It was salty! I was ahead of my friends and I was focused on getting the thing over with by this point. The rest of mile five was downhill and on the other side of the road were people finishing. (I hated them.) The 10k was marked by a large, daunting hill that went on into mile 7. We ran around National Harbor, along the water, down a street. Finally, it was mile 8. (I passed the bike rack. I was relieved my bike hadn't disappeared.) Almost...done...It was shoulder to shoulder somewhat and still hard to get around people. This was the only place with crowd support. Around 8.5 miles, we started the uphill climb into mile 9. I was falling apart and didn't know how I could do another 3/10 of a mile. Suddenly, there was a sharp left hand turn and the finish line was about 25 yards away. It wasn't .3 miles in my mind...this is my 40th something race. I know what a mile is and I know what a third, a quarter, a half mile feels like. Ohhhh well!! I was done in 1:23:15. My friend was right behind me. We walked to our meeting place together and waited to get into the staging area behind hundreds of other people who had just finished. After we were all reunited, we went to get in line for the fondue and hot chocolate but, honestly, I was so sick to my stomach, I couldn't bring myself to eat or drink much of anything. We didn't stick around long and not many other people wanted to, either, because it was a mess trying to exit. We jumped a fence along with a bunch of other people to get out of the walkway down to the parking area.

We felt relieved to have gotten there on time, to have survived the long wait in the cold, and to be finished with it all. I was looking forward to the short bike ride home.

Overall, I wasn't majorly inconvenienced by the race. It was disappointing to have to wait for the race to start and therefore making us stiff and tight before the race. I am more sore today (Sunday) than I would normally be after a hilly nine mile run and I do believe it was from being improperly warmed up. The jacket that we got fits me well and, yes, it's cheap. So what? If you only wanted a jacket, spend the $65 on a jacket, not a race. I didn't have to swap sizes, fortunately, which I realize people did thus creating a shortage. There are hundreds of complaints on the Facebook page. I think some people have legit complaints but I think some people are just whiny. It was an INAUGURAL race. Meaning, it hasn't been done before and there are problems with any plan once it goes from paper to implementation. I can't speak to the parking or transportation issues. All I would suggest is encouraging people to park in Old Town Alexandria and riding a bike or walking to National Harbor. I only passed a dozen people walking over the bridge on the way home and I definitely did not see any bikers. People were complaining that it isn't in DC. If you looked at the website or saw the course (like I checked out beforehand) you would know that it's not a scenic tour of DC. If you want that, run a race in DC like National, Cherry Blossom, or Army Ten. I was home by 12pm so considering the timing of the race and the massive amounts of people, it wasn't too painful.

A Positive note--As we were walking back to the harbor, a lady overheard me talking about my bike ride there. She asked if I was a member of the Old Town Tri Club (I am.) She said she had seen my post on the message board about biking to the race and was amused that I had done so. We talked for a few minutes and now I have a new tri friend :)

Where did 2011 go?

Happy Holidays! Already?? I can't believe it. I'm running in the Hot Chocolate 15k tomorrow. I remember back in July seeing it advertised on Facebook. It seemed like ages away! What have I done since then? Well I ran the Montgomery County Parks half marathon on September 11th, the Army Ten Miler on October 9th, an 11k on Veterans Day (11/11/11), and the Alexandria Turkey Trot 5 miler on Thanksgiving day. So I think I covered all of the major holidays with a race. Phew!

My plan tomorrow is to bike over to National Harbor where the race is. There are 20,000 runners and a few thousand parking spaces so I am doing everything I can to avoid THAT insanity. Although riding a bike in the cold at 6am might be equally insane. I guess I am up for the challenge! This race has been hyped up so much around here and I can't wait to see the fondue fountain at the end!

Wish me luck on getting there in one piece! (I'm not even worried about the actual running part.)

Running Like the Wind

Since the hot weather has backed off, I can proudly say that I'm a runner again. I slacked a lot during the summer but we (the H and I) are registered for several races this fall and must get back into our routine.
For the past two weeks, I've met my friend to run at 5:30am twice a week. We usually do 3-4 miles but she's aiming to do a 7 mile leg of the Baltimore Marathon relay so we will be running longer (and faster) soon (we hope).
I'm still hosting the group run every Wednesday night for the DC Capital Striders (check it out here: http://www.meetup.com/dccapitalstriders-NOVA/events/31720582/)
I ran 10 miles on Saturday which is the longest and furthest I've run since I ran the North Face Endurance Challenge in June (I told you I was slacking.) The Husband also ran 10 miles today. We ARE, after all, running the Parks 1/2 Marathon on September 11th...6 days from now. And we are so hardcore about training. Hahahaa.
Wish us luck...

Back to Normal

I haven't been doing much blogging. Let me sum up the past few months: It's hot. I haven't been running or biking much. It's hot.

However, the husband and I are presumably running a half marathon on 9/11 (not in any anniversary sort of way...it's for the Montgomery County parks and we've run it the past couple of years.) Anyhow, we started running again recently in the vein of not needing medical attention at mile 5. So I can say, in all honesty, that I ran today. And Saturday. And last Wednesday. Woo hoo!

And now I will talk about what I feel like talking about even though it's not necessarily associated with athletics. Although, if I can say that I am still here to run, and talk, and blog, then I guess it is somewhat associated.

Yes, I survived The Great Virginia Earthquake of 2011.

It was a charming (aka cool) Tuesday in August. I ran at 5:30 am with my friend Kelly and we chatted about how marvelous it was to start the day on such a high note (read: not dreading it later.)

Bridget was up and on the go as soon as I walked in the door at 6:33. We played. Ate. Watched the news, ran errands. Blah, blah, blah,...

Fast forward to 1:40something pm. We were in my walk in closet hanging clothes when I heard rumbling above us. As we live in an apartment building (on the 11th floor!!!!!) with a relatively high turnover, I assumed it was people moving furniture and bumping every corner on the way out. But then that same rumbling sound was reverberating down the walls. This is weird, I thought. I turned to B, who was looking at me like "WHAT THE HECK, MOM?!?" And then the ceiling, walls, and floor were shaking. B started crying. The shaking was up and down, side to side. I walked out of the closet to look out of the window and I didn't see the other buildings moving. I figured it was just us. I was mad!! How could they do construction on our building without telling us!?!? This is unacceptable, I thought. I grabbed B, grabbed my purse and keys, and stumbled into the hallway to see my neighbor, Jessie, who has an office on the 14th floor but who lives across the hall from us with her husband and son, walk out of the stairwell. She was in tears. Seeing her so visibly upset made me upset. I started crying. "What the F is going on?" I said. She was crying too hard to answer. We walked into her apartment where her husband and two year old son, still in pajamas from his nap which he was awoken from, were about to leave. We all left the building and retreated to the parking lot where there were maybe six people. "What now?!?" we were thinking and saying. Calls were not going through. I had access to Facebook and it confirmed that we had, indeed, experienced an earthquake. I couldn't reach the husband for an hour at which point he said he was waiting to get out of his parking garage.

Well, there was no way we were going back in anytime soon. Uh-uh! Several people came and went from the parking lot. We decided to walk into Old Town and hunker down in a restaurant. It was one story and we were too jilted to walk back into sixteen stories of potential rubble in the event of another earthquake.

So there we sat, eating and having a couple of beers until we figured we had to go home at some point. I saw recently that there was a 4.2 magnitude earthquake at 4:36pm. We didn't feel it. (Maybe it was the beer or chasing around toddlers that distracted us).

Anyhow, I am glad to report the DC area is relatively unharmed aside from the ceiling cracking at Union Station and some falling bricks from a parking garage in Reston, VA (both reported from NBC Washington.)

I still can't believe the east coast had an earthquake and I was in a high rise to experience it. I suppose tomorrow everyone will be back to work and life will go on...and in that vein, join my running group tomorrow night...Belle Haven Marina, 6:30 pm :)

New Bike!

Friday was my birthday and my husband brought this home for me on Thursday night. It's a 2011 Scott Contessa Speedster 35 and we bought it new-in-the-box off of Craigslist for less than what it is going for in the stores. It is mostly assembled but our cyclist friend is going to finish setting it up later this week. I ordered my first pair of padded cycling shorts and they are here so I can't wait to go for a ride!
This weekend was soooo busy and I haven't run in a week and am feeling very out of sorts. My exercise today was scrubbing the laminate floors. I guess whoever lived here before waxed them which just makes them sticky and it has taken this long to annoy me to the point of actually fixing it. (But seriously, who waxes a fake wood floor??)

Fall Races

I would feel too guilty if I spent the summer lounging by the pool so I'm figuring out what the next challenge will be. My husband and I are registered for the Army Ten Miler on October 9th but I need something else, something that will get me out of bed in the morning thinking "I have to train!" How about an Olympic distance triathlon? I've had my eye on the Half Full Triathlon in Ellicott City, MD that takes place on October 2nd. It's a .9 mile swim, 32 mile bike, and 6.7 mile run. I think it's completely attainable! I plan on discussing it with the husband tonight and I will definitely let you know when I (we) register. (I told him it was a marathon or this and we're leaning towards a triathlon.)
In other news, my birthday is in two weeks and I'm getting a bike!!! Yaaaaaaaaaaay. I know which one I want but we'll see which one I actually get. The husband has been very generous in lending me the use of his but it's high time I ride on my own two wheels...and in my own shoes...and helmet and maybe some new clothes...(Too much?)

Let's Run, Alexandria!

If you are in the Alexandria, VA area, you should join me on Wednesday evenings for a group run! In conjunction with the DC Capital Striders, I will be hosting this run every week at 6:30pm at the Belle Haven marina parking lot (by the Mt. Vernon trail). As a group, we can decide how far to run and in which direction but will try to keep it to an hour.
And here is the link: http://www.meetup.com/dccapitalstriders-NOVA/members/12284156/
Off to recruit runners...

The North Face Endurance Challenge (Half Marathon)

What. A. Weekend. It's almost noon on Monday and I'm still getting my bearings. Friday night was low key since I volunteered to be a course monitor at the Wine Country Half Marathon in Round Hill, VA (read: practically West Virginia.) I had to be there at 6:30am on Saturday morning and since I can't be late (I think I'm allergic to being late), or even on time for that matter, I was there by 6am (I left the house at 4:45.) The race didn't start until 7am and the runners wouldn't be showing up at mile 6 (where I was) for some time so it was a longgggg morning of waiting, watching, and then waiting some more (come on walkers!) I got home around noon and then it was time to head to a pool party.

Saturday evening, I had to get ready for my first trail race: The North Face Endurance Challenge. I was lucky enough to receive an entry from the DC Capital Striders earlier in the week for this sold out event (thank you!!!) I was all set to show that trail who is boss until...
...the race: Now I know that if an event offers a 50 miler, a 50k, and a marathon, they are NOT going to go easy on you. This race was HARD. I think I've already blacked some of it out of my memory due to the pain but let's see what I can relive:

Mile 1: paved road, five foot wide rocky path. Doable. It's crowded and shoulder to shoulder about 4 people wide.

Mile 2: First water stop was at 1.3 miles. The path is still pretty wide.

Mile 3: The "path" narrows. I say "path" because it looks like the weeds were stomped down just for these races. It's single file. About 8.5 minute pace. If this is too fast for you, sorry. Just have to keep up with the group. More single file with brief openings to pass people whose heels you have been clipping. Watch out for golf balls hitting you. (Yes, people were driving balls at us as we were, at this point, running past the green. No one was hit that I'm aware of.)

Mile 4: HOLY CRAP. You want us to run up THAT? More single file up the side of a cliff like hill. It's muddy. We are zig zagging our way up and down. People are trying to keep their balance and not trip on tree roots. Jump over huge logs.

Mile 5: Water stop! People are passing us on their way back. It's an out and back course so we run in the brush and weeds to stay out of their way. A girl behind me bites it down a ditch and is covered in mud. She refuses my help. Jump over some more logs.

Mile 6: Why did I wear my new shoes? WHY? There is no leaping over this six foot wide stream. The water is a foot deep. The next half mile is a slippery mudslide and some unlucky people end up covered in mud.

Mile 7: Turnaround!! Do it all over again.

It took me 2:30 which is my worst half marathon time but this was the most grueling half marathon I have ever done, as well. (2:30 is actually the women's average time for this race.)

I was too sick and tired to even be relieved that it was over. We spent about two hours at the post-race festival eating, drinking, and getting my The North Face shirt screenprinted with the event logo (I didn't work that hard to not get the premium!) before we rode the shuttle back to the car for the hour drive home. I spent most of yesterday sick and exhausted.

Of course I would do it again but I need to get some more practice before then. The woods are no joke!!

RedStar Worldwear Sunglasses

Remember that marathon I ran in March? While I was rifling through my race packet, I noticed a small card that said "$500 value" and I thought "Huh? How did I end up with a $500 gift card? For...something?" I looked closer and it said "redeem at redstarworldwear.com". I googled Redstar Worldwear and it appeared to be an attempt to sell you sunglasses. The website shows different styles of sunglasses retailed between $80 and $200. The caveat is that for every pair of sunglasses you buy, you pay a $10 fee. (The company claims to be marketing styles to see what is popular therefore offering reduced prices but I'm not clear on the whole story.)
Two months later, I find the gift card and show it to my husband. We decided to go for it and see if the sunglasses are actually any good. So we spent $100 (including shipping and handling which was $11) on nine pairs of sunglasses and we got to pick out a watch for spending at least $450 of the $500 gift card.
I know a lot of runners have seen this card and figured it was a gimmick. Well, it's not a gimmick but the sunglasses are definitely not worth the "retail" price. They are still stylish and functional but I wouldn't pay the full price. I have owned expensive sunglasses and these are pretty flimsy and don't seem as durable.
Hope this is helpful to some people who know what I'm talking about!
FYI, I took a picture of the glasses we received but two pairs (aviators) are currently on backorder so these are the ones we got today.

My New (Expensive) Hobby

As a runner, I appreciate the simplicity of tying your shoes and going. Triathlons, to me, have always been events where people show off their high tech gear whether or not they possess any athletic ability whatsoever. So what is a runner to do when running is taking its toll but you still want to compete? You jump in any pool you can get in, ride any bike you can find, and sign up for your first triathlon (judgments aside.)
A month ago, I was debating signing up for another half marathon or doing something completely different. I looked at a few tris in the area that took pace this month and chose the Bristow Area Tri and Swim "Salute to the Military Triathlon" which took place in Warrenton, VA this morning. It was a 300 meter swim, 12 mile bike ride, and a 5k run. I had a few friends sign up as well so I wouldn't be completely lost and bewildered.
We got there at 6am this morning. I took my bike and gear to the transition area and set everything up. I was going to wear my bathing suit for the swim and throw on some bike shorts for the other two events. I put some Lock Laces in my new running shoes last night so I wouldn't have to deal with tying them (as it was, it took me 2:39 to transition from swimming to biking which I am sure is a lot of time.)
There were 175 registered for the sprint triathlon and I was number 155 to get into the pool. I don't know WHAT time I said I could swim it in when I registered but I basically passed ten people in front of me so I could have easily been closer to the front. It took me 8 minutes to swim. I jumped out of the pool and ran to the transition area, put on my shorts, socks, shoes, helmet, and walked my bike to the mounting line and left for the 12 mile ride. The roads were rural with rolling hills but there was a lot of "out and back" requiring us to make sharp u-turns in the middle of the road which I'm sure added time.
I made it back to the transition area and walked my bike to the rack remembering not to take off my helmet until I was dismounted (yay...no DQ for me! I was very nervous about all of the rules and made sure I followed all of them.) It only took me 55 seconds to transition into running. I didn't wait for my friends who were behind me. I just wanted to get it over with! I felt like I was crawling during the 5k but I still managed to pull it in at 27:01.
I finished 3rd out of 8 in my age group and won an award (or would have had we stuck around to receive it.) My time was 1:29:19. I was 101/152 overall (guess not all 175 made it to the race) and was 70/152 for the run (not bad since I'm a runner and not a biker or swimmer.)
Now I want to do another one. I figured I would learn some lessons today but I didn't mess up too badly. I guess the best lesson I learned is that you don't need fancy equipment to compete in a triathlon!
(Photos compliments of my husband who cheered me on and kept the baby in tow!)

Swim/Bike/Run (Without the Swim)

Sunday, I took a 20 mile bike ride. It was the first time I've been on a bike since we went camping Memorial day weekend 2009. It wasn't bad! I went on a hilly portion of the Mt. Vernon trail that goes along the Potomac river all the way to Mt.Vernon. It was a nice day so the trail was packed with families, bikers (some fast and some painfully slow), walkers, runners, dogs. I nearly clipped someone off of their bike while passing them. Oops! How do you go fast with so many people around?
After I got home from the bike ride, I went out for a run. I didn't know how far I would make it as my legs felt like jell-o and running after biking makes you feel sooooooo slow. I managed to go four miles.
I need to go for a swim sometime soon. I took a masters class last summer and I felt pretty confident at the end but it's been 8 months since then. The triathlon is next weekend and my friends and I are excited for it. I just want to finish it and see if it's something I want to keep doing. But maybe I'll hate it and we'll be able to save a bunch of money :)

New Shoes and...Triathlon?

Helloooo!! The weather has been awesome and the family and I have been doing some running. Yesterday, we ran to the local running store and I got new shoes which I have desperately needed! I got Brooks Ravenna 2 (pictured above) which I would not have bought or worn to train for a marathon in since they don't have much medial posting but they are cushy and lightweight and perfect for the shorter runs I've been doing (fewer than 10 miles). I have been wearing my old Ravennas that I got for free and after trying some other shoes on (including my beloved Nike Structure Triax), I decided to get the updated version of them. The new Nike's just seemed like too much shoe--heavy and bulky. I also tried on the Nike Lunarglide 2 for s&gs and they were so flat and hit my feet in the wrong places. I am definitely not a minimalist runner. I like to feel my shoes and their support.
In other news, I registered for my first (sprint) triathlon! It's May 29th (Memorial day weekend) and about 40 minutes from where we live. It's a 300m swim, 12 mile bike, and 5k run. The swim is in an outdoor pool so it's perfect for a newbie like me. I am nervous about the transitioning. I am already figuring out what to wear. My husband has a wetsuit that I can wear and a bike I can ride (I don't even have my own bike. Shame.) But I'm so excited!!! I need to get in the pool and fit some bike rides in in the next four weeks. Woo hoo!!!! There is a triathlon in Annapolis on the 14th but it's $140 to register and I was hoping that would be my first one but the one I entered is $65 and seems better for someone who is new to the sport since the swim is in a pool (and not off of city dock.) The bike is what I am most worried about. I took a Masters swim class three days a week last summer so it's the bike I am probably most rusty at. So that's the news!! I had a month off after the marathon and now I have the itch to train for something new. Wish me luuuuuuck!

Hi there! It's been a few days since I've written. I just haven't been doing too much recently to warrant writing about. I haven't been running regularly. I guess I'm just waiting until my body doesn't hurt at all after running a few miles and I know resting will help with that. I've been doing my stroller workouts and still get soreness after doing 50 lunges and squats. My left arm is twitching from seeing how many push ups I could do in a minute the other day (it was 40ish.) But other than that I've been laying low. I would like to run a race next weekend for Mother's Day but I can't decide which one. There are a lot of 5ks in the area but I would rather run a longer (slower) race. Maybe if I do a 5k, I can find one that allows strollers. How apropos that would be.

Hurray!

What an emotional week! I got a call on Wednesday from a nurse that I DID have a stress fracture. Then I went to have a followup with the doctor on Friday and he said after looking at my bone scan results that I did NOT have a fracture and that if I feel pain free, I can run. Well, I have been feeling good since taking it easy. Apparently, all I had is some irritation which showed up on the scan but isn't as serious as a fracture.
So, instead of my husband running the ten miler for me this morning, I ran it! I went alone as it is pouring rain today and wouldn't be much fun for spectators. The last ten miler I ran was the Annapolis 10 in August. My time was 1:40:00 (10 minute pace) and I was twenty five pounds heavier and not running much. I was anxious to see how much my time would improve after running all winter. My PR is 1:25:32 and while I didn't expect to break that time, I was hoping to at least be back in the 1:20s.
The race was small. I think there were 700 runners in the 10 and a couple thousand running the 5k (it was a running festival with several distances). No one wanted to start at the front. I guess there weren't any elite runners in the pack so I basically started with the clock. I ran the first mile in 8:10. I ran the next four miles at roughly the same pace. The clock at mile 5 said 43 minutes (and change). Wow! Mile 6 took me 52 minutes. Mile 7 was 1:01. Alright! "I can do this" I thought. But mile 8 was pretty much all uphill and I lost a lot of time. I went from running for time to running to finish (insert sad face emoticon). At mile 9, it was 1:21.
Icandoiticandoiticandoit...I pushed it and I crossed the finish line at 1:30:33. Oh well. I tried!! During mile 10, there was a guy walking and I said "come on! you can do it" which is what people say when you walk in the last mile of a race. He thanked me at the end and told me it really helped. That's what's fun about races--urging other people on and knowing that you're all in it together. Even when it's sucky and you can't see the top of the hill, it is worth it in the end.

Waiting...

Hello! So I don't have the scan results yet. Big booooo to that. My foot feels great, however, so I tested it a little tonight. I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes (I didn't want to get too crazy). So far, so good. I am registered for a ten miler on Saturday and I really, really want to run it so I REALLY hope the results are good. My husband keeps teasing me about him running it instead but I hope it doesn't come to that. Plus, the premium is a really cute half zip jacket that I would love to wear haha.
We'll know tomorrow...

Hi, all!! I thought I would update you on the status of my injured foot. Well it no longer hurts which is good but I haven't run in 8 days and I'm afraid if I start again, it may hurt. That's why I went and had a bone scan today. The doctor (and I) wanted to rule out a stress fracture. So I had an 8am appointment at the radiology center today. I got there and was taken back right away. I laid on the imaging table and was injected with radioactive pigment which was dispersed throughout my bones in a matter of minutes. The pigment pools in areas of fracture. The pictures took about ten minutes to take. I could see the images of my bones on the screen and there were defnintely "hot spots" where there was more pigment. Anyhow, I was free to go after the pictures were taken but I had to return at noon to take more thorough images. Fortunately, my brother's girlfriend is off on Mondays and was able to babysit for me. I don't know the results yet but I am anxious to call my doctor tomorrow and see if he has them yet. Please don't let it be a fracture!! If it's not, I am ok to run and may just need some physical therapy. If it's a fracture, I may need to wear a walking boot and I won't be able to run for several months. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Good afternoon! Well, my foot is still hurting. I made an appointment to see a sports doctor on Friday morning. I know I'm going to be told not to run for weeks, maybe months. *Sigh* I guess my husband may be running that ten miler for me next weekend after all...
In the meantime, I am trying not to gain back all of the weight I lost while training for the marathon. I decided to lift more weights and eat low carb (but still under my caloric limit). My brother is starting the paleo diet today and I've been reading about it and I am curious. I told him I would try. I'm more of an "everything in moderation" person so cutting out entire food groups isn't real appealing to me. But I wonder how my body will react to it. So far today, I've eaten two scrambled eggs for breakfast, some barbacoa for lunch (like the pulled beef from Chipotle but this is homemade and yummmm), and some fruit. I need to buy some veggies from the store. From what I've seen, you should eat half meat and half vegetables with a little bit of fruit and nuts thrown in. We'll see...

Peroneal Tendonitis...?

*Phew* what a weekend. The party and my husband's race (and recovery) made the weekend fly by. Now I am dealing with debilitating pain in my right foot. Well let's back up a bit. The marathon was last Saturday. I took the week off from running so by Saturday morning (three days ago), I was itching to run again. I ran five miles before setting up for the party. Afterward, I wore some new sandals and felt fine all day. Sunday, I was walking fine until I had to go eight blocks to find a coffee shop in downtown DC and I started getting a sharp pain on the outside/bottom of my right foot. (I know it's not plantar fasciitis. I've met tons of people who suffer from plantar fasciitis and my symptoms are not similar.) This is nowhere near my heel. It is on the outside wrapping around to the bottom (opposite side of my arch). At first I blamed my new sandals but I'm thinking it's more likely residual wear and tear from the marathon. I did some internet diagnosing and it seems possible that I am suffering from "acute tendonitis of the peroneal tendon." Yuck. It looks like some rest from running is in my future and also maybe a doctor's visit even though I hate going to the doctor because it always seems like a waste of time (rest, ice, reduce inflammation, etc.) I get it. I'm thinking more and more that the weight room is my friend. In the mean time, I am wearing my oh-so-supportive running shoes and insoles and seeing if it will alleviate the pain in the next few days. If not, then it's off to the doc.

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

Hiiii, cherry blossoms! It was a gorgeous morning in DC today. I didn't run but my husband did. The Baby and I saw him off to his starting corral and then headed off down 14th St. to find a Starbucks because it was FREEZING. We got to Starbucks and to my dismay, there were two large, marble steps and two heavy doors to open once you got up the two, large marble steps. What the heck? I have a BOB Revolution stroller which means SUV/off road aka LARGE. Thankfully, a friendly guy held the doors for me (I wasn't so lucky on the way out.) Anyhow, aside from being annoyed at Starbucks, the morning was good and we were able to see my husband finish his first race since October. Which inspired me to sign up for a ten miler in two weeks. Whaaaat?! I can't help that watching other people race makes me want to race. How do you think I got into the marathon business after all? (Who knew watching my friends run the Marine Corps Marathon would change four months of my life). So anyhow, it's a new race put on by the same people who manage the Baltimore 10 Miler (which I will run this year for the 4th consecutive year--whaaaat). They always have the best premiums. This race will take place in Charles county, MD (basically La Plata, MD.) I can't wait! I ran two ten milers last summer as a slow, out of shape-newly-unpregnant mother and am anxious to see how my marathon training translates into a ten miler (85 minutes?!? Please? That's my single-lady-in-shape PR.) We'll see!
Congrats to my husband on his ten miler finish xoxo. Hope you got to relax today...a little. Hey, where's my dinner...

Now What?

After the high of the weekend, I am sitting here wondering "what next?" I accomplished one fitness goal; now on to another, I suppose. But what? I want to continue running so I think I should focus on getting faster for shorter distances like the 10k. I've always had trouble with 10ks. I can run them just fine but nowhere near as fast as I would like. My personal best is 53:10 and that was in a half marathon--not in an actual 10k (I don't get it!) I usually finish around 55 minutes so it would be nice to PR in the 10k this spring. In order to do that, I have to do lots of track workouts. I haven't done track workouts since high school so it will be fun to do them again (I think.)
Anyhow, that's the plan. The week following a marathon is kind of depressing and it's important to look forward to new goals.
I've tried to not be too lazy in the past few days. Today, we did a stroller workout with the moms group in a local park. I was going to run a few miles after but the baby was grumpy and I hadn't eaten lunch so we came home and didn't make it back outside. Also, when is this weather going to change?!? So tired of the 40s and 50s and tomorrow it is supposed to SNOW. WTH? I just want to put away the parka and forget about it.