2012 Goal

My main goal for 2012 was to Run 12 races in '12. Which I've done, and I don't think I'm going to stress myself out about running a race in December, which would also give me at least 1 race for every month. I've got enough to stress about in every other aspect of my life.

So  goals for 2012 have been reached and while I'm not giving up on running for the year, I'm not going to stress about the races.

I'm excited for my 2013 goals and will be posting about them soon!

Race #13 Dan Jones Black Friday 6K

Well since I worked on Thanksgiving and couldn't do a turkey trot and because I had overslept on the day of my 10K earlier this month, I decided to do a Black Friday 5K. I thought to myself what a cute idea!

I managed not to oversleep this race, mostly because I didn't get off work until 4:30 and only slept for an hour or so before I got up to get ready. It was about 45 degrees when I left my house and I decided it would be a brilliant idea to wear shorts. I never, ever, ever, ever run races in shorts! I don't know what made me decide that it was a bright idea this day of all days. In my defense I was actually pretty warm when I left the house. My dumb ass forgot that the run was around a lake and it was windy and cold and I sat in my car until the race started at 9. The cold air was hell on my asthma as well. It was also a 6K, not a 5K.

The race was small and on a course I was very familiar with. I think that if I had worn something warmer and perhaps something to cover my mouth and nose to warm and humidify my breath, I could have done much better than a 13:04 pace.

After I was finished I went straight to my car, I was so cold and so tired and miserable I didn't want anything to do with the finish line festivities, I just wanted the fabulous heater my car had to offer. From what I was told for the size of the event the finish line fare was outstanding. I know before I ran I noticed lots of water, fruit, baked goods, coffee and hot chocolate.

Unofficial time 48:45. I still haven't managed to find any listing with an official time or any kind of ranking. So I'm going with the garmin.

What Weight Watchers Has Taught Me

In less than a week weight watchers has put a very large spotlight on something I've been in a little bit of denial about, I EAT ALOT! I don't eat very healthy either.

For example, I get 29 daily points and 49 weekly points for splurging, plus an activity points I earn for my workouts. Here's how many points I have consumed so far…

Sunday 53
Monday 38
Tuesday 65
Wednesday 39

I've earned 24 activity points which still leaves me 6 points in the red for the week. This wouldn't be a problem as my usual workout burns 7 points per day. However I am done with my workouts for the week as I'm working Thursday, Friday, Saturday. I'll have to fit one more workout in after a 12 hour shift sometime in the next 2 days so I don't go way over, that's provided I stay at or under my 29 daily points for the next 3 days.

This is going to require better planning and much more discipline.

Weight Watchers

Well I've finally had enough, I was down to 179 at the beginning November, then back up to 184 and I had just kept doing over and over again, lose a couple pounds, gain it right back. I was just so fed up. I have no self control and I work in a place where everyone brings snacks. We work 12 hour shifts and are usually so busy that lunch means taking 5 minutes to eat a sandwich in the clean room. For me this usually meant ordering pizza or a burger and fries and just grabbing a bite whenever I could.

Enter weight watchers, I've tried calorie counting but I could never remember to write everything down and then I would eat over my calorie limit for the day and be upset and want to give up and I did. Time after time I just gave up and in my failure I would binge, it doesn't seem to be any one thing in particular, some times its sandwich after sandwich or lately anything sweet. Craving sweets really isn't like me, I usually am not a sweets person at all but the craving has been there and I've eaten everything sweet in my house.

I'm not saying that I have been perfect on the weight watchers plan but I'm sticking with it at least for now. I weighed in last week at 184 and today's weigh in was 180.6 so I've made some progressive. Maybe the more weight loss I see the more I'll stick with it.

I still have the possibility of safely making it down to 169 by the end of the year but it will a lot of hard work.

Another DNS

Yesterday provided me with yet another DNS for the record books. I've registered for 17 races and have run 12 with 2 in the future. I had to switch my races, I'm running a 5k in November and a 10K in December. I have decided to give up my work Christmas party in order to run the 10k in December since I will have to travel to get to it but there will be bling!

I'm discovering that trying to run a race after I work the night before doesn't work well for me. I've tried for 3 and only run 1 which was a night that I worked 6pm - 6am instead of my usual 2pm - 2am. In my defense one of the 2 I was so sick that running just wasn't a good idea anyway. The run yesterday was simply that I slept through my alarm after a particularly busy night at work. I scheduled 1 more race after a night at work. I'm going to run a 5k the Friday after Thanksgiving. Holidays tend not to be that busy in the ER so I'm hoping for an easy night and maybe that the census will be so low they can send me home early.

I'm determined to finish this goal for 2012. Some people would say I've already run my 12, which was my primary goal but at the same time, being the person that I am, I had set sub goals, the race every month and the 3/4/5 goal.

Marathon training

Marathon training officially began today! Did 3 miles on the treadmill at the gym. I really hoped to keep most of my training off of the treadmill but it was a raining day and the boyfriend wanted to workout also and since he primarily lifts weights he needs to go to the gym.

I'm happy to say that my hip and my ankles are feeling much better after the race. So I don't have any concerns regarding starting training for the marathon.

On an unrelated note, I've been thinking about what my 2013 running goals should be. Obviously I have the goal of finishing a marathon and that's huge but it's just one race and its early in the year. Any suggestions?

Race #12 : 2012 Rock N Roll Half-Marathon

I didn't have the highest hopes for this race, I haven't been training and I hadn't been feeling well either. Between calf soreness, migraines and cramps I hadn't been feeling the running lately. I didn't want to DNS this race though and was perfectly fine with walking the whole damn thing if necessary. I decided to try a run 3 min/ walk 3 min strategy to get me through the race at a semi respectable time and prevent me from dying or hurting to bad, so I thought.

Honestly, I managed miles 1-7 amazingly! I felt great, the race was zipping right along without any problems really and it reflects in my pace. The course was pretty hilly in those first 7 miles which I think is what lead to my downfall.

Mile 8 slowed me down and I lost the little bit of buffer I had on my time in this mile, my feet really started to hurt and all I could think about was how bad my feet hurt and how I didn't think they'd ever felt like that and I ran races, worked as a nurse, a waitress and a secretary. The pain was there and I kept trying to tell myself it was only 5 more miles and I ran 5 miles all the time but I just couldn't deal with the pain.

Usually the longer a run the more it becomes a mental game for me, I'm usually not hurting, just breathing hard and fighting my brain to keep moving. Not the case today, my brain was all, "Woo let's do this thing! I know you hurt but if you move just a little faster, the finish is that much closer, just run to that stoplight, sign, etc, etc." My legs and back kept saying no, but every now and then my brain would talk my legs into it.

I finished the race in a decent amount of pain and of course I reminded myself to add core and flexibility to the regime, like I tell myself after every race.

A few of the Emergency Medicine Folks

Before the race!

Finished!

My pace tattoo with a 2:45 finish

My Garmin Splits

Finished!

Race #12 is finished!!!!

As I expected, I did not PR, my finish time was 2:56:51. I'll post a recap later, after my hip flexor and ankle stop hurting so much!

Another update : September Goals

An update on my September goals and a look forward to my October/November goals.

September Goals

• Miles run : planned 70 / actual 31
• I really slacked on this one. I didn't even meet the half way mark!

• Races run : planned 1 / actual 1
• Ran the USAF 10k and set a new PR!

• Pounds to lose : planned 4 / actual 4
• Woohoo! I lost 4 pounds putting me back into the 170s!

October/November Goals

• Miles run : 84
• Combining 2 months, a half marathon, a 10k and starting training for my marathon should hopefully net me my desired miles. 

• Races run : 2
• I'm scheduled for the Rock N Roll half-marathon and a 10k in November 
• Pounds to lose : 10
• It's a lofty goal, with 7 weeks to lose but I'm going to take a swing at being at 165 by the end of the year. These 10 pounds would bring me to 169 pounds, my lowest weight in about 6 years. 

A shortened run is better than no run?

So I went out for a run yesterday for the first time since really the USAF 10k. I was hell bent on 10 miles, I found a 5 mile loop that I could do in one of the parks and everything. The run started off great but it didn't take long for the shin splints and the calf pain to kick in and make me cry uncle, which happened before mile 3 but I had to make it back to my car.

I posted that I wanted to run a PR in my half marathon on the 21st but I just don't think it's going to happen. I'll need to run 12:30 splits and I just don't know if I have it in me.

I'm going to go out for another run this afternoon, once I'm done volunteering for the race.

Well it's 7:35 and the race should have started 5 minutes ago. I'm between mile 1 and 2 so I should start seeing runners soon!

Busy Race Schedule

So the first of the updates, my busy personal and work schedules have also been complicated by a crowded race schedule.

Last weekend was supposed to be the Notre Dame Fall Festival 4 mile run. My work schedule changed and I ended up with another DNS on my record but again, my money went to a great cause.

This weekend I'm accomplishing a first, I'm volunteering for a local race. I'll be a course monitor, ensuring that no one gets run over or turned the wrong direction and of course, no bandits!

October 21st is race #12, the St. Louis Rock N Roll half-marathon. I'm hoping for another personal record. I've never not set a new record in my half category. Each race has shown an improvement in my time and I'd like to continue that trend right on down to a sub 1:30 half marathon!

November 3 is my last 10k of 2012, after that I'm done with the 3 halfs, 4 10ks and 5 5ks part of my 12 in 12 goal. I haven't found a December race yet for the one race a month in 2012 part of my goal.

Been away

18 days without a blog post, I'm a bad blogger! Things have been busy and changing rapidly in many aspects. My plan is to update with longer posts but I wanted at least give something for now without a mile long post.

• I haven't been doing much running, I'm really slacking on my half marathon training. 
• I've been working days, instead of my usual 2pm shift. 
• I interviewed for a new position at my job. 
• I went a got myself a new man. 
• More renovations have begun at my house. 
• Crazy race schedule that isn't necessarily working. 
• September goal follow up/October goals

More information to follow on each topic!

My First DNS

I have been feeling under the weather since I got back from Ohio. It started as miserable sinus infection that I managed to survive without getting a fever or calling into work but it finally went to my chest and produced a wonderful case of bronchitis. Work was fun what with the nurse coughing on her patients while she tried to start an IV or triage them. Anyway, the point behind all of this was to bring you up to Friday.

Friday afternoon I went into work and planned on coming home at 3 AM and grabbing a few hours of sleep before running a 5K. All went as planned until I woke up at about 6 AM coughing so hard that my chest and throat hurt to the point that I was in tears.

I took a large dose of nyquil to coat my throat and stop the coughing and ended up waking at 8:01 when my contractor was knocking on my door. The Alzheimer's 5K I was supposed to run was to start at 8 AM so I have officially gotten my first DNS or did not start for those not in the loop on the lingo.

I'm actually really, really bummed that I missed the race. I ran it last year and I lost my grandmother this year after a long battle with alzheimers. My aunt and cousins were planning to do the walk at 9 AM but the same cold kept them all at home as well.

I'm feeling better after a day of rest and medication but I'm still a little bummed about missing the race but glad that my money still went to an amazing organization!

Race #11 : USAF 10K

So finally for a race recap!

My race weekend began and ended with a 7.5 hour drive. On the way to Ohio I decided to break the drive time up and stayed in a hotel outside of Indianapolis. I did go for a nice run in Greenwood, IN.

Goofy self portrait!

 After a night in Indy, I started the drive to Ohio and once I arrived I went straight to the expo. The race expo was nice but not what I'm used to given my experience with expos is limited mostly to Rock N Roll events but I did end up getting lots of swag in my goodie bag and picking up a few extra things.

 After the race I had an amazing dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse with way to much food!

After my late lunch/early dinner, I headed back to my hotel in Ohio, thinking I would go to the 5K and cheer the runners on/listen to the band, but instead I ended up taking a nap that lasted much longer than I was planning on it.

Race morning came super early and as usual I got there super early, so I had plenty of time to wander/try not to freeze.

The Start Line!

Would you like a medal or 2000?

Soon you will be MINE!

So after an hour and half or so of wandering we finally started wandering to line up. Marathoners lined up according to flags with projected times, the 10kers (is that a word?) seemed to fill in where ever, I jumped in somewhere in the middle. I ended up behind a group of guys from U of Dayton ROTC who were running the 10K with 35 pound packs and told me they were planning on running 11 minute miles. I foolishly decided to run with them for at least the first mile. I was hoping for around a 12 minute mile so I figured why not try to keep up for a bit.

Two nice ROTC guys that agreed to take a picture with me!

Finally the start!

Mile 1: The first mile wasn't that bad although trying to keep up with the ROTC was challenging, when I finally looked at my watch I realized why, they where running a 10 min mile! I backed off a bit but managed to finish my first mile with a 11:04 pace.

Mile 2: My right calf started to cramp up and the mile was all uphill so I decided to take it slow and managed to finish up the mile in 14:22 with a 161 ft elevation gain!

Mile 3: After the mile of uphill, we started to go downhill and my calf was easing up so I sped up a bit and managed to finish the mile in 11:39.

Miles 4-6: Mostly flat, not any spectators and everyone was starting to spread out. It was mostly a mental game for me. I hadn't been running much lately so it was harder than I would have liked but I made it through. Mile 6 brought with it some disappointment because for some reason I had it in my head I had to break 1:12:04 for a PR but all I could think of was finishing and get my medal and finishing race #11 for the year.

Finish Line: YAY! It was really awesome, running under a plane wing, the spectators, the first wheeled marathoner finishing right before me, the finish line and the medal, put on me by a Air Force Officer in his uniform!

I forgot to pause my garmin until I stopped long enough for this picture!

Post race: Lots of yummy food, a great band and possibly my favorite thing of any race, they had a results table, you just walked up and they would pull up your results based on your bib and print out your results for you right there! It wasn't until I sat down and started snacking, and check my race results on my blog, that I realized I had a new PR!!! It made it all so my more awesome!

Overall, I had a great time and would definitely do this race again and again (after all the bling changes every year)! I did hear that some problems happened along the half marathon course, with some wrong turns due to poor route marking. That's the only thing I heard that was negative.

My laptop sux

Forgive the lack of posts, including a race recap. My laptop is deciding to be a pain and posting pics from my iPad app is annoying and semi impossible. I promise to get it working or to buy a new computer soon!

Ohio!

Well I made it to Ohio and to Fairborn without any real excitement.

Found the Wright State University Nutter Center easily and headed to the expo. Not a bad event but a little crowded. The setup was a little weird in my opinion, they had the vendors set up in the hall that wraps around the center and then the actual floor was just bib and goodie bag pick up with one vendor selling the official merch and the speaker area. I wanted some air force running shorts since I got my navy running shorts in June. They wanted 30 bucks for the official shorts and I was feeling cheap so I didn't it them. I also wanted a nice running hat but couldn't find one I liked enough to buy, luckily they provided one in the goodie bag and I really like it! I did pick up a few things and there was a lot in the goodie bag.



On the left are things I purchased, not including a 13.1 magnet that I already put on my car. I went ahead and picked up the 26.2 since I haven't been able to find the magnets in st Louis. The things on the right are all the things in the goodie bag, including some rice which I thought was interesting.

I had a late lunch at the spaghetti warehouse. The place was great! I loved the atmosphere and the staff was super awesome. I ate lunch inside of an old trolley and snapped a few pictures of the decor. The food was amazing and more than I could eat. I brought plenty home for dinner and even had a little left over for a snack tonight.

As for the race, I'll do a much more detailed post when I get back to Missouri. I will say I met my B goal. Which was still a PR. I'm not sure where I came up with the idea that I had to get a sub 1:12 for a new record. My overall time was 1:17:32, a new PR by 2:32. The was a great race and I'd recommend it to everyone! I can definitely see doing it again.

I'll be headed home I've decided to take a different route through Louisville. It'll be a 7 hour drive home, ugh!

Indiana!

After 4.5 hours on I70E and a time change I forgot I had to make I finally made it to my hotel room and since I hadn't slept in almost 24 hours I took a 3 hour nap.

After my nap I went for a 3 mile run at a nearby park. I had packed my inhaler and used it before my run but I didn't feel like I actually got any albuterol and it showed. I did pretty well with the first 1.25 miles, I was breathing hard but nothing that bothered me. Then my lungs started to burn but I was working hard on hills so I kept going, then the tightness started and I knew I had it in my legs but not in my lungs. After I walked for bit and let my lungs regroup, my head just wasn't in it anymore. Thankfully it was out and back do I finished the distance no matter what. I'm just not sure what's going to happen when I have to put in a 20 miler in training for my marathon or my marathon!

I am just going to head to bed with the hopes of getting up early and heading to Dayton in the AM!

US Air Force 10K

So I realized I've been posting all about my vacation but very little about the reason for the vaca.

On Saturday I'll be running the USAF 10K. This race series is one that I wanted to do last year but by the time I finally decided I was actually going to all of the races had sold out.

This year I made it a priority and registered early. I chose the 10K distance to fulfill my 12 in 12 breakdown of 3-4-5. 10K races seem to be hard to come by compared to the other distances I wanted to complete. So I grabbed at this one, especially since I planned on doing the st. Louis rock n roll half in October and didn't want to do the 5k which is Friday night.

I've never been to Ohio before and it's another state to mark off my list. I booked a hotel close to the race early because I figured it would be booked up quickly. I originally planned on just Friday and Saturday nights and leaving Sunday afternoon but wasn't sure if I'd drive or fly. I've since purchased a new vehicle which made the long drive much easier to justify, better gas mileage, less concern for breakdowns, etc.

As for my hopes for this race, I want to have fun and get in my mileage for my half marathon training, which looks to be 7 miles so I'll need an extra 0.8 miles, no problem ideally.

My goals are
A: sub 1:12:00 (a PR)
B: sub 1:20:00
C: 1:25:00

I'm hitting the road now so I'll post once I hit Indy.

Past my bed time

So here it is 2:30 AM and I'm wide awake watching Firefly and eating a PBJ sandwich, instead of sleeping. Which I should be doing since I plan on leaving St. Louis for Indianapolis at about 9 AM. Why am I awake and eating a PBJ? Well partly because I slept until 2 PM after a particularly taxing 2 P - 2 A shift at work the day before. The other side of the coin is that I came to the realization the other day that this is the first time in my 26 5/12 years of life that I have gone on a vacation (besides 1 day in Chicago) all by myself.

I've flown several times by myself but I always met someone at the end of the flight. I flew to Canada and met up with my friends and stayed with them, I flew to North Carolina and stayed with my family, I flew to California and stayed with my brother. I've never taken off and just went on vacation all by myself, save for that one day and night in Chi-town. So I'm a little excited/nervous about my 4 day vacation, driving across several states, staying in multiple hotels, etc, etc.

Plus I really still have a ton of things I need to do around the house before I leave. I had a few things I wanted to do in Indy, even though it was originally just meant to be an stopping point on my long drive. Breaking the drive into a 5 hour and a 2.5 hour drive, getting me into Dayton early on Friday and giving me an extra day out of St. Louis and on vacation seemed like to good of an opportunity to pass up. Now it seems like I'm gonna be sleepy!

A few odds and ends

So I posted the other day about my scale and how it seemed to be stuck at 183.2. I was so sure I was going to have to get a new scale but being the tightwad I am I decided to give it one more shot. So after my run I got on the scale and it finally showed me a new number. Next day a different number so I'm still hanging onto my old scale.

Also, my laptop is out of commission so I'm not able to upload my garmin data. My daily mile isn't getting updated with my garmin runs either so sorry! Not to say that I've got much to report in that area anyway.

I'm starting to get noticed on google! Had a google search for upper respiratory infections and half marathon. I've never posted directly on that subject but if you google those two things together I'm on the first page of google search so that's exciting! I will say this though, if the cold is in your chest get some rest! If you're having trouble breathing, coughing, get weak easily, or running a fever, stay home. Its better to take a day or two off to rest up and feel better, rather than to end up with a bronchospasm and in the hospital! If it's in your head, sinus pressure, runny nose, and you feel well enough then go ahead if you must, but truly what's one day off with some chicken noodle soup and a good book or movie to entertain you going to hurt.

Scale

I get on the scale almost every morning before I get ready in the morning. I know that you aren't supposed to do that but I understand that there will be natural fluctuation. Here's my problem, everyday for almost 2 weeks my scale says the exact SAME weight every day. 183.2 everyday for 2 weeks, everyday! I'd be ok if it showed me a higher weight, just so long as it should me something different!!!!

It's driving me crazy. I think it is just time to buy a new scale. What do you think?

I did it!

In case you can't read the little typing (sorry) that say MARATHON! Ok so maybe it say Marathon, but I think my way of typing gives it a little something extra. In 7 months I will be crossing a 26.2 mile finish line if I have to drag my half dead body over it.

Edit:
I just realized I submitted my finish time as sub 3:00. Ooooppps! I'm so embarrassed! I sent an email to see if I can change my time. I don't want to end up with a bib for corral 1 or anything, since I'll be hanging out more with the 5:45 finish crowd.

September Goals

I've never set month to month goals before but I just decided I wanted to try it for September so here goes.

• Miles run : 70
• The most miles I've ever run in a month was 49, back in October 2011, the month of my first half marathon. I'm working hard to train well for this October's half so I'm hoping to log a few more miles.
• Races run : 1
• I'm planning to travel to Dayton, Ohio (while listening to some Bowling for Soup, see below if you don't get it) for a 10K this month. Super Excited to run the US Air Force 10k!
• Pounds to lose : 4
• I've been stalled at 183 pounds for a while and I'd just love to be out of the 180's! I'm going to set up a traineo widget so you can follow along every time I remember to weigh and post. 

Nothing to demanding but hoping to encourage myself to push a little harder!
 
Bowling for Soup - Ohio

Race #10 : torchlight 5k

Hurricane Issac was the theme of the run. It started pouring when I left the grocery store this afternoon and would let up for a few minutes before starting again. I was soaked before the race even started.

The course was a T and the rain stopped for most of the race. The top of the T was up and down hills, wet hills and it was miserable. I was aiming for sub 12 min miles for the whole thing and ended up with an average pace of 11:55. My splits didn't look as pretty though.

Mile 1 : 11:44
Mile 2 : 11:40
Mile 3 : 12:47
Mile 4 : 9:30

My official chip time was 37:49. I placed 407/536 overall and 51/73 for my age group.

4 of the nurses from my ER ended up running it also and this was the first time I've had anyone at the finish cheering for me, as they all finished before me. We all went back to the ER to grab our things and change into whatever dry clothes we had and then went out for dinner and beer afterwards.

Overall it wasn't a bad race for my first ever in the rain and was fun overall.

Back to it!

I went to the gym yesterday (Wednesday) and finally cranked out that 5 miler that I just haven't been able to get through. I know they say don't go back and try to makeup runs you missed but I can't see not doing all those runs and jumping into the 7 miler this weekend. Instead I'm planning on running 4 days a week with 2 days of cross training, giving me one rest day.

I've also started lifting weights. I had this book called "the body sculpting bible for women" my senior year of high school and used it for a month or so before I finally got tired of waking up at 6am to go to the gym (I am not a morning person!) but I really saw a quick improvement in my health and so I found the book and have started using it again. The plan is 3 days a week and makes suggestion for core and cardio also. I'm planning on sticking with my cardio plan but will probably look at some of the core plans in the book and maybe do some core strengthens classes at the gym.

I'm running an extra race this month. Several of the nurses and a doctor or two are running a local race and asked me to join them. It's a Friday evening 5k in downtown and happens to match up with the 3 miles I was planning to run anyway so I figured I've never run a race with a group of people I knew before and it just might be fun.

As for my absence on the blog, I apologize, some things happened that caused me to feel overwhelmed with life and well I felt my time was best spent working on fixing me first. I ope you understand.

Proof

I'm not lying when I say I don't eat many sweets. I was cleaning out the fridge today an found this! Yes that's Santa, yes it's August.

A New Certification and a Good Run

Another day of my TNCC training class, the last day as a matter of fact. I passed the test and the practical without much difficulty. The only thing I missed on my practical was log rolling the patient off the backboard, inspecting the back and checking rectal tone. Not something I actually do as checking the spine isn't actually in my scope of practice.

As for my run, I ran 3 miles per the training plan. I ran it on the treadmill since it was so hot and humid outside and it started raining just as I got to the gym. It wasn't that I've never run in those conditions, I just didn't feel like it today. Anyway, I started out at a 5.0 mph pace and ran mile 1 at that pace without stopping and then walked at 3.5 for 0.25, then ran at 5.0 for 0.75, another walk break for 0.25 and then I ran for 0.50 then I jogged for the last 0.5 to finish it out. It was a nice treadmill run but my left calf was tight during the run, nothing painful really but noticeable.

After my run I went to on of the local running stores, well actually it is geared towards the triathlete. I picked up some more KT tape and a North Face shirt that was half-priced. It's the same shirt that I wear for most of my races, you can see it in my blogger profile pictures, LOL!

Tomorrow is back to the real work, 2 12 hour shifts in trauma and then a whole day off!

So I was in class all day, 7 to 5, which was actually kind of nice to only have a 10 hour  work day, isnt that a sad thought that I'm excited about a 10 our day? It did allow me to go to the gym and get in my workout from yesterday that I skipped.

I had a pretty low day overall. I was annoyed and I didn't do much to some people of beware of late. Usually when I'm upset my response is to binge, drink, or smoke. Today I managed to not do any of those and instead took my anger out on the treadmill. I was pretty proud of myself overall. I'm not very proud of running hills and having shin splints and a side stitch but I did the 2.5 miles!

Lazy Tuesday

I didn't do my scheduled run today. I did however finally get the registration taken care of for my car, had an eye exam, and not much else.

I have to be at work at 0700 tomorrow for a class so I am going to bed early.

Motivational Monday

Well since I worked all day and I didn't have a workout on the calendar, I give you motivational Monday.

Meal Prep and Cross Training

Took the time today to plan out my meals for the week and to prepare the meals for the days I have to work. I am scheduled 2 days of bedside nursing and 2 days of class and when I have to work I tend to eat in the cafeteria and even though it's a hospital the choices aren't that healthy. I'm also making an effort to eat a serving of vegetables and a serving fruit everyday. So true to my OCD I used my big dry erase board to plan out every meal for the week and my training and my eye doctor appointment. :)

Meal Planning/Training/My Ceiling Fan

As you can see I have breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack/work&workout planned out Sun-Sat. You can also see the reflection of my ceiling fan. Ha!

As for the training, today called for 20-30 minutes of an easy run or cross training. Right now an easy "run" is actually more of a walk so I figured I would head to the gym for a swim.

I took a swim class a few years ago when I was heavier and while we very rarely swam laps I don't remember it being that hard! I had to swim a length and rest, repeat. I can definitely see this becoming a great cross training especially since I can easily measure my improvement in three ways, number of lengths I can swim without stopping and distance in general and then eventually time.

The turkey loaf I made for dinner turned out delicious and I stuffed myself. I've never made this before. My favorite dish my mother made when I was growing up was always meatloaf. Since I've been on my not cooking red meat kick for a while now I wanted to make a really a real meal instead of the pizza and sandwiches I normally live off of. I know my mom makes her meatloaf tomato sauce and the recipe I used was with ketchup. Next time I think I will use the same recipe but substitute tomato sauce.  

Busy day!

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day! I ran the wounded warrior 5K, went to my cousins last little league game of the season, gave blood and then took my cousins to the park and played for a few hours while my aunt went to a wedding.

For specifics on the Wounded Warrior 5K you can read my race recap in the previous post. I do want to talk about the fact that it's the first time I ran a race and then had to continue to run to finish up my mileage for a training plan. Honestly this is the first time I've used an honest to goodness training plan. I didn't mind it so much as I was just ready to be done. In hindsight there are two reasons for this, 1 I didn't plan my extra and ended up just running aimlessly around the park but I knew I wanted to end up back at my car so I didn't stray to far; and 2 was that I didn't bring water with me because I assumed that the race would have a water stop and that I'd be good on water with that, I was wrong and had to run 4 miles sans hydration. This is also the first time I've used KT tape! I've having some problems with plantar fasciitis and I stopped by the running store and picked up some KT tape. I could definitely tell it made a difference in my stride and my calf muscle on the left felt a little sore afterward but overall my foot felt great so I think I'll keep using it.

KT tape

After the run I grabbed a bite to eat and some water and headed to my cousins last little league game of the year! Can I just say that watching kids this young play baseball is adorable! Some of them are really good but they still want to play in the dirt when they can! His younger sister also plays t-ball in the same league and my aunt informed me that when his sister plays, J runs on the track around the fields and has told her that he's training to run a marathon with me! I thought it was so cute but I did tell him after his game that you would have to run the track 105 times to make a marathon (it's a 1/4 mile) he didn't want to run that marathon anymore but he's up for a 5K or 10K anytime he told me! Also, is it just me or does running a 1/4 mile track 105 times still sound better than running 26.2 miles?

J up to bat!

After the ball game I went to give blood at a memorial blood drive in honor of a paramedic I know well son. He passed away 2 years ago and this is her second blood drive in his memory. I saw a lot of EMT and paramedics that I know from the city and a couple of my coworkers, I'm glad that at least a handful of people from my ER came out to support her.

Bleeding for a good cause!

Race #9 Wounded Warrior 5k

My August race was the wounded warrior 5k.

There were marines and puppies, need I say more?

I will say this though, someone made a wrong turn at Albuquerque and we all followed making the race only 2.5 miles. I figured out the mistake after the race since I had to get in my 4 miles anyway.

The race had no water stops during the race which was kind of horrible but I survived. I managed to survive the whole four miles without stopping for water. Drank a shit ton after though.

My garmin time was 38:22 for the actual 3.1 miles. I crossed the finish line at 31:22 and my garmin read 2.5 miles.

The End of An Affair?

Yesterday was an interesting day. As I said in my previous post I had slept most of the day before so I was up and ready to go with my day at about 1 AM. I tried to go to the gym (the 24 hour gym) and when I got there, the doors were locked!!! I was so ticked. My gym isn't close to my house and is pretty expensive and I joined because of all the amenities and the fact that they are open 24/7 so I drove around a little ticked and decided I wanted some McDonald's breakfast. One McD wouldn't kill me and I really wanted it. 2 closed McD and one that their computers were down later, I was just hungry and wanted anything that resembled food. So I ended up at White Castle, which was a huge mistake! The burgers tasted like pure salt and the Mr. Pibb tasted like pure sugar. I was miserable all day after eating it and was SO gassy it was embarrassing!. I think my love affair with drive thru food may be over.

The weather ended up cooperating for a perfect day for a 3 mile run/walk. My stamina isn't there like it was and the cold still is there so I averaged a 13 minute mile and I'm ok with that. I posted my half-marathon training plan and it was actually supposed to be a rest or CT day but I decided to just do Thursdays run since I'm starting a week and a half into the program anyway.

So I still rock a pager, for work that is. For the most part they page us for things like you have a new patient or for EMS that will be coming in but they also use it to page us when they need additional staffing. I try to work 48 hours a week so I can pay off a few of my bills faster and I was sick last week, so when they paged out On Call (Time and 1/2) & Bonus ($20/hr) for any shift plus I was already in overtime, I figured what the heck! So I ended up picking up an 8 hour shift from 10-6.

I swung by the local race store to pick up my t-shirt and bib for the race and ended up picking up some KT tape as well. I'm starting to have trouble with plantar fasciitis and it has only been a problem when I'm barefoot or towards the end of a 12 hour shift but I don't want it to get worse so I spoke with one of the physical therapists at work and the gentleman at the running store who told me for all day everyday relief I was best to go with the KT tape. I'm not going to lie, I'm super excited to use it.

My post is so late because I ended up coming home from the running store and crawling straight in to bed. Luckly I woke up at 5:45 and have plenty of time to get ready for the run and my busy day today!

Stumbleupon!

So I've never really advertised this blog or told people about it. I've never cared. However, I just wanted to say a great big Hello to everyone visiting from Stumbleupon.

From 0-1 page views a day to 37 views on 8-7 and now I'm still seeing 2-4 page views everyday so welcome! I hope I can keep you entertained!

How much is to much?

I spent most of the day asleep, I tend to do that after a long stretch at work. Now it's 1 AM and I'm awake. Guess who has a 24 hour gym? Yay! I'm thinking a run and some weightlifting are in order.

My goal for 2012 was to run 12 races this year. I'm at 8 so far and my 9th is tomorrow. I am aiming for 3 half marathons, 4 10ks, 5 5ks. So far I'm at 2/2/4 respectively. I had planned to run 1 race a month and leave it at that. My previous racing history included a grand total of 4 races in 2 years, so this was a big goal for me. Now my running friends are trying to get me to more and more races and I'm finding more and more that I'd like to run, but how many is to many? Let's be honest, I'm not running a 5 minute pace or anything. My average time for a 5K is around 38 minutes. Then there is the cost, 20-30 for a 5k, 30-40 for a 10k and 50 + for a half marathon.

So here's I've got planned and italics are the extras
Aug - Wounded Warrior 5K
          Torchlight 5K
Sept - US Air Force 10K
           Alzheimer's Association 5K
Oct - RnR Half Marathon
         Cowbell Half Marathon
         Go! St. Louis Halloween 10K
Nov - D.A.R.E to Run for Backstoppers 10K
          The Skippo 10K Trail Run
          Jefferson County Memorial Hospital Turkey Trot
Dec -  Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run 5K

So at what point is it to many on the 5Ks? Or is that short of a distance really that big of a deal since I'm training for a half marathon?

- the iene

Caffiene and nicotine that is. In the past 2.5 weeks I've had 1 soda, as opposed to the 2 a day habit I had. In the past week and a half I've had 4 cigarettes, as opposed to the 1/3 pack I'd been smoking for the past month and the pack a day I'd smoked for a decade before that.

All of this another piece of the equation in why I haven't bothered to be in the gym or on the running paths as of late. I've been trying to indulge in as much sleep as I wanted being sick and withdrawing and whatnot.

But again with the excuses, ;)

Excuses, excuses

I'm still not quite over this cold though I am improving. However, I haven't been getting good sleep at night thanks to the congestion and cough.

Between the cold and work I still haven't made it out for a run or even to the gym. My 2pm to 2am isn't helping the situation. Tomorrow my shift is noon to midnight and it's already 5 am so I definitely have no plans on hitting the gym before I head back to work. I did take the opportunity to spend an hour with my boyfriend after work tonight. I hadn't seen him in a week and his ambulance happened to be posted outside of my hospital. Like they say you make time for the things that are important. :)

I'll hoping be back in the gym Thursday or Friday. Definitely will have a run report for Saturday, if nothing else.

That's What She Said

Not many people know but a quick glance at my list of completed races should give an idea on how I feel about the Go! St. Louis franchise of races. It was the very first 5k I ever registered for and completed, then I did it again the next year and the year after that I did the half marathon and in 2013 I plan on making it my very first marathon!!

Yes I just said that in 8 months time I'm going to run a marathon. 

Race # 9 : Wounded Warrior 5k

My August race for my 12 in 2012 and race #9 for 2012 is the 2nd Annual Wounded Warrior 5k.

Presented by Big River Running Company (a local running store) this is the second year of the race and net proceeds benefit Wounded Warrior Project.

I've run a few races put on by Big River Running and I'm never all that impressed with their management of an event but they are the local force behind many of the races so I can't do much about it.

As for how I want to do on this race, well I don't have high hopes. I haven't run much in months and I've just gotten over a cold and I'll be stuck at work with not much time to get to the gym between now and then. I am however going to set both my A & B goal for personal record.

Goals
A: 35:xx
B: 36:00
C: 39:59

After I finish this I have to get my rear end on a training program and stick with it. I have the USAF 10k in September and I want to kick its ass! (Plus I'd like to be in the 170's)

It's the Little Things

I love to eat, but I'm not a sweets person, I love all things deep fried and carbs, O-M-G I love carbs.

I hate salads and yogurt. Vegetables just tend to go bad in my fridge. Fruits are hit and miss, sometimes I will  eat them all up in a day or two, sometimes they rot. I'll tell you what never goes bad, pizza and bread. I love pizza and bread.

When I was 200+ pounds a day of meals mostly included fast food, eating out or casseroles, my days included sitting in class 20 hours a week, sitting at a desk for 27 hours or more a week and coming home to sit and study or sit on the couch and watch tv with my boyfriend of the time. It was a poor mix. (I was going to say a recipe for fat but that seemed cheesy.)

My favorite food was always...

Look at all that cheese!

A large Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Lovers (drool). I would normally eat 3 or 4 slices with a soda or a beer. 

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 slice (152g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 150 Calories 370
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 17g		26%
	Saturated Fat 8g	40%
	Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 45mg		15%
Sodium 1040mg		43%
Total Carbohydrate 39g		13%
	Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
	Sugars 5g
Protein 17g
Vitamin A 15% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 25% Iron 20%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Which means I was eating between 1020 and 1360 calories, just in pizza!!! Now I have found that I actually prefer the taste of this combo...

 and  

It's delicious and the entire pizza comes in at 1030 calories. Which means that I could eat the entire thing for as many calories as I was eating in 3 slices of the Pizza Hut pizza. 

It's about making changes you can live with long term. I'm not going to eat it once if I don't like it, let alone eat it day in and day out for the rest of my life. With all the different options out there I GUARANTEE you that you can find something, anything that is better for you than the crap that helped make you fat. Little changes are better than no changes.  

I Did It My Way

I don't think I've ever posted pictures of my "before" on my blog, mostly because that wasn't the point of the blog but I'm feeling oh nostalgic.

The highest weight I'm aware that I was at was 209.

Going on a float trip!

Homemade Pizza

Smile

Then I realized how miserable I was, how tired I was all the time, how hard it was breathe. I split up with the guy I was dating/living with for other reasons and moved to my aunt's rental house. I was broke and in college and the house was a disaster and had no running water, but I couldn't afford to pay rent. I already had paid for a 1 year gym membership and so I went to the gym to shower. I decided that I was going to try to make myself a better person before I got back into a relationship. One thing I had wanted to do for years was to run a 5k.

So I did a 5k. I still can't say I've run a 5k without stopping but I can say I have successfully completed 7 5ks . 

Sprinting to the end of my second 5K

Running to the finish line of my first half marathon

Then I ran a half-marathon.

Then I ran another.

After finishing my San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon

And then another.

It's been a journey over 2 years and I've lost 27.5 pounds in that time. Maybe not the most impressive weight loss ever but it's steady and I'm maintaining it without hating it. Don't get me wrong I wish I'd been able to lose all 74 pounds I'd like to lose in a year or less but I haven't. I also haven't starved myself or killed myself at the gym. I've done it in a way that worked for me. 

An update…

It's been a while, life got in the way.

I haven't been running much. I think I've logged 3 miles since my 10k on July 4th and nope that three was not a typo. It was been triple digits nonstop in the StL this summer and I've been having trouble keeping the temps in my house below 85.

I changed gyms. My old gym had no problem charging me an extra 20 dollars and sending me to collections 2 days after my debit card was rejected because I'd lost my debit card and had to have it replaced. Since I hadn't used my membership at all I decided there'd be no love lost and I moved to a much large chain. I thought I'd like the whole small world feel of a gym that was locally owned but really they don't do much in the community nor does it feel very much like its own community. Now I'm at a much larger, more expensive and just a bit further away gym but so far I like it. It's much more focused on the community and helping its members build a healthier way of life. I've been so impressed with the staff in just a short amount of time. 


I've spent the past few day in bed with a pretty nasty bug. Sunday night the boyfriend and I managed to find time to hang out together for the first time in a week and we took advantage of it. We went and saw a movie, then went for a long drive through the middle of nowhere (he and I both do this by ourselves, late night drives in the middle of nowhere with the radio a bit to loud, so we decided to hop in his mustang and head out for a drive.) We came back to my place and I made a quick dinner and we watched some doctor who but my throat started to feel sore, then I started to cough, so he went home, he had classes the next evening anyway and it was almost 6 am anyway. After he left I just went ahead and took a dose of NyQuil and went to sleep since I knew what was coming anyway. By the next day I had the sinus congestion and fever to go with the sore throat and cough. I've been battling it with OTC medications and have been lucky that it hasn't bothered my asthma like it usually tends to. Of course this would all happen on my 5 day stretch off of work and now that I'm feeling better I'm scheduled to go back to work tonight.

I also bought a shiny brand new SUV a couple weeks ago also.

As for my 12 in 2012 goal I signed up for a 5k in August. I'll post more about that later though.

I wanted this post to be a catch up on what has happen and not what i have planned, that's for later. ;)

Besides I have to get to sleep so I can go to work tonight. :(

Race # 8 : O'Fallon Firecracker 10K Race Recap

I ran the O'Fallon Firecracker 10k on the morning of July 4th. It was my slowest, hottest, most miserable 10K. I've only run 2 10Ks but they the distance is beginning to become my least favorite. I'm hoping the US Air Force 10K can change my mind but I'm truly considering dumping the 10K distance next year and focusing on my marathon, half-marathon and 5K distances.

Pre Race
I had worked until 0230 the day of the race and came home to grab some sleep. I managed to get a little more sleep then I wanted and ended up getting to the race site later than I had planned. I had preregistered for the race but needed to pick up my bib and my shirt. The lines were horrible and the computers went down. Someone ended up asking everyone who had preregistered to give their name and he wrote our name and bib number down and would put it in the computer later. Because of all of this I missed the national anthem and the official start of the race.

Starting Line
Missing the official start wasn't a problem since they funneled 291 runners through very small start. I jumped in towards the back and was fine. My chip shows that my start time was 7:09:41, my phone said the temperature was already 89 degrees and sunny as all get out.

The Course
For a race in its 28th year of running and a race in Missouri in July, I expected a lot more. The course was not scenic at all and had 0 spectators. The town didn't even seem to care about the race or be on board, many people ignored signs, course volunteers and even local police to drive through the race and practically over several racers who were forced to jump onto the sidewalk. There were 3 water stations and they only had water and the cups were tiny, maybe 2 ounces of water. I did make a friend during the race and chatted with him for a little while until he left me in his dust, I caught back up with him right before the one redeeming point of the race. The local fire/ems station had set up a sprinkler for us to run through it was fantastic.

Finish Line
Maybe I was delirious from lack of water and electrolytes but the finish line seemed very hard to find and in retrospect placed in a crappy spot. We finished in a ball park on July the 4th, could I have gotten something more themed than the generic finish line blow up, that was set up near the concession stand? I walked across the ballpark to the "finishers only area" which was overwhelmed with people who had obviously not just finished a 5k or 10k and got a bottle of water. There was the obligatory free beer which I did not have since I felt I was near heat stroke any way. The post race food provided was an interesting choice, there was a vendor giving out chips and salsa from Chipotle, a vendor with philly cheese steaks and 5 hour energy. I grabbed my bottle water and managed to find the one vendor giving out something that wouldn't make me vomit and proceeded to eat 3 oranges that the very nice manager of the local shop n save cut up for me. He even offered me a bag to take a few more with me but I declined and grabbed a Popsicle before thanking him and leaving. As for the vendors set up in the "expo" area, there wasn't a whole lot to interest me but I did end up spending almost 15 minutes talking to a vendor for solar panels. Odd choice for a running event but something I had been researching for when I purchase a house. Both gentlemen had business cards with addresses in Colorado but where incredibly knowledgeable about the Missouri area.

I ended up with a finish time of 1:31:23 but I didn't die, I ran my second of 4 10Ks for the year and what happened after I left the race more than made up for the race. My Garmin details are below.

O'Fallon Firecracker 10K by BethanyBRN at Garmin Connect - Details 

All American 5k

I haven't posted in a while and it's mostly because I've been working ridiculous hours. I havent been running much either but I did get a 5k in today. I worked a 12 hour night shift last night and then drove to the county to run the "All American 5k".

Even after working all night and getting my butt kicked for 12 straight hours I managed to make to the start line and across the finish line, for a PR! So in the month of June I got myself a new PR in the 5k and the half marathon!

Three Things Thursday

1. I went back to work today. :( Only for a 5 hour training class but still.

2. I have fallen in love with an idea and a bike. More on that later.

3. A Better Bethany was never just supposed to be about my running. It is supposed to be about so much more but I didn't want to overwhelm myself when I set out with a new blog and I didn't want to overwhelm readers with so many things being thrown at them but I'm thinking I'm going to start bring some more to the table besides just running very soon.

Rock N Roll San Diego Half-Marathon Race Recap

This was my very first race that I traveled to and my second Rock N Roll Event, overall it was a pretty good run.

Expo
The expo was well laid out with lots of vendors, plenty of room to walk around and it didn't feel cramped at all. That was a change from the Rock N Roll St. Louis Expo where I felt like a sardine. I took my brother and niece with me to the expo, partially because I am trying to get my brother into racing as well, and also because I wanted to go to the Navy exchange afterward.

Me and my niece, I wish Charlie the Tuna would have been running as well...

Parking and Arriving

Pre-Race

All of the information they sent out about parking had me concerned that I wouldn't be able to find parking. So I left ridiculously early, had no trouble getting a great parking spot and caught a shuttle to the start line. I did a little breaking and entering on a port-a-potty and got to use a virgin port-a-potty. After that I had a good 1 or so to walk around and kill time. One of the guys that was on the same shuttle as me caught up with me and we chatted for a little while. Overall the starting line was pretty nice, lots of area for everyone to warm up and stretch, LOTS AND LOTS of port-a-potties. About 45 minutes after the official start I crossed the starting line.

Miles 1-4
I was feeling great, I had decided to stick with my run 1 walk 1 kind of, I decided that I wanted to finish sub 3 hours so I needed to run 90 minutes of that, and I would run as long as I could and deduct it from my run balance, it worked out ok for a while. At this point there was a decent amount of spectators, and we where running in mostly in the park so it was nice. I was clipping along with a great pace and knew I was screwed for negative splits.

Miles 5-8
These miles were on the freeway, and I hate running on highways, at one point we even ran up an on ramp, when I realized what was coming up I was like WTH! I really didn't enjoy this part and it was getting hilly and my pace started to reflect that. I was using a pace tattoo from Taz Running and my times just weren't adding up. It was really frustrating to me that the pace tattoo was showing I was behind when my Garmin and math were telling me I was ahead, I am in no way saying that anything was wrong with my pace tattoo, I'm pretty sure I was doing something wrong but it encouraged me to pick things up and move faster.

Pace tattoo for a 2:55:00 finish

Miles 9-12
I started to try to pick up my pace but I didn't feel all that great and I knew I needed to poop. Which explains the 4 minute time difference between my Garmin and my official time. I've never had to poop during a run before and I'm blaming the upset stomach on Denny's, I said I wanted DRY toast you fools! Anyway, I was concerned that my poop break would screw up my PR and so I moved a little faster. Around mile 11 or 12 my pace tattoo, garmin and my brain started agreeing again. 

Yep that's pretty much how I felt

Mile 13 & .1
I don't remember actually seeing the mile marker for 13 but I knew I was close to the end and so I just started hauling. I wanted to make sure I had a PR and I wanted to be under that 2:55:00 mark. I crossed the finish line feeling awesome and my Garmin showed a PR, I just hoped my poop didn't take away my sub 2:55.

Finish Line
Holy Cow! So many vendors, so much food in the finishers area! I couldn't carry everything and dropped my jamba juice. Once I crossed out the runners only area I grabbed my gear bag and started wandering toward the shuttle. I managed to get a free massage before leaving which was fantastic! I couldn't get a call out to save my life thanks to the overloaded cell tower. I made it back to my parking area without difficulty and headed back to my brother's.

Overall
I enjoyed the race. This was my first travel race and the first race where I didn't finish were I started. I think that the logistics of moving that many people and there gear was very well handled. UPS trucks were used to move out gear which I got a kick out of. I think that for such a beautiful area that should really rethink the 4 miles of freeway running.

Home!

My flights out of San Diego and LA had no delays and I actually made it back to St. Louis 20 minutes earlier than planned. I will never fly from San Diego to LA to St. Louis, ever, ever again though.

The flight from San Diego to LA was actually really nice. It was a small plane, and I left from the commuter terminal so I had to walk out to the plane which was a first for me. The flight took us up the coast line at 10,000 feet. This resulted in having quite the view, from one side of the plane you could see the ocean and from the other side you could see the coast. It was pretty neat. The landing was horrible though, apparently I am not tightening my seatbelt well enough for starters. We landed pretty hard and braked even harder, which resulted in a pretty big jolt. I'm glad no one was carrying a child on their lap because it might have ended poorly. After landing and getting my carry on I had to take the shuttle from the commuter terminal to terminal 4. They drive those things on the damn runway! Anyway, I made it to my gate with about 15 minutes to spare and grabbed some snacks for the 3.5 hour flight.

The flight from LA to St. Louis was uneventful. I slept, ate, regretted not fully charging my electronics the night before and read a book. Soon I was back in St. Louis, catching the metro link and heading to the hospital to pick my car up from the parking garage and headed home. I've mostly unpacked and have settled into my bed. I've got tomorrow off work and then I have to return to work on Thursday.

I'll get my race recap posted tomorrow. I need to pick up a transfer device for my camera's SD card. I've decided not to go back and insert pictures into previous posts and will be making a post with nothing but pictures instead.