Lazy Weekend and a crafty DIY

While my weekends would normally revolve around a 20+ mile long run, this weekend did not. Mid-last week, I started feeling quad pain that was similar to a strain. With less than 3 months until my 12 hour race, I knew pushing it would not be smart. I may run long distances and get a lot of crap from people (strangers, even!) about how much I run, but I am really good about listening to my body and not pushing it when I shouldn't. I did a test slow mile on Friday without much pain and 3 miles yesterday with no pain. Going to keep icing it and stretching and hopefully, I can get back up to my normal mileage this week. It does make me nervous that my race is less than 10 weeks and I feel like my training has been a bit wonky. I just have to keep my head up and hope for the best!

Instead of running through Philly for hours on end, I decided to finally work on a DIY I've been planning for the last few weeks. While my lovely friend Liz is the queen of DIY things, unless it involves baking or cooking, I am not patient or talented enough to do a DIY. I did, though, want to push myself to try to do something out of my comfort zone, so I created three picture frame jewelry holders this weekend.

I used the lovely Pinterest as inspiration and found some really cool jewelry organizers that helped me come up with my idea.

Source 

Source

For my organizers, I decided to use picture frames and gold hooks. I went to my local K-Mart and purchased the following items:

• 3 8.5x11 picture frames
• 100 gold hooks (cheaper than buying a smaller amount)
• 3M Wall Stickies

Here is how I assembled them:

1. Use small screwdriver to start holes for hooks.
2. Manually screw in hooks to pre-made holes. I had very cheap frames, so this sometimes damaged the frame a bit, but the hooks still were in there securely. 
3. Apply wall stickies to back of frames, then secure to wall.
4. For the earring and ring frame, I used white crinoline that I already owned and taped it to the back of the frame (didn't have a nail small enough, or I would have done that). I made sure to not have the crinoline go all the way down the frame so I could reach behind it to secure the backs to earrings.

Here is what it looked like while I was assembling them, as well as how they look up on my wall!

The assembling of the hooks. Definitely got frustrated at times with this. 

Finished product on my wall!

I am really happy with how they turned out, especially since I am not crafty in the least. It also is a good way for me to see all of my jewelry in one spot, so I have a feeling I'll be wearing more than I would normally.

Alright, back to normal posting about running and food next time. Hope everyone is having a great March so far!!!

Appreciating Lack of Adversity

I hate to get all hippy-dippy and sappy on here, but I've had a great lesson in appreciation for how lucky I am the last few weeks running with Back on My Feet. From running with the group for nearly a year, I've learned to appreciate how lucky I am with my living and working situation, for sure. I learned an even greater lesson with one of our new members, though.

We have a new member who has to face the adversity of being nearly completely blind. Being blind in our society is a really difficult thing since most things are built for those with sight. This hasn't let this person be stopped from doing things they love. Not only is she working hard to get out of the shelter, but she works to lead as normal of a life as possible. This includes running. Running through the city is a difficult thing as it is. I know from personal experience. When she comes to our runs, we have someone paired up with her to run along with her to help her be aware of things like uneven sidewalks, curbs, ramps, etc.

Today, I ran with her and it was a really amazing experience. She has the guts to come do something that most people would tell her not to. She is willing to allow a nearly perfect stranger guide her along through the streets of Philadelphia at 5:30 am. The best part? The whole time, she's chipper, energetic, and thankful.

From meeting this great human being, I've learned to appreciate my serious lack of adversity that I deal with every day. Just running home from running with her, I appreciate that I can look up and see the cityscape without having to constantly worry about my footing. I can get up and lead a fairly normal life with little to no assistance from others on a day-to-day basis. I am even more motivated to come run with the group because if she can come and do it with such a great attitude, I surely can.

Okay, sappy rant over. Shameless plug about to begin. If you want to help the awesome organization that is Back on My Feet and are in the Philly area, please come do the AT&T Back on My Feet Halfway to Broad St 5 miler this March 31st! It supports an awesome group AND I am on the planning committee for it. Win-win!

Hope everyone had a great Fat Tuesday and for those also experiencing the unseasonably warm winter, hope you are taking advantage of it!

Surf City USA Marathon Race Report

I can't believe I just finished my 3rd marathon in less than 3 months. I never thought that I'd do more than one marathon a year, so it's kind of cool to realize I've been racing so much. Also, warning: this is a long race report. I'm still working on being more concise since Shakespeare says "Brevity is the soul of wit;" guess I don't have much wit. :D

My friend Maddie and I met freshman year at Drexel through the track club and stayed friends when we joined the same honors fraternity. She moved to LA for a rotation for her job and asked if I would come out and race the Surf City USA marathon with her. I was planning on coming to CA at some point this year, why not come to do a race with a friend?!

Well, it all sounded like a good idea until I decided to stop running over the holidays. As the race date crept  up on me, I started to freak out. Maddie ended up not having the time to train for the full, so she dropped down to the half. I was really tempted to do the same, especially so we could run it together, but decided if I was paying to fly all the way out to LA, might as well do the full.

I woke up race morning nervous and sick to my stomach. I normally am nervous for races, but I can assure myself I am prepared for it and things will go fine. Without my traditional training under my belt, I was nervous (kind of funny, but writing this is bringing me back to that place and my stomach is in knots!). I was lucky because my mother, who hasn't missed any of my ultras or marathons, was out in LA for work, so she just extended her trip one more day to be there. I feel really lucky to have such a supportive mom, so I knew that even if my race wasn't my best, she'd still be there to cheer me on.

Before I left for the race, I put on my good luck tattoos. I wore the same one I wore for my last two marathons. I also got a new one, figuring it was a great mantra. Not going to lie, the two tattoos didn't do much to help me later in the race like the "Happy" one did in Philly and at the NCR trail marathon, but some other racers asked about it and liked it; one guy seemed to be helped by one of the mantras, so I'm happy I wore them.

New tattoo I wore for this race from tatt.ly

We drove the 45 minutes to the race and with all the crazy traffic, I had to hop out of the car and run to the start line (half started later than the full). The sun was just starting to rise and the sky looked so pretty. As I jogged to the start and found my place in the crowd, I kind of felt like I was in a dream. I couldn't believe I was on the line for another marathon, but I started to get excited.

Soon enough, the race started! Like my half marathon last year, my iPod shuffle started by playing "All of the Lights" by Kanye West (out of 4.5 hours of music, it's pretty crazy this has happened twice!). I got really excited and hoped that this would bode well for the race (can't help it; I'm superstitious, as most runners are).

I decided to stick with the 4 hour pace group, hoping it would be not too hard to keep up with them. The first 4 miles flew by, which felt great. I did notice, however, that the pacers were going a bit too fast. We were only 100 meters from the 3:55 pace group, which was too close, even this early on in the race. I was torn: do I stay with the group so I feel I'm not running alone and risk falling apart at the end of the race OR do I slow down and keep the actual 4 hour marathon pace? I decided to stick with the group, which did not lead to a strong finish, sadly.

The first 10 or so miles were along this highway, then through some neighborhoods and through a really pretty park. The pretty scenery was gone after that. The rest of the race was run out and back along this highway, then out and back along this path that was along the same highway. While the highway was along the ocean, staring out at the ocean and coastline was only pretty for so long. The highway got boring and the sun was starting to get quite hot. I was starting to feel really tired, even as early as mile 11.

After we turned around the on the highway, I started talking with another runner. He asked me what I was listening to on my iPod, then we got to talking about our other previous races. I told him how marathons are actually not what I do best in and that I think I'm better at ultras. He kept saying how tough I must be, which felt nice to hear. If only he had seen how much I fell apart at the end of the race, he wouldn't have thought I was so tough! It was cool, though, to have someone so friendly to talk to during a race, even if just for a mile. Marathoners can be pretty competitive and not as friendly as ultra marathoners (just my experience), so I was happy to meet such a nice guy.

Before I headed down the path for the second out and back part, I got to see Maddie on the other side of the highway. The half marathoners were starting to catch up with us, so it was so great to see a familiar face. When I did get to the path along the ocean, I started to really lose steam. I saw the 4:00 group slowly pull ahead; they were still way faster than 4 hour pace, so I told myself I had time banked that allowed me to not stick with them. The turn around, though, felt like it would never come! Miles ticked away and I kept going further and further from the finish line.

Post-race picture with my mom and me in costume

One thing that kept me feeling happy was my costume. I've raced in some sort of costume/outfit the last three marathons, so I kept it up this race and dressed as Waldo. When I felt most down, spectators would shout, "I found Waldo!" or "Waldo! Looking good!" It helped me to take a deep breath and relax. All of the volunteers at the water stops were kids (kind of an odd thing), but their reactions were the best!

As the miles left dwindled, so did my pace. I started out averaging an 8:53 min/mile, but I was really struggling to maintain a 9:30 min/mile pace by the end. I felt kind of embarrassed because I had told my mom the goal pace I wanted and I felt it slipping away. I knew Maddie and my mom would be at the finish line, see my time, and wouldn't care when I came in, but I felt sad that I wouldn't hit the time I had told them I had planned on running.

As the finish line finally got in my sight, I couldn't really push myself as much as I wanted to. I was frustrated that as much as I tried to be mentally tough and push, I just couldn't; well, I could, but it wasn't as fast as I wanted to push. I was mad at myself for having gone out too fast, which bit me in the bottom at the end.

Maddie and me after the race

As I crossed the finish line, I looked down at my watch and realized I finished exactly one minute slower than I wanted to; I finished in 4:00:59. Felt so bittersweet because I was able to get a decent time considering my lack of training, but I was soooo close to my goal. Maddie, my mom, and I hobbled back to Maddie's car and Maddie and I headed back to relax, eat In and Out, and watch the Super Bowl with her friends.

Our post-race In and Out. Nom nom nom!

Overall, I feel happy the race is over and that I'm minimally sore, but pretty upset that I ran a stupid race. I can almsot be okay with running a bad race because I wasn't in good shape, but it's frustrating that I didn't run a strategically smart race. Luckily, there will be ones in the future that will be run better. Now, I am off to Hawaii to soak up some rays and let the ocean wash away any sore muscles.

Marathon in a week? *gulp*

Six days from now, I will hopefully be alive after finishing the Surf City USA marathon. After finishing two marathons last November, my motivation to keep training fell off a cliff. Now that I am finally back to a normal routine with the holidays being over, I've been much better about following my running routine. With that said, that only left me with about 3-4 weeks to actually get some decent mileage in.

I successfully ran a 15 miler three weeks ago, braved the ice for a 20 miler two weeks ago, and slogged through a puzzlingly-difficult 12 miler this past weekend. In other news, I have also been fairly good about incorporating some sort of weight training at least twice a week. I never have been one to consistently do weights, but I am eager to keep up the weights routine. I'm aiming to be stronger and less squishy and I know weights will help!

I was actually feeling confident about the race, knowing I would take it easy on myself for my time goal, until this past weekend's 12 miler. I ran it with a friend and while the pace just two months ago would have been fairly easy, I felt like I was ready for a break only 6 miles in. Um, that's not a good sign when there is a race to be run soon and said race is 26.2 miles long.

How will I deal with the impending doom of this race?! By lowering my expectations and planning out my running costume. The last three marathons, I've run in costume and who am I to stop that tradition?! I have some ideas, but I'd love to hear from anyone of some costume suggestions that are still easy to run in and good in 70 degree weather.

Here's to hoping I survive!

Look back on 2011 and what 2012 can bring

Well, I haven't blogged in a while. Nor have I ran in awhile *gulp.* It's been nearly two weeks since I've run/exercised, which is kind of insane! I've been just letting myself be lazy, but it's starting to get to me. I feel gross, but have zero motivation to change it. Now that the holidays are over, I'm planning out my running training for the next few months and hoping it will motivate me.

One thing that is a bit motivating is seeing how much I progressed last year. My schedule included a few 5ks, pacing a friend in his first completed 100 miler, PRing my 12 hour race, struggling with my 24 hour race, PRing my half marathon, PRing my marathon, and becoming a maniac! It has honestly been my best year of running to date, even if my 24 hour race didn't go as I had hoped. All of the hours upon hours of training really paid off and I am pretty proud of what I was able to accomplish.

What will 2012 bring? Who knows! I know I will be running (not racing since I'm not in great shape!) the Surf City USA Marathon on February 5th, hoping to competitively competed in the Mind the Ducks 12 Hour Race on May 12th, and my fall race is still undecided (hoping to race my first 50 miler!).

One way I am attempting to kick-off the year well is by participating in Balanced Bite's 21-Day Sugar Detox. I wouldn't normally do something like this, but when my consistent running stopped around the holidays, my eating has also gone to hell. With all of the sugary and carby things that were ingested over the last month, it will be nice for me to step away from all things sugary so I can just allow my sugar cravings to become slightly more manageable; it's not normal to wake up and immediately want chocolate every day.

I wish I was more motivated and excited for 2012, but that will happen once I get back into the normal swing of things. Here's to hoping 2012 is even better than 2011!

Can you find my motivation? I surely can't.

Maybe it's because I have been training for some sort of race for nearly the past 2 years with very little breaks. Maybe it's because I just trained the most consistently for a marathon in my life the past 6 months. Maybe it's because I just ran two marathons in a week. Maybe it's all three, but what I do know is that my motivation to run has gone missing.

It all started Saturday when I had an entire free day to run 14 miles and also to run some errands. I haven't had a free day to do nothing in a long time, so I didn't feel the need to rush to get my run in. As the day went by, I completed most of my errands (mailing gifts, creating my first DIY scarf as a test for a gift!), but couldn't get my butt up to run. I honestly feel not excited at all to be training for another race. I am excited to race, but not excited to be right back into the thick of marathon training. I tried to tell myself the things that motivate me like, "You never regret a workout" and "You drank a fair amount last night. Might be good to burn that off." I just couldn't get up.

Cat memes FTW

I started to think that maybe I'm not mentally ready to prep for another marathon and what good is it to force myself to do something I don't want to do? Do I want to grow to resent and hate running? No, but was that me just coming up with good excuses to be lazy? I don't know, honestly. I did 300 reps of the BodyRock 1000 rep workout, which kicked my booty, but was really fun. I am contemplating just taking the month of December easy (focus on running a few times a week, yoga, and cross training), starting ultra training in January, and bump down from the full to half marathon for the Surf City USA Marathon on Feb 5th. I don't really want to race a half marathon and a full marathon would be better prep for my ultra training, but the idea of training for a marathon right now sounds as awesome as pouring hot sauce into my eyes.

Who knows how I'll feel this week. Maybe I just had a bad weekend, but I'm hoping some that throughout the week, I can find my motivation. I've looked everywhere for it, but alas, it is elusive. Here's to hoping it comes back soon!

NCR Trail Marathon RR - Maniac Certified!

Can't believe I'm done racing for 2011. Where did the year go? For my last race of the year, I raced the NCR Trail Marathon in Sparks Glencoe, MD. When planning my fall marathon, I knew I'd race Philly. Later, I realized that I wanted to attempt joining the Marathon Maniacs, I found this race and knew I'd have to race it. So glad that I did!

I woke up early the race day and got myself ready. I was too tired to get everything ready the night before and I paid for this later. My mom/my race sherpa and I hopped in the car and started the 1.5 hour trek to the race location. About 45 minutes on the road, I realized I had left my Garmin watch at home. What was I going to do?! I downloaded the Nike+ app on my phone, hoping for the best.

After getting a bit lost, we found the location to be picked up (they had shuttles to the location). I got there, got my bib and chip, then met up with fellow Marine Corps Marathon Runner's World fourmite, Eileen. We chatted and got to know each other. So glad to meet her in person! Right before the race, another fourmite, Billy, joined us and we snapped his great photo:

Yay MCM fourmites!

Soon enough, the race started! To say this course was really different from Philly would be an understatement. The course was along a flat trail course (until the end, which was uphill. Yeesh!), with the surface mostly being crushed packed rocks. The race only had about 500-600 racers, which felt like so small compared to Philly.

Photo I snapped at the beginning of the course

About two miles into the course, my phone died (stupid Nike+ app taking up so much battery life). I honestly didn't know what to do since I had zero clue what pace I was running, but I couldn't stop, right? I ended up finding this redheaded guy ahead of me and stuck with him for as long as I could (I've got quite the love of redheads, so I had zero issues following him :D). 

Around the turn around point (it was a out and back course), I was hoping that I would get an idea of my pace, but the clock wasn't working. Around mile 15 or so, I was running next to a guy and asked him what pace we were running. He said we were running 8 minute mile pace. Um, that's too fast, but I kind of just went with it. I was able to keep up with the redhead and his fast pace until I passed him around mile 17 or 18. 

The last 9ish miles of the race were tough. I could feel racing the first 17 or miles too fast, so I could tell my pace was really slowing down. Normally, I would beat myself up about the pace, but I felt very zen and at peace with it. Instead of getting upset, I just told myself to keep going and finishing was all that mattered. 

The last 1.5ish miles are uphill and man, did they stink. Again, I somehow was just at peace with how slow I was and just cared about finishing. As I was coming up the last hill, I saw my mom/sherpa at the top. I just had to turn and run about 100 meters to the finish. My goal was just to finish the race and I told myself if I could break 4 hours, especially without a watch, I'd be over the moon. As I ran towards her to get to the finish, she yelled, "You're going to break 4 hours!" I literally stopped for two seconds to stop myself from choking up. I've cried when I've finished races, but this was the first one where I found myself on the brink of tears during a race. I pushed to the finish in a final time of 3:58:02, which is my second fastest marathon! So happy to have had a decent race and to have broken 4 hours!

The other great thing about finishing this race? I'm officially a Marathon Maniac (#4630). While I only have the bottom level entry, I'm just proud to be an official member!

I also raced in a dashiki. Why not, right? I raced my last two marathons in some sort of funny costume item, so I knew I had to keep up the streak. I found it in my brother's closet and loved racing in it. Racing in abnormal running items allows me to take myself and the race less seriously. How seriously can you take yourself when you race in a tutu? Not very, which is a good thing! Can't wait to race in more odd things in the future!

My next race won't be until the Surf City USA Marathon on February 5th, so I've got a few down months to train for that race. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!