New Record and exciting news

On Saturday,  I ran my first race since the Monumental. I ran the Jingle Bell 10K downtown. I met up with some of my Team In Training friends, and had a great race! The course was better this year and they had more water stops! I had a great time, and even though I didn't train much for it, I ran a Personal Record of 59:24! 

And now for the exciting news...

I am a nuunbassador! What is that? I am an ambassador for a hydration product called nuun. It's pretty great stuff that helped fuel me through some tough workouts during the marathon training. They are little, sugar-free electrolyte tablets that you can dissolve in water. There are some awesome flavors, like watermelon and pink lemonade, that make staying hydrated easier. Well, at least for me since I have a hard time drinking plain water.

It's been awhile...

Just a fair warning, this post might be long...

I've been thinking about my first marathon for a while now, and I finally am ready to share my feelings about it.

October 31, 2014: Race Packet Pickup & Expo

     I was super excited for this weekend and my parents went with me to get my bib and other race things. The expo wasn't as big as the Mini Marathon's was but it was still good. My mom and I went halfers on some runningskirts capri skirts and I bought a pair of socks.  After the expo, we went to the mall to kill a little time before our Team In Training Inspration dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory.  

     At the dinner, we were treated to various presentations and guest speakers. And at one point, Maggie, our campaign specialist, started reading one of my posts from my fundraising page. I broke down in tears writing it, and had to fight back the tears as she read it.  Someday, I'll copy it here. I was also named Indiana Chapter's Rookie of the Year, and my friend Janet won the spirit award.

     I also want to mention how crappy the weather was.  Last year it wasn't cold, but it was very rainy on Halloween. Luckily for me, it was snowing this year. Yes I said snowing in October. Being from PA, this was very common for me growing up. 

November 1, 2014: Race Day

     All of the Team In Training participants met up in a hotel lobby about a block away from the start line. Our coaches gave us a lot of last minute advice and at about 7:30 am, we headed out into the cold to get to the start, do bag check, etc. I stuck with my teammates and got around the five hour pace group leader. My A goal was to finish. My B goal was to finish inbetween 4 hour and 45 minutes and 5 hours. I thought that it was a realistic goal based off of my half marathon times. I figured that if I ran even 11 minute miles I would accomplish my B goal. 

     Miles 1-9: I ran these and felt great. There was plenty to see on the course and lots of people to talk to. My family was at cheering me on just after the first mile marker. Jesse ran most of these miles with me and helped me keep my splits pretty even. He dropped back around mile 7 as I continued to run and wave at the cars that were stuck in traffic.  

     Miles 10-15: These went pretty well, but I was starting to wear down. I had to take more walk breaks, but overall it wasn't bad. I came close to hitting my personal record for the half marathon. I honestly don't remember much of this part because there wasn't much to look at.

     Miles 16-18: the start of the uphill portion of the race. It was challenging, but I managed to stay close to my goal pace and toughed it out. I also ran through Greek row on Butler's campus.  It was cool seeing all of their houses. This part also ran through Indianapolis Muesum of Art, which is one of my favorite places to run.

     Miles 19-25: This was the absolute worst part of the entire marathon experience for me. I feel that this was because my training never hit the magical 20 mile mark and my fueling strategy needed work. I was super nauseous for most of these miles and I would run, feel sick, walk, feel better, try running again, feel sick, and so on. It was a vicious cycle that wrecked my goal pace. I am really thankful for the Team In Training coach that ran with me during this section.  I probably would have DNF if it wasn't for her. She managed to get me through until Mark (our Indy area coach) and then Scott pushed me through until mile 26.

     Mile 26-finish: I found a new friend who was going to get a PR in the marathon, so we decided to run together. She would get the crowd pumped up for me finishing my first marathon and I'd get them to cheer her on to her new PR. Our last Indy area coach, Leah, and Maggie were cheering us on about a half mile from the finish. This was the final boost I needed to get through. I crossed the finish line with a jump (not sure how in the world I managed this) and my mom caught an awesome picture of it.

This pretty much sums up my marathon experience. It was the most intense, interesting, difficult thing I have ever done. I spent months training, battled through some stupid injuries, battled "the suck", and finished with strength. I am unsure about completing any future marathons.  It might take me a while before I even consider it. But I am now part of the 1% of people who have finished a full 26.2 miles!

And then there were 10

Just 10 days left. Ten days stand between my first marathon and me, and I am ready. Well, almost ready. I'm thinking about updating my iPod, but I am trying to wait until payday. I am super excited for race weekend, since it is the first time my whole family will be here in Indy. Unfortunately, I will just be getting back to school from our lovely two week fall break, but I'm hoping to squeeze in so much needed family time when I can.
Training wise, I hit taper town last week, and have been trying to remain injury free.  This has been the biggest issue for me through the entire training cycle.  I think I have it all figured out, but only time will tell (between the Tendinitis and old injuries coming back to haunt me, it has been an experience).
The best part of this has been training with Team in Training.  I've only been in Indy for a year, but this has been a rewarding way to explore the city and meet new people. Plus, I get to run for a cause that is very near and dear to my heart.
The worst part of this has been the amount of energy training has zapped from me.  On my last real long run, I was exhausted. I have a lot going on in my life between work, private tutoring, coaching learn to skate, and training. Plus we crammed in a trip to Chicago to visit friends (unintentionally during the Chicago Marathon). It's been a lot, but I know it won't get any easier to do. I'm just grateful for the experience.
It's truly humbling, and I'm not sure if I'll ever run another marathon. You'll have to ask me after the race. Maybe I'll have something to prove after, or maybe I'll just stick with halfs.  Anyway it's time to get off of the Internet and get ready to run.

Fundraising, Training, and Tendonitis Oh My

First of all, I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone who has donated to my Team in Training™ efforts. Yinz are awesome, and I couldn't do it without you! 

Marathon training is hard. I don't want to sugar-coat it for those of you new to running. It truly sucks everything out of you. It's kind of like being on your period for 16 weeks. I am exhausted, cranky, sore, and emotional.  I'm injured. I've tried to push through, but last weekend it was too much.  I was supposed to complete two and a quarter hours (roughly 12-13 miles) with Team in Training. I cut it short-way short-after 3 miles. I'm mad at myself for cutting it short. I'm upset that I'm injured. I'm frustrated with where I am in my training. I'm terrified that I won't be ready. The little doubt monster has been creeping in..."drop to the half marathon, you know you can finish it." I'm doing little stuff-like buying new shoes-so I can get out of the slump.

But there are times of joy when I'm out running. Times where I feel like I could run forever. Times when my feet make music when they hit the ground. Moments, however fleeting, of pure happiness. Moments when I think about how amazing finishing the 26.2 miles will be. Moments when I think of the people in my life fighting cancer.  They are strong people who never back down. They give me strength on the days it is difficult to run.

I also feel that during all of this training, I've become a real runner. I don't always run with music anymore. I run with my team, enjoy conversations, listen to the sounds around me. I hear my footsteps, my breathing, the cicadas making horror-movie music (They are really freaking loud and creepy sounding here in Indiana).

This is my new moto for the marathon. I'm currently in a wave of pain. (Thanks! www.rungiarun.com)

The marathon journey begins...

Tomorrow is my first group training run with the fall Team in Training group! However it is at 6:45am. For those of you who don't really know me, I don't usually move from my bed until 7 am (except for work). Luckily, the group training is in Greenwood, which is a hop, a skip, and a jump away. We're heading out for an hour run, so I guess it'll be roughly 6 miles for me. I'm hoping my watch (which my lovely hubster got for me) will help me accurately pace close to a 10min/mi pace. My goal is to remain close to that for the marathon in November.

For those of you, who wish to support me, here's the link: http://pages.teamintraining.org/in/CHNIndi14/adavispm7x

If you read on that page, Lymphoma and I have a little bit of history. My mom beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma over 16 years ago, thanks in part to research done by Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has been a huge supporter throughout my life, encouraging me to do things and live life like tomorrow could be your last. And while our group has an honored hero, I'm running this race for my mom, who will be here in Indy cheering me on.

Me, Cinderella, and my mom at the Pasta in the Park Party before the Princess Half Marathon 2013.

My mom and I doing our best muscle poses by the Gaston Fountain.

Do you see what I mean? She is my biggest supporter in all things!

Summer Running

It's summer! And it's hot and muggy outside. I started week 2 of marathon training yesterday with a rest day.  I've decided that Mondays are total rest days since my long runs are on Sundays. 

Yesterday, my right knee decided it wants to be noticed and began hurting. It continued to hurt this morning, so I did some foam rolling to see if it would help.  (I should mention that between figure skating and taekwondo in my youth, I destroyed both of my knees. The right knee landed a single axel in the concrete puddle during skating, and the left knee was injured during a taekwondo board break trial.)

I would get to meet my team for Team In Training this week, but I am journeying home for one of my best friend's shower. I guess I will meet them in a week or two.  I am so excited to be a part of this program, and can't wait to run my first marathon with Team! If you'd like to donate and help me reach my goal, there's a link on the right hand of this page. I'm trying to reach $1000 dollars, so every little bit helps.

Another Half bites the dust...

June 7th, 2014-race day! I ran the Indy Women's Half Marathon. It was a pretty nice day for a race; the sun was shining, birds singing, and on the cooler side (we've been in the upper 80s for the better part of two weeks). I lined up with the 2:15 pace group, since that was my goal. I was hoping to be close to that or a little faster, but little did I know that my iPod and sensor combo had been acting goofy during my training. 

Anyway, we started a few minutes late, and I had kept up with the pacer for the first six-ish miles. That's about when the bigger climbs started. By mile marker six, my iPod had me at mile 7.5...there is something up with it for sure at this point. 

Miles 7-12 were difficult to say the least.  Very little shade, lots of up hills, and cranky motorists made for an interesting experience.  The course was partially open to traffic, but people still honked and were annoyed by streets being closed downtown.  I started to feel the heat and had difficulties breathing (mostly because I forgot to take my allergy meds before racing...oops). I also had some doubts about running the full marathon in November.  It was very tiring during the second half of the race, and it didn't help that my iPod had added 3 miles to my distance.

Overall, I was happy with this race. It was great to run a women only race, and I started talking to a lady from Evansville during the last few miles. Oh, and I ended up with a mighty large PR! 2:23:58 which beat my Princess Half time by roughly 21 minutes! I am super excited to know that I improved and beat my best!

Pictures from Saturday

Just wanted to share some pictures from Saturdays race!

Prerace!

Traffic jam in the finisher chute!

Wahoo!!!!!

I have been really slow at updating my blog, and I am really sorry about that.

Anyway, I raced for the first time since last December and had a pretty solid showing.  I ran the Fast Flash 5K Saturday and finished in 28:19.3.  I came in 95th out of 340 runners, third in my age group, and second from my school. The race sponsors the school district where I work. I'll have some pictures to add soon.

I also completed a 12 mile training run for the Women's Half after the race.  My pace was really good, and I ran negative splits! I am so happy with how my training has been going, and I hope that I will run this well in two weeks.

In my Team In Training news, I am accepting donations to wear honorees on my jersey.  All the details are on my fundraising page.  You can check it out here http://pages.teamintraining.org/in/CHNIndi14/adavispm7x.

This seems like a good idea now

But in a few months, it will be an even better idea!  I have committed to running my first FULL Marathon as part of Team In Training!  I have a goal to raise $1,000 to help fund research for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am beyond excited to take part in this and can't wait to SMASH my goal.  All of this money will go to fund research and programs to get rid of these types of cancer.  If you can find a small amount to donate, I will feel truly blessed by your generosity.  How do I donate?  Just click on the little widget below my archive.  It will take you to my fundraising page, where you can donate any amount.  You can also read how lymphoma has impacted my life.

Thank you in advance!!!

Ten miles, free comics, and new shoes.

So, I headed out for a ten mile training run in perpetration for the Indy Women's Half Marathon in June. I felt really good until the last mile when my intestines decided to take a turn for the worst. I think I must not have had rinsed out my new hydration belt bottles well.  

After that we headed out to get free comics and lunch with hubster's coworkers. Them we went to the mall and my favorite running store :) I dropped a wad of cash on some new running shoes and socks. For the first time ever, I bought two pairs during a trip...since I'm going to start training for a marathon soon, I figured it was time to buy two pairs to rotate through during training.

My beautiful new purchases (4 pairs of socks, a new pair of structures and Brooks GTS 14s)

Ugh indecision...

Once upon a time, a girl started a blog, updated it daily and ran like something was chasing her. Unfortunately life got it the way.  The girl had to up and move very quickly from western PA to Indiana in very little time.

The girl found a job in education and new running routes super quickly. She was happy.  She ran her first 10k and has a decent time to submit for half marathons. But then something happened. Winter came in full force, sidelining her running.  She was able to get back into her other sport of figure skating during the winter, but unable to run outside. Sure, there is the dreaded treadmill, but she can't run on it.  She tried multiple ideas to keep her going on the dreadmill. 

Finally, spring has returned and she is able to run outside once again. She manged to run 20 some miles last month.  She is now facing a new dilemma. To run the Indy mini or find a later half to run?

 

Back and at it.

I've been running a few times this month, with today being the longest run since December.  

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It's so cold

It's so cold in Indy today, that the city is shut down. Seriously.  It's a travel level red which means no one should be on the road except emergency vehicles. It's about -12F with a wind chill of -35F currently.  So, no going outside for anybody today.

Eeewww

I hate winter weather. I hate the dreadmill.  This is a horrible time of year for me, because the weather is unpredictable and cold.  It's not the cold that bothers me, but the fact that I don't know what's under the snow.  It could be ice or it could be just fine. I find running on the dreadmill boring and difficult at the same time.  It's boring to me because of the lack of scenery.  I do a little better when I watch a TV show, but I usually don't last more than 3 miles on it.  The dreadmill is challenging for me because I can't automatically adjust my speed. I tend to speed up and slow down when I'm running outside.

A while back, I ran the Indianapolis Jingle Bell Run/Walk 10k.  It was an extremely well run event.  Everything was so organized and had so many helpful volunteers.  My official time was 1:08.01 for the 6.2 miles. So now, I have a new record to break.