Sunday Runday 11 miles

Perhaps the alternate title for this post should be "or the run I thought I would die on". For some reason, yesterday's run was really tough. It took every ounce of my willpower to keep going and finish the run. But, I drove to my starting point on the trail, so what other option did I have? Couldn't exactly just stay where I was!

Here's how my run broke down:

The first few miles were pretty easy. There are a few hills along the way, but I was feeling ok. This run follows a paved trail along the highway, then brings me into a little town. I run through the town, pick up the paved trail on the other side of town, then turn around and backtrack to my car. Once I hit the town, I was starting to feel tired. That's right around mile 5, where you can see my pace slowed. 

I ate some energy chews and gave myself a little pep talk. Mile 6 is also in town, then back to the trail. There were multiple times in the first 4 miles where I looked at my watch and thought "Alison, slow down, you don't need to go so fast!" But for some reason, I have a hard time slowing myself down. It's like I only have one gear in any particular run. Honestly, there's also a little bit of pride involved. There's a little voice at the back of my head that says "hey, if you're feeling good at this pace now, maybe you can just keep it up."

Well, I'll tell you what: those last 4 miles were like slow torture. Somehow I kept a sub-9 min/mile pace, even though it was not intentional. I felt like I was running at a slug's pace. My legs were on fire for a short time, and I kept debating whether I should take a walking break or not. But then I'd think that walking would only mean it would take longer to finish, so I should just keep trudging along. 

That last mile was rough. I literally counted down every .10th of a mile. The only reason I finished it was by giving myself a pep-talk, gritting my teeth and just doing it. But it was not fun.

I'm not sure what really happened, given that my last long run was 10 miles and a lot easier that this one. I think there are several factors leading up to this poor run: I skipped a long run last weekend because I ran a 5K instead, I maybe didn't fuel properly the day before, and I may not be using the right kind of fuel during my runs. 

Every training material I've read says that you should have a "rest" week where you run a little less. I thought doing the 5K would be a good "rest" week, and didn't really want to do 4 days of running in a row. That may have been a bad decision. I also may not have eaten enough carbs the day before running; this is something I'm still playing with. Too many carbs: digestive upset, too few and I don't have enough energy. I'm also going to start looking into different options to eat while I'm running, maybe something with a little more salt. 

Also, it just could have been a bad day, or I could have just been running too fast. Who knows, but I'm glad it's behind me!

Have you had a run like this? Did you change anything up to make the next one better?

Wednesday Love

Today I'm trying to be positive, in light of the rain and snow that is falling outside my window. So here's something I'm totally loving on right now:

These little chocolate covered acai and blueberry goodies. I've heard that acai is good for you, but I wasn't really sure why. So off to Wikipedia I went, my trusted source for all things that could possibly be true. (Hey, it is the internet). There are a lot of purported health benefits to the acai berry, "rich" in antioxidents, including weight loss, and reversal of diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

Apparently the FDA has not done any studies on the health benefits of the acai berry, so any claim made is unproven at the moment. The acai berry has less antioxidents than the blueberry, but more than an orange. So, there's that.

In any event, these little treats are good. At a whopping 170 calories for 16 pieces though, I have to limit myself slightly. But they are the perfect mix-in with a handful of walnuts for a tasty little afternoon snack. Yum!

HOPE Springs 5K

Good morning readers!

This weekend was full of activities, and topping the list was the HOPE Springs 5K! I was really worried about the weather, but the rain/snow held off and we had a breezy run in 35 degree weather. Something I'm pretty comfortable in, but I know a lot of the other runners were cold.

The race started at the hospital which is only 2 blocks away. I picked up my race packet the night before, and we planned to get there with plenty of time for parking, stretching, and whatnot. Luckily we did, because we managed to lock our keys in the house before we left, so we had to break into the house just to get the car keys! Ridiculous!

We made it with more than enough time to go inside and check out all the raffle giveaways, plus say hi to some people we know. I love small town races because there's no corrals or squeezing in. You just line up behind the start line and when they say go, off you go.

The race started off well, except one guy fell over the time mat. A few people stopped to help him up. I totally would have if I had been closer. I like the start of this race because there's a big downhill right at the beginning. Then you feel like you're flying! But I did have to tell myself to slow down a bit. We're just getting started here!

Last year, I finished this 5K in 27 minutes even. My goal for this year was to get in under that. I was checking my pace the entire way, and felt really fast. A few times I looked down and saw that I was doing about 8:15ish - 8:30 min/mile. I alternated between "can I really keep this pace up?" and "Man, I am rocking this!" With only about a mile left to go, I decided to just hold steady. I had plenty of time to meet my goal.

Remember that hill we got to scream down in the beginning? Yea, well we have to go up that to get to the finish line, too. There was a girl wearing a bright pink shirt that I had been trailing for about half a mile. I  knew if I could just keep her in my sites, then I was good.

Me: white vest.

Here I am blasting past her up the hill. I was on fire! I turned the corner and sprinted to the finish line. I was so excited to look down and see my time:

PR baby! What's even better? My official chip time was 25:56!! I am pretty pleased with that, thankyouverymuch. Couldn't have done it without my little cheer squad.

Emily thinks I'm the best runner in the world.

So, I'm on a high from racing this weekend. Anyone else have a "toot my own horn" worthy weekend?

Easter Recap

Hello blog world!

This is a little late, but Happy Belated Easter! We had a great day, despite a few bumps along the way.

Since I'm training for a half-marathon right now, and I have a 5K this weekend, I knew I needed to do my long run regardless of the holiday. My plan was to run on Saturday, but our weather included freezing rain, ice, and 22mph winds. Not gonna happen. So I sucked it up and got up super early to run before church. Early as in I saw the sun rise.

The weather was actually beautiful, and I had an awesome run. I'm not sure if I was just in a hurry, or maybe all my training work is helping, but my overall pace was 8:56 min/mile. I ran 10 miles in 1:29:21. Last weekend I ran 9.5 miles in 1:28:50. I was hauling butt, ya'll!

When I returned at 7:50, Emily had just started eating breakfast. I figured our timing was perfect to find her basket and get on the road to church by 9:15. Travis decided to run a covert ops mission for basket hiding this year though, which I had not planned on at all. A little much for a 2 1/2 year old if you ask me. So after some helpful guidance from mom, Emily finally found her basket in the kitchen cabinet.

You wish you were as cool as my kid. 

After discovering what the Easter Bunny brought, I raced upstairs to take a shower. I was making good time and almost done getting ready when I finally heard Travis bring Emily upstairs to get dressed. I listen to them talk about putting her tights on, and her pretty dress. Then I hear:

"Emily, NO!!!".......SPLASH.....

My husband felt it necessary to bring his coffee upstairs to aid in getting clothes on, and of course my daughter spilled it all over her Easter dress. Wonderful...

So I made a mad dash for the dress, rinsed out the coffee in the bathroom sink to the best of my abilities, and threw it in the dryer. It was now 8:45, and I was praying that it dried enough. Cue small crying fit about ruining her dress, having to convince her that everything will be ok, and now being in a slight panic about getting everything together in time. Thankfully, the dress dried in time, and you can't even see the stain. I can, but that's because I'm  mom. Thank God for busy prints!

My adorable girl!

In the end, we made it to church on time and Emily was beautifully behaved through the service. Afterwards, we spent the day at the in-laws playing outside, lounging around watching movies, and eating way too much food.

It was a good day!

How was your Easter? 
Do you have any laundry tips for possibly set in coffee stains?

Runners Tell All Linkup: Go Before You Go

It's once again time to link up with fellow runner bloggers via The Lady Okie!




This month's topic is sharing a bad race or training experience and what you learned from it.

Without grossing you out with too many details, I will admit that my worst training experience (by far!) was a 5 mile run cut short by the call of nature that required a shower immediately upon returning home. 'Nuff said, right?

Since then, I've had a few more occasions where I've had to become one with nature because I was too far from home, but thankfully they are becoming a rarity. Thank God!

I've learned the hard way, that you have to go before you go. Also, I have to pay attention to what I'm eating before I run, as well as the day before I do a long run or race. Every runner is different, but lighter is better for me. I cannot do a huge spaghetti dinner the night before a race. I've learned that lean protein and veggies are better for me. I love to eat fish the night before a big run.

The morning of I prefer a Honey Stinger Waffle. I know some people can eat an entire bagel or toast with peanut butter, but that usually ends in disaster for me. I bring along energy chews to continue fueling during a long run. An embarrassing secret: I also take 2 immodium. Just to be safe.

If you're not a runner, this is probably totally grossing you out. I'm sorry. But, unfortunately, it is the nature of the beast. Running messes with your digestive system like no other. There's a lot of sloshing around, and more blood pumping, and general increase of "flow". You gotta do what you gotta do. I know it seems crazy that we runners would put up with all this just to run a little bit longer, but once you get addicted to those endorphins, they're hard to resist!

So, now that I've told you my dirty secrets, what are yours? Worst training experience?

Thursday Confessions

I saw this on another blog I follow (Run, Eat, Repeat), and thought it was a good idea. Here's some confessions about me:

1. I started using Instagram but I have no idea what goes on there or why I'm using it. I take pictures and post them? You take pictures and post them? We look at each other's pictures? I don't get it.

2. I read an article about brain healthy foods that help fight exercise fatigue. Basically 99.9% of the items listed are not things in my daily diet. So, I'm trying to incorporate more walnuts, eggs, and avocados. However, I'm quickly learning that I don't really love walnuts, eggs, and avocados. I like guacamole, does that count? But I'm sitting here eating my walnuts, grudgingly, because they're "brain food".

3. I am very much a type A person, and might have a little OCD. I hate the joke how it should be CDO though, because it's alphabetically correct then. To a dyslexic person maybe...

4. I know that I come off as pushy and overbearing sometimes because of #3. I try to calm that down a little, but I'm not always successful. Like with my Ragnar Relay team. MUST GET ALL THE THINGS DONE TODAY. < truly how I feel, deep down. Not sorry.

5. I have not read any classic books like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Dracula, etc. Yes, I was an English major in college. I focused on children's lit/young adult lit because those classes were way more interesting. And fun.

6. I ran on the treadmill today because we got a trace amount of snow last night, and I'm sick of dealing with it. I've put on a brave face (and 15 layers of clothes) for far too long. Over it!

7. I'm overly excited about Easter this year, because this is the first year that we're putting mostly candy in Emily's basket. I fully intend on eating half of it. Including the peanut butter filled chocolate rabbit I bought. That sucker has my name all over it.

What would you like to confess? I can't promise you absolution, but it's fun to let it out :o)

There's a Fungus Among Us

We think. That's kind of gross, right? Here, let me explain.

Emily has a little bald patch on the back of her head, slightly off center to the right. I noticed it about a week ago, and said something to Travis about it. He said "oh yea, she had some hair come out after her bath a few weeks ago." He typically gives her baths while I do dinner dishes. I was kind of surprised that he wouldn't say something about that...

Of course my mind jumped to the worst possible conclusions on my wee-one's hair loss. But, I tried to stay calm and think of other explanations. The in-law's came over for dinner on Sunday, and I showed my mother-in-law. She suggested taking her to the doctor, just to be safe.

I know, rather safe than sorry.

So yesterday I called the nurse's line first, hoping that they could easily explain it away. They asked a billion questions like was it itching? painful? red? was she pulling at it? did she complain of pain? using new bath soap? lots of pony tails? etc....

No. The answer is mostly no to all those questions. She just has a thin spot, which is weird in itself. I thought, maybe, that she was losing some baby hair? The nurse nicely told me that that doesn't really happen. Ok. They suggested taking her in to the doctor as well, just to be safe. Ok! I get it. I'll take her in. We hung up, and the nurse called back not 5 minutes later to suggest that maybe it was ringworm. Ringworm!?!? No, it's not ringworm. I know what that looks like and this isn't it. But again, we'd rather be safe than sorry.

I was able to get an appointment for Emily yesterday, kind of right away. Shocking! Anyway, the doctor looked at it, we ruled out all the other possible things that I discussed with the nurse, and she finally decided that it could have been a fungus. Basically because it was just one patch. The hair is already starting to grow back though, so it's not ongoing or contagious. Phew!

She prescribed a topical anti-fungal cream that we get to use for 2 weeks, and then we go see a dermatologist just to make sure it's really gone. So, that's going to cost me a pretty penny. For what is probably nothing.

So now I have to wash all of Emily's sheets, pillows, hats, stuffed animals, etc. She gets to have a gunky head for two weeks. But, if it "cures" whatever is going on there and her hair comes back in, then it's worth it.

Oh the glamorous life of a parent...

Side note: did you know there was a lunar eclipse last night resulting in the very rare blood moon? I did not get up at 2:30 in the morning to check it out, but I'm seeing pictures from Facebook friends. Did you see it?