Photo taken by my mom near her house - January 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Pluggin' Along
Well I don't really have much to report. I've been lifting weights and doing some cross-training as well as a little running. I still feel pretty good as far as my conditioning goes but have lost a little bit of it I am sure. I have been having one little problem lately due to the nice beauty I received after the Chicago Marathon (the nice toe) - it seems to be getting more painful. It has since turned black over the majority of the toe but hasn't fallen off yet (the nail, not the toe). However, it's now to the point where if the toenail touches my sock in a certain way or the end of my shoe, it is soooo painful. Anyone know what this means? Everything I've read on the internet says you should get the blood drained. I really don't want to do that. Any thoughts?
Photo taken by my mom near her house - January 2007
Photo taken by my mom near her house - January 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Days of Summer...
Are long gone....
My nephew, Sawyer at the Cabin
My nephew, Louis
View of the lake by my parents house
Photo my boyfriend took at the zoo this summer
My nephew, Sawyer at the Cabin
My nephew, Louis
View of the lake by my parents house
Photo my boyfriend took at the zoo this summer
Monday, November 26, 2007
What's My Name?
First off, Happy Belated Thanksgiving. I hope you all were surrounded by your loved ones and ate lots of food!
Has anyone ever had one of those moments where it's almost like life goes in slow motion just for a few minutes and you ask yourself, how did I get to this point? Not that it's a bad point, but it's almost like time slows way down and you realize where you are, what you're doing and who you've become. Even though you've had a little control in some of those factors your entire life, it feels like life jumps out of it's routine for a few moments and you are a spectator standing back looking at where life dropped you for the moment. I had one of those moments today. I don't know the significance is and it's happened to me before but not for many, many years. I will say, it's very cool. Now, don't get me wrong, I think about who I am and where I am going all the time but this is different than that. Makes you appreciate and try to direct life and take charge instead of just hanging on for the ride!
Photo I took in Duluth in January 2004 or so
Has anyone ever had one of those moments where it's almost like life goes in slow motion just for a few minutes and you ask yourself, how did I get to this point? Not that it's a bad point, but it's almost like time slows way down and you realize where you are, what you're doing and who you've become. Even though you've had a little control in some of those factors your entire life, it feels like life jumps out of it's routine for a few moments and you are a spectator standing back looking at where life dropped you for the moment. I had one of those moments today. I don't know the significance is and it's happened to me before but not for many, many years. I will say, it's very cool. Now, don't get me wrong, I think about who I am and where I am going all the time but this is different than that. Makes you appreciate and try to direct life and take charge instead of just hanging on for the ride!
Photo I took in Duluth in January 2004 or so
Monday, November 19, 2007
You Make Training Fun...
Here is my sweet trainer I got for my birthday from the boyfriend. He even upgraded me and got me one better than the one I wanted!
It is my new best friend....
I know my house is a cluttered mess. I'm working on it! I have to move the chair obviously when I use it but I luuuuvvv it.
Oh and here are some photos of my cat in a box that make me laugh:
I know. I know. I am easily entertained.
Oh, one last thing, Happy Bday AmyB!!
It is my new best friend....
I know my house is a cluttered mess. I'm working on it! I have to move the chair obviously when I use it but I luuuuvvv it.
Oh and here are some photos of my cat in a box that make me laugh:
I know. I know. I am easily entertained.
Oh, one last thing, Happy Bday AmyB!!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Marathon Wrap Up - Finally!
Hey Guys! Sorry I have kind of fallen off the face of the earth again. I have had about four weeks where I haven't wanted to do much of anything as far as working out or posting. Not sure why but I've decided I've spent enough time not doing anything! So, thanks to all of you who have been checking in with me and asking about the race report. As promised, I'm finally getting to it!
I have nothing but great things to say about Iowa and the Des Moines Marathon. My boyfriend and I both fell in love with Des Moines. As many of you know, I entered this race almost immediately after getting back from Chicago. They were offering a discounted entry fee to all Chicago and Twin Cities runners. I knew I wanted to cross this off and didn't want to do the training again so I singed up. I was lucky enough that my boyfriend who is also a runner, signed up with me. He is MUCH, MUCH faster than me but agreed to slow down to my pace. So, we decided to drive down on Saturday morning. My day started out by getting up around 7:30 that morning and heading to Lifetime to sit in the hot tub. I thought that might be a good idea since riding in cars for long periods of time makes me uptight and after a while, my back starts screaming. So, that was a great way to start the day. I sat in the hot tub and watched the sun rise. It was great! I then ran home and packed a few last minute things in my bag. It is amazing how much crap I need for running. I don't think of myself as being a high maintenance person in any way. But, I must be a high maintenance runner. Finally, we left around 10:00 and started the long drive. Once in Iowa, we went to the expo to pick up our stuff. It was a pretty small expo but nice. Not a lot of people, easy to get in and look at stuff and easy to leave. We sat in on a speach by the race director. Interestingly enough, he welcomed all Des Moines and Chicago runners. It was kind of nice to actually see who the race director was. He talked about the course and then talked about the issues they had the week leading up to the marathon. Apparently, it had flooded in Iowa on part of the course. They weren't sure what to do and the Race Director said he didn't want to reroute the course. So, he bought, I believe it was, one ton of rock and spread it along the area that was flooded. Pretty creative huh? I was impressed. We then left and went back to the hotel, got something to eat and went to bed early.
The next morning, I was up by 5. We were out the door and on our way to the race by 6:15. When we arrived at the start line, it was unbelievable. No lines for the porta potties! We stretched and then I got my picture taken by Juice which apparently is a part of the Des Moines paper. Sounds like it's our version of Vita MN or City Pages. That was pretty cool. We then lined up. Unlike other marathons, the Des Moines 5kers, Half Marathoners and Marathoners all lined up together. We stood facing the State Capitol (which by the way, is very pretty) and soon, we were on our way. Surprisingly, I wasn't that nervous. I think it helped that I really didn't care too much about how I did, I just wanted it done. That took a lot of pressure off. The first few miles wind you through downtown and we started coming out of downtown by mile three. Then the hills started. I'll be honest, I cursed every day we did hill training over the summer. Especially since I kept telling myself it didn't matter and I didn't need to do hills because Chicago was flat! Well, needless to say, I was more than thankful we had hill training. It came in very handy in Iowa. It was a pretty hilly course. But, I was able to distract myself. I kept looking at the clothing on the girl in front of me, checked out her shoes and looked at the houses. Meanwhile, my boyfriend and I kept talking to each other. Before I knew it, we were at the top of the hill and on to the next one. One of my favorite things about the course was running through Drake Stadium. What a great facility! The track was so soft compared to running on the road and it felt great. They also put your photo up on the jumbo tron as you ran through the stadium. How cool is that?! Spectators were cheering from the stands and they had a band playing as we ran through. I was doing great hydration-wise. The Marathon had more than enough water and Gatorade for everyone so they were very well-prepared. I was taking what I could get for Gatorade. Which, was probably too much as I stopped twice to go to the bathroom. But, the best thing about that was NO LINES FOR THE BATHROOMS! I've never seen that at a half marathon or marathon before!! The race director said they actually brought in more water, Gatorade and bathrooms once they had more people signing up from Chicago and Twin Cities. I was feeling great and actually on schedule to finish around 4:45. Then, I hit my friend, mile 23. Imagine: a beautiful day, birds chirping, a slight breeze, and oh look, you see a deer in the distance! How gorgeous. It feels great to be alive. Now imagine me at mile 23: a storm rolls in, the winds pick up, a bird poops on your head as you run by and it starts to thunder. That is what it felt like mentally for me once I hit the end. (Neither one of those scenarios happened by the way but it was a drastic change)Everything hurt. My feet were so swollen and sore I couldn't believe it. All I wanted was someone to pick me up and give me a hot tub. My stomach started churning a little and I really debated about crying for a while. I though it might make me feel a little better?! My boyfriend was great, he let me walk when I needed to (which was A LOT miles 22-24) and kept encouraging me. Now, keep in mind, he had not really done a ton of training for this. I was amazed, he was doing great and much better shape mentally and physically than I was! But, I could not have finished when I did if it wasn't for him. Finally, we climbed yet another hill up to a bridge. I figured we had to be close by now didn't we? I asked one of the volunteers as my Garmin was off a little, "How much farther until the finish?!" He said, it's just around the corner! I looked at my watch, we were inching close to five hours. I knew I'd really have to kick it down to get to the finish in under five hours. So, we did, we both sprinted as fast as we could to the finish and crossed in 4:58:22. I was so glad to be done. I wasn't in as much pain as I thought I would be but my feet hurt worse than I expected. I didn't feel so good after being done which is normal for me after long races. Needless to say, having too much Gatorade made my stomach very nauseous and I threw up but hey, it wasn't too bad. I just don't think I want to see any Gatorade Endurance for a long time.
All in all, it was a ton of fun. I am really glad I got to do it. As I said before, I don't think I'll do another Marathon. Not that it was that horrific or anything, it really wasn't. Honest. I just have so many other things on my list to cross off. And, anyone who has ever done a marathon will tell you, the Marathon consumes your life. And it does. But, it was great and I have a new perspective on running and races because of the marathon. It really does teach you to respect the distance.
Now, on to training for PIGMAN! I'm coming back for my half iron Iowa!
I have nothing but great things to say about Iowa and the Des Moines Marathon. My boyfriend and I both fell in love with Des Moines. As many of you know, I entered this race almost immediately after getting back from Chicago. They were offering a discounted entry fee to all Chicago and Twin Cities runners. I knew I wanted to cross this off and didn't want to do the training again so I singed up. I was lucky enough that my boyfriend who is also a runner, signed up with me. He is MUCH, MUCH faster than me but agreed to slow down to my pace. So, we decided to drive down on Saturday morning. My day started out by getting up around 7:30 that morning and heading to Lifetime to sit in the hot tub. I thought that might be a good idea since riding in cars for long periods of time makes me uptight and after a while, my back starts screaming. So, that was a great way to start the day. I sat in the hot tub and watched the sun rise. It was great! I then ran home and packed a few last minute things in my bag. It is amazing how much crap I need for running. I don't think of myself as being a high maintenance person in any way. But, I must be a high maintenance runner. Finally, we left around 10:00 and started the long drive. Once in Iowa, we went to the expo to pick up our stuff. It was a pretty small expo but nice. Not a lot of people, easy to get in and look at stuff and easy to leave. We sat in on a speach by the race director. Interestingly enough, he welcomed all Des Moines and Chicago runners. It was kind of nice to actually see who the race director was. He talked about the course and then talked about the issues they had the week leading up to the marathon. Apparently, it had flooded in Iowa on part of the course. They weren't sure what to do and the Race Director said he didn't want to reroute the course. So, he bought, I believe it was, one ton of rock and spread it along the area that was flooded. Pretty creative huh? I was impressed. We then left and went back to the hotel, got something to eat and went to bed early.
The next morning, I was up by 5. We were out the door and on our way to the race by 6:15. When we arrived at the start line, it was unbelievable. No lines for the porta potties! We stretched and then I got my picture taken by Juice which apparently is a part of the Des Moines paper. Sounds like it's our version of Vita MN or City Pages. That was pretty cool. We then lined up. Unlike other marathons, the Des Moines 5kers, Half Marathoners and Marathoners all lined up together. We stood facing the State Capitol (which by the way, is very pretty) and soon, we were on our way. Surprisingly, I wasn't that nervous. I think it helped that I really didn't care too much about how I did, I just wanted it done. That took a lot of pressure off. The first few miles wind you through downtown and we started coming out of downtown by mile three. Then the hills started. I'll be honest, I cursed every day we did hill training over the summer. Especially since I kept telling myself it didn't matter and I didn't need to do hills because Chicago was flat! Well, needless to say, I was more than thankful we had hill training. It came in very handy in Iowa. It was a pretty hilly course. But, I was able to distract myself. I kept looking at the clothing on the girl in front of me, checked out her shoes and looked at the houses. Meanwhile, my boyfriend and I kept talking to each other. Before I knew it, we were at the top of the hill and on to the next one. One of my favorite things about the course was running through Drake Stadium. What a great facility! The track was so soft compared to running on the road and it felt great. They also put your photo up on the jumbo tron as you ran through the stadium. How cool is that?! Spectators were cheering from the stands and they had a band playing as we ran through. I was doing great hydration-wise. The Marathon had more than enough water and Gatorade for everyone so they were very well-prepared. I was taking what I could get for Gatorade. Which, was probably too much as I stopped twice to go to the bathroom. But, the best thing about that was NO LINES FOR THE BATHROOMS! I've never seen that at a half marathon or marathon before!! The race director said they actually brought in more water, Gatorade and bathrooms once they had more people signing up from Chicago and Twin Cities. I was feeling great and actually on schedule to finish around 4:45. Then, I hit my friend, mile 23. Imagine: a beautiful day, birds chirping, a slight breeze, and oh look, you see a deer in the distance! How gorgeous. It feels great to be alive. Now imagine me at mile 23: a storm rolls in, the winds pick up, a bird poops on your head as you run by and it starts to thunder. That is what it felt like mentally for me once I hit the end. (Neither one of those scenarios happened by the way but it was a drastic change)Everything hurt. My feet were so swollen and sore I couldn't believe it. All I wanted was someone to pick me up and give me a hot tub. My stomach started churning a little and I really debated about crying for a while. I though it might make me feel a little better?! My boyfriend was great, he let me walk when I needed to (which was A LOT miles 22-24) and kept encouraging me. Now, keep in mind, he had not really done a ton of training for this. I was amazed, he was doing great and much better shape mentally and physically than I was! But, I could not have finished when I did if it wasn't for him. Finally, we climbed yet another hill up to a bridge. I figured we had to be close by now didn't we? I asked one of the volunteers as my Garmin was off a little, "How much farther until the finish?!" He said, it's just around the corner! I looked at my watch, we were inching close to five hours. I knew I'd really have to kick it down to get to the finish in under five hours. So, we did, we both sprinted as fast as we could to the finish and crossed in 4:58:22. I was so glad to be done. I wasn't in as much pain as I thought I would be but my feet hurt worse than I expected. I didn't feel so good after being done which is normal for me after long races. Needless to say, having too much Gatorade made my stomach very nauseous and I threw up but hey, it wasn't too bad. I just don't think I want to see any Gatorade Endurance for a long time.
All in all, it was a ton of fun. I am really glad I got to do it. As I said before, I don't think I'll do another Marathon. Not that it was that horrific or anything, it really wasn't. Honest. I just have so many other things on my list to cross off. And, anyone who has ever done a marathon will tell you, the Marathon consumes your life. And it does. But, it was great and I have a new perspective on running and races because of the marathon. It really does teach you to respect the distance.
Now, on to training for PIGMAN! I'm coming back for my half iron Iowa!
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