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Recap part deux

By DragonLady on March 19, 2013

I am in a much better mental state than I was yesterday so maybe I will do more of a race recap. Ok, maybe I am not in a better mental state, but I can write more about race day without being snarky and judgmental, and maybe purge some of the angst from myself so I can write about what I really want to write about.

I can’t tell you how much I love having heated seats. You really can’t beat them when you are wearing running tights and your butt is cold. This is one of the reasons I drive us to races. Karyn has fallen in love with my seats too. But that really isn’t all that relevant. I just want to express how much I am thankful for heated seats.

I bought a parking pass when I registered, and was so glad because I wasn’t up for a shuttle to/from NetApp to the race site. I get motion sickness, and bus rides are pure torture for me. Anyway, so we head up there and I am thinking that I know what road to turn onto from Hwy 55, but I was wrong and so we had a little not so scenic side trip before I stopped and looked at the directions again. Anyway, so we get there, and the lot was nearly full, and as the guy was directing me into a slot, a car whipped in behind him and got it. It was the last slot, too. The guys manning the traffic at the street had let 2 cars into the lot more than there were slots for. These things happen, and they are just volunteers. I ain’t hatin’. Except on the person who slot blocked me. Anyway, the 2 of us extra vehicles got to park in VIP parking. “Yo, VIP!”

I actually ate some of the gummy fuel things they were giving out. I keep pretending that didn’t happen as I know they are just sweetened chemicals. So really, eating the gluteny pizza was not the only “food” fail. And then there was the stop at Starbucks afterwards. And why can’t every Starbucks make a triple venti caramel macchiato with extra caramel the same? Tasted great last week on post. Tasted like mostly espresso there. Eh, what do you do?

Did I mention I could barely walk yesterday? I’m still sore today, but mainly in my back.

I really really hate this “song” and always have, but since I referenced it…

This entry is filed under Diet, Exercise, Fail, Humor, Ramble, Running, Training Tuesday. | 2 Comments

“It’s raining again…”

By DragonLady on February 26, 2013

Karyn and I did our 2nd race of the 13 in 2013 Saturday, and it was one of those where we were so glad it was just a 5k. It was cold, and it rained. We sat in the parking lot for about half an hour trying to either force ourselves out or take a nap.

Pre-race:

We are always all smiles before the race, and she said we should start taking pictures after the races when the smiles are gone. You can check out the Miles for Missions race photos on Facebook and find photos of us crossing the finish line and see for yourself the absence of smile and the grimace of beat the clock.

Anyway, that whole race sucked because the combination of rain and cold. It would have been a great race otherwise because while there were a couple long hills, they weren’t steep. Right away I picked out someone and determined that she was not going to beat me. I was going to catch up, and pass. Only she was smoking me, and I wanted to quit. But then this young girl who I estimate was about 10, started pushing me, and pacing me. Now when I say pacing, I mean she would sprint for a while and then walk. Hills, you know. She was very encouraging, and kept me going. And then the lady I said wasn’t going to beat me, dropped to a walk, and as I passed her, I took the time to say, “Come on, you got this!” That was Molly speaking through me. I did end up beating her by a few seconds, but I waited in the rain at the finish line for her to high-five her because she was a trooper. And I picked up one of her gloves that she dropped, and wanted to return it to her. lol And after we made it inside I made sure to find that little girl and thank her for keeping me going. Yeah, she took off and left me during the last stretch.

We were so soaked. Despite my efforts to avoid big puddles, my feet still got soaked. My torso stayed dry(ish) because of the poncho, but that was all that was dry. I didn’t have a chipped bib (registration fail on my part), so my only “official” time was me eyeballing the clock as I crossed the finish line at exactly 37 minutes, which I was trying to beat from the time I got close enough to focus on the clock and see that it was 36:20. I guess my push wasn’t all that. But I had soggy feet. Yeah, that’s it.

2 weeks in a row it has rained on Saturday. I hope we get a dry Saturday this weekend for our 11 miler.

This entry is filed under Exercise, Photos, Running, Training Tuesday, Video.

“Bad hills!”

By DragonLady on February 12, 2013

A few days ago I had a dream that my friend Brenda came to visit me. Now, as an aside, she has been planning a trip out here for months, and we even plan on running a race together while she’s here. That’s reality. In the dream, she had signed us up for a marathon. And when she told me what it was I flipped out! She said it was the RunRaleigh marathon, which in reality is just a half, but in the dream it was the Raleigh City of Oaks full marathon. And this is why I flipped out because I only did the Rex Heathcare half, and would have died if I’d had to run another 13.1 of that route. So I told her, “Heck no! Hills, Brenda. Bad hills!” I told her of this dream the other night and she was quick to point out that she would not ever sign us up for a marathon because she has no plans to ever run another marathon.

Saturday was a 9 miler on the training plan Karyn did for us, and between the cold and errands, we decided to each do 9 on our own this week, do our 10 at CCCC, and then do the 11 & 12 on the American Tobacco Trail which will be part of the actual route for next month’s half. I must point out that this whole time we have been training, I have been avoiding both CCCC and Kiwanis because I haven’t been able to bring myself to do those hills over and over for multiple laps. I decided I would do the 3.4 mile loop by my house in enough laps to equal 9 miles. But then I got up Saturday morning, and changed my mind about that route, and did what is typically my 4 mile route but added on another road which was an out and back 5 miler. I knew it was hilly, but I really did not understand what it would be like running 2.5 miles of uphill. Oh, man, that was rough! I kept reminding myself that I did a hilly 10k the week before, and therefore, I could make it back to the 6 mile point and, if necessary, walk the last 3 miles.

I made it back, and was hoofing it slowly up a light grade, and finally decided I was done. So I walked a little bit until my legs felt a little better then tried to start running again. I made it about a block, and gave up the run and dropped to a walk. After the turnaround with less than 2 miles left, I noticed a burning near my right ankle. So, the last mile and a half was more of a limp. Apparently my sock had dropped and my shoe rubbed a killer chafe just under my ankle. Anyway, I spent that last mile and a half forcing myself NOT to call the hubster to come and get me. Just as I got back to our driveway he called and instead of saying “Hello” I answered with “COME AND GET ME!” If I hadn’t answered, he was going to come look for me because I had been gone over 2 hours.

So, I will just say that my quest to avoid hills was folly, and I have paid with sore knees, hips, and back.

And this was my run for Sherry only I forgot my bib until after I was half way down the driveway, and I knew if I went back for it, I would never run at all.

No smile. Only a grimace because I was hurtin’!

This entry is filed under Exercise, LinkWhoring, Photos, Running, Training Tuesday. | 2 Comments

Tuesday randomness

By DragonLady on February 5, 2013

1. I had the flu a couple of weeks ago. The last time I remember being that sick for that long was when I was 16 and had a ruptured appendix. It was the flu my parents used to get when I was a kid that would put them each down for a week while I managed to avoid it, or just have a 24 hour episode of it. The 4th day, I stood in the shower praying for death. Then I went back to bed, had a meltdown on the hubby, started coughing, and nearly puked on him. He ordered me to stay in bed the rest of the day, and I didn’t argue. And he made me potato soup for 2 days. He also twice picked up food from La Dolce Vita for me.

2. The weekend prior to getting the flu, I made a spontaneous decision to get the kids up and go to Wilmington for the weekend. Since Karyn and I are running the Bay Six Half Marathon, and are in training for it, I had a long run that was supposed to take place that weekend. 7 miles to be precise. So I got up that Sunday morning and headed down to the fitness room in the hotel confident that I could easily do 7 treadmill miles. I did about 4.25 miles and fast walked nearly another mile in a futile attempt to get the full 7 in. However, it was at least 200 degrees in that room. Celcius. That may be an exaggeration. Later I went back down and noted that the thermostat was turned off which explained why it got so flippin’ hot in there.

3. This past weekend, Karyn and I ran a 10k. It was 17 degrees (fahrenheit) when I left my house. It was 22F when we left Karyn’s house. After the race, and after we had gone into Fayetteville to get me a vanilla spice latte from Starbucks, the temp got up to 34F. Yeah, it was cold. I hadn’t run in 2 weeks, and I was done at mile 2. I don’t know how I kept going, and I sure don’t know how I managed to run the full 6.2 miles especially going up that last hill. But I did, and Karyn got to see me have an asthma attack from the finish line through the shuttle ride back to the high school where we parked. She says I am a machine for being able to run like that. I really cannot fathom how I am able to do a long run after not running at all for 2 weeks and the previous run being a DNF. I should not be able to do it. And Anderson Creek should be renamed Anderson Hills. Just sayin’.

4. The hubby and his friends finally got the roof done, and all the broken out windows have been replaced/repaired. They are nearly done with Chad’s bedroom, and are working on the suite bathroom upstairs.

5. I am almost finished with the scarf I have been knitting for Chad. He may or may not ever wear it, but it’s the same shade of blue as his beloved hoodies.

6. I am going to try crocheting some doilies after Opal said she tackled round crochet before getting squares down. And anyway, doilies are what I want to crochet anyway.

7. I need to do another food detox. I also have to accept that I have to give up cheese. And I got glutened again, probably while I had the flu and was too sick to do the dishes resulting in cross-contamination. But, it could also be the Harris Teeter sushi. So I have to lay off of that for a while because even though I get the ones that do not contain wheat on the label, I am sure cross-contamination still occurs.

8. Jamie is taking guitar this semester, and so she demanded an acoustic that doesn’t buzz. While I was sick she talked me into giving her mine. So I went and bought a new acoustic last week, which was no easy task for me to choose. However, I picked one with a cutaway rather than the one with the better tone, and then ended up regretting my decision all the way home. But then Jamie saw the new one and wanted it, so it was a win since I got my Alvarez back from her.

9. Somehow we ended up with a house full of teenage boys Sunday. It really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Connor came home from church with us, and at some point Jamie was out of the house, and when she came back, Aaron and Alex were there and she started yelling, “Get out of my house!” Of course no one left. lol

10. Did not watch the Superbowl.

This entry is filed under Diet, Exercise, Family, Hobby, Life, LinkWhoring, Ramble, Running, Training Tuesday. | 2 Comments

So now I can just relax

By DragonLady on November 13, 2012

Let me repeat what I said when I got to mile 11 of the half marathon: “You only have 2 more miles and then you never have to run again!” But, then my knees quit hurting, and the reality of the fact that I actually ran* 13.1 miles sunk in and I was like “Yeah, I can do that again.” Sort of.

I certainly cannot do that run again, hilly or flat, without some additional training besides just running. While I can run faster and longer since I lost weight, the loss of fat around my knees have not really been replaced by muscle, and so that old problem of too much side to side kneecap movement is a problem again. This also (I think) is causing some knee rotation which affects both my ankles and hips. So, I will be working on strengthening my knees to build up muscle and decrease patella movement.

Also, I need to work on core. This, too, affects everything from the waist down. That and I would love to see some definition back in my upper body. There is still a significant amount of flab under my arms and on my back in addition to the spare tire I am still carrying around. My doctor told me that my weight is now fine, and that I just need to concentrate on fitness rather than weight loss. So I am not looking so much to lose weight as to firm and tone.

And now that I am no longer hurting from the half, I am thinking that I might get up the nerve to run a full next year. I’m mostly committed to another half in March (I told Karyn she would probably be able to talk me into it, but I haven’t registered yet), and how I perform in that will determine finally if I will shoot for a full…which Karyn will have to do with me.

I ran 3 miles Saturday because 1) I’ve been registered for a 5k on Dec 1 since like August and 2) Karyn talked me into an 8k Thanksgiving morning. So I made myself run even though I absolutely did not want to. It was cold, and I didn’t wait long enough after using my inhaler so I wheezed and gasped for 2 of the 3 miles. I booked it pretty well the last half mile because I had to use the bathroom. Yes, you all need to know that. If I’d ran more than 3 miles, there would have been an accident. Just sayin’.

And finally, since the DragonLady refuses to run in the dark alone, she is going to join the YMCA because she is pretty sure that would be cheaper than buying a treadmill with a wide track. I couldn’t use the one we had because I stagger too much when I run, and the track was just too narrow for me. The hubster was fine with it, but we sold it because it was mainly collecting dust…much like our elliptical and stationary bike and Bowflex.

So, yeah, I guess I can’t really relax relax. But, I have a couple of weeks before half marathon training begins again.

*Run is a relative term. Trot/slow jog would have better described the last 3-4 miles since there were walkers passing me.

This entry is filed under Exercise, Ramble, Running, Training Tuesday. | 8 Comments

CARA 10K Race Recap

By DragonLady on August 28, 2012

Saturday morning I ran in the CARA-Run For Their Lives 10K. Last year I had intended to attempt the 5K, but then Irene happened and the make up race was on a Sunday. Anyway, I suggested to Karyn that we do this 10k as we train for the half-marathon she talked me into running. We headed over there Saturday morning thinking we had a good idea how the course was going to be.

Even my double chin is smiling

See how we are all smiles before we started? Poor Esther has now been accused of being a photobomber. She and another BCRT runner were in the starting line with Karyn and I. I should have been in the very back with the walkers, but whatever. lol The gun went off and we all took off.

Note that Esther and the lady in the yellow shirt (whose name I cannot recall) are still even with me, and I pointed out Karyn’s shoe and how far ahead she already was. I was not properly prepared for the gun and so I was still starting my music on my iPod. That would be the last I saw of any of those 3 until their final mile. When we headed up into the neighborhood, I realized my folly in not actually driving that part of the route. Hills. Awful hills. When the 5k folks caught up and mingled with us, another Tribe member, Jim, came up behind me as I was groaning uphill and said “Hills are your friend.” I mustered up all of my self-control and didn’t punch him in the ear, and instead just croaked out “NO! They are NOT!” He laughed, told me I was doing great & to keep it up and then virtually disappeared. Ok, he didn’t really run that fast, but he still quickly ran off and left me. I say that like I was alone with a bunch of other runners. haha! I was pretty much following another lady and trying not to let her get too far ahead (especially in the neighborhood). That last neighborhood hill was the one that almost had me puking.

Finally we emerged from the neighborhood maze (and there were enough turns that it felt like a maze), and headed back down to the trail. Now I run the Endor Trail nearly every Tuesday with the BCRT, so I know it like the back of my hand, and it has what several of us have dubbed the worst hill ever in the world. But just one side of the hill, and that was going to be the last big hill before heading back to Kiwanis Park. In my mind I booked it up the Carbonton side. Coming back from Spring Lane was going to be bad, and I knew it because it ALWAYS kills me. But it didn’t. Weird.

Finally, though, I was back in the park headed to the finish line. Click to embiggen because it’s thumbnail size or full for this photo for some reason.

Cue “Gonna Fly Now”

Karyn was waiting on me and snapped that as I was crossing the finish line. This is one of the few times I’m glad it was a rear shot because I know my face was contorted in pain. My chip time was 1:13:12 and gun time 1:13:21 with a pace of 11:50. Not my fastest run, but I am happy with anything under 12. Esther placed 2nd in our age group, and I wasn’t last. Karyn placed 5th in her age group. It was hard to get around Sunday, especially anything that involved bending my knees with my full weight. It still hurts to walk downstairs today, and I cannot say I am looking forward to tonight’s run.

This entry is filed under Exercise, Life, Photos, Running, Training Tuesday. | 6 Comments

After a year

By DragonLady on August 7, 2012

It has now been just over a year since Molly ~~forced~~ talked me into joining a running club with her. July 26, 2011 was my first run (the 2nd BCRT run), and I am pretty sure all I did was walk 2 miles instead of running 3. This would be followed by several months of mostly walking the 3 miles, if I did the 3. Here’s how I looked (from behind) in August of last year:

I left Petra in this cropped photo (that I shamelessly stole from BCRT’s FB album which contains several unflattering rear shots of me) because I am like twice as big as her. I know, I’m freakishly tall. lol

This is from mid-July after having lost 32 pounds:

This is also shamelessly stolen from BCRT’s Fb album, but I at least know exactly who took this one (being frontal and all). I had already seen Tim snapping around so I was sucking in when Eva walked up and snapped the hubster and I. I’m pretty sure I am still twice as big as Petra. LOL

But that isn’t really what I intended to write about. This past Saturday I had to run 6 miles. (If I hadn’t taken a week off for my knee, it would have been 7.) I barely lasted 5 the weekend before, and was pretty unsure that I would be able to keep myself psyched up. Less than half a mile into it, when I turned the first corner, I smelled breakfast cooking from someone’s house. I assumed it was the house on my left as it is closer to the road and I could see a light on. Anyway, I kept chugging along, and eventually made it to the 3.1 mile mark and noted the time (since I had signed up for a virtual 5K). But by the time I made it up that hill I wanted to quit. Bad. Or maybe that was before the 3 mile mark. I forget. Anyway, on my long runs I have discovered that it is a great time to pray and meditate. Since I do my long runs on Saturday mornings fairly early, there is hardly any traffic, and generally no one outside, so it’s just me & God. No computer to distract me. Music low enough that I can hear traffic. It is perfect for listening.

Lately I have been reading The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, and so I was mulling over what I’d read so far and how to apply it. On the front cover, the latter portion of 1 Corinthians 9:24 is printed “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” So naturally I am thinking about that as I am running…and wanting to quit. So I prayed for the will and endurance to run that morning so that I would have that as a constant metaphor for remembering that the Holy Spirit will help me with strength and will and endurance in tough times of life…resisting temptation, and finishing the race. And I ran a 10k – 6.24 miles.

So, call me a nutroll for believing God gave me the ability to complete that run Saturday. I’ve been called a nutroll for much worse. But, 2 days later, and I got hit with another “trial” which is really an on-going one that is either active or pending. I got angry…again…and wondered just how much…again…and then I remembered that run. And then I remembered this:

James 1:2-4 (ESV)
2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[a] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Followed by this:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV)
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

I am not promised strength for finishing a run, but I am promised strength to endure the trials of life and to overcome temptation. So if God answers my prayer to have the will to run 6 miles, which I am not promised, I can believe he will sustain me through this trial. As one of my friends pointed out to me last night, He has a plan for what is going on even though I can’t see it. And ultimately, God is going to get the glory for it.

This entry is filed under Exercise, Faith, Life, Photos, Running, Training Tuesday. | 12 Comments

“You gotta know when to hold ‘em…”

By DragonLady on July 10, 2012

I’ve had problems with my knees since junior high, following the year that I grew 5 inches really fast. They may or may not be related, but I had sporadic pain for about 2 years following that growth spurt. After being pain free for several years, I had a couple of accidents in the Air Force, one for each knee, and had issues with the left one for a few years. That one eventually landed me in physical therapy where they determined there was too much play in patella, and gave me an exercise plan to strengthen the muscle around my knee. It helped, but a long walk would still end in pain on the inside of my knee. But then I got fat, and that quit happening…oddly.

So, with that background, a couple of weeks ago, I ran 4.5 miles – the longest I’ve run ever. Either that night or next day, I noticed a pain in my left knee on the outside, especially walking downstairs. But it cleared up after a couple of days, and I had no problem with it until the bug dance run. It hasn’t hurt while running since then, but has hurt either soon after or up to a day later. It is probably iliotibial band syndrome, and so I am taking a break from running this week to rest and heal. It could be the slant of the road, the hills (I keep saying hills are killing me), or it could be from rolling my ankle a couple times when I have to run on the shoulder because of traffic. But whatever the cause, I’ll be biking this week instead of running.

I ran the Patriot 5K 4th of July. I was joined by 4 other Tribe members, each of whom smoked me. lol But I expected to be smoked, and my goal was not to keep up with them, but to run the entire 5K without walking. I have to admit, I was ready to quit before I got off campus and onto the street. It was terribly demoralizing to get passed by runners with strollers. And I was totally dreading the first turn around because I knew it was uphill almost the whole way to the second turn around. But I got a little morale boost after the first turnaround because while I was running really slow, there was a butt-ton of people ahead of me walking. But then as I passed where the route went on/off campus, I saw the first 2 runners coming in. I looked at my watch and it was just over 15 min. Really?!?! Who runs a 5k in 16 minutes?!?! Well, 16-17 year old kids on the track team, that’s who. Anyway, I finally made it to the second turn around, and by the time I passed the roundabout and turned back onto campus, I felt like I was booking it. The reflux hit right before the final turn before the finish and I was sure I would puke, but I managed not to, and ran my best 5K to date: chip time was 35:58. My watch time was 36:10, and the gun time was 36:17. I didn’t come in last, except among the Tribe members, but like I said, that was expected because they run fast.

And for today’s earworm:

This entry is filed under Exercise, Running, Training Tuesday, Video.

You got this!

By DragonLady on June 19, 2012

I nearly talked myself out of running last night. I totally did not want to do it, but I hadn’t run since Friday night, and figured my hip had recovered enough. The humidity was awful, and it is probably a good thing I used my inhaler first otherwise I might have quit the many times I wanted to.

Someone stopped and asked me for directions while I was running. You know why? Because I also hadn’t shaved my legs since Friday. Fail.

Anyway, last night was tougher mentally than physically. I was barely done with one “lap” before I wanted to quit. I was slow, and my legs felt like they weren’t going to hold me up. I kept telling myself, “You got this! You can do this! You’ve done it before. You’ve run farther. It’s only a 5K, and you aren’t doing it for time tonight! KEEP MOVING!” Even if I hadn’t had to stop long enough to give that lady directions, my time would have been bad. It was one of those runs. The quitter runs. The ones that have always defeated me.

Not this time.

I am determined to run the timed virtual 5K tomorrow night, and push myself for a good time. I am determined to run my butt off in a “live” 5k 4th of July, and another virtual July 21. I am determined to run a 10k followed by an 8k the following weekend in Aug/Sep. I am determined to run a half marathon in November.

And I think I am going to attempt a full marathon next year.

Unless the half sucks so bad I swear off running that far ever again. LOL

And yes, I finished the run last night, and woke up just after 3am with killer cramps in my calves. It was enough that I eventually had to get up and walk it out because rotating my ankle wasn’t calming down the right leg.

This entry is filed under Exercise, Fail, Running, Training Tuesday. | 6 Comments

Eye of the Tiger, baby

By DragonLady on June 12, 2012

Yes. 3 posts in one day.

That’s how I felt when I finished the run tonight. Ok, that’s a lie. I felt like I was going to die because that last hill about killed me, and I barely managed to keep running up it. But I did, and after nearly a year, I have finally managed to run a complete 3 mile Tribe run.

Just because: