Wednesday, July 24, 2013

A few of my favorite things

I’m terrible about this whole updating thing.. 
But hey.. It’s all good- I actually smiled for one of my half marathon pictures

 Is it me, or does my head look way too small for my body?

I’ve been keeping in touch with a few of my favorite things.. Bacon, eggs, coffee...
 Coconut water WITH pulp (it’s the only way to go!)
 Especially when you have this cutie next to you
 How could you not love this face?
 I’m so happy this mutt came into my life <3 p="">

 My family is visiting from Arkansas.. Luke lost a tooth! 
 (Ok, maybe Uncle Jimmy pulled it out)

There is never too much avocado, or hot sauce… in case your wondering
Or, Afternoon coffee dates with your BFF- keeping me sane...
 Or, my dad being adorable- sending me pictures from his latest fishing trips.. I woke up at 6am to this picture..

 In reality.. there could be A LOT more time spent working out- but I did manage 3 workouts this week.. And I’ve been doing pretty good with my diet.. so I’ll call that a win.

 Hilarious license plates..
 Snacks!
 Made much better by the pool
 Oh, Hey there delicious dinner….
 I spent the morning with this adorable kiddo.. (And the rest of the family) 
 Making a chalkboard sign for his birthday
 Good times.. I think I found myself a side job ;)

For dinner, I recreated a side dish I got at one of the BBQ joints we went to a while back.. Greens, bacon, and tomatoes
 Served with some rotisserie chicken.
 Perfect fuel for volleyball..


Sunday, July 14, 2013

Jamestown, RI Half Marathon- Recap and Results

The Jamestown half-marathon was set to start at 6:30am, so I did my best to get everything ready the night before. I worked a double, so by the time I got home it was already 10pm, which meant I had to move my ass so I could actually get some sleep. 
I already knew what I was wearing (totally broke the rules of racing and bought brand new stuff- which turned out great, no bloody legs this race!)
 And packed some clothes for after the race.. because last time I was so uncomfortable in gross sweaty stuff for the whole ride back home. 
With my bag packed, I took a shower and finally got to bed around 11:30.

My alarm went off at 4am, I jumped out of bed and did the whole coffee and breakfast routine. Then I taped up
 We drove to Newport to park and pick up my race packet before I grabbed the shuttle to Jamestown for the race start. (There was supposed to be no parking in Jamestown for the race) It took forever to get my race packet- apparently I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t pick it up on Friday- which meant I had  to take the shuttle instead of waiting in another line for the bathroom. (which I did anyway once I was near the start- another line!! I was literally standing in line for 20 minutes to use the bathroom… come on people there are hundreds of us trying to pee here.. your hair and makeup look fine.. get the F out!) 
The weather was overcast and a little drizzly- perfect running weather. 
 The race started 20 minutes later than scheduled, but I used that time to attempt to pump myself up. I ate a couple Honey Stingers right before the gun went off. The course was beautiful, lots of amazing houses and views of the water. 
Surprisingly enough, I felt pretty good physically (but it was HOT and I did walk a few times which I wasn’t thrilled about… but my hips and quads were seizing up)

And the Stingers weren’t sitting well, so I tossed them out and just took gatorade at every water station and thankfully my stomach chilled out.  Mile 10-11 was the worst… There seemed to be a bunch of little hills that I just struggling to get over- but I did my best to push forward. Each time I rounded a corner and saw another hill staring me down I swore.. out-loud.. It helps. At this point I saw the time and actually thought I could make it under 2 hours so I dug deep.  Finally I was a mile out from the finish rounding the corner I saw the Newport bridge. (THANK YOU!)
 I’m not gonna lie, I walked part of this mile.. but man I was hurting! As I got closer to the end, there were a bunch of spectators cheering and yelling “It’s just around the corner!” “Finish strong!” etc.. and as I saw the finish line and the clock I knew I had made it in faster than the first one so I ran through as fast as my legs would let me- which probably wasn’t fast at all because I couldn’t really feel my legs.. (the clock read 2:01:16 the last moment I saw it, which was 10 seconds faster than my first time)
Huzzah! 
G was there waiting at the line for me to finish- which was awesome..  (He was also cheering at mile 2 and 6 and had no idea he would be at the finish line so it was an even better surprise) There is nothing better than crossing the finish line and running into a hug.  
(I forgot to stop my Nike Run app right away, oops)

Just like my first 1/2 marathon, I wanted nothing to do with food immediately post race. They provided pizza and watermelon- I took a piece of watermelon because it sounded good, but I only took one bite which made me want to vomit so I tossed it. Instead I grabbed water and gatorade for the walk back to the car. I was so grossly sweaty, I changed halfway in the parking lot before taking another really bad picture
 Who cares if I look like crap?! I finished! 
All I cared about was getting some chocolate milk and taking a shower, haha. And that’s exactly what I did. After my shower, I laid in bed… from 10 until 3.. sleeping on and off. I didn’t feel hungry for hours afterwards and then it hit me.. I was STARVED.. 
G made me bacon and eggs (as per my request) along with fruit and yogurt. (So good!) which I devoured while watching Blow.. Oh and don’t worry, there was dessert a little while later too ;) 
 I can honestly say I feel much better post race than the first time around.. but I am definitely sore.. my muscles are extremely tight… and I got the official results this morning..

TIME: 2:00:30! 
(thats a full minute faster than my first one! Well almost.. last time 2:01:27) 
Overall 505/1292, 223/759 woman and 102/310 in my age group. 

I’m so happy with that time, especially considering my lack of training.. I’m really looking forward to the Newport 1/2 and the next 3 months of training… Getting closer… Sub 2 hours, lets do this! 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

No excuses

Do you remember a couple months back when I told you I signed up for two more 1/2 Marathons
At the time, it seemed like a great idea.. I would have two more chances to make my time goal and all the training would be a great distraction from all the transitions going on in my life. 
Sure..
That COULD have been the case. If I actually followed a training plan, or did any sort of consistent running at all. (I didn’t run AT ALL for 2 weeks straight, oops!) 

Life happened 

Like heavy, completely turn your world upside-down shit..

Unfortunately, I don’t have the best coping mechanisms in place to deal with these things. I wish I could tell you that I pressed on… Hitting the gym like it was my job (it kind of is, or was) Running and training like a maniac. Eating super clean and getting lots of much needed rest, to help deal with the emotional raping. 

But instead

I ate lots and lots of amazingly delicious junk food (like pints of Ben & Jerry’s, Candy, Pancakes, Waffles, chips…) Drank a lot.. Smoked.. Didn’t go to the gym at all ( I didn’t run for 2 weeks straight and I have yet to go to the gym- unless you want to count the one time I went to run on the treadmill for 5 miles- and I have done 1.. count it.. ONE workout at home) 
And I haven’t really slept a whole lot or all that well either. 
Oh, and I have a double shin splint and knee pain in the same leg.. KT take and I are about to rekindle our BFF relationship.

I’m on a roll.. 
When I commit to something, I go at it.. Balls to the Wall. 
Whether it’s training hard, or slacking hard.

I’m not proud of it…

Normally, I pride myself in the level of self-disciple and dedication I  have. In reality, its something that comes naturally to me- my daily coping mechanism.  But things have been crazy, and I along with them. 

So.. My second race is 3 days away, and suddenly lack of training and self care all seems like it was a terrible mistake. Well, obviously Coco… 
But, there is nothing I can do about it now.. except suck it up, deal with the consequences of my actions  and make shit happen. 
I signed up for this race, and there are no excuses… I’ll finish it. 

Friday, July 5, 2013

Photo catch up- because I’m too lazy for anything else..

Best Waffle ever (WHIPPED CREAM!)
Coffee Date in Vermont with my Daddy
Followed by a BBQ lunch 
Yup.. more ribs
Cheers 

Uncle Paul said Elton John called and asked for his sunglasses back. He totally pulls them off better than I do
Tuna Moose loves snuggle time in the hammock
A little too much since he passed out
Ate raw bar Oysters for the first time ever
More breakfast! 
And BBQ
 Playtime with Puppies
 My adorable dad sending my pictures of his fishing success 
 Down time with the mutts
 Lola rocking head stands! 
 Slinging fish for a living
 The coolest combustable- probably the loudest thing I’ve ever set off!
 Sammy finally jumped up in the hammock 
 Puppy snuggling hammocks- 2x the love