weekend notes: talks and runs

Thank you for all of your encouragement last weekend! The talk at the retreat went great. That is to say, I'm my own harshest critic, but I had many women come up and tell me what they got out of it and I think that was God's way of saying, "Good job." And when God gives you the thumbs up, well, you just shouldn't argue.

So the talk was Friday night which meant I got to relax the rest of the retreat. Which also meant I stayed up until 2am playing games with the girls. And if there was ever a time to make new, good friends, a retreat is it! So fun was had by all and after a "quick" trip to a new-found quilt shot, I got home later on Saturday than expected and fell promptly to sleep.

But then I woke up early Sunday morning so Jim could run in the El Paso Half Marathon. The funny thing is that Jim signed up months ago for this race but we both forgot to write it down on our calendars. So whenever it came up, I said something about thinking it was at the end of the month. But then Jim called me on Wednesday and asked if I knew what March 1st was. I was up to my elbows in movers and boxes at the time so I didn't even guess. "The half marathon," he said. Long pause. "Oh."

I should also mention that Jim didn't really train up to this point, AND he'd been sick for most of the week.

But my husband is crazy and ran it anyway. It wasn't his best run, he said. And I could kinda tell as it looked like Death was running across the finish line. But he had a good excuse. The next morning at the doctors he found out he had Bronchitis.

So to sum-up, my husband ran 13.1 miles with bronchitis. He's amazing. He said that he didn't even bonk until mile 11. Without bronchitis I usually bonk between mile 6 and 8. He seriously is amazing.

So after his half, I slept for a few hours. Sounds fair, right? Then some friends picked me up for He's Just Not That Into You (click it! and just leave the song/soundtrack on in the background. Love it!) and the rest of the day was a flurry of unpacking and I now have all of my clothes beautifully organized in my humongous closet.

Which means I also have found all of my winter clothes. A very important detail since I'm now in Maryland where there's inches of snow on the ground and I'm experiencing true winter for the first time this season. I LOVE the east coast!

weekend notes: post thanksgiving

I know this is late for a weekend summary as it’s already Tuesday afternoon - or evening if you're in EST time. But we don’t have the internet right now so I’m having to steal wi-fi wherever I can get it. Has the anticipation been killing you?

I’ll start with a picture of a rainbow God gave us on Thanksgiving. The weather geek in me loves rainbows. It was beautifully unexpected.

Moving on...

Friday night I cooked dinner. That may seem like an insignificant thing, but it was the first time I’ve had a kitchen to call my own (sort of) since we left Fort Campbell in May. We had terriyaki-marinated chicken, almond rice pilaf with veggies on the side. It was soooo yummy. We’ve settled into our temporarily borrowed home and even though it’s not ours, we are grateful to be out of a hotel and into a real house. Keep praying we get our on-post home, and soon. I'm happy to report we've dropped down on the housing list and are now a respectable 33.

Saturday Jim and I decided to go for a short run. Sounds simple enough, right? Nope. I almost died as my lungs felt like they were going to explode. Needless to say, it was a slow run. I was a little embarrassed but Jim reminded me that I was running 3000+ feet above sea level. El Paso is high, apparently, and it never dawned on me that it might be hard to breath. After two miles I was done. This, from the girl who ran a half-marathon 3 short months ago. Kinda pathetic.

That evening our new friends, Brandon and Liz, invited us over for homemade pizza and game night. Our other new friends, Jesse and Holly, also joined us. We taught them... wait for it... Settlers. (Bet you didn’t see that coming.) They loved it! Jim stole a win at the last minute (I was so close!) so with emotions high we switched to Pictionary. Jim and I clobbered them. Not very nice of us, I suppose, but I had to win something.

Sunday was another full day. Church in the morning and then the six of us (same group as the night before) piled into a truck and drove to Las Cruces, NM. We enjoyed Old Mesilla, a well preserved little tourist town rich in ol’ west history. We chowed on brunch at the Double Eagle which used to be the tavern/saloon Billy the Kid frequented. I’m still dreaming about those killer Belgium waffles. And mimosas.

Outside was a collection of vendors selling their wares, an old church and a really cool book shop. We perused for an hour maybe, then piled back in the car to head home.

I had time for a delightful nap (2 hours!) before we met up with Josh, the son of a family friend, who introduced us to the local microbrewery BJs. A salad for me and beer for Jim. We had a great time catching up, sharing about our holidays and watching the Bears get painfully crushed.

But soon I was ready to get home. I was still tired and we’d had a busy weekend. Besides, Monday starts Jim’s first week signed in to post.

Our month-long vacation is officially over.

more pictures from the race

I pirated some pictures off of the internet from this weekend. Some are better than ours, so I thought I'd share!

(pictures are from Actions Sports International)

the other race!

At 4:45am on Sunday morning, Jim, myself, the Rentschlers, Jon and Mama & Papa G piled into the van with groggy eyes. After lots of traffic, a shuttle ride and a few pictures, the gun went off and we ran. And ran... and ran. It was a beautiful morning and the energy was high - but that didn't last real long.

My highlights:

1. Superfast Karen: I ran with Jim for the first two miles. I don't think I've ever run that fast in my life. I'd hoped to stick with him until mile 3, but I knew that if I did, the rest of the race would be miserable. So he went ahead and I slowed my pace. (I later found out that my average for the first 5K was 8:49 min/mile. I can't believe it!)
2. Crystal, where are you???: It was at about the 3rd mile that I really wished I had my running buddies with me. I still had 10 more miles to go and it seemed a bit daunting. If I'd had a phone, I would have called Crystal and had her talk me through it!
3. iPod: I popped my headphones in and that seemed to help. I know, I know, an iPod at a race with live music every mile??? I promise, it really did help.
4. Ocean Breeze: The low point was when we ran through a Marine Corp base. It was just kinda boring. But it was about that time that God kicked on the AC. Glorious!
5. Water tables: I love them! Sometimes looking forward to them got me through the next mile. My usual strategy is to pass them for the first 3 miles and then utilize only every-other after that. Not Sunday. I needed every one!
   
6. Fans: I knew Mama and Papa G would be around the 11th mile, so miles 10 and 11 flew by as I was scanning the crowd.
7. The last .1: A half marathon is 13.1 miles. It was a little depressing when I thought I was approaching mile 13 but the sign said "12". Yet, when I did finally reach 13 I was on the boardwalk with the beautiful beach on my right. I found my final wind and kicked it in gear. For someone who usually staggers over the finish line, it was refreshing to sprint the last .1 instead.

My overall time was 2:21:58. That's an average of 10:50 min/mile. Not great, but I was fine with it. In fact, I remember saying to myself as I was pushing myself beyond my limit at about mile 4, "Karen, you didn't train for a PR, don't try for one now." (PR = Personal Record) I was the slowest of all of us, but that didn't bother me. I was glad to finish strong! Here are some pictures to enjoy.

see how fast I am?

Jim at mile 11

the last .1 (try not to notice the old guy passing me)

Victors!

the race!

Sunday's race was the best I've ever run...and the most beautiful. We (my dad, SIL, and two high school friends) weaved through Annapolis with beautiful weather. Crystal and I got up early and headed to the Naval Academy Stadium while downing our bagels and Gatorade. We met up with our fans and waited with 5000 of our closest friends for the starting horn.

Next time I plan to bring a camera because the views were amazing. We ran down Main Street, past the Naval Academy, over the downtown bridge, through the neighborhoods of Cape Saint Claire, and back again. I was energized the whole time! It helped that Crystal, my dad an I ran the entire race together. We talked from mile 1 to 10. It didn't feel like we ran for one hour and 53 minutes. It felt like 20. Seriously! I haven't had a race fly like this before. Usually I'm eeking out the last few miles.

But I couldn't have done it without our dedicated fans! We saw them at miles 1.5, 3.5, 9.5 and the end. Jim even ran the last half mile with us.
I think I'll plan to run this every year. Even with all the hills. It was just awesome. After the race we chowed on pizza and oranges, showered and opted for a game of Settlers instead of a nap. Then back into the car for Jim and I to trudge through Annapolis traffic. I ran some of the same streets earlier that day, faster than we were driving them. We eventually made it home and I was tired!

So that's the story of my best race ever. I'm hoping to channel some of that same energy for this weekend's half marathon. And then I think I might take a break.

For more pictures, check out Life At The Circus.

10 miles & product review: Nike+iPod

Friday morning I got up early and headed over to Mariners' Museum Park in Newport News for my long run of the week. I'd heard of a 5 mile loop around Lake Maury and wanted to try it out. It was beautiful. If you live in the Hampton Roads area, check it out. It's a foot path that weaves through the woods around the lake with a kazillion bridges, like the one above. I usually try to run the longer distances with a friend (makes the time go by faster), but since I wasn't able to, I thought I'd find a new place to explore.

What I had hoped to use was my new Nike+iPod. But alas, as I tuned up my playlist, the battery died. Yes, minutes before my 10 mile run, my iPod died? (Crystal,I know you're pain!)

I have been using my Nike+iPod since my husband gave it to me for my birthday. For the most part, I love it. The following is a little product review:

I should mention that I did NOT buy the special Nike shoes you're supposed to get. They have a little insert in the insole you put the sensor in. But it works just find to tuck it in my laces. Once you plug the receiver into your iPod, it tracks your distance, time, and speed which you can then download to your own online Nike tracker.

Pros:

• I don't have to map out a route before I run. I can just decide I want to run 3 miles, and it'll tell me when I get there.
• Every mile, a nice lady voice comes on to tell me my distance. If I'm curious during my run, I hit a button and she'll tells me my distance, time and speed.
• Even better - at the end of my 8.5 mile run a few weeks ago, Lance Armstrong congratulated me over my earbuds for "running my farthest distance"!

Cons:

• I don't have the fancy shoes so sometimes I get nervous the sensor will fly out of my laces. I might have to make something that will secure it better.
• It's important to calibrate your iPod, but I find that it's not consistant. The upside? I think my 8.5 mile run was really 9+.
• You are limited in the music you listen to while running. For the most part it's not an issue. Podcasts get a little tricky.
  

For $30, I say it's worth it.

workouts: treadmills

Yesterday was a big day for me since I ran an entire 42 minutes on a treadmill and didn't fall off.  That's right, no blood this time.  It was a big day.

Usually I run outside since I much prefer the scenery of a park or neighborhood.  But today was rainy.  When I do run outdoors I like to know where to run and how far it'll be.  So I thought I'd share a favorite website: www.mapmyrun.com.  Not only can you plot out a map and keep track of mileage, but you can also figure out your calories burned.  So I don't feel so bad about that handful of M&Ms I wash down just afterwards.  It's great and I suggest you check it out if you've ever NOT run, because you didn't know when to stop!

working out: NC fires and BOSU balls

So I'm training for the VA Beach 1/2 Marathon in August.  This will be my 4th and I'm excited to make it a good one.  I'm actually making the time to train... the right way.  Running 3 days a week with weight workouts in between.  For the most part, anyway.

Smoke from wildfires lingering over VA Beach.  courtesy Virginia Pilot.

Today didn't quite go as planned.  I ran my usual mile with Jim's dad and planned to finish with 4 more miles.  But into my second mile the smoke from the NC fires in the south started to blow our way so I decided to head to the gym and finish up on an elliptical, or maybe the stair-stepper if I was feeling crazy.  When I got there I realized I had made it in time for a new class I wanted to try.  BOSU Fusion. Perfect.

I decided on this class because "the ball" (and I assume you all know what I mean when I refer to the ball half the size of your body that just taunts you to fall off of it at every balance-challenging move) turns Karen the Moderate Klutz into the full-blown version.  The BOSU ball is like half of that.  So it shouldn't be hard, right?

Well, I think I hurt my back.  Nothing that a few Advil can't fix.  But it hurts nonetheless.  This evening I swam some laps at a neighbor's pool thinking that would work out the kink.  Nope.  Maybe I'll have better luck after a good night's rest.