Rock ‘n Roll USA Half Marathon…Part II!

Continued from Part I…here are some thoughts about my first half marathon.

Course

I’ve been in the DC area for almost six years…this time around. I’ve lived in the area a couple times before, and having grown up a military brat, DC is as much a home — maybe a little more — as just about any other place. So getting a quick (relatively speaking) foot tour of a large portion of my “hometown” was…awesome. I loved this course. With the exception of the streets immediately at the beginning and end of the race, I’d been on every part of the course over the years.

I pretty much zoned out on the ridiculous hill known as 18th Street NW/Connecticut Ave. NW. After the race, a friend that ran it said, “Sweet, now I know where Vapiano is!” I replied, “Oh, did someone tell you?” She countered, “No, we ran past it…” Right. I was just struggling up the hill…

There was a band at the end of Harvard Street NW, just after Mile 8, as you turned down onto 5th Street NW. Something about that band got me really fired up. I had a great time between Columbia Road and North Capitol. I’m guessing the folks partying hard on their well-decorated porches did, too. And, while I appreciated the offers, I politely declined their dixie cups of beer. Offers of post-race BBQs welcome, though.

By Mile 11, my feet were pretty sore, and by about Mile 12, the top of my right foot was cramping a bit. I walked some, and periodically stopped to stretch and massage my foot.

The end of the race? Wow…what a doozy. Coming down C Street, folks on the side of the course kept shouting that the finish was just around the corner. Then we turned the corner. And folks on the side of the course shouted that the finish was just around the corner. Whaaaaat?

It was. An uphill finish where you couldn’t see the finish line until you were almost on it. Tough 1/10 of a mile!

When you're not concerned with beating any particular time, it's easy to pull off for a second for photo ops.

Friends

As I mentioned in Part I, my friends are awesome. I started the race with a friend, had a few other friends running (like her and her), and saw friends between Miles 7 and 8 (surprise – I didn’t know they’d be out, or where they’d be – and they met me at the finish too!), just before Mile 10, just after Mile 11, and at the finish. They all told me I looked great, and seeing them made me ridiculously happy. Not-so-secret secret: I looked great when I ran past them because I knew they’d be there. Who wants to drag ass past your friends? Not this racy gal. Thanks for the boost, guys! The excitement of seeing my friends definitely added a spring to my step.

And an interesting perspective from some of these friends: what it’s like to watch a whole race. I’ll admit that I’ve never seen a whole race before. When I’ve gone out to see friends run, I’ve pretty much just gone to see them, and didn’t hang around the whole time. But some of my friends hung out on North Capitol with food and drink and watched the whole thing. They said it was pretty awesome to watch the fastest folks go past, and then to notice the changes in pace and the differences in pacing between the marathoners and half marathoners.

And they confirmed, mercifully, that I was not the slowest one out there. But even if I was, I’d be OK with that. I mean, hey, I was out there, right?

So, new goal: go watch a whole race, from the elite folks at the front of the pack all the way to the folks at the end who need cheers just as much as the front runners.

I think my friends took this because they wanted to make fun of my "fanny pack." That belt came in pretty handy for stashing more than the microscopic pocket on my capris can hold.

Progression of Feelings

I am nothing if not sentimental, so I’d be remiss to not acknowledge my feelings about this race.

As I mentioned in Part I, I had serious doubts about my ability to run this race as late as the day before. I’d trained, but had some difficulty throughout, and benched myself for a few weeks. But in the few weeks before the race, I’d felt pretty good. Then I started experiencing some strange hip/pelvic pain unlike anything I’d experienced before (and for which I’m going to a doctor in a few days). So I had major apprehension about this race. If I attempted it, what might happen? I had terrible visions of my hip giving out and me collapsing in Dupont Circle…if I made it that far.

But during the run, I physically felt fine. Some soreness in my feet toward the end…pretty sure that’s the price you sometimes pay for pounding the pavement for mile after mile. When the going got rough, I looked at the mile markers, judged that I probably only had 20 minutes to go, and reminded myself of my favorite coach‘s mantra: You can do anything for 20 minutes.

So I did. And damn if I didn’t feel awesome when I crossed that finish line.

I promise I will never do this again. Total cheeseball move.

Random observations

Anyone else notice the banana stand in downtown DC? So many banana peels on the ground…clearly this would be a ridiculously tragic way to go down in a race…taken out by your fuel. Same goes with the GU packets. That shit’s slick.

My lucky green shirt? Probably being relegated to the yoga pile. I’d done a few runs in it with no issue, but I was Chafy Stacie during the half. Major red, painful blotch on my left arm. Really attractive at work this week when it’s been warm enough to wear short sleeves. I thought to Body Glide under the straps of my sports bra; guess I need to add inner upper arms to the Body Glide list. Or just relegate the shirt to the yoga pile.

I will never, ever run a race in a full bodysuit. I saw a few of those, and by Mile 7 or so, they appeared to be sweaty, sweltering masses of crazy runner. Anyone tried this before? Are there vents? Special wicking material?

So...add it to the necklace rotation? Maybe not?

So. That’s that. My first, slightly crappily-trained half marathon is in the books. I had an awesome day and it just reinforced the running bug I caught a little while back. My time was 2:32, and all things considered, I’m happy with that. It was a PDR and a PR, and I look forward to blowing that PR out of the electrolyte-enhanced water in future half marathons.

Rock ‘n Roll USA Half Marathon…Part I!

Going to commit a big blogger sin here and write only half a post of thoughts on my first half marathon (Get it? Half a marathon, half of my thoughts? Yeah, that’s pretty bad…). After the race yesterday and for almost all of today, I’ve been going non-stop and haven’t sat down to put good words to my thoughts. So…here’s Part I! Forgive the incomplete post.

Yesterday was the Rock n’ Roll USA Half Marathon and, considering how my hip/pelvis was feeling earlier in the week, I rocked it! It wasn’t the race I thought it would be when I registered in November, but it was SO much better than the race I thought it would be on Friday.

All smiles at seeing some friends just after Mile 11.

More updates to come, but overall: great experience. Good weather, albeit a little hot. No crazy course mix-ups, straight-forward gear check, plenty of food and drink available at the finish. And, key for me: no hip or pelvis pain during the run. At. all. Any aches and pains seemed pretty standard; my feet were a little sore by Mile 11.

And I was only punched in the face once.

True story.

At about mile 12.5 or so, a very uncoordinated girl who was raised by wolves was probably not used to crowded courses stretched her hands out very quickly at 90 degree angles, sending her closed fist straight into my nose as I was passing her. She felt bad, but wanted to chat about it. No way, lady! I assured her it was fine, but sped up a little, checking for blood. No blood, no foul.

The best part of the run? (Outside of finishing it, of course!) I have amazing friends and family who support me. I had such a fun weekend with these tremendous folks.

They also make ridiculously awesome signs.

Esuper Esexy ESWEATY Estacie! It was hot out there!

Three Things Thursday: Pre-Racy Thoughts

With less than 36 hours until the start of the Rock ‘n Roll USA Marathon and Half Marathon, it’s time for some pre-racy thoughts!

1. You can’t always get what you want. I already know that this race won’t be what I wanted it to be when I registered. I imagine I’ll probably learn soon enough that that’s not an uncommon feeling. And I don’t say that to sound defeatist, just realistic: I was out of commission for a few weeks of training, and in the last few days, I’ve developed some inflammation in my hip/pelvis area. I’m managing it (and in what will surely be a joyous occasion, I have a doctor’s appointment next week), and I’m going to try my best on Saturday, but I’m trying to take the long view and not push harder than I can. There are other halfs out there, and I intend on enjoying my first one, a little pain or not!

2. The weather is here, wish you were beautiful. It’s damn nice in DC these days. Hot, even. I went for a last, short run this afternoon and wanted to die. Then I Skyped my parents and learned that today’s record high of 84 at Dulles had nothing on Abu Dhabi’s 100. Fine, fine. But it’s truly quite nice. Wednesday afternoon was so nice that I wasn’t sure if my co-workers were calling out sick or “sick” (I work at an organization that tries to get people outside, so verdict is out on that one). But I wouldn’t be surprised if people are actually sick, too. My boys at CWG report high pollen counts Wednesday and today. So if you’re coming into town for the race and you’re from some place that isn’t a-bloomin’ yet, bring yer drugs.

Oh, sure, they're beautiful, but that shit'll invade your body. Hide ya lungs, hide ya sinuses, hide ya eyes.

3. When Irish eyes are smilin’, sure ’tis like the morn in spring.  With the race being on St. Patrick’s Day, I clearly need to rock a green shirt. But a friend got mad at me because she says I’ll be hard to find, what with my insanely bright red hair and incredibly slow pace what with probably lots of other folks participating in the wearin’ o’ the green. So I’m adding a little sparkly bling to my outfit, sort of a beacon of Irish spring for my admirers friends.

Just trying to be a nice piece of lass.

Best of (Irish) luck to all the folks running on Saturday! Rock on and race hard!

Hydration! Attempt #2

During my manic list-making phase, I added: buy a fuel belt. Carrying a water bottle in my hand, while incredibly attractive and only mildly practical, was getting annoying. So we’ll consider that Attempt #1 and move right along…

And that's just the little guy for shorter, winter runs...

Without doing much research (nerd alert: rare for me), I went to a running store and a big box sporting goods retailer and did the only thing I thought would possibly help me make a decision: I strapped a few different fuel belts on and ran through the aisles. The older I get, the less shenanigans like this bother me. I think I’d have been embarrassed as a 20 year old; now I’d rather get what I want and be confident in my purchases.

So I bought Attempt #2:

I'd post a picture of the belt in use, but I'm pretty sure the world has been attracted to staring at my ass enough simply by wearing it out on the trail. No need for more exposure.

It’s a Nathan Triangle, and while I’d like to say that I did some incredible scientific study of the various fuel belts out there, I really just tried to see how difficult it was for me to get the water bottle out of the holster while jogging through crowded stores.

This one seemed to be no better or worse than the kinds with two-four smaller bottles, maybe even a little easier. Given no significant different in comfort or ease, I went with price, and this was cheaper than the multi-bottle belts. More money to put toward new shoes? Win.

The first few runs I did with the belt seemed just fine, but overall this may not be such a win. I need to experiment with where I wear the belt, but I’m pretty experienced with backpacking and proper placement of weight on hips, and this just wasn’t doing it for me. I felt like the bottle was jabbing me right in the nerves in my lower back after a few miles.

So…maybe Attempt #3 is forthcoming?

Fellow runners, got a favorite hydration/fuel belt? What is it, and what do you like about it?

Weekend Update: Countdown to the Half! Edition

Here’s my weekly wrap-up for March 5-March 11.

Training Mode: Still in the game! This was week 11 of half marathon training, although my schedule is modified from the original based on my injury-induced rest.

Days until the race: 6 (whoa!)

Feelings about the race: Admittedly, I was feeling better this time last week. The tightness in my hip/knee (suspected IT band issue) is back, and I plan on getting it checked out…but unfortunately not until after the race. I’m optimistic that I’ll finish the race and have an awesome time. I’d feel a little better if I wasn’t experiencing a little pain right now.

You can run and tell that: 20; long run: 10.

Busted more moves: Yoga, a lot of extra walking (turned my normal bus-Metro-walk commute to walk-Metro-walk for most of the week, adding in 3 extra miles of walking a day), a new at-home core routine (starting small: 2x of 25 crunches, 20 bicycles, and 30 second plank).

Busted body: Tight hip/knee…IT band?

Ear candy o’ the week: Too easy to get this song stuck in my head this week. My first half marathon is the Rock n’ Roll USA, hence:

Oh yeah. Alright.

The takeaway: With my last long run done before the half, it’s time to taper, although it doesn’t feel like I’ve earned it, considering how much time away from running I had. In the end, it was worth it to take a few weeks off and get back to feeling well, and I know it’ll be worth it to take it easy this week.

Things to work on: keeping my legs feeling good, making an appointment with a specialist.

New To Me: Chia Seeds

I was recruited by a friend to join a small group of women who are virtually supporting each other in weight loss, healthy eating, and fitness goals. [The Guest Post with a recipe for whole wheat chocolate chip cookies is from Leah, one of the other women in the group.] This group periodically issues challenges, and a recent one was to try a new healthful food.

I’m pretty versed in the art of fruit and vegetable consumption, so I thought about all the various blog posts I read about chia seeds, and decided I’d give them a try. It seems like most healthy eating bloggers talk about them at some point, so I won’t go into too much detail explaining all the benefits or details of chia seeds (seriously…the search results are unreal…try it).

I will say that if you can get over the fact that you’re eating a ch-ch-chia pet, you’ll get a pretty quick and easy (but not necessarily cheap – although a little goes a long way) serving of fiber and omega-3s.

I purchased mine pre-packaged, but later found some in a bulk aisle for cheaper.

 

First chia seed attempt? Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding.

Ingredients!

I made the recipe true to form the first time around, and found that it was sweeter than I needed it to be. If you make the recipe as indicated, it’s 8 Weight Watchers PointsPlus. If you just want a small treat, it’s still a nice-sized portion to make this recipe and split it into two servings. I cut the agave in half to 1 Tbsp. and the recipe drops to 6 WW PointsPlus for the full amount or 3 if you split it. Not too shabby for a chocolate treat!

Don't judge based on my picture...it was tastier than it looks!

Here’s the thing that the recipe doesn’t tell you but that you MUST know: you cannot just mix these ingredients! Chia seeds clump almost immediately if you dump them into the almond milk, and you’ll get an unfortunate bite of all-seed, no-sweetness or chocolate if you don’t mix it well (and really attractive chia seeds in between your teeth – hot stuff!). Using a whisk or fork, stir the chia seeds into the almond milk a little at a time. Then let it sit.

Second attempt: chia fresca.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m reading Born to Run and curiosity got the better of me. Again, whisking is going to be crucial to this recipe.

Possibly too reminiscent of tadpoles in a spring pond for some.

Looks…well, putting it mildly, it looks pretty gross. Despite the fact that these are hard little seeds, though, they absorb liquid quickly and easily and form a gel. So when you actually drink it (it being water, chia seeds, a little agave, and lemon or lime juice), it’s pretty smooth. The blogger from whom I got the recipe wasn’t a big fan, but I thought it was pretty refreshing. The Weight Watchers PointsPlus value is 3.

I’m 100% sure that it will not suddenly enable me to run hundreds of miles in tiny sandals over sun-baked canyons, but if you’re looking for a refreshing, fiber-filled drink, it will serve your needs.

Have you tried chia seeds? What did you think? How do you use them?

Three Things Thursday: Turn, Turn, Turn Double Edition

On my awesome afternoon run (low 70s, sunshine, not in the office…), I thought about how, even though DC had a ridiculously mild winter, the seasons are changing. Here’s my double Three Things edition: three things I’ll miss about winter running and three things I won’t…

The Glories of Winter Running (or…what I’ll miss!)

1. Not overheating. No matter what time of day I go out (oh, hey, 2pm Saturday runs…), I can usually stay pretty cool during winter. I love it. I tend to get hot pretty easily (or all the time), so the natural A/C will be missed.

2. I’ve never swallowed a fly while running during the winter. True story. But on today’s very spring-like run? Mmm…extra protein. The bugs are back out!

3. Wide open spaces. Cold outside? Fewer folks on the trail. I’m not a misanthrope, but when you live in an urban area, it’s kind of nice to get out there without bumping elbows with a million people. [The flip side of loads of people: there's constant motivation to get out there. Sometimes it's just the boost I need on a day when motivation is a little low.]

Be Gone, Low Temps (or…what I won’t miss!)

1. Dark mornings and dark evenings. I have a really hard time getting out of bed and getting out of the door when it’s dark. And when I leave work and it’s dark…also not especially motivated to get outside.

2. That age old question: What the hell should I wear?? When it’s warm, it’s pretty easy: lightest layer possible. But when it’s cold, I second guess myself…is this going to be warm enough? Too warm? Is it windy? Bring on the simplicity.

3. These guys. My saggy baggy running tights. Don’t get me wrong: I’m really happy that they are saggy baggy. I wear them as a badge of weight loss honor, but they’ve gotten ill-fittingly uncomfortable. In March, though, I’m not willing to invest in a new pair. So, I’m happy to welcome the warm temps and leave behind ye olde running tights.

Peace out, sag ass!

Weekend Update: Second Time in the Double Digits Edition

Here’s my weekly wrap-up for February 27-March 4.

Training Mode: Still in the game! This was week 10 of half marathon training, although my schedule is modified from the original based on my injury-induced rest.

Days until the race: 12 (whoa!)

Feelings about the race: Feeling pretty damn good.

You can run and tell that: 23; long run: 10.7. Significance of the title of this post? This 10.7 mile run was on the second run I’ve ever done that was double digit miles! The first was the Army Ten Miler on October 24, 2010.

Busted more moves: Yikes…I only ran this week! Must improve cross-training…

Busted body: I skipped busting more moves because of some…GI issues….I have some food sensitivities and I’m still working them out. I’m proud of myself for running through them, but it meant that I skipped yoga and Body Pump this week.

Ear candy o’ the week: I don’t run outside with an iPod. Startling me usually results in some terrific display of violent flailing and screaming, and I try to avoid inflicting that on innocent trail-goers. Before I left on my long run yesterday, I got this damn fine song stuck in my head. You could do much, much worse that to have the Lumineers crooning to you.

The takeaway: My long run only had one pit stop and two brief periods where I slowed to a walk (not hard when you run as slowly as I do!) to sip water (the drenched look never looked very good on me). As I closed in on two hours of running, I kept thinking back to when I did the Coach to 5K program and I had slight anxiety about each time the time interval that I was jogging increased. Two minutes stretched to three to five to ten to twenty until I jogged a 5K at a full stretch. If you’re out there doubting that you can take your tough five minutes and turn it into something more…well, I won’t say that 120 straight was necessarily easy, but I never had to force myself, and it was incredibly possible.

Things to work on: getting back in the cross-training groove.

Three Things Thursday: Fashion for Losers Edition

Losers of weight, that is.

Disclaimer: I have very little good fashion sense. But I have been losing weight, and I do want to look presentable and nice…sometimes I even surprise myself and look pretty damn good. I also have been in career transition since starting my weight loss journey, and while I’m a good gardener, I have yet to figure out how to grow a money tree.

I remember emailing a friend and saying, “Losing weight SUCKS!” because I was frustrated with my wardrobe. Obviously, I don’t mean it. I’m really happy with my progress, and I feel better than I’ve ever felt. I describe the ill-fitting clothes and need for new ones as my good-bad problem.

Apologies to any male readers out there, but here are three things geared toward lady losers who aren’t sure how to tackle the good-bad problem. These tend to work when you’re between sizes or maybe have lost 10-15 pounds. Once you start losing more, you may need to just suck it up and buy smaller sizes. When that happened, I bought cheap: jeans from Old Navy? Yes. Running clothes from Target? Absolutely. [Who am I kidding? I'd buy those things anyway, but the point is: save your $$ for your dream jeans when you've hit - and maintained - your weight goal.]

1. Skirts and dresses > pants. YMMV, but for me, skirts and dresses seemed to “fit” longer and look less frumpy than pants did. It may be because skirts and dresses don’t do that terrible thing that ill-fitting pants do: give you saggy ass. I also noticed that I could pull my pants off without unbuttoning/unzipping them. Slouchy pants? Not cute. But dresses that were a little big? Belt ‘em.

2. Shrink and deflect. I shrunk the hell out of whatever I could. If that didn’t work, but things seemed almost close to what I was going for, I deflected with accessories. I was the queen of scarves this winter. With a few basic, solid color, inexpensive tops, I could mix and match jewelry and scarves to have different outfits. And if some of my older shirts were a little big or frumpy, the fun accessories deflected attention from saggy shoulders.

3. Borrow! I’ve received overwhelming support from my friends, including material support. When I first brought up my good-bad problem, a friend offered that she had a ton of stuff in storage that she’d saved from when she was smaller. She lent me some good work pieces, and in the process, remembered how much she liked her old clothes, and is now on her own journey. Aside from her generous offer, I’ve also become bolder about asking. I needed some nicer things to wear for a work event, and I asked my roommate if she could help. Most folks usually have some extra things they don’t have in rotation now, and I’ve been touched with the help my friends have provided. You can also glam it up with a [healthy] brunch or cocktail hour at home and invite friends over for a clothing exchange.

Bonus #4: If you find a good tailor, have things taken in. This also tends to work best with skirts, or any item of clothing with simple seams. If you’ve got complicated waistbands or seams, it’ll cost more, and you may find yourself wishing you’d just bought something new. If blouses still fit in the shoulders, but have extra material below the bust, a tailor (or your mom…who gave me these pointers) can add darts, making the shirt fitted to your new rockin’ bod.

Yeah, I said it. Rockin’ bod.

For more tips, WebMD of all places has an article about it.

What are your tips? How have you fashionably shown off your in-process weight loss without breaking the bank?

Preparing for March Madness

Confession: I may or may not have (in many years) taken off days of work to watch the Thursday/Friday March Madness games. But that’s not the only March Madness that I’m referring to.

It took me a really long time to figure out that weight loss, eating better, and exercising needed a plan. When I decided to build a headboard, map out a job hunting strategy, and develop research in graduate school, I always started with a plan. Why I thought losing weight or getting into better shape would be any different is…madness, I tell you.

I didn't know how to build a piece of furniture, so I followed a plan. Such is being healthy!

Now I have, more or less, evolving plans. I’m sticking with Weight Watchers and upcoming races are helping to keep me exercising, but with a new month knocking on the door, it’s time to set some additional goals to work toward. So here’s the plan – my attempt to control some of the “madness.”

1. Keep running. First half of the month: keep up the miles, try not to get injured. Mid-month: run first half marathon! End of the month: keep up with post-race recovery miles and begin training for the next race.

2. Put together some kind of quick routine for a few mornings each week that I don’t go for a morning run. Still figuring out what this might look like, but it would include some dynamic stretching and a little cardio to get me going.

3. Tackle my diet soda addiction. Step one: make a note of each instance that I grab a diet soda. Step two: limit to no more than four 12-ounce servings each week, with a goal of eventually making diet sodas a rarity.

4. Kick out any remaining HFCS from my kitchen. I’m pretty good about avoiding this, but I just noticed that my favorite stir fry sauce has it, so March is for finding alternatives.

5. Make some camping or backpacking plans. I’ve been using my weekends for long runs, but a trip out to Harpers Ferry for some hiking this weekend reminded me that I need to reserve time for those ventures, too. I used to backpack 1-2 times a year, and it’s time to add that back into the rotation o’ fun. March is the month of planning for later spring adventures…and whetting my appetite with more hikes.

Nothing like a beautiful day and a great hike above town.

Correction: nothing like a beautiful day, a gorgeous hike, AND post-hike recovery red!

Here’s to a great March!