The latest edition of Women's Running. It has the perfect article for me this month: "Half-Marathon Training for Busy Women."
Date: December 18, 2008.
Showing posts with label Half-Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Half-Marathon. Show all posts
366 Pictures: #156 Health
366 Pictures, Half-Marathon, RunningThe latest edition of Women's Running. It has the perfect article for me this month: "Half-Marathon Training for Busy Women."
Date: December 18, 2008.
I Took a Tumble . . .
Half-Marathon, Running
Today is the day I finally get to blog about the ING Half-Marathon. There is good and there is bad.
I woke up at 5:00 a.m., wide awake and excited. I took MARTA from the Lindbergh Station to Underground for the start of the race. I was one of many runners stuck on MARTA for about 15 minutes. We never did figure out why we were stopped and other trains, with runners, were passing us. (We did hear something about an item being on the tracks, blocking us, but I'm not sure.) So, we get to the Five Points station a few minutes before 7:00 a.m. I decided to use the bathroom there, and of course, there was a line. I wasn't too worried about the time since I knew there wasn't a corralled or wave start. It would take 20 minutes for all the runners to cross anyway. I officially crossed at 7:17 a.m. My Garmin was unable to locate a satellite for the first mile due to the buildings downtown. I checked my time at Mile 1 and noticed that I had a satellite signal.
The first couple of miles went great. I felt energized and was keeping a steady pace. (Most of you who read this blog know that I'm a slow runner, that's just me. I have to really push to break a 10 minute mile.) Just before Mile 3, I was cut off by another runner (not intentionally) and as I tried to keep from hitting them I tripped over a round speed disc in the road. I scratched up my knees and hands really good, and put quite a bruise on my left knee. See pictorial evidence below:
During the fall, I also busted up my pretty Garmin GPS watch. It would turn on and keep time, but wouldn't locate satellites. I stopped at the first medical tent to let them swab my hands and knees with alcohol. I even had an Atlanta Police officer stop me to make sure I knew I was bleeding. I'm telling you, I was wearing the blood, scrapes and bruise like a badge of honor, because I kept going.
The runner who won the marathon passed me just after the marathon Mile 18. That was very cool! I was also able to cheer for the lead women marathoners while I stood in line at a porta-potty. (Hey! I was having fun with my run, I wasn't trying to break any kind of record. Besides, I stopped my watch, so I know what my actual time was.) The potty break was at Mile 7 (I never saw a sign, but the volunteers around that area had shirts that said "You only have a 10K left!"
I stopped again at the medical tent around mile 21 (I think?), it was the tent right off the turn at Ponce De Leon. I wanted to have my hands swabbed again since I had been inside a nasty porta-potty. Unfortunately, the guy in the tent spotted the knot and swelling around my left knee and had me ice it. He was very sweet about it though, because he could tell I didn't want to stop. One thing he said made me feel good. He told me I looked good and fresh compared to some of the runners they'd had come in. After icing my knee for about 10 minutes, he cleared me to go with instructions to stop running if my knee started to swell again or I felt any sharp twinges of pain. So, off again I went a runnin'!
The hill up 14th Street was a killer, which I have no shame in admitting that I walked up. This was around Mile 11-12. By this time, I realized I had lots of blisters on my feet, in all the places that the Body Glide didn't get, and they were so painful! I also walked the longer hills on Peachtree, part from the blisters and part from wearing down in the heat. It was 80 degrees at my finish. Once I saw the finish line, I was amazed at the burst of energy that I felt. I had always heard that you get a rush when you see the finish line, but didn't expect it. It was so neat to run across the finish line and then get my medal!
The cheering zones that were set up around the course were great. I loved that our first names were on the bib numbers because going through those zones you'd have random people yelling your name and cheering you on. That was great for me! I was also excited to see a friend of mine cheering the runners on around Mile 3-4. I ran over and hugged her! I think my only complaints as far as race set-up were the mile markers and water stops. I would have rather seen mile markers every 3 miles, and I really only saw two medical tents (but could've missed some). Only the very first water stop had Powerade, this was somewhere around Little Five Points b/c I had both Powerade and water around there. All the rest were just water. Thankfully, I had a big bottle of Gatorade in my fuel belt, along with two bags of Sport Beans. I will swear by Sports Beans for every long run -- they worked great!
After the finish, I felt completely exhausted! My feet were killing me and honestly, the only thought in my head was, "Why did I sign up to do another one of these next month?" I got some water and food and made my way to the chip removal spot. I wanted to meet up with the TrainStrong group, but my feet hurt so bad that I just walked to MARTA and went back to my car.
Once I got home, I was so afraid to take off my shoes! I was worried about what they'd look like. I knew they'd be blistered, but I was really hoping they wouldn't be blue! I counted 12 blisters, total, 6 on each foot. Here they are as of last night:
Honestly, this is the funniest picture to me! I can't look at it and not start giggling. Today, the blisters are covered in gel band-aids made especially for blisters, which are wonderful! They're feeling much better today!
So, today, I'm kinda itching to run! How funny is that? All in all, I'm happy that I did it. I'm very proud of myself for finishing the race. This time last year, I couldn't run a full mile, and I just did a half-marathon! How cool is that?
I woke up at 5:00 a.m., wide awake and excited. I took MARTA from the Lindbergh Station to Underground for the start of the race. I was one of many runners stuck on MARTA for about 15 minutes. We never did figure out why we were stopped and other trains, with runners, were passing us. (We did hear something about an item being on the tracks, blocking us, but I'm not sure.) So, we get to the Five Points station a few minutes before 7:00 a.m. I decided to use the bathroom there, and of course, there was a line. I wasn't too worried about the time since I knew there wasn't a corralled or wave start. It would take 20 minutes for all the runners to cross anyway. I officially crossed at 7:17 a.m. My Garmin was unable to locate a satellite for the first mile due to the buildings downtown. I checked my time at Mile 1 and noticed that I had a satellite signal.
The first couple of miles went great. I felt energized and was keeping a steady pace. (Most of you who read this blog know that I'm a slow runner, that's just me. I have to really push to break a 10 minute mile.) Just before Mile 3, I was cut off by another runner (not intentionally) and as I tried to keep from hitting them I tripped over a round speed disc in the road. I scratched up my knees and hands really good, and put quite a bruise on my left knee. See pictorial evidence below:
During the fall, I also busted up my pretty Garmin GPS watch. It would turn on and keep time, but wouldn't locate satellites. I stopped at the first medical tent to let them swab my hands and knees with alcohol. I even had an Atlanta Police officer stop me to make sure I knew I was bleeding. I'm telling you, I was wearing the blood, scrapes and bruise like a badge of honor, because I kept going.
The runner who won the marathon passed me just after the marathon Mile 18. That was very cool! I was also able to cheer for the lead women marathoners while I stood in line at a porta-potty. (Hey! I was having fun with my run, I wasn't trying to break any kind of record. Besides, I stopped my watch, so I know what my actual time was.) The potty break was at Mile 7 (I never saw a sign, but the volunteers around that area had shirts that said "You only have a 10K left!"
I stopped again at the medical tent around mile 21 (I think?), it was the tent right off the turn at Ponce De Leon. I wanted to have my hands swabbed again since I had been inside a nasty porta-potty. Unfortunately, the guy in the tent spotted the knot and swelling around my left knee and had me ice it. He was very sweet about it though, because he could tell I didn't want to stop. One thing he said made me feel good. He told me I looked good and fresh compared to some of the runners they'd had come in. After icing my knee for about 10 minutes, he cleared me to go with instructions to stop running if my knee started to swell again or I felt any sharp twinges of pain. So, off again I went a runnin'!
The hill up 14th Street was a killer, which I have no shame in admitting that I walked up. This was around Mile 11-12. By this time, I realized I had lots of blisters on my feet, in all the places that the Body Glide didn't get, and they were so painful! I also walked the longer hills on Peachtree, part from the blisters and part from wearing down in the heat. It was 80 degrees at my finish. Once I saw the finish line, I was amazed at the burst of energy that I felt. I had always heard that you get a rush when you see the finish line, but didn't expect it. It was so neat to run across the finish line and then get my medal!
The cheering zones that were set up around the course were great. I loved that our first names were on the bib numbers because going through those zones you'd have random people yelling your name and cheering you on. That was great for me! I was also excited to see a friend of mine cheering the runners on around Mile 3-4. I ran over and hugged her! I think my only complaints as far as race set-up were the mile markers and water stops. I would have rather seen mile markers every 3 miles, and I really only saw two medical tents (but could've missed some). Only the very first water stop had Powerade, this was somewhere around Little Five Points b/c I had both Powerade and water around there. All the rest were just water. Thankfully, I had a big bottle of Gatorade in my fuel belt, along with two bags of Sport Beans. I will swear by Sports Beans for every long run -- they worked great!
After the finish, I felt completely exhausted! My feet were killing me and honestly, the only thought in my head was, "Why did I sign up to do another one of these next month?" I got some water and food and made my way to the chip removal spot. I wanted to meet up with the TrainStrong group, but my feet hurt so bad that I just walked to MARTA and went back to my car.
Once I got home, I was so afraid to take off my shoes! I was worried about what they'd look like. I knew they'd be blistered, but I was really hoping they wouldn't be blue! I counted 12 blisters, total, 6 on each foot. Here they are as of last night:
Honestly, this is the funniest picture to me! I can't look at it and not start giggling. Today, the blisters are covered in gel band-aids made especially for blisters, which are wonderful! They're feeling much better today!
So, today, I'm kinda itching to run! How funny is that? All in all, I'm happy that I did it. I'm very proud of myself for finishing the race. This time last year, I couldn't run a full mile, and I just did a half-marathon! How cool is that?
Coming soon . . .
Half-Marathon
I will be posting all about my half-marathon experience. I'm ruminating the post as we speak. However, I am waiting until my battle scars and muscle soreness lessen a bit, so that I'm not biased. I also have pictures of said battle scars that I'll post. They're not gross, and one is actually very funny.
Anyhow, that's my medal up there! One thing I can say about it, I'm proud of myself for finishing!
More to come!
Peachtree Road Race . . .
Food, Half-Marathon, Running
So, today is the day the application for Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race comes out. I snatched up my paper very early this morning to prevent anyone from stealing it! (It happens in apartment complexes!) My application is completed, a copy of my passport is ready to go, along with my entry fee. I'll put it in the mail first thing tomorrow morning.
For those of you unfamiliar, the P'tree Road Race 10K is very competitive in Atlanta. It's capped at 55,000 runners. They automatically accept the first 45,000 entries they receive and then randomly select 10,000 more from all the applications. The first year I applied, I got a number, but ended up not being able to run and gave it to a friend. The second year, I didn't get in. The race is held the morning of July 4, you know, when it's miserably humid in the city of Atlanta! I'll keep you updated -- I should know within a couple of weeks if I'm in.
Yesterday, my Will and I headed to Nuevo Laredo for some yummy Mexican food. Their lobster tacos are the best! Afterwards, we drove around the city a bit. We stopped at a couple of little neighborhood stores, grabbed some coffee, and checked out Park Tavern's St. Patrick's Day event. It was a beautiful day, but quite cool. Afterwards, we went back to his place and watched some of Shortbus. We'd seen it at the Landmark Theater during its run and it's good, very graphic, but good. Anyway, we checked out of some of the special features and what not.
Today I plan to get through four days worth of newspaper! I got behind this week. I also have several movies that I need to watch, one being, An Inconvenient Truth.
Next Sunday is the ING Georgia Marathon/Half-Marathon. I'm telling you all right now, with no shame, that my time is going to be horrible! My longest training run is about 8 miles. I had three weekends within the last month where I haven't been able to run, plus having some sinus issues that kept me heavily medicated! So, I'm sure I'll be walking a decent portion of the race. I figure, as long as I finish, and do not get picked up by the sweeper bus, I'll be happy. Surely I can do it in 6 hours! Plus, I have another one the end of April. That one will be much better.
For those of you unfamiliar, the P'tree Road Race 10K is very competitive in Atlanta. It's capped at 55,000 runners. They automatically accept the first 45,000 entries they receive and then randomly select 10,000 more from all the applications. The first year I applied, I got a number, but ended up not being able to run and gave it to a friend. The second year, I didn't get in. The race is held the morning of July 4, you know, when it's miserably humid in the city of Atlanta! I'll keep you updated -- I should know within a couple of weeks if I'm in.
Yesterday, my Will and I headed to Nuevo Laredo for some yummy Mexican food. Their lobster tacos are the best! Afterwards, we drove around the city a bit. We stopped at a couple of little neighborhood stores, grabbed some coffee, and checked out Park Tavern's St. Patrick's Day event. It was a beautiful day, but quite cool. Afterwards, we went back to his place and watched some of Shortbus. We'd seen it at the Landmark Theater during its run and it's good, very graphic, but good. Anyway, we checked out of some of the special features and what not.
Today I plan to get through four days worth of newspaper! I got behind this week. I also have several movies that I need to watch, one being, An Inconvenient Truth.
Next Sunday is the ING Georgia Marathon/Half-Marathon. I'm telling you all right now, with no shame, that my time is going to be horrible! My longest training run is about 8 miles. I had three weekends within the last month where I haven't been able to run, plus having some sinus issues that kept me heavily medicated! So, I'm sure I'll be walking a decent portion of the race. I figure, as long as I finish, and do not get picked up by the sweeper bus, I'll be happy. Surely I can do it in 6 hours! Plus, I have another one the end of April. That one will be much better.
6 miles . . .
Half-Marathon, movies
I finally got my booty back on track with my training schedule for the ING half-marathon. Today I got in 6 miles at the Silver Comet trail. It was super crowded there today, which is to be expected on a lovely January day in the high 50s. Hopefully, work will calm down a bit and I will be able to get myself into the gym in the mornings before work.
Tomorrow I'm seeing The Queen. It is my goal, as usual, to see each of the movies nominated for Best Picture before the Oscars ceremony. So, I must see Babel and Letters from Iwo Jima before the ceremony. It's been so crazy lately that I still haven't seen Blood Diamond or The Pursuit of Happyness. Hopefully, I can get those in before the ceremony,too.
I'll try to let you know what I think of The Queen.
Tomorrow I'm seeing The Queen. It is my goal, as usual, to see each of the movies nominated for Best Picture before the Oscars ceremony. So, I must see Babel and Letters from Iwo Jima before the ceremony. It's been so crazy lately that I still haven't seen Blood Diamond or The Pursuit of Happyness. Hopefully, I can get those in before the ceremony,too.
I'll try to let you know what I think of The Queen.
Mish Mash . . .
Half-Marathon, Tennessee
I'm terribly sorry! I've been absent for a bit due to busyness. Hopefully things will calm down now that the holidays are practically over. I'm thinking that one my of resolutions for 2007 will be to blog more!
I've traveled to Tennessee the past two weekends for Christmas events with my family. They were all fun, but I'm ready to stay home for a few weekends. Bootcamp is still going well. It actually hasn't been very cold here for December so that's been nice.
Over the weekend my Mom and I saw The Good Shepard. It was good, and is a definite thinking movie. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I usually enjoy movies where I am required to think, but I was already very tired from driving to Tennessee, visiting family and then driving to the movies.
I'm supposed to hit my training runs heavy by January 7th for the half-marathon in March. That, however, has hit a possible snag. Yesterday, I injured my foot. I visited the doctor today and after several x-rays was told that I have either a very deep bone bruise or a mild stress fracture. I'm very frustrated because this could set my training back -- especially if I have to go through physical therapy! Hopefully, it will heal quickly. I really wish I had a nice story about how I injured myself doing some great athletic feat . . . not so much. It is actually quite a stupid story that I shall not bore you with here -- mostly to save my embarrassment!
I've traveled to Tennessee the past two weekends for Christmas events with my family. They were all fun, but I'm ready to stay home for a few weekends. Bootcamp is still going well. It actually hasn't been very cold here for December so that's been nice.
Over the weekend my Mom and I saw The Good Shepard. It was good, and is a definite thinking movie. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I usually enjoy movies where I am required to think, but I was already very tired from driving to Tennessee, visiting family and then driving to the movies.
I'm supposed to hit my training runs heavy by January 7th for the half-marathon in March. That, however, has hit a possible snag. Yesterday, I injured my foot. I visited the doctor today and after several x-rays was told that I have either a very deep bone bruise or a mild stress fracture. I'm very frustrated because this could set my training back -- especially if I have to go through physical therapy! Hopefully, it will heal quickly. I really wish I had a nice story about how I injured myself doing some great athletic feat . . . not so much. It is actually quite a stupid story that I shall not bore you with here -- mostly to save my embarrassment!
A breeze . . .
Half-Marathon
I breezed through the rest of Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes. Seriously, he is unbelievable. I can't imagine going through the endurance challenges that he's completed. No way, not for me. I love reading and watching about that sort of thing, however, I really question the ability of my body to endure something like that. The elite athletes who compete is these type of events amaze me. My first challenge is the ING Half-Marathon in March. I've also become very intrigued with trail running. However, before I can really get into that, I need to find a running buddy.
Last night's party was a lot of fun. It was so nice to see everyone so relaxed after the levels of extreme nervousness prior to the bar exam. We visited, ate great food, danced, and even tried out my super old bottle of tequila. We tried to catch some of the meteor shower last night, but we were too close to the city. It was a great time.
Last night's party was a lot of fun. It was so nice to see everyone so relaxed after the levels of extreme nervousness prior to the bar exam. We visited, ate great food, danced, and even tried out my super old bottle of tequila. We tried to catch some of the meteor shower last night, but we were too close to the city. It was a great time.
Day One . . . Round Two . . .
Bootcamp, Half-Marathon
Thought I'd give a quick update regarding my workout session this morning. Today was the PT test, which includes a 1 mile run, a stair sprint, and 1 minute of timed push-ups and sit-ups. I increased my push-ups and sit-ups, my sprint time was roughly the same (.07 slower), but my mile time went up by almost 1 minute. That sucked. Although, I didn't get to run a whole lot during my break which explains the difference. I'm so tired because I didn't sleep well last night, but then had to be up so very early. I'm hitting the bed early tonight. I'm sure I'll sleep well. So far, I don't have much soreness. Just a tiny bit in my back.
Somehow this evening I've become sucked into watch Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I enjoyed it very much when I saw it in the theater. I missed the first half-hour or so tonight, but watched the remainder while cooking, and then eating dinner.
I think I've decided to run the ING Georgia Half-Marathon on Sunday March 25, 2007. However, there is also one on Tybee Island in February and depending on how strong I feel (and if I can get someone to go with me) I might do that one instead. I'm still trying to decide on a 5K and 10K. I'm thinking I'll do a 5K on October 7th which supports the "fragile kids foundation." The only 10K that I'd be able to do schedule-wise is the Enmark Savannah River Bridge Run on December 2. Again , I'd prefer if I had someone to go with me (but I can work around that). The problem is, that bridge is a very high, 1.9 mile cable-stayed bridge! I don't even like driving over that bridge -- much less running over it (which, by the way, I'd have to do twice, because the 10K runs over the bridge and eventually back across the bridge)!
So, we'll see, I might get up the nerve to run across that thing.
Somehow this evening I've become sucked into watch Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I enjoyed it very much when I saw it in the theater. I missed the first half-hour or so tonight, but watched the remainder while cooking, and then eating dinner.
I think I've decided to run the ING Georgia Half-Marathon on Sunday March 25, 2007. However, there is also one on Tybee Island in February and depending on how strong I feel (and if I can get someone to go with me) I might do that one instead. I'm still trying to decide on a 5K and 10K. I'm thinking I'll do a 5K on October 7th which supports the "fragile kids foundation." The only 10K that I'd be able to do schedule-wise is the Enmark Savannah River Bridge Run on December 2. Again , I'd prefer if I had someone to go with me (but I can work around that). The problem is, that bridge is a very high, 1.9 mile cable-stayed bridge! I don't even like driving over that bridge -- much less running over it (which, by the way, I'd have to do twice, because the 10K runs over the bridge and eventually back across the bridge)!
So, we'll see, I might get up the nerve to run across that thing.
Sucked in . . .
Bootcamp, Half-Marathon, Red Sox
Normally, I don't watch reality television, save one -- I adore Project Runway. However, my step-brother and sister-in-law have somehow sucked me into another one. In Florida, I watched Rockstar: Supernova. This is an American Idol type show where contestants are competing to be lead singer of Tommy Lee's new band Supernova. Normally, this wouldn't interest me at all, but I'm a music freak and the songs the contestants pick are ones that I love! It's really hard not to watch when I find myself singing along. So, needless to say, I'm tuning in for the rest.
In other tv news, I'm so excited for the new season of Nip/Tuck, which starts soon! I loved the first 2 seasons, but last season's finale was horrible. I really hope Ryan Murphy does a better job with this season.
I'm considering training and signing up for a half-marathon. There are two I'm considering, one in February and another in March. This is a big step in my running because I've never done a race longer than a 5K. I have had longer runs, just not races. I really want to do the "Run for Justice" which is a 5K benefiting the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. I ran it last year, it was my first race, and had a lot of fun. It's November 11, but I may be out of town. Anyhow, I was thinking that if I put the fact that I would like to train for a half-marathon and posted about it that I wouldn't have a choice. You all would keep me in check! Right? I've been looking at some training programs and it seems like I have plenty of time. I've been told you only need about 12 weeks, so if I started now I'd be in good shape for the run.
I'm also hoping to get back into bootcamp with the next session, if it isn't booked by the time their new website is up. The instructors who actually did my camp have broken from Operation Bootcamp, but they're still offering the same camp at the same prices, with the same instructors. I just can't sign up until their website is up and running, which should be soon.
The Red Sox are still losing. They've lost 6 in a row, but are currently leading the Angels 5-1. I really hope they win. Their chance at the playoffs is in serious danger -- I'll be so disappointed if they don't make the playoffs!
In other tv news, I'm so excited for the new season of Nip/Tuck, which starts soon! I loved the first 2 seasons, but last season's finale was horrible. I really hope Ryan Murphy does a better job with this season.
I'm considering training and signing up for a half-marathon. There are two I'm considering, one in February and another in March. This is a big step in my running because I've never done a race longer than a 5K. I have had longer runs, just not races. I really want to do the "Run for Justice" which is a 5K benefiting the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. I ran it last year, it was my first race, and had a lot of fun. It's November 11, but I may be out of town. Anyhow, I was thinking that if I put the fact that I would like to train for a half-marathon and posted about it that I wouldn't have a choice. You all would keep me in check! Right? I've been looking at some training programs and it seems like I have plenty of time. I've been told you only need about 12 weeks, so if I started now I'd be in good shape for the run.
I'm also hoping to get back into bootcamp with the next session, if it isn't booked by the time their new website is up. The instructors who actually did my camp have broken from Operation Bootcamp, but they're still offering the same camp at the same prices, with the same instructors. I just can't sign up until their website is up and running, which should be soon.
The Red Sox are still losing. They've lost 6 in a row, but are currently leading the Angels 5-1. I really hope they win. Their chance at the playoffs is in serious danger -- I'll be so disappointed if they don't make the playoffs!
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