Is it the end of a book, or the end of a chapter?

It is the end of a chapter, so I’ll close that question out now.

So I ran my half. I’ll get to the down and dirty deets before I delve into feelings and stuff. My time was 2:41. I was aiming for 2:30, but the humidity was high and my shins started to hurt around mile 10, which was when I lost my pace. BUT I FINISHED, which is obviously the most important part.

^Me & my Daddy after the finish line. The source of my good looks and my interest in running (obviously).

The course was easy. Nice and flat and in areas I’m familiar with (I used to live in Philly, btw, not sure if I ever mentioned it). When I say easy, I mean that it was as easy as a 13.1 mile run could possibly be, which, as it turns out, is still pretty hard. I had been already having problems with shin splints, which bothered me from about miles 10-12. That, combined with the humidity, put me in a terrible position for finishing. But I did finish.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll team put on an excellent race. The expo the day before was very well-organized, with lots of awesome stuff available for purchase, and made getting my race packet very simple. They also provided great information on where to park the day of the race, and how things were going to be set up at the start, along the course, and at the finish line festival. I was able to find everything very easily that day, which definitely helped allay some of the anxiety I was feeling. P.S., I was absolutely a nervous wreck. As for the course itself, the water stations were great, always full with water, and full of helpful volunteers. I didn’t stop at the Gu or Gatorade stations, because Gatorade upsets my stomach and I brought my preferred Gu flavor, but those seemed to be well-stocked and full with volunteers as well.

As for the swag, that was pretty awesome too! The Brooks tech tee that was given is very high quality, super soft, comfortable, breathable, and true to size. The medal was also very nice (as you can see in the above photo), and felt nice and heavy around my neck, quite symbolic of my giant accomplishment, if I do say so myself.

i had a great swell of emotions during the half. The adrenaline and excitement got me through the first 10k and a little bit beyond. I was tired from mile 7-10. And, as I sad earlier, 10-12 was filled with pain and a little bit of disappointment as my body for not being in its greatest condition. But around 12.25 miles, “Born to Run” came over my iPod, and that helped me power through that last mile and finish strong. I crossed the finish line running and smiling. What else could you ask for in your first major distance race?

So what’s next for me? First up, a full week of rest. I just got back from vacation in Vermont, where I hiked and kayaked and walked around all day, so now it’s time to recover fully from the race. Then, the journey begins again. Like re-reading an old favorite book, I’m going to train for another half, and hopefully, will follow with a full in 2016. So it’s ending now, at least for another 7 days, after which, it starts all over again. I bought new shoes, will have a new plan, and hopefully, will get down to a 2:20 (my goal time) next year.

Until then…

-Kerry

The old (Nike Vomero 8) and the new (Brooks Adrenaline 14). Time for a new chapter 🙂

One Month to Go

Just sayin’

And just for giggles…

My half marathon shirt. Ha!

The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Kerry Crying Out in Pain

How is it that a simple 3 mile run becomes an excruciating test of my endurance and pain tolerance?

I’ll tell you how: HILLS.

I am blessed (?) to live in an area where pretty much any path I choose to run within my immediate neighborhood is going to be hilly. Some more than others, as I found out yesterday, trying out a new path on a farm preserve in the back end of my town. I hate hill training more than any other type of running, because getting out of breath so significantly is annoying, particularly when moving up the hill at a snail’s pace. 

However, hill training is good (or so I’ve been told).

I see the benefits when I do my long runs, which are on nice, flat paths of the D & R Canal. I can generally get by in the long runs a lot easier, because my right shin doesn’t throb as much as it does uphill, and I don’t have to worry as much about my breathwork. BTW, I sound like a woman in labor when I run. Fairly hilarious. But as my half marathon course is nice and flat (thanks for that, Philly, you rock), the hill training is making that flat course seem super easy in comparison. It is what it is, I suppose…

Until next time.

The End is in Sight…

I seriously cannot believe that there is only 1 month and 3 days remaining until the Rock & Roll Half. These past few months have been ridiculously insane, full of training, not getting enough sleep, figuring out how to handle severe shin splints (compression sleeves and ice, in case you’re wondering), and pushing myself further than I believed I could go.

When I initially began this journey, I was intimidated by the 5 mile runs in my training plan, not to mention the big kahuna of double digit runs (by this I mean the 13.1, obviously). But 3 miles became 4, which turned into 6, 8, and 10. I haven’t run more than 10 yet, but in these last few weeks of training, I will. I am so shocked at what I made myself do, and am so proud of myself for not giving up, even when it hurt, even when I really wanted to just come home from work and lay in my bed, even when cross-training seemed like a ridiculously unnecessary burden, I never stopped. I took a few days off here and there when it all got to be too much, but I didn’t quit. I’m still going, and I’m entering the home stretch.

The best part of this is that I can actually see my goal now. I can see myself crossing the finish line, getting my medal, and being able to cross one giant step off of my bucket list. It definitely has not been an easy journey, but then again, the most rewarding trips are often the most challenging. You shouldn’t be afraid to do something just because it’s going to be challenging. In fact, you should push yourself through those tough times and realize that you will come out stronger on the other side for doing so.

I am not going to finish first in my half marathon. But I will finish. I will run 13.1 miles to the best of my current ability. I will hug my boyfriend, my dad, and my friend Brooke at the finish line and I will know that I have achieved my own greatness.

That’s all I need.

Missing a long run.

I missed my run this morning.

I was in a bad mood.

We woke up late. Rex (my dog) had a vet appointment at 10:30 and the thought of making it to his appointment on time (my vet is very busy and always booked on weekends) was stressing me out. The humidity was about 90%, I couldn’t get a deep breath, my bra was a little twisted in the back, but all that was fine.

Then, I tripped, I fell, I legitimately began sobbing like a two year old, and I saw that despite all this hell I had been experiencing, I had only been running for 1.18 miles.

I tried to run again, but when I fell, I bruised my shin and it hurt and I didn’t think it was wise to continue when I was in still such a bad mental state.

I understand that this can happen during training. Mentally, you just don’t have it some days. I had a busy day yesterday with a vigorous yoga practice and general running around, so I was a bit sore. I was stressed about time, as I had mentioned. And with my constant allergies, the humidity is really, really not my friend.

So what do I do with a setback? Do I quit? Never.
Do I cry? A little.
Do I feel supremely disappointed in myself for letting my mind get the best of me? 100%.

I plan on making up my long run on Tuesday, when the humidity is supposed to be down and I won’t be sore from a crazy yoga practice. I need to realign myself mentally, and remind myself WHY I’m doing this. What my objectives were and are, and not to be disappointed in myself. I am achieving what I never thought I could.

Missing a long run is certainly not the end of the line for me.

Am I a runner?

A little reminder, for the tough days.

Has she died or something?

No, not quite.

Life got crazy.

I switched jobs. I went from a very active job to a desk job. I’m officially a member of the 9-5. Well, the 7-3, but you get the point. The crazy hours are gone, and my training is getting back on track from a couple weeks of craziness and half-assed hap-hazard thrown together workouts.

With that being said, training is actually going quite well. Yesterday I ran 8 miles, which is a first for me. My time was 1:28 and some odd seconds, which puts me at a 10:59 pace (average). That is pretty much the goal time I’m trying for for the 1/2, so I’m pretty excited that it’s all unfolding.

Today is the 2 month mark. 2 months until I stand at that starting line, take a huge deep breath, and run the final 13.1 miles of this journey. To represent the 2 months left, I have 2 goals that I want to accomplish (besides the obvious).

1. Keep my promises to myself.
2. Never be disappointed – I am doing more than I ever thought possible, and that is never anything to be disappointed in, even if a training session doesn’t go well.

2 months.

I think I might be crazy.

I’m in love with a household appliance.

Along with the joy of running, my journey to 13.1 must include the dietary part of things as well. A runner will not succeed without proper fuel, and with proper fuel comes an interesting amount of experimentation on what works, what doesn’t, and won’t make you get the urge to poop halfway through a training run. 

Enter the Nutribullet…

A good friend of mine (Hi Brooke, if you ever read this!) bought a Nutribullet and literally raved about it so much that I considered buying one just so she would stop telling me about it :). After a near death experience with one of her blasts (she put almond milk in it, I’m allergic to almonds), and constant frustration with juicing (the prep, the cleanup, the more than 60 seconds of effort that was required), I caved and bought one on HSN, mostly because it was on FlexPay, and when I’m bored, I shop online.

I’ve had my NB about 3 weeks now, and I’ve used it almost every day. The only days I don’t use it are the one or two days a week I’m not exercising, because I usually eat out on those days and eating out usually means pizza. I love pizza. Seriously. But, ahem, back to the topic at hand. So the NB is ridiculously easy to use. For my pre run juice thing, I usually throw in a handful of spinach, blueberry, strawberry, banana for creaminess, chia seeds, and water to the max line. Fills me up, hydrates me, MOST IMPORTANTLY, does not taste like spinach. Nobody actually likes the taste of spinach in those things. Seriously!!! Post-workout is usually banana, peanut butter, soy milk, and protein powder. Tastes like ice cream. So so good.

All you have to do with the NB is put whatever in it (remove any cores and pits, obviously), screw the blade on, and blend for like 30-45 seconds, depending on how much is in there/whether the fruit is frozen or not. I freeze almost all my fresh fruit, because I tend to not eat it fast enough for it to not go bad, and I don’t like to throw away food. Plus, now that it’s getting warmer out, the frozen fruit gives it a smoothie like consistency and makes it nice and cold (obviously), so it’s refreshing and delicious and you ALMOST forget that it’s healthy. Cleanup is also a breeze. Take the cup and the blade and put it in the dishwasher. THE END. No stupid strainers or pulp catchers or WTFever else to clean. The whole process is less than 5 minutes. I love simplicity.

The NB gets a 5/5 from me. It’s still on FlexPay on HSN, btw. 

I’m a blogging slacker

…but I am NOT a training slacker. 

First off, let me give you the stats from my training recently:

4/24 – 4/27, off because of terrible “lady pains”.
4/28 – 2.04 miles, easy pace, 20:10
4/29 – Vinyasa flow yoga
4/30 – Off
5/1 – 2.04 miles, tempo pace with hills, 21:53
5/2 – Strength, 5×5 squats, deadlifts, bent over rows, push press, push ups, assisted pull-ups
5/3 – 3.2 miles, easy pace on a torn up trail, 34:01
5/4 – Off
5/5 – 2.04 miles, easy pace, 21:17
5/6 – Off
5/7 – 2.10 miles, fartlek, 18:44 (PR FOR 2 MILES!)
5/8 – Body weight strength training.
5/9 – AM vinyasa yoga.
5/10 – 3.07 miles, easy, 27:51 (PR!)
5/11 – Off
5/12 – Fitnessblender video. 
5/13 – 3.31 miles, easy, 32:02
5/14 – 3.12 miles, easy, 30:56.
5/15 – Quick strength, 5×5 squats, leg press, deadlift, calf raises.

Wow. I’ve been gone for a while, but as you can see, I’ve been busy! Which is great, since my training is going pretty well. I’ve been working on my breath work on runs, along with not burning myself out on the first mile when I still have a couple to go. Also, my overall health is getting better since I rededicated myself to training. I had a re-evaluation with a nurse at my gym (which all members get every 10-12 weeks), and found that since September I have lost 20 pounds (!), and since December alone I have dropped 5.6% body fat (!). The numbers totally blew my mind, but I am so proud of myself for making it so far in not such a long amount of time. In order to stay that way, I haven’t missed a scheduled workout since the month of May began, and I’ve refocused my eating to maximize my workouts. I feel unstoppable lately.

In other news, my Daddy Dearest has decided to sign up for the half with me! My dad was part of my inspiration to begin running. If my old man dad could drop a ton of weight, change his eating habits, and take up running at around age 50, then nothing should stop be from doing the same in my early 20s. Running this half together is going to be a first for both of us, and I’m now glad that I’ll have someone to bask in the glory with. Now, must work on my strides so I can keep up with his 6 foot tall self. (I’m 5’3”, btw). 

I’m so glad to be back with you all. See you soon!