Let the Holiday Season Begin

For most of my life I have hated October for no reason other than I hate scary things and Halloween is my least favorite holiday. But since meeting my boyfriend I have begun to appreciate the fall season much more. This October was filled with many fun things, namely my boyfriend visited three weekends this month! Wow, it almost felt like we were just a regular couple for once.

My New Years Resolution progress so far is 8/10 races for the year. Throughout October I had a running event every weekend which stinks because I never had a chance to go to Halloween parties, apple/pumpkin picking, or go to PA to visit M. At the end of October (two days ago) I ran a marathon.

I'll stop and talk about this experience for a moment... So difficult! People ask me if it was fun and I can't lie to them because no it was not fun at all. I was in a lot of excruciating pain from mile 12 to the end of the race (14 whole miles in pain!) and I was so busy trying to push through that pain that I missed the monuments and the atmosphere. This is mostly my own fault because I did not train well the last month before the marathon. I missed my last long run (20 miles) so the furthest I was prepared for was 18 miles and that wasn't with a consistent pace. IF I do another marathon in my future these are some things I would do differently:

1) Better race gear - my shoes needed to be traded out in August, but I had no money at the time. I should have had compression pants or something better than my loose yoga pants on. And next time I'll have to wear something to cover my ears pre-race.
2) More training - I cut out one of my short weekly runs at the beginning of my program when I started getting shin splints. This may have helped me in the short run but my body wasn't prepared for the intense mileage.
3) No cutting out long runs! - Throughout my 20 week training program I probably cut out four of my long runs. Tsk tsk, those are critical!
4) Strength training- This could have helped a lot, but I didn't have time or energy.
5) Eating a better meal- the dinner before was just chicken with cheese and a salad, next time less wine, more water, and more carbs!

Otherwise, the nausea I experienced in the Army Ten Miler and the Baltimore Half Marathon was not present in the marathon. I think too much Gatorade triggers my acid reflux. And my throat-closing mystery is now solved: at the end of the Baltimore Half my throat was closing up and I could barely breathe. The reason this was is because I was beginning to get overwhelmed and cry and my throat was swelling up. In the marathon this kept happening! I'd have to think of something that made me angry just to get rid of the swell.

I'm a marathoner now, how strange is that?

Army Ten Miler

6 races down, 4 to go - and two more of them are in October whew!

Since I am by no means a pro at races (8 total ran so far) a lot of things I do are by trial and error. Drinking on the Friday of race weekend was a big fat ERROR - I could feel those glasses of wine coming through my pores towards the end of the race. And to the sweet people who had a beer stand at the 8 miler-marker be lucky that I didn't puke all over your stand! The smell of the beer was so overwhelming in the heat that my mantra in the last two miles was "Don't puke on the children, for God's sake don't puke on the children!" By the grace of a higher being I managed to breathe through it and not ruin anyone's spectating/racing experience. Casey - FTW!

A smart thing I did - sneaking in my iPhone. Ooohoo living on the edge, I know. There is no way I can do races without music and I had it at such a low volume I could hear when people were about to pass and moved. Others, I hear, were not as courteous and iPod users were constantly jostling into one another. Goal: if you can't hear your running partner talk to you then your music is too loud.

And for another bad thing - drinking Gatorade and having a G2 energy bar before the race was a terrible idea. If you don't normally do those things, then don't do them on race day! Tsk tsk- I am guilty of doing this all the time for races. My stomach cramped so uncomfortably at mile 7 because of the Gatorade and hunger pangs. The usual food/drink routine is half a banana and a glass of water. There is nothing wrong with the G2 energy bar except for I usually take ShotBloks (spelling?) during my long runs and not before so I was so hungry by the end of the race.

Race results are still not posted but I kept at a steady pace the whole ten miles. Was it my favorite race? Absolutely not, mostly because of the logistics of the race. To get water after the finish line you had to walk for fifteen minutes and to get to the metro station you had to crawl over road barriers. I felt so horrible for the elderly and those with baby strollers because they had to have a lot more help to get up and over. All in all I'm not sure I will do the race next year. With the other two races and Heart walk during October, it's just really hard on my body to push myself like that in one month. We shall see! Otherwise, beautiful run this morning and I picked up McDonalds on the way back home and did not feel guilty at all! :)

Trip to Philadelphia

Marty - after a year of studying for the MCATs, applying to many med schools, waiting to hear responses, and having to deal with all my whinning and what-ifs throughout this past year is finally a medical student! Yay!

I went to Philadelphia this past weekend to attend his White Coat Ceremony where the class gets their lab coats and takes the doctors oath. It was kind of a boring ceremony, blah blah medical humor, blah blah, but I was so proud to see my handsome boyfriend (the second tallest in his class I'm pretty sure) get 'coated' after all his hard work.

Thursday night, I got in after work and we vegged out on the couch and watched an anime I've been slowly going through, "Chobits", it's sooo funny! After a failed attempt at getting good pizza at a local restaurant, Marty ordered me some Papa Johns and we grabbed a box of wine. Ahhh wonderful couch meals.

Friday was the ceremony. Since I had a few minutes to kill, I went to the student center for a latte. Not only did they not have chai, they didn't have vanilla or caramel syrup. As a previous employee of a coffee shop I wanted to spit in disgust. I left before he could tell me whether they had milk or espresso beans.

Here's us post-ceremony. He looks so handsome in that coat!

We went to a bar after to celebrate. I should let Marty order for me from now on because I usually choose weak or sweet beers that aren't as good as his. And I need to learn that I can absolutely not day drink. Pre-4pm drinking brings on nausea and headaches. Gotta stop doing that.

That night we stayed in and did nothing again - my favorite!

Saturday I hung out with my best friend Stephanie (sorry no pics, I forgot to take any!). We went shopping, out to lunch, and watched a hilarious movie "She's Out of Your League."

Marty made me run in the hot afternoon to the Rocky steps. It was so freaking hot! But I needed 3 miles for my training program.

And later that night we went to a grill restaurant that served bison meat. I'd never had bison before, and usually steer (haha puns) clear of red meat because of heart burn/acid reflux, but it tasted very light, similar to a turkey burger. And don't even get me started on the amazing asparagus!

We went out later that night with some of the other future doctors and a good friend of ours from college. It was really fun, and I drank a little too much as usual - and forgot to take any pictures - boo!

The next morning we watched "Source Code" (wow a weekend of new movies for me!) and played with our Kira who I brought along with me to Philly. Isn't she so sweet?

And that was it for my wonderful Philadelphia adventure. It was sad to go. Especially since we won't be seeing each other for another three weeks, and we got to spend nearly five weeks together this summer. It was so nice getting to act like a normal couple and watch movies on the couch with some wine/beer. Now it's back to late night phone calls and Skype sessions for a very long time.

*Sigh*, but I still believe it is truly worth it. It has been over a year but it really gets better and better. And as my pink bracelet says that I never take off: Love knows no distance.

Marathon Training (week 2 of 21)

I am on my second week of marathon training (technically this is my 2nd pre-week because I have more time to train than my training schedule dictates) and I'm feeling pretty pumped.

For the first time in my running history (a whole year) I am sporting brand spankin' new Mizunos. I went to a local shoe store in town and they fitted me out with these babies after a number of test runs. I am a flat-footed overpronator so these shoes apparently have some technology to help me run without much pain. Yeah! Fancy that, after a year of running and I just now figure out that you shouldn't choose your shoes based on the cute pink swish on the side of the shoe. I was running for the past year with a Saucony minimalist shoe (no "technology" for my feet/leg defects). This probably explains the intense shin splints, hip pain, ankle rolling, and foot aches that I was getting after EVERY run. My wallet is $120.00 lighter and my foot and ankle pain is all gone.

Hips are another issue. It might be a matter of getting adjusted to the new shoe and the way it keeps my flailing legs in check, but my hip flexors have been giving me a ton of issues after the third mile. Like clockwork they start to come 'loose' (I can't explain it any better) and ache as if I'd been riding a horse for a week. Today I didn't have much of a problem, so maybe it was a getting-used-to issue.

Blisters! After a year in my bad shoes and I never got one blister. The woman who fit me for my Mizunos had asked me about blisters and lost toe nails and I answered saucily "I don't get THOSE," as if they were beneath me. Into the second week and onto the second blister... They seem to be cropping up along my arch - possibly a new shoe side effect? We'll see if I can callus those suckers up soon. I am very worried about the possibility of lost toe nails. Gross.

Shin splints... same shit, different shoe. I can't seem to get rid of them even when I take it easy on my runs and try to cross train. Any jumping that I do in Zumba immediately sets them off and I LOVE to jump. Stretching and icing will be my religion in the next 20 weeks I suppose.

Mileage? For once I'm running pretty consistently. Before I was hitting a short run and two long runs and dying from my shin splints. Now I run four times a week, two short runs, one medium, and one long run. This is probably what is also keeping my pain in check aside from the new shoes. I need to switch up my running routes a little bit before I start collecting stalkers, and I think a co-worker just introduced my newest long run to me today. Can't wait to try it out.

Cross training. We got Zumba twice a week, ab videos, elliptical, and stationery biking. I've decided today that to kick my weight loss into high gear (I'm currently at a 23.6 BMI, but I would love to have at least a 21 BMI by my marathon) by weight lifting. I've been dreading it because my new gym doesn't really have a nice open easy to use weight area like I'm used to be, but I'm going to start off slow. First I'll use my home dumbbells, then use the exercise rooms dumbbells, and maybe have a personal trainer/attractive man show me how to use the intimidating equipment. Muscles burns more than fat, right? Well I'm not getting much of that by just running all the time. We'll see how it goes.

So that's it for my exercise update. Hope you all aren't bored to death!

Keep Running,

Case

Halfway There!

On Sunday I ran the Historic Half Marathon, 13.1 miles, in the humid, but beautiful Virginia scenery. In the moments I wasn't huffing and puffing up the numerous VA hills, I would stop and take a look at the stream and forests around us. It was really beautiful. Throughout the race there were people dressed up in colonial garb. Some were just posed on the roadside as campers - so cute and fun! Naiomi (my dad's fiancee) and I got up really early that morning (4:30am) to head over from D.C.--I've been really spoiled by Maryland 5Ks starting at 8 or 9a.m. It was so nice running this long race with someone. I feel that there is no way I could possibly run a marathon without someone helping me through it.

I was fine miles 1-4, but because of the damp weather, my shorts started to clinging to my legs and rubbing my skin away--every stride burned my body! We didn't find a first aid station until mile 11 where they had a trusty tub of Vaseline. Next time: SkinGlide. Then around mile 9 I got this weird ribcage cramp that made me feel like I was having a heart attack. Naiomi told me to just stretch out my arm, and sure enough the cramp went away after the next mile. Then miles 11, 12, and 13 were just pure pain. My legs gave up on me - no more, no more, we can't take it! I had run the race at my typical ten minute mile pace. 5K: 31min, 10K, 1:03. And my legs didn't want to do it anymore. Those last three miles I would stumble around in a half walk/half jog slow pace. And wouldn't you know it - miles 11 and 12 had to be uphill! I was able to jog the last half mile of the race pretty well. The end was literally in sight and it was slightly downhill the rest of the way, whew.

One day I swear I will be up for going to post-race parties and using my beer coupon, but for now- nuh-uh! My stomach is too queasy, my legs don't want to hold me up anymore, and I just feel sticky from the humidity and sweat. So I finished the half marathon, and now I'm also half way through my New Year resolution of completing 10 races this year. I have done the Superbowl 5K, St. Patrick's Day 5K, Port to Fort 6K, Poker Run 5K, and Historic Half Marathon. Next up - trying to either go for the Erie half marathon or the Philadelphia 5K mud race.

I love running!

Time for those May Flowers

I seem to be running in to a lot of people lately who are involved in long distance relationships. Maybe when you are in the same situation you start to recognize the 'others' with more ease. Marty and I are coming up on the 11 month of being apart - after all that time, I do not know how military wives and girlfriends can deal with not seeing their loved ones at ALL for that span of time. Marty and I were fortunate enough to have flexible jobs in the beginning of the distance that allowed us to see more of each other. But now, with a little more work to do at my current job it's hard to take half days on Fridays and head out for a long weekend.

Talking to one my coworkers today about LDRs got m

e thinking - what were the hardest months to endure so far? God, months 1-3 were the toughest! I cried all the time, seriously went back and forth about whether I should end the relationship, and missed Marty so much! Months 4-7 were much easier to endure since I had more time after quitting my job and spending almost two months with family and my boyfriend. Month 8 was cake because I was starting a new job and so wrapped up in that excitement and challenge. Month 9 (February) was HELL - the 48 hour break up and having the stress of moving out and in to apartments. Month 10 and 11 have been pretty good, but I'm getting much more homesick for family and Marty. Homesick to the point where that mood just ruins my day and productivity levels. I haven't seen Michelle since before Christmas and that starts to wear on me after a while.

So, once you pass the first few months of transitioning you are in a much better place. The hardships never end, but it does get slightly more tolerable. If I had a solid support system of friends and family here, it would have been great, but all of them are 1.5+ hours away. What a bummer.

Now for more fun things. KITTEN!!!

Meet Kira Myers!

Kira is my (almost) four month old Siberian Forest Cat. I had put a deposit with a breeder way back in September, hoping for a silver boy cat - and I got this golden girl instead. She's so cute though, and was slightly smaller than her litter mates so when I got her she was still the size of a baby kitten. Even after two weeks with her I can tell that she has grown a lot. These cats are supposed to be huge when fully grown, and they are known to have lower allergen levels than other cat breeds, with long fur. All these things appealed to me when I found the breed since Marty is allergic and I adore our family Maine Coon.

I'm still trying to figure out her personality- she is very talkative - always meowing and chirping for no reason at all. She loves water, and tries to make rounds on the small bathtub ledge when I'm in there, but manages to slip in every time. She has two glitter balls - her very favorite toys that keep her active. We are now sleeping 8 hours at a time: WOOOOOPPPPPIIIEEE!!! No more 3 am wake up calls. She does like waking me up at 6/7am to 'talk'. All she does is meow, meow, meow, rub against my face, and tries to bite any exposed skin. We are adjusting to each other. Her huge eyes freak me out/make me laugh all the time.

What else in my life... I am running a half marathon in a week and a half. I am a bit nervous since this will be the longest I've ever run, but I feel like I'm prepared even though I've been in a non-exercising funk.

So yep, that's life. Marty is coming up in two days and at the end up this month I have my first vacation days coming up -woot!

Race Day

7a.m.

I roll over and groan out of my dream state after only five hours of sleep and think decidedly: "I'm going back to bed and sleeping through the race."

7:15a.m, in the shower I wash my hair and think hesitantly: "I should go back to bed and sleep through the race."

7:45a.m., standing at the registration table shivering and regretting: "I really should have slept in through the race."

But then, as it usually happens the excitement begins to trickle through the crowd and hits me too. And I'm standing giddy with everyone --us slower runners--a few yards away from the starting line feeling nice and toasty with all the body heat around. I start to jump around to get my blood moving to my legs before we're about to take off. Everyone's clapping and yelling and the crowd begins to move - then stops dead two seconds later (This always happens at all the races I've been to!). I give it another five seconds before I begin darting around everyone.

For those that I've cut off, pushed gently out of my way, or just interrupted their walking pace, I am sorry. I am crazy. I'm the girl that runs up on the dividers, treks through mud and grass, and has no problem sprinting over cobblestone roads (Thank you Fells Point runs!) to get my pace going.

My first mile seemed really long, mainly because I am thinking longingly of my bed and Advil waiting only a mile away. Then the mile marker appears and the guy shots out 9:50.

Hell no, I start booking it. Second mile is right before a large hill. I'm losing my pace because I don't have my music to race to, and I start looking around for a pacer. Usually I'm fine without one, but this morning seems a bit harder to get through.

I hate hills, I dread hills. Is there any good way to get up a hill besides walking up it? I haven't found one. Even a light jog up a hill has me panting for breath and aching. But I get to the top of the hill and spot my pacer. She's got a bright colored shirt on and looks about my age, in shape, with no signs of the exhaustion I'm exerting. We go down the hill together (me always a few feet behind) and what a glorious feeling the downhill is! But then we come to the bottom of the hill and they have a loop to go all the way back up it! Treachery. This time, I keep in line with my pacer and go step for step up that hill with her.

At the bottom of the hill is the third mile marker. Yay! Almost there - oh wait this isn't a 5K - we got a little more ways to go. Feeling more confident, I outrun my pacer. It's weird, I swear that every time I run a race - the crowd I run with thins out more and more - hopefully a good sign. We get to the end, 200 yards away, and there's... no finish line?! Runners just stop and hope that they ran past the finish line, I keep going till I hit the water stand. Bah, no finish line, what do they think they're doing.

Donuts and hot dogs are being served right past the "finish area" and I get a serving of both.

What a good race - wish I knew my time - but unfortunately it wasn't a chip race so it won't be as accurate.

Glad I did NOT sleep in through the race. Coming up next - half marathon perhaps? Who knows!