Meg's Miles

For those in the running community, you'd have to be living under a rock if you hadn't heard about Meg Cross Menzies.  She was tragically killed by a drunk driver while out on her morning run on Monday, January 13. Through Facebook and other blogger's pages I came upon #megsmiles. 

The Event was organized to have runners and non-runners get out on Saturday and dedicate the distance covered to Meg.  To run for Meg.  She was no longer with us on this earth, but we, as the running community could run for her. 

I joined the event when I heard about it on Tuesday and knew that I would get out there and run for Meg on Saturday. 

I got up early on Saturday morning, laced up my running shoes and layered up since it was 30 degrees outside.  Then life happened, the kids woke up early and the hubs slept late.  They needed to be fed and chores needed to be started.  So I ended up wasting half my morning just waiting around the house.  I became discouraged and thought about just shelving the run until Sunday, but then I remembered Meg and knew I had to get those miles in today, no matter what. 

So finally at noon I headed out the door for my run.  I didn't really have a plan.  Didn't know how far or how long I would run, I would just let my legs be the judge. 

I started out too fast, as I always do, but then by mile 2 I settled into a nice easy pace.  I felt great.  I let my mind go free.  I kept thinking about Meg.  This woman that I didn't know, but felt connected to because we are runners, moms, wives.   I wondered what kind of woman she was.  She seemed dedicated to her passion.  I guessed she was a good mom and wife.  Loved her family and her sport.  It's hard sometimes to find balance between all the chaos that those 2 things can cause.   It made be think to my own family.  That sometimes I don't live enough in the moment.  I'm too busy trying to plan for the future whether it be for tomorrow or 5 years from now.  That before we know it, the day, the moment is gone.  Life is short.  We never know when our time here on earth is done so we should make the most of the life we've been given.  Cherish our time with our loved ones. 

My runs here lately have been a struggle.  I fight myself to get in 4 miles, but Saturday I actually enjoyed running for the first time in a while.  My legs felt great.  I never really got tired.  I started to have some stomach issues that we won't discuss around mile 6 so I ended things early.  I really think I could have kept going and who know how many miles I could have covered for Meg. 

7.43 miles for Meg

So Saturday and Sunday I tried to soak as much time with my kiddos as I could. 
We made pancakes for dinner.  Who doesn't love some good carbs after a long run.  I might have put chocolate chips in there too.  Yummy! 

Sunday I took my 2 little nut jobs out to the movies to see The Nut Job.  It was a cute movie.  The girls really seemed to enjoy it.  Would I watch it again?  No. 

  

Moving On

After debating back and forth and some serious thinking...

We have officially put our house on the market.

 

It's time we've moved on the bigger and better things.  Mainly bigger.  As a family of 5 now, we've outgrown out house.  We've run out of space.  Storage space, living space.  And the kids aren't getting any smaller so the space issue isn't something that is going to go away.

My commute into work in the mornings

Our commute is hell.  The hubs and I both commute about 60 miles one way into Atlanta. The drive is killing us (and our cars).  We spend so much time in traffic commuting back and forth, we are losing so much precious time with the family.

My commute on the way home in the evenings

I literaly run in the door from work, try to cook something half way healthy for dinner, while reviewing and doing homework and playing referee to 3.  We eat dinner, then I clean up, the kids do chores, get showers and we maybe have 10-15 minutes of free time to sit down and actually enjoy time with the kids, playing a game or reading a book together. My kids will only be kids once and I want to be there for their childhood.  I feel like I'm wasting good quality time with the kids while sitting the car. 

And this is basically how I feel about it every day.  It Sucks!!!

Not only do I miss time with the kids, but I miss the time with my hubby and myself.  I spend 3 hours a day sitting in my car, plus my 8-9 hour work day.  That's a lot of time away from home, just on a normal day.  If we moved closer to the office, I could actually have a conversation with my hubby face-to-face while not trying to multi-task.  I could actually find time to go to a gym or not get up at 4:30 to workout. 

The positive reasons to move are numerous and I am really excited about the possibilities in a new house and a new location.

But for all the excitement there is the scary thoughts too.  I'm super nervous to move to a new area.  I've lived within a 15 mile radius of my childhood hometown my whole life (with the exception of college).  I know all the good and bad places to eat.  We are connected to the kids' schools and our church.  We are established with the local recreational sports leagues.  We will have to start over in so many area of our life in whatever city we move to. 

Then there is the impact on the kids.  They are really excited to move into a new and bigger house and all the potential that comes with a fresh start.  But it's also heartbreaking to see them upset at the thought of loosing friends.  It's hard for them to understand that this is the best thing in the long run.  I know that it's only gonna get harder as the school year ends and the sale becomes official. 

With all the feelings and mixed emotions that are floating around our house right now we just have to focus on one day at a time and make the most of what we have here in front of us at this very moment. 

New Year, New Goals

It's a new year and you all know what that means.  Time to make resolutions. It's what all the cool kids do, so I'm gonna do it too.

Yes, I know I'm a week late on all this New Years Resolution stuff.

I'd rather call them goals than resolutions.  I am very goal oriented, and I love crossing things off my to do list.

So my goals for this year...

• Eat better:  After Thanksgiving I dove head first into a pecan pie and have been stuck there.  It was absolutely necessary that I clean up my eating immediately.  I am trying to eat clean.  It's really hard.  When I can't eat totally clean, I'm making better food choices.  The sugar and sweets are killing me though, it's my one weakness.
• Run:  I already run, but I want to run more.  Run more consistently.  Run longer, run faster.
• Get strong:  I really, really, really want to join a gym, more specifically a CrossFit gym and work on my muscles.  But I'm having a hard time finding one that fits my needs and fits my schedule.  Even if I don't get into a gym I can do what I can on my own, but I will have some killer arm by summer. 
• Run an Ultra Marathon:  This goes back to #2 about running farther.  I really enjoy running trails (and I'm missing them right now). So why bore myself with running 26.2 on the road when I bust out 31 miles on a beautiful trail.  I will need to find one in the fall so I have time to train properly.

I'm sure as the year goes on, I will add things to my list.  My personal to do list is always growing so why shouldn't my fitness list grow too? 



Spartan Beast

It's been 2 1/2 weeks now and I can safely say that I have fully processed the event that was THE BEAST. 
It really wasn't all that bad.  Now, don't get me wrong, it was by no means a walk in the park, but not nearly as bad at I was expecting or prepared in my mind.

Normally I go to races on my own.  With 3 very active kids, its hard to pack everybody up and bring them with me or someone has to stay and be chauffer to their activities. 
My husband was not having it this time.  It was a big race and he wanted to be there.  I'm really glad he made the trip with me.  We headed out after work on Friday, since it was only a 3 1/2 hour drive from Atlanta to Columbia, SC where our hotel was. 

Saturday morning I woke up without my alarm clock and was ready for the day. 
I debated back and forth about what to wear, and I had packed everything, but finally settled on compression shorts, with compression socks, tank top and arm sleeves.  I layered sweatpants and a sweatshirt on top since it was 30 degrees outside. 

I had been to this venue, Carolina Adventure World earlier this summer to run the Superhero Scramble so it was easy find and we knew exactly where we were going. 
The hubby has never been to a Spartan Race, so the atmosphere was new to him.  He kept commenting how organized everything was, how helpful the volunteers were, that the spectator area was set up well.  Spartan Race knows what they are doing and puts on the best event.

It was a very chilly 34 degrees at the start of the race and didn't warm up much by my 9:00 wave.  I finally met up with some of my teammates from Georgia Obstacle Racers and Mud Runners (GORMR) in the starting corral.  It was nice to see some familiar faces in the sea of runners out there.  Normally I like the start at the front or as close to the front as possible.  I am usually competitive when I run so I like to get out front and quick.  Today was a little different.  I wasn't out there to win the race or even to finish in a certain time.  My goal was to finish.  Period.  This race was the longest and most challenging race I had done to date and all I needed to prove was that I can do this.  So I started in the middle of the pack with my team. 

Within the first quarter mile, in true Spartan fashion, we were jumping into chest-deep cold muddy water.  That first jump into the first trench took my breath.  It was so cold.  But I kept climbing out and jumped right into another cold, muddy pit. 

 

I was miserable right out of the gate.  My hands and feet were numb and I was having a hard time breathing from the cold air and my cold, wet clothes.  But I kept moving forward. 

I caught up with a teammate, JD about a half mile after the first obstacle.  We had raced together before and I knew that he ran about my same pace so we hung together making small talk, anything to take my mind off being cold.  After a few miles we had caught up with another teammate, Josh.  The 3 of us stayed together the entire race.

 We pushed each other when one was getting tired or wanted to slow down.  We took turns setting the pace and leading the way.  We helped one another over and through the obstacles.  We were each others cheerleaders as we faced daunting tasks. I'm so glad we found each other out on the course.  It made the race much more bearable knowing you had someone pushing and cheering for you all the way. 

I did my fair share of burpees, the lovely penalty for failing an obstacle. Josh called me the Burpee Queen.  My race total came to....120.  I fell off the Traverse Wall. (I've been hit or miss with the Traverse Wall, but today it was so wet and slippery, I just couldn't hang on).  I missed the Spear Throw.  Go figure.  I fell off the Monkey Bars.  (I've been pretty good at the monkey bars in the past, but I think because my hands were so cold, I had a hard time keeping my grip.)  I fell off the Tyrolean Traverse. (I was nervous going into the race about this obstacle.  I've never done it before and didn't really have any idea about ways to cross. I gave it my best shot and will do better next time.  You live and learn)

Though the day was not hot...at all, I tried to keep drinking and stay hydrated.  I chose not carry my own water in a Camelbak.  I carried nutrition of Gu's and Sport Beans in my SPI Belt.  Though I felt hydrated and well nourished, my legs started to cramp towards the end of the race.  We would have a water crossing and my calves locked up from the cold and I was barely able to move.  The uphill climbs were rough to say the least. 

My Garmin beeped 12 miles and I was exhausted.  I was really struggling and my teammates were having a hard time too.  We came up a hill and then out of the woods and I could hear Eddie calling my name cheering for me.  I was so happy to see him.  I yelled out "how much further."  He called back, "about 5 more miles."  I flipped him off at that point not really knowing if he was serious or not.  But as we got closer to him he told us it was only about another mile to the finish line.  That was the best thing I had heard all day.  I got a second wind and cramps or no cramps we all started running.  Towards the finish line.

But before we could cross that finish line we had a gauntlet of obstacles to complete first. 

The never ending up hill barbwire crawl. 

 

Cargo Net Crossing

 

Under a wall and through the mud

Slippery Wall

Fire Jump



And the Gladiators

 

And after all that, 13+ miles, 30+ obstacles, I crossed the finish line a Spartan Beast.  I earned that bright green medal.   I knew that I did my best and I conquered my goal.  I've never been happier of a race. 

 

Not only did I finish my Beast, but I also earned my Trifecta.  I completed one race at each of the Spartan Races distances.  I ran the Georgia Spartan Sprint back in March, I finished the Mid-Atlantic Super in August and now the Beast. 

I did it y'all!!!





The countdown is on

Here it is.  The week of the Beast.  Back in April when I signed up for this race November was so far way.  Now I am less than a week a way from what is probably the biggest race to date.  Not only in distance.  (Which is unknown.  This is Spartan right?  It's billed as 12+ but no one really know until you cross the finish line.)  Add the obstacles and terrain and I am up for one heck of a challenge on Saturday. 

Part of me is ready.  Ready to run, ready to get it over with. 
But the other part is nervous and a little freaked out. 
I have not trained like I probably should have to prepare for a race of this magnitude.  My longest run has been 10 mile, which I've done twice in the last 5 weeks.  I was gonna do 11 or 12 week before last but I didn't.  I then decided that it was okay and I would do one more long run Sunday, but then I got sick.  My strength training has been lacking as well.  I average one strength training session per week.  And I know that it's not gonna cut it out on the course. 
I have been practicing my spear throw.  But have yet to really master the technique.  So I am hoping and praying for no burpees. 

This is probably the last race of the season for me.  My entire year of running and training (or lack there of) has come down to this race. 
I will finish
I will get that green medal
Better yet, I will get my trifecta medal.
I will wear it with pride.
Because I am SPARTAN! 

Group Run and New Goals

Last weekend I ran with a group of complete strangers for a nice 10 mile run. 
Actually I knew one guy from a Facebook group and I met him briefly at a race back in August, so I guess technically he wasn't a total stranger, but I still didn't know if he'd chop me up into a million pieces in the middle of the woods.  But seriously, these were some really nice people and good runners. 
I was on the fence about running with the group since I didn't know any of them.  I didn't know what kind of pace they would run.  I needed to get in 10 miles and I was worried that I would try to hang and then end up crashing in the later miles.  I was worried about trying to keep conversation and avoid the awkward silence that can come when running, especially with new people. 
I woke up without my alarm Saturday morning and figured this was a sign that I needed to go run with the group.  I quickly got dressed, ate some oatmeal, kissed the hubby bye and rushed out the door.  I message the group leader and said that I was in and on my way. 
It was a little chilly at 55 degrees and spitting rain.  Perfect running weather in my book.  As long as you kept moving it felt good. As soon was we finished I was freezing.  Not knowing exactly what the run would entail I packed my Camelbak full of water and more than enough gels and chews to last me on a 10 mile run. 
We met up at 8:00 am Saturday morning at a State Park. There was a group of 7 of us.  3 guys, 3 other girls plus myself and one dog.  Some in the group needed to do 15 mile and other wanted to do about 10 so we chose a 5 mile loop run.  The trails at the park are well marked, a little technical and mostly single track.  I love running on trails.  It keeps my mind busy looking ahead on the trail and focusing on where to step next.  Running on the roads is mindless and tedious.  It serves it purpose and I run on the road a lot but mainly to save time and for the convenience factor.  The pace was easy, even on the slow side for me.  But it felt good.  We stopped periodically to let some of the slower runners catch back up with the group any time the trail split to make sure we stayed together as a group.  After the first loop the guys wanted to drop the hammer and push the pace so they took off and I stayed with the other girls for another 5 mile loop.  Around mile 8 we came to a really LONG hill.  The hill wasn't very steep, it just seemed to go on forever.  Probably close to a 1/2 mile.  Since we were running a loop, we had already faced this hill once so we knew what we were in for.  As we approached the hill the girl I was running with, said "Let's run all the way to the top.  No stopping, no walking."  I was in.  I like a challenge.  I am competitive.  More so with other people than I am with myself.  My legs were on fire, my chest was burning, my knees hurt but I would not quit.  I'd look over and see her still pushing right beside me and I'd keep pushing too.  We finally made it to the top and it felt great!  We finished the last 2 miles with negative splits.  The adrenaline rush you get from conquering something difficult. We ran 10 miles in 1:57.  But it felt like nothing.  It felt easy.  I like that kind of running! 

This group run brought 2 things to my attention. 
1.  I like running with other people. I need someone to hold me accountable.  I would love to have a training partner to do track workouts and speed work with.  Someone to keep me company on long runs. I need someone to push me.   Keep me from quitting when it gets hard.  So I am on a search for just that. I have some good leads on a CrossFit gym with a running endurance team, and another local running group.  We'll see if its a good fit and how it turns out.
2.  I want to run an Ultra Marathon.  Next year.  Most of the group that I ran with on Saturday are Ultra marathoner.  50 and 100 mile races.  Crazy right?  As we ran, they talked about different races they've done and they made it sound fun and doable.  So I think I'm gonna skip right over the normal 26.2 and do a 50K (31 miles) next year. 

Just one of those kinda days

I took Monday off to rest and spend the day with my girls since I was off of work and they were out of school.  On Tuesday I was ready to get back to it.  I packed a bag and made plans to stop at a local park on my way home from work to get in some time on the trails.  I love trail running, but with the time change happening soon, I fear my time of the trails are limited.  But as luck with have it, as I'm getting ready to change before leaving work I realized that I left my sports bra at home. My girls are not big by no means, but I have too much up top to be running unrestrained.  So running at the park was a no go.  Instead I head home to change and I'm stuck running the streets around my neighborhood.  Boo!

I set out on my run and I feel sluggish, I felt tight and a little sore.  I felt like I was having to push my self, but I felt really slow.  Then my Garmin beeps and I look down at my mile split.  8:06.  What?!?  I felt way slower than that.  But I kept pushing along, hoping that at some point I would start to enjoy this run. The weather was fantastic.  Overcast, 68 degrees, and little bit of wind, just enough to cool you off.  By time my watched beeped again I was at 8:09.  I still couldn't believe it.  I couldn't believe I could be going so fast but felt so slow.  Mile 3 was even tougher.  I came to the big hill out on the dirt road.  It's not a real steep hill, but it seems to go on forever.  So that mile pace dropped off a bit at 8:31.  Surprisingly, in mile 4 mile my legs started loosen up and bit and I felt good.  However that feeling was too good to be true.  While I ran mile 4 at 8:02, I started to fall apart after that.  I'm really not sure what happened, but my right foot seemed to stop communicating with the rest of my leg.  Despite over concentrating on making my foot hit the pavement and going heel to toe, my foot just kept landing flat-footed and I felt like it was just flopping around.  It was the most bizarre thing.  My arch in the right foot started to tighten up and started to get a little painful.  Then I started to panic.  I spent way too much time (not to mention money) in physical therapy to help with plantar fasciitis for it to come back now.  Luckily, I was only about a half a mile from home and it was all down hill.  As soon as my watch beeped and a hit mile 5 I stopped.  I usually will kick it into the driveway even if I'm over my mile goal.  But not today.  I had to make the pain stop.  I limped back to the house.  Immediately took my shoes off and started icing my foot.  I iced my arches, the top of my foot, my ankles, and all the way up my shin and even my knee.  Too much ice never hurt anybody and I had no idea what happened out there on my run, so I was playing it safe.  Today my arch is a little tender, but my foot in general seems fine.  

On another note, my run was filled some of the most interesting smells.  Some good, some bad and some very bad. I passed a cow pasture, which smelled lovely.  Then someone grilling out dinner.  I love the smell of a charcoal grill, especially when it has food on it.  Then a few rotting road-kills.  But the worst offender was the garbage truck that I got behind.  They would be a little a head and stop for a pick-up, I would catch up to the truck and then they would pull ahead to another house for pick-up.  This went on for probably a mile.  It was horrible. 
Now if I had not forgotten my sports bra I wouldn't have to face any funky smells. 

But sometimes you just have one of those day.