Category Archives: Fitness

Atlanta Half Marathon: Three Days Later

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I DID IT!

I didn’t mention what my time goal for the half marathon was in my last post, because I didn’t want to look like a lame-o if I didn’t make it … but I did! WOOHOO! The goal set by my coach was to finish in 2:25:39, and I ended up finishing in 2:24:40 – almost a minute ahead of schedule! I still can’t believe I pulled it off. That’s 33 minutes faster than my finishing time in April!

Our day started at 4:30 a.m., when we rolled out of bed and dragged ourselves down the stairs. Brad’s dad drove us to the race, and stuck around for four and half hours in the cold to take pictures and watch us finish. Thanks, Bill!

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Brad and Steph before the Atlanta Half Marathon

… I now know that my cheapo Target sports bra, while fine in the comfort and support department, is not doing me any favors visually. NOTED.

The Atlanta Half Marathon is nowhere near as big as the Nashville Country Music half we ran in the spring, but there was still a pretty huge turn-out.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Atlanta Half Marathon 2012 - Starting line

My husband, Fasty McFasterson, was two starting corrals ahead of me, so I checked out my surroundings and let the familiar feeling of mild annoyance wash over me. I’ve found recently that I really tend to fuel my running with anger … probably because I’m so cranky in the morning, which is when I usually run. I also hate enthusiasm, and there tends to be a lot of that at these events. I’m kind of a bitch, I guess. But how annoying is it to hear someone yelling, “You can do it! You’re halfway done!” when you’re only at mile 5 out of 13.1?! I HATE that.

Anyway, because it was Thanksgiving, there was a lot of this going on:

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon - Costumes

I do not understand how people can run in costumes. I can barely run in running clothes. But somehow, I made it to the finish line. I was really close to hitting my goal time, so I dug up some energy and sped up. That’s why I look so horrific in pictures like this one.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Steph at the finish line

Am I doing lamaze breathing?!

After I finished, I caught up with my father-in-law right away, and we finally found Brad back at the car. He was bummed out about some major IT band issues he experienced during the race, but I think he still ended up kicking ass with 2:16! We both need to remind ourselves that we’ve only been running for 11 months – just the fact that we’ve survived two half marathons each is something to be proud of.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Atlanta Half Marathon - Finisher Medal

All that effort so early in the morning made for a pretty laid-back Thanksgiving. We relaxed with Brad’s parents and a pot of soup, and saved all our cooking and baking for Friday. Pictures and recipes are coming in another post!

Oh, by the way – my runner’s knee was nowhere to be found on Thursday. I really, really slacked on my strength-training, so I’m very lucky. I SWEAR I’m going to do better with that next time around! However, I hope this will serve as a pick-me-up to those of you struggling with runner’s knee. Despite how horrible and hopeless it seems when you’re dealing with it, you CAN get past it and get to pain-free running. Stay positive! And there’s my cheesy enthusiasm for the day. And now I hate myself.

So, how was your Thanksgiving?!

     

Countdown to the Half: ONE DAY

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Holy crap, the half marathon is TOMORROW!

I’m a little nervous, but I feel SO much more prepared than I was for my last one. I actually made it through 12 full weeks of training (as opposed to my solid THREE back in April). I wish my longest run had been longer than 10 miles, but at least I know that I have covered 13.1 before, and I survived.

For the past few days, I’ve been running without podcasts to see if it helped me focus on my breathing. It did, but it also gave me a lot of time to think. Our running coach has been amazing and has very high hopes for us, and I really want to live up to his expectations. He set a time goal for me that is going to be VERY tough, and he keeps assuring me that I can do it, but all I’ve been thinking about during my past few runs is how difficult it’s going to be. But I guess all I can do is trust my training and try.

I celebrated the culmination of our training by treating myself to a couple Lululemon pieces. Lululemon is CRAZY-expensive, but their stuff really is great. With my two new shirts and headband, and my other tried-and-true gear, I should be good to go.

Eeeeeeek! Wish me luck!

Any last minute advice? What are your running must-haves?

     

Countdown to the Half: 6 Weeks

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Guess what, everybody! I’ve been running long enough to kill a pair of shoes!

Glitter and Goat Cheese - New Balance WR1400
Them things are dead.

Technically, my New Balance 1400s are racing flats, which means they wear out faster than regular running shoes, but WHATEVER. SHUT UP. I’m awesome! I’m a runner! Plus, my new ones are really pretty.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - New Balance WR1400
(I swear my ankles aren’t actually crooked. I’m just standing/photographing at a weird angle.)

Want to know another reason why I’m officially calling myself a runner now? A few weeks ago, Brad and I ran a race in Gwinnett called Ella’s Run, and … we actually … WON AWARDS. We both placed second in our respective age groups. Yes, you read that right. I know what you’re thinking – there must have been like, two people in my age group. INCORRECT. THERE WERE 17. You can look here if you don’t believe me. If you do, you’ll also see that my time was not fast. I mean, it was a time that someone like Bianca or Alex could get while, like, wearing flip flops and singing showtunes. But for whatever reason, 15 other women my age were slower than me. It could be because the course was really hard – half rough trail, lots of steep hills – and everyone else was like, “Screw it. It’s 9 a.m. and I’m in Buford. No one’s around to see me blow this race.” Whatever! I’m awesome! I’m a runner!

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Ella's Run 5K
Photo via Right to Hike on Facebook. I’m the one in the yellow shorts, muttering “Get out of my way, fools!” under my breath.

Other than that, training for the half has been going fine. We did a trial run with our coach a couple weeks ago so he could plan our pacing charts, and I ran my fastest mile ever at 9:55. I fully realize that 9:55 is still pretty slow, but considering that I started off running 14:00-minute miles in January, it’s a decent improvement. It’s tough for me not to be hard on myself, though. I asked my coach recently why I’m not faster. I asked him, is it because I’m not trying hard enough? Am I not in good enough shape? He assured me that it’s mostly genes. Some people are built for speed, and some aren’t. I definitely fall in the latter camp, and I have to live with that. I guess I’m lucky to have two legs, or whatever.

Anyway, I can’t believe we’re halfway through our half marathon training already! I have a confession: I haven’t been doing my strength-training to protect my bum knees. This is extremely foolhardy, considering that my physical therapist straight-up told me I’d get injured again if I didn’t keep up with my exercises. It’s just so hard to find time to run as it is, you know? But I have to get back into it. I HAVE to. After all this hard work, if I screw myself over right before the big race … it’ll be bad. Real bad.

Anyone else training right now? How’s it going?

     

Countdown to the Half: 11 Weeks

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I survived my first week of half marathon training, and my first race since our long summer break! I’m so glad I signed up for the Reynoldstown Wheelbarrow Festival 5K.

Reynoldstown Wheelbarrow Festival 5K

I was scheduled to run four miles this weekend, so when I hit the finish line, I just kept running. I think everyone thought I was insane, but hey – you gotta do what you gotta do.

Because I’m still rather out of shape, running four miles takes me a fairly long time. Luckily, I recently met my new favorite running buddy.

Apple - iPod Shuffle
Photo via Apple

I’ve never been a fan of listening to music while I run outdoors. I get anxious when I can’t hear everything in my area – cars, bicyclists, rapists, angry geese, etc. But I recently discovered that when you listen to podcasts, you can still hear the world around you. Maybe because of the space in between the words? I’m a newly-minted fan of Pete Holmes’ You Made It Weird podcast, so I had a great time on Saturday, cackling to myself and looking like a crazy person while I jogged along.

Pete Holmes - You Made It Weird - Podcast
Photo via Bumpershine

(Sidenote: I absolutely love Pete Holmes. I interviewed him during Just For Laughs Chicago, and he is the funniest person I’ve ever met, hands down. The first time I listened to his podcast with Jenny Slate, I laughed until I cried. You should check it out. You should also watch this video from our interview. I’m the harpy cackling in the background.)

Anyway, back to running. Brad was kind enough to let me borrow the iPod Shuffle I got him for his birthday, but I’ll have to get my own soon, to use on days when we run at the same time (but not together). I’m waiting until Wednesday, though, because I heard Apple might announce more color options! I’m holding out on the off-chance they decide to release a gold glitter version. It could happen, right?!

I think this little guy is going to be extremely helpful when my long runs start getting really long and lonely. We’ve only got a few more weeks of single digit distances. YIKES.

To my fellow runners out there: Do you ever run with headphones? If not, how do you fight boredom during your long runs?

Countown to the Half: 12 Weeks

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Happy day-after-Labor-Day, everyone! Who’s hungover? Not me. I spent my day off watching Cougar Town and eating chicken pot pie. Holla!

Quick disclaimer: I’ve been making some changes behind the scenes of my blog (switching from WordPress.com to WordPress.org), and I have NO clue what I’m doing, so if anything goes horribly wrong over the next few weeks, please accept my humblest apologies. Anyone have any theme customization tips? Like maybe a link to a site that tells you exactly how to do it? In a language that a non-developer can understand, preferably?

Brad and I officially start our training for the Atlanta Half Marathon this week! I’m hoping to post weekly about our progress – an idea I’m blatantly borrowing from Miss Bianca and her Marathon Mondays series.

It’s going to be a rough 12 weeks. After my success with my running coach before our last big race, Brad decided to get on board for our second half marathon. We both met with Coach Sean on Sunday to run a test mile on the track and gauge our fitness. Despite our very lazy summer, I’ve still managed to shave a minute off since my last test mile in April, so that’s cool. Unfortunately for me, that means my runs are going to get a little tougher. Meanwhile, though, Brad’s test mile clocked in at 7:44. Uh, WHAT?! Brad is really fast. I am really jealous. But I’m not jealous of his training plan, which is going to be hard as hell. My runs are going to seem easy-breezy in comparison.

What that means, sadly, is that Brad and I probably won’t be running together very often. It’s a bummer. I want him to improve and do well, of course – I don’t want to hold him back – but I’ll miss his company while he’s off kicking ass.

This time around, I’m just going to stick to what worked before our last half marathon. I absolutely loved my New Balance 1400s, so I’ll be getting another pair at the end of this month when I hit the 200 mile mark. And just in time – they came out in a new color!

New Balance - WR1400 - Blue

On the agenda this week, I have a three mile run, an interval run, some cross-training, and a four-mile run. An easy week to ease back into the game. I just hope the weather cooperates. I blame the Atlanta heat completely for all the slacking we did this summer. I like running a lot, I really do – but I don’t like anything enough to do it in 90 degree weather. Not even outdoor margarita drinking. And that’s saying a lot. Outdoor margarita drinking might be one of my very favorite things on this here crazy planet.

Stay cool, everybody!

     

I’m Back, Maybe?

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Oh, hey, guys.

Aladdin - Sheepish Genie
(Source)

I’ve been away for a while. It’s been a stupid couple of months, you know? My job has just been taking everything out of me, and I haven’t had any creativity, energy or communication skills left over. But I miss this. I miss blogging so much! I think my brain is starting to adjust to 50 hours of insanity a week, and maybe I’ll be able to function outside the office again soon. So maybe I’m back.

While I’ve been gone, a few things have happened, I guess.

The Hubs and I signed up for the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving Day.

Atlanta Half Marathon - Thanksgiving Day
(Source)

We start training with our running coach at the end of August. We’ll meet with Coach Sean in mid-August for a fitness test, and holy hell, we are not ready. I don’t know how people run in this heat! I’m lucky if I can find time to jump on the treadmill at the gym. But ready or not, we have just a few weeks until go-time, so we better figure it out. I’ve been really enjoying Bianca’s weekly updates about her marathon training, so I may just shamelessly borrow the idea, if she doesn’t mind!

We also finally caught the house hunting bug. It took us a while. We’ve had people encouraging us to start saving for years, but we just weren’t ready. Until a few weeks ago, that is. Now we’re ready, and we’re not wasting any time. We may be moving in the next few months! It seems fast, but Brad and I are Brad and I, so naturally, we’ve crammed several months worth of research until the past few weeks. We’re just so excited for Macy to have a backyard, and for us to finally have a DINING ROOM! I’m already drooling over/adding to my dining rooms board on Pinterest.

HGTV Eclectic Dining Room - Lucite and Floral
(Source)

It won’t look anything like that, but a girl can dream, right?

We’ll be sad to leave our little rental ranch. We’ve spent so much time decorating and painting and hanging pictures. We’ve bought so many things specifically for the little nooks and crannies in this house. We’ve taken so much time to make it a home. But we know it’ll be so much better to live somewhere that’s really ours.

So anyway, it’s been busy. It will continue to be busy. But I will continue to try desperately to make time for this blog. Love you guys!

Anyone have any home buying tips? Time management tips? Running-in-95-degree-weather tips? I think I need a life coach.

     

Finish Line

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This one time, in Nashville … I ran a half marathon!

Nashville Country Music Half Marathon - Steph Medal

It was HARD, you guys. It was so freaking hot and sunny out, and so much of the race was on open stretches of road with no available shade … I thought I was going to melt into a puddle of sweat. But I kept dragging myself toward that finish line. I’d been planning on running eight miles and walking five, but at the last minute, my coach said that I could run up to 10 if I felt strong enough. So I did!

Nashville Country Music Half Marathon - Finishers

I took a couple quarter-mile breaks between miles 6 and 9, and then walked from mile 10 to mile 12. I was exhausted, but I forced myself to run the last mile so that I wouldn’t cross the finish line looking like a lazy slug! Just a few yards past the finish line, a group of volunteers was handing out medals. I was so happy to snag mine. IT’S GLITTERY!

Nashville Country Music Half Marathon - Medal

I felt so lucky to be able to do this. I thought my knees were going to send me to the spectator area, but they didn’t even bother me for the majority of the race! No knee pain, no shin splints, no nothin’. Just some good old-fashioned exhaustion and soreness. We even got to see some sights in Nashville. Not all of ‘em, but enough for one weekend trip.

We went out to a bar called The Red Door Saloon near our hotel.

Nashville - Red Door - Girls

We went to the Country Music Hall of Fame (I’m pointing at that dude because my husband recorded him a few months ago).

Country Music Hall Of Fame - Steph

I checked out Elvis Presley’s gold-leafed piano and desperately wished I could have it in my house.

Country Music Hall Of Fame - Elvis Presley Gold Plated Piano

We ate at 12 South Taproom, which had decent food but terrible service.

Nashville - 12 South Taproom - Brad Steph

And we all ran the race! Brad, our friend Courtney and I ran the half, and our friends Matt, Kelly and Ed ran the full. This was Kelly’s first marathon, and she finished in 3:42. Frigging insanity.

Nashville Country Music Half Marathon - Finishers

I feel so badly that I’ve been such a bad blogger, but I think I’m still recovering. For now, it’s time to watch Game of Thrones. See you again soon!

Nashville, Here We Come

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We’re five days away from the Country Music Half Marathon, and running has basically taken over our lives. Subsequently, our gear has taken over our home. We have a lot of gear.

Running Gear on Mirrored Table

We leave on Thursday, and I can’t believe that I’m heading to Nashville as a runner instead of a spectator. There were several weeks, when I was laid up with my knee injury, when I was sure I wasn’t going to be recovered in time to run the half. I felt it in my gut – it just wasn’t happening. I lay in bed night after night trying to mentally prepare myself to watch from the sidelines. I needed to be OK with that.

But I’ve come to the conclusion that my guts have shit for brains. Because that’s not happening! I’m going to line up at the start with everybody else. I’m going to do this thing.

Running Shoes and Foam Rollers

Will I be running the entire 13.1 miles? No, unfortunately not. Will I be finishing with an impressive time? Definitely not. But I’m finishing, damnit. I’m going to get one of those finisher medals and I’m probably going to wear it to bed for the next month. And guess what! The medals have GLITTER on them. It’s like they were made for me.

I’m not going to lie – my training has been rough. I’ll essentially be going into this with only four solid weeks of running behind me, and that’s really not enough. My longest run was Saturday – I ran 6.25 miles and then walked another 1.75 for a total of 8. On race day, I hope to run between 8 and 10 miles, and I’ll walk the rest. According to my coach, that’s the only way to ensure I’ll make it through without re-injuring myself, and that’s just fine with me. If I finish, I’m happy.

This little guy – my favorite running buddy besides Brad – will be keeping me on track:
Running Watch - Garmin Forerunner 210

I can’t tell you how much I love my Garmin Forerunner 210. I have to write a separate post about it when I get back. I know GPS watches aren’t for everyone, but I can’t imagine running without it.

Today is my very last physical therapy appointment. It’s been seven weeks since I started, and well, I’m afraid to tell you how much better my knees feel because I’m terrified of jinxing myself. Let’s just say that physical therapy is magical and I am very, very, very grateful.

This is going to sound melodramatic, but I had no idea how much I took my body for granted until I found myself unable to use it the way I wanted to. I was miserable just because I couldn’t run – can you imagine how awful it must be to lose the ability to walk? Every day that I’m able to put one foot in front of the other is such a gift. I’m going to try my best to remember that.

So, anybody have any half marathon advice?

To the Moon and Back

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Well, here we are again, ladies and gentleman. Monday has arrived. No matter how many times we defiantly pull ourselves free of her tenacious, evil grasp, she keeps on returning for us. Will we never be free?!

This week, I’ll admit I found myself unprepared for the battle. The weekend went by way too quickly, and with much more activity than I’m equipped to handle. It contained sake bombs, cheap sushi, too much dancing to ’90s R&B , a going-away party for my dear friend Jeff, two stubborn hangovers, brunch, The Hunger Games, a one-mile run, and a new tattoo.

Guess How Much I Love You - Ribcage Tattoo
(It’s the last line from the children’s book Guess How Much I Love You, and it’s dedicated to my mommy. The tattooing process was very unpleasant, but obviously totally worth it!)

My body is freaking ravaged. But you have to have those kinds of weekends every once in a while, I think, especially when you’re in your 20s and don’t have any reason not to go a little crazy and push yourself to your breaking point.

For those keeping track of my injury adventures – my run was great! It wasn’t pain-free, or even almost-pain-free, but it still felt so good. In order for my physical therapist to be OK with new activities, the pain has to stay below a 5 (on a scale of 1-10), and I was around a 4, so I’m cleared to continue! I’m only supposed to do one run before I see her on Friday – a mile and a half – but it’s better than nothing. So much better than nothing.

So, guys, how were your weekends?

Spring in My Step

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HOLY CRAP, SPRING IS HERE AND I’M STILL NOT RUNNING YET. Pardon my language, but can you guys believe this shit?!

OK. I’m not here to complain about my knees more. I’m really not! Actually, I’m feeling pretty positive today. I’m finally, finally starting to improve … I think. I had an almost pain-free weekend, and yesterday, I had a great physical therapy session. I also hired a running coach, which probably sounds pretty silly for someone who can’t run, but some day – hopefully very soon – I will be running, and I could use some help.

My running coach, who I met with on Sunday, is going to help me with my form to make sure I’m running efficiently and not putting extra stress on my joints, and he’ll help me come up with a plan to get back in action. He might even help me come up with a plan to run this damn half-marathon, depending on when I can start again. I have to be honest with myself – it’s not looking very likely right now – but it’s not completely out of the question yet!

Want a peek at my all-star rehab and recovery line-up?
Spring Running Gear - Colors

  1. The Grid: My white foam roller was great, but after using it for months, I felt like I could use something more intense. “The Grid” has foam on top of a hard core, and the “triggerpoints” in the foam really bust into my muscles and rip ‘em apart. That sounds like a bad thing, but it’s not. It hurts so good!
  2. Nike Tempo Short: While I’ve been toiling away with my single leg squats and my icepack, it has gotten hot outside. I’m not doing much outdoor activity lately, but I have to wear shorts to physical therapy so my therapist can get to my crazy kneecaps, and the only pair I own are from my college gift shop. It was time for an upgrade. These suckers are BRIGHT, and I love them.
  3. Sof Sole All Sport Lite Socks: The Balega Hidden Comfort Low Cut Socks are still my favorites, but I can only afford so many pairs of $10 socks. These were $10 for a six-pack, and every single pair matches my sneakers. Win-win.
  4. Nike Blaze Soccer Ball: Some of my physical therapy exercises use a ball, and strangely, I didn’t have one. This kids’ soccer ball works for everything, and plus, it’s pink.
  5. New Balance WR1400: Yup, I finally bought them! I haven’t tried running more than a block or so in them, but I think they’re going to be great. My new running coach approves – he recommends shoes that allow you to “feel the road,” and he likes the completely flat sole. It’s better for a high arch like mine, apparently.
  6. Nike Printed Tempo Short: Just because they were on sale for $20.97 and I couldn’t resist. Have you guys ever tried on a pair of Tempo shorts? I wish I could live in them. They even have “built-in briefs,” which I really appreciate while my physical therapist is stretching my legs in every direction in the middle of the workout area.

Maybe by the next time I post an update about my knees, I’ll be running! Or maybe not. I find it very difficult to track my progress, because I have good days and bad days. Yesterday was a good day. We’ll see if the good days continue.

Has anyone else spruced up their athletic apparel for spring?