Marathon Recap

Marathon Day has finally come and passed. I crossed the finish line and I am not dead. I repeat, I ran 26.2 miles and I am still alive. The day started early for me. I woke up at 4 AM. I got dressed, got my stuff together, made some peanut butter banana toast, grabbed my coffee and was out the door by 5 AM. I got to Westgate at 5:20 and hopped on the bus which left less than 10 minutes later. I happened to make the first bus leaving so that was nice. I got out to Verrado right around 6 AM so I had about an hour before the race started. My running partner Aislinn had just gotten dropped off there, too. I did some warmup/stretching and got my sunscreen on while sipping the last of my coffee. We got in a last minute port-o-potty trip and then checked out bags right before the race started. The sun was just starting to come up but the weather was perfect for running. We made a good effort to not start off too fast and I think we did really well with that. The first 6-ish miles was basically straight before we turned into some neighborhoods. The golf courses were nice and we even saw a coyote staring down some ducks by one of the little golf course lakes. The first half of the race went pretty well. We stopped to pee at mile 16 and then saw my family at mile 17 before heading in to Luke Air Force base. Throughout the 1.5-ish miles through the base there was someone cheering every 100 feet.  It was really cool. We saw my family again at 20 and I was still feeling okay but then when we saw them again at 22 I was hitting the wall. I actually started to panic a little and my sister was there ready to run with us and with some cold water. I calmed down, but it was really hard for me from 22 on. There was not one specific part of me that was in severe pain, but I just felt heavy and emotionally exhausted. The last 6 miles was also almost all straight so not too exciting. We had a pretty good hill at 25.5 miles and after that I just really needed to see that finish line. My official time was 4:25:35 but my watch actually hit 26.2 about .3 miles sooner and I paused it while I peed so nike plus says my fasted marathon is 4:18:09 and I like that. Looking back, I really feel okay about the first 22 miles but that finish was hard. I could not have done it without Aislinn and I am so lucky my sister ran the last 4 as well. It sure is mental at the end there. I am also super grateful for everyone who came out along the way and for taking pictures/video. I had a burger and french fries for lunch and treated my self to two beers with dinner that night. It was also nice to not have to work today! I went to a restorative yoga class last night for some deep stretching and I think that helped, although I probably looked like an idiot because I had to use my hands to get my legs to extend, haha. I do have Ragnar with weekend but my legs are pretty short and then after that I don't have any running on my agenda. I know that lots of people run marathons but to me, it is still a really big deal. It was hard for me. I trained a lot and running has never come naturally to me. My youngest is only 17 months old and 17 months ago I weighed over 200 pounds. I am not sure if I will ever do one again but I am very proud to be a part of the 26.2 club.

 

 

Getting on the full runners bus at 5:20 AM

less than a minute before we started

My sister made the girls shirt

not enough fluids in the world

thank you Krystyn!

the last hill

just want to finish! 

done!

complete exhaustion

my people

so thankful for this lady and for my body being able to carry me 26.2 miles. 

Half Marathon #3 and lots of new PRs!

Last Sunday I ran my 3rd Half-Marathon. I started running regularly 3 years ago and ran my first half marathon at this exact race 2 years ago. It was hard but I also pushed myself really hard. I felt like I had nothing left at the end which is different for me. I like to finish strong but this race I wanted to be DONE. Justin and my sister also ran this race. When I ran my first half marathon 2 years ago I was very proud to finish under 2 hours. My second half (here) I was 13 weeks pregnant and finished a couple of minutes over 2 hours. This race, I broke almost all of my records (not my farthest or longest run). My official time was 1:51:43 which was 5 minutes faster than my previous personal record. I also ran my fastest mile (the 1st mile), fasted 5k, and fastest 10k. Can't be mad about any of that. The weather was great (slightly cool and still dark when we arrived) and the course is pretty flat. It is so funny how much goes through your head when you run one of these. I kept thinking how crazy I am to be signed up for a full marathon (next February). If this was still so hard for me, I would surely die in a full, but then I remind myself how hard I pushed myself and that I won't do that in the full. Training for this half was really the beginning stages of training for my full which still scares me on a regular basis. I have to remind myself that people do marathons all of the time, so I will be fine. What a crazy, mental sport running is! Here are some photos from the morning:

Pre-race darkness and photos

me crossing the finish line

my watch telling me I smashed records

Krys finishing her 3rd half marathon (2 of which have been done in the past 6 months post-partum)

Done!

my new medal hanging with all the others in my office

Update
Here are some of the race photos:

 

 

Whole 30 Review

Yesterday Justin and I finished our first Whole 30! I can't tell you how nice it feels to be done. It is this unexplainable freedom that I feel now. I know that is weird because no one was making us do it but that's how I feel. I first wrote about us doing it here. We started July 27th and ended August 25th. I think the biggest miracle for me was that I did not consume any tortilla chips, ice cream or beer for 30 days (along with a ton of other things). We learned a lot more about what is in foods. Some of my non-scale victories include: clothes fitting better, new recipes, better habits, flatter stomach, leaner appearance, more defined muscle tone, more confident in my appearance, healthier relationship with food, fewer cravings and learning to not blow all my hard work on the weekends. I must be clear though: my cravings for sugar did not go away. I don't know if they ever will. Maybe I needed to do a Whole 45, 60, or 90? While I do still crave sugar, I have definitely learned that I have the will power to abstain from it. I previously never thought I would be able to give up dairy and sugar for that long. When I nursed Everly I almost had to give up dairy for a bit and I couldn't comprehend that. Even when I gave up ice cream previously for lent, I still had it occasionally on Sundays. So it is definitely a nice boost in my ego to know that I am capable of finishing something that a lot of people find difficult. As I said before, I don't have any sensitivities to food and because of that I am not strictly following the recommended reintroduction program. I am not going all out today or tomorrow or anything but I chose to end the program this way. This morning I had a whey protein shake after my workout and I feel fine. It is so convenient to be able to do that again!

Now to the good stuff! Justin lost about 17 lbs and I lost almost 11. For both of us, that is a lot of weight. I can see the most progress in Justin's profile and in how much more my waist and hips are
defined from the back. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone wanting to make some changes to their food habits, especially if you have sensitivities to food.

obviously, he wasn't a big guy before which makes 17 pounds even more amazing

glad to be done! 

Here are my biggest tips if you are wanting to do the program:

 

1. There will never be a perfect time to start, but do yourself a favor and try not to schedule it during really, really important food/drink related events/holidays. 

 

2. Find what you like and stick with that. While it is nice to try new things, don't plan a week of 5 completely new recipes. Keep some safe items in there that you know you will be happy with. For us that was shredded buffalo chicken, anything with bacon, lemon rosemary chicken, and hot dogs.

 

3. Go to Costco. We loved Costco for mini guacamole packs, butter lettuce, chicken, ground turkey, fruit (sometimes), almond and nutzo butter eggs, and oils.  

 

4. Plan to make extra dinner to have for lunch leftovers. So much easier this way!

 

5. Follow Whole 30 instagram and pinterest accounts for inspiration and ideas.

Here are some things we ate:

 

Eggs every day, even in the car. This turkey from the deli at Target is compliant and great for quick lunches.

 

I love almond butter but also really like this nut and seed butter from Costco and those guac packs made boring chicken more interesting.

 

Whole 30 salad bar (on sale day) is awesome. Bring your own avocado and the lemon herb dressing is compliant and delicious. Leftover buffalo chicken turned into a salad with homemade paleo ranch on the go. I inhaled that lunch.

hot sauce is my bestie

We also appreciate better coffee when we have to drink it black!

Hot Chocolate 15k

As part of me trying to get healthy and lose weight I never should have gained, I signed up for the Hot Chocolate 15k. Of course, if I was going to run 9.3 miles, there would definitely be chocolate at the end! When I signed up back in October, I had not run more than a 5k, ever! I used the Hal Higdon 15k Novice Training Plan to get prepared for it and also had the help of two of my sisters joining me on the longer runs. They also ran the 15k as well. Last Sunday morning we got up early and headed out to Scottsdale for the run.

 

 

It was the coldest morning we have had yet this winter, but shortly after we started the run, we warmed up. I ran with my sisters for the first 2 miles and then they moved ahead as they run faster than me. I personally ran faster than I have before. The Saturday before when I ran my 8-miler, I ran a 10'14" pace so to do 9.24 miles at a  9'41" pace was really exciting for me. Back in July I weighed over 200 lbs. (yikes!) and when I started to run with the C25k program my pace was like 11'30"! I am now more than 30 lbs. lighter! Crazy how far I have come in 6 months. Also, look at how many calories that burned! 1208 is insane! I got my brooks running shoes back in July as well and have already logged atleast 124 miles in them!

 

I know that there are lots of people who run more than that, and faster, but for me this is a big deal, and I am proud of myself. I almost got choked up when I crossed the finish line becauase I was just so overwhelmed with emotions. I have never set such a huge goal for myself physically, so to meet that was just really big for me. And also, just before the finish line my mom was holding Everly and cheering me on, so yay, you can understand why I almost cried.

 

 

 

After the run we got our finisher's mug filled with hot chocolate, chocolate fondue and lots of stuff to dip in the chocolate. It was delicious, but we didn't have much time becuase I had a soccer game in an hour. Yay, I know, crazy, but we would have been short players if my sister and I hadn't gone. We tied the soccer game 1-1 and I scored the goal, but we really should have won. Oh well. The rest of the day was pretty busy, but I did get a pedicure and I used my sister's foam roller to massage out my leg mussels last night and I think it is paying off because I am not too sore today! I am not quite sure what is next on the fitness agenda, but I definitely have more to achieve!

 

Race for the Cure 2012

Sunday we got up early and headed to downtown Phoenix for the 2012 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Justin and I have been doing this race since 2007. His mother passed away from breast cancer so it is very important to us. You can see pics from the run last year when Everly was only a few days old here.  I did not run it last year for obvious reasons, but was glad to be back at it this year. I ran with a good friend of mine who pushed me to drop almost 30 seconds off my per mile pace. It was hot though! The run did not start until 8:20 this year. I feel like that is much later than in previous years! I normally run at 5:00 A.M. so having the hot AZ sun beating down on me was rough. But I finished, and so did my sister who was running at 31 weeks pregnant with a 15 month old in a jogging stroller. Crazy, I know! Here are a few pictures!

Saturday Hike

On Saturday morning I took Everly on her first hike! She did awesome. She was awake and squealing the entire time. I wore her in the baby bjorn (Thanks to Justin's Aunt Debbie for that!) the entire time and she did great. We went with my sister and her puppy Herbie---who got more attention than my adorable baby. It was a good workout for me and a lot of stimulation for her so it was a win-win! Here are a few pics from the morning...

View of North Phoenix from North Montain

Yes..she wears a bow while she hikes!

Herbalicious taking a water break

Krystyn and Herbie

Me and the princess