Thursday Training Update

Holy heck!! 38 days until the NYC marathon? That's insane. Totally nuts. I am finalizing travel plans, watching videos, reading blogs, and trying not to panic. Especially with this whole IT Band issue going on.

Ok, let's get down to training.

Thursday I ran 3 miles and I was feeling pretty good. It normally takes my leg about two miles to loosen up, but this was a good day. It was also rainy and cool which was nice.

 

Friday was a rest day and I mostly just ran around like a chicken doing errands.

Saturday was long run day. With everything going crazy in Charlotte, which is where my group meets, the hubs wasn't too keen on me running with them. Then I somehow I managed to oversleep and ended up running at home. I ran 11 miles and it didn't suck too much. I was stiff at first and my underarm got a little chafed in the last mile but I survived.

 

 

Sunday the hubs and I went on a trail hike with the pups that was a nice change of pace.

 

Monday I attempted a run but it was not happening. One mile run and one walked home on the trail. Ugh. Time to look into a compression band.

Tuesday I sat on the couch all day. For real. Pity party time.

Wednesday I did PiYo core on my new squishy fat yoga mat. It felt amazing and my Compression band came so I can try running with it on Thursday. Score!

I have been looking up stretches and exercises for my IT Band so hopefully next week's update is better!!

International Day of the Girl Charlotte Group Run with If Girls Ran the World

Whew!! That was a mouthful.

It's almost time to start counting your miles for If Girls Ran the World, and part of the kickoff is International Day of the Girl. We start counting our miles on October 1, and on October 11 we are gathering together as Girls and running some miles as a group. As a Mentor, I have joined in the fun and am organizing a group run at the Piper Glen Greenway in Charlotte. 

I hope you will throw on some pink if you have it, and meet me at the Greenway at 7:00 am on October 11. We will run or walk a few miles together in the beauty of the Greenway and then celebrate afterwards at Starbucks. Win Win, don't you think?

If you don't have any pink, that's ok! Wear whatever makes you comfortable. This is all about being supportive and loving to each other!!

So, who wants to join me? Email me at kprytherch@gmail.com if I will see you there!

 

 

 

 

Just Call Me Queen.... of Denial

Forty days.

I've been writing about my training and I've been mostly sticking to my plan, but I haven't quite admitted where I'm really at in my training right now.

At the Carowinds Run and Ride I tweaked my knee. I'm pretty sure it's my IT Band. It's frightening and annoying. It's stiff and tight and painful for the first two miles of any run and then it usually loosens up. Except when it doesn't or when something else starts to ache and I walk home instead of finishing. I've managed to finish almost every run, and I will finish the NYC marathon. It won't be under 6:30, that's for sure.

It's hard for me to type this, the equivalent of saying it out loud.

It's not real until you say it out loud. Or type it.

Ya know?

I have canceled my Mainly Marathon trip, which makes Marathon Maniac and Double Agent out of the question as well.

These things happen, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating. 

All of the woulda, shoulda, coulda things start going through your head. I should have followed a Higdon plan. There are too many run days on this plan. I should never have stopped doing PiYo every day. I should have stretched more. I could have planned this better. 

And on and on it goes.

I just felt the need to face it today. 

I will be on the couch today, resting my leg and wallowing. 

But I will finish the NYC marathon, and it will likely be an ugly finish. And I'm okay with that.

 

Friday Training Update

Where does the time go? I feel like I can barely keep up these days. I don't know why I am having such a hard time, but there never seems to be enough hours in the day.

So here is my update for last week's training. Tomorrow is the week 10 long run and the marathon is less than 45 days away. I will think about that another day. Oh my heck.

Thursday I was going to do my long run, since I was running Hit the Brixx on Saturday. My IT band was giving me a little trouble, and I ended up quitting after a mile or so, and walked back. I have since learned how to roll and stretch it do that running isn't a problem. I did some piyo when I get back to stretch everything out.

Friday I did some more PiYo, and we walked the dogs. Super exciting day.

Saturday was the Hit the Brixx 10k. I ran shorter intervals with these crazy characters and we played Pokemon Go, and it was awesome. I discovered that after mile 2, the tightness mostly God away and I can run pain free. Good to know! I keep rolling and stretching and my leg is at about 80% now, which has me so relieved.

Sunday I attempted the long run again, but I just couldn't get into it, and I only did two miles. Life goes on, and I won't let one bad week freak me out. Much.

Monday was four miles at regular pace and it was a good run! Rolling definitely helps. 

On Tuesday I did 6 tempo miles. Well, OK, I did six miles. I survived. The end. I was at a 13 minute mile, which is just fine by me. 

Tomorrow is my long run, in Charlotte, which freaks me out considering the way things are going there the last few days. I miss my buddies, and I'm mostly looking forward to it. I get an extra half hour in bed, thanks to curfew, so it's not all bad. 

I will leave you with the race photos from Bushnell Photography, at the Carowinds Run and Ride. I KNEW they would be awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hit the Brixx 10k, Pokémon Go Style

Today I finally took a drive into Charlotte for a race! I've been all around the outskirts of the city but never really in it. I parked in a lot just outside the expo area, and only had to pay $5. You could park for free in a garage right in the middle of everything but then you might have to  fight traffic to get out. Totally worth  $5 to me!

I picked up my bib and tee, and stowed the tee back in my car and then headed back to find my friends. I really love the process that Run For Your Life uses, they don't pre label them, they assign you the next number when you walk up. It's such a quick process!

It didn't take me long  to find my crazy friends. They make all of my Charlotte races so much fun!

I also found Sandra, a fellow Running Buddy Ambassador. She's sporting the Buddy Clips on her bib instead of pins. I really need to order these things!

She was also wearing Skirt Sports so I had to take a pic!

The race began at 7:45, right on time. The 5k started at 9, so it was just the 10k runners on the course. At first, we were last and the cop car was right behind us, but we slowly passed quite a lot of runners. This was also about the time that Robert reminded me to turn on Pokémon Go. 

It got very silly, very quickly. We were running, and then trying to catch Pokémon on our walk breaks. I also managed to hatch some eggs and catch some new Pokémon which was exciting. I ended up with 3 new ones! It's the little things.

All went well until the last mile. The 5k had started and they were running right at us. We already knew that we were expected to get up onto the sidewalk and we were ok with that. Apparently, no one told the 5k runners because they were on the sidewalk too and they were nasty. One man said "in America, we pass on the right" when we "got in his way". Ummmmmmmmmmmm git off the sidewalk dude, we are at mile 5. You're at mile .5 and you are in the wrong place. 

Kristin and I ended up sprinting to the finish, that pic is after this one, and was taken by this awesome lady, Lissa. She PR'D today and finished under an hour! Whoa! She stayed so she could watch me finish, and then we all went and had post race food together.

Brixx had free pizza and pasta for the runners! Yummmmm

Kristin beat me to the finish! She snuck up behind me, that stinker!

Overall a great race, but the director definitely needs to inform the 5k runners about the sidewalk thing!

Week 9 of marathon training is almost over! Holy heck!

Did you race this weekend?

Carowinds Run and Ride Half Marathon Recap

Last Sunday was the Carowinds Run and Ride Half Marathon. I was really looking forward to this race because even though we have lived here for 7 months, we still haven't gotten to the park, and my entry fee included a ticket. They had reduced fees for those who didn't want a ticket, which was also cool! 

The hubs and I got there nice and early, so I could pick up my bib and swag before the race.

It was still dark, but it would be light by the time the race started. The bib pickup was fast and pleasant, and they had actual bathrooms at the ticket booth which was a nice bonus. There was no air though, so it was a but stuffy, but I think it was a fair trade. I didn't take a pic of the swag, but we got a tee, arm sleeves, a buff, and a magnet. I put the magnet on my car and it blew off before we got home. Oops.

They also had Sally and Linus at the bib pickup, so I scored some pics before I headed to the start.

After a speech about  9-11 and the anthem we were off. The race began by looping around the parking lot and then we entered the park through the main gate. It was a double loop, which I wasn't thrilled about at first, but on the second loop, you had a nice sense of where you were and how far you had to go, which was awesome. 

We got to run through their Dinosaur Land, I don't know what the official name is, but it was very interesting to run through, and very hilly! This is not included with regular park admission so it was a nice bonus to the race. It was also super shady, which was a nice bonus, especially on the second lap. 

Carowinds is a beautiful park, and we ran through most of it, including the water park, which is included with regular admission. After the park, we ran through the campgrounds and RV park and then we doubled back into the park for round two. 

I'm not gonna lie, the last 3 miles were ugly. Super ugly. It was getting really hot and it was humid all morning, and my pace slowed dramatically. I thought I might not finish. For real. This was my 45th half and I was afraid to show it in the official photos like I usually do. I have never DNF'd a race, although I have had a couple DNS. 

When we finally reached the part where we turn towards the park, they directed us to go straight instead, for a one mile out and back in the parking lot. Oh.my.heck.

If you look to my left that is the sweeper, she is about a mile behind me, maybe a little less. Yikes. My last mile was mostly walking, a little crying, some texting to the hubs. But I made it to the finish.

I got my medal, cried a little more, and then searched for the food and water table. There wasn't one. No volunteers either, even though I finished under the time limit. Another runner managed to find some cold water, which was a bonus but I was RUNGRY! 

I found my friend Lissa and her friends, who so very nicely waited for me to finish, and we did a finisher photo.

Lissa had a season pass and she could get the hubs a discount so we went to the ticket booth to get almost half off, score!, and then back to the car so I could change into dry clothes before we went to the park.

First stop, Starbucks for some chocolate milk, followed by a very large iced tea lemonade. Then we hit up Cinnabon so we could share a delightful bun. Yummmmmm my tummy was a little wonky from the heat so I only ate a little before we hit the rides.

 

They were ready for Scarowinds, and I couldn't resist this picture! I wish he was shorter so I could get my medal on there, but he was enormous!

Over all, it was a great race and a great day. They defenitely needed better use of their volunteers. The water stops were all all well manned, but there were large groups of teenagers in volunteer shirts just sitting around in some areas, but none at the finish. 

The results still aren't up because of issues with their timing company, but they have been super up front about it and I've received two emails already with updates and a discount code for next year. The medal was amazing and next year I will sign up for the 5k on Saturday because the medals connect! Whoa!

The course is very hilly. That's life around the Charlotte area, but it definitely bears mentioning. If you're local, it's probably no big deal, but newbies like me struggle!

The pacer for the three hour half was off pace before we even hit mile 1. She told another runner that she was banking time for the end but more than once she caught up to the 2:45 pacer and he needed to tell her to slow down. By mile two I could no longer even see her and I never saw her again. Up until mile 10 I was on pace for a 2:53 half and still never saw her.  I finished in about 3:01 and she was long gone when I left the chute, so I'm guessing she finished a few minutes under the time. I can't even imagine how hard pacing must be, but it was very demoralizing in the first miles when we couldn't even keep up with the pacer, and not all of the runners had a gps watch. I told a few that they were still on pace, and a couple of them were very relieved to hear that. My best advice when using a pacer would be to wear a pace bracelet or a watch so that you know on your own whether you are on pace. Trying to keep up with a pacer that is going too fast can wear you out and wreck your whole race. 

I will definitely do the race again, though. It was a beautiful course and I look forward to beating my time next year. The race used one of the photographer's pics of me in their album, so I will leave you with that.....

 

Thursday Training Update

Week 9 of marathon training. Holy heck! I have been plugging along, following the plan that I got through NYRR. 

So 2 weeks ago I ran RnR Virginia Beach. I just posted the recap, so I won't go into details. 13.1 miles and I met this crazy nameless guy.

Monday was a nice day so I went for a 2 mile recovery hike.

Tuesday was a 5 mile recovery run. It's starting to get cooler in the morning so it was a nice run.

Thursday was 7 miles of intervals. My tummy was not happy but I got it done.

Saturday was the Carowinds Run and Ride Half Marathon in Charlotte. I had a great time for the first 11 miles but the end was ugly. Recap coming soon.

This pic below was posted on the race page, loving it, even though I was on a walk break!

Tuesday I ran 5 miles, my time was good but my leg was very tight and my form sucked.

Wednesday was 3 easy miles, still tight, and getting a little worried. Time for the foam roller and some PiYo!

We also played cornhole and the Boy and his partner got to the final round. And then got creamed. He was happy to have a win though!

I reversed the pics for Tuesday and Wednesday! #bloggerfail

Off to walk the pups!

Happy Thursday!

Rock n Roll Virginia Beach vs. Hermine

The race that almost wasn't!

As a Rock n Blogger I was given free entry to this race. As usual, all opinions are my own.

Tropical Storm Hermine canceled the Mile on the Sand, but thankfully the half went on as planned. They made some adjustments that were sad, but necessary, such as smaller mile markers, no fun signs, no timing clocks, no Brooks Rocker at mile 10..... It was necessary for safety, with the winds being what they were.

The hubs and I left with plenty of time, and he dropped me off at the runner drop off.... Well, not really. We made a wrong turn and ended up where the buses dropped off. The volunteer was nice for about five seconds and when I didn't move fast enough, he banged on my car with his hand. It was terrifying. He wasn't a RnR employee, so I chanted to myself that he was a volunteer and ran off as fast as possible.

There were tons of potties and I barely waited to use one, which is always a bonus. When I went back just before the race, the wait was a little longer but still moved quickly.

Time to hit the corrals. I was towards the back, and because there were fewer speakers, we couldn't hear as well as usual, but they did a great job of making sure we could hear as much as possible. A lot of people didn't  make it into the area  because of the storm, so the corrals had about half the usual people in them.

I took a pic of the flags so that you could see the wind. The temp was nice and with the breeze, the conditions were almost perfect. 

They let the corrals go two at a time, so we were off faster than I planned. The course is mostly flat and I finished my first mile in under 12 minutes and my second was just a little over. Time to slow down for the long haul! The hubs was waiting at about mile 2.5 which was nice. I love seeing his face out there, it makes me feel stronger.

The scenery was just beautiful at the beginning of the course. We ran through town, a block away from the ocean, and it smelled divine. I miss the ocean smell! This group was carrying flags for the whole race, I think they had one for every branch of the military but I'm not sure. They were on a bathroom break here, and sharing the load for each other.

Seriously, the views were amazing. We ran over this bridge, which was way lower on the way out, which hardly seems fair. The way back, the bridge was higher. No. Really. Not just perception. Two separate bridges, one higher than the other. Side by side. Weird.

At several points we were given ice pops by locals which was awesome. I went to take a selfie and this dude photo bombed me. He was super happy about the sponges from the last water stop. 

We were also given grapes and orange slices by locals. It was a course full of super friendly spectators.

How do you not take a photo of this sign?!?

We ran through base housing at one point, and there were groups of soldiers in their camo slapping the runners five as they ran by. It makes you run faster. For real. 

After we left, there were people handing out twizzlers. Best.race.ever.

Mile 12 brought us to the beach. I stopped as soon as I got onto the boardwalk and took a photo and just breathed it all in. I was almost done, I felt great, the course support was amazing, and I got to run the last mile on the boardwalk. Win.win.win. We were running into the wind, and this was the only time that the passing storm really effected the race.  It drizzled twice, once at mile 2 and the second time was on the boardwalk. Both times it was refreshing and not at all annoying. 

After I finished, scored myself some water, chocolate milk, and food, I tracked down the Challenge medal table to get my Bonus Bling. I took this pic while the hubs was getting me some soft serve. 

We walked the mile back to the car, hit the hotel for a shower, and started the drive back home. I have to say, even with all of the craziness of the storm, the race was very well put together and RnR really took care of everyone who couldn't get there for the race. I am bummed that this is my last RnR of 2016, but I am already planning which ones I will run in 2017. Vegas.... Savannah... New Orleans....Raleigh.... And Dallas.... The possibilities are endless!!

Do you run Rock n Roll? What's your favorite Tour Stop?