2013 Race List

A record of this years races for my future reference.

1. Polar Bear Plunge for the second time on 1/1
2. Go Short Go Long Go Really Long 25k on 1/26 3:05
3. Poker Run 2/16/13 5 miles (2nd time)
4. Snake Run 3/17/13 6 hour race 21.6 miles, 7th overall in women
5. Color Run (2nd year)
6. Mock Marathon (2nd time) total destruction. ended up having to call husband to pick me up on the side of the road at mile 14
7. OKC Memorial Marathon beat my time by 12 minutes!
8. Warrior Dash (2nd time)
9. Moonlight 5k (2nd time)- first 5k post marathon, OUCH
10. Beware the Beast- completed, didn't lose a flag!
11. Port to Fort Adventure Race- 5mi run, 100y swim, 5mi canoe- favorite race so far this year, even if my canoe sunk and I had to get rescued.
12. Diva Dash- registered the girls for their first ever race- they were so cute
13. Tulsa Run 15k (2nd time) Wogged this race with my Bestie who is not a runner
14. Tough Mudder- Quote from an Official at TM, "This is the muddiest course in the entire TM history." It was AWFUL, but completed.
15. Donut Run - with the Hub, eat 6 donuts, then run a 5k in 30 mins -  did not complete in required time.- no surprise there
16. Mustache Dash- 2nd race with the girls

Also, a friend of mine jots down a few memories from each race on the back of her bibs. Since I already save mine I think that is a fabulous idea and will start doing this now.  It allows me to be able to remember if I liked a race or not for the next year.  For instance Beware the Beast- I didn't really like the race, but I am having a hard time remembering why.

Future Marathons

I ran a second Marathon in April, the OKC Memorial Marathon. I beat my time on the Rt 66 by a good 15 minutes. It was much easier mentally, I knew what to expect, when to conserve, and where to push.  Plus the course was just plain easier.  There wasn't the last 6 miles of nothing but hills. 

It took me a long time to recover from the race. It ended up taking me a long time to recover from the Snake Run.  I have tendons that are shorter than average in my feet, and it just takes a lot longer to become a normal human being. My husband, always supportive of my decisions, suggested ever so sweetly I take a break from the long races, and I agree with him.  I told him I wouldn't do any more for a year, and I am holding up my end of that bargain. 

We discussed it, and settled on a break until the fall of 2014, where I would train for the Dopey Challenge. It takes place in January 2015, and it is a 5k Thursday, 10k Friday, Half Marathon Saturday, and Full Marathon Sunday.  I am challenged and excited by the idea.

This does not mean I am not running all together. It just means I am spending time focusing on other things. I am more active in my church, and able to really get involved in the Nightmare, Brunch, and GK Jam, instead of hobbling in at the last minute on sore feet.  I also spent some time training a dear friend of mine on how to run. The other day in talking she casually said at the start of her workout she ran a mile, and that was no big deal. Boy did that make my heart sing! 

The next race coming up is Tough Mudder with my Becker Boo.  I am not adequately trained for it, and neither is she. But we will have a great time, walk when we need to, and bond over a great day together.

Snake Run- 6 hour trail race

Yesterday was the six hour trail race. I found out about this race in 2011, when I was still fat and working my way through C25K. I knew I wanted to do it, but it sounded impossible. I put it on my bucket list (alongside running at the South Pole) and didn't really think at that time the race would be possible.

Fast forward a year and a half and I ran it yesterday! Last fall I did quite a bit of trail running, but this year with my new job, and time schedules; I can never make it out to the local "mountain" to run with my running group. I hoodwinked a few friends to go with me a handful of times, but they all claimed it was too hard. (they called me Jillian the whole time we were out there) And I will never run out there alone because I have seen a few bums out there before, a few drug addicts, and while 99% of the people are normal runners/bikers, I have watched too many Criminal Minds episodes to feel comfortable by myself. When you are out there, you are completely alone.

So determined, and with zero recent trail running experience this season, i set out on not the easier 3 hour race, but the full out 6 hour race.

This is how my time went,

1st loop- awesome! i could do this all day!

2nd loop.....well okay, we got this, we can do this.

3rd loop.... i hate hills. hills are dumb. why did I decide to do this? I should quit, I have ran the required miles needed to get my medal. I could leave now and there's no shame.

fourth loop- NO YOU ARE DOING THIS MISSY. YOU CAME OUT HERE FOR SIX HOURS AND YOU ARE STAYING FOR SIX HOURS.

fifth loop- are my feet still attached??? I cant feel my feet! my legs hurt. There was quite a bit of weaving involved, pretty hilarious.

last half mile- oh girl, why did you ever think you couldn't do this? YOU ARE SO AWESOME!

So I finished the race, stretched, and hobbled out to my car. My right leg is pretty worse for the wear today, but I do not have that overwhelming body of death feeling that I had after the marathon in November. I am proud of myself for not giving up, and for completing the 21 miles. (the overall male winner did 39 miles THIRTY NINE. I will need some practice before next year!)

Tips from an Average Marathon Runner

Hey everyone!

I have been wanting to write something like this for awhile. There have been multiple long runs when I have spent a few miles thinking about what I want to write. There are lots of running books/blogs out there. And I have read a few, but not as many as I probably should. Along the trail though I have figured out a few tricks of my own, and I thought I would share them.

1) Dress in layers- Let's start with the obvious one you see everywhere. Multiple thin layers are so much better than one thick layer. You can strip off outer layers if you get hot, and they are easy to slip back on without breaking stride when you get cold.

2) You do not have to wear designer gear or even match! You DO have to wear wicking material. Cotton will cause bleeding, and the inability for you to dry from your sweaty self. I personally shop the clearance racks. I buy my gear in the off season for the next season. I shop at Ross, or JCP, and have been known to pick something up at Wal-Mart. And since i have one pair of neon green compression socks, I never match. This leads into...

3) Support your local running store! Yes I buy my clothes on the clearance racks, but that's because I am a low middle class married woman of two small children and a $1000 daycare bill a month. I always buy my shoes at a running store. They actually know what they are doing. It's worth the $100 price tag, i promise. You won't get shin splints. Ignore all the 20% off coupons coming to your email from your local big box. Your feet and legs will thank you.

4) Dress slightly too cold for the weather. You should be uncomfortable when you step out of the car in the cooler months. You should be hopping from one foot to the other wondering what is taking so long to get started. I promise by the end of mile one you will be thanking me. I have probably worn my running coat a handful of times this winter. That was only in the below 30 degrees weather. And only one time did I end up leaving it on the whole run. Those 50 mile an hour winds stink! (disclaimer: I live in Oklahoma, you people up North have it bad, I do not envy you!)

5) Don't turn your heat/ ac on in the car on the way over. Now this one I am really proud of. I figured it out all by my onesy, and I have had several friends start doing the same. So you step out of your house, and it's a 15 minute drive to your favorite trail. It's FREEZING OUT. (or horribly hot, take your pick. we will pretend cold since it's march) Whatever you do, DO NOT turn your heater on! Sit there in your gloves, hat, running gear, and shiver all the way to your destination. By the time you get there, you will be acclimated to that temperature. It won't be so bad. Then when you step outside, the wind will hit you, but it won't be so terribly awful that you turn around and drive back home. It will make your first mile easier, I promise!

6) Practice, Practice, Practice! The key to being a successful average runner is to not let anything surprise you. Test everything before race day. Test your playlist out. Test running with no music in case your ear buds break on a race (that's happened to me!). Test what you eat, test multiple methods of getting water. Test every shirt, sock, underwear, bra you own. Test which head band you like the best. (I just use a plain handkerchief for $1 at Wal-Mart) Test what you eat for breakfast, test how you drink your water, test when you drink your water. Test, test, test, test, test. No surprises. EVER. I hope that's clear enough! By the time I get down to the month before race day, I wear my outfit every single time.

7) Fuel and Hydration: If you feel like you are going to cry, or are extremely emotional, you are dehydrated. Drink something. If you are ANGRY and think the whole thing is stupid and your running partner is stupid and this road is stupid and that volunteer needs a good punch in the face, you need fuel. Eat something! Test out all different kinds of foods. I have finally settled on Payday's and the fancy electrolyte Jelly Beans at my running store. Figure out what works for you! Some of my friends carry bananas and oranges. I need something more substantial.

8) Yes training sucks: There has never been a runner out there ever who was born into it. (Unless your illegitimate daddy is a Gazelle.) Yes you will get injured. The problem is, it doesn't matter if you are hurt. It doesn't matter if you pulled that muscle, or hobble around like a dork (that was me last fall) You have to go out and train anyway. So many people I know fall away because they pull a muscle, or injure a tendon. I don't see those people on race day. What I do see on race day, is everyone who ran even though they were tired, sick, depressed, hurt, angry. Those are the ones who get the medals. I do not want to discourage anyone from trying. I think that EVERYONE can do it. But you have to realize all of those petty excuses you have used over the years don't work here in marathon land. The road doesn't care about your issues. The road is hard, jarring, and long. It doesn't forgive. It doesn't care what you ate for lunch. It doesn't care if you are fat. I promise you that I have never met a runner who thought negatively over what a person looks like. We don't care because we are totally focused on ourselves. Which leads to:

9) You have to want it: It has to be something that you can't live without. You have to put in so much time, effort, attention to detail, blood, sweat, and pain. Yes blood! I have fallen 3 times from exhaustion! And did I stop? No! I ate some dang fuel and kept going. You have to be stubborn. People you deeply care about will tell you it's impossible. Or they will say things like, let me know if i need to pick you up before the finish line. People will call you crazy. And you know what? Screw them! How dare they try to diminish what you are doing for yourself! The entire journey of distance running is all about you. This is about no one else.

List of 2012 Events

for my private rememberance.
2012 events:
On June 2nd I completed every athletic goal I had set for myself in 2012. 6 months early! To continue to challenge myself I decided to push my running up a notch. I joined a marathon group (Go Twisted Blisters!) and am training 3 days a week with them.

Here is my list of events I attended:

My goal is to run in 6 races this year:
1: Polar Bear Plunge (2 miles and 4 cold water plunges) on 1/1/12.
2: Poker Run (4 miles, 11 minute miles, and 14 degrees outside) on 2/11/2012.
3: Atem Cash Dash 32:42, 5k- came in 9th in my age group, 5/11/12.
4: Dirty 30 (15 obstacles, Muddy 5k) 57:03 and i completed every obstacle!
5: Orphan Run 5k 31:56 152/322 females and 31/50 in my age group.
6: Warrior Dash 1:06:25, 3962/5928 overall and 697/1063 in my age group.
7: Moonlight 5k 31:15 new best! 13/36 in my age group and 78th in females.
8: The Color Run, first race my girls got to participate in. They will be future runners!
9. Conquer the Gauntlet, 4 miles and 25 obstacles. A total beast! At least 9 walls to climb over!
10. Glow Run, same day as the Gauntlet. Proud of my 37 minute time, I ran way more than I thought I would.
11. Race the Reaper, 6 miles, 20 tough obstacles. My hardest run yet.
12. Pryor Mud Run 2 miles of dirty fun
13. Tulsa Run 15k, 1:45:39
14. Rt. 66 Marathon 6:05
15. Ugly Christmas Sweater 5 miles 1:15, but an open course, lots of stopping.



I also hope to participate in 8 Zumbathons this year.
1: 1/21 benefiting an anti-bullying organization
2: 2/10 benefiting cystic fibrosis.
3: 3/17 benefiting... something or other.
4: 4/4 benefiting Gastroschisis.
5: 4/21 benefiting the Y Strong Kids Campaign
6: 5/5 benefitting the American Cancer Society
7: 5/19 Master Class benefiting 918 z Crew' wallet but still tons of fun
8: 5/30 benefiting a family in need
9: 9/7 benefitting blood disorders
10: 9/21 Master class
11: 10/6 PIP
12. 11/8 Benefit for Hurricane Sandy

Polar Bear the 2nd Time Around

Once again this year I did the Polar Bear Plunge. What makes a person want to do the Plunge twice you ask? Mostly out of complete insanity and because after bragging about doing it for 365 days you have to prove to everyone you can do it again. (Also the medal was larger)

This time I ran with a group of 9 fantastic women I have met over the last year. The husband told me that no amount of me asking would get him to run it again. (Pansy) So the 9 of us ran it together. The course was slightly different. They skipped the Arkansas River dip, did the stairs first, then the quaking dock that was a ton of fun, and then on to the three pools.

This year I had the distinct advantage of volunteering beforehand. I set about the task of throwing medals into the bottom of the pool. I then strategically placed some medals, right by the stairs to get out of the pool. So that way when I jumped in, I wouldn't have to dive and flounder around trying to get one, I could just grab one and get out of the pool.

This year for the pools, I took a running leap to land about the middle, and then immediately went to the sides to arm walk along the edges to the front. This eliminated my whole having to swim problem. ( I can swim in order to not drown, but I really stink at it) I got my bigger shinier medal, took some fantastic photos, and ended up this year changing clothes in my car. The whole process was so much smoother, and next year I know I will be running it again!! It's officially become a tradition!

My first Marathon

Hey friends! It is hard to believe that yesterday I completed my very first marathon. Well, until I try to move my legs, and then I definitely remember! Ouch!

Winter started early in Oklahoma this year, so I was really worried about cold conditions. But yesterday morning it was gorgeous, around 45, slightly breezy, and I knew once we started running it would be perfect.

When I had originally signed up to run they asked me my estimated finish time, I think I put something like, 12 hours, since I had absolutely NO IDEA and the farthest I had run at that point was 5 miles, and the whole idea of 26 seemed a little ludicrous. This put me in corral D, and we didn't get to start until 20 minutes after the original gun time.

The first 13 miles were a blur. They had music acts about every half mile, lots of fans cheering and hollering, and I got to see several of my girlfriends who were running in the half. I am positive I had a grin on my face the whole time. After the split and the half marathoners were gone, I got the surprise of my husband, mother in law, and little girls cheering me on the side of the road with signs. I ran up to give both of my ladies a big hug, and I also got to shed my gloves and hat with them, so it was a definite win-win! I still felt great, and had zero pain in my foot, which is amazing since even the day before it was hurting me. (praise God!)

We knew some real bathrooms were coming up instead of the porta-potties with lines a mile long, so we made a quick stop and hit the road again. The next four miles started to get a little tougher, but I was all for it. We did the Center of the Universe Detour at mile 17, and that was really neat, even if it was uphill. I received this coin that is officially my new paperweight for work.

Mile 18 started to get a whole lot tougher. I think it was a mental thing, That was when we officially left downtown for the second time (and downtown being where the finish line is) and headed up to the TU campus. I really didn't like the thought of running in the opposite direction of the finish line. I toughed it out, ate some more fuel, and got hydrated. My pace slowed from around 12 to 13.5, but I made it to TU.

At TU I started alternating between running and walking with a purpose. There are so many hills in that area, that even though I knew about them, i really didn't realize how hard they would be when you are over 20 miles. When I got out of TU and into the neighborhoods, I knew that I was heading south, and would eventually hit 21st in a couple miles, and then it would be a straight shot home. At that point, I think this was mile 21, my whole body was on fire. I never doubted that I wouldn't finish, not for a single second. But I suddenly realized it might take me 7 hours instead of 6.

I pulled out my phone, and read some extremely encouraging texts from my step mom, my husband, and my friend Ann. They were all talking about how they were so proud and excited for me, and how they loved watching me on the "Tracking" app that the marathon provided. (really it was amazing, they could see where I was on the course at any given time) Those words gave me renewed energy, and I was able to speed up a little, but still I wasn't back to the 12 minute pace of pre-18.

When I finally hit 21st street I felt immense relief. There were no more turns, no more back tracking, no more detours. It was a straight shot, that I had run several times in the past, and it was just 3 miles left! I suddenly got renewed energy! And since I had been keeping myself perfectly fueled and hydrated (really i am very proud of myself for this, that was the most important part I think) I suddenly was able to put on a burst of speed and get back to around a 12.5 minute pace. I think this proves that a marathon really is completely mental. That energy was there, I just had to believe in it.
The last 2 miles was very hilly, and since my legs were mostly dead, I walked with a purpose up the hills, and then ran down them. When I saw the sign that said 25, it was just amazing. I mean what's a mile anyway? It's nothing! When I hit mile 26 I had a burst of speed left in me. So yep, i sprinted to the end. That was very important to me. I didn't want to be so depleted that I walked over the finish line. I wanted to finish strong.

All of my Crazy Running Chicks group had stayed after the half for 3 hours to watch me finish. I got to give them high fives down the line and their smiling faces were so beautiful! My step moms tears in her eyes gave me affirmation that I had done something amazing, and I should be proud of it. My husbands encouraging words and lovingly holding my water belt meant so much to me. He became my pack mule, without complaint, standing to the side while I got enveloped in hugs from other people. He is my rock, and I couldn't have spent all those hours of training away from him and my ladies, without his support.

I learned a lot about myself during this entire 5 month journey. I am a strong, determined woman, who goes after what she wants, and achieves it. And after Christmas, I am sure I will start training again for the OKC Marathon in April, and then it's Tough Mudder in October. Life goes forward, and if you let it, it can be amazing.

Oh, and my time? 6 hours 5 minutes to complete 26.5 miles. I rocked it!

Running Amidst Injuries

I have been running for about 14 months now. Really it's pretty surprising that I haven't been injured before now. Last month, on my first ever 14 mile run, I injured something in my leg. My technical term is my "right here's". If you could see me in my office right now, I am running my hand up and down on the side of my leg, about half way down my calf to my ankle. Both legs were hurting, and I believe it was from the cold rainy conditions, probably not stretching well enough, and not getting good and warmed up before i started. So for two weeks I heated and iced, heated and iced, massaged, took it easy, rested, ordered my husband around various chores in the house, and I slowly got better. I still ran of course, but for only 10 instead of 18, and only 2 instead of 5.

Then came the Tulsa Run. From here on out to be renamed Foot Killer Run. I warmed up appropriately, having learned my lesson 3 weeks before. It was just 9 miles. I wasn't worried at all. But the problem: it was FA-REEZING. So i parked probably a good 8 blocks away from the starting line, purposefully, so I could get a good brisk walk/light jog on and get myself all good and ready. I was layered, I was sun blocked (freaky pale), and all was right in my little world. Except for one flaw: I have always been a selective email reader. When I read the email, I saw 5k start time of 8:30, and read it as 15k start time of 8:30. The 15k actually didn't start until 9. So for 30 minutes, I stood around with my friends, blowing on my hands, and letting my muscles get all stiff and cold.

The race was actually great. I had a fun time, ran it way faster than I was expecting (15 minutes faster to be exact) and I probably could have made better time if I wouldn’t have waited with my fellow running friends who didn't carry their own water with them. (for shame) Water stops are total clock time killers. However, somewhere around the 10k mark my left arch started to HURT. As any of you fellow runners know, it takes a lot of hurt for us to stop. Especially a measly 3 miles from the finish line. So I kept going. In fact, the last 2 miles of it was totally uphill, and I sped up through it and finished strong. Once I stopped though, it was some serious limping going on. Then my right arch started to hurt.

Four hours later, after being on my feet all day (we lead extremely busy and active lives) it literally felt like i had stress fractures down the center of both feet. I shouldered on of course, and had a full day Sunday, two church services and a Trunk or Treat after all need my full attention, and I was in some serious pain. I think this was about the time I started to take ibuprofen. I'm an extreme lightweight when it comes to any type of pain pill, and I try to take them sparingly. Regular Tylenol has been known to knock me out for hours.

I went to my doctor who I just love. She's my primary care physician, but also a half marathon runner, triathlete, and biker extraordinaire. We went over every step of Saturday and decided that my muscles were cold, and that I strained my Plantar tendon but that I don’t have full blown Plantar Fashywatever. She sent me to get specific inserts, new shoes, and instructed me on different stretches to help improve my flexibility. By the following Saturday (2 days ago) I felt right as rain. Which is good, since I had 20 miles that needed running.

The first ten miles, doped up on ibuprofen etc., were fantastic. I felt great, legs felt great, beautiful 50 degrees outside, slightly breezy, good company, fun stretches of Tulsa. Life was a happy place. BUT THEN, and of course there has to be a “but then”, or what’s the point of my ramblings?? But then.... my RIGHT arch this time started hurting. And let me tell you what it was H>U>R>T>I>N>G. I'm pretty sure that I should have quit. But there was NO. WAY. I have a marathon in TWO weeks. If I can't muck out 20 miles then How am I supposed to run 26????

So I kept going, kept running, and had to modify my gate. I would run somewhere around a quarter of a mile normally, and then a quarter of a mile favoring my right foot running mostly on the ball. I did this for seven miles. SEVEN. That’s a lot of pain to push through. I kept saying to myself that I couldn’t quit. I had to keep going. Otherwise, what will the last 17 weeks have been worth? Registration has been paid on that marathon. And I’m finishing it, even if I have to be on my hands and knees crawling my way across town. The last 3 miles, knowing it was just a measly three left, I suddenly felt that all was right in the world again. There were fairies and pixie dust and at least a dozen unicorns out there with me.

Surprisingly, I never hit a wall. I prayed heavily for healing, and I know God healed me, protected me, and kept me strong. I finished my 20. My time wasn’t the best, but it doesn’t matter. What I proved on Saturday was that I can run through pain. I can push through turmoil. I can conquer the miles. Now I’m officially on taper. And I will have to remind myself of that heavily, tonight in Zumba. I currently have a can of green beans under my desk at work, and I am rolling my arches back and forth over it. I’m walking slowly, but that’s only because I finished so strong.

Running, a year later

One year ago yesterday, I timidly, nervously, and hesitantly stepped out on my lunch break, wearing size XL shorts of my husbands and an XL t-shirt. I fumbled with my cell phone to start the Couch to 5k application, turned on Pandora (also my first time to use that) and started walking. The 60 seconds of running was TORTURE. Was it actual physical torture? No, not really. It was mental torture. I was not good enough to run those 60 seconds.

Two days later was even harder. Day 2. Can I do day 2? Shouldn't I just skip it? For me at that time, running was all mental. I went and completed it. I fought myself every single step over the 11 weeks that it took me to get through it. I repeated week 7 three times because I just felt that week 8 was asking too much of me. The only reason I think I even kept going was because I signed my husband and I up for a 2 mile Polar Bear Plunge, and I didn't want to embarrass myself being around real runners.
 Fast forward a few months, I had ran a maximum of 4 miles, and was still fighting myself every single step. If i wasn't such a crazy stubborn mule of a woman, i would have given up. I know I would have. But I met people, I made friends. I got skinnier, healthier, more endurance. I no longer breathed heavy when running. I found mud runs and obstacle runs. I found that I loved to pin those race numbers on my shirts. I loved the medals. I loved the fact that after a mud run, I normally had to take two showers to get all of that mud off.

But I still had that niggling self doubt. It took me 9 months and deciding to sign up with my local running store for marathon training before that voice went away. For whatever reason the act of showing up for that first 5 mile run cleared my head. I could do this. I was doing this. I had twenty weeks to prepare. That nasty little voice just disappeared!

Fast forward another 3 months and I am about a month and a half out for my first marathon. I have 3 more long runs, a 16, 18, and a 20. I wear size small running skorts only, and will only wear the wicking material. The thought of a t-shirt makes me cringe. I now feel that anything less than 5 miles really isn't worth my time. If I run a 5k race, I don't count it as exercise.  I have big plans for lots of fun races.

I'm not the fastest runner, the longest runner, or the best runner. But after one year I can tell you one thing: I am a runner! 

Smashing the little voice in the face

I have been a runner since last September when I boldly set out on my lunch hour with week 1 day 1 of c25k. It was a struggle. I second guessed myself during every single run. I had to repeat weeks because I would give up. I just fought myself continuously. Since completing it, I have kept running, but it was sporadic at best. I did some 5k’s, improved my time, but never much farther than that.

When I was showed up at a race by someone who had never ran before in her life, I made the decision to really start training. So I joined a half marathon group. The first attempt at running with them, I realized that they were just too slow for me. I found another group that worked out better, and at the end of our leisurely morning run, I found out that I had just ran 5 miles ( a whole mile farther than I had ever done before) and it was a full marathon group. So after thinking on it, I ran with them again the next weekend. Just like that I switched the next 5 months of training from 13.1 miles to 26.2 miles. My brand new 13.1 sticker sure looks silly on the back of my car! ;)

Last week I realized the voice is gone. That pesky, irritating, whiny, irrational, stupid voice. After 10 months of listening to it… it’s just completely disappeared. I don’t even know what happened to it. One minute I am thinking there’s no way you can run 13.1 miles; and the next I am completely cool, confident, and fine with the distance. Not only am I fine with it, I just go ahead and double it to 26.2. I don’t have any issues at all. I just show up, my mind goes blank, and I run. it is SO WONDERFUL! If you are like me and hear that voice, just have faith, and whatever you do, keep running

Wardrobe Malfunction

Saturday was my second race to run. It was a 4 mile Poker Run, where you got cards as you ran along and you got a prize at the end depending on how well you did. (I got a super fun nerdy black running t-shirt that had a math equation on the front, LOVED it!)

My first race I discovered several wardrobe malfunctions and I was determined to correct them this second time. So I planned out my outfit the night before. I had my favorite socks to run in (not running socks, this may be a future purchase for me), my new shoes, my running pants, and 3 different types of layers for the top so I could peel if necessary. I went to bed content.... (and of course this is when you queue the dramatic music we see in reality shows- and the camera pans to what I am forgetting and you all gasp in shock that I could forget it in the first place).

So 6:30 am my alarm goes off and I jump up all excited... well I was pretty sore so I think it was an actual roll out and a shuffle- but this is my life so pretend I'm being all excited and I just come out of bed naturally with perfect hair and make up. I got dressed in all my layers, ate my healthy carbohydrate fueled breakfast and opened up the door to THE COLDEST WINDS EVER!
Excuse me?? We have been enjoying 60 degrees for the last month! What is this?? Winter or something??

I promptly shut the door and started scrambling for a hat and gloves. The first hat I could find was my husband's sock puppet hat. I shrugged and jammed it on my head. The last race had men in ladies dresses and wigs, so I felt my sock puppet would fit right in. Then I reached into my purse to grab my gloves. I knew they were in there because I had just worn them earlier in the week and I always stick them right back in. (queue dramatic noise again, camera pans over to highlight my two nosy toddlers rooting around in my purse for candy) One of my gloves was MISSING! *gasp! shock! horror!*

I started panicking, the race started at 8 and we were getting close to 7:10 by this time. I look in every drawer I can, under the couch, in the living room toy bins, and I even run out to my car to see if it had fallen into the floor board. With absolutely ZERO luck. Remember, its absolutely freezing and it's Oklahoma- where the wind comes sweeping down the plains- so the wind was gusting at 30mph. I head back in and I just start looking for ANY gloves I could find. And what did I settle on? One of my 3 year old daughters' pink and white striped gloves. If I stretched it REALLY tight it covered about half of my hand.

Never one to call it quits, I yanked the pink glove on and went out the door. When I got there I tried to hand proof of payment to the guy and he told me, "oh I trust you. if you are here you are either an idiot or a runner." I looked down at my pink glove and I knew it was a whole lot of both.
Long story short, I ran a mile farther than I had ever run before, and averaged 11 minute miles- which was faster than I had ever done before. Mischief Managed.

My first race!

I did it! I completed my first race!

I started running c25k in October. It started off being a physical challenge and turned quickly into a mental challenge. I signed up for a race and since my motto is always go big or go home, I picked the Polar Bear Plunge. While only a 2 mile race, it boasted jumping into not one, but three freezing cold pools of water. It sounded crazy and right up my alley. I also hoodwinked my supportive husband to doing it with me.

I am good and comfortable with a 2.5 mile run right now so I really thought it would be easy. Boy was I wrong! Here is a break down of what happened and what I learned:

We brought a change of clothes and our phones, but did not have a 3rd person there to hold our stuff. Next time I will get a third person to come with us and be the keeper of our stuff/ taker of photos. things would have been much easier if we had that!

We started off near the back of the pack. that was big mistake number 2. this made us behind a bunch of slower people and increased our run time considerably. We ended up starting to go around people, but since this was our first race and I was unsure of running etiquette, we went slowly for awhile.
We started off running about a quarter of mile and then we took our very first plunge into cold water. It was straight into the Arkansas River. There were quite few people who skipped this one, and I think they are PANSY'S. Brandon jumped in head first and I went in to about the chest level. It was sooooo cold! Then we had to run sopping wet through the sand and it was tough.

Once we got away from the river we ran about a half a mile until we got to a dock. It was made up of a bunch of different cubes of plastic and we had to run across it. Talk about crazy! It was slippery and would bounce and move and it is a miracle I held my balance. There were a few people that plunged into the river again.

The next obstacle was to run along an amphitheaters stairs. It was simple enough, then a mile later we finally got to the pools. Now the way this website read was that it was a small jump into 3 pools, 3 to 5 feet deep. there was noooo mention whatsoever of SWIMMING. We get to the first pool and jump in. if we thought that the river was cold we were mistaken! Those pools were 10 times cooler than the river ever thought of being. We had to swim from jumping into the deep end and swim across the pool to climb out the steps on the shallow side.

On all three pools as soon as I jumped in my body naturally tried to gasp for air because of the cold. Gasping is NOT something you want to be doing when your head is under water!!!!! I came up for air, freaking out quite a bit if I am going to be honest with myself. I was able to get all the way across the first pool with several loud prayers to God and sheer determination. The second pool..... oh brother! I gasped water into my lungs a second time and started flailing. My husband grabbed me by the waist, (since he was so tall he could actually touch) and brought me to where I could touch. I then got out of the pool with as much dignity as possible and continued running along. I believe the phrase, "hardest thing I have ever done in my life besides childbirth" came out of my mouth.

The third pool required diving for your medal. there was nooo way I was going to let my husband help me again, and NOT get a medal. So I plunged in once more, gulped water, but this time i knew what was going to happen. I got to the shallow end and grabbed 3... ribbons? GASP! The medals had come unhooked and were somewhere in the murky bottom of the pool. I wear glasses though, and water was all over them and I just couldn't SEE them. I started to say over and over again, oh no! oh no! i can't! where? i can't! And then my husband yelled my name and one of the volunteers was willing to trade me a ribbon for a full medallion! thank goodness because I was so determined to get that medal i would have frozen before I gave up!

We then had a final sprint to the finish line, but if you wanted an actual picture, it was more of a waddle, waddle, slosh, slosh to the finish line. We crossed the line hand in hand and I felt so proud of myself. 3 months ago I couldn't run for more than 60 seconds. the polar bear plunge took me about 35 minutes. While that time is slightly terrible, remember that I couldn't go that fast, and I had to wait my turn to jump into the pools, and I spent a good minute digging for my medal.

when it was over we trembled and shook to the car to get our change of clothes. We got a nice fellow racer to take our picture and with GREAT strain we both got our change of clothes on. We left with big smiles on our faces and I said we would do it again next year. I know one things for sure, can't wait for the Mud Run in April and we have A LOT of training to do before the Warrior Dash!

Runaholic

I have ALWAYS wanted to be a runner. When I was in the 7th grade I tried out for track, made the team, but was unable to continue because of the afterschool runs and not having a ride home from school. After highschool I would give a treadmill a go and would be so intimidated by just about everything that I never pursued it. I tried to start running in January of this year, but was WAY to gung ho (i felt like i should just start off running 2 miles at a time) and ended up giving myself double shin splints that took two months to recover.

So finally I tried again with C25K this fall. I was not born an amazing runner.
I irked it out of myself, 30 seconds at a time. i tell myself, 30 more seconds, 30 more seconds.
I lie to myself, i say, "oh you have probably been running for 20 minutes now, it will be just a little bit further. (8 minutes into the run)

I yell at myself sometimes. (in my head of course, I'm not too crazy.)
I beat myself up.
I encourage myself.
I think of myself getting my Polar Bear Plunge medal on January 1st. (my first 5k!!) I think up outlandish scenarios of people driving by and being jealous of me.
I bribe myself.
I do anything I can to keep running.

The past 2 weeks (week 7) gave me a crisis of faith. I was done with intervals. But why? Intervals and I are friends. We got this. Intervals and I are going to be in each others weddings. You want me to just DO AWAY with intervals?? I dont know if i can do that! And I really didn't. All of my tricks weren't working anymore. I would get 15 minutes into the run and just stop. Finally my friend Sarah suggested for me to just walk a minute, and then pick it up again. So i said alright, she generally is smarter than me, and I did it. So it took me 2 weeks, but I got through week 7.

Today I was starting week 8. I felt confident. I mean i HAVE to get this down right! I have my first 5k in a month! I need to be lean, mean, and crazy. (i signed up for a run that i will be jumping into freezing cold swimming pools. THREE of them) So I start off. I do my five minutes of walking and settle into my rhythm. What I did differently this time, was I started off meandering. Running every which way that I felt like. I took no specific path. Then i finally settled on a loop. It was smaller than the loop I am used to running, but it was a steady curve, and I wasn't facing into the sun and wind for too long of a time. I ended up losing track of the loops after 6, a few laps later i realized i did and lost count again after another 6. My guess is i did 15 laps around this place, maybe closer to 20.

I started to head back to the building and my asthma was starting to kick up. I wasn't coughing yet, but i could feel the wheezing. I snuck out my phone for the very first peak at my time left. (my countdown on my phone and i have a love/hate relationship) I glanced, ONLY TWO MINUTES LEFT! I felt elation! I felt on top of the world! Two minutes is nothing! So i ran out the last 2 minutes, finished on cloud 9, and ran for 28 minutes STRAIGHT. My previous longest distance running withouut a break was 18 minutes.

I knew I had it in me. I just had to believe in myself while I was doing it. I had to be confident. So it may have took a little lying, cussing, encouraging, and bribing (i am going to have pizza for dinner HA) but i FINISHED DANG IT! And Ii have arrived!!