My Apologies to Miley Cyrus

Here it is.  This is a Mile-by-Mile race report of my first half marathon.  I figured it would be best to share the thoughts I had along the way... that way you get to see the real me.  The real me that comes out while I run.

Mile 0-1:  Ugh!  My legs are tired.  Don't think about it... they'll perk up soon.

Mile 1-3:  OK... my legs feel pretty good.  My foot feels pretty good.  I'm feeling pretty good.  I can do this!  No problem.

Mile 3-4:  I'm maintaining  pretty good pace (about 13:30/mile... which for me is a nice, easy, long-term pace).  I kind of have to use the restroom.  I'll stop at the next port 'a potty.

Mile 4:  There are the port 'a potties.  Good timing since they are right at the bottom of the hill.  That will give me a chance to breathe before I head up the hill.

Port 'a Potty Break:  Don't touch anything... don't touch anything...

Mile 4-5:  Oh, man!  My legs feel like lead going up this hill.  I'll walk it and run down the other side.

The Other Side:  OK... I'm going down hill.  Literally and figuratively.  Why isn't this getting easier?
Mile 5-6:  Ouch.  Now my foot is starting to hurt. 
Mile 6-7:  Is that the turn-around?  I think it is.  Now my feet feel sort of numb.  What is up with that?!  And look how swollen my hands are!  Man hands!  I think I see the turn-around.  I'll start running again at the turn-around.  Dang!  Where is that turn around?  Why does it seem to move away from me?  I just want to get to that turn-around so I can really pick up my pace again.  It's pretty much all down-hill from there.  It'll be easy!

The Turn-Around:  FINALLY!  I'm going to take a quick stretching break and then I'm flying to the finish!  And I'm off!  Wait a minute.  This isn't easy.  Maybe I need a little inspiration... let me click back to that Melissa Etheridge song, "I Run for Life".  There it is... that will do it.  Or not.

Mile 8:  I'm going to run one song and walk the next.  Then I'll blog about how fun and helpful that was.  Ahhh... "Say, Hey" by Michael Franti.  Perfect song for running!  Say hey, this song is longer than I remember.  Oh, good.  It's over.  Time to walk.

Mile 9:  New song-- time to run.  "The Climb"... how appropriate.  I can do this.  Ain't about how fast I get there... well, that's good 'cause I ain't getting there any time soon!  Ain't about what's waiting on the other side... but I really want my surfboard medal.  It's the climb... shut up you little &%$@$!  What do you know about climbing?  I don't care how Achy-Breaky Heart-ed your daddy was... you know nothing!

Mile 9-13:  That's it.  I'm done.  I am walking the rest of the way or I am going to end up in the ER tonight getting X-rays on my foot.  Why am I so disappointed?  I knew in my head it was going to be like this.  After all, I haven't been able to train for this race.  The longest I've run since last May was 5 miles... and I did pretty well up until about four miles.  But, I  *SO* want to do a race where I can really feel like I did well.  This is like the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon... I'll finish but barely.  At least my next half will (hopefully) be a certain personal best.  What if it's not?  I may never run again.   Why do I do this?  Maybe I should give up on running.  OK, Sara, don't think like that. 
Mile 13:  I'll start running now.  Nobody walks across the finish line.  Hmmmm... that's interesting.  Nobody walks across the finish line... there's got to be some deeper life meaning hidden in there somewhere.  I'll have to figure it out later,  I see the finish.  And look there's Guitar Hero... and he's taking pictures.  Dear God, please don't let him take a picture of my butt.  I hate looking at myself from behind.  Just smile and wave, Sara, smile and wave.
The Finish:  FINALLY!  Shut up announcer dude.  Smile for the camera... look happy.  Good, now I can stop running.  I feel like I'm going to puke.  Thanks for the medal, volunteer girl.  No, please, NO MORE Vitalyte!  If I drink another drop  of Vitalyte, I'm going to see all the Vitalyte consumed along the route again.  What ARE those metallic covers for, anyway?  I'm hot!  I don't want anything on me!  What would happen if I pass out right now?  I guess that would mean no beer garden for me!  Eh, beer doesn't sound good right now, anyway. 
Post Finish:  Ahhhh.. there's Guitar Hero.  He found me and he is congratulating me.  For what?  I just want a big, juicy hamburger.  Smile for the post-race medal pictures.  Hamburger.  I want a hamburger.  Somebody get me a hamburger!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,.......................,,,,  Oops.  Feel asleep.

I am so tired today!  And sore.  I need to get to bed.

I got my hamburger, by the way.

Thanks for reading!  I hope you didn't fall asleep, too!

Dear Naproxin, You are my Best Friend

I want to post a detailed, interesting Surf City Half Marathon report.  I want to post about how I kicked butt- how I didn't even break a sweat and felt like I was flying the entire 13.1 miles.

If I had time, I would post the detailed and hopefully interesting race report but I need to get to bed.  If I could, I would be able to tell you all the other stuff.  But I'm not only sleepy, I'm a horrible liar!

I just wanted to drop a quick note letting you know that I finished.  And I want to thank you all for the encouragement and kind words, wishing me the best for the race.  I just read the comments and your words made my evening!

Anyway, just to prove that I did finish, here is a picture of me with my cool surfboard Finisher's Medal.  I will work on posting a report and more pictures tomorrow. 

 

Happy Monday to you all!!

Surf City Pre-Race Report

Well, we made it to Huntington Beach.  My husband and I left our quiet, kid-free house later than we had planned.  After getting lost a couple times and dealing with Orange County rainy-day traffic, it seemed like we may have hit the Expo at its peak hours.  It was crowded.  Very, very crowded. Thankfully, the race seems to be well-organized and I was able to pick up my race bib, race bag, and long-sleeve shirt very quickly.

The race bags didn't have any goodies in them... but that's OK because the race bag is a "goodie" in and of itself.  Very cool race bag!

 

I wish I had taken a picture of the race bag... but hopefully you get the idea from this picture.  That's me holding my race number.  

We didn't spend much time at the Expo because of the crowds.  I can usually tolerate crowds pretty well, but this was too much, even for me!  My husband hates crowds of any size so I think he was very happy to get out of there.  I have to give him credit, though... he didn't complain once about the crowds or about the time I took to look at stuff. 

Even though the Expo was in a tented area, it was decorated very well!  There were surfboard-signs everywhere.  These signs, like the one behind me in the picture, pointed out where to go.  There were plants set up, and lots of trash/recycling bins. 

After we checked into our hotel, we went to dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe.  Fun place & yummy food!  Then we went to Sports Authority to find a new running cap.  I lost my favorite running cap and was hoping to find a replacement at the Expo.  If they had my hat at the Expo, I didn't see it.  I was successful at Sports Authority, though, so that made me very happy!

Now, I'm in our hotel room,  using a high-jacked internet service and waiting for my dinner to digest a little more before I try on my race outfit.  I know what shirt I want to wear but I haven't decided yet if I'm going to wear my running skirt or shorts.  Right now my stomach feels so bloated from food, water, and hormones  that I know I'll look fat in either option.  Blech!

My next blog post will be my race report!  I'm not expecting to report some fabulously fast time.  I'm just looking forward to reporting that I finished it.  I figure if I can run/walk/limp 26.2 miles, I can run/walk/limp 13.1.   

No matter what, I plan on having a FUN time!  I've been looking forward to this race for months.  I can't believe tomorrow is the day!!

I'll let you know how it goes!

My Favorite Things Winner

I know you have all been waiting anxiously for this day... the day the winner of "A Few of My Favorite Things" giveaway is announced.

Before I announce the winner, let me just say thanks to all of you who took the time to read my blog and leave a comment.  I've "met" lots of fellow running/ fitness bloggers.  I'm looking forward to learning from each one of you!

Now... back to the giveaway winner annoucement.  I made this giveaway as scientifically sound as possible.  Each person who commented had the potential to earn up to three entries.  I used Sticky-Notes to write down each name based on the number of entries earned.  Most of you had three Sticky-Notes.

Mr. Big Stuff (my five year old) selected the instrument from which we would pull the lucky winner's name.  He decided a five-gallon Lowe's bucket would be best for the job.

Here is Mr. Big Stuff, shaking up the names... just to make it fair.

Here he is, pulling out a name. 

Note that his eyes are shut... again, to make it fair.

And the Winner is:

Oops... let's take a closer look.

And the Winner is:

Julie, of Julie's Running Blog!

Congratulations, Julie! 

Here is what you'll be getting in the mail... assuming the mail man or woman can make it through all that Minnesota snow to deliver it to your doorstep. 

As promised, a bottle of K2 Sunscreen* and Mission Organic Lip Balm
(in Strawberry and Pomegranate)

For fun, I threw in some Organic Honey Stinger Energy Chews (for those longer runs) and a cute running girl car sticker I got from Gypsy Runner at the Carlsbad Marathon Expo.

Obviously, I was banking on the odds that the winner would be a girl. 

*Julie, all I could find was the sunscreen with SPF 30... if you'd rather have the SPF 50, let me know and I will check out some other places. :)

It was lots of fun hosting my first giveaway!  Even my boys had fun.  In fact, Mr. Big Stuff insisted on keeping each and every one of the Sticky-Notes with your names on them.  He has been pretending to pull names out of the bucket all evening.  And you can be sure I'll think of each of you often, as I find little Blogger Friend Sticky-Notes all over the house.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  I've been keeping up with your blogs but haven't had much time to comment.   I'm about three chapters behind* in my reading for my online Child Development class... once I get caught up there, I'll be able to read and comment on my Running Blogger Friends' posts again. 

*It's true that teachers make the worst students... in my case, anyway!

I Need to Get Caught Up!

Hi Blogger Friends!

It's been a couple days... I've been living in a foggier state than usual because I have been fighting this darn cold.  I know I have lots of blogs to catch up on, and I'm looking forward to reading race reports from those of you who did races this past weekend.

I am sorry if I haven't been by your blog to stalk catch up with you.  I know you all know how busy life gets sometimes.

Anyway, here are some really quick thoughts from me:

• I'm thinking of pushing the giveaway ending date up to Wednesday.  I'm so excited about sharing some of my favorite things, that I don't want to wait until January 31.  
• I ran four miles with my running group on Saturday.  I was my usual slow self but it was a nice coastal run.  
• I'm thinking of getting a shirt made that says, "Don't talk to me.  I'm running!"  Seriously! I know people mean well when they try to strike up a conversation while running but I really, really prefer to run alone (even in a group).  I like to listen to my music, go at my own pace, and concentrate on my run.  It's my "alone" time.
• The Surf City Half Marathon is in less than two weeks!  I'm excited!  I don't expect to wow myself or anyone else but I've been looking forward to this since last May when I had my husband and kids buy my race entry for my Mother's Day present.
• I need to go to bed since I'm hoping to get in an early morning run before work tomorrow.  Hoping that I'll feel well enough to get myself out of bed and do it, that is!

Good night!  I'm going to get caught up tomorrow.  Promise!  

Well, as much as I can promise anything.

Three Things Thursday

I don't do this very often, being the inconsistent person I am, but I noticed that today is:

Three! Things! Thursday!... Thursday!... Thursday!... Thursday!...

**In case you didn't catch that, that is my impersonation of one of those Monster Truck Rally commercials they show on TV**

And I'm going to participate this week.  Here goes...

1. Southern California has been pounded by storms!  I love it!  We have wind, rain, hail, lightning, thunder...  the works!  Sure, this weather has forced me to the elliptical machine at the gym, instead of running the streets.  But, I'm OK with that.  For now.  I'm still babying my heel so I figure the rain is a great excuse to give it more down-time.                                                                                               
   
2. I feel like I'm catching another cold.   Those cute, little preschoolers are germy!  I must wash my hands about 20 times a day. One of those nasty germs must have escaped the soaping, scrubbing, rinsing, and repeating and made its way into my body.  I do NOT want to get sick again!  I have a four-miler scheduled with my running group on Saturday.                                                                                      
   
3. My online Child Development class has started.  I decided to take one class per semester until I have the units I need to teach my own class.  At that point, I will hopefully be in a position where I can choose if I want to go back to Elementary School Teaching or stay in the Preschool setting.  It's good to keep options open.

******************************************

Thank you to my fellow Bloggers who have mentioned and/or posted a link to my Favorite Things Giveaway!

Also, welcome to those who have found their way to my blog.  I hope you are able to take the time to say "hi" and introduce yourself!

A Few of my Favorite Things Giveaway & Happy Blog Birthday!

Happy birthday to Blog

Happy birthday to Blog

Happy birthday, dear Blo-ooog...

Happy birthday to blog!

One year ago today I posted my very first running blog post. If you feel so inclined, you can read it here.  The funny thing is, I thought I had come up with an original idea:  I would chronicle my marathon-training journey for all the world to see!

It didn't take long to discover that there were lots of people out there with running blogs.  Did I mind?  Heck, no!  What I lacked in originality, I gained a hundred-fold in support, encouragement, and knowledge from this incredible community of runners.

I believe there is a good chance that I would have given up on running and training if it weren't for my Running Blogger Friends.  Your stories, experiences, triumphs, trials, and heart-breaks have kept the running spark alive in me.   I consider each of my Running Blogger Friends a blessing.

In order to thank you and to celebrate my blog's first birthday, I am sponsoring a giveaway.  My first real giveaway!   If I had an unlimited supply of money, I'd send each of my blogger friends a special gift.  But I'm sure you understand when I say that is just not possible.

I'm calling this "A Few of my Favorite Things" giveaway.  I love running-related products!   While I have purchased a lot of unnecessary items, there are several products I won't run without.  These things I keep in my Little Pink Running Essentials bag.  Now you have the chance to try out a few of my favorite things.  

Such as... A bottle of my favorite sunscreen:  K2 Endurance Sunblock SPF 50 (1.5 Fluid Ounces).

I know it's winter... but spring and summer are coming!  As a fair-skinned, cancer-avoiding, wrinkle-hating runner, I don't leave home without this on my face and neck.  I have dry skin and I love the way this feels!  It moisturizes but doesn't leave my skin greasy.  I usually put this on instead of moisturizer and then put my makeup over it.  It is also fragrance-free, which makes me happy.  I do not like smelling my face all day. Bleh!

Another nice thing about this sunscreen is, it doesn't run when I sweat.  I wore this when I did the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and did not get stingy eyes from it.  I also did not get a yucky taste in my mouth.  I hate when sunscreen taste makes its way into my mouth!

I'm a firm believer in sunscreen.  Wear it.  Or I will come to your house and beat you with a stupid stick.

Another favorite:

Hello, my name is Sara... and I am a lip balmoholic.   Seriously.  If you ever find me in a lip balmless moment, watch out!  I need lip balm.  I am miserable without it.  Others are miserable when I'm without it.  I hate having dry lips.

I may have a problem... but I have found Mission Skincare  lip balms to be absolutely wonderful.  The Strawberry happens to be my favorite.  Now you have a chance to try this organic, SPFing, paraben free, wonder.

Knowing me as well as I do, I bet I'll throw a few other things into the giveaway package.  I'll surprise you!  I have a few other things in mind but I have to check on their availability first.

Here's how you can have the opportunity to try out a few of my favorite things:

1.  Leave a comment explaining what YOU can't run without.
2.  Become a "follower" of my blog if you aren't already.  If you are, leave a comment telling me you are.
3.  Post a link to this giveaway on your blog & leave a comment when/if you do.

Each person has the opportunity to get up to three entries by commenting three times.  I'll pick the winner randomly but the more entries, the better chance you have to get a few of my favorite things.

This giveaway ends on January 31, 2010. 

OK... good night you all!  Good luck & I look forward to hearing from you. :-)