Playlist Thursday: Dance Party

Surprise!! I'm back! After multiple failed blog posts that just never seemed to go anywhere, I've finally decided to do a post on one of my favorite topics: music. Music has always been a huge part in my life, and even have pair of headphones tattooed to prove my love. It's been there for me when I need to cry, want to dance or my companion for a late night drive with the windows down to nowhere. It's my constant. When fellow blogger and twitter friend, Pavement Runner, posted his Playlist Thursday blog, I knew I needed to klepto his idea and get my booty back to blogging! Here we go!

The format:

Something Old: These will be songs that are at least 5 years old. I know that isn’t too long to be considered old, but music turnover happens quickly.Something Current: These will be songs that have been released within the past year. I know, but you have to give me some leeway here.Something to Consider: These will be songs that are not typically heard on the radio and may be by artists you’ve never heard of or considered running to. This is the wild card category, can be old or current.

Something Old:

Artist: Billy Idol

Title: Mony Mony

Side Note: Though I love both the Billy Idol and Tommy James & The Shondells versions, the Billy Idol version wins hands down for running. How can you want to slow your pace when Billy Idol in all his funky bleach blonde hair glory is screaming to "don't stop now!" It's like your own personal cheering section.

Quoteable: "Don't stop now, come on Mony"

Something Current:

Artist: Take The Day

Title: Freaks

Side Note: This is hometown Milwaukee pride at it's finest. The bassist of Take The Day is BFF's with one of my BFF's, so that totally makes us BFF's right?! These guys have really only been a band for a little over a year, but have exploded onto the scene with the help of being awesome and winning the Billboard music's Battle of the Bands Midwest spot. If you like running to Ke$ha or 3Oh!3 (guilty pleasure or not) this song needs to be on your playlist! 

Quoteable: "I hear the freaks come out. They don't stop dancing until the sunlight hits their eyes."

(psst! you can download the album version of  "Freaks" on iTunes)

Something To Consider:
Artist: Hanson

Title: Give A Little

Side Note: Yes. Hanson. The same guys that brought you MMMBop fifteen (yes. 15. One. Five.) years ago. I'm sure you'd rather me not blab on about where they've been and what they've been doing for the last 15 years, so I'll just leave you with a song that won't be able to keep you off your feet. 

Quoteable: "Give a little, let your body lose control"

Now that you've listened to my three songs, what are your dance party worthy "Something Old/Current/Consider" recommendations for me?

- Andie

Post-Injury PRs.

Trying to get back into running hasn't been difficult because it's hard to breath, or because it hurts (okay, I lied) but it's because I'm constantly comparing my post-injury times and distance PRs to those pre-injury. It can be incredibly disheartening going out for a 5k and coming in just under 40 minutes, when my pre-injury PR was under 29 minutes. Or heck, it's hard when I'm dying at the 3 mile mark when I used to go out for a fun 13 miler. Why can't I just be happy that I'm off the couch and no longer eating ibuprofen like they're Skittles? What happened to the Andie that used to go out for a run just to run without worrying about distance and speed? She got caught up with constantly training for one race or another for the entirety of 2011.

On Friday night I had one of those nights where I was angry and irritated and just wanted to punch a wall. Instead of punching a hole in wall and trying to explain that to housing or breaking my hand and trying to explain that (I ran into a door? I fell down the stairs?), I opted for a run. I laced up and I hit the pavement without a time or distance in mind. I just ran. I started by staying close to home in fear of my ITB getting angry, but began venturing off further and further from home. The result? A post-injury distance and time PR: 4.28 miles / 51:07 minutes = 12:05 min/mile.

First run with my Garmin 610. I'm in love.

Because of that run, I had an eureka! moment of sorts. I decided that just as I shouldn't compare myself to other runners, I also shouldn't compare my current self to my pre-injury self. Well, until the day I'm stronger and faster and can kick pre-injury Andie's butt.  

Tips From A Nutritionist

If you follow me on Twitter you may or may not have seen that I've been recently making some changes in my life, specifically in my nutrition. This coming Saturday I'll be hitting week 6 of being #sodafree and lately I've been a lot more mindful about what I've been putting into my body. Since coming off of injury all that I've thought about is what I could do this time around to prevent my injury from coming back. Yes, I know... an IT Band injury is a common running injury. I've heard it all before, but I really do believe that I ultimately did something wrong for it to act up. Whether it was training too hard, not training consistantly enough, improper shoes or lack of nutrition, I do believe that they all go hand-in-hand (leg-in-leg? Har. Har. Har.) with my injury. 


Just the other week I met with one of the personal trainers from my work who also has his degree in nutrition, just to get some basics on what I could do to better from what I'm currently doing. From just making a few changes I'm noticing a huge difference in just a couple of weeks. As athletes, we're all always looking for new products to try and Aaron has some great ones listed below as well as easy food tips. I know I had a few friends who were interested in what he told me, but decided to take it a step further and ask if he'd like to do a guest post and share some tips. Below is what he has to share, and feel free to check out his website www.AaronJHermanson.com. For everyone on Twitter, don't worry... I'm working on getting him into the Twitterverse. :)

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In a world where most people talk about wanting change, you actually took action and requested this special report. First off, let me promise you one thing, if you are consistent at applying the following information on a daily basis, you will experience PEAK PERFORMANCE AND RECOVERY...guaranteed! I have been teaching and instructing people for nearly 20 years now and those who reach their goals and stay there are simply the ones who apply small steps daily.

Below are what I call the "5 power steps" to PEAK PERFORMANCE. Let's begin.

1. WATER- The most overlooked nutrient!

You are approximately 70% water. Every process in the body, especially metabolism, requires proper hydration. Lack of adequate water intake can lead to poor sleep, fatigue, slow metabolism, and constipation. Just a 2% drop in water intake can slow everything down. DO NOT wait until you are thirsty before drinking water either. By that point you are already dehydrated. How much should you drink daily? 32 oz per 50 pounds of body weight meet your basic physiological needs. If you are an athlete, you will need more. Just be aware of this and drink more throughout the day. I strongly recommend buying a stainless steel 32 oz bottle that you can keep with you at home, work, or on the go. This will encourage you to drink throughout the day. Remember, out of sight, out of mind. 

I'm often asked if soda, energy and sports drinks, coffee, or alcohol can count towards the water need. The answer is no. These liquids often contain huge amounts of sugar and caffeine which only dehydrate you even more. Herbal teas such as peppermint, chamomile, or decaf green tea can count however. If you feel the need to make your water more appealing then add a packet of the non chemical sweetener Stevia and some fresh lemon juice. My personal favorite water fortifier is a product called Solstic.

Solstic comes in several different flavors but is the perfect solution for supercharging your water with minerals, vitamins, and other critical nutrients without all the harmful sugar. it will provide your body with worthwhile nutrients lost during intense physical excursion like running. YOU MUST REPLACE THESE MICRO NUTRIENTS! My favorites are Solstic Revive and Solstic Twenty Four. If you have cardio vascular concerns use Solstic Cardio. This one step alone will transform your metabolism, energy levels and overall health and wellness. This is totally safe and ideal for kids because of the lack of sugar and chemical colorants. 

BE CONSISTENT! 

2. DETOX-You must clean house!

Look, after decades of eating the standard American diet of processed, refined, and mostly "dead" food, most of us are walking around with clogged and over-burdened digestive tracts. Our bowels, liver, and kidneys are saturated with chemicals and old, decaying food debris that literally paralyze our body’s ability to properly function and repair itself. Thinking that you do not need to detox or cleanse is about as naive as believing that you do not need to change your oil filter in your car or your home air conditioning filter. Like these filters, you are equipped with filters (liver, kidneys, and bowels) that need to be cleansed and helped from time to time. If you do not you will significantly add stress to your body and slow metabolism down. Most of us are carrying around 5-15 pounds of what is called fecal mucoid matter in the large intestine. This is built up, old, food matter that lines the walls of your intestines robbing you of proper absorption, and energy. By properly cleansing, you can safely and gently remove this built up junk and gunk. How does one cleanse? The foundation should always be organic, wholesome foods that are high in fiber. Vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and fruits are typically high in fiber and help the bowels stay light and unclogged. Most of us however, could use the help of a high potency/quality detox program to help jump-start the cleansing process. Beware of just any old "detox" product however. Many companies have hopped on the band-wagon and marketed products that simply are full of natural laxatives that cause you to have increased bowel movements only. There is more to cleansing than just going potty. A good, strong, high quality detox product cleanses the bowels, but also the liver and kidneys. Potency and purity of ingredients is absolutely critical. Sadly, most companies don't put much into quality assurance when it comes to nutrition supplements. As a Certified holistic health practitioner, the only cleanse I use is a 14 day cleanse called Clean Start.

This is a simple, but very thorough 14 day cleanse that you can use while still going to work and living as you normally would. The common results are more energy, better sleep, and of course, FAT LOSS! This cleanse can safely be used every 2 months if desired. At least every four months is ideal.

3. FOOD - Dead or alive?

Most of the food people eat today is dead; meaning absent of any worthwhile nutrients such as minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, and natural anti-oxidants. Your body cannot burn fat and calories without optimum amounts of these substances. Too much attention is given to calories in this country and not enough on nutrition. Yes a piece of chicken breast and whole grain rice may seem healthy, low in calories etc...But the reality is it is VERY low in minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants. Inadequate nutrients equals sloooow metabolism every time. Foods like nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, cashews), broccoli, asparagus, dark leafy green salads like spinach, romaine, or kale, apples, plums, peaches, blue berries, raspberries, salmon, whole grain bread such as Food For Life "Ezekiel" bread are all living, nutrient dense foods that will feed your metabolisms need to function. 

Blending up shakes or smoothies can be a very wise way to obtain super nutrition on a daily basis. First off, very little energy is needed to digest this liquid meal. This saves your body energy to heal, metabolize, and go about your day. Blending also allows you to consume more nutrition in one serving. You get more "bang for your buck" so to speak. One of the most nutritious meal replacement shakes I've come across is called Nutri-Burn.

To say that Nutri-Burn is just a protein shake would be terribly misleading. Nutri-Burn is a micro-filtered (very pure) whey protein powder. It also has an added enzyme blend to make the proteins even more available to your cells. They then add L-Carnitine, an amino acid that specifically helps your body burn more fat! Green tea extract is then added (one of the most potent anti-disease compounds known), as well as a pre-biotic blend to help with healthy gut flora or healthy tummy bacteria. In short, Nutri-Burn is a powerful super food in powder form. If you were to substitute 2-3 shakes a day for a standard meal, you would supercharge your body's ability to burn unneeded belly fat, have more energy and experience overall better health.

Personally, I use a blender and blend vanilla Nutria-Burn, 1 banana, frozen blueberries, and unsweetened coconut or almond milk to make a VERY delicious meal. I do this for breakfast and one other time throughout the day. You can't find a more nutritious meal for under 3 bucks. If you are without a blender no problem. Just purchase a $3 shaker and you can keep Nutri-Burn with you anywhere. Just add liquid and shake it up!Remember, losing fat is not about starving yourself. You must consume nutrient dense, low calorie foods consistently. Nutri-Burn is a low calorie, nutrient dense solution to help you burn more fat and have tons of energy.

4. ELIMINATE STRESS- Tame Your Crazy Monkey!

What most people don't know is that stress is literally killing them, not to mention packing Lb's on the belly and back side. Regular, daily stress in the form of anger, worry, anxiety, jealousy, fear, or any other negative energy emotion throws your internal eco-system into a tailspin. This disrupts your ability to sleep well, think straight, and you guessed it...BURN CALORIES EFFICIENTLY. The problem for most is that regular stress has become the norm. Science now knows that stress hormones (such as cortisol) produced by the adrenal glands have a damaging effect on your body and brain when they are produced all the time. Certainly there are worthwhile ways to manage and cope with stress (massage, music, hot baths, exercise etc...), but the most powerful way to avoid the harmful effects of stress is to not become stressed in the first place. Impossible you may shout! Not really. The stress we experience in any given moment largely is the result of the way we perceive the event that lead to the stress. In other words our state of mind, or the way we look at the world is what then leads to the feeling of either joy and peace, or stress. This is why we often see two completely different responses by people to the same stimuli or event. We have the ability to relearn new and empowering ways of looking at the world (state of mind) around us which in turn impacts the end result....our feelings. What is important to understand right now is that stress slows your body's ability to function properly. Everything from immune function, to metabolism, to energy levels becomes paralyzed. For permanent results, we must go deeper than just having a glass of wine, or going for a run to counteract these negative effects. We must develop a healthier way of looking at things. 

My latest book, Taming Your Crazy Monkey (available here OR through me directly, is the result of years of experience with clients, training, and personal study. It will show you very simply how to begin creating new and empowering states of mind immediately. If you could lessen the stress, anxiety, worry, or anger in your life by 50% or more, what kind of an impact would that have on your daily experience at work and with loved ones? For most, the impact would be significant. When you change the way you look at the world, the world you look at changes. The challenge most folks have is they never take the time to cultivate a strong and healthy mind. They are so obsessed with the body, that the mind or healthy states of mind rather, are never given attention. Something the ancients have known for centuries is that the body follows the mind. 



5. HIRE A COACH- Direction, experience, RESULTS!

Look, whether you're Michael Jordan, or a successful business person, using an experienced coach or teacher can make it or break it for you on this journey to optimum health. This is an area where you do not want to be cheap or cut corners. Having an outside mentor who has years of experience in helping others can save you lots of time, money and frustration. Make sure that your coach is certified AND experienced. I've met plenty of coaches and trainers who have the education part down, but yet they do not "walk the talk", nor can they convey the information in a motivating way. Anyone can have information, but the delivery of that information is what makes all the difference. Having a specialist whom you can sit down face to face with can be priceless, especially in a field where there are so many false hoods and myths floating around. I am available for both group and personal counseling and training for those ready to experience permanent results. 

There you have it. 6 simple steps to use as a guide to lose fat and supercharge your overall health. I can't emphasize enough the importance of taking daily action. It's not about doing great things, but little things greatly. As a reminder, and for those who are very serious about taking the bull by the horns and creating healthy, permanent change, I am available for personal counseling and group training. Remember, nothing changes until we first change ourselves. 

All the best!

- Aaron J Hermanson



For a detailed description on my background as a certified health practitioner, and for information on private and group training please visit: www.AaronJHermanson.com.

Day 50: Best News In A While

I hit quite the injury milestone the other day and it just so happened to be on my first day of physical therapy. It was also the day that I received some of the best news that I have had in quite a while. So first things first. What was my milestone? 50 days since I've gotten injured. Do I get a gift for that? If you've ever been injured, you know the irritation, anger and depression that comes along with not having your outlet, for me it's running. For the past year and a half running was my outlet. If I was sad, I ran. If I was stressed, I ran. If I was angry, I ran further and faster. Not having your outlet, your vice, it's hard to know how exactly to let out those emotions. In all honesty, I haven't exactly figured out what my new vice is. I have started cooking a lot more, and trying new recipes. Whether or not that's a new vice, I'm not sure but it sure has been exciting and delicious (and healthier than eating out/over-processed canned foods)! Maybe I'll start posting the recipes I'm using?

Now, now, now. I know you're so excited for my good news right? Huh, huh, huh?!

Well... my physical therapist is letting me run... well, walk the Carlsbad half marathon in a couple of weeks. Under other circumstances and normal time limits I wouldn't have even thought about it, but the Carlsbad half has a 4 hour and 30 minute deadline which makes it extremely do-able to walk. So far I've had two painful sessions with her, but I am noticing a difference. She said as long as I get back to "training" (I'm using that word quite loosely) and keep up with my stretches and exercises, I should have no major issues. Once again, I'm completely thrilled with my doctors, and them understanding that "Well, just don't run" isn't an acceptable recovery option to a runner. While I'm not exactly sure what I expected out of physical therapy, I feel like she has gone above and beyond. Today she gave me a 9 week training schedule to ease back into running, almost an injury version of Couch 2 5k.

While I never wanted to hit 50 days of being injured, I'm so incredible thankful that I feel like I'm finally on the winning end. A huge thanks to everyone, my PCM at the Naval Hospital for listening to me, my physical therapist for taking extra time, my twitter friends for all of their advice and my husband for putting up with my crying fits and panic attacks. ::takes a bow:: Yep, I feel like I was just giving my thank you speech at the Academy Awards. You know you enjoyed it. :)

Chaotic Thoughts of an Injured Runner...

It's been six weeks since my IT bands FREAKED THE EFF OUT started to hurt, and I'm officially going stir crazy. I really thought I hit rock bottom a few weeks ago, but I've hit new lows. I've foam rolled. I've ice packed. I've relaxed watching the entire third season of Sons of Anarchy in just over a day. I've ibuprofened/Naproxened. Now, I'm starting to eat my feelings.

Yes. My IT Band freaked out exactly like this...

I had my physical therapy evaluation just the other day, and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't in some major pain afterwards. After an hour of being poked, prodded and moved into crazy positions to test my flexibility I was over it. But! She showed me a few stretches, new correct foam roller techniques and how to use a rolling pin (yes, a kitchen rolling pin) to roll out muscles when they're too tight to use full body pressure on my foam roller.

Here's where my crazy thoughts come in and I apologize if it's chaotic.

Well, see... there's this half marathon coming up in three weeks. I'm actually scheduled for it's big brother, the full marathon, but since my injury six weeks ago my husband and I have traded bibs. I'm really trying to heal in the next few weeks so I can attempt to walk/jog the 13.1 miles. I haven't ran in 6 weeks, but I'm determined to run a race that I've been looking forward to for so long (and also 1 of 3 in the San Diego Triple Crown). It's bad enough that I've had to give up my hopes of running the full marathon option. It literally broke my sweet little heart. What has seemed to make things worse was trading bibs with my husband, and giving him my bib for a full that was supposed to be my first. Am I sad? Yep. Am I jealous? Heck yea. Am I holding a grudge? I'm trying really hard not to, but I'd be lying if I said that a little part of me doesn't hurt when he's out on his training runs. So I have 3 weeks to heal, and to attempt a half marathon in the 4 hour 30 minute deadline (definitely do-able... I think). Something inside of me is saying "Heck yes, Andie!" and there's the other voice saying "This is a bad idea..." and there's this third voice telling me "Just keep watching Netflix and eating your feelings."

Which will win? Only time will tell.

Though this is incredibly tempting....

What I've Learned... Being Injured - Week 2

Just the other day was officially two weeks since I got injured and I'm finally feeling good enough to give an easy jog a try later this evening. As far as what I injured, I still have no clue. Each day it feels like a different injury. One day it'll be on the outside of my knee (typical IT band) while the next day it'll be on the inside. Last week my blog post was what I learned about being injured in the first week, this week I wanted to write a little bit of what I've learned in week two and what I need to do to make sure this doesn't happen again.

1. My BFFs: Ibuprofen, ice, warm baths and foam roller. There's been two new additions to my daily routine: warm baths and the foam roller. I'm taking ibuprofen and icing throughout the day, and at night I've made it a point to warm up the muscles and get a good foam rolling session in. I definitely have a love/hate relationship (don't we all?) with my foam roller. Funny how something that can bring you to scream out curse words tears, is the same thing that makes your muscles feel normal again. 
2. Fear of getting hurt again. I'm afraid to run tonight, not going to lie. My biggest fear is that I go out for an easy mile or two and I'm brought to tears by the same pain that struck me the other week. I'm afraid of being out for yet another two+ weeks. I'm afraid of never running again. Okay, maybe I'm overreacting a little on the last one...  
3. Fear of not running my Marathon in January. I'm not sure if I'll be able to throw myself back into training in some of my highest milage weeks. Worst case scenario the husband said he'll flip-flop race bibs with me and he'll run the full while I run the half. Sounds great, but in reality he's not all that prepared for a full either. The last long run that I've done was a 15 miler 3 weeks ago, I'm not sure from here how to jump back into training. 
4. My twitter following is amazing. I know I said this last week, but it's the truth. Whether they're asking how my injury is healing, giving me advice on products to try or advice on strengthening, it's great to know you have the support of others.  Kelly (@lovingtherun) has been amazing this past week and I'm so grateful. Not only did she take time to recommend an incredible article written by Jason Fitz (@JasonFitz1) on how to strengthen your IT Band after injury, but also pointed me to the direction of Rock Tape. Taped up with my hot pink tape for the first time last night, and I can already tell we'll be together for a while. 
5. Prevention. From here on out it's time for me to step up my training, not only keep up with my running but also prevent injuries from happening again. I need to quit slacking when it comes to hill workouts as well as my lower body strength training. I'm really good at remembering to do upper body and core, but somehow I seem to slack on lower body strength. From here on out, it's all about being proactive and preventing another injury, whether it's the same injury that has plagued me over the weeks, or Heaven forbid something worse. 

When injured during Marathon training, how do you get back on track? Jump right in, or take things slow?

Don't Worry. I'm Still Here.

It's been quite crazy the last few weeks. Scratch that. It's been a ridiculous 2011 and I think I've been moving at 88 MPH. If only I had Doc Martin and the DeLorean to take me back to the beginning of the year to slow things back down. Hmm... wouldn't that be nice?! The year started with prepping for the husbands deployment, continued with him deploying to Afghanistan and me going back to Milwaukee for a few months. I ran my first half marathon (and my second) and played tour guide to both my sister and my mom here in California. Throw in a few cross country road trips, and at least a hundred incredible memories and you'll have my 2011 to this date.

Since the America's Finest City Half Marathon in San Diego 3 weeks ago, I have found myself in such a horrible post-race depression/funk/rut. It's funny how as I was crossing the finish line at that race I was thinking about how I couldn't wait to start training for a full marathon, and a week later the last thing that I wanted to do was put on my running shoes. Thank goodness for all my incredible running friends who urged me to lace up, and my good friend Kama who got me to the gym yesterday for a killer spin class and weight session. It feels amazing to have the endorphins surging through my veins again. Tomorrow my friends and I have a challenging 5 mile hike planned and I'm so excited to take it on. Also, Tuesday officially starts my marathon training for the Carlsbad Full in Carlsbad, CA. It's so crazy to think that in just over 18 weeks I'll be crossing the finish line to my first marathon and able to call myself a marathoner.

So yes. I'm still here, just been very busy and was laying low from the running community. I'll be more active from here on out. Promise.

Planking: All The Cool Kids Are Doing It

I know. I know. I know. I said this morning that I was going to put up a running post tomorrow, but I really didn't want to forget feel like waiting. Sure, maybe I feel like I need to make up for lost time, since I haven't blogged in a month. But anyways, here's a running blog. A day early.

And here it goes...

Last night I was checking out my DailyMile and realized that thus far in 2011 I have only ran a total of 266 miles. Depressing. So it got me thinking that in 2012 I want to make some major changes. Not just want... need. How major? Run at least 1,000 miles in the year 2012. But then I starting thinking, why should I wait until 2012? Let's start now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not January 1st, 2012. Today. For the next 52 weeks I plan on running at least 20 miles per week, to put me at a grand total of 1,000 miles. Will it suck? Yes. Is it do-able? Definitely. Will I need to find some major motivation somewhere? Heck yes, you betcha. I would love to be taken seriously as a runner, as well as think of myself as a serious runner. Sure, I've completed in one half marathon and I have my second half marathon on Sunday, but I don't think I'm anywhere as serious as I should be.

Planking. What the cool kids are doing.

While I'm putting in some major miles for the next 52 weeks, I figured I should kill myself a little bit more throw something else into the mix. Planking. No, no, no. Not planking like all the cool kids are doing (see photo: on the right). Planking like all the real cool kids are doing (see photo: below). So starting today I'm also starting 365 days of planking (#plankaday on twitter). What are planks? There are many variations, as is with most exercises. The form that I'm used to is the one pictured below. Lay on your stomach, on the floor resting on your forearms. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows. You want to keep your body as flat and in line as possible, and hold for as long as possible. Planks are an amazing workout, strengthening your arms, back and core as well as your stabilizer muscles. Really. Who doesn't want amazing arms, back and core? Don't get me wrong, planks suck. Right now I can only get in about 60 seconds until I'm falling to the ground, but after killing myself with some practice I'm going to be amazing!

Planking. What the really cool kids are doing.

Why wait for January 1st for everyone else to decide it's the appropriate time to make new years resolution? So not only is it not the first of the year, it's not even the first of the month. Ooh, such a rebel.



[Thanks to my friend Vincenzo (@Spincenzo on twitter) for letting me use the picture of him and his brother planking like the cool kids.]

The Dreaded Race Photo

Race photos are one those things that I have a love/hate relationship with. I'm not going to lie, I'm one of those girls who will take twenty-five five pictures, and choose my favorite one to post as my new facebook/twitter/dailymile profile picture. Back to the topic of race pictures. I love having pictures of darn near everything, so the theory behind race photos are great. However seeing my sweaty-in-a-ton-of-pain face in pictures was something I really needed to get used to once I started running races.

Post race, I always have a mini anxiety attack when I see Photos from [fill in the blank] are online! in my mailbox. Oh boy. The thoughts in my head start going a mile a minute. "What crazy face am I making?" "Do I look like I'm about to cry?""How sweaty did I look? Because I know I could smell myself." So before opening the email I'm always anticipating an entire album of pictures similar to this:

In human form, of course.

This leads me to the dreaded The Rock n Sole 2011 Photos are Online e-mail that showed up this morning. I was expecting to not want to show a soul these pictures, and honestly I wasn't even sure if I wanted to see them myself. This race was a disaster, and I sure felt like I had to have looked like a HOT MESS. The reality? Best race pictures I've ever gotten. Major kudos to the photographers, and whoever spent hours photoshopping me to look my best.

Alright Runners World, I'm ready for my cover.

Channeling my inner Adam (The Boring Runner)

Why do I look so happy?!

These Men Deserved A Post Of The Own.

On Sunday's Summerfest Rock n Sole Half Marathon I had three special men accompany me during my race. They were with me all 13 miles, and had my back even when I wanted to give up. These three men many have never heard of, though they should be household names. These men? Cpl Paul Zanowick, LCpl Jason Hill, and Cpl Mark Goyet. All three Marines were deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion 4th Marines, where they made the ultimate sacrifice. 

Cpl Paul Zanowick

LCpl Jason Hill

Cpl Mark Goyet

I never knew these men personally, but in the Marine Corps everyone is like family. Scratch that. They are family. When you move away from home, especially at a young age, you are forced to make a new family and new connections based on common experiences. Everyone is there for each other through thick and thin. You laugh together. You cry together. You mourn together.

May these men will never be forgotten. 

Summerfest Rock n Sole Half Marathon

I'm officially a half marathoner.

A half marathoner? I'm not going to lie, it's a weird word to get used to. I worked so hard to complete 13.2 miles that it almost seems weird to look at my medal, and realize that my first half marathon is now behind me. I'm no where near happy with my finish time of 2:58:23, but considering the conditions that I was running in I'm happy that I was able to finish and not end up on the back of an ambulance.

Time: 2:58:23
Pace: 13:30 min/mile
Division Place: 291 / 341
Gender Place: 1,401 / 1,616
Overall Place: 2,666 / 2,954

Pre-race I was excited to see the amount of people who came out for this race, especially the amount with the half marathon bibs. I guess my reasoning was the more people running the half marathon the better chance I have of not finishing last. Please God, do not let me finish last.

Pre-race. I may look calm, but can you see the panic in my eyes?

Mile 1-3: This isn't so bad.
I lined up around the 12 min/mile pace flag, figuring that it should be a good pace for my first half marathon and get me to the finish line around my goal of 2:30. Just before 8am I was waiting for the National Anthem to be played, but next thing I knew we were off. I started off slow and I felt good. The Hoan Bridge was the first half of the race, and I really underestimated the incline. I swear. It really doesn't look that bad while you're driving! The view while running over the bridge is amazing and loved seeing Lake Michigan to my left, even though the wind way high up could suck it.

Mile 3-6: Should have switched to the 10k.
Seriously. What did I get myself into?! By the turn around point on the bridge I was already hating life. By 8:30 am Bradly clock tower was registering 87 degrees and the water tables were either running out of cups, water or both. Thank goodness I had my hand bottle, but I was hoping to refill my bottle soon with fresh cold water. By mile 4 I had started getting really nauseous, ate Hammer Gel #1 and forced myself to walk for a little bit. Wish I knew if it was because of the heat, bad choice of breakfast or the scent of dead fish from the lake front. I guess I'll never know, but I do know that I almost lost my breakfast a few times on the bridge. Sexy.

Don't let that smile fool you into thinking I was having fun.

Mile 6-9: I. Need. A. Tall. Drink. Shade.
HALFWAY! I never had even thought for a second the lack of shade along this course. Pretty much from mile 1 to mile 9 it was completely in the sun. Thank goodness I put on sunscreen, otherwise I would have been a lobster! Still didn't help the fact that I felt like I was burning alive in 90+ temperatures. Continued to keep a run/walk routine going during these miles. The sun was just draining me of all my energy, and the humidity was a killer on the lungs. By mile 7 the flags had gone from low to moderate, but kept pushing. Around mile 8 I ate Hammer Gel #2, I was so ready to get some energy back!

Mile 9-13: What do you mean the race is black flagged?!
The dreaded black flag. When did we skip the red flag, and go from green to black? Not sure if it was because of the heat, humidity, lack or water or lack of aid but by this point they were urging us to walk, and told us that they had stopped the clock. Eff that. I just spent the last couple miles walking so I could run the last miles in SHADE. I made a new friend along the course, it was nice having a running partner for the last few miles. We weren't running fast enough to be out of breath, just fast enough to keep our legs moving and get back to the finish line.

Mile 13-13.2: Run like hell and finish strong.
My legs were killing by this point, but I kept them moving. My body felt like I was going to pass out, but I kept pushing through. I was hungry. I was thirsty. I just wanted my mommy, daddy, husband.. anyone. Crossed the finish line and it was probably the most amazing feeling ever. Even though I know I was no where near my goal, I had finished and it felt amazing.

Bad. Ass.

... And Here Comes The Race Doubts

For someone who is a race addict and thinks she can accomplish damn near anything, I get the worst case of race doubts when racing in new distances. I just picked up my race packet for the Summerfest Rock n Sole Half Marathon, and it hit me that my first half marathon is in exactly 10 days. ::cue panic attack:: I think I will be more calm in the zombie apocalypse, than I am talking about this half marathon. Something that I have been dreaming about, and prepping for nearly a year is in a week and a half. I'm normally a realist, but I've noticed that I become quite the pessimistic leading up to races. I'm at this weird point where I don't even want to train, almost like I'm trying to fail.

Who would have thought a small piece of paper with a number on it could bring on a panic attack?

It probably doesn't help that I'm coming off of an injury, so I'm just really doubting my body. For the past week I've been having issues with cramping in my left leg. I have been holding off on the foam roller phenomenon this entire time, but finally caved. Who would have thought a cylinder of hard foam could cost thirty dollars be a gift from the heavens above? Sure, while using it I was in pain and wanted to kill inflict pain upon whoever invented the stupid thing, but I woke up the next morning actually able to walk. What a relief! Finally got back to running this week, and it's been rough. I feel really unstable. Not sure if I'm babying my 'injury', or if it's all in my head?

If you start doubting yourself before races, how do you reverse it and get your head back in the game?