Tag Archives: Baltimore

The Group Run That Changed Everything

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This has been my first week in Austin. My new home. I’m a texan again, and according to the rest of the state, a good-for-nothing-dirty-liberal-hippie ;) I’m perfectly okay with that generalization though. haha

Naturally, one of the very first things I did after settling into the hotel I’m staying at until my apartment is ready, was wander around the city into the local running store nearby! RunTex! (Which I just learned, that the owners of Charm City Run were inspired to open their first store in Baltimore after living in Austin and loving RunTex stores! Totally awesome. From one great running city to another! :D )

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The store was pretty massive when I walked in. A lot of space, a lot of awesome going on… But, I was instantly a fan because I was greeted by this little guy…

As I was wandering around looking at all of the running goodies that I wish I was a millionaire so I could buy… An employee came up to me and started asking me if they could help with anything. I said no, that it was my first time in the store and was just looking around. The run nerd in me couldn’t resist a new local running store. So then he asked where I was from and I went on about how I had just moved here the day before and am training for the Austin Marathon & yadda yadda. Next thing I know he’s handing me flyers, brochures and schedules galore. A schedule of all of the group runs, all of the workouts that are hosted out of RunTex, races that I need to sign up for. He was the bomb-diggity!

Of course I decided to join the very next group run, last night! Y’all…. I ran 2.6 miles and it changed the course of my running life forever.

I know! I KNOW, how can 2.6 measly miles change your life when you’re training for a full marathon? That’s NOTHING.

But it isn’t nothing. That’s what I learned on that run, and I promise to never ever take a single step for granted ever again!

You see, I met this incredible man during the group run. He was an elderly man, who at first I honestly didn’t think was even running… Until we start heading down Riverside and he’s chugging along with us. He was also the first person to talk to me. Right off the bat cracking jokes and making me feel welcome. I appreciated him immediately… After all, it can be a bit intimidating being the new girl in a group of runners who clearly run together multiple times a week.. AND ARE SUPER FAST.

He started telling me his story, and I was shook from the very first moment. He has a heart condition that makes him rely on an oxygen tank to breathe. After multiple major heart attacks he has been given a projected 3 months left to live… Out of the 10 months we’ve had so far in 2012, he has spent a grand total of 4 months at the Heart Hospital of Austin (if you combine all the days he’s spent there) Yet, every single day he’s not in the hospital, even though breathing while laying down is difficult, let alone while running, he still goes out there and runs as hard as he can, for as long as he can. Oxygen tank in toe and all.

He’s even training for the Austin Marathon in February, in hopes that he’s still around long enough to cross the finish line. It would be his 16th marathon, and his 9th since being diagnosed with his heart condition.

He tells me all of this as we’re running Town Lake… At one point I couldn’t hold it in any longer and just burst into tears. He turned around in front of me, put one hand on each of my shoulders, looked me square in the eyes and said “Don’t cry for me. I’ve accepted that I’m dying, I’ve crossed everything off of my bucket List. I’ve lived a full life and I’m ready. Don’t you shed a single tear for me.”

I was astonished. Does this man not know how incredibly inspirational he is? Does he not know how strong he is? Does he not know that in 25 minutes he completely changed my perspective on EVERYTHING?

The group took a turn to head around the east side of town, I however turned around and headed back. I had already run 4.5 in the morning, and have a very heavy training schedule for the rest of the weekend… I stopped at the bridge on Congress and just stared into the sunset and let the last half an hour of my life really sink in.

Here I was before he started talking to me, complaining in my head that my hip was bothering me. Some days my head just isn’t in the game. Some days I just don’t want to run at all. But here is this man, who is defying his genetics. Here he is busting his butt day in and day out with a ticker that doesn’t want to cooperate. Doctors telling him that running could kill him. Saying that he’s a moron for even trying to run marathons. Yet he still goes out there and proves everyone wrong.

I will never take a run for granted ever again. I will never ever complain that my hip is too tight. I will never give up. I started running because I wanted to be IN CONTROL of my body, during a time where I felt like it was failing me. Where did that drive go? Why have I let the aches and pains of becoming a distance runner get to me? Stupid. Plain and simple. I’ve let myself become weak minded, and I promise you I AM DONE WITH THAT.

I am stronger than that.
So, Jim, if you ever happen to stumble upon this blog post… Which next group run I’ll definitely tell you that you inspired me to write it, I want you to know that you changed this little runner for life. For that, I thank you. I can’t wait to see you at the start of the Austin Marathon!

I’m GOING to Run the Disney Princess Half-Marathon

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I need to win the lottery. I know, who doesn’t want to win the lottery? But, I have decided that I am going to figure out a way to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon in February.

You see, I have never in my entire life wanted to run a race more than I want to run the Princess Half. There are so very many reasons I want to run the race. I love Orlando, I have so many friends there from the 2 years I lived in Celebration. Meaning, well I LOVE disney world. You can’t live in Celebration (a town that was formerly OWNED by Disney) and not be in love with the parks. World drive is a long road that leads directly from Celebration to Magic Kingdom & Downtown Disney in one stretch… We own almost every classic Disney movie you could imagine.

Plus, out of all of the races I have run, the most inspirational ones have been Columbia Iron GIRL and Baltimore WOMENS classic. Both women oriented races. There is something so extremely empowering about thousands of strong, bad ass, inspirational women together kicking some booty.

More than both of those things combined, though… Running the Princess Half in Orlando would be a huge milestone for me. To run in a place that completely crushed me. Orlando wasn’t good to me. Well, no.. Excuse me, I was not good to Orlando. The city is amazing and I loved living there, but I showed it no respect. I was a burn out. I bounced from server job to server job, I smoked so much weed I can’t remember a good portion of my time there. To come back, 4 years later healthy, happy, and strong…. It would be an amazing feeling to cross that finish line… Sort of a way to prove to myself how far I’ve come. Sure, I’ve already run a lot of races, by then I’ll have my second half marathon under my belt. But, to go back to a city that took a lot from me, its all about the symbolism.

Oh && I’m going to dress up as Mulan. She’s my favorite Disney ‘princess’… The rest of them all what? Fall in love… She does too… But while she’s AT WAR!!! She becomes one of the strongest women in history. (ya know.. Fictionally speaking) that’s pretty bad ass in my opinion.

I’d try to make a dress similar to this one:

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I’m so angry that I have race dreams that are bigger than my wallet. With wedding/moving we are pinching pennies every chance we get…. Even with my second job. We have a new house and business expenses to save up for… I can’t justify a large race fee, AND plane ticket. Thankfully I have plenty of friends from my time in FL that I wouldn’t need to worry about a hotel… But I still cant justify both a ticket and an entry fee. Le sigh.

So, I’m determined to raise the money. Sell baked goods, make crafts & sell them on etsy. Make T-shirts, maybe? I make some yummi candy, maybe I can sell candy?

All I know is that I’m going to raise money for this race entry, and plane ticket. I’m so determined. haha.
I even set up a shop!! You can buy all things Wild Things RUN Free! Tshirts, Tank Tops, Undies, Duffel Bags, Buttons… :)
If you’re looking to buy some new fun fitness/lounge apparel (and even a few fun dresses) please consider!! Every penny I make will be going toward runDisney Princess Half Marathon!

Check it out here at the Wild Things RUN Free shop

Have you ever done anything creative and outside of the box to raise money for an event? Or just to raise money, in general?

Just a Wandering Gypsy

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It’s hard to put any of this into words. It has been bouncing around in my brain all of my life. I just don’t talk about it often, if ever, on the blog.

I have intense passion for so many things in life. So many very different things. It’s been this way, all my life. Since I can remember. I have always wanted to do 1 million different things and live in 1 million different places. AT THE SAME TIME. Obviously, this isn’t possible….

It totally jacked me up along the journey to adulthood. This desire to do and see everything. I started my college career going to community college with intent to go for interior design.. You see, at that time writing was my true passion but I always thought I could never get anywhere with it. I had this image of writers not being very well off. Struggling. We struggled growing up, I don’t want to struggle the rest of my life.

When I moved to TX I quickly realized my passion was food. I had always loved my restaurant jobs. I loved cooking and creating in the kitchen.. I went through the motions and obtained my Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. While going to school I had a great job at the Corporate Headquarters of a casual dining restaurant chain. It was an incredible opportunity. I was  mentoring under the VP of Marketing. I was learning what goes into designing menus, and promotional loyalty perks. It was first hand experience in something I had no idea was so freaking cool. Before continuing on to get my Bachelors, I started going to UNT to continue on for my food marketing degree. Best of both worlds?

No. After 2 years behind a desk, learning so much and really enjoying what I was doing. It became very very apparent I am not going to be able to spend the rest of my career behind a desk. No way. No how. I can’t do it…. So I withdrew from college before I wasted more money until I truly figured out what It was I want to do.

But when I really, truly think about it… I can’t imagine myself doing anything for the rest of my life. One career. One job. One thing I do day in and day out. One city. ONE HOUSE. Oh my lawd, I can’t even imagine. I can’t. Sounds absolutely dreadful.

I get stir crazy. After about a year someplace I am itching for more. Itching for a new city….I know….Grow up, Charlotte. People say that. I know this. But, why am I expected to do something for the rest of my life that I’m not stoked about? Why don’t I deserve to find something that absolutely makes me tick?

Travel makes me tick. Nothing in this world makes me feel quite the way traveling does. Experiencing a new place for the first time. Taking it all in when you first walk out of an airport to a city you’ve never been, taking in the scent. Interacting with people and learning new cultures. Feeling completely out of place and like you’ve never belonged somewhere more, in your entire life at the exact same time. Almost every single trip I’ve ever been on (excluding parts of Mexico…) I’ve left thinking “OH MY GOD I NEED TO LIVE THERE”

However, traveling for a living is unfortunately not very easy to do. If only I could get paid to travel around and write blog posts about my experiences, run and hike on every continent…. Le sigh.

But — other than the life of my daydreams, I keep going back to food, so I know that it’s the safest bet. I hate the idea of landing on a “safety” net… But, it is something I’m passionate about. Something that I’m naturally pretty good at… There are so many ways I can use my degree in culinary, and once I graduate — my degree in Dietetics. I can move to any country in the world, and well — everybody eats right?! :P I can write about nutrition, I can work in restaurants, I can do something super awesome and not mentioned ;) (hint hint)

The next move is Austin. Where we start our first chapter as “The Fowlers” There are some great things in the plans for that chapter. But I still know that its only a matter of time before I’m itching for that new place again…. & It literally nearly kills me knowing I still have 10 months (and counting) left in Baltimore. I slightly loathe this city…

But, that’s that, and there is no changing the next 10 months. Only thing I can do is make the best of it. Wedding & career moves should keep me busy & help the time pass quickly! ;)

13.1 Take Two – Better Stronger Faster

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Training for my second half-marathon begins in a few weeks.

SOURCE: unning.competitor.com

Training this season is an entirely different ballgame. At the beginning of training for Columbia Iron Girl, I honestly wasn’t sure if I was capable of running for 13.1 miles. Now, with Columbia behind me — I know that I can rock the distance. It’s all about rocking it stronger. Boyyyy do I feel like I will be starting on the right foot.

My hip issues were a blessing in disguise. I know, that sounds crazy… But hear me out. Before I started experiencing pain, I was focusing on strengthening only my core and upper body. I hardly paid any mind to the lower body. I’ve always had strong, powerful legs — it never occurred to me that my hips and glutes may be extremely weak. Since focusing on listening to my body, and balancing my strength training; the aches & pains I feel while running are very minimal, if they appear at all.

One thing that totally excites me: THIS COURSE IS FRIGGIN FLAT!!! Columbia is hilly, and I knew that going in… But I didn’t know HOW hilly it really was. That was a rude rude RUDE wake up call.

Now that looks beautiful ;)

I’ve designed a plan of attack that I’m hoping confident will bring me to the finish line stronger, faster, more confident and most importantly less miserable. (The last 4ish miles of Columbia I would have rather be hit by a car than continue running)

  • Listen to my body. The first time around, I was so focused on getting in my miles, following my training as close to 100% as possible. I ignored the aches & pains. I ignored the huge red flags. As a result, I crossed the finish line with the beginning to my hip issues. Issues that I am still working to correct.
  • Run with a group. Having just moved to Baltimore I didn’t know very many people, and the group runs that were held at Charm City Run intimidated me for that reason, and the fact that I was slow. This time I’m not letting that interfere. I’ve grown to know many of the employees, and runners in the community. No one cares if I’m in the back of the pack. It’s all in my head… Plus, running with faster people is known to help speed up a runner. Feeling the need to keep up with the mid-front of the pack will give me the boost I need.
  • Continue to strengthen the hip abductors. I can’t afford to allow my body to break down again. I’m being pro-active this go around. Flying Pig FULL Marathon training begins shortly after San Antonio. I’m planning to use this training as a way to go into Marathon training the strongest I’ve ever been in my life. Physically, Mentally, Emotionally.
  • Don’t Race to Train. Train to Race. I’m still learning the whole, long run pace thing. Pacing myself is something I’ve always had a problem with. I used to be a sprinter, on the track team. Ya know, go all out as hard as you can for a short period of time. The whole ‘conserving your energy’ thing — lost on me. But I’m learning. I love seeing a fast pace on my garmin and seeing how long I can hold it… It doesn’t end well when I can hold it until the point of puking for 4 miles, and I still have 4 more to go for the day…. heh.
  • More Water, Less Sugar. I am sort of kind of addicted to Mt Dew. It’s disgusting and awful… Its literally eating away at my soul, I know!!! But — I’ve cut back significantly. By the time I start training for San Antonio, I want to have it cut out entirely. I want to only be drinking 100% juices, water, and sports drinks. No more sugary crap that is hurting my body and my runs.
  • Foam Roll. Yoga. More Yoga. I felt, super limber & awesome during my 30 day yoga challenge. While I’m not going to say I’ll do yoga EVERY day during training (because well thats not realistic for me. I just wont be able to keep up with it 7 days a week for 12 weeks) I AM going to do it at least 3 days a week through all 12 weeks of training. A limber runner, is a happy runner.
  • Spend more time outside of my comfort zone. I discussed this in a post a few weeks ago. I run comfortably about 80% of the time. That isn’t going to get me very far now is it? Exactly. Time to let it hurt for longer periods of time. I’ve been doing speed work, and it hurts.. for like 30 minutes.. But I’m going to step it up a notch. Speed workouts are going to be a weekly thing.

Heres to a few weeks of mentally preparing for whats to come! 12 weeks of half marathon training. 3 weeks of “recovery miles” Then 20 weeks of FULL marathon training.

Baltimore Women’s Classic Race Recap

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Baltimore Women’s Classic is a huge deal in the Baltimore running community. It is a 5k race dedicated to promoting women’s health & fitness while increasing awareness of women’s health issues. A cause that is near and dear to my heart with my history with ovarian cysts & tumors.

Last year, Zack & I were visiting & apartment hunting the weekend before BWC, and moved about a month after it. I was bummed to miss it (yea I was researching races prior to our move… Most runners do that, right?! :P ) So I was super stoked to get to run the race this year.

True to form, I couldn’t sleep for the life of me on Saturday night. Pre-race jitters will forever haunt me. I have never raced without some sort of way of keeping my time. Even if that meant just iSmoothRun app running on my phone. However, coach J took my watch and made my promise not to cheat with an app… UFFF. He’s trying to train me to listen to my body…. I’m certain this added to the pre-race jitters… I fell asleep finally around 3:30.. Just in time to catch 2.5 hours of sleep before my alarm starting honking at me. (Seriously, I need to change that.)

We were out the door by 7 to head to the Rash Field. It was around 7:40 when I met up with Dianne on the steps and it was already over 80 degrees. It was going to be a scorcher…. Before we knew it we saw everyone making their way over to the starting line… We tried to move as close to the “front of the middle” as we could…. Ended up in between the 9 minute mile and 10 minute mile pace groups. The start was a lot more spread out than any other race I’ve run. I was able to start really movin’ right off the bat.

The course was gorgeous….The first mile went along the inner harbor. The harbor takes my breath away every time. Zack & I don’t get down there often enough. Typically only for races or baseball games…. heh. It’s unfortunate, because when we were first planning on moving down here, I fell madly in love with the inner harbor area.

The beauty of the course was quickly lost on me… IT WAS HOT Y’ALL.. I hit the first mile marker and still recognized most of the people around me so I knew I was keeping on pace more or less… I felt like crap, pretty much the entire race from that point. I wanted to stop moving for just a second. Just slow down for one minute… But I wouldn’t allow myself to. I knew that any chances of PRing were over if I slowed down for even 30 seconds. I kept repeating in my mind “I lived in Texas and Florida… I can handle some heat. This is nowhere near as bad as some of the temperatures I’ve dealt with hiking in the hill country“

The first water stop came up during the 2nd mile. I grabbed one & just kept moving. I ended up wearing more than I consumed, but I wasn’t upset about that. It felt amazing…. By the end of mile 2 the sun was in FULL FORCE and pretty much baking us alive. It was getting harder to breathe but I kept pushing through, breathing deep into my stomach. Basically doing yoga breath counts to keep it under control.

It was a bittersweet moment when I hit the 2 mile mark. I was so glad we only had a little over a mile left to go.. But at the exact same time all I could think was “oh my god that was only 2 miles?!” That third mile was cruel. It was the longest mile of my life! I was so thankful for the last water stop. I grabbed two cups.. Yeah, I was selfish. ;) I pulled back a bit and slowed my pace ever so slightly so I could down the first cup. The second cup, went directly over my head and down my neck. Ohhhhh sweet relief. I refused to walk or slow down any more than I had so I held that pace until we made our way into the finishing chute. Then, out of nowhere my legs just started SPRINTING. That last .1 I was passing girls left & right. I looked up as I was about to cross the finish line and saw my clock time. 31:05!!!!!!!!!!! My arms went straight up and I had a huge grin on my face. Even with just clock time it was a 4 second PR…

30:50.4!!!!!!!!!!! PR BABY!!!

The finish line swag was the coolest I’ve experienced. (maybe I just haven’t been racing the right ones…) But, for a 5k I was immmmmpressed. We were immediately handed ice cold towels that were soaking in barrels of ice water. Then we were handed a rose!

I was certainly smiling & happy… But I sort of wanted to just lay down and die. I was so miserably hot, and my left calf muscle felt like it had been put through a meat shredder.

After laying in the grass, chugging a bottle of water and munching on a piece of watermelon the size of my face — I was more or less feeling good as new. I got up and wandered over to meet up with Dianne, Renee and Megan. Let me just take a moment to say — Dianne is a rockstar!!! Truly. Truly. Truly. She just had her appendix removed 2 weeks ago and still raced & did awesome today.

After chatting it up for quite some time Zack looked like he was about to die of a heat stroke, so we parted ways and headed home. I came home, stripped off my sweaty sports bra, collapsed into bed was out like a LIGHT. 4 hours later I woke up so discombobulated. Did I sleep through the race??!?!! I was in such a half-awake state I panicked that it was a dream and I missed the race. haha. oh exhaustion ;)

All in all, it was an awesome race. It was HOT. It was TOUGH. but I fought my mental demons and PRed. I’m actually really super disappointed that I won’t be here for it next year. We’ll be in the last few weeks before our wedding so we’ll be back home for the summer… It was my favorite 5k so far, even if it was probably the most brutal 5k I’ve ever run.

Re-Adjusting My Running Goals After Injury

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Two thoughts before diving into today’s post.

1) That basketball game gave me a HEART ATTACK last night. Down by 12… Catch up. Down by 12… Catch up. JEEZE SPURS!. giving me a stroke. Tough tough loss. That game was crazy!

2) The Dark Knight Rises comes out July 20. Um, exactly 1 year before our wedding. As a huge nerdy, super hero geek couple – I’m taking this as the best good luck sign ever imaginable. PS check out the new trailer.

Anyway, moving on…
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It’s hard to face reality sometimes. Having to almost start over after putting in so much work is maddening. No one wants to re-adjust their previously perfectly doable goals. It stings the pride, bruises the ego. But alas, that’s what I’m doing. I’m trying to take it as an opportunity to grow, and come back as a fierce runner. However, I would be TOTALLY lying if I said it wasn’t really frustrating, upsetting, plain and simple.. LAME.

But, I’m sucking it up… Oh, and like I said — I’M COMING BACK FIERCE. After a lengthy discussion with my friend Jason, who works at one of the local running stores he offered to coach me. FOR FREE. I was…flabbergasted but immediately on board. I can only imagine what I’m capable with someone who knows what they’re doing kicking my butt.

We decided to eliminate the Baltimore 10 miler all together. After several weeks off there’s no way I’m racing 10 miles on the 16th. Just not happening. (Instead we’re going home for my birthday to go camping/hiking. However, I’m mega bummed I’m not racing on my birthday now. boo) We also obviously eliminated this weekends NYRR Mini 10k. Which, broke my heart. I was really looking forward to a trip to the city. Meeting up with Jen and Josephine again.. Maybe a return to Eataly :( Le sigh…

Instead, we are stripping down my running and focusing on the 5k and strength. I am going to build a strong, well rounded base to get me faster. With two upcoming races in mind. a late June 5k to hit strong, and a 5k the first weekend in July to PR. My current 5k PR is from New Years coming in at 31:09… I can do better than that!! COME ON.

Although he hasn’t come out and SAID it yet, it’s becoming more & more apparent RnR Providence is completely out. I haven’t admitted it, and Jasons hasn’t suggested it. My Dr seemed to think it was far enough away that it’d be doable… But, if I’m truly starting over, maybe San Antonio in November should be half #2 instead of Providence.. That way I can guarantee to knock out a sub 2:30 and not get any other pesky over-use type injuries… Just stinks because I already registered (RnR is NOT cheap) & was super looking foward to meeting Samantha and Dani! :( A weekend vacation to spectate/girls weekend might still have to happen…. I mean RI is only a train ride away….

I haven’t decided what 5k I’ll be running in July yet, but I did register for my late June race today.

The Baltimore Women’s Classic 5k. This is a big deal in Baltimore. It is dedicated to promoting fitness and healthy living among all women while increasing awareness of women’s health issues. I moved just over a month after it, last year… So I’m looking forward to being a part of it!!!

Although I didn’t plan this, it just happens to be that way — my first day back into running will be Wednesday, the 6th – which is National Running Day. Pretty awesome coincidence, if I do say so myself. ;)

I have mixed feelings about the coming weeks. From just coming off half-marathon training – my new training schedule looks, well. Sad, pathetic. A JOKE. Running 2 miles every day I run for the next week and a half. That’s it. TWO miles. oooof, y’all! But – I’m being smart. Listening to the Dr. AND my coach (feels weird to say that) He promises me a serious PR if I do what he tells me so – I will not question it. :P

Oh hey runners, if any of you know of a good 5k the first or second weekend of July in the NoVa/MD/DC area – let a lady know, please! 

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler – Race Recap

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The Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run – a race I have been looking forward to since April 2011 when I first heard of the event! Knowing I was moving to Baltimore this past Summer, I set my sights high. Determined to get in via the lottery. Determined to get my running up to 10 miles by the time it came (I was a 5k NEWB at this point, only having run one 5k event!) December came & I entered within moments of the lottery opening up. After a few weeks of agony, waiting for lottery results – I got the e-mail I WAS IN!

Fast Forward to this morning: The 3am alarm came way too quickly. I looked at the clock, looked at googlemaps on how long it would take us to drive to the Metro station – and set that sucker for an hour later. 4am came even quicker….

Game Face. Lets do this!

My race nerves were really low all week. I kept waiting for them to hit me in the face, full force. Sure enough, the second the Metro pulled away from New Carrollton- there they were. WHAM. The reality of my injury really sunk in. I was convinced that my knee was going to blow out and I would DNF. I asked Zack more than once if I could drop to the 5k… Thankfully A) He kept saying “hell no” and B) I had no idea where the 5k start was in the first place. 

We got to the start area around 6:50/7. Giving me just enough time to run over to the port-a-johns, waiting line FOR.EVER. Seriously, this was the most annoying thing of the entire race. There is 15 minutes to the start and THIS IS WHEN YOU DECIDE TO TAKE YOUR GRAND OL’ TIME IN THE RESTROOM? ugh, people! All was well though, because I got out of the potty just as the gun went off for the first wave. Awesome! Now I didn’t have to stand in my corral impatiently getting more nervous. Win!

The waves moved incredibly fast. Before I knew it, the Purple wave was moving up and then I heard the gun. We were off. The start/finish of the Cherry Blossom course is at the Washington Monument. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Oh you know, just watching the sun rise over our Nation's capitol with 15,000 of my closest friends, getting ready to chase the elites for 10 miles ;)

Miles 1-3:
There was SO much excitement in the air. Everyone was cheering, with huge signs. In a lot of past races I have let the excitement take its toll on me and speed out of the gate, today – today I ran smart. I was moving “slow” and steady. At first this was because of congestion but VERY quickly it spread out and I was keeping with the pace feeling awesome. The first 2 miles of the race brought us over Memorial Bridge passing the Lincoln Memorial – which I was channeling some inner Carly (poor girl wasn’t able to race, woke up ill :( she mentioned this morning the bridge was one of her favorite parts of the course!) This part of the race was HANDS DOWN my favorite. I sort of wish the course was designed the complete opposite direction. Seeing those incredible historic land marks would help make for a strong finish!!! ;)

Anyways, Then we went along my least favorite part of the entire course to the 3 mile marker and first turn around point.

Miles 4-6
These 3 miles are kind of a blurr. Practically right at the 5k marker my knee really started barkin’….. Boy oh boy was it suddenly super inflamed. Almost every step the weight would make my knee go out and my step would be way off. I kept repeating in my head “i knew this was a bad idea. The further I keep going the MORE I have to walk if I DNF” – I came to a hult. I peeled off to the curb and stretched out my knee for a minute or two. Honestly, I felt SO much better. Just needed to be worked out a bit.

I was off again and feeling good as new. Mile 5 was a breath of fresh air. tons of HALF WAY THERE signs and a huge crowd support telling us we were kicking booty & we were half way done! I had a huge “oh my lawd. Wooo I’m 5 miles in” Then immediately followed by a “oh my lawd. I HAVE TO RUN 5 MORE MILES! SHIT!” Lesson of the day – distance running makes me curse a lot. ;)  The course then ran around the Tidal Basin down and looped around Potomac Park.

Miles 7-9
the 10k marker lit a fire in me. Not to take the Saucony line – but I FOUND MY STRONG AT THE 10K MARKER! I seriously felt amazing. I don’t know what it was – the crowd support at this point had died down. But maybe it was the fact that I had never raced more than that. Whatever it was, I decided I was ready to pick up my pace…. This is where I met my new friend. I sadly, never caught his name – even though I was staring at his bib on his back for most of the race. I kept spotting him here and there passing me, and I would go “oh heck no” and speed up by him. Finally on mile 7 he looked at me and said “Hey Texas, I have been chasing your tattoo for 7 miles. What the heck is it?” From there we started chatting a bit and because of it mile 7 flew by. At mile 8 I wished him a strong finish and sped up. I was officially running further than I ever have before. I was also officially feeling it. Around 8.5 I slowed to a near walk. By mile 9 I WAS walk/run/walking. Potomac Park was the longest & most boring part of the entire course. If I make it in the 2013 lottery I am definitely going to make at least one trip down to DC to do a training run there. It’s a super flat loop but it’s a mental challenge because compared to the rest of DC its a snooze fest. Though Haines Point was cool. I had never been by there before.

Mile 10
Thank god for the guy during that last mile. He scared the bajeezus out of me, but he pulled my ear bud out and said “come on I know you can run faster than that” I smiled bright gave him a thumbs up and I was running again. I COULD run faster than that. :)  

800m sign came up. Alright, I thought of it like a track. Okay, two laps. Lets go!

STRONG. AWESOME. FINISH! Official Time – 2 hours 8 minutes. :D

Over all, it was an AWESOME race. From start to finish, in every way possible. The expo was flawless. I was in, got my bib, went down and looked at all the goodies, stopped to buy a couple things and was out within 30 minutes. (traffic to & from is an entirely different story) The course was beyond gorgeous, slightly bummed that the Cherry Blossoms have mostly already come and gone. & admittedly I didn’t get to enjoy the course as much as I would have liked to – I was in my head way too much (in both good and bad ways). The volunteers were loud & cheerful & SUPER supportive. They deserver a round of applause themselves for standing out there for 3 hours waiting for everybody to finish or get picked up, and cleaning up the roads. The medical staff was on POINT, there almost immediately when a poor guy was found down around mile 8/9.

Will be entering the lottery ASAP again for next year as soon as it opens! ;)

Fun Fact: I didn’t use any fuel during the race. Both of my GUs are still in my Hand Held. However with that being said I think I’ll fuel around mile 8 for my half marathon. I’m not sure I could have done much more than I did, today.

and I LOVE this years medal!
 That’s it! I’m a 10 mile runner!
& officially HOOKED (as if I wasn’t before..)

That’s a WRAP, March – Say It Do It APRIL

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(inspired by Fit Chick In The City‘s weekly ‘say it do it’ – SAY IT DO IT, is my monthly blog feature where I track my goals for the month coming & recap on how much I accomplished the month before. Accountability really is SO much of the process!)

March kicked my butt! I’ve noticed I’m not alone in this… March seemed to come and injure a LOT of people I know… They weren’t kidding, beware the ides of March! ;)

Even though I got injured, I still had a good month. I enjoyed myself, quite a bit. Unplugged more than usual (and secretly enjoyed every second of it) smiled and laughed a ton more than I did in February.

Recap:

1) PR at the KELLY’S St. Patricks Day Shamrock 5k - yeah… I was well on track to PRing until I got slammed into the ground and effed up my knee. I’m not going to say I would have PRed because you have no idea what can happen at any given step of a race, but it was going to be a great race either way. I still had fun though! Most important thing about racing with me, is not placing or PRing – it’s having fun. I did the serious competitive cry over a tenth of a point competing ALL MY LIFE growing up. Ovz it. I had a blast, it was a gorgeous day, I had free beer after in the inner harbor of Baltimore, which is as beautiful as it gets. I met Dianne and Renee, who were both adorable and sweet just as I pictured! :)
2) Take Engagement Photos – I don’t really understand why this keeps getting missed. haha. I swear we both care a ton about our wedding, in fact we have made a ton of progress on actually planning the wedding…. But no worries, we actually have a date set with our friend who will be in town the first week of April, and a location! So they will be done soon! :P
3) Smile More - Mission absolutely successful. While, I certainly was miserable when I was told not to run for awhile, & have been frustrated with my knee since… I still smiled a ton. I have grown more appreciative of the things I have since Matthew left us. I have been able to enjoy myself in the moment again, something I was starting to lose for awhile… :)
4) Pilates at least 2 times per week - more or less a win. This week I haven’t done any pilates, but I’m trying not to be sore at any point, what with CUCB on Sunday! Other than that, even when hurt, I at least modified what I was able to do.
5) Run at least 4 times per week - This was obviously modified. But other than the 1.5 weeks not running AT AL, I did accomplish this! :)
6) Pick up a non-fitness related hobby other than reading – I reignited my passion for travel. Which, is actually a really awful thing because the BURNING ITCH and NEED to travel is now driving me crayzay being in one place. The nice weather fast approaching is making it easier, there are a lot of awesome outdoor activities to do in Maryland, so long as the weather permits. But, that still won’t be enough to extinguish my need to travel. (basically I need to win the mega millions)

So yea, March wasn’t perfect. I could be really hard on myself that I didn’t reach barely any of my goals, but instead I’m choosing to be realistic. The reason (other than engagement pictures, that’s just purely prioritizing on both our parts) was completely out of my control. There is nothing I could do, unless I wanted to hurt myself and end up needing ACL surgery (for the second time in my life)

In March I DID complete Mad Abs March – every single day of the month was competed! bikini season is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. It’s working too. Between my strength training and Mad Abs workouts, my stomach is starting to look WAY more bikini ready, and my arms are starting to see a little bit of shape!

(I plan to post an update picture when I can convince Z to snap some… the angles of self portraits aren’t honest)

ON TO THE NEXT! April’s SAY IT DO IT

1) Complete Bess Be Fit’s 500 Ab Challenge once a week - Like I said, Bikini season is dangerously close!
2) Cross that 13.1 Finish Line on the 29th! - on top of that I have another goal, ONLY if my knee allows – I am 100% going to listen to it every step of the way.. But my secret goal is to finish sub 2:45. IF my knee allows.
3) Enjoy CUCB on Sunday. Try not to race it, and go slow and steady so I don’t completely blow out my knee.
4) Kick Ass April – The picture really speaks for it self! ;)
5) Lose 5 lbs. - Now, this is a tricky one. I’m trying to gain muscle – so losing pounds is kind contradiction. I want to lose 5 pounds worth of fat. If the number on the scale goes up, because I have gained muscle mass – that’s fine. I will not cry over a number on a scale, it’s all what that number MEANS.
6) Go hiking at least twice. I lurvvvv hiking. The weather is going to be getting amazzzzzinnnggg

So, there we have it, folks! April’s SAY IT DO IT!
Now, what are YOU going to do to kick April’s ass?!

Shamrock 5k Recap – The Worst Race of My Life

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Per Usual – Charm City Run came through with the race shwag. Especially considering this is only a 5k event..

so bright

I woke up yesterday morning not really sure what to do with myself. Hungry – but not wanting to eat too much and get crampy during the race… So I opted for an English Muffin and a Banana – drink beer & pig out after. The plan of attack was 2 mile warm up. 5k race.  3 miles.

After a lot of pacing around & being antsy all morning – it was time to head out the door and scoot downtown… The kick start to the Baltimore Racing Season is here ladies and gentlemen! :D I was READY. TO. RUN! Spring Forward seemed to put a pep in my step (or is it the luck o’ thee Irish ;) )

GORGEOUS day in the sunny Inner Harbor of Baltimore!

First of all, let me just say that when that hat wasn’t being worn, it was way more attractive. The rim stayed bent upward like that THE. WHOLE. TIME. baha. I had to bobby pin it to my head to stay on… ooof.

I’ve never run the St. Patrick’s Day Parade 5k before.. Obviously, since I didn’t live here last St. Patty‘s… So I had no idea when I registered exactly how big of a deal this event is. It was incredible.. I warmed up a bit (after designating Zack photography duties – courtesy of him for these photos) and headed to the start… At first – I kept seeing race shirts and I’ll admit – had the ocasional “omg so many race Tees! NOOO” But, in retrospect, it was kind of wild.

Courtesy @CharmCityRun

A sea of green

After a ridiculously ADD variety of music, the National Anthem – and then we were off. A sea of 5,000 green runners of all kinds. Some who only run this race, some who have never raced before, all the way up to multi marathoners and speedy speedster sprint super star. (Say that 5 times fast…) The weather was absolutely 100% my perfectly ideal race weather. High 50s and sunny. There was a slight breeze that was cold when waiting at the start but perfect once we got moving.

Mile 1:
Oh mile one was so beautiful. It was really clustered. Like… way worse than any other race I’ve been in… I sort of wrack it up to the fact that there were a SIGNIFICANT amount of people who had never raced before – SO many people were up toward the front who were walk/running from the very start….. The crowd prevented the downhill start from making any sort of real impact on my time… Oh well, though – I was having fun, enjoying the crowd and feeling good. Mile one rounded the corner toward the inner harbor in at 9:17 and I was still feeling suuuper.

Trouble Ahead:
I could see the turn around coming up and I was ready to kick it into over drive and bring it in for a speedy second half of the race. I had been debating racing hard or taking it easy and at the last minute decided – push it, woman – push it.. Then it happened. Out of NO WHERE…

BAM.
A guy – roughly 2+ times my size was looking back at his kid and BOOM, smacked right into me from behind shoving me forward… Landing on my hands and knees… (Who then proceeded to yell at said child for making him slam into me. Classy, sir… Classy) I knew immediately my knee was not pleased… But I hopped up and kept running – slowly… significantly slower… & with a seriously cranky knee. Awesome……….. I was unimpressed from that moment on, so I cranked up the tunes and just ran as fast as I could without wincing, after all I had more miles to log later in the day.

I have to say – for the first time in awhile I was more than happy to see the finish line ahead. I saw it, said screw the pain I won’t notice it until I stop moving and BOOKED it toward the inflatable finish line.

*DISCLAIMER* This is NOT Charm City Run or the Shamrock 5ks fault. It is a great event that I will run again next year – my poor experience is all thanks to one jerk – who I brushed off after the finish*

My time STTTAAANNNKK. Finishing in 38 minutes… Barf. But – for what it was I’ll take it. It really is a gorgeous route. I never get downtown – and when I do its NEVER been the Harbor (except for the time we came to sign the lease on our apartment…) so running down past McHenry Row and the Inner Harbor bars/restaurants… It’s really beautiful.. I wish we had moved there after all, instead of the burbs.. (City Girl at Heart Always)

Super unimpressed

After the race I met up with the lovely ladies Dianne and Renee. About dang time we meet after being twitter, daily mile etc, etc fraans for some time now… They seemed just as sweet and fun in person as they do online! yay! :D

Dianne and I both snagged the same pair of socks from Target, totally on accident.. :P So it was easy to spot her in the crowd after the race by looking down at everyones legs. haha.

Ready for some beer and food!

After throwing a fit about how crappy MY race was, and potentially mumbling something about wanting to kick that guys ass if he injured me, taking an Epsom bath – Heading out to finish my long run, 0.92 miles and in 1.5 hours my knee going from fine to THIS:

(Unedited Y'all.....)

I said “F this” plopped down on the sidewalk on the middle of Garison Forest & decided to hobble my defeated butt home… I have been doing everything I can think of to make sure my knee is okay.. I’m hoping it’s just an ugly nasty bruise and that tomorrow it will feel significantly better. (PLEASE!) :( I am SO freaking close to the Cherry Blossom 10 mile and my half-marathon. I can’t afford time off.

So frustrating.

Please, tell me something awesome about your workouts/runs this weekend? Make me feel better & motivated? My bubble is popped 

My First Take At Baltimore Barre

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Barre classes have been intriguing to me for some time! I did ballet growing up, and as of late am in love with Pilates – so for obvious reasons I was over the moon when I found out what Barre classes were all about.

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Now, a lot of you may be like me (or perhaps I was just in a hole) and when hearing the term barre, have no idea what it actually means other than something we used in ballet class… After a lot of researching I’ve learned that it’s a workout that is mostly focused at the barre, Repeating small movements to control and sculpt muscles. There are often other tools involved, such as medicine balls, yoga straps, weights. There are actually quite a few types of barre classes. Some of the most popular being:

  • Pure Barre – This particular barre class is all the rage these days! It’s low impact, so it protects your joints while still building muscle. Pure Barre is known for its tiny controlled movements repeated time and time again.
  • Barre 3 – Ballet meets yoga, in a transformation of body and mind. The 3 stands for balance… The main principle behind Barre 3. Focusing on a body/mind connection and balancing strength with flexibility.
  • Physique 57 – Mainly popular in NYC and LA, but also widely available on DVD, that combines exercises and stretches designed to both define and lengthen your muscles. Based on workout intervals that use your own body weight as resistance. Working them to the point of overworked then stretching them for relief.
  • The Bar Method – Known for its fat burning, muscle sculpting, interval training it combines the practices of physical therapy and ballet conditioning. So, it’s both safe and bad ass.

Last night, I took the plunge and went to my first barre class!

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At first I was kind of nervous. The class was called “Baltimore Barre” so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It was definitely an intense 60 minutes! Unlike ballet, which was about long, large, beautiful movements – Barre is about tiny, controlled movements. That, definitely took the most adjusting. The instructor kept saying “make a mind body connection” but I kept finding myself going “How can I silence my mind when all I can think is omg omg” Seriously, from the moment the class started we set out to work muscles I didn’t even know existed.

These little movements, held and then repeated. Ooooof. My arms and thighs literally tingled after the class. My abs – BURNED. It was an awesome class! Apparently everyone else in Baltimore agrees, because there was a WAITING LIST for people who didn’t pre-register online and still wanted in after the class was considered full…. That was a sight I had never seen before.

I really liked how the instructor took the time to focus on the barre methods since she knew another girl and myself, were newbs. It was also astonishing to me how upbeat and energetic a class that is focused on tiny movements could be! Blew me away when the 60 minutes was up. I was definitely sweating, and feeling it – but I couldn’t believe how fast the time flew by! Plus, I met some really awesome girls who are running the St. Patrick’s Shamrock 5k!! I always love meeting new people with similar interests!

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The instructor also pointed out when I was leaving that well.. I have bad posture (yes I know thank you VERY much…) and that if I keep going to class it will help with that. I know its true. When I was a gymnast and dancer I had great posture… So, there’s another reason to go back!

over all – I had a great experience! I will definitely be signing up for another class once I figure out my work schedule for the coming weeks! It really was everything I wanted it to be, and more. It was in cramped corners, because I decided to give the class at LuLulemon a try – I may try out Barre. next since this class isn’t on the regular schedule at my local LuLu. But it was still a really enjoyable workout!

In my opinion, it is pretty much worth the hype. It was a bit of an adjustment, to be at the barre and not doing these big fluid grand movements, but I found I enjoyed it just as much – because you can actually FEEL the muscles you’re working on. You can FEEL the stretching and FEEL the intensity.

Over all, I give my first Barre Experience an A+

Have you ever taken any barre style class? what were your thoughts?