After a disappointing race.. you register for more!

It's like the old saying goes... "When you fall off the horse, you get back in the saddle..."  I registered for the Jax Bank  Marathon Dec 28, and decided I will run the Charleston South Carolina Marathon Jan 17 qualifying me for the Marathon Maniac's group. Just because I had a hard, disappointing race doesn't mean I should stop, or take a break. It just means I need to try harder, push harder, and keep progressing. If my times aren't what I want, who cares.  I am trying and that's all that counts. Right?

Marathon Disappointment

I made it to Savannah Friday afternoon and spent some time at the Expo, bought myself a few new goodies, had a good dinner and went to bed early.  I was going to have a good race. WRONG. I woke up stiff and with a migraine. I am really starting to hate Lyme Disease. I was sure once we got downtown the adrenalin and excitement would overtake all my aches and pains, but it didn't. Around mile 3 I stubbed my toe on a brick and broke a bone at the top of my foot. Ouch.  I still managed to stay with the 4:00 pacer, although I was struggling.  My breathing was great and I had no cramping but my joints hurt, bad.  My toes were aching inside my shoes... as well as my ankles, elbows and wrists.  My fingers were swollen I am assuming from bad circulation in the cold weather? Mile 12 I lost my pacer. Around mile 23 I lost the 4:15 hour pacer. I stopped at mile 24, stretched, cried, and walked. I was feeling so disappointed, so defeated. I failed. I couldn't push through the aches and pains like I thought I'd be able to. I walked for a few minutes, pulled myself together, and started jogging (shuffling?) again.

Mile 25 I picked up the pace not allowing myself to stop running no matter what. I was so close! I finished.  I was so happy to be done. I was anxious to stretch my legs and compress my achy joints. I didn't meet my BIG goal of 4 hours. I didn't BEAT my last year time of 4:16:32... no. I was slow. I felt like all that training was wasted on this run. I came in with a  final official time of 4:23:10. I hung out in the finishers shoot for a few minutes trying to pull myself together before facing everyone. I reminded myself, I finished. I ran 26.2 miles even when I wanted to quit. I put a smile on my face, took my pictures with a fake pride displayed, and walked out of the finishers shoot to face everyone.  My husband looked sad, my mom was crying (disappointed she didn't finish due to an injury). It was a very gloomy morning. We watched Phillip  Phillips finish his concert, and slowly made our way back to the car.

 A marathon is hard enough on it's own... doing it with the aches, pains and stiffness that comes with Lyme is just mean.


I'm frustrated because even after the race, my muscles feel great. I nailed my fueling the days before and the day of race day. I never got dehydrated, or cramps or sick. Everything was spot on. Everything except that fact that I have Lyme Disease and that sucks. #stupidlyme

But I will smile, because I pushed through and finished and there were times during the race, I didn't know if that was going to happen. I didn't think I would make it! I fought tears back off and on throughout the race, and once I finished there was no holding them back. I felt instant relief, disappointment, happiness, pride and failure all at the same time. It was overwhelming.

Marathon  #2 complete. I am now officially a marathoner. 

Taper Tantrum!!!

Over the course of  marathon training, there are certain things you grow accustomed to.

Running a lot of weekly miles. Missing events and sleep because of planned runs. The anxiety and nerves of each upcoming long run. Planning your routes and anticipating the crash that will come afterward. Running on dark mornings before the day even starts.

I guess you could say you grow addicted to this schedule because with it comes "The Runners High", the constant feeling of endorphin-driven highs and the persistent fatigue and soreness of effort that follows becomes the norm.

As beneficial as running is to my mental health, racing causes a lot of mixed emotion. I love to race, but racing big races also means tapering, tapering means less running, and less running often means an irritable, crabbier version of me. One that no one really likes all that much and is prone to what we have decided, is a Taper Tantrum.

Proper recovery is critical before any long distance race. I am now in the final weeks before the marathon and my calendar is now filled with ever-shortening, maddeningly easy runs; five miles, four miles, three, two, an entire day or two off of your feet. Now as my body starts recovering and healing from all the work it has been doing, I have extra energy that isn't needed and I am now starting to become restless. Maybe one more 12 mile run? No. No extra running. No more double digits allowed. I feel like my 5 months of hard work building my fitness is slowly draining out of my body. I know this isn't true and I know that physiologically, there are nothing but positive results from a two-week taper prior to running a marathon. However, it feels quite the opposite. Everything I have ever read or been told says the taper is critical and my fitness will improve for race day by allowing myself proper rest. In addition to the "physical suck" of tapering (yes, there is more) I am no longer getting my runners high. I don't have those happy energy filled endorphin's pushing me through the day every day. I'm like an addict, who isn't getting their fix. Irritated, anxious, and restless! I have a surge of anxiety going through me regarding the upcoming 26.2 mile race. The one that I have spent so much time preparing for.

(my thoughts during my taper) Did I do enough? I could've pushed harder on my last 21 mile run. Maybe I should've squeezed in another speed run or two?  I know I didn't do enough cross training this time. I should've focused more on the nutrition aspect...  What if I wake up and Lyme Disease gets the best of me that day? Lyme disease flaring up would make an already hard race, feel impossible. What if I disappoint my friends and family who have been so supportive, who have sacrificed their time and sleep helping me with my kids or bringing me water when I was out on those long runs and didn't bring enough. What if I finish in a less-than-desirable time and feel like it was all a waste? I'm terrified. I'm nervous. I'm scared of failure.

I'm skeptical about the chaos this taper causes me both physically and mentally.

What I am trying to say is that I hope this helps my husband and kids (and extended family, and co-workers, and cashiers, and Starbucks employees, and the random person at the gas station that I freaked out on...) to better understand the emotional wreck I have been, and I promise, IT WILL GO AWAY after the marathon. Then will come the post marathon blues... but we will talk about those more next week (**wink wink**).

I hope this sheds some light on TAPER MADNESS.  Sometimes, insight makes things a bit easier to understand.  Of course, your experience may differ greatly, but I’ll bet it doesn't.

"I'm like an addict, who isn't getting their fix. 

Irritated, anxious, and restless!"

Hardest. Run. Ever. Feeling discouraged.

Well last week I ran my 21 miles, my last long run before tapering and let me just say, it was the hardest, run, ever. I woke up feeling extremely tired. My body was so stiff and achy  I literally couldn't hold my toothbrush in my hand because my fingers wouldn't bend enough. I got ready and left to head out.  Usually my muscles loosen and my joints start feeling better after 45 minutes or so of running so I had high hopes. My first few miles I was about 30 seconds slower than normal... not a great start. By mile 7 I was crying. Everything hurt, I was starting to get a migraine (yes while running).Each mile was a push. I looped by my car at mile 11 and stopped my runkeeper. I drank some Nuun (electrolyte replacer) and water. Then  I decided I was done. It was too hard.  I was going way too slow. Everything hurt... whine whine whine, blah blah blah. I sat there whining to myself for about 2 minutes while stretching my legs and rehydrating.

Then, I decided, Lyme disease wasn't getting the best of me. I am not a quitter.  I set out to do something, and even if I was crawling by the end I was going to finish what I started. So off I went for my second loop. It was hard, by mile 15 I was really excited to only have a 10k left. My overall pace ended up being right on target for marathon pace (seriously? I don't know how that is even possible). I felt very discouraged. I cried in my car. I yelled at my husband for trying to encourage me when I felt like a failure. But then I got to thinking, this is the hardest run I have ever done, EVER.

With that said... maybe there is hope? Even on my hardest run, on the worst day, with the most severe my side effects get... I didn't quit.

I don't think it is going to be my training I depend on to finish this race, but my sheer stubbornness is what is going to carry me through this marathon.

18 days till 26.2 and Lyme Disease is getting the best of me

Oh my goodness 18 days until the Rock N' Roll Savannah Marathon... 26.2 miles here I come! Tomorrow morning is my last scheduled long run, 22 miles then  I begin my taper! I am still suffering the side effects of being bitten by the tick "Lyme Disease". I have a few more days left of the antibiotic and I will be finished with that - Thank GOD! The medicine makes me so sick and so tired. It is getting where I have 2-3 days of feeling "ok". Meaning I have a constant minor headache, fatigue, and minor but "tolerable" aches in my joints. Then the next day I am wiped out where it hurts to move, my head is pounding and I just want to stay covered up under a dark blanket and sleep until it's gone...  Unfortunately that's not an option so I try my best to push through and get my stuff done that needs done. I have to admit my running has been minimal. A run here, a run there... it's been really hard to stay motivated and physically to push myself when I feel so awful.

 I am confident I will finish the marathon but I don't think I will do it in my goal time. I am planning to find a late winter/early spring marathon to try for a sub 4. Hopefully in 3-4 months I will finally be feeling 100% again. I can't believe how much damage 1 little tiny bug bite can do!


The nerves are setting in, but this race I am feeling more excited than nervous. I am more confident this time around, and excited to just take it all in 1 mile at a time. My mom and dad raised me to "never give up, and always give it your all". I figure, I can't fail if I remember to do those two things.

Lyme Disease and Running

I am in the final month of my 5 month marathon training plan. I have been exhausted with the most extreme form of fatigue I have ever experienced.  My muscles have been very sore, and my joints achy. I have randomly spiked fevers over the past couple weeks, and just not been feeling great. I thought maybe I was over doing it? Maybe I wasn't fueling well enough? Then I started getting headaches, and migraines (which I have never experienced before and let me just say, they are terrible!!!). Long story short I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. A few weeks ago I had got bit or stung by something on the back of my head. I get bit and stung often by spiders, bees, ect so I didn't think much of it. My neck has been stiff for over 2 weeks and it was getting worse not better.  My jaw line went pretty numb and my vision started getting blurry. I knew something else must be going on... I was laying on the couch  (so out of character) and I came across an article from Runners World Magazine about Lyme Disease (http://www.runnersworld.com/health/runners-and-lyme-disease) and was like "oh my gosh!" That's it!

I am now on 3 weeks of anti-biotics for it which make me feel super sick. I am still working and still training. I'm hoping the side effects go away sooner than later so I will feel refreshed and ready to go come Marathon Day (1 month from tomorrow!!!). The Dr said it can take several weeks to several months for the symptoms to be gone...  I'm hoping for weeks, or even days? I was glad to hear there was something going on and it wasn't me just being out of shape or something!

Anyway, I wanted to put my story out there, maybe I can help a fellow runner or friend who somewhere down the road develops these symptoms. Lyme disease is hard to test for so it's good to know the symptoms so you can get the treatment. The bulls eye ring they look for only shows up in  70% of cases, and doesn't appear on a larger scale until the disease starts progressing. Once it hits your nervous system (around 2 months) it can cause irreversible damage and permanent arthritis in your joints.

I would love to hear anyone else's experience with ticks and running or your experience living with Lyme disease and how it has or hasn't affected you.

6 weeks left till the big day!

I have only a few more long runs before my taper begins! My mom recently decided to start training (7 weeks before the full marathon... she's crazy). I am so excited for her to run it. It's been nice to have someone to relate with after long runs, sore muscles and mental fatigue of running 15-20 miles at a time. Anyway, I'm on track to beating last years time and couldn't be more excited. I have been super tired lately and more sore than I should be, I might be fighting off all those back to school colds! I have been disinfecting everything like crazy!  I bought a few new products to try "Nuun" electrolyte replacer because I have crashed pretty hard after my last long runs (physically shut down and had a really difficult time trying to rehydrate myself). Hoping that will help, along with some new "Stinger" chewables for during my run. Also really watching my daily food and drink choices to see if that makes a difference.

 So this week
Day 1: 19 miles
Day 2: off
Day 3: 2 miles
Day 4: 5 miles
Day 5: 10.5 miles
Day 6: off
Day 7: 7 miles (rolling hills)

My long runs I have been feeling pretty good, I have only a few more to go and I'm done. I'm getting more and more excited. The worst part of this month, giving up my glass of wine! No more wine until after marathon day, gonna have to stick to water and shakology!

Less than 2 months - Savannah Marathon 26.2!

Wow, time is flying. I cannot believe it is already September! The marathon is just under 2 months away and I am definitely feeling the pressure. My husband decided to do the 1/2 marathon rather than the full, so now the pressure is really on me. I have to beat last years time, and have not been speed training at all! I have just been planning on running it with him, at his pace. Eek! My goal is under 4 hours, but I will be happy beating last years time of 4:16:32. Same course, hopefully better training. I can't believe i have 6 weeks left before my taper. I better seriously make these next few weeks count! My longest  run so far has been 17 miles (but I got a break at mile 14). I need to start planning more long runs again. Working 5 nights a week has been a hard adjustment with my training schedule. I get to bed after midnight most night and am up with the kids at 6 to get them ready for school. Makes squeezing long runs in more difficult, and the lack of sleep doesn't help either!

I. Am. Crazy.

Reading my blog from last year, I am reminding myself "ignore everything from the waist down" and "you've got this". I am going to continue on trusting my training, and strong-willed perseverance to know that I will succeed again. Scary, but doable  :)

Week 4 of 26.2 training COMPLETE!

1 Month Complete
Wow, now officially 1 month complete! I cant believe the marathon is in 4 months!! I'm so nervous and excited! Now that Justin and I have successfully incorporated running into our lives, its time to "up the anty" and increase both our speed and mileage. We are now starting to focus on increasing our weekly miles hoping by the end of the month we will be averaging 30 miles a week. Month 1 Justin averaged 20 miles a week, and I averaged 25 miles a week. Its going to be a big jump for Justin, but I know he is capable. He is such an amazing man.

Week 4
Day 1: 4.01 miles
Day 2:  5.6 miles
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: 9 Miles+ 5.10 miles
Day 5: 3.1 fast
Day 6: OFF
Day 7: 7.3 miles

Weekly Total:  34.11

Week 3 complete!

Can you believe we have now completed week 3!! 102 days to go and I am so anxious and excited.  I've been reading a lot about marathon training tips and we are switching up our schedules a little bit. First our 3 week "long run" of every month will be a little shorter than previous (and future) surrounding weeks.
Second, we are adding an extra day off each week and lengthening our other runs.  Hoping this will give us a little more recovery time on our muscles and  overall fatigue. The past few weeks have been a struggle for both of us.

We are keeping the same weekly mileage goals... we will see if it works!

Week 3:
Day 1: Rest
Day 2: HILLS 5 Miles
Day 3: SPEED 5k
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 5 miles
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: 8 miles

Total  21.1 miles

Anxious to see how this next week goes... Almost 1 month down... It's getting closer!!

Week 2 complete!

Marathon Training (4 hour goal, PR) week 2 completed this morning with a 10 mile run. Average pace was 8:58 (not bad with the heat and humidity lol). I probably could've pushed a little harder... but I'll save that for my shorter speed runs :)

Week 2  
Day 1- 5k  (hills)
Day 2- 5 miles
Day 3- REST
Day 4- 5 miles
Day 5- 5k  (speed work, fast intervals)
Day 6- REST
Day  7- 10 miles (marathon pace of 9:07 or faster)

COMPLETE! Woot woot! So glad I completed it, 26.2 miles total. Moving into week 3 (which is an easy week) and am as motivated and pumped as ever. My husband who is training with me ran his first 8 mile run this weekend. Yes, I said he ran 8 MILES! I am soooo proud of him. He is staying consistent altering the schedule just a little around his work schedule as needed, but that's expected. He is feeling so much pride in accomplishing it, it makes me so happy!

Week 1 Day 2 Marathon Training...

Officially just completed Week 1 Day 2 of my 4hr Marathon training Plan. 5 miles at marathon goal pace (9:09 min mile). I got a late start this morning which means I ran 5 miles starting at 10am, 86 degrees and 80% humidity. Yeow! It was H-O-T hot! I figure it's good  practice for me running in extreme temperatures will only make me a better faster runner when it's cooler out right?

I'm a little nervous about attempting to run a marathon in under 4 hours... I feel like I'm a little crazy for even believing it's possible! I ran the Rock N Roll Savannah 26.2 last year (my 1st Marathon) and did it in 4:16:32, I trained to complete it in 4:30. That is what I keep reminding myself that I beat my goal time by almost 15 minutes which is INCREDIBLE. That makes me think if I train correctly, and consistently I might be able to do this.

Being a mom with 3 small kids and having a husband who works 60-70 hours a week makes the consistent part difficult though. Training for a marathon is certainly a lot of sacrifice and hard work. But man, running up that finish shoot completing that 26.2 miles is the single most amazing feeling ever. That will keep me going... I hope!

The Bliss of 26.2

Yes! I completed the Rock ‘n Roll Savannah GA FULL Marathon yesterday. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced... it was fun, excruciating, exciting, daunting, easy, and impossible. And now that it is behind me, it's all so surreal. Did I really just do that? No really, did I just finish 26.2 miles?

After 5 long months of consistent training. Days that I had to run in the heat or cold, sometimes in the dark or rain. Days when I didn't "feel" like exercising I had to go out, I stuck with it, and made it happen.That is a whole lot of hard work... to get laryngitis a month before my taper. My final 3 weeks of training before I started to taper I was doing just a few short runs a week, and they were rough. Next Think I knew it was my "taper weeks". I hadn't run more than 18 miles, and that 18 miles was 6 weeks before my race... 

Race day came, I was in complete panic. I was terrified. I was scared I would fail. That I wouldn't finish.

Next thing I knew, it was go time! I hit my first set of hills at mile 2 (a bridge), no problem. It was all pretty euphoric. Justin found me at mile 7 and I was so surprised to see him, what an exciting boost! I was still going strong at that point and feeling good. I passed the half marathon/full marathon split around mile 12... that was really exciting. Passed the half way point on the freeway and still felt pretty strong. There were so many funny signs along the way, and encouraging people out there motivating you. Every 2 miles or so there was a water station, and between the water stations was a live band playing. So many distractions!!!I hit some sort of mental/physical "wall" around mile 17. There wasn't a lot going on, no people or distractions. My legs were tired, and I just kept thinking "I'm not going to make it, this is very hard". I was in tears, on the verge of crying. So many emotions, and pain!

My amazing husband was at mile 19 with Gatorade and encouraging words. The shock when I saw him. I just kept saying "this is so hard" and he said "Oh my goodness you are doing amazing. I'll see you at the FINISH LINE!!!" That was the final push I needed. Holy Cow talk about a 2nd wind!!!

Everything after mile 21 was a breeze, 5 miles left? I was cheering for other people encouraging them at this point "We can finish, we are almost there!" dancing with different music playing, thanking and high-fiving all the bi-standers. I started really having fun at that point "I'M GOING TO FINISH!".

At mile 26 the lanes split and I was running up a blocked off "hallway" of people, the pavement said "FINISH LINE STRAIGHT AHEAD" and that moment was my favorite part of the ENTIRE day. "I am really going to finish, I am finishing my very first marathon NOW". No way! It was so surreal. I kept reading it getting closer, and closer. Everyone was cheering so loud.Then, I crossed, immediately seeing my husband. I got my medal, space blanket, food and water. I wanted out of the race area. I wanted to find my husband. I needed to find my husband.
I made my way out to our designated waiting spot... I'm in shock.

I stretched, drank my water, and cried. He finally found me what felt like an eternity later (probably 2 minutes) and I re-composed myself giving him the biggest stinky sweaty hug ever. I FINISHED.

Pure Bliss.I can't describe the pride I feel in setting my mind/body to do something, and achieving it no matter the physical pain, mental fatigue and overall time commitment. I started, and I finished.

Best advice I received? "Ignore everything from the waist down". Seriously, amazing advice.

"The first is like no other. Breathe through your nerves and just relish in the moment. Just think, your finish time will be better than most of the population because they’ll never start, you will be in the elite 0.5% of people who have completed a marathon. Just remember, you’ve got this."

New Chapter

Summer and Fall of 2012 were lonely and empty months. October came around and I realized, it was my turn to leave. To start a new chapter of my life, a new and exciting chapter of change. I realized the week before we left, I was terrified. All I have ever known was the west coast. However, as we pulled out of the driveway with a packed car & packed moving truck, it all became so real. It was dark out, and raining. What a perfect night to leave Oregon. Leaving all my sad memories, and the people who made my heart hurt. Taking with me all the happy memories, the times I shared with my best of friends. I watched through the window as the grass outside coarsened and yellowed with the passing miles, watched the trees suddenly erupt into enormous redwoods as we crossed into California, then twist and shrink into leafy oaks. I watched the sun come over the mountains,and got to see all of the beautiful windmills of So. California. Suddenly, that morning in that moment while I was driving I was overwhelmed by peace and excitement. This new chapter has officially begun 10/16/2012.

I looked at my new home state with equal parts excitement and anticipation. This was no longer just a vacation. We arrived in Florida 10/19/2012. One year ago today. I cannot believe we have lived in this paradise for a whole year already. It has been everything we dreamed and more. We had a lot of people not wanting us to leave Oregon, some thinking we were crazy for wanting to leave such a beautiful state. I think people are crazy that someone would want to live in the same place their whole life and not experience anything new and exciting. Where is the adventure in that?

This last year my family has become a whole. I have a husband who is home and gets to eat dinner with his kids (at least a few times a week!). My kids get to see their mom and dad every single day - we are finally a family "unit" and no longer just a family. The sheer happiness that surrounds us in our every day life is more than I could've ever asked for. My kids get to play outside every single day, and have a new-found love for playing in the rain! We have new special people in our lives that I don't believe I would've ever made the connection with otherwise. "Soul friends". We have a beautiful house with a list of changes/improvements longer than I could type of things we want to do. Our future is exciting. Every day, life is exciting.

All that to say, Happy 1 year anniversary to my family and this new chapter of our life. So enjoying every minute of every day, looking forward to the future but not rushing this happy place of life where we are. There hasn't been many times that I wasn't anxious for "the next" chapter or season of my life. Or grateful when one was over, until now. Sometimes a HUGE life change is what you need to find true happiness.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/10/14/2837288/saying-goodbye-and-entering-a.html#storylink=cpy

Broccoli Bites

So I wanted to make something different for dinner, make a vegetable a little more "fun" for the kids. I came across this recipe for Broccoli Bites and what a great treat they were! Obviously I wouldn't serve these all the time, but they were a nice change for the side dish. It was kind've a way of combining the vegetable with a starch. A healthier starch option! LOL. Anyway, long story short... get your kids in the kitchen helping you make these... try them out - they were delicious!

Broccoli Cheese Bites (adapted from My Tasty Treasures & WholeSomeBabyFood.com):
16 oz. chopped broccoli (I used fresh steamed broccoli, it holds together better than raw)
1 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
2 eggs & 1 egg white
1 cup of Panko Breadcrumbs or seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1tbls Minced garlic
Basil, Parsley, garlic powder & pepper

1) Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
2) With your hands, form small patties and lay on a parchment lined baking sheet.
3) Bake at 375F for 25 minutes, turning the patties after the first 15 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy!