Post-race euphoria

I've decided that running a distance race is a lot like giving birth. You very quickly forget the pain involved and focus only on the exciting parts of the experience--often wondering how soon you would take the opportunity to do it all again!

I'm about 48 hours post-race experience and have all but forgotten the torture I faced just a short time ago. I keep looking up my results online and staring at the numbers and splits, partly wondering what I could've done differently and how I could've trained better to knock a few minutes off that time. I also look at the final number and am in awe that it wasn't much higher, considering how hot it was that day and how I hadn't had a training run anywhere close to the high temps we experienced.

My legs feel great today. Yesterday was sore and I definitely took the elevator at church to avoid the long steep staircase, but today I feel good. I met my friend Amy at the trails and went for a 3.5 mile walk to eke out the final soreness and now I'm feeling real good.....good enough to plot out my next race, I do believe.

I'll leave you with this picture of my crew soon after we all finished--smiles all around!

If you've ever thought about running, but don't think you could do it....please take a note from me: If I can do it, ANYONE can do it. I never ran a day in my life until about 4 years ago. Right after I had Maddy, I was looking for a way to lose the baby weight and have a hobby I could keep all to myself. I went to Fleet Feet and bought a pricey pair of shoes, knowing that the right equipment would make a big difference between quitting and sticking with it. I signed up for a 5K race and it began from there.

July 4, 2004 My first 5K (Firecracker 5K)

Labor Day 2004 My first 10K (Franklin Classic)

October 2004 My first half-marathon (Louisville, KY)

I am by no means an athlete--I have had to learn how to do this the hard way, but it's something that I have learned to love. I did not love running the first year or so that I did it, but I stuck with it and now am at the point where I CRAVE the sweat and feeling you get when you are done. Give it a try!

4:45 a.m. came awfully early this morning...

Timeline of my race:

8:45 p.m. Night before the race: the "team" (Michael, our neighbor/friend/fellow running maniac Victor, my brother Keith, his friend Ben) and I spend a significant amount of time getting our race numbers appropriately centered and attached to our running clothes and attaching our timing chips to our shoes. We go through a dress rehearsal of what we're wearing and why we're wearing it. It's a successful venture. We all feel ready for the next day.

4:45 a.m. There's my alarm. I was sound asleep in dreamland. WHY OH WHY did we sign up for this type of torture? Sadly, the true torture hasn't even begun.

5:00 a.m. Slam some breakfast, Diet Coke, and water.

5:15 a.m. In the car with Keith & Ben (who looks an awful lot like Zac Efron, would you know?) We're following Michael & Victor downtown. No traffic! We're golden!

6:00 a.m. On the shuttle bus to the start line! SCORE: there is a bathroom on the bus!!! I will gladly use this facility and avoid the port-o-potty line. Have you seen the lines for those things?

6:30 a.m. Well, we made it to the start line, but I have to go to the bathroom again. Dang! OK, off to stand in the line. Keith and I size everybody up in the line around us--wondering who we'll be passing and who will be passing us.

6:55 a.m. I finally make it into what has to be the NASTIEST portapotty known to man. I am serious--it was rank. Hold your breath, hold your breath, hold your breath......break out!!! Now, a mad dash to the start line.

7:00 a.m. The Carter Twins sing the national anthem. The funniest sight I saw all day was the huge crowd of people in line to go to the bathroom standing at attention during this sacred moment of Americana.

7:01 a.m. BANG! And they're off. They are--not me. I am in corral 14 and will have to wait about a half-hour until my group is sent off.

7:25 a.m. I cross the start line!

Mile 1: MAN, it's hot.

Mile 2: Well, hello hill! I must remember to apologize to my guys--I told them Miles 1-2 were downhill. I grossly misrepresented the race course. This is VERY hilly!

Mile 3: Water station ahead! Cytomax is gross. Where's the gatorade?!? I appreciate a little Gatorade when I'm needing some electrolyte therapy. I'd rather pass on the Cytomax, but will have to make do, at least for the next 10 miles.

Mile 4: Hey! There's my friend Micah! Wish she were running with me. Darn her IT Band.

Mile 5: I guess I was in the zone. I don't remember much here.

Mile 6: Still in the zone.

Mile 7: Hmmm. Wonder why my achilles is talking to me? What's it saying? I'm doing my best to ignore it because I'm sure it's not good news.

Mile 8: MICAH!!! There she is again! What's she holding out there for me--what is that? I can't quite see.....must get closer.....It's Gatorade!!!! Oh mercy, it's Gatorade! Micah is my Angel of Electrolytes. I can carry on!!! Only 5 miles to go.

Mile 9: Zone.

Mile 10: OK. I am so done. Not digging the race anymore. This is not fun and I hurt. My legs are sore. My achilles hurts. My brain is fried. AND IT'S HOT. It had to be 80 degrees at this point. DONE. At this moment, I started telling myself..."it's 30 more minutes. That's it. In 30 minutes, you will never have to run another minute in your life if you don't want to. Just finish these 30 minutes and you can hang up your racing shoes for life. Just 30 more minutes. You can do anything for 30 minutes." But I didn't much believe myself. I didn't think I could do it for 30 minutes, but on the flip side, I knew I would want to run again. Just not anytime soon.

Mile 11: I started talking to random people at this point and trying to find someone interesting to talk to. ACHES AND PAINS. My legs were screaming.

Mile 12: ONE MORE MILE. Cytomax still tastes gross and I am convinced that I really won't ever WALK again, much less run again. WHY IS THERE A DARN HILL IN THIS RACE AT MILE 12?!? Who's great idea was it to put a hill at mile 12?!?

Mile 13: I can see the finish!!!

2 hours, 12 minutes is my time. I am more than pleased. I ran it in 2:15 last year and was hoping for 2:10, but 2:12 is just fine with me, considering the torture I felt from Miles 10-13.

Want to hear something just delightful now? THEY HAD OREOS IN THE FINISHER'S VILLAGE. Oreos, people. O-R-E-O-S. And the heat of the day finally came in handy for something--the cream inside the oreos was soft and warm like a cookie right out of the oven. It was delicious.

I found my team of guys and we all exchanged battle stories. Ben schooled us all--this was his first half-marathon and he killed it! He finished in 1:32 or something close to that.

And, that's the story of my race today!

Does anybody know where I can find a discount code for early registration for next year's race?

Am I ever glad THAT'S over...

Finished in 2:12-ish range.

More later.

OUCH.

Race Expo

Michael & I went down to the Expo this afternoon around lunchtime to pick up our race packets, numbers, shoe chips and all the soybar freebies one girl can handle.

And just how many soybar freebies could I handle? Well, half of one to be exact. And it wasn't even full-sized...it was a sample. Darn those things--I always want them to taste like a candy bar and would you know, they never do? I'm just waiting on a healthy candy bar to be invented and I shall give them all the free advertising they'd ever want on my blog. Which is very tempting, I'm sure, seeing as how there are at least a dozen of you out there (Hi Mom!). Anyways, the "peanut butter cookie" Luna bar or whatever brand they were dishing out tasted like.....soy.

I managed to train these past 4 months or so and stayed completely injury free. It was remarkable. However, I almost blew it all today at the Expo when I stubbed my toe on Will's stroller. Seriously--how devastating would that be?

Old Friend I See in Kroger Check Out Line: "Hey Ellen, how'd you do in the race?!"
Me: "Well, I didn't get to participate: injury."
OFISIKCOL: "Oh, IT Band? Achilles troubles?"
Me: "No.....not exactly...."
OFISIKCOL: "Tendonitis? Runner's Knee?"
Me: "No, I stubbed my pinkie toe really bad at the Expo when I was picking up my race packet."

Thankfully, I think I'll recover in time for the race on Saturday.

T-3 days and counting: race day!

So, I wrote my big post the other day all about resting my legs for the race this Saturday and honing in on some good dietary choices.


A little less talk and a lot more action, Ellen!


I downed 1/2 a bag of Cheetos yesterday afternoon.


I was also weak about my resolve to not go to my strength training class to avoid any muscle soreness....but I'm addicted, y'all! I can't NOT go. I was on my way into the Y and had bigs plans to do a short, easy run on the treadmill. But then I saw my friends' cars in the parking lot and I knew they'd be there....so I went. I lunged, squatted, and crunched my way through the class and am now hoping I don't jinx my performance on Saturday.


ANYWAYS, the most important thing, however, is my OUTFIT!


I got a new outfit for the race on Saturday. I went with a red "technical fabric" sleeveless top and some black shorts. I went with red because, like Tiger Woods on Sundays at his tournaments, it signifies......well, I don't know what it signifies. But Tiger wears red and I am going to as well.


I will do my best to get some action pictures on Saturday to post.


If you happen to be in downtown Nashville on Saturday morning.....if you see a flash of red zip by you so fast you couldn't see who it was.....well, it's probably not me. I'd be the one jogging by waving and smiling at the crowd.

American Idol, Top 7

Well, this is the Top 7 again, but really, it's the first time for me since I didn't do the blog recap thing last week. Here we go:

Lil Rounds: "I'm Every Woman." First things first: can she rock a pantsuit or what? Lookin' Good, Lil! The song was fine--entertaining enough, but I'll agree with the judges--a touch on the karaoke side.

Kris Allen: "She Works Hard For the Money." Seriously? He is singing a chick song? OK--I stand corrected! It was original, fun, new, and completely believable! I really, really like him!

Danny Gokey: "September." I got up and DANCED to this one! So much fun!!! Not to sound like a broken record, but I really, really like him too! I couldn't stop dancing. He's just a flat out good performer.

Alison Iraheta: "Hot Stuff." She's too young to sing this song, in my opinion. I do not like her outfit, I do not like her song. But, I have to admit, the girl can throw out song vocals!!!

Adam Lambert: "If I Can't Have You." I did not even recognize this song--and I am normally considered quite the songstress. Michael had to sing the "real" version for me. Paula's reaction (teary eyes) was a bit over the top, but I'm not there, so I don't know. Maybe that's how it came across if you were there live...but I didn't get that same feeling. He is an excellent vocalist, performer, bla bla bla bla bla....he's just in it to win it.

Matt Giraud: "Stayin' Alive." Fun. I liked it! I liked it a lot better than what Simon did. He kept it true to the Disco theme, but modernized it a bit. I had fun with it. I'm glad he stuck around another week.

Anoop Desai: "Dim All the Lights." I have never heard this song either. He hit some great notes, but it was a bit boring. Loved his pink sweater tonight!

I don't know who's going home, but I think Adam, Danny, and Kris are definitely safe. The others....well, it could be anybody. Two people will go home tomorrow night and then it starts to get down to the wire! I'm still thinking Danny & Adam will be in the finale.

Your thoughts?

Bachelor for Life?

The other day on the way to church, John said he was planning to come into "big church" for worship and then he'd see what the sermon was about before he decided whether to go to Sunday School or to stay.

Basically, his one and only condition for leaving was if it was about marriage.

"If he starts talking about marriage, I'm leaving."

WHICH reminds me of this great conversation John & I had one day not long ago. It involved marriage and Fred & Wilma Flintstone.

I watched the Flintstones every afternoon in the summer growing up. I would go to the pool, come home, get a nice unhealthy snack and sit on my pool towel (still in my wet bathingsuit) and watch The Flintstones at 2:35 pm. (Remember when TBS did their viewing schedules on the :05 and the :35?)

So, I was quite happy when I saw that Comcast On Demand had some episodes of the Flintstones. It was a childhood memory I couldn't wait to share with my own kiddos.

I never before realized what a terrible marriage Fred & Wilma had! There is so much lying and deception going on between them. He treats her as his slave and there's lots of yelling when he doesn't get his way. I have to say if this cartoon were made in 2009, I would not dare let my kids watch it.

But of course, it was made way back when and I continued to watch an episode now & then with the kids thinking they were as oblivious as I once was about the lack of harmony between the stoneage couple.

The other day John looked at me and said, "They don't seem to like each other very much, do they? It's like they aren't happy to be married to each other."

So perceptive for an 8 year old boy. Every once in a while, he'll surprise me with some astute, mature observation and I am shocked to realize how fast he's growing up!

T-5 days and counting....

The Country Music 1/2 Marathon is almost here! I have been training seriously for about 4 months. I've put lots of miles on these legs & feet and am actually really looking forward to Saturday! We've got family coming into town and my brother Keith is running with Michael & I, along with several neighbors and friends from church. It has taken much coordination to get the kids in the right place so we can just wake up, eat, and run, but I think I've finally gotten it all figured out.

My mother-in-law is keeping Will overnight on Friday night and part of Saturday; My parents will take care of John & Maddy and get them to John's baseball game at 10:30 that morning; we're still trying to work out the parking situation/shuttle. A few years ago, Keith & Michael ran the race together and followed the advice in the race literature: they woke up at 3:30 in the morning, parked at the finish line and rode the shuttle from the finish to the start line only to arrive before the volunteers did and so they had about 2 hours to kill before the race started! They stretched by the Parthenon; talked to the media folk there to cover the race; were first in line for the port-a-potties. We still laugh about that one. We'd like to avoid that if at all possible, however, we'd equally like to avoid the mistake I made last year. I did not have a car at the finish line (because there was a wreck at the exit to get off there earlier that morning), couldn't find a ride back to the start line where I'd parked and ended up PRAYING (literally) for someone to come along to give me a lift back to the start line.

OK, moving on:
This week, I hope to be wise with my diet and exercise--I plan to make it an easy week...skipping my strength training classes and will probably only do two short and easy runs to save my legs for Saturday.

The diet part, however, is a little trickier for me. I made the mistake before my last long run of fueling up past the point of fueling up and boy did I pay for it during my run! We were in KY at my parent's house and the option is available to just eat all day if that's what you desire. And, so I did. BIG MISTAKE. Banana pudding, strawberry pretzel salad, jelly beans galore, cupcakes, and a huge Easter dinner. The next day as I ran my 11 miles, I also did a lot of praying. I was actually longing to come upon a port-a-potty, if you know what I mean.

So, I'm planning to avoid that scenario as well.

Last, but not least, another one bit the dust. I lost another running partner. I am the kiss of death to someone's running career, apparently. If you are looking to get into running....don't ask me to train with you! Last year, I trained with Kirsten for 4 months and she woke up in the middle of the night before the race with a terrible stomach virus.

This year, I trained with Micah for 4 months before she dropped out because of her IT Band (don't ask me to explain the IT Band....just know that it is along the side of your leg from your knee to your hip.)

So, I'll be running the actual race solo again. Which.....could be good. I am a very social runner, so when I'm running with a friend, we just chat, laugh, tell life stories, give unsolicited advice to each other, show our stretch marks to each other, cry and so forth and so on. Last year when I had to run by myself at the last minute, I approached the start line with a "the quicker I do this, the quicker it's over" mentality and it paid off! I shaved 15 minutes off my old record. So, perhaps this year I'll do the same. Just run. Faster you run, faster you finish.

Maddy's School Of Beauty

This morning I was getting ready for church when Maddy asked if I would help her get dressed. I stopped mid-point while putting my makeup on and went into her room to pick out her clothes and fix her hair.

She asked if I could read her a book after we got her ready, but I told her I had to finish putting my makeup on.

She studied my face for a moment before declaring, "Yes, you still need to do your eyebrows, do your eyelashes [mascara] and put on lipstick."

Would you know she was exactly right?!? That was all I had left to do--those 3 tasks were yet to be done and by just looking at my face, she knew.

Michael was even more amazed than I was when I told him the story. He has been looking at this same face for 13 years now and couldn't have even come close to telling me what makeup was left to be applied.

Little girls are so much fun!!!

And, speaking of beauty....I had to post this beautiful picture of the little lady herself:

Drugs and Rock -n- Roll

I got a new Taylor Swift CD the other day and love some of the songs--the kids were loving them too and singing along, but then I realized that a few of the songs were a little "old" for them...so I put a few songs on their MP3 players, but left some just for mommy to listen to. Michael was in on this decision and was the object of John's negative emotions when I wouldn't let him listen to one particular song. (Lots of negative emotion....)

Fast forward to last night: Michael took the kids to McDonalds for dinner while I got my haircut. On the way home, he's scanning stations on the radio and comes across "Paradise City" by Guns n Roses. He cranks it up and starts jamming out and then realizes the irony that we wouldn't let our kids listen to some teeny bop romance songs, but here he was teaching them to long for the place where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. (sounds like heaven, no?) So, he lets them all finish the song and they are rocking along and loving the chorus, then he does a little backpedaling about why that's probably not a good band for the family to get into.

Here's the conversation that ensued:

JOHN: "Dad, would you ever want to go to ao Guns n Roses concert?"
MICHAEL: "No, It would be really loud and there are probably a lot of drugs there."
JOHN: "People take steroids at concerts?" [He watches a lot of ESPN. A-Rod, anyone?]
MICHAEL: [Trying not to laugh] "No, they're not doing steroids."
JOHN: "Oh, then, do you mean people take medicine when they're not supposed to?"
MICHAEL: "Well, sort of......"
JOHN: [cuts him off before he could explain] "because I've done that before."
MICHAEL: [a little concerned at this point] "What sort of medicine have you taken when you didn't need it?"
JOHN: "Well, sometimes at night, I'll make myself cough a lot so I can get an extra cough drop."

So, as your friend who has the finger on the pulse of pop culture....I'm warning you--if you go to a rock concert, please act cool if someone offers you a Hall's or a Sucrets.

American Idol, Top 8

I haven't done a recap in a few weeks--"too busy" is all I can say.

And still, I have nothing much for you today either....
except: my DVR cut off at 1 hour (the time allotted for the show, per Fox) and I missed Adam Lambert's song, which was apparently the song of the night. Simon gave it a standing ovation, I hear! First time ever, as far as I know and I've watched all seasons faithfully (except season 2, my apologies to Ruben.)

The other thing I want to comment on is how I REALLY disliked how they had Matt Giraud and Kris Allen singing on a little stage in the crowd the last 2 weeks. (Last week it was Matt on the keyboard and this week was Kris on guitar). For one thing, it makes me nervous that some tween is going to reach out and pinch them mid-performance, causing them to YELP! instead of sing. The other thing is that you can't get a good camera angle on them with the crowd around and I think that affects viewers' perception of the song/performance. AND--coincidence or not: the judges panned both performances.

If I were a contestant and the producer suggested that next week I perform on the little side stage, I'd think twice before accepting that proposal.

That's it. Thanks for reading.

Green Velvet

Yep. That's right. It's spring and around here that means our grass is emerald green and oh so lovely. A few years ago we decided to invest in Chem-Lawn to spray the yard; we aerated; we seeded. We did it all again. And it has paid off. Each spring we get repaid with a lovely carpet made of green velvet.

So, here it is:

Onto other exciting news-of-the-outdoor variety...

I learned how to mow about 3 summers ago. AND I LOVE IT. I grew up with 3 brothers and my family kept to very traditional roles (boys outside, girls inside) so I never had to do much in the way of yard work. However, my interest in mowing was stirred a few years after we had kids. Michael would be gone all day to work while I was (by my choice, I admit) "stuck home" with the kids all day. (Don't let me fool you--I truly love what I do, but sometimes you do feel a little "stuck.") Then, he would come home and need to mow the yard(s) (we adopted my mother in law's yard after she moved to our subdivision a few years ago). I then had to stay indoors with the kids while he mowed.

I decided he was getting the better end of the deal! When you mow, you see, you get to be outside and nobody can bother you!! Mowing the front yard? "Kids--move to the back!" Mowing the back yard? "Kids--move to the front!" You can't hear anyone crying or asking for dinner and you don't have to wipe anybody's bottom while you mow. It's a WIN-WIN-WIN situation for a mom who's been at the children's beck and call all day.

Once I realized that, I fell in love with mowing. I'm not afraid to admit it. I truly love to mow. I mowed when I was 8 months pregnant. I mowed a week after I had a baby. I mowed in the heat of the summer and in the cool of the fall.

[complete aside: Will just cracked an egg on the dining room carpet. Pardon me while I clean up that mess.]

Anyways. This summer, I've had to give it up. We are too busy. I can't mow during the day because Will is in too much trouble without a watchful eye. John is involved in baseball and that takes up several nights a week, plus a good chunk of the day on Saturday. Michael has church meetings and works late often enough to interfere with my mowing needs.

So, we hired the neighborhood dude to mow for us & my mother-in-law. His lawn company maintains/mows all our neighborhood common space and he does neighbor yards as well. He came the first time a few weeks ago and did a stellar job, I have to admit.

Then we waited. And waited and waited. Yes, there were some weather issues....yet we waited through those and still no mower blade graced our lovely lawn. Our yard had the jungle look going on and we were probably one day away from getting a letter from the Homeowner's Association.

I started to lose sleep over this issue. Seriously. Ask my husband. I woke him up in the middle of the night a few nights ago filled with worry over the lawn company and how let down I felt. The next day I dropped a note in lawn dude's mailbox.....and so today was the day he chose to come. I watched out the window, wistfully, as they took over the chore I had grown to love. I was a wee bit jealous that they made it look so easy.

I'll bet you're now wondering what the downside is, right? It wasn't that I was missing out on the task that I enjoyed nor that it was costing us money. The downside is that I can't control when they come to mow....as in NOT DURING NAPTIME. Will's nap was cut short by about 2 hours when the two mowers, weedeater, and blower all powered up at the same time. So, I was left holding the bag on a very fussy baby for the remaining 6 hours of his day.

It's been a very long day.