I'm Officially Running a Half- Marathon

So, yeah. I'm running a half-marathon. GULP

This was one of my personal goals this year. Running a half by the end of the year seemed like a pie in the sky goal not too long ago. Well, after having a fantastic long run earlier in the week- I looked at my training schedule and realized that if I could find a raise near the end of October, my training would have me in really good shape to run a half. So I started looking and found it.

On October 30th, I will taking part in the inaugural running of the Gettysburg Blue and the Grey Half Marathon in Gettysburg, PA. Let me explain why this half sounds like so much fun.

1. I'm a huge history dork
   
2. I'm southern
3. This isn't your normal half. The race is designed to sort of mimic the nation before, during, and after the civil war. All of the runners will compete under Blue (North) and Gray (South) flags. I love that you get to pick your side. (Before I get any flack about running for the South- I'm not a racist, or a redneck, or "liked" the fact that the South was supportive of slavery. I'm just from the South and thought it would be a fun race.)
4. All runners will start and finish together. (I love the symbolism in this) Everyone will run the same half marathon ( that's 13.1 miles) course. At the two mile mark, the two sides will split and run the large eight mile loop in opposite directions, crossing one another at 6.55 miles. Then both sides will rejoin after the ten miles mark and finish the last 5k together.

Love love love it.

I do have some reservations but hopefully my training will help me pull through. I'm running the Navy 5 miler a month and a half before the half marathon, and running the Army 10miler just a few weeks before the half. So I should be able to do it. My only real concern is the time frame. They start breaking down the half course right at 3 hrs. My goal is to finish in 2 hrs and 15 minutes or less, so this shouldn't be a problem. So we shall see. GULP.

You GOT this B****!

Sometimes it is amazing what a little encouragement can do.

Running is tough, but you don't need me to tell you that. Sometimes I feel like most of my friends think i'm insane. Especially with the heat and humidity that DC has had lately (the rest of the country hasn't been much better to be fair); but thanks to websites like dailymile.com, and others- i've been able to find some people who don't think i'm nuts, who understand the frustration of a 'bad run' and are super supportive.

Running in DC is weird. Don't get me wrong, there is an amazing group of runners here who are, for the most part, AMAZING. For a place that is known for being full of jerks, I have found that 90% of DC runners are uber supportive and awesome people. That being said, runners are only a fraction of this city. Sometimes, after work, you get really weird looks running in DC - once you're on the mall, people are normally fine (mostly), but getting to the mall is another story.

It is so annoying! You run by people in business clothes who are obviously more important than you are (emphasis belongs to them, not me). You try in vein to dodge tour groups that stop in the middle of the sidewalk to take a picture of the White House, Congress, the grass (yes I saw this happen this week- why you would want a picture of dead grass is beyond me but whatever floats your boat!). You hope that the DC buses will actually stop when they should (otherwise SPLAT). Getting to the mall is an accomplishment in itself on most summer days.

Most of the time, I will jog my way down 17th towards the mall, but coming back up after my run is another story. In an attempt to get myself to attempt more hills, i've started challenging myself to run the entire 17th street hill on the way back. Most days the hill makes me sick and want to vomit- some days are better than others, but it is one MONSTER hill. It doesn't like me and I don't like it and i'm fine with that.

I've become sort of familiar with the security guards that work at the White House gates and will smile and wave as I go by. BUT on my way back up this week, I was struggling- really really struggling. It was hot, I was tired, I was cramping. I just needed this hill to be over so I could go home and put on my comfy pants and be done for the day. (I'm woman enough to admit on this particular day, i contemplated actually getting in a cab to go the rest of the way to my office- no lie.)

That's when this security guard noticed me. She and I see each other at least 2-3 times a week and will smile and acknowledge each other. Seeing that she's a WH security guard, I have to think she takes her job super seriously and in my mind she was this tough, no-nonsense woman who I would never dream of messing with. She saw me struggling and yelled at the top of her lungs "Don't quit honey- you GOT this Bitch!".

I lost it.

COMPLETELY LOST IT. I busted out laughing and slowed my pace but finished the hill. It was exactly what I needed.


Thank you security guard lady. YOU are awesome!

Frustration and Liberation

I haven't posted for awhile - mainly because i've been so down and out on myself that i really didn't see any reason too.

This past week was a new low. I stepped on my scale hoping to see that i'd gone down 5 or 6 lbs (I haven't weighed myself in over 2 weeks). What did I find- that no, instead of going down 5 lbs, i've gained 7. In typical Leslie fashion - I reacted calmly and rationally and declared that " it was the end of the world".

Honestly, I have a good reason to react this way. I work at a small non-profit where the staff is incredibly focused on weight. Scarily so. Which makes it difficult to keep a healthy body image and healthy relationship with food. Everyone knows that i'm trying to get back into better shape- so the constant feeling of failure is everywhere. There have been a few times when i've actually contemplated going back to the extremes that ruled my life in college so that I could fit in a size 6.

Then, later on this week - I woke up. I realized that my clothes are fitting differently, that i'm running faster and longer than I ever have before- and if that isn't progress, I don't know what is. On Thursday, I threw out my scale. I don't need it or what it represents. What i'm trying to do is adopt a healthy lifestyle- not achieve a number on a scale or a certain clothing size. I have a weight range that my doctor and I have determined would be healthy for me and that's my goal.

I will now weigh myself once a month at the scale at my gym and rely on my trusty tape to see how i'm progressing. I wish that I was one of those women who could weigh themselves daily but for me it becomes too much of a slippery slope.

To all my blogger/runner/fitness friends- how do you keep a healthy motivation during plateaus. Also, how do you handle the pressure from friends/family/coworkers when they know you're trying to lose weight/ be healthier?

Suffice to Say

That I have a lot to catch up on.

I've been in such a RUT lately. Workouts seem boring, runs lost their appeal and the heat and humidity SUCK. So I was down, not being very vigilant in my workouts and of course, i've gained 5 lbs.

DAMN!!!!

I didn't realize this until I stepped on the scale today. I broke my rut yesterday with a 4 mile buddy run with Jenny (feetoffancy.wordpress.com) and then a mile run back to the office up 17th street. The D.C. humidity made it feel like absolute torture, but in a good way (if that makes any sense at all). 5 miles in about an hour and 15 minutes isn't terrible, so i'll take it.

Today was a different story. I'm following the Army 10 miler training program, so I know i needed to get some cardio in. So I did a mile warm up on the treadmill, then 30 minutes on the elliptical, another mile on the treadmill, and then cool down on the rowing machine. It was nice to bounce around to the different machines and my knees were happy from the break.

I've started taking another class- Bodypump, but i'll talk about that on a later date. I really want to get into the class before commenting on it. I can't really give an accurate portrayal of the class until I can get through it without feeling like i'm going to die.

I am not going to weigh myself for at least 2 weeks- that way i can get back into my running routine. I'm pretty sure that once i add in the weights, the lbs will start coming off again. *fingers crossed!*

Happy Memorial Day

As a Army daughter myself- this day is about more than the parades and the one liners, it's about remembering people. Maybe it's just me, but I think the concept of remembering someone is more important than demonstrating it. Just my thoughts, I'm not about to start a fight on my blog.

__________


The boyfriend and I have decided that we need a house with a legit backyard so that we can host BBQs. He loves to grill and we have 2 of them - but apartment living limits the ability to BBQ. LAME.

So we are making our own version of surf and turf- Sirloin tips and Shrimp and salad. Woke up today to go to an hour long spin class. OMG. My legs were dying and screaming by the end of it (not to mention the room was about 85 degrees by 9am. It was an amazing workout and now that the boyfriend has agreed to start going with me in the mornings to the gym- i'm envisioning whipping myself back into shape quickly.

Just a small quick update for the day. Time to go chug some water and try to prepare myself for going to work (AHHHHH!) tomorrow.

Bummer and HELP!

So I went to the doctor today.....

I have been having back pain for as long as I can remember, and never thought it would really affect me. Normally, i'd just down two advil or another over the counter pain reliever and i'd go about my business.

About 2 years ago, I started getting severe migraine headaches. I never tied the two together until the last semester in grad school. I was in complete and total pain pretty much 24/7. My shoulders and lower back ached, i'd get at least one horrible headache a week and i knew something had to give.

I went to my PCP and described the pain and all she told me was that they could give me some muscle relaxers and some pain pills. This wasn't what i wanted to hear- i wanted to find out what was causing the pain- but that's all i got. So a friend of mine convinced me to try a chiropractor. My doctor referred me and i had my first initial visit on Monday. He and i met today to discuss my x-rays. My back is a mess (surprise, surprise). I have neck pain and lower back issues and my spine, instead of looking like a pretty S curve, looks more like my s from kindergarten (read as.... not good).

For the next 30 days i'll have 3 adjustments per week. I'm banned from running for 2 weeks but really really want to keep trying to lose weight. This is where i need your help - blogger friends! How do you lose weight when you can't run, what are some good exercises and low impact things that i can do to burn those calories?? Two weeks isn't the end of the world, but i'm definitely not the 30 minutes on the elliptical type. I'll get bored after 10 minutes!

Getting back in the groove

Not going to lie, these past few weeks have been more stress and less working out than normal. Right before the biggest work event (fundraiser dinner) of the year, I came down with what I thought was a cold. This cold quickly morphed into full on bronchitus- so running (or walking, or staying awake) was not an option. It took me well over two weeks to get back to being able to walk around the block without hacking.

About that time- I started having sever back pain. In between my shoulder blades and radiating down my back. It was so bad that it triggered 4 migraines in a weeks period. All my doctor would do was offer to prescribe pain pills and muscle relaxers (no thank you!) so I took a leap of faith and contacted a chiropracter that my coworker referred me to. The inital exam was awkward and he took about 15 xrays of my back. I don't know the results yet- I have an appointment today- but he thinks he will be able to help me AND (unlike my regular doctor) told me that he wants me to increase my running and focus on my form. YAY!

Then came graduation, which shouldn't have been that stressful. I finished my last class in January so technically i've been done for awhile. The stress came from my parents meeting my boyfriend's parents (we've been dating for over 4 years). Our parents had never met before so while the boyfriend was at work i had the responsibility of introducing them and then RUNNING (yes, i mean it) to graduation so I wouldn't be late.

With all this going on- running and working out in general has taken a back seat. I haven't gained any weight but I don't feel as strong as I did a month ago. Before I knew it- I hadn't run in over 2 weeks and was feeling very down. Thankfully I have some AWESOME blogger friends to look to for inspiration. A mid-week mall run with a local blogger buddy was amazing for my spirit- not to mention it made me twice as productive when I got back to work. I am hoping to make this a weekly occurance, it is nice to have a running buddy to pace with and not feel the slightest bit of competition!

I hope everyone has an awesome Memorial Day! I was intitally going to go visit my parents back home- but because of the weather that plan fell thorugh. Hopefully i'll get the boyfriend to take me out on the kayak this weekend! *crosses fingers*