So Complicated.

Last week I had a little blood work done. Okay, a lot of blood work. Yes, that's 18 vials worth of tests.

This blood work was being ordered by my OBGYN after consulting with a high risk doctor because of a family history of blood clots, DVTs, and a pulmonary embolism.

Tuesday I got a call from the doctor (nurse) that they had the results of these tests.  She left a message that said they got my test results back and they were a little off and that I was being referred to a high risk doctor.  End of message and we never got a call back the rest of the day.  Dave and I were FREAKING out the rest of the day.  Wednesday morning I called the nurse again who called me back pretty quickly.  Test XXX - normal. Test YYY - normal. All of them came back normal except for two which came back "off", as they put it. I was now being referred to a high risk doctor who specializes in hematological disorders in pregnancy. The two tests that were "off", one was a protein that was low that can cause blood clots and the other was a gene mutation which doesn't allow the body to absorb folic acid and other B vitamins into the body. This mutation can cause heart attack, blood clots, or stroke, preeclampsia and placenta abruption, and neural tube defects in the baby. This scared the sh!t out of me. See, my sister lost a cost a child at 20 weeks due to a neural tube defect.

After crying a thousand tears in the last two days, I started asking questions and googling the hell out of it (and using the husband's expertise since he studied genetics in college).  While I understand the low protein will probably land me on blood thinners for the remainder of this pregnancy, I was more concerned regarding the gene mutation.  This mutation is quite common, actually.  Like 40% of people have this mutation.  There are two types: homozygous, which means you have it from both of your parents, and heterozygous, which means you carry only from one of your parents.  The homozygous is the one with more concern as it can cause the neural tube defects.  Heterozygous, according to one article I wrote (by an OSU doctor who works two floors above the high risk specialist I will be seeing) is "medically irrelevant."

So, where does this leave me/us?  With a lot of upcoming appointments.   We have an Ultra Screen on Monday which test for down syndrome and spinal bifida, although the false negative/positive percentage on this test is not all that great.  Next Thursday I have my regular appointment with my OBGYN, and then on October 16th I see the high risk OB.

What do I think about all of this? After the initial shock of thinking OH GOD! EVERYTHING'S FALLING APART!!  I actually have a lot of positive thoughts about it.

First, if things were really, really bad, I think the doctor would have sent me straight to a hospital or had me into her office.  Although I know the October 16th appointment with the high risk doctor was probably the first appointment, if it were truly an emergency they would be taking quicker action.

Secondly, I have always assumed that I have a vitamin B deficiency as I'm tired all the freakin' time.  Also, this same family member who has the blood clotting issues also has a B12 deficiency so badly, that she gets B12 shots from the doctor.  So I have been taking extra B12 vitamins for over year.  Plus, because we were trying to get pregnant I was taking prenatal vitamins for months before we got pregnant and before that I was taking extra folic acid vitamins for over a year.  My body has been pumped full of vitamin B for over a year which makes me feel better that it is unlikely our child has a neural tube defect.

Thirdly, the nurse said I had a "single mutation", which the way Dave and I interpret that to mean is that the defect is only from one of my parents, thus making it heterozygous and therefore medically irrelevant.  At least, that's what we're assuming.

Lastly, and most importantly, things have been going well.  I have made it to 13 weeks - one more week to go until the second trimester.  The sickness has subsided and frankly, I feel really good.  My body is growing and changing.  I truly believe that when something bad is happening in the pregnancy that your body has a way of telling you things are not going well.  Like you would be extra sick or you would have pains or fluids that were not normal.  To date, this pregnancy has been pretty easy.

If you're the praying type, say a little prayer for us for our upcoming appointments.  If you're not the praying type, just offer up a thought.  We appreciate all the positivity directed towards Poppyseed (that's what we call the baby). 

Pregnancy and Running, Thus Far

I always thought that when I was pregnant that I would continue to run until my body just wouldn't allow me to and really love the freedom of running without training.  I've had many friends run through their pregnancy, all the way through, and even had a friend run a 4:09ish marathon while 7 months pregnant.  However, I've got to let you in on a little secret.  So far, I have not really enjoyed running while pregnant.

Between weeks 6 and 10 of my pregnancy I battled "morning" (all the damn time) sickness.  And although I was never actually sick, I felt terrible.  It was hard to find the motivation to get out of the house and workout when I just wanted to be curled up asleep, fighting off the nausea.  Plus even slowing WAY down in my runs, I found myself getting winded rather easily and would spend more time walking than running.  So, I started incorporating a lot of walking.  Sometimes the workout would just be a walk.  I've been able to manage between 9-15 miles a week, mostly walking.  With the cooler temperatures now and quickly sliding into my second trimester, I'm finding it a little easier to run.  Last week I even managed to make it a mile and a half before I needed to walk.  And yesterday I ran three miles with only two walking breaks.  I'm hoping to run a few fun races in November.

When I decided earlier this year not to do triathlon again for a while, Dave and I quit our gym membership.  We had no idea what it was costing us but MAN!, it was expensive.  I have a membership to our gym at work, which only cost me $10/month.  I initially joined basically for the showers for when I rode my bike to work.  It has treadmills, ellipticals, classes, etc., but there are also strict rules regarding what you can and can't wear and there's loud pumping music there.  (Can you guess where I work?)  Lately, though, I've been longing to get back in the pool.  I think I'd really enjoy swimming while pregnant - easy on the body yet good exercise.  I want to be able to GO to a gym; I'm really lacking in motivation.  So, Dave and I are currently checking out the local Y which will save us over $30 a month from our previous gym and offer many programs we like for a future child.

And because some of you might care, and what's a blog post without a picture, here's the growing belly at 12 weeks, 4 days.

Our Planned Surprise

If you missed the memo from last Friday, I am pregnant - preggo, knocked up, with child, in the family way, whatev.  I posted this same picture on Facebook and received a crazy amount of feedback including almost 150 likes and nearly 100 comments.  Geesh, I didn't know I even had that many friends! One of my friends offered up congratulations but then said that this was unexpected.

If you know anything about me and my type A personality, and he should, he's known me for 15+ years, you would know I don't do anything without a plan. This baby has been in the works for a LONG time, although we only really got serious about it this year.  As I'm now in my mid-30s I thought if I didn't have a child now it probably wouldn't happen.  I took things seriously.  I was taking my basal temperature and charting it.  I was using ovulation prediction tests.  But after a few months it was clear that things were not working as well as they once were.  The doctor speculated it could have been my age, or how much I was running, or the amount of vitamin D I was taking to help with my depression.  Basically, no one had any ideas. 

Running was going well, though, and I signed up for a marathon and started training hardcore.  Then we got hit with the news that we were going to be relocated for Dave's work.  And although we really weren't NOT trying to get pregnant, we were moving on with our lives and planning on the marathon and the move.  Life got busy and "sexy time" fell to the wayside.  Whatever.  We would try again after we moved.

Before we knew it we were packing to go to London.  Although we weren't taking this whole "getting pregnant thing" all that seriously anymore, I was still charting my temperature and noticed that when we went to London I should be on my period.  I swear, I am on my period every damn vacation I take!  The day before we left for our trip I even mentioned this to the girl who sits across from me at work.  (Yes, chicks talk about this stuff.)  So on the way home from work I picked up "supplies" and also grabbed a pregnancy test.  I had ZERO thoughts of why I would be pregnant but I thought, hey, if I don't have to pack supplies even better.

At 10 minutes until 4:00 Monday July 30th, I took the pregnancy test.  Although it says to wait three minutes, it came back positive in about three seconds.  I kid you not!  I would have thought when I finally saw a pregnancy test that I would be all giggles and happy and crying and joyous, etc.  Instead I said a few choice four letter words.  You have got to be kidding me?  Now!?  NOW?!

At 4:00 I had two realtor come over and tour the house.  I swear to god, I did not hear a single word they said.

As soon as they left, I called Dave.  I asked him when he was coming home.  He said why?  Umm...when are you coming home?!?!  Why?  Because Dave!  My pregnancy test came back positive.  WTF?!  He said, I'll be home in a few minutes.  We didn't hug.  We didn't say anything.  We just stared at the test.  Seriously.  Seriously?!  NOW?!

Of course, we didn't believe the test (you know, they're only 99% accurate), so I took another one Tuesday morning.  This one came back even darker and more clearer.

Oh my stars!  What is going on?  This was the day we were leaving for London so I called and talked to the nurse.  I had a few concerns....

I had no idea we were pregnant.  NO IDEA!  I really had no reason WHY we would have been pregnant.  So, I had gone about my business.  I had had a few drinks.  I had run a lot and fast (including one HOT 20 miler and two races).  And I was leaving out of the country in a few hours.  What do I do if I get sick over there?  PANICPANICPANIC!!!

**Sidenote...I had been told A LOT by many doctors that I would not be able to get pregnant because of the amount of miles I run and because my weight was so low.  To them I would like to show them my middle finger and tell them to F*Off.**

Here we are....11 weeks pregnant with a real baby.  So far, things have gone smoothly.  I have not been sick, I've been able to manage the "tireds" with lots of naps, and luckily, I have yet to put on a single pound.  We might have been really, REALLY surprised by our positive pregnancy test, but we are excited and are looking forward to our new adventures.

How I Started Training for a Marathon and Will End Up in the Hospital

So You Want To Know About London and the Olympics

(That is totally what I am going to name a band someday.)

It's been one month since we left for London so I guess it's about time to blog about it.  I'm going to try to do this in one post.  I just can't remember all the details and the daily things that happened to write multiple posts about it.  Warning, it's going to be long and it's going to contain a lot of pictures.

We had tickets to three events and were able to attend three (and tried to see a fourth event) free events.  We also did a little sightseeing.

Tennis
You might think that running is my favorite sport, but you are wrong.  Tennis, is actually the sport I most enjoy watching.  I am a huge tennis fan having been to the US Open in 2005 and attended one of the ATP hard court tournaments in Cincinnati.  One of my Life List items (and if it's not on the list, it should be) is to attend all four majors.  To go to Wimbledon is any tennis lover's dream.  Well, I may not have seen the Wimbledon tournament, but I did get to go to Wimbledon to watch tennis at the Olympics.  It was beautiful and much smaller than I anticipated.  We had tickets to men's and women's third round.  Our tickets started before we even got off the plane, so we missed our first match which was Serena Williams (eventual gold medalist).  We did get to see Novak Djokovic/Lleyton Hewitt, Marcos Baghdatis/Andy Murray (eventual gold medalist and Team GB favorite), and Caroline Wozniacki/Daniela Hantuchova.  I'm not gonna lie, I cried being at Wimbeldon and Centre Court.  It was so amazing to watch the crowd go crazy for Andy Murray.  And we got to have the ultimate Wimbledon experience by eating strawberries and cream.

Rowing
If you don't know, I was on the women's rowing team at Ohio State my freshman and the start of my sophomore year.  I love rowing.  It's such a neat sport - so tough and powerful and yet it looks so elegant.  The rowing venue, at Eton Dorney, was about an hour away from London.

As a side note, no venues were that easy to get to.  Eton Dorney required a trip by train, and then bus, and then about a 20-30 walk.  Most venues required a lot of walking!!

Anyway, one thing each sport did a good job of was explaining the sport for the spectators.  Rumor has it, the Brits when given a chance to purchase tickets to the Olympics were put into a lottery and you got whatever sport you got.  So, each sport was explained at the venue.  We were about the only Americans at rowing but it was so exciting to be part of the Team GB excitement as we saw them win one or two gold medals.  We got to see a total of about 10-12 races that day including four or five gold medal races.  Total worth our money.

Weight Lifting
Of all the sports we were interested in seeing, you might be surprised to know that weight lifting was one on the top of our lists.  We specifically wanted to see the women's 75+kg as we had a local girl competing in it (Holley Mangold).  Again, we were really happy the sport was explained to us because we had NO idea how competitive weight lifting works.  It's a little like a chess match.  Each competitor gets six lifts - three snatches and three clean and jerks.  The athletes compete from lightest weight to highest and can change their weights at any point, even after missing a lift.  This allows them to screw with their competition and of course, allow them to lift the correct weight to get a higher score.  Speaking of score...you either lift or you don't.  There are three judges and they decide what's considered a lift or not.  This proved to be interesting as our girl, Holley Mangold, looked like she had successfully snatched a weight only to have the judges say no and therefore she missed that lift.

In the end, the Americans finished 9th and 11th (I think) and we got to see three world records broken.  Pretty cool.

Triathlon
Both the men's and women's triathlons were held in Hyde Park and were free venues.  Triathlon must be a really popular sport in England because Hyde Park was PACKED.  We were able to fight our way into a pretty good standing spot and saw half of the swim and a small section of the bike and run.  Being 5'1", I didn't see a whole lot, but at least it was something.

The men's triathlon, however, was a totally different story.  Being that the Brownlee brothers were expected to do well, and did, the venue was even more packed than the women's triathlon.  There was no way were were going to be able to find some standing room to see this race.  Instead we sat up on a hill to watch the swim and then basically just listened to the rest of it on the PA system.  I kinda wish we had stayed in the hotel and watched this one on TV.

Women's Marathon
The women's triathlon was a few days before the women's marathon, so we were smart enough to get our buns down to the race A LOT earlier than the start time.  We picked out our spot along the street where we would get to see the runners six times.  We got there over an hour before the start of the race and got a spot right along the fence.  Soon enough we were flanked by tons of people including these cute British children who said the cutest things.  I wish I could convey it words, but the accent was so important.  Let's just say, we waited a long time for the runners to come by and when they finally did, the little girl beside us in her cute little accent said, "Our patience is going to be rewarded."  Loved her.

If you watched the women's marathon on TV you know that it was pouring down rain for the majority of the race.  And we got drenched.  We wore our raincoats, but it did not protect our feet, our legs, etc.  And worse, we were going straight from this race to the weight lifting competition.  It was worth it, though, as the marathon was amazing and I really enjoyed watching the American women battle it out for most of the race.

I have been to the Olympic trials in 2008 and 2012 and am so happy to have seen the Olympic race.  Those chicks are fast too.  Faster than you think.  There was a girl who was WAY off the back of the pack for the entire race.  We didn't know exactly the mile marker we were at, but we were estimating the girl was probably running 8:00/miles and I thought, I could compete with her.  Turns out she ran a 3:22.  Even the slow girls are fast.  :)

Race Walking
We tried to see the race walking.  We thought it would be interesting and we thought not a whole lot of people would be out there.  I mean, come on, race walking?  Surprisingly, it was crazy crowded.  So crowded, it was like five deep the entire route.  We stuck around for a few minutes and heard the race come by, but I couldn't see anything.  We nixed the idea of watching this race quickly.

Sightseeing
As you can imagine, it was crowded in London.  Shocking, I know!!!  :)  The only place we actually toured was Westminster Abby.  It was cool to see where William and Catherine got married.  Beautiful!  It was also really cool to see the crypts (is that the right word?) of famous Brits like Newton, Darwin, Shakespeare and other writers, etc.  It was really crowded there and felt a little bit like you were constantly in line for a Disney ride.

Other sightseeing included Big Ben, Tower of London, the London Eye, Tower and London Bridge, etc.  Oh, and we also got to have dinner and watch some Athletics (track and field) with our friends Angelina and Shaun.

***************

Our trip was both short and long.  We jam packed those 9 days, but we were exhausted and ready to come home by the end of it.  There was a lot going on back at home (see last post)....

The Summer of Unexpecation

Okay, maybe unexpectation is not a word.  Maybe I should say, "The Summer of Unexpected Things".  Whatev.

I mentioned back in July that we were being hit with a swarm of highs and lows.  The high of booking our vacation to the Olympics (I swear I'm working on a post about this); the lows of some unexpected and costly medical and otherwise bills.  I also mentioned in the middle of that post that we had some big news regarding the husband's job.

Dave has always worked for a small company that has changed hands a couple of different times since he started there 11 years ago.  With the last management change, the company is now based in a different city and although they are keeping the office open here, the team he is on is now out in the San Francisco bay area.  Negotiation talks began and quickly we found ourselves looking to move.  Yep, this girl who has lived in the same town her entire life was ready to pack up and head 3000 miles west.  We had met with a couple of realtors here and had a timeline for when the house would go on the market.  We had decided we would move in January and come back in the spring to work the remainder of photo booth events we still had.  We started to clear out rooms by donating things and selling off other things.  The wheels were in motion.  Even though we were only a few days out from going to London, all we could talk and think about was moving.

But as our summer of unexpectation continued, everything changed....

Has Race Pricing Gotten Out of Control?

**Soapbox out (because it's MY blog!!!)**

There is a local 5K tomorrow put on by a big-name company that benefits a local, charitable organization.  The race includes a goody bag will the usual non-useful stuff and a t-shirt.  There is also a party after the race that includes a band, food (not just bagels and bananas), and alcoholic beverages.  The cost for employees is $25 and they can bring one guest for $35.  The cost for the rest....$125.  Yes you read that right.  ONE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE EFFING DOLLARS FOR A 5K!!!!!!  They're not serving caviar and Dom Perignon.  It's hot dogs and keg beer!

Rumor has it, they don't want people from outside the company to actually participate but yet tout this as a fundraiser and that's why the price is what it is.  I don't know, call me crazy, but

ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?!?!

What runner in their right mind would pay $125 for a 5K?  And wouldn't you think you'd get even more runners and therefore, more dollars for the charity, if the price was more reasonable?

I was having a discussion, that turned heated, with my coworker regarding this race and the price.  She said lots of people from outside the company do the race (I'd beg to debate that).  She said that people would pay that much because it was for charity.  I said no real runner would pay that much for a 5K no matter what the money was going to.  The debate turned into an argument and it's been silent ever since (thank god, she drives me insane!!).

So, help me out blogsphere?  Am I the one who totally off-base?  Have I become one of those elitist runners (which, I'm totally okay with by the way)?  What is the maximum you'd ever pay for a 5K and why?

Ironman Louisville Revisited

Today is the 2012 edition of Ironman Louisville.  For the first time in three or four years I'm not there to watch it in person.  Instead I have been following it on my iPad, with my pajamas on, in bed.  All.Day.

It's been two years since my DNF at Ironman Louisville.  The pain of not finishing is still as fresh today as it was then.  Since that time I have had two DNS at ironman, another DNF at an ironman, and haven't even run a marathon.  Ironman Louisville crushed my soul.  I used to line up at races ready to crush my competition.  Now I line up at a race scared of what lies ahead.  I absolutely dread racing anymore.

On the outside I like to say it's okay that I've gone back to running and that being "only" a runner suits me.  But I'm totally lying.  See, I don't really feel like I have anything left to accomplish in running.  I have run marathon after marathon and finished up my last marathon at Boston with a new PR.  Let's be honest, I will never qualify for the Olympic trials, so I don't really feel like there's a whole lot left for me as a marathoner.  Sure I can keep getting faster, but what's bigger than a PR at Boston?  The only thing I have left for my athletic goals is Ironman.

And it has to be Ironman Louisville.

It will be at least two years before I will toe the line again at Ironman.  I think my mind needs time to heal.  I need to live some life and know that there are things bigger than Ironman.  Then and only then will I be ready to try again.  And I will try again.

Giant Eagle Multisport Festival 10K 2012

**This race was run on July 29th.  I am way behind on posting.**

The reason I did my 20 miler on a Friday, besides being done with work for the week, was because I had a 6 mile tempo run on the schedule and thought, hey why not do a 10K?  10Ks are hard to come by around here and knowing there was one with the Giant Eagle Multisport Festival (Ironman 5150), I thought I would go ahead and sign up.  Well, I didn't sign up until Thursday evening (expensive) and by Friday it had sold out.  Lucky.

Being that I had already run 32 miles for the week, having just done a 20 miler two days ago, and knowing that this 10K wouldn't be a big deal since this was a multisport event, I had zero expectations. The race was really small and I lined up pretty close to the front.

In a word, the course was brutal.  Maybe that's too tough a word.  The course was not easy and not fun.  From the start it went immediately uphill towards Front Street and turned right.  The it headed back across the river and caught the Olentangy Trail.  I hit the first mile in 6:30-something.  Yikes!  And then there was an 180 degree turn.  And another one and another one.  There were eight freakin' 180 degree turns on this course.  The miles were schizophrenic too.  Mile 1 - 6:30ish, Mile 2 - 7:15, Mile 3 - 8:34, Mile 4 - 7:something, Mile 5 - 6:54, Mile 6 - ????

I knew right from the start that there were no awards at this race.  Normally I wouldn't care, but I worked my bum off in this race.  Miles one and two I was the 5th place woman.  Around mile 3-1/2 I caught the fourth place girl.  For the next two miles I tracked down the 3rd place woman and finally caught her at the five mile mark.  I was going to place in the top three of this race and of course, there was no podium.

I finished the race in 45:40, 3rd place woman, and a new PR.  Awards or not, I'll take a solid race effort.

I got two medals.  One for the race and the other for completing two of the three Mayor's challenge races this year (Cap City and this race).

Why Hello!

Why hello, blog.  It's been a while.  I know.  I've been gone on vacation and busy and whatnot.  But I swear I'm coming back to you very soon.  I've still got to talk about my last race (got myself on a nonexistent podium), and I haven't talked about July totals (yes I know it's the middle of August), and of course there's that small talk of my Olympics vacation.  And some crazy, exciting stuff that has happened to us over the summer that has yet to be discussed publicly.  Hopefully that will hold your attention for the next four weeks or so.  So what do you think, blog....can we be friends again?

20 Mile Training Run 3 of 5

Having worked all my hours for the week by Thursday afternoon, I took Friday to get my long run done for the week.  On the schedule this week, yet another 20 miler.  This time the pace was marathon pace plus 30 seconds - 8:19 pace.  I got up at the same time as Dave, 6:30am, and was out the door by 7:30.  I thought the heat wouldn't be bad yet but I was wrong.  I was barely a mile into my run and it was HOT and humid already.  I did a small loop of the neighborhood and headed home to drop off the shirt and just run in a sports bra.  I rarely do this, but desperate times require desperate measures.  :)  A quick reply of sunscreen and I was out the door again.


Because it took me forever (11-1/2 miles) in my last 18 miler to reach the pace, I decided to start out a little quicker in this run and hold on for dear life.  Things actually went pretty well.  I reached a sub-8:30 around 7.5 miles and by 11 miles I was already hanging out at a 8:24.  Pace seemed to be going well today, but it was the heat, well more like the humidity, that was kicking my butt.  By 10 miles into the run I could wring out my shorts.  That was about the time the sun decided to come out and make everything even worse.  I could feel the heat coming off the pavement and the breeze felt like a furnace fan.  Around 13 miles in, I needed a break.  I decided to take in more water and stop at each mile for a water break.  I was really suffering in the heat.  It felt like my insides were cooking.  Despite all that, the pace was falling and I was hanging out right where I was supposed to be at a 8:19 with four miles to go.  Here, I got tough and slogged through a few more miles.  With one mile to go, I didn't think I could get any hotter.  I stopped at the drinking fountain, filled both my water bottles (10 ounces each) and poured them directly over my head.  It was refreshing for a moment and then it was time to get the last mile done.

20 miles - 2:45:XX, 8:17 pace.

Two more 20 milers to go...

Week In Review

Monday 7/16 - Hot, hot, HOT track workout.  5 miles.

Tuesday 7/17 - 3 miles easy on the treadmill
                        3 X 10 snatches at 40 pounds.  I think I should have gone a little heavier on the weight.

Wednesday 7/18 - Dog and Meredith meltdown!  No workouts done today.

Thursday 7/19 - 6 mile tempo run
                          2 mile warmup, 3 miles short tempo (goal pace 7:04, actual pace 6:59!!!), 1 mile cool down.  I freakin' ate this tempo run for dinner!!!

Friday 7/20 - Rest day.  Dave came home from his work trip today and I also got my parents dog for the next week.  It was chaos, chaos, chaos in our household this day.

Saturday 7/21 - 18 mile long run (goal pace 8:19, actual pace 8:20).  This was a pretty good run.  I started a little later in the morning than I wanted and although it wasn't hot, it sure felt hot.  I was melting.  Regardless, it took me about 11-1/2 miles before I could get under a 8:30 average pace and knew I was going to have to work to get to an 8:19.  And I did, which means my fitness and speed are on like Donkey Kong!

Total Weekly Miles - 32

With less than nine weeks to go until the marathon, I don't know if I'm burnt out or just have too much going on (you have no idea) but I don't have a whole lot of interest in running right now.  There's a big part of me that does not want to do the marathon but I've already paid for it so I'll keep training.  Next week I leave for London for 9 days (OMG!  I'm going to the Olympics!!!), and I may not run at all for that time.  I'll be walking a lot, though.  Is this a mistake to not run while I'm there?  I had to take that week or two off for my broken toe and found it a little difficult to get back to training.  Should I take some running attire?  What would you do?

Today....more sprinting.

You Would Cry Too If It Happened To You

**Warning!  This post is a little on the gross side!**

Per usual, yesterday afternoon when I got home from work I laid down for my afternoon nap.  Sloopy, my dog, usually joins me but because it was thundering outside she was freaking out and wasn't in bed.  So, I got up to go get her and when I did I noticed there was dog vomit on the bed beside me.  And a lot of it (my dog is only 11 pounds - how did she have that much in her stomach?).  As I'm stripping the bed apartment and dragging it into the laundry room, I see that she has thrown up in three more places in the living/dining room.  Seriously Sloopy?

I find the dog and put her into her crate.  While it looks like the vomiting started shortly after she had breakfast (I mean, it barely looked chewed), I didn't want to take my chances. 

I start the water in the washing machine and beginning wrestling the comforter into it.  Now, I swear I have washed it before, but king sized comforter versus regular size washing machine...well, you do the math.  As I'm smashing it in there, I begin to hear water outside of the washing machine.  OH MY GOD!!!  I'm flipping every damn switch on the washing machine and couldn't figure out how to turn it off.  Finally, after what seems like an eternity, I turn it off, but of course it's too late and the entire floor of the laundry room now has standing water in it.  Awesome.  I went to the basement to get the mop and there was water dripping in from the laundry room into the basement.  Double awesome.

And did I mention that I'm on my own this week?  Dave is in San Francisco for work.

I called Dave in a panic.  WHATDOIDO??  WHATDOIDO??  WHATDOIDO??  Being that he's 3000 miles across the country, he wasn't much help.  I called my mom.  I called my dad.  I found every spare towel we had in the house and started mopping up the mess.  My dad agreed to come over after work and help me move the washing machine so I could dry behind it and he also checked out the basement to make sure I hadn't done some damage. 

I did get the comforter washed in the machine, but when I took it out, it still had crusty puke on it.  At this point, I lost it.  I was screaming like a mad woman and saying a few choice words.  But, I got creative and washed that comforter in my bathtub like an Amish person.  Rubbing it.  Scrubbing it.  Ringing it out as best I could.  Three and a half hours later in the dryer, it was finally dry.  Well, sort of dry.  It was a little damp when I put it on the bed.

Needless to say....I had a drink yesterday.  :)

My Favorite Track Workout

(if it wasn't ungodly hot!!!)

This was the temperature in the middle of my workout and notice, it's after 7:00pm.

The workout looked like this:

1 mile warm up

2 X (6 X 400 at 1:31 pace) with 1:30 rest interval

2:30 rest interval in between sets

1 mile cool down

I started with the 1 mile warm up and was already sweating bullets.  But, I love 400s so I thought, this ought not to be too bad.  And for the first three it wasn't.

Interval 1 - 1:28

Interval 2 - 1:27

Interval 3 - 1:27

Starting with the fourth 400 I was beginning to lose it mentally.  I was trying to focus but all I could think was "I'm gonna barf."  The times were still good though.

Interval 4 - 1:27

Interval 5 - 1:28

Interval 6 - 1:29

Instead of the 2:30 rest break between sets, I took a full five minutes.  I refilled my water bottle and took a bathroom break.

Interval 7 - 1:29

And the worst of the worst...my iPod died.  NOOOO!!!!  Guess I was sweating too much.  Why can't Apple come up with a waterproof iPod shuffle since it's supposed to be used for exercise?

Interval 8 - 1:29

Interval 9 - 1:30

Interval 10 - 1:29

Interval 11 - 1:30

Interval 12 - 1:31

Then I threw up in my mouth.  Ew!  I know!  But, god was it hot.

I finished out the workout with an easy mile cool down.  

This was my favorite workout when I did the half marathon training plan and has so far, been my favorite workout for marathon training.  I love 400s.  They're tough but doable and short compared to everything else in marathon training.  

It begs the question, though....if I can run 12 400s at roughly a 6:00 pace, how come I couldn't have run a 6:00 mile in the last race?

Week in Review

Let's get right to it....

Monday - 20 miles.  The first big one.  You can read the details here.

Tuesday - off

Wednesday - 3 miles in the hood with the husband.  It was painful and slow.

Thursday - off

Friday - Tempo run.  1 mile warm up, 6 miles at long tempo pace (7:33), 1 mile cool down.  I totally nailed this run with my middle six miles at 7:31.  This is a very comfortable pace for me once I get going.

Saturday - One mile race.

Sunday - I was supposed to run 13 miles today at an 8:04ish pace, but my legs are just trashed.  I am really struggling to recover from these workouts.  My shin has been hurting, my calves are hard as rocks, and overall I'm just feeling really fatigued.  But, my years and years of running has taught me that missing one workout doesn't make or break your race.  There will be more runs and I'll start again on Monday.

Running Totals - 33 miles

CRC Mile Dash Anniversary Bash 2012

This weekend I ran a 1 mile race, the CRC Mile Dash Anniversary Bash.  Yes, just one mile.  It was hard; it hurt; it kinda sucked; and I'm so glad it was only one mile.  There's not much to say about a one mile race but here's the race in a nutshell.

Although the temperatures are much improved over last weekend it was still hot and H.U.M.I.D. on Saturday and this race was at 5:00pm.  I stupidly did not hydrate well and was thirsty going into the race.  Dave and I did a short one mile warmup to the race start and added some fast pickups in there.  For me, this was probably not enough warmup as, honest to goodness, it takes me at least four miles to feel comfortable in any run.  But I was sweating really good and didn't want to do any more warmup.

The race was broken down into two waves: (1) men under 6:00 and women under 6:30 and (2) everyone else.  So, this separated Dave and I.  I would be in the first wave and he would be in the second.  Looking at my wave, it was mostly men, and considering it was supposed to be under 6:00 for the men, I lined up behind them all and behind the high school girls.  I thought that seemed smart.  Turns out it wasn't.  The gun went off and I took off like a bandit.  Barely 200m into the race those high school girls were running six across and I couldn't get around them or through them.  So I said, "coming right between you", touching two of them on their sides and squeezed between them.  In my head I feel like I shoved them out of the way, but hopefully it wasn't.  I felt bad the rest of the way.  That's racing I guess.  At the quarter mile mark I was at 1:24.  Awesome.  My goal was to go sub-6:00 if possible (6:02 is my PR on the same course) and I was right on track.  I was feeling really thirsty by this point and was licking my lips a lot to try to get some saliva going.  It wasn't working and I was just trying to stay focused.  It's only 6 minutes, Meredith.  At the half mile mark I was at 3:01.  Geesh.  Unlikely I'm going sub-6:00 at this point and I would have to go even to be able to at least match the PR.  At the three quarter mile mark I was at 4:40.  Come on legs!  What the heck!  Get moving!  I did feel like I picked it up a little in the last quarter mile.  In the end my final time was 6:13.  It wasn't what I wanted; it wasn't what I think I am capable of; but who cares it was still fast for a 34 year old.  

In the end I won my age group (out of three).  This is my kind of race, though.  It cost me $10 and there was no race packet, no t-shirt, no medals, no awards.  Pure and simply running.  And, they had cake at the end.  Perfect.

20 Mile Training Run - 2 of 5

So, this is actually my first 20 miler I've done for my marathon training, but it's actually the second 20 miler out of 5 (yes, FIVE!) for the plan.  I didn't get to do the first one because it was exactly one week after I broke my toe.  The original plan was to do this run this past Saturday but since it was THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR!!! and it was already 81 degrees at 5:00am, I thought I would postpone.  Instead I got my tail to work yesterday (yes Sunday) put in a day's work and then took today off to do the run and get other stuff done that I wasn't able to do last week.

I started the run just before 8:00am.  I think I waited too long to start the run.  Although it wasn't super-hot, it was sunny and the sun was really beating down and making me hot.  Right from the start my legs felt dead.  They've felt dead now for over a week.  Yet, I was easily into a sub-8:50 pace by mile 2.  Because I was doing this run on a weekday, I was doing this run all alone.  That also meant that I was carrying my own water and nutrition.  In case you care, I take one gel every 4 miles starting at mile 4.  I drink only water and I drink it every mile.  I use a Nathan water belt which holds two, 10 oz. water bottles, so I have to refill my water bottles at least twice during a 20 miler.  But enough about that crap...onto the run.

I started my run through the neighborhood so I could get in a little extra mileage instead of going 10 miles out and 10 miles back.  Things started okay as I mentioned above.  The legs felt dead but the pace was going well.  I was hot but at least there was a breeze in my face on the way out.  The course goes, basically, uphill for the way out and downhill for the way in.  Now it's not hilly-hilly, but looking at a chart of it, you can see it's definitely uphill.

I kid you not, but 8 miles I had had enough of this run.  This is usually my sweet spot of a run and I was already struggling.  Oy!  Nonetheless, I put one foot in front of the other and turned around at 10-1/2 miles.  Usually I would throw myself some good pity parties when I'm feeling this beat up on a run, but instead I tried to use mantras to get myself back in gear, like "Just Run and Get It Done."  And my new favorite, "Somebody's got to be the best, so why not me?"



Fifteen miles was my last water refill stop and this stop just about broke me.  I knew I had 5 miles left but did I really need those last five miles?  I mean, there were still three other 20 milers on the schedule, plus I had a really successful 18 miler last week.  We could just throw this one away.

But I didn't.  I literally told my legs, out loud, to shut up and on my way I went.  It wasn't pretty and I was certainly doing the marathon shuffle (although the pace was holding steady), but I got it done.

20 miles, 2:51:07, 8:33 pace

Looking a little salty after the run.

Week In Review

Last week could be perfectly be described as a hot mess.  Not only was it HOT, what a mess that was created by the storm and subsequent lack of power, air conditioning, refrigerator, cable and internet.  Finally, after 8 days and just over $400, we got our power back, had our air conditioning fixed, fixed our refrigerator ourselves, and got our cable and internet back lastly on Saturday night.  Not to mention, we were able to get our days without cable and internet credited.  Good job, Insight.

And along the way, there was a little bit of running.

Monday 7/2 - 5.5 miles track workout.  This workout was a disaster.  It was crazy hot (in the mid 90s) and I just couldn't get my head and legs to cooperate.  Not only that, but Dave had his own workout and forgot his watch (we were staying at my parents with limited supplies), so I let him borrow mine and I would just do what felt right.  The workout was:
1 mile warmup
2 X 1200
3 X 800
(2:00 rest between each)
1 mile cool down
Well, whatever.  I did the second 1200 as 3 X 400.  I did a lot of bitchin' and moanin'.  It (and I) was a mess.  Moving on...

Wednesday 7/4 - 5K race along with about a 2 mile warmup

Friday 7/6 - 3 miles easy on the treadmill
                   55 double leg crunches on the BOSU and 55 bicep curls with 10 lb. dumbbells.  This was done as 10-9-8...etc. crunches and 1-2-3...bicep curls.  This is a variation of a workout my friend Andrea gave me.  I was sore in my biceps for DAYS!!!!

Saturday 7/7 - This was supposed to be the day of my 20 mile run, but when I woke up at 5:00am and it was already 81 degrees, I said no.  Safety first.  More on the 20 miler tomorrow.

Sunday 7/8 - 3 miles easy in the neighborhood.  For some reason my calf was killing me and just would not loosen.  I spent much of Sunday evening wrapped in a heating pad and even put some Ben Gay on it.  If that doesn't say sexy, I don't know what does.

Totals:
Running - 16.5 miles
Other - 0.25 hours

It's Getting Hot in Here!

Westerville Rotary 5K

Despite the craziness of this week, I decided to do a 5K on the Fourth of July.  I had a tempo run on my schedule, so why not?  Why not?  Well that's an easy one.  Because the temperature right now might be cooler on the face of the sun than it is in the Midwest.  I don't know what the temperature was at 8:00am at the start of the race, but it was hot and sticky and liquid air.  I did a short 15 minute warm up and I was already drenched in sweat.

The race was off and I was off with it.  It was a loop course that went downhill first and then back uphill (as much uphill as you get in Central Ohio (none)) towards the finish.  I took off pretty quickly just hoping to do okay.  I quickly realized that this was going to suck.  With this heat, lack of sleep, and the crap we've been dealt this week I just don't have any power in my legs.  By the turnaround point in this race, I was fried.  I wanted to walk, even.  But, I kept my legs moving.  Slowly, but I was moving.  Did I mention I forgot my iPod too, which made this race even more miserable.  Ugh!

Anyway, and unfortunately, I let two women go towards the end of the race.  I just had nothing left to chase them.  In the end, my time was okay for the conditions - 22:52, which is scarily the same pace I used for my last half marathon.  But, according to Dave I was the 10th overall female.  On crappy days, you've got to chase your competition and not the clock.

We stuck around for awards which were inevitably screwed up.  My time wasn't even recorded.  I guess, technically, I didn't even participate in this race.  If that's the case, can I get my money back?  According to the original results I finished second in my age group which netted me a $20 gift certificate to a local running store.  They have since updated the results which now gets me third but still they don't have my time or name.  Either way, I have the gift certificate and I'm gonna be keeping it, dang it!

There was a highlight to the day and that was meeting Miss Molly.  We've seen each other at races before but this was our first time meeting.  It's like I've known her for a very long time.  We hit it off so well.  We live only about 20 minutes apart so hopefully we can do some training together in the future.

Next race....next weekend.