Sew Half Crazy: Long and Short

Showing posts with label Long and Short. Show all posts

5/16/2019

The Long and Short of Rock 'N Roll Nashville 2019

Heather 5/16/2019 0 Comments

#13 is finally in the books! It wasn't pretty, graceful, or quick, but it's done and I couldn't be happier about it.

I even earned myself a PR! My slowest half ever! I say that a bit self-deprecatingly, but also proudly. I know that's a weird combo, but it's what's going on.

Now that I've had a week to process everything, I will say that I woke up Saturday morning knowing that I was going to accomplish my main goal - finish the race. I didn't know how that was going to get accomplished, but I knew it was going to get done and that's all I needed.

However, if you ask my husband he would not give you as nice or certain of an answer, because on Friday I was a hot mess. I was in my head. I was full of self-doubt and terrifyingly grim thoughts. So much so that I could barely enjoy the expo. He noticed and did try to help, but let's be honest nothing was going to help. No amount of good cheer, good tidings, or inspirational crap was going to help. What did help, was an athletic walk to lunch and enjoying the day with the hubs and sister.

Food has always been a great motivator for me, and the chicken and waffles we had from Milk & Honey was so delicious.

I digress.

So Friday, I was a mess. My knee was hurting, my calf was cramping, and I was in a lousy mood. Don't I sound like a fun time? It's ok, honestly, I know I was miserable.

Saturday dawned super early and found me sleeping through 2 alarms, and waking 30 minutes after I wanted to and 45 minutes before we needed to leave. It was odd, though, because I was calm. I went through everything I needed, made breakfast, checked up on Dana and Steve, ran through all the lists of things we needed to bring and what the plan for the day was. It was nice. It was comfortable and familiar.

We got to the stadium right on time and dozed in the car until 6. It was a bit chillier than any of us had anticipated, but it was still gorgeous.

We made our way over to First Baptist and attempted to take advantage of their generosity, but we cut it a little too short and Dana needed to make her way to her starting corral for the 5k. We walked with her and stood by her corral until she was off. I was able to keep track of her for longer than usual because of her green hair, but soon she was lost in the crowd and I still needed to rest so it was back to First Baptist. Luckily, I had an insider tip and the wait for the restrooms in the basement was a much shorter line.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Heather (@sewhalfcrazy) on Apr 27, 2019 at 5:29am PDT

So after that little detour, it was off to our starting corrals. Steve's corral was 2 in front of mine, so we parted ways at his corral and wished each other good luck. Unbeknownst to us, we could have hung out together for another hour, because that's how long it took to work our way down the chute. I guess having the NFL draft the same weekend as the race, meant that there were a lot more racers than usual.

It was actually nice because I never really lost the pack of runners. It definitely thinned out towards the end of the race, but it was never really gone and when you're out on the course for almost 4 hours having people out there with you helps.

I'm not going to review the race like I usually do, mile by mile, but instead will just give you a brief play by play, because some of the miles were brutal, but there were running angels out on the course that day, and I will never know their names or be able to thank them, but I can tell you guys about what they did and just put it out in the universe that I appreciate these people.

I guess I should count my sister as the first running angel, we were maybe a tenth of a mile into the race and we'd rounded the corner headed to the start of where the 5k had been, and I almost missed her. I don't even know what made me turn my head and look to my left, almost behind me, but I heard her and her hollers. She was jumping up and down like a mad jackrabbit, but I was so excited to see her. I hollered and waved back, and then rounded the curve for the first of many hills.

The second running angel encounter was before we even reached the first-mile marker, we were running up the road that goes in front of the convention center, headed towards the naked ladies dancing statue, and the hill was a little brutal. I got into my head a bit and started wondering if I was going to be able to handle this task, but I put my head down and kept on task. About halfway up the hill, out of nowhere, this gent comes up on my right and says loud enough for me to hear over my music that "You've got this. You're awesome." I jerk my head towards him because he'd startled me and gave him the high five he was waiting for. He then sped up the hill and disappeared into the crowd. I don't know who he was, but he was definitely what I needed to hear at that moment.

I kept a pretty good pace, and decided to enjoy the course, my music, the spectators, and not call my sister yet. For anyone of you who know me or have read this blog for a while, then you know that one of my favorite things to do is to talk to Dana while I'm running. Really, I like to talk, and Dana is easily the most readily available, but she's also one of my fave people to talk to so its a win-win. I wanted to savor the moments I had because I felt really good during the first 4 miles of the race.

The spectators really upped their game. I don't think there was a single stretch of the course that didn't have someone cheering us on, and I am so happy to report that nobody ran out of food or water at any of the stations. That's a huge thing because anyone who's ever been a part of a race and come in towards the back knows that sometimes they run out and you don't get any. Not the best feeling when running a race.

This is early in the race. Look how happy I am!

At mile 4, Small Fry called me. He asked if I was done yet, and I had to chuckle at him because no, I was not done yet. Wasn't even half done. I don't honestly remember much of what we talked about but it was nice to catch up with him. Baby Girl popped into the conversation at one point and she asked if I was exhausted, and I told her not yet. I asked if she was exhausted and she responded with no, because she wasn't running. It's funny how your kids adapt to your hobbies. Talking about running and my progress with my 9 and 5-year old is a perfectly natural thing in my house, but I get that it can seem foreign, but I have exposed my kids to my hobbies and I'm not sorry. I talked with the kids for about a mile, and then I called Dana.

Dana and I talked for a good long bit and I told her about my running angel, described how the spectators had upped their game, gushed about her awesome race (I won't tell you how well she finished, but I'm super proud of her!), and just chatted. We ended up talking until I was just about halfway done, and then I told her I needed to stop running, or whatever it was that I was doing because power walking was sure to be faster. She told me that it was ok to walk and I was awesome. I was grateful for her encouragement even if I was judging myself.

I can't remember exactly where I was in the course when we stopped talking, but I do know it was because Small Fry was calling me back. So I switched over to him, and the first thing he asks is if I'm still running. Yes, I'm still running, but I'm more than halfway done, and starting to feel really down. I think this is where I had my first bit of tears. I was being really hard on myself and just a negative Nancy. I told him I was sad, and he asked why. So I told him that I had goals and expectations and I wasn't meeting them. I was failing at it, and my ever-so-sweet Small Fry told me that I as long as I finished whatever I did was good enough. How did my angel get to be so smart? He was my second running angel, by simply reminding me of everything I'd ever told him about goals and meeting them, my 9-year old was being my hero.

The next couple of miles were a blur. I did debate with myself about calling Dana back. I wanted to, but at the same time, I knew she was going to be annoyingly optimistic and peppy, the ideal cheerleader, I just didn't want a cheerleader right then. I was in the thick of it. Doubting everything. Hating how I was performing. Wondering if I was even going to finish. Quitting entered my head, but as soon as I contemplated it I threw it out because no matter how bad everything was at that moment, I knew that quitting would be so much worse. It was pretty bad out there though. I decided to concentrate on what I needed to improve on with my next training plan. My left foot was in agony. The arch felt like it was on fire. My hips were so tight and I knew my form was terrible. My lower back hurt. I was making rookie mistakes, but I couldn't seem to help it.

There was light in this miserable tunnel in the form of oranges. I think it was in mile 9 or maybe I was about to get to 9, but we were in a more commercial area and there were at least half a dozen people handing out orange wedges. They were amazing, the oranges and the people. I stopped at every person and thanked the ones that gave me two wedges a little more enthusiastically. Who knew that oranges would taste so good? After the oranges, I was able to pull myself together a bit more and found some more energy.

The next thing I clearly remember is coming up on the St. Jude section. I got teary again, but I'm ok with it. They had pictures up of the children when they were undergoing treatment and presumably when they were in remission because the ages between the two pictures were 5-8 years apart. That was a tough section and afterward, I called Dana back.

She was annoyingly good at being aggressively encouraging. I knew she would be, but after St. Jude I wanted to talk to her. She told me that she'd had a hard time there too, but then we chatted because I was finally along the same course as the 5k. She nattered on about god knows what. I think I grunted at the appropriate times. I think it was right after 10 miles that another running angel showed up. We were going under an overpass, and Dana was chattering away, and from behind me there was a couple that'd I'd seen a few times along the way, and she says to me that I've got this and to keep going. Don't give up. I think I smiled at her and told her I wasn't giving up yet, just moving slow.

I filled Dana in on my 3rd running angel, and unsurprisingly she got even more cheerleader-y (that should be a word). I asked how Steve had done, and he was hanging out with her. I heard him holler through the phone, cheering me on. I was very proud of him, which helped keep me going. We talked about the course change at some point, because I don't remember going all around Bicentennial Park the way we did. Those speed bumps almost did me in. How can they expect me to pick up my leg that high? Clearly, I'm joking but the dark side of my humor was showing more and we had some good chuckles over the clever and creative ways the race organizers were secretly trying to do us in. I also remember commenting on how I didn't like the course change, but I guess the NFL Draft had decided to take up where we usually finish the last mile of the race. Stupid NFL Draft.

Dana and Steve both got more excited as I neared the finish. I think at a mile out she kept screeching that I was so close, and I kept getting mad at her because I was still so far. I mean 5, 280 feet is a lot, especially when you're hurting and you probably should've been done at mile 8. I honestly don't remember when I got off the phone with her, but I know that I didn't talk to her as I crossed the finish line, and I wasn't talking with her when I was able to repay the kindness that one of my running angels had bestowed on me.

As I came to the final bridge, over the Cumberland River, off to the side, sitting on the curb was the very kind woman who'd cheered me on around mile 10. She was cradling her head and hunched over less than a half mile from the finish. I stopped and asked her if she was alright, she said she needed a minute. I told her she had this and that she was so very close. She could do this. I don't know if she realized that she'd cheered me on, but I was reinvigorated over being able to have paid back some of the kindnesses shown me that day. I trudged on with determination.

Not the prettiest finish, but it got done.

I wasn't going to be able to pull a rabbit out of my hat and start running, but I could move with stubborn determination, and that's just what I did. I put my head down and charged forward. I forced my legs to follow the pace that my arms set. The finish line was right there, people around me were starting to pick up the pace, but I didn't care. I started stretching out my legs more, using more of my hips and that actually felt good. Crossing over the finish line was freeing. I'd done it. It hadn't been pretty, but it was done.

I shuffle down the chute and hear Dana and Steve calling my name. I couldn't see anything but them. There was a chainlink fence between us, but I almost knocked it over when I sort of collapsed into Steve's arms and balled on his shoulder. So much emotion vacated my body at that moment, there wasn't talking. He just held me while I cried. Dana, I think, rubbed my shoulder, or maybe it was my pack falling because I'd unclipped it after I'd crossed the finish. Either way, we stood there for a good long bit, and then Stephen told me to look behind me. There were people still crossing the finish line. I wasn't last. I had done it.

We parted ways then so I could gather the rest of the goodies along the chute. I mean, I did need to find the obligatory banana and chocolate milk. They also had gushers. Gushers were my favorite gummy snack growing up. I asked if I could take two, the very best volunteer said yes. It's funny how the simplest things make you the happiest sometimes.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Heather (@sewhalfcrazy) on Apr 27, 2019 at 11:44am PDT

I found Dana and Steve again, and then we sat. My right hamstring wouldn't release, so I sat with it straight out and let gravity work on it while I ate my goodies. I ended up arguing with Dana because I didn't want my banana, but she made me eat half of it. She fussed at me about my chocolate milk, but that had gotten drunk before I'd even started on the banana. There's something very satisfying in proving your sibling wrong. Anyone with siblings knows what I'm talking about, and I think that's about when I started laughing and relaxing. I was so happy. I was in pain, but I was happy. I was already cataloging the changes I needed to make for the next training plan. Going over what I needed to work on and how to improve, because while I was glad to be done with #13, #14 was going to be better.

So that's my recap. It's not necessarily a happy story or the race I wanted but it's real, and I'm excited to see the improvements on my next half.

Thanks for reading!

2/20/2019

The Long and Short of the ACL 5k

Heather 2/20/2019 0 Comments

So it's been a while since I've written a post, and it's not for lack of content. Since September there have been many, MANY, outfits made, coffees consumed, and even some training completed.

I'm here to talk to y'all about how sweet my husband is, and the recovery road I've been on since my last installment 6 months ago. Yes, I know, I've been a bad blogger.

In October, my PT ended and I was on my own for recovery and training. It was daunting, but also a little refreshing. I had no one to answer to but myself, and while I was frustrated with starting over it was good for me to retrain myself in self-discipline.

I'm not saying that I did a stellar job at it. There were way more days that I should've plowed through a workout rather than skipping it, but I will also say that I pushed harder on the days I worked out. I tried to put 100% out there each and every time, and I must say that I'm rather pleased with myself.

I judged myself on my numbers, even when I shouldn't have, but I also did some reflection after each run and figured out where I improved and where I still need to improve.

It used to be that I could head out on a run and reach pace and keep it there. I'd start off at the pace I was going to finish, and that is not the case anymore. It takes a good mile to 1.5 miles to fully warm up, but holy moly when I do warm up it's like opening up all 8 cylinders. Everything becomes smoother, easier, more fluid. My gait lengthens out and I start using more of my stride.

My stride length that has been one of the numbers bothering me. Before the injury, my stride length was almost a full meter long (39" or so for those not up on their metrics). After surgery, my stride length dropped to ~ 32" or .81 of a meter. That's 7" missing from each and every step! That's a lot of inches when you figure that on average I had been taking ~100 SPM (steps per minute). So if I'm shortening my stride by 7" each step, that's 700" or ~18 meters every minute. A mile is 1609 (1600 for sake of simplicity) and if I'm shortening my stride by 18 meters every minute and it's taking me 14 minutes to finish a mile, that means that I'm losing 234 meters a mile. I was losing 1/8th of a mile every mile because my stride length was shorter. Well, no wonder my mile time was slower. I mean other than the fact that I just had surgery as well, but I was not prepared for my stride length to be so greatly affected. So with this knowledge in hand, I knew that part of my focus during training was to regain my stride.

I got bored with the interval training plan that my PT had laid out for me, so I switched it up a bit and started a 5k training plan from Garmin. I went with the Garmin plan because 1) the coach I picked was a PT, 2) the workouts could be downloaded directly to my watch, 3) it was a plan I felt like I could stick to. I then deviated a little from the plan, because the intervals were boring. I did not want to be walking, so I switched up the walking bits to a slow jog, and then pushed it during the running bits. I ran as fast as I could sustain for the duration of the interval and it was hard. My warmup period is much longer now, and those first few short workouts were frustrating because I never did get warm, but towards the middle/end of training the workouts got fun. I hit my happy and my running bliss had been found.

I did discover that my feet had had a little too long to be pampered and all of my protective callouses were gone but they're coming back. My feet also don't look like runner's feet anymore. They've gotten a little soft and cushy, whereas before surgery they were lean and you could see the muscles and tendons in my feet. They looked like feet that knew how to work. At least to me. Maybe I'm a little crazy to be waxing poetic about my feet, but let's be honest, feet are pretty amazing.

There was an ironic comfort in all of the familiar aches and pains that came with training again. Yes, it was familiar but it also felt new. I was acutely aware of my knee and the muscles in the right leg. I knew when I was favoring the left and my hips complained. I missed it. I missed the proof of work. I missed the proof of progress. Having some glorious weather for some of the training runs also didn't hurt. Even the cold weather was nice, I do love me some cold running.

So the hubs and I discussed when the 5k should take place, and I told him that I'd like to do it while we were on the cruise. Fresh, sea air, sunshine, wind, what better things for my first distance race since July? We decided that our 2nd day at sea would be pretty ideal for the race and that was that.

We ran on the treadmill the day before the race. It was awful. I hate the treadmill. They're not long enough for me. It kept yelling at me. The undulating motion of the ship was making it worse. Hubs had no problem. I'm glad that his run went better than mine, but I'm a firm believer that a bad rehearsal can make for a great performance, and that run was definitely not one of my finest.

So the night before the race, we were getting back into our room, and the hubs says he has a surprise for me. He pulls out an envelope which I had almost seen while unpacking our bags two days before, but he had interrupted my unintentional snooping. Inside the folder was a race bib.

He made me a custom race bib. He had titled our race the Americal Caribbean League 5k and the number on the bib was 219. I didn't think much of the number because it was February 2019. He then explained that 2/7, race day, was 219 days since my surgery. I am not ashamed to admit that I teared up. This was one of the sweetest things he's ever done. I know that my training, my neurosis when I don't run, recovery, surgery, well all of it can drive him insane, but for him to do this was overwhelmingly poignant.

Race day dawned bright and early and I was ready. I was excited. I was nervous. He was sleepy, and maybe not as excited as I was. I was already in the right mindset. I was going to own this or give it my all while trying. Then we discovered that the gym was closed. It didn't open until 7 am. It was 6:30. We had a time schedule to keep. Breakfast was being delivered to the room around 8. We needed to be back by then, so then we headed out to the Promenade Deck (Deck 7) and the outside deck was closed. Well crap, we're going to have to go up to Deck 19 and run on that itty bitty track. Steve did the math. 16 laps around equaled a mile. It was going to take 50 laps to equal a 5k. Terrific. Well at least it was a gorgeous morning and I was spending it with my hubby.

We start running. Going in the opposite direction of the few walkers that were up there. My watch screwed up, ok I screwed up and hit the wrong setting, so then I had to restart the race, but race distances always vary, right? Then we were back to it.

We hit a mile done, and I was getting warm. My pace was 13:25 and I was pretty happy about that. It's where I've been running the first mile, and everything was starting to loosen up.

About halfway through the next mile, I found my happy. My stride opened way up and I took off. I felt like I was eating that track up. My legs felt good, even though I wasn't pushing. I was running what felt natural. It was glorious. The sun was coming up and more people were coming up to the deck. Most were walking, but some were up there to take pictures. I was happy as long as everyone stayed out of my way. I would've been more than willing to plow into someone. There was no way I was stopping for anyone. Steve was falling back, but he was holding up. The 2nd mile was done in 12:49.

The last mile went by so fast that I don't even remember most of it. Steve dropped out of the race because his knee was killing him. The concrete was hard on it. He stood at one end of the track talking with people and cheering me on. I focused on my form and using my full stride. Occasionally, cursing at people who were using the track as a photo op. There was another cruise ship on the port side. I asked if he'd seen what line it was, he hadn't. There was an odd comfort in the fact that the track was so little and I was going faster than I had been. I finish the 3rd mile in 12:25. Hell yea!

I ended the 5k with a time of 40:10, avg pace 12:52, avg SPM 138, and a stride length of .91 meters (36"). I am over the moon with all those numbers.

After the race, we walk back down to our room, where the hubs awards me the official ACL medal and we realize that we're not completely right in the head because our children are all still asleep, and we got up to run before the sun rose, while on vacation. It was pretty fantastic.

Breakfast gets delivered and we set it up for them. Small Fry wakes up then and we tell him that breakfast is here for them, and we're off to a celebratory breakfast.

We didn't run again while on the boat, but never fear I've already got the next plan ready and the hubs and I will be ready for RnR Nashville at the end of April!

5/25/2018

The Long and Short of the Nashville Rock and Roll 5K - 2018 Edition!

Dana 5/25/2018 0 Comments

Hello, friends! Dana here. How are we already three-quarters of the way through May??? I can't take it. Someone get me a TARDIS, stat! Anyhoodles, so last month, Heather and I ran the Nashville Rock and Roll 5K together. Heather was supposed to run the half marathon except... erm, yeah. That pesky kneecap dislocation. She can say more on that subject here if she wants. No, I don't want to. It's still bothering me, and it's a sore subject. Ha! You see what I did there? Yea, I'm finally to the point where I can make jokes about it..... BTW, I'll be popping in on this post to add my comments to Dana's commentary - Heather

As for my part, I'ma start with the expo, which was... underwhelming. I've been increasingly disappointed with the expo for the last few years now. The number of vendors has gone down, and I'm not certain of the reason. If these type of health events are anything like some of the trade shows I sell books at, though, the reason must be partially (if not entirely) down to the cost to have a booth, which seems to be going up each year for me, so maybe it's the same for expo vendors? Anyway, I really wanted to see Sparkly Soul Headbands there, as I buy from them every year. No dice. And I know Heather usually pops by the shoe charm place (sorry, I don't remember what it's called). No luck there either. It was pretty much the big, corporate sponsors this year, most of whom I don’t care about. Super serious competitors would probably be happy, but I want sparkly headbands and jewelry, not overpriced, packaged performance food. To be fair, I did buy a knee brace from CEP. I have had good luck with CEP's compression and Plantar Fasciitis sleeves. My knee seems to be extremely troublesome as no brace seems to be able to keep my knee cap where it should be. No brace except the huge blue one that the ER gave me and requires crutches to move around. Not really conducive to running.

As for race day, we got at the butt crack of dawn, as per usual, and made it to Nissan Stadium with a good amount of time to spare. Once again, we hit First Baptist Church, who open up their facilities to all the runners on race day. They are really lovely, offering snacks and a stretching space, all for free. The starting line isn't far from the church, so we huddled up in our corral. It was a brisk morning, one of those for which I don't know that the perfect gear has been invented - somewhere in the 40-something degree range. I was thankful for my long sleeves while we waited for the race to start, but didn't love them later on. I was perfectly happy with my race day attire. Dana should run more races so that she accumulates as much weather-related running experience as I have.

Good Morning Happy and Grumpy!

I'll be honest, I baby duckling-ed Heather during a good bit of Mile 1. I wasn't super energized that morning and in a bad head-space. I'm gonna go ahead and blame stress for that. I had a new book coming out three days after the race, so, ya know, it'd been kind of a crazy time of late. Maybe next time I'll plan better. Lol, that's hilarious. Heather called after me to come on! And I had to kick myself in the butt. I still maintain that she did it to get me out of my headspace. I wasn't overly happy that I was running the 5k, but I was feeling pretty good despite myself. Damn race day vibes. They're infectious.

The volunteers, as always, were wonderful, as were all the folks who came out to cheer. Be sure to tell those people thank you as you pass by. The bands were great too, though this is Nashville, so no big surprise there. They cheered all of us too and waved, which was a much needed boost throughout. Heather and I switched jobs around the farmer's market, right around the end of Mile 1. I think her knee had begun to bother her, so I started to encourage her. If I recall this is about the time the hills started. We'd run down a slight incline along the railroad tracks, and then it'd flattened off a bit. Now that a month has gone by and I've reinjured my knee cap a few times, I will say that the downhill is what probably started my knee pain, but Dana was awesome, as she always is. We chatted, she distracted me with some touristy information about where we were running. I kept telling her to go ahead, but she refused. I really started appreciating her more around this time, because I knew the rest of the race was going to be tough on me, and I didn't really want to admit it.

The St. Jude section almost broke me. As a survivor of childhood cancer, anything I see related to that always hits me in a really tender spot. I was fighting back tears because the hell if I'm gonna break down during this run! I don't know if Heather heard my breathing change or just what (it's weird breathing while you're running and biting your tongue to keep from crying), but she asked me if I was okay.

"Yup." The St. Jude section gets me just like the Blue Mile at RnR DC. You can't help but tear up.

Lie. But whatever. We kept going. Most of the rest of the course is a bit of a blur. We had to take our first walking break on a hill between Miles 2 and 3. Hills... guh. I didn't actually want to walk, but I was struggling and slowing down. Dana says she wanted to walk, but I have a feeling it was a bit for my sake as well. I hated it though. I was determined to keep an athletic pace, so even my walking wasn't that slow. Those long legs come in handy sometimes.

Look, a hill. We did have a nice view of the Batman building.

Heather pulled a fast one on me sometime after that, though. There's a bridge (please don't ask me which one) we cross that signals the race is almost done. Heather lied about how much further we had to go when I asked (near the end of Mile 3, which meant I got super excited when the bridge of happiness appeared around the next bend. I pulled ahead of Heather on said bridge, so excited to get my chocolate milk at the end*. I was so focused on the end that I didn't hear Heather squawk next to me when her knee slipped. Oopsie. Sorry. Apparently, she told her knee to suck it up when she saw me ahead of her, though, and stayed on my tail. As soon as we turned the corner and the finish line came into sight, I bolted for it, as I always do. It always feels amazing sprinting across. Of course, I also then wanna throw up as soon as I slow down, but tradeoffs, right? Heather came in a few seconds behind me, and I got to do my best impression of a crutch underneath her. We got our chocolate milk and medals and found a nice spot to stretch. Just after you crest the hill it's mile 3 or 13 depending on your race, and it's literally all downhill from there. Yep, downhill. My knee tugged weird and it felt like I didn't have a knee cap for half a second. It hurt, but then Dana passed me. I couldn't let that stand. I took off after her, oblivious to the fact that my knee was hurting. I finished 4 seconds behind her, and I was pretty dang happy about that because as soon as I crossed that finish line my knee was done for a bit. Dana, thankfully, is much stronger than her small frame appears and she helped me limp to the finish area. Some medical volunteers started pushing a wheelchair towards me, asking if I needed it. I told them I'd walk it off. Once we rested a bit and stretched, my knee did feel better, but it was tender. I was very thankful that I'd done this race with Dana because 1) I wouldn't have been able to finish the half and 2) that would have been worse for me and I did finally have to admit that I'm injured and my knee needed more TLC. This, of course, didn't stop me from over-training and pushing too hard after getting back home and reinjuring it.

She totally forgot the best pic of the day!

In case you're curious what other fun we got up to, let me tell you it was oodles! Here are some pics!

90s Space Jams Way Late Play Date at the Adventure Science Center.

New tattoos! Sun (Heather), moon (our sister, Colie, but she doesn't have hers yet), and stars (me).

She totally forgot about our taco eating adventure and demonstrating the "cigar" hold for tacos. Its pretty dang good at keeping all the taco goodness inside the taco.

And the sushi date after the race, as per our tradition!

And goat yoga with Shenanigoats. Don't know what goat yoga is? It's pretty much what you see below.

Hey, wanna know more about that new book I mentioned earlier? Here's the cover...

A dark retelling of Swan Lake set in the fantasy steampunk world of Broken Gears.

...and you can click this link for more info.

Thanks for reading!

4/30/2018

The Long and Short of the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler

Heather 4/30/2018 0 Comments

So 3 weeks ago was the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. I know I'm way late in this review. I had the grand plan of writing this review the week after the race, but then, ya know, life got in the way. There were dentist appointments, orthodontist appointments, kneecap dislocations......wait? What? Oh yea, 10 days after running the Cherry Blossom, I dislocated my patella while doing jumping squats. I was trying to be a good runner and cross train! I was really digging the workout and figured I'd push a little harder and not modify those damn jumps. Well, that plan bit me in the ass. Then came the injury depression.

You know what I'm talking about. We've all been injured, and we all know just how frustrating that can be. The worst part, ok I don't actually know what the worst part is, because there seem to be so many fragmented "worst" parts. So the first bad thing was that my husband was at football practice with Small Fry, so my first line of help was not there. The next bad thing, but turned out to be a good thing was that Baby Girl was there and she found me on the floor, in pain. I don't know what sound I was making, it wasn't yelling but it also wasn't shouting or quiet. It was just pain and frustration because I "knew" what I'd done. Baby Girl was a rock star though. As a parent, you always wonder if your child would know what to do in an emergency. If they would be able to do what needed to be done if you needed help. I am happy to say that my girl came through. She came upstairs and found me on the floor, cradling either side of my knee making some ungodly noise, and she asked what I needed. I swallowed the pain, tried to make my voice calm and told her to get her older brother. I needed the Big Guy. She was scared and started to cry, but I told her that I needed her to be brave. she needed to be brave and be my Wonder Woman. She left and came back up a few minutes later without said brother. She said something about why he wasn't there, but I honestly don't remember what she said. I was in pain and I was trying not to scare her, but damn if my knee didn't hurt and I told her that I needed her to get her brother up here no matter what. Mommy needed her. My girl came through in a big way. A few more minutes pass, and my Big Guy comes slowly trudging up the stairs, grumbling until he sees me on the floor. Luckily, I was in perfect view of the stairs. He immediately asks what I need and what he needs to do. My children knew what to do, they followed directions and didn't lose their cool. I am a very proud momma. I also owed my Big Guy an apology, he'd come home from school with a headache and had laid down after getting his chores done. Baby Girl was not gentle in her waking of him. The next biggest issue was if I'd be able to run Nashville, but more on that later.

So yea, there was that injury to deal with and the depression that came with it. Nashville was 10 days away. Cherry Blossom had basically been a training run for me. It hadn't gone well, and I was frustrated that I'd bought a pair of shoes and the RnR DC expo that hadn't worked out again. They will, however, make lovely walking shoes. Even that ended up working out though because while I did end up buying an expensive pair of shoes at the expo, I ended up in a better fitting pair of shoes because of the whole experience.

So back to the race and not all the dramatics that happened after it. Race day was cold but beautiful. It was the peak time for the cherry blossoms and they did not disappoint. The whole race was really beautiful, but there is only so much that beautiful scenery can make up for when you're wearing the wrong pair of shoes.

I started off in my corral, worrying that I wouldn't be able to keep pace. I really was worried about getting picked up. Between RnR DC and Cherry Blossom, the flu hit our house. Hard. I was down and out for like 10 days. I lost almost 10 pounds and didn't run for almost 2 weeks. It was bad because Cherry Blossom was 4 weeks after DC. Obviously, I knew I could run 10 miles, but I was worried about the time restrictions because I'd been very slow in my runs after the flu and before the race. So I told the friend that I was running Cherry Blossom with that my plan was to hopefully hold a 12:45 pace and at worst not get picked up by the bus. She and I agree to a meeting place after the race.

The race starts to modest fanfare and we're off. The course is not that much different than last year and the first half the race is actually a bit boring. We pass the monuments and run underneath the Kennedy Center. The turnaround is just past the Kennedy Center so we get to run back under it, and then head back towards the monuments and over near Ohio Drive. We run along the Potomac, which does offer some nice views of the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial. I keep regulating my temp by opening up my jacket a bit and taking my gloves on and off. Oh so easy when my hands start sweating, but this method worked for RnR DC and it works here. The first five miles get done in 1:03:16 with a pace of 12:39. Not too shabby.

Unfortunately, the easy vibe of the race starts to fade, and by mile 7 I'm in agony. My feet hurt and my right hip is on fire. Not the usual hip pain I contend with, this was a lateral pain that moved across my glutes to my hip joint, and it wasn't easy up. I knew that it was my shoes. They're too soft. Too cushiony. It was the same problem I had with this model a few years ago, and those turned into excellent walking shoes. Oh well, it was probably time I retired that pair anyways. The crash pads are shot. Only 3 miles left. You can trudge through this. I don't stop running, but I do slow down. A lot. Not even the scenery is helping, but it is distracting. It's so dang pretty. The cherry trees, the water, the serenity of the point. I do love this race, but I also hate it. My 10k time is 1:19:41 and a pace of 12:51.

Those last miles were agony. I don't know how I made it through them. I was distracted by the other runners hurriedly putting back on their jackets after we rounded the point and the wind kicked back up. I was glad I never took off my jacket. I know what the point does. It lulls you into a false sense of security. It's gorgeous, but it's not always nice. The trees still look gorgeous, but there are more tourists walking down the point. Most of them are cheering on the racers. That's nice of them. A coast guard helicopter passes us pretty low. That was kind of cool to see. I'm so glad that the Hubs got me these gloves for Christmas. They're pretty amazing. We finally make it to mile 9. I'm at 1:58:16 with a pace of 13:08. Only one mile left. You can do this.

The last mile was a mixture of agony, between my feet and my hips, and frustration because of the tourists there for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Yes, please walk out in front of all the runners still running the race and yell at them for you almost getting creamed. It's our fault that we're running a race on a road that is closed for us and you stepped out in front of us. So sorry. Runner's brain was strong this mile. I did chuckle when I saw the 1200 meter sign. Only 1200 meters left. You can do this. Oh, look! There's the 800-meter sign. The 800 meter was your event in high school. You can do this. You can pick up the pace. Oh, look! There's that last little hill before the finish. It's so nice that it's at about the 400-meter sign. I hate you. I am almost done. Thank god. I am taking off these shoes. My feet freaking hurt. I can't wait to take off my shoes. I'm almost done! Pick it up, girly. It's time to finish this as strong as you can muster.

My official time was 2:11:43 with a pace of 13:10. Not my best. It might not even by my slowest, but it was definitely my worst performance.

After the race, I found my friend. We found more members of our MRTT chapter. We laughed and we talked and then we walked back to the car. The glorious car! Where I promptly took off my shoes, and haven't regretted relegating them to be my walking shoes. The Tuesday after the race, I went to The Running Store and bought a pair of Adrenaline 18's half a size bigger than I had been wearing, and its the best thing I've done for my feet in a while.

So this will be the last time I run the Cherry Blossom. Yes, it has the views, but the early start time and frequently crappy weather help make it an unmemorable race. Not to mention the course just doesn't do it for me. It's boring.

So the next race is RnR Nashville, and with the injury, it was all up in the air which race I'd run.

Thanks so much for reading!

3/20/2018

The Long and Short of Rock 'n Roll DC Half Marathon

Heather 3/20/2018 0 Comments

Well, I intended to have this post written and posted on Thursday, but some little evil bug decided to waylay those plans. Stupid spring.

So now that I'm feeling human again, I'm so excited to dish about how my third outing at the Rock 'n Roll DC Half Marathon went.

I was nervous about the weather in the week leading up to the race because it's March and it's temperamental. The forecast ranged from snow and rain, to slightly windy, and then the forecast settled on mostly sunny with low winds and in the low 50's. Perfect weather. WHAT!!?!? I was going to have nice weather for a race? That's unusual.

A post shared by Heather (@sewhalfcrazy) on Mar 10, 2018 at 3:03am PST

So as the morning of the race dawned, I was up and eating breakfast - obsessing over the weather forecast in front of me. The winds were a little higher than previously predicted, and having run this race before, I know that along the water the winds are always a little worse than they say, or at least they feel like it. Also, knowing how I react to wind and cold in general on long runs, I decide that I need to adjust what I'm going to wear for the race. I opt to wear a slightly heavier jacket, figuring that if I get too warm then I can just unzip it a bit.

It was 6am before I knew it, and my ride was picking me up. There was a group of us again from our MRTT chapter running the half and the full marathons. Unfortunately, the marathoner's race started at 7am and the half at 8:30, so we weren't able to see the marathoners off. A quick stop at Starbucks, and then we were off towards DC.

A post shared by Heather (@sewhalfcrazy) on Mar 10, 2018 at 5:00am PST

We get to the Smithsonian with plenty of time to spare. It was cold, but the staging area was set up exactly as it has been in year's past. Gear check was simple, and the lines for the porta-potties moved steadily along. Everyone was trying to stay warm and loose.

The crowd in the chute was subdued, but happy. People chatting, stretching, warming up. I was in the corral by myself. My friend and her husband were two corrals in front of me. When I signed up for the race, I put my finishing time as 2:45. I figured I would hit this race the same as I did for the PW Half. I would just run whatever was comfortable. I had also decided not to bring any hydration with me, and use the course support. I was excited not to have my pack on me. My form sometimes suffers when I wear it because I tend to pull my shoulders to my ears when I get tired, and wearing the pack seems to exacerbate that.

So the race finally starts, and we slowly make our way back towards the start. My corral starts about 20 minutes after the gun fires. We start off down Constitution Ave. and its gorgeous as always. The first mile floats by without me even noticing. I was just enjoying myself and the sights along the way. 11:52 pace

We wind ourselves around the National Mall and head directly towards the Lincoln Memorial. The first water stop is in the shadow of that gorgeous marbled wonder. I decide that I'm going to hit every water stop since I'm perpetually dehydrated, and because why not? We then bear right on to Rock Creek Pkwy. headed towards the Kennedy Center. As we run along the river, I'm really happy that I opted for the heavier coat. The winds on the river were chillier than advertised. Coming out from under the building we hit Mile 2, and I realize that I completely missed the first-mile notification. I also figure that the clocks started 2 hours before and I was running faster than I realized. Oh well, it's still a comfortable pace. 11:39 pace

We turn right and run up along the side of the building, almost directly into the sun. It's getting a little warm now, with the sun fully out and me all in black. I open the neck of my jacket up and instantly feel better. This stretch of the course is boring. We do hit the first checkpoint though. The clock says that I've been running for about 36 minutes. That's not bad for a 5k time. 12:05 pace

Running back towards Rock Creek Pkwy, the course is the same as it was on the way out. At least we're not running into the sun anymore. This mile goes by pretty quickly. 12:05 pace.

Finally back onto Rock Creek Pkwy, and I'm so happy. It's such a pretty stretch. I mean it's hilly, but it's also gorgeous. I love watching the runners across the way, who aren't racing. They're just out running their normal Saturday morning run. It'd be so great to be able to run this stretch all the time. I grab some more water and take a fuel packet. I'm not familiar with the brand, but I remember seeing them at the expo. I decide that I'm going to stick with my gels. The Incredibles were under one of the underpasses handing out high fives and cheers. I love that they're always there. 12:14 pace

At the end of this mile is the Blue Mile. I can't help but tear up as I run along. It never fails. I read all the names and try not to think about the hill that is coming. The hill is awful. It's so steep and seems to go on forever. I eventually arrive at it though. It's lined with volunteers holding American flags and cheering on the racers. I start my trudge up the hill. I've been good about my hill training this year. I kick it down a gear and start working. The volunteers are cheering and offer high fives. I end up giving so many people high fives, because it's just too hard to pull my hand back in, and there's no way I'm going to stop getting up this hill with all of them looking. I continue to climb. I'm slow, but I'm not walking. I grunt near the end of the flags, near the halfway point of the race, and the volunteers cheer in my ear. Will this hill never end? And who the heck thought it was a good idea to put the halfway mark of this race on this hill? I did it though. I made it up that bloody stupid steep hill, and I didn't stop once. My legs are burning, but I reach the top and I take a nice deep breath, and it feels amazing. 12:32 pace.

Running downhill has never felt so good. We're running through Adams Morgan, and it's so lovely. I know I'm running slower, but I figure conquering the hill gives me a little leeway on running slower. I'm not running for time. I'm running for me. 13:53 pace.

There are a few hills and whatnot now, but looking at all the scenery is great. I start thinking about my Small Fry. He's hiking up Stony Man Trail. I'm jealous that I can't be there with him. I know he's having fun, and that he's in good hands, but still, I'm jealous. He's the one that spurs me on at the end of a race to go faster. He's the one that is always fighting to prove himself, even though he has no reason to do so. He has to be on top. My adorable, infuriating, quick-witted, smart-mouthed, caring boy. I miss him. I miss that I'm missing the hike with him. I know what he'd tell me though. He'd tell me to get it done, to finish. He'd do it with those big brown eyes and those terribly long lashes (totally jealous of my son's eyelashes). Well if I can't be there with him, I might as well make him proud. I can start to hear the drums from the drum band. Oh, that means I'm near Howard University and the reservoir. And those birds. I'm running down the hill and the drumbeats are getting louder. My footfalls are starting to match the beats. I'm feeling really good, and I feel like my form is so much better than it has been lately. 13:22 pace.

So the drum band is behind me, but I can still hear the beats, the reservoir is to my left, and some crazy seagulls above me. Please don't poop on me this year! These seagulls are crazy, they're acting like starlings. I'm nervous running under them, but there's nothing to be done about it. Luckily, I leave the crazy birds behind and continue on my way. The great thing about this part of the race are the spectators. I mean the spectators are great all the time, but the ones along this bit offer alcohol. I don't partake, because beer, ew. It does make me smile though, and the street reeks of beer, even after I've passed the Guinness for Winners of Mile 9, and Mile 9 Beers. It's a gross smell, but it also makes me happy, because the other runners are very excited about the libations. I realize that I don't have enough gels to finish the race, as I eat my last two. Oh well. I'll figure that out. 13:08 pace.

We're on North Capitol Street, and it's so sunny and bright! It's gorgeous now. I unzip my jacket a bit more and take in the sights. We pass Prospect Hill Cemetery, and the Capitol Building looms in front of us. The only downside to this bit is that it goes under roadways, which means dips and hills. I keep my pace steady, and just really enjoy this time. 13:08 pace.

How am I so close to being done? The sights are keeping me entertained along with the other runners. I notice that I've never really left the pack of runners. It's spaced out a bit, but I'm still surrounded by runners. A lot of them are walking now, but that's ok. I'm not. I'm still feeling good. My toe probably has a blister on it, but that's ok. It's not too bothersome. I decide to take the SIS gel that I had picked up at the first fueling station. I'm not too sure about it, but it wasn't terrible. It was cherry flavored, so not terrible, but I couldn't finish it. We'll see how it goes. 12:51 pace.

I'm slowing down, I don't know why. Maybe it was that gel. I don't think I'll use that gel again. Your form is terrible, Heather. So I straighten up and just keep going. It doesn't matter how slow you go, so long as you finish. I'm looking at all the people around me who are walking and I feel for them. I've been there. You got this. Just keep going. You're almost done! 13:53 pace.

Let's kick it up a notch, girlie. Your form is good. Your calves feel good. Your toe will heal, and it's just a blister. You've had thousands of them. Hey, look there's a 20k sign! Woohoo! Only 1k left! Still chugging along. One foot then the other. I'm hungry. I wonder what we're gonna eat. I bet my friends are done. I wonder how the marathon is going. I feel surprisingly good. Man, I love running. Running is the best. Tra La La La! Small Fry would've laughed at that. Then he would've told me that I'd need to be naked to say that. Then Baby Girl would've shouted it while jumping off the couch. I hope dance went well. Hey, look! There's RFK! Woot! I am almost done!!! 12:38 pace.

I keep my pace pretty even, until the last 100m or so. Then it's time to start shaking out those legs. Let's do our little sprint. Small Fry would be proud. Man, so much leg to move.

A post shared by Heather (@sewhalfcrazy) on Mar 10, 2018 at 5:00am PST

And I'm done!

My official time was 2:48:37. It's a good run of the mill time for me, but more importantly, I had a freaking awesome time. This was a great race, and I felt really good afterward. I wasn't stiff or sore like I usually am after a race.

I took advantage of the changing tents and realized that it wasn't just a blister. *graphic toe warning*

Oops.

Oh well. I guess my shoe wasn't laced tight enough.

Being sick right after damaging my toe like that did have its upside - my toe was allowed to heal. You know I would've rushed it and started running on that toe before I should've. It's still black and blue more than a week later, but it's not painful anymore.

I can't wait for next year! I'm also hoping that Cherry Blossom has the same lovely weather in a few weeks!

Thanks for reading. Cheers!