T-Minus 8 Days To Race Blast Off!

I’m beginning to visualize race day now. At least I’m attempting to do so. I’m trying to imagine what the experience will be like, at least the overall jest of it. It’s both exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. I’m trying to stay as positive as possible and not let myself get too worried.

 

I already have come to the realization that I’ll get little to no sleep the night before due to not only the excitement of the race, but due to the travel time it is going to take to get to Cocoa Beach. Because of this, I’m planning on getting as much sleep as I can the day or two prior. I am still working out the logistics of that though, as I work the Friday before and will working until 8pm. So, it’s going to be a challenge to not want to sleep in on Saturday. Although, maybe that is the best way to do things that day…again, I’m still working the details out on that.

 

Beyond the whole sleeping situation, I’m visualizing that big jumbo screen with the space shuttle blasting off as we start the race. That is something I’m definitely looking forward to seeing and experiencing. Then, I plan on just taking each mile as they come. I have done 13 miles in my training and while it is not the easiest to do, I’m more than capable of doing it again. Staying positive, and having a good time will make my first half marathon experience all that much better. I’m thankful that I’ll have friends there with me that day doing the full marathon, and I also look forward to being there to see them cross that finish line.

 

Tomorrow morning, I’ve got my last real mileage workout before the race. I am scheduled to do 6-miles before slowing down for the real tapering next week. I’m planning on enjoying it and using it to continue to picture how great race day is going to be, how awesome I’m going to feel crossing the finish line and getting that neat, beautiful medal.

In My Dreams, I’m a Runner

Every so often since my back injury in March of 2010, I really miss running and being able to call myself a runner. I miss it everyday, but by really missing it, I mean I have a deep yearning to be able to do it again. Some times, the fact that I cannot gets me upset and I have to distract myself from that line of thinking. I have to remind myself that I’ve achieved and done so much regardless of whether or not I’m a “real” runner anymore.

This very feeling and upset hit me during Tuesday’s 3-miler. I was out on the road pushing myself to walk as fast as I could, and after seeing a couple of others running, I had an overwhelming feeling that something had been taken away from me. I can only compare it to your mom and dad giving you this great present that you have been yearning for and then once you really begin to enjoy playing with it, they take it back and explain that it’s no longer yours for the keeping. That feeling of hurt is intense deep inside of you. It stings of betrayal and upset.

While I know that running isn’t necessarily a gift that was given to me, it was something that I thought for most of my life that I could never do. I would see other people out running and think that they were crazy and not understand why these people would want to run for fun. But, that all changed after I went through my weight loss journey. I wanted to be active and get out there fitness-wise. When I started the Couch to 5k plan in late 2009, I was not even sure if I could be a runner. Slowly but surely however, I began to see that I could do what I previously thought was unattainable. I was pushing my body and mind to do this sport that was not easy, but it was turning out to be exhilarating. Upon returning from the run-walk sessions, I felt so accomplished and knew that I was capable of so much.

When I was told in April of 2010 that I had herniated my back and would I have to give up this thing that I had started to really love, it was devastating. It took me some time to even accept that my running days, even though they were short were over. I guess I’ve truly never accepted it in all honesty. Sure, I can put on a happy face that I’m okay with just power walking the races and just being out there doing them, but that’s just a facade. I still hope deep down inside of me that some great guaranteed surgical procedure comes along and that I can again be a runner. In the meanwhile, I remain thankful that I can at least walk as I know there are people out there who can’t even do that. Also, I dream, and in my dreams, I’m a runner.

Bondi Band Giveaway! [Closed]

I’m so happy to announce that my first giveaway on The Girl’s Got Sole is for an awesome Bondi Band! The folks at Bondi Band sent me two bands, one to review and one to giveaway!  They are great for holding your hair in place when you run, walk, bike, hike or whatever you love to do as well as keeping the sweat out of your eyes. Not to mention they are stylish and cute. Bondi Band makes bands that are just solid colors as well as bands that say motivating mantras and the like. I have been enjoying mine thus far during all of my outdoor workouts and have even ordered a couple more for upcoming races! The bands are extremely comfortable and have gotten me some compliments and thumbs up from people.

The band that I’m giving away is right up the alley of anyone who loves to cycle. Whether you’re the casual recreational type, or a triathlete, this band will be a great addition under your helmet or just on it’s own.

To enter, you must follow this blog and comment below what your favorite band is from Bondi Band’s website. Contest ends at midnight Eastern on November 4^th and I’ll choose the winner on 11/5 using www.random.org. (Extended entry time! Enter by midnight Eastern 11/5!) 

Rules:

1. Follow this blog.

2. Go to www.bondiband.com and tell me which band is your favorite.

**Please leave a separate comment for each of the following so that each entry gets counted!** 

Extra entries:

+1 Like Bondiband on facebook

+1 Follow Bondi Band on twitter

+1 Follow me on twitter (ShutterbugShann)


Congrats to Courtenay, aka autopilotlegs for winning the bondi band! And, thanks everyone for participating. Hopefully, I'll have more giveaways again soon!

Runner's knee, you will not be the end of thee!

I woke up Monday morning to my knees feeling sore and hurting. At first, I thought that it was probably nothing and that it would go away at some point in the day. However, this soreness and pain wasn't what I was used to with muscle aches from a hard workout. I should have taken the hint right away that something wasn't right, but instead, I shrugged it off. 

Today, I woke up still in the same amount of discomfort. I began to rack my brain. Did I hurt myself somehow over the weekend, or do something differently? After some thought and quick research online, I came to the conclusion that I have runner's knee on both legs (mostly on my right though). Thinking back and connecting the dots so to speak, I believe that my walking more on the sidewalk the last couple of walks, not to mention not using my knee support may have been the cause (also, now that my desk has been moved upstairs at work, I'm going up and down the stairs a lot). Also, I have to admit that I didn't stretch much all weekend after my 6-miler or my bike ride on Sunday evening. Definitely not helping my case any with very little post-workout stretching.

So, I'm going to do the right thing here and follow the treatment regime to get my knees happy again. I've already started to take some Ibuprofen, and I'll be icing tonight. Also, my foam roller is going to get some serious attention this week. My right knee has always been a bit weak, but I haven't had this kind of discomfort in awhile from my knees. It's not fun in the slightest, especially with working a desk job where my legs already get too much rest during the day. I've got 11-miles to do this Saturday for my 1/2 marathon training, but I'll have to see how things go as I might be cutting my mileage down for my long run day.

Miracle Miles 15k Race Report

I did it! After over a week of nervousness and anxiety over the 15k, I can proudly say that I conquered it! It really feels good to do something that you never thought you could possibly accomplish. I've learned in the last couple of years that I am so strong and capable of more than I could have ever imagined I could do with God's help. My faith has aided me so much in my journey.

Mom came with me for this race. I was hoping that my dad would also come along as this was another big race for me after my 10k back in March, but it didn't happen. I was so grateful that my mom gave up sleep to get up so early and wait around for me to finish.

We left the house at about a quarter before 6am since I was told the crowds for this event can get crazy. My parents house is about 30 minutes away from downtown Orlando where the race was, so the drive there was not bad at all. I was pleased to see that we got into a garage fairly quickly without any real waiting. I'm sure if I would have left the house much later it would have gotten more crowded. Parked the car and headed toward the race area. I had a lot of time before the 7:20am start time (I believe it was just after 6:30am when we got there), and that was a good thing. I had plenty of time to use the oh-so-fun port-o-lets, get some pre-race water and just try to relax (not really, but I tried!).

Before I knew it, time had flown by and the 15k race was about to get going. I got behind the walkers sign and got my iPod ready to go. Quite a lot of people were lined up for the race which was nice to see as this race benefits Winnie Palmer Hospital for preemie babies. The starting horn blared and feet began to move. I hit the starting line over two minutes after the clock started, so I took note so I had an idea of my actual timing versus the race clock. I also hit my iPod/Nike+ once I crossed the starting line, so that would be accurate at least on my time.

The first mile came easy, but about mile two, a challenge approached, brick road. I hate walking or running on brick. Especially since the brick is not even in the least with some being broken or loose. When possible, I went on the sidewalk. I couldn't avoid the brick all together though, as there were times that it was unavoidable. Not to mention the hills that seemed to come up here and there (guess Florida isn't COMPLETELY flat). I did pretty well up until mile 4. At that point, I began to have some back pain. I prayed that it would calm down and also massaged it a bit, but it still lingered. Since that was the case, I decided to stop at the port-o-lets at mile five. Since my back injury, having to go can cause back pain for me. While I hated to lose the 40 to 60 seconds it would take to stop, I also wanted relief for my back. It just made sense to lose the bit of time for me. Thankfully, the stop was well worth the time loss, as I did feel better once I got back on the race route.

I was doing pretty well from mile five to mile seven, keeping a good pacing. My back was doing fairly well and I felt okay. Once I hit mile seven, my right leg began to really cramp up. Talk about exchanging one problem for another, huh? I massaged it a bit, but that wasn't really helping. So, I paused for a moment and pulled my knee support down to my ankle and continued walking. My hope that this would aid my leg in loosing up worked! It calmed enough to be tolerable to walk through. I ended up pulling the knee support back up to my knee in the last mile or so, as my knee was bothering me. But, keeping it off for that 10 or so minutes of time was of help.

 By the time I saw the mile nine marker, I couldn't have been happier. Both of my legs/calves were so heavy and tight that I just wanted to finish! I did my best to push myself through the final bit of the route. Once I saw the finish line, I went into a running sprint for it. I wanted to cross that finish line strong! I was so happy to finish, but also very drained. This was a long, rough race! My official d-chip time was 2:21:50. However, the route seems to have been a bit longer than 15k. After seeing that other runners also got more than 9.3 miles from their apps/monitors, the course was more like 9.4 to 9.44 miles. So, I had a pace of just over 15 minutes per mile which I'm so proud of. This was a good race, but very challenging. I'm glad I did it though! I now have my first medal and a new distance high for myself. And, I'm already thinking about my next race. :) (NOTE: Some of my awesome co-workers sponsored me in this race, so big thanks to them for helping make this possible for me and for helping support Winnie Palmer.)

I've got my RoadID!

As an athletic gal these days, I like nothing more than to go out for a good power walk or bike ride to get in my calorie burn. While I love working out and being active with others, more often than not, I am a solo athlete, hitting the pavement on my own. I recently began to wonder, what if something happened to me? Of course, I hope it won't, but what if it did? No one would know who I was or who to call since I don't my license during those outings. With that in mind, I began to research what other runners and cyclists carried with them when they headed out the door. A good deal of them have some kind of ID like RoadID.

After debating if the RoadID would be a good fit for me, I was offered a chance to get one for free back in late July. A promotional company that works with RoadID contacted me via twitter asking if I'd like to get my own RoadID. Of course, I was interested and responded back just that. There are a few style options available, I went with the RoadID Elite. Once I conquered the sizing and cutting part of things (the Elite requires you to cut your own once you get the bracelet), I was good to go! I now wear it every time I go out for a walk or bike ride. Sometimes, I even wear it anyway, since it's so comfortable. The first time I wore it, the bracelet did feel a bit heavy on my small wrist, but now I barely know it's there. 

If you are the outdoorsy type and don't carry ID with you, or are seeking a wearable ID, check out RoadID's offerings. They guarantee their products, and the ID itself is easily updated when needed.

Countdown to 15k...

I will be participating in my first 15k race on Saturday. At this point, I'm both excited and nervous about the event. A couple of weeks ago, my 1/2 marathon training called for a 9 mile walk, and I made it through, but it was a push during the last 15 or so minutes. I came to the conclusion that I needed more fuel. By the end, I was not only very hungry, but I was feeling light-headed and tired out since I had only taken one Gu Energy Gel at about mile four. I'm hoping that carrying an additional gel/chews as well as part of an energy bar broken into pieces might help curb those previous problems. Walking for almost 2 1/2 hours takes a lot out of you, and I know now that I wasn't really prepared for that time span.

My only other worry is that my sciatica might cause me some trouble on the course. It comes and goes sometimes, thankfully not as bad as it used to be, but I have had times where my left leg gets numb during a walk. So, I'm doing a lot of positive thinking and praying for this weekend. I know that I have a lot of strength inside and out and that I can do this 15k. I had similar concerns right before my 10k back in March, so I suppose it's just a matter of keeping your head up and knowing that you can and will cross that finish line. I'm thankful for the support that I have in my dailymile running friends. They are great motivators and inspiration for me when I'm having to push through a tough time.