November is in the Books!

The frogs and monkeys are in, and nutritionally, I pretty much rocked november! Yeah!!!

Here is my photographic evidence of staying on track with my nutrition!!!

Here is my binder:

This is how I track. The sheets (and entire nutrition program....) are compliments of Ilana Katz!

And here is the calendar!

Very happy with this month. Now, on to December!

The Cupcake is Mine!

The last day of November!

Tonight, I am going to post a picture of my November calendar. It is JAMMED with monkey and frog stickers. That's right. I have rocked the month of N ovember (with indended and allowed Thanksgiving yumminess!). I have actually done even BETTER than my rules.

I have now upped it a little, and starting sunday, I have to have all frogs (tracked food according to nutritionist plan) AND monkeys (no dessert days) until after the Tashka 50K. That's every day from Sunday until December 10th. I got this.

So, I kind of already ordered my gifts to myself--and I promised myself, george, and my bank account that I WILL earn every monkey and frog (even with my new supercharged version) until the race. NO slipping AT ALL! Because, I already got my stuff.

So, from all3sports, I ordered:

AND


So, they are compression pants and calf sleeves with ice packs that you can insert. YES. Ice bath without the ice bath! I am all about recovery these days, so I can't WAIT to try them out and see how they help me get over soreness and get back out there faster. Compression is supposed to really help with recovery, and I am a huge believer in ice, so this combo should be pretty killer.


AND....as an early christmas present, on cyber monday, I got....


I will post my own pictures of me wearing the coolest hoodie ever as soon as I get it. AND I got a sticker, so the toaster/box car/black hole(as george calls it) will be soon be sporting a killer cupcake and crossbones too. YES! (Thanks to Sparkles for sending me the Johnny Cupcakes Coupon.

Now, I am going to be watching my ups tracker and waiting for these things to arrive!!!

Running and Eating....My Two Favorites!

So, part of my nutrition plan included allowing myself three days of lee-way during Thanksgiving. Now, I have done even better, and actually kept it just to dinner of those days (plus three days of dessert!).

Today is my last day of fun before I crunch back down for two straight weeks until Tashka. I can use getting rid of any last pound for 50K and being properly fueled in my last bit of training!

Today was supposed to be an easy 10.....riiiight......I met Laura on some trails that I didn't know, and we more or less hammered it for almost 2.5 hours. 13 for sure. Big hills. Oh, and the last two miles were flat, and we ran hard hard hard. For sure 8 minute miles, two days after my race, and at the end of my "easy recovery run." We tried to do two more huge hill repeats to add a couple of miles, but my left leg refused. I know that sounds weird, but it is entirely true. It kindof just stopped. Something started catching in the back of my knee. I think when we stopped for just a minute to say hello to George and get a drink of water, my legs just got really really cold, and then we tried to go straight uphill. But, she was already over 18, and I was 3 miles over my "recovery run" anyway, so we called it a day. No time for injury, even if they are small!

I was wiped out after that run. I mean super tired. I ate, I took a nap, I ate some more, and I watched tv...you get the idea.

Then, we went out to eat at a new place. Must celebrate my last relaxed day before I get nutritionally super serious again, right!

So, we tried out this gem of a restaurant. Yum, yum, yum. It was amazing. My only problem is that I didn't know about this place the three years we have lived her in Midtown Atlanta. It was seriously amazing. And we ate a TON of food, and....shhhh....I have vegan chocolate cake in the fridge waiting for us to have room to eat it!!!

Now, I just want the cookbook!

For my Athens friends, it felt like the Grit, but grown up, got a job, cost a little more, but still likes desserts!

Oh, here is a picture of the appetizer box that we ordered, because ALL of the appetizers looked good!

But ours had a couple of different things!

Yummmm.....it was awesome.

Can't wait to eat that cake :-)

Thanksgiving!

All right....Thanksgiving!

I woke up and ran the Atlanta Track Club Thanksgiving Half Marathon

This is the third year I have run it! Those are my three medals. My times have improved every year, and so have the medals :-)

Mia, Ryan, and Zach came with George and yours truly to the race. Amazingly, Ryan found Zach AFTER the race started to get his number from him. Did I mention 12,000 people registered? Incredible.

Mia and George chased us around, and captured these pics!

Here I am in the pink shorts about to run by our house. Crazy how humid it was! It was practically hot out there!

Here goes Zach!

Turning a corner and trying to smile, I know Mia is taking pictures!

Awesome pic of Ryan!

Ready to finish this day up!

And done!

Meeting the guys at the "D" for Darden!

And here I am with my medal. 1:49:08. I've done better, and I've done worse.

The epilogue is that later on, I ate so much pie I made myself sick! Yum!

Trail Running at Ft Yargo

An epic morning was had by all...and then an epic afternoon!

So, I met Sparkles, Chris, and Erica for a long run at Ft. Yargo State Park in Winder.

Together, we tackled the awesome trails for 12.5 miles together.

Towards the end, Erica and I were on our own. Now, mind you, no one had ever run these trails before. Also note that the trails are really meant for mountain bikers....SO, there are these by passes that skip the technical stuff for a bike, and we were determined not to miss any thing. So, the map shows us some terribly named thing: horseshoe drop. We said, NO BYPASS, and went down on our butts. Then, we crawled up the other side and fell to the ground laughing....well first, I found a picture online of this monstrosity:

Hardly even gives it justice.

Anyway, we were on the ground laughing, because, well the bypass really just barely went to the right. In fact, I think the bypass was probably longer than the actual horseshoe drop. Good work us.

So, my lovely friends left, and I was off on my own for the 7 mile inner loop. Somewhere on top of a giant giant hill, I realized I could look way way way down.....and see the trail. Great. That was a good extra mile....at least! Missed these signs:

But, it was a great adventuresome crazy morning/afternoon/early evening. I felt really solid on that 20+ miler, and even though I didn't really feel like going another 10, I probably could have if I had to. That is a good place to be. December 11th is coming soon!

Run Run Run

So, this is a pretty big week for me running-wise....

I am done with work for the week, and I get to do a long run, short run, race, medium run (and ride a few times too!). How could I ask for anything more? Hmmmm...I can't. I am an incredibly lucky human being.

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So, on the unlucky side of things....... ;-)

I was running on Thursday, and I really had to go to the bathroom. I mean seriously, really really really had to go to the bathroom. I was trying to coach myself through the rest of the run in my head, and I look up and see one of these in the middle of the sidewalk.

Come on universe. You have GOT to be kidding me. OR, thinks my evil side, maybe it was sent for me because I was focused SO hard on wanting/needing a toilet.

BUT, since I didn't want to waste money on bail (I was in the middle of the lovely Virginia-Highlands neighborhood), I kept painfully running.

THEN, I remembered the bathroom in the park by the tennis courts. YES--I can make it. So I make my way up there and realize that the security guy is walking towards them....NOOOOOO...he CANT lock it before I get there!

I run up, panting, and say, "PLEASE let me use the bathroom before you close it!!!" And he says, "Sweetheart, it closed at 6, and it's 8 now." NOOOOOOO. I pull myself together, and keep running. I am really close to home. I can do this

Then, I hear a sound behind me, and a golf cart, driven by my security guard friend pulls up and say, "get in." I say, "thank you SOOO much, but I live right here, and I am almost home." He says, "you sure? I can get you into a bathroom, and I really don't want you to suffer." I thank him again, dart across the street, and burst into my house. Man, was it good to be home!!!!

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My epic morning run will have to wait for the next post. There is NO way to follow that story :-)

Serenbe Official Results

Just a little more on Serenbe....since they released some results!




So, I figured I would share the official Serenbe results. I was fifth in my AG. I know I should not be upset with that. But I am kind of. Granted, any other age group, and I would have been 1st or 2nd, but I am not in any other age group!

It was also out of 37 women, so it's not that bad, really! I should be happy with it, and I am, but I am DYING to be in the top three of something. I have not had one top three event in 2010......Guess I should just keep on working!!! It's going to happen......I am getting faster, so I am sure it will!

Do not want to sound whiny. That is 8:30 pace on a tough trail race without any speed work, and I seriously gave it everything I had! I can't control who else shows up to a race, I can only control myself!



Now, this is so cool, so I have to share it too, because I am SO proud of him! He is such a competitor too. Look at how he held those other dudes off!



Not only that, but George is front and center of the photographer's "teaser picture" (since they haven't released pictures yet. He's in the red shirt looking like he's ready to win this thing.


If that's what all the pictures looks like, we will certainly be buying some!

Why My Massage Therapist is the Best There Is!

My massage therapist's name is Sara:





Let's get something straight--she's the best, and I am REALLY REALLY lucky. Here's my top ten reasons.

10. She can fix my hips. I mean, really fix them. It is amazing how much better I feel when I see her.

9. She leaves 7:30 on Thursdays open for me. That is SO cool.

8. She saves the best sheets for me. The cute ones!! So when I am in pain, I get to look at the adorable pinks and purples as I cry ;-)

7. I get to control the music when she works on me. That can work against me though, if I pick something she wants to dance to while working on my IT band...or abductors.



6. She has worked on me after a race, on a porch, overlooking the ocean.

5. After my Ironman, she worked on my back, and unstuck all of my muscles from my ribs, and I could BREATHE again. It was really incredible. And after every massage, my entire body adjusts itself, which is SO cool :-)

4. She comes with me to every race she can to cheer and to make sure I am straightened up after wards! She will be at the goofy challenge AND even more importantly IM St. George!!!

3. She has taken me to see Dave Matthews.....TWICE! (Including last night!!!!!)

2. She believes in me as an athlete. I mean truly believes in me, and is willing to go above and beyond anything she has to do to help me reach my goals.


1. She is my friend. How lucky am I?

Motivation

Motivation--sometimes it wears thin. All day long Monday, everything on me hurt and I just wanted to sleep and sleep and sleep. So, I got home from school, and went to sleep for an hour. I am not a napper at all, so when I woke up, I just wanted to go back to sleep. I mean, seriously, I felt awful mentally and physically.

Of course, it was only saturday that I was telling TyTy, "it doesn't matter if you WANT to run, or if you feel GOOD running, it matters that you run." Great advice Kacie. Came back to haunt me 48 hours later, when I didn't want to do any of it.

But then, there is this guy in my head:


So, of course, I went to the pool. Swam a miserably and embarrassingly slow 2500 that I was mortified to put into my training peaks for my coach to see. Yeah, it was that bad. But I did.

Then, I went to bed , and got up super early to get my run in from 5:30-6:30. Yuck. On a treadmill because it was raining. Double yuck. And my headphone buzzed loudly in my ears. Triple yuck. Cant think of anything else to get to a quad yuck, but I feel like I earned it.

Why so yuck? Because I don't feel like it. I love all of the support I have from my friends and family, but sometimes I just don't feel like it, and I mean I REALLY don't feel like it.

But if I have learned anything from achieving so many goals that I once thought impossible for me, it is that you DO have to suck it up buttercup. There really are not many excuses that get you out of a workout--at least not if you really want to reach that goal. And, well, I have a lot of goals that I want to reach. And they keep getting bigger--which means that the dedication is even more important than my motivation.

Quick review to myself of WHY I must stay dedicated:

Next Thursday, this will be a race effort:


Three weeks from Saturday is my longest run EVER:

Less than two months until the Goofy:



And Ironman St. George is in 5.5 Months:


My amazing friend TyTy told me this weekend that she believed I can do anything I put my mind to. I must agree. I have to agree. I wouldn't do this stuff if I didn't believe in myself. BUT--it doesn't mean I want to do every workout or I don't get tired or overwhelmed by it all. I do. It is hard. But anything in life has its ups and downs. Anything worth doing anyway.

Great Weekend, and Very Tired Legs!

So this weekend has been---epic---to take a cycling word!

First, it started with a spaghetti dinner, sparkles, george

and a trail race. That's about as good as things get! Then, brunch with TyTy, and shopping at West Stride. Early to bed, back out and on the bike up north with Laura and Friends, and now home, and very very tired!

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First, the trail race--

So, we got up early, ate some bagels, listened to some music, and drove down to Serenbe, which is a beautiful development south of Atlanta. Here's the crew that came from my house! George, me, and then Sparkles (who is rocking the visor from her first half!--love it!)

My sweet husband and me before his first running race in 2.5 years. His words to me were, "I either need to break an hour or win to be happy at this race." No pressure. None.

And the wonderful and incredible Sparkles, who is up from Athens to run her first trail race. An ambitious undertaking.

At the start, they asked people to raise their hands if they have run this race all three years they have had it. I raised my hand and cheered. Then some guys lined up a the start who heard me asked me some questions about the course, and I said I had no idea, and I couldn't remember anything......oh, and I told George and Sparkles it wasn't very hilly.

So, lets get something straight. I don't remember THAT much about races, or locations, or well, anything geographical is general.

Moral of the story, it was a tough, hilly course! In 2008, I ran with my awesome friend Katie in 1:50. In 2009, I ran with my snappy up the hills friend Cate in 1:33. So, in 2010, I had to improve a ton again, right? No pressure. None

And, we're off. Tough and Hilly it was, and I had clearly forgotten...

At the front of the race, George (who I am clearly a bad influence on), took the lead group off course, and spent a couple of minutes trying to find the course. To his credit, it was not well marked there. When he realized he wasn't going to make it under 1 hour, he realized he had to win. I wish I could do that! 1:01:50 including a detour.

I put way way more into the race than I was really all that trained for, and finished in 1:19:45! 8:33 pace on trails! Yes!!

My friend Chris that I work with came in right behind me at around 1:20. We decided we had to make it an "epic battle" story to tell the kids monday. Here is the battle in pictures.

And that, kids, is exactly how it happened.

Ok, maybe I just saw Chris before the race, one time on the trail, and after the race, but that TOTALLY makes a better story!!!

Sparkles came in, and I got to cheer for her!!! Yippie!!! First trail race, and I am SO impressed with her, considering she started running in the spring! I don't really know her time, but it was for SURE way faster than my first time out there!

My coach, and his wife Nancy came out and raced too, and it was awesome to have them out there and to cheer them off at the finish!

Isn't george's medal in that picture great? It was made by a local blacksmith!

He also won a $50 gift certificate to phidipides, which he handed to me and told me to get some new running shoes before the build to the 50K!!!

AND, we won a great duffel bag, which he is using for his new swim gear!

AND, we won one of these, which he also handed to me to train with on the trails. YES! I love it when george wins, and I am also INSANELY proud of him, which is a great feeling as his wife!!

Here we are in our great shirts together after some flying biscuit breakfast.

The rest of the weekend update will have to wait. Apparently, I have to go buy food now with george!