Marathon Training Update

Well, we're 6 weeks away from Dooms Day....

Er...

I mean, my very first full marathon.

I've run many races before, but never this far. And this training deal is no joke. It's almost like having a part-time job with the amount of time it takes. I'll be honest, it hasn't been fun. I whine and moan to Bryant before every medium to long run I have to do... which is every other day or so.  So he's probably excited this race is only 6 weeks away now. Only 6 more weeks of him having to listen to my complaints.

So I've finished my longest run to date (3 hours of my life spent on the Germantown Greenway and at Shelby Farms last Sunday) and have come to the conclusion that I am actually going to finish this race.

26.2 miles.

REALLY??

Who does that??

Well, lots of people... but whatever. You can pick up what I'm throwing down.

Despite all the whining I've been doing to everyone who will listen Bryant and a few close friends. I'm super excited that this is going to happen.

What I'm MOST excited about is this race works to raise MILLIONS of dollars for the precious kids at St Jude Research Hospital and their families. I don't think I would have signed up for any other marathon to be my first (and possibly my last), because of that.

Donations and fundraisers like this marathon work to fund research and treatments of childhood cancer at St. Jude. But I think one of the coolest things about this hospital is that no family ever has to pay St. Jude for anything, including lodging, food and travel.

As a mom - that tugs at my heart. That, because of donations from generous people (both small and large), families with sick children have one less thing to worry about (and let's be real... it could be a $$HUGE$$ issue) besides their child's health.

So, here's my plea.

If you are willing and able, I would GREATLY appreciate it if you would help the cause at St. Jude with me. Any and all donations are welcome! My goal is $500, and I have already raised $285. So we're 57% there! And all my funds have to be raised by Nov. 15th.

If you are on-board, click over to MY FUNDRAISING PAGE to donate. Thank you so much!

And wish me luck in not breaking myself during the actual run!! Ha!

The Happiest 5K on the Planet!

This past Saturday was the first annual Memphis Color Run. And I have to say, it was an absolute blast! MK has been looking forward to this run since we signed up in June. She would watch the official video over and over... and finally the day came!

After a semi-grumpy wake up call for her (I mean, I woke her up prior to 8am on her fall break! Sheesh! Who do I think I am??), she got pumped up for the run once we decked ourselves out in the sweatband and face tattoos. We met up with our friends Molly, Lacey, Britney, & Britney's family once we arrived at Tiger Stadium, where the race was held. Unfortunately, the hubs didn't do the run, but he did ride his bike there (#typical) and took some stellar photos!

 I have to be honest when it comes to MK. She is very competitive. She informed me on the way there that she was going to run so fast and beat everybody. Really. She was in it for the WIN. For the record, she is not at all like her mom or dad when it comes to that personality trait.... Riiigggghhhttttt.... Anyway, she was serious, yet pumped up and literally ran almost the whole race herself (probably around 2-2.5 miles). Pretty good for 3 years old, if you ask me! Even with the stops to drink, play in the color on the ground, and photo-ops, we ended up finishing in about 55 minutes.

Below is a gallery of photos from our run. Enjoy! I know we did!

Races, Races, & More Races

I got an email the other day from my friend Molly, saying the she and two other friends had signed up for the Cooper-Young 4 Miler and wanted to see if I wanted to run as well. Being the race obsessed enthusiast I am, I immediately went online and registered before even replying back.

I did this race two years ago and had a blast. It starts at 7pm, so you end up running in the dark -- which is a fun change for me. What makes this particular race a good time is that it runs through the Cooper-Young neighborhood and residents are out in full font yard party mode! (Think couches, red solo cups, peer pong, kegs, and corn-hole littered across 4 miles of neighborhood front yards. Drunk partiers offer water, gatorade, beer and encouragement the entire route. Stereos blast the likes of 'Eye of the Tiger' and 'Push It,' as well. #GoodTimes) So it's you, 2500 of your closest running friends and the drunken house-party goers enjoying Friday evening together! There are also bars and restaurants along the course, so you have those drunken fools cheering you on as well! #SoFun.

So anyway, my friends and I carpooled to the race, where I ran into Caroline, Beth, and a lot of old friends who were racing as well. I even saw a pastor from my church. I did mention that the entire city of Memphis was basically there, right? The small neighborhood quadruples in size during this event.

The after-party was cool too, with a band, food (VEGGIE friendly food!! Wahoo! Thanks Start 2 Finish!) and some of old friends performing a few silks routines. (Below is a video I caught of part of their first performance... Pretty cool if you ask me. Feel free to watch if you'd like. Don't mind my annoying voice and cackling in the background!)



As far as the actual race goes, I wasn't really worried about my time too much. Though I definitely wanted to beat my time from two years ago (37:26), which I did. In fact, I got another PR (from Zoom Through The Zoo), which was cool. In fact, if I am not mistaken, I think all of my friends may have PR'ed as well! #TeamRunBigRocks

Splits = Yard Sale!
Mile 1 – 8:27
Mile 2 – 8:46
Mile 3 – 8:39
Mile 4 – 8:35
Time: 34:41 (8:36 pace)
Age Place: 38/279
After the race, we decided to skip out on the 2500+ population of the Cooper-Young area restaurants/bars and headed to Brookhaven, where we yet again ran into more old co-workers and friends, including my old boss and CEO. So yes... Everybody and their dog was out on the town last night. (And I literally means dogs... At the race, I had more than one pooch cross the finish line before me! Nothing like Fido killing 4 miles faster than you to deflate the ego.) I wish I would have done this one last year, I'd forgotten what a good time it is. So all in all, it was a great night of racing and hanging out with friends.

Team Run Big!
LtoR: Kelly, Me, Elizabeth, & Molly

Come to think of it, I guess I haven't updated the 'ole blog on my past 2 races either, huh? #whoops

So here you go:

RRS 2nd 5 Miler: 42:44 -- I wasn't feeling completely up-to-par and it was hot as hell (No excuses, right?? ;-) ), though I still did okay and put in a decent time.

Splits:
Mile 1 – 8:20
Mile 2 – 8:21
Mile 3 – 8:26
Mile 4 – 8:43
Mile 5 – 8:37
*I just LOVE when I do positive splits... pause NOT.
Time: 42:44 (8:33 pace)
Age Place: 15/60
RRS 1st 10K: 54:53 -- Often times, my running coach (a.k.a. my tyrant loving husband) & I get into fights. This day was almost one of them, until I decided 6:45am is not the time to fight since I was basically still asleep. He wanted this race to be more of a training run, where I paced myself and focused more on the hills during the course (i.e. run like hell up them & pace myself on the flat). I, on the other hand, looked at it as a race. I mean, I paid for it, right? I should run the crap out of it.... right?

But whatever.... I listened to him. He's the expert, right? #StillHaveAHardTimeAdmitingThat ;-)

Besides, if I had not given in and continued to be stubborn, Memphis Road Runners definitely would not have caught me using his jacket snuggling with him, as seen in the photo below. #HeWouldNotHaveReceivedAHugWhatsoever

Splits: All over the place with the hilly route and my pushing up those harder than normal!
Time: 54:53 (8:33 pace)
Age Place: 15/55

The Day I Didn't Walk of Defecate Myself

Well...it's been a week or so and I've been slacking on the updates but I'm here now to let y'all know that running long distances is probably not the best idea I've ever had. Seriously. I think a part of me died the day of my first Half Marathon. That part of me was from the waste down. Not kidding.... I left Atlanta with what I think were two broken knees, a sprained ankle, and a bum hip. I felt like I was eighty six years old when I finally finished. (Okay, okay - I didn't really injure anything, but you SURE AS HELL could have fooled me in the few post-race hours.)

Freezing pre-race at 7am start!

Let's start with a re-cap of my goals for this race. (You can always read my pre-race blog here too!) My mental notes throughout the race were as follows:

"Do NOT, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES crap yourself."

I know, this isn't a very lady-like topic, but this is the real deal and it needs to be discussed. Just in case you aren't into endurance type sports - let me give you a heads up. People WILLINGLY defecate themselves and marinade in their feces all the time during these things. NO JOKE HERE. They really do! And I, being a modest, I-will-break-your-legs-if-you-so-much-as-THINK-of-beating-me competitive type of person, was willing to lose a to the obnoxiously skinny yet sort of weirdly muscular Kenyan if I needed to "drop a load," if you will. I was okay with it, believe it or not. I was NOT okay however, with being unsanitary during this race....I was already going to be sweaty, and that's gross enough. Task completed. No bodily waste left my body during those couple hours.

"Do NOT walk."

Mission accomplished. Can I get a "Whoop Whoop?" (whoop! whoop!) Alright, I may have "slowed down" through two of the water/feed stations (yes, a "feed" station....like we were cattle or something. Oh, and I was herded into Corral G at the start. For real. We started in CORRALS. Like I said - cattle.), but I had done my mascara and makeup that morning and there was no way I planned on sloshing Gatorade all up my face while trying to imbibe the oh-so-needed drink and risk ruining what little bit I still had left on my face. Some things are just not worth it.

"Tumble over the finish line."

Mission NOT accomplished. BOO! There were a bunch of peeps in my way or I TOTALLY would have done at least a cartwheel. I was, and still am, annoyed. Let's not talk about it.

Some people just couldn't hang long enough to see the finish!

It's the EYE OF THE TIGER!! Rounding the corner to the finish

All done and still on our feet!! HOODIE HOO!!

A few noteworthy items that I noticed during the whole race experience.

TRUE endurance athletes will organize their race packets.

I was informed by a friend that this is a necessary part of race preparation. (This friend by the way is an absolutely OUT-OF-HIS-EVER-LOVIN' MIND obsessive endurance athlete. Seriously. He's an IronMan (you like how I bolded the word "IronMan?" I feel like it gives the name more UMPHF when read, like it deserves. Read it again and let me know what you think.) who will all in one day, run a full marathon, swim across the Pacific Ocean, ride a bike from Cali to New York, wrestle alligators in the Sahara Desert (do they even HAVE alligators in the Sarhara? I didn't think so...yep, that's how good he is.), all the while wearing spandex. Yep. Enjoy that mental image that just popped in your mind.) Okay, now....really?? I have to ORGANIZE theadvetisements that race sponsors put in a plastic baggie for me? The only important piece of information I needed from that bag was the course map (in case I needed to find a short-cut at about mile 5 or 6! At that point, I figured I wouldn't be above using a one. You gotta do what you gotta do, right?)

Atlanta, GA is apparently built in the mountains. For real. The Rocky Mountains I think. Not the weenie Smokies. But whatever...Downtown Atlanta has mountains. And my quadraceps felt every last incline.

Did you know that African American children are an endangered species? I passed an anti-abortion billboard that said that at mile 8. I had no clue....

People are wasteful. I saw more people throw away clothes on that run, than I've ever seen at any Goodwill or Plato's Closet before. I was jumping over sweatshirts and t-shirts left and right. I understand getting overheated while running, but really?? Tie your shirt around your waist! My husband would have KILLED me if I started throwing away clothes. Especially the cute Nike stuff I'd bought just for this occasion. But I'll be honest, the main reason I didn't was because I didn't want to scare small children. Like I've said before....nobody wants to see this post-partumness.

Race finishers! Kelly, Storm, & Me!

Overall, the whole experience was actually a super fun one, and despite all my nay-saying, I will definitely run in one again. Next time I just plan on training properly before. Because maybe then, I'll be able to walk the week after.

The Day After Tomorrow

Alright, this post is going to be short and sweet. I know a lot of people use their blogs as sort of an outlet and a way to reach people and ask for help. So I'm doing just that.

I need prayers. Lots. Lots of GOOD prayers. Lots of good and GENUINE prayers.

Seriously. This weekend may be the end of what we all know (and hopefully love) of....me.

Yep. It's here. DDay. Dreaded Day. Or DEAD Day as the case may be. The day of my very first HALF-I-MUST-BE-OUT-OF-MY-EVER-LOVIN-MIND-MARATHON!!! Seriously? What was I thinking? I tried to explain why I registered in an earlier blog, but now...well, crap. I have no idea.

So I was all uber-pumped up about my first long distance race after I signed up for it, but then it happened. I was training, running, ya know - doing my half-marathon preparation thing - and BAM! It hit.

Burnout.

I just stopped running.

Okay, okay - I've done a short three or four mile run here and there since the burnout hit, but honestly, for the past month, I've maybe ran a total of five miles. Yes. FIVE!! And I plan on running THIRTEEN POINT ONE day after tomorrow. (Wasn't "Day After Tomorrow" a movie about the end of the Earth? Yep - that's about where I'm at.) This is going to be bad. So that's why I need some prayers. Because, quite literally, I might die. This could be the end of me as we know it. So any shout outs to the Big Guy upstairs on my behalf would be great!

 A few notes on this weekend's shenanigans...

I will go ahead and actually go to Atlanta to run, despite every instinct of mine telling me not to...

I WILL let the weather decide on my fate (Weather.com called for thunderstorms early Sunday morning and I'm praying the I-never-get-one-forecast-correct website FINALLY gets something right!)...

I WILL NOT be so competitive (despite my crazy O.C.D. competitive nature) that I don't stop to pee if nature calls...(I also discussed this disturbing common occurrence during marathons in my earlier blog.)

I'm not above Tweeting while running/walking/crawling/dying during the 13.1 miles if they allow me! Be on the lookout!

I HAVE done what some call "mind training" for this race, however. I learned this from an old friend and roommate in college. To properly train this way, you just have to think really hard about what you're about to do. And let me tell you - it's exhausting.

I've thought long and hard about running. Not just running, but running THIS race in hilly, downtown ATL. And I think it's working. My mind feels up to the challenge. My friend even suggested to wear baggy clothes and use weights while thinking, but I bypassed that part. I can only handle so much strenuous thinking activity in one day, ya know?

Anyway, in closing, I have to be the annoying Devil's Advocate that my friends say I am....a few positive notes about this weekend.....my mind is trained and ready to go, I'll get to visit and stay in downtown Atlanta (which I've heard is the bomb diggity), I won't get rained on, and I won't have piss running down my legs.

Hotlanta here I come!!

In the words of the legendary Ricky Bobby, "If you ain’t first, your last!"

So an update on my hobby….(the running hobby, not to be confused with the blogging hobby.) I ran in my second race ever today. And yep….sound the Olympic bells, light the Olympic torch, and let the Olympic Committee know…..I'm on my way to being the World Champion in a VERY tough division. It was a tough one (And P.S., the ninety-f*ing-seven-damn-the-Memphis-humidity- degree weather had nothing to do with the so-called "toughness"), but I prevailed and came out in 2nd place! And what division am I going to represent my country in, you ask?? Well…you might want to sit down for this, but it's.…….the 5K!!

I know, right? Who would have thunk it? That I, KFun, a self-proclaimed "I do NOT run" runner (what does that even mean??), would be racing in what some might consider the most taxing Olympic sport known to man? The FIVE K??? (Disclaimer: please note that if you are not a regular reader of the KFun blogs, she tends to use a small amount of sarcasm in them. This would be a prime example.) Well, my friends, I have shattered all mediocre expectations that you most likely had for me.

AND, because I like you, I'll let you in on my stellar training secrets. You might want to take some notes for this, and it's gonna be quick, but here goes….take a long weekend off from running for the 4th of July, party hard and drinks lots…of alcohol, engage in multiple hardcore battles of late night Laser Tag with some ghetto 14 year olds the eve of the race, and eat LOTS of chili-cheese dip & chips. There you have it. My training secrets. Here's a run down of race….
00:00:00 – Race starts. Feelin' good, despite the late night of multiple laser quests!
00:08:30 – 1 mile down…thank GOD!!
00:16:26 – get passed by what looks to be an 82 year old grandmother. Awesome.
00:17:10 – I think I just vomited chili cheese in my mouth. Even more awesome.
00:22:00 – Holy shit (this was a church race after all, so "Holy" is only appropriate), they expect me to RUN up THAT hill??
00:00:00 – (we've come to the point where I no longer share my times ;) Attempt to keep my legs moving under me after finishing THAT hill!
00:00:00 – Cross finish line. Is that the Rocky soundtrack I hear fainting playing in the background??



Anyway, that's about how it all went down. Unfortunately, I only placed second. And in the words of the great and legendary Ricky Bobby, if you ain't first, you're last. I must have let that slip my mind at the point when the chili cheese dip started to make a cameo. Next time Ricky, next time. 8-8-08. That'll be when I live up to 'ole Ricky's expectations. Bejing, here I come. 8-8-08, baby!!