Enmark Savannah Bridge Run 5K

We had a BLAST!!! Of course it didn’t seem like it was going to go that way to begin with. I was kinda worried about the thing all week, mostly because Ean didn’t train much and he had to work the night before. The funny thing is when he got home from work Friday night, I was still awake with a bad case of pre-race jitters. I just couldn’t calm myself down to go to sleep. I ate a big meal of carbs (deer spaghetti) and washed it down with a Jim and Coke mixed drink...but alas...no sleep. I think I finally fell asleep around 11:45PM. The alarm went off at 4:00AM and I hit the snooze once and jumped out of bed when it went off again at 4:15AM. I showered, got ready, ate a small bowl of oatmeal and woke up Ean. We left home at 5:06AM. The sun was coming up as we went over the bridge and it was beautiful. Another great photo opportunity missed!

I was one of the first ones to pick up my race packet for the morning. There wasn’t a line for the restroom...which was great since I was about to bust because I had drank a cup of coffee and a container of water on the way down. Ean had slept all the way there and didn’t wake up any happier when we got there than he was when we left the house. He had not one iota of excitement. He said he wasn’t getting out until the race started at 8:15AM. I finally convinced him he better get in line if he wanted to use the restroom and we got out of the truck at 7:45AM. After standing in line to use the portapotty and getting our business done, we tried to figure out where we should line up. In our race packet it showed 3 zones: Zone 1 for competitive racers, Zone 2 for average runners, and Zone 3 for walkers and baby strollers. I knew from my other two races we did NOT want to get stuck behind the baby strollers...unless they were jogger strollers...I’ve been passed by them several times! Anyway, there was excitement in the air, loud music playing, people walking around in funny costumes and it was COLD, very cold. I had to keep bouncing around to stay warm. When the call came to line up for the race, I figured we would be safest between Zone 2 and Zone 3....but they didn’t have the zones marked so it was hard to figure out where to go. Since there were over 6,000 participants the start was very slow. It seemed like 5 minutes had passed by the time we made it to the starting line and could start running. I told Ean, “Don’t try to go too fast in the beginning, just jog at an easy pace because that bridge is going to be a Killer!” I told him to tell me if he needed to stop and take a walk break. I could hear him hassling behind me and I was worried how this was going to end. We took a walk break a little before mile 1 but I only let him take 1 minute and 30 sec and then we got back to running. Now, technically I’m not sure you can call my little turtle trot (that’s what Ken calls it) a run. I’m not even sure if it is classified as a jog but it serves me well. I know how to pace myself. We took another little break almost to the top of the bridge, to stop and snap a couple of pics and then we were on the move again. The down hill was the best because all you had to do was relax and let gravity do the hard work. There was a little bit more of an incline on the off ramp and then we were in downtown Savannah. We passed the Thunderbird hotel and then I started to pick up my pace. Ean had figured out the best way for him to run it was to run ahead and then I would catch up with him on his walk breaks, because my legs felt better if I stayed in running position and didn’t walk. So he was ahead of me. I figured when I picked up my pace that I would catch up to him and we would cross the finish line together. But, guess what? Ean picked up the pace too. When we hit the straightaway to the finish line, he was running all out...I was afraid he would pass out. The crowd was yelling and ringing the cowbells and it was just an awesome feeling! I was running all out by that time too and ended up finishing 11 sec behind him. His time was 41:26 and mine was 41:37. I think that was excellent for his first 5K, especially one with a mile of it on a 5% incline! I was so proud of him. The first thing he said to me when I caught up to him was, “When are you doing another one because I want to do it too! ” Maybe I’ve finally converted one of my guys into a runner.

I’ve only done three 5Ks this year, but this was my BEST experience yet. I’m not sure if it was because Ean was with me or because my body felt so up to the task. I trained properly ahead of time by doing hill repeats and 4 mile LSRs. It was a very good run and I look forward to doing the 10K next year!

After Thanksgiving Comeback

I was able to keep up my workout routine through my week off for Thanksgiving but my eating from Thanksgiving through the weekend was horrible. Seems the unifying ingredient for anything tasty, rich, and yummy is BUTTER, and I feel like I may have eaten a pound of it! But by Sunday I was craving salad. Weird how your body knows what it needs...sometimes we just need to listen. I did all my workouts last week:

Monday: Yoga and Strength Training
Tuesday: Since I was off, skipped Taebo and went on a long bike ride that was so beautiful my 30 minute workout turned into an hour
Wednesday: 3 mile run on my fave gravel road
Thursday: Supposed to be a day off, but I knew what I was about to eat, so I did a turkey trot with my dogs around the field at the farm
Friday: 2 mile run around field at farm
Saturday: Thankfully was a day of rest
Sunday: 4.5 mi LSR (Long Slow Run...for those of you who may not know)

My long run on Sunday seemed excruciatingly LONG. It was very humid and that tires me out quickly. I had to take several walking breaks and thought about turning back before I got to the 2.25 mile mark but I pushed through it and made all the mileage. I think the long bike ride on Tuesday did a lot of damage to my legs and they have been trying to recover all week because during all my runs after that, they felt like concrete pillars.

This Saturday Ean and I will be doing the Enmark Bridge Run. Doubt we’ll run much because Ean hasn’t done the proper training, but maybe it will inspire him to sign up for another and really train for it ahead of time. I’m just looking forward to the electricity of the crowd of 6,000 runners and walkers and to taking some great pics!

Deer Chili is Da Bomb

We had a healthy supper tonight that even my 2 guys loved, deer chili. You see, they don't realize how much better deer or venison,if you want to sound fancy, is for you compared to beef. But I read this article so I do. What also makes it taste so great is knowing that many of the ingredients such as the deer, tomatoes, and peppers were all home grown on our farm.
These are the ingredients: Ground deer, onions, pickled cayenne peppers from our garden, home canned tomatoes from our garden, large can of tomato paste, Carol Shelby's Chili Kit (contains chili powder, mesa flour, ground cayenne, and salt), a can of pinto beans, and a can of dark red kidney beans.


This is the finished product with some crispy baked cornbread.

Scenery from a Bike Ride

A GORGEOUS day for a bike ride. This is also the same place I do my running. I enjoy the rural views and quiet landscape. I have seen deer, turkeys, and wild hogs on runs and bike rides on this road.







This is a killer hill to run up and bike up...which may have killed our little friend below. :(


Remains of a opossum

almost done now...I can see my little blue truck in the distance


NOTE: These pics were not taken with my DSLR. They were taken with my little point and shoot Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX12 that only has 7.2 megapixels. My mom gave it to me a few years ago---THANKS MOM!!! It's easier to transport and takes fabulous landscape pics. I love the way the sky looks in the pics above. I'll be using this little camera when Ean and I do the Bridge Run in December.

Pre and Post Workout Snacks

So this is what I've been eating before and after my workouts lately. I generally don't drink a protein shake unless I have a really hard workout and I think I need some good stuff to repair the damage I've done to my muscles. Today I went on a long--60 minute, hard--lots of hills, 6.5 mile bike ride. This is what I ate before leaving to give me the energy to make it: toasted one of these...which I LOVE for all kinds of sammiches...from peanut butter to chicken to burgers! I smeared a little apple butter on them, just because it's so cinnamony good. Then when I got back, I took these items: Scoop protein powder, tbsp flaxseed meal, sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a whole pre-baked sweet potato blended together with a cup of skim milk. I call it my sweet potato pie protein shake. YUMMIO!

Favorite song right now

Absolutely the BEST song out right now. You cannot be still when this is playing! I drive my hubby CRAZY dancing around to this! Also makes you run really fast...with a smile on your face!

New Running Music

Downloaded the new Coldplay album yesterday before my long run.

I felt like I was in "para para paradise" and "up with the birds". It made those 4.5 miles fly by!

Check out my new blog site

http://cliftonfarmadventures.blogspot.com/

Here you will find pictures of the farm and the adventures we have there. I will do my best to update it at least monthly.

The Plan

I’m using Hal Higdon’s 10-K Training Program for Novices (www.halhigdon.com/10ktraining/10knovice.htm), however instead of finishing the program in 8 weeks, I am going to do each week twice and make it last 16 weeks. This will take me up to February and a 10-K I plan on running in Savannah in the Historic District. I also had to adjust the schedule to make it fit my work week. It had runs on Tuesdays originally, and that would be very difficult for me since we work 10 hour days on Tuesdays and I wouldn’t get off until 6:30 PM. I also decided to start at Week 3 since I have been running 4 miles for my long runs for the past few weeks. So this is what my schedule was like last week:

MON: Stretch and Strengthen--I got up at 5:00 AM and did yoga with a DVD and then did 3 sets of 12 reps in my wt. training.

TUE: 35 minutes crosstrain--I deemed it “Taebo Tuesday” and met Billy Blanks in front of the tv at 5:00 AM---it was a killer workout...harder than running!

WED: 2.5 mi run---YAY! It had seemed like FOREVER since I had run on Sunday---got it done in 30 minutes.

THU: Rest---the only off day in the schedule---I felt LAZY but I realize my body needed it to recuperate and rebuild muscle fibers

FRI: 2 mi run and Strengthen---YAY! Had an AWFUL day at work and ended up staying an hour over to tie up all the loose ends so I wouldn’t have to start the week stressed. When I got home, I took my dog, Skeeter, with me and we ran from home up the dirt road, down by the highway, down by the river and back up the dirt road 2 and 1/2 laps. Skeeter is getting better on the leash and we found a good cadence together. I think he enjoyed it as much as I did. When I got back I did 2 sets of 12 reps in my wt. training. I was POOPED!!!

SAT: 50 minutes crosstrain--We spent the weekend at the farm, so I decided to ride my bike from there, down a gravel road and back. It was cold and windy and I felt like I was barely moving against the wind. There were two wild hogs running next to me in a field and then they crossed the gravel road in front of me...that was pretty cool!!! I rode 6.5 miles at the fastest average pace I’ve ever ridden before...7mph!!!

SUN: 4 mi LSR (aka Long Slow Run)--It was cold and windy again this morning. I had a difficult time trying to decide how many layers to wear and I still ended up stripping off my top layer 2 1/2 miles in. It was a good run, although I find it difficult to keep that slow and steady pace. I want to run faster but I know all that does is wear me out and then I’m REALLY exhausted when I get finished. So I just relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful fall colors around me and took my time. It took me 53 minutes.

This schedule worked out good for me this week, so I think I will stick to it. I don’t feel too tired so maybe I won’t burn out on this. Now, my eating....I haven’t eaten really bad this week but it hasn’t been that great either. The main thing is that I am paying attention to what I’m eating and trying to manage my portion sizes. I try to balance out the bad with good stuff. I’m eating more fruits and veggies and less simple carbs. I’ll elaborate on my eating plan in a later blog. When you’re running it is really trial and error trying to figure out if you’re eating enough to keep your energy level up. I have started keeping a food diary again which I also think helps. I’m not getting on the scale for a few weeks because it can take that long for your body to adjust to all this change and the scale will fluctuate. However, I can already tell a change in the way my clothes are fitting after this week, so I know something is happening.

Restart

I guess it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged. Basically, it got hot which slowed my running down and my weight loss stalled. It hasn’t helped that I fell off the clean eating wagon too. So here I am again. Trying to hold myself accountable by blogging again. The cooler weather has got me running again but I’ve got to get a handle on my eating habits. I’ve eaten too much fast food the past couple of weeks. It hasn’t helped that McRib is back at McDonald’s. Yes, I know I’m a grown woman who knows that is nothing but a mystery meat sandwich but I just love ‘em. I think it’s a comfort food thing. It brings back memories of my early years when I was young and dumb. Ignorance was BLISS!

Anyway, I guess I should use this restart to set some goals which I will blog about to keep myself on track. I did an online health assessment and received an 87 which is not acceptable! I’ve always been an A student, so I’ve got to work to achieve an A. So, my goal is to drop 25 pounds by next April. I will get back on my clean eating and continue to ramp up my running and sign up for some more races.

Trying out a new blogging software

In an effort to make my blogging easier and maybe do more of it, I am testing out MacJournal for 15 days to see if it helps me. Maybe then you won’t have to wait so long for updates.

Check out my muscle and my redneck visor while you’re waiting for real content. Enjoy!

Tybee Turtle Trot

With my cousin Liz after the race in front of the museum.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle headed home.

I just loved the look on this little boy's face when they brought the turtle by.

Two smaller Green Sea Turtles that were released.

I did another 5K this weekend on Tybee in the sand! I finished in 36 minutes this time. I ran without stopping. It was gorgeous. I think I could run on the beach EVERYDAY. The sea breezes and the view make the time fly by. Anyway, the run Saturday was right up my alley. Most of you know I have a tattoo of a sea turtle on my shoulder. I got it when we stayed on St. Joe's Peninsula in FL after we encountered a sea turtle laying her eggs on the beach. It was a very moving experience for me. The run Saturday was to raise money for Tybee's Sea Turtle program. After the run, they released 4 rehabbed sea turtles. One of them made me cry. He only had one flipper and when they first put him down to go out to sea, he turned around as if to say, "I'm not ready!". It was a beautiful weekend at the beach!

My First 5K: I DID IT!!!

All my hard work and training has been building to this, the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure in Savannah! It was a beautiful morning and there were over 5,000 participants! It was just me and Zoe, my pug. She wasn't very thrilled about the crowd but people sure loved her. She got lots of petting and made a couple of doggie friends too. The whole experience was so inspiring. I teared up when I saw a bald cancer warrior who reminded me of my Daddy.

The race started out a little slow and then when the crowd thinned some, Zoe got a little faster (I think she was trying to run back to the swamp as fast as she could!), but by mile 2 she was pooping out on me. It was pretty humid and her little tongue was hanging out, so I had to walk and carry her a little while until she caught her breath and then we would run a little more. We finished in 47 minutes. Not a record by no means, but now I know I can do it. I've got two more planned within the next few weeks. I'll keep y'all updated.

What's for Dinner Wednesday: Week 3

Tonight it was chicken strips sauteed in olive oil with asparagus stir fry (find it in the freezer section at Walmart-- VERY yummy!) over 1/4 cup of brown rice. It was quite delish!!!

Tunage Tuesday: Week 3

This week I'm listening to The Best of Vanessa-Mae. She is AWESOME! She is an electric violinist and her music is considered "pop" according to iTunes. If you just want to sample one song by her, you should try "Contradanza". It has the BEST beat to run to...it makes me go really fast and feel really free! I think it would also be great to bike to.

Monday Follow-up

I did my run in the icicles. 3.38 mi....it was GORGEOUS and I felt GREAT!

I got props!

Motivation Monday: WEEK 3

Well, I'm already falling behind as I missed Thursday and Friday of last week with my blogging. I did not miss my workouts though which is the most important part. So today on motivation Monday I'll go over my workouts for last week and will let you in on what I do to motivate myself to get out and run on days like today....when it's raining ice!

So, last week I ran Monday (2.9 mi), Wednesday (3.25 mi), Friday (2.96 mi), and Sunday (2.35 mi)....that was a total of 11.46 mi for the week. Last week was Week 7 of the C25K program so I was running nonstop for 25 min. I'm not a fast runner by any means...I'm the tortoise...I average 12 min/mi. Monday's run I felt GREAT, I took Skeeter with me and we ran up the dirt road and made a loop down by the river 2 and 1/2 times. Wednesday it had been raining all day, so I took my running clothes with me to work and changed when I got off and ran on a gravel road near home on the way home. It was great to run on an even surface for a change and I ran further than I needed to but I was having so much fun! Friday my legs felt like lead...I think from the squats and lunges I did the day before with my strength training. I wanted to do an easy run with Skeeter up the dirt road and down by the river, but Skeeter doesn't understand "easy" and so I fought with him dragging me the entire time. I felt like crap and I was SO aggravated with him...I dropped him off after the 2nd lap and did 1/2 lap by myself. I decided to rest completely on Saturday since the weather was too crappy for a bike ride. Then yesterday after I did my yoga, and even though it was cold as crap, I decided to go for an easy 1 miler with Zoe (the pug), but once I got started, I decided to do 2 laps instead of one because my legs felt so great. I bought some running tights at the Walmart on Saturday and I think they inspired me.

I did weight lifting on Tuesday and Thursday but didn't work my legs on Tuesday because I woke up late. I think I tried to make up for that on Thursday and that's what made my legs so sore.

NOT looking forward to the run today which will probably be 3 laps up the road and down by the river without any of my dogs. I keep going outside and trying to psych myself up about it but it's hard when there are icicles dangling from the trees. I downloaded some music onto my ipod to hopefully motivate me as well. (I'll tell ya about that tomorrow) Just posting this is also motivation...because I have to say what I do and do what I say. So here goes....................

What's for Dinner Wednesday: Week 2

Tonight will be chicken parmesian except I'll be using mozzarella which I guess makes it chicken mozzarella. Anyway, I'll be using the chicken breast that Ken grilled for me last night. I'll make some whole wheat angel hair and warm up some prego to pour over all of it and melt a little mozzarella on top and have a nice salad on the side. Simple, delicious, and will be GREAT after my run in the rain this afternoon!

Tunage Tuesday: Week 2

Every week I change up the music I listen to while I run. This is what I'm listening to this week:

"Talk"....Coldplay (during 5 minute warm up)

"Viva la vida"....Coldplay

"Have you got it in you?".... Imogene Heap

"The Middle"....Jimmy Eat World

"Double or Nothing"....Kenny Loggins (on the Rocky IV Soundtrack)

"Need you Now"....Lady Antebellum

"War/Fanfare for Rocky"....Rocky IV Soundtrack

"Hello World"....Lady Antebellum (during 5 minute cool down)

Yes, I am a nerd...I LOVE the entire Rocky IV Soundtrack...love the movie too. I got the tape of the Rocky IV soundtrack for Christmas 25 years ago!!! I wore it out on my walkman and it still stands the test of time for me :). Try it out and see if you don't just LOVE it too!

Motivation Monday: WEEK 2

Yes, I realize there wasn't a Week 1 but this is Week 2 of this blog, so that is the way I'm counting. Anyway, Monday seems like a good day to motivate yourself to renew any goals you may have set but kinda strayed from on the weekend. That happens to me ALOT! I'll be doing good with my clean eating all week eating lots of veggies and chicken and fish; and then the weekend comes and I wind up cooking and eating the foods my guys love like bbq, pizza, hot wings, or big juicy cheese burgers! So, I start all over on Monday. Just because you have a little slip every now and then, doesn't mean you can't start over the next day.

As for my exercise, I stay motivated to run on M/W/F by thinking about and imagining myself doing it the night before and all day the day of until I do it. I plan ahead and make sure I have some really good tunage cued up on my ipod (I'll be sharing some of that with y'all tomorrow), and have my running clothes laid out. I'll admit, some days it is really hard if it's been cold all day with the wind blowing but I try to think of it as an adventure I get to go on; and when I drive up and see my dog, Skeeter waiting on me...I know I have to go.

"You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them."---Michael Jordan

Ultra Marathoning

Ultrarunning.....WOW!!! Just the scenery is amazing but running for over 60 hours!!! But this guy's will to keep going and finish no matter what is inspiring....plus I love this song.