DNF, DNS and more "runner lingo"

The quick fix for my shin wasn't the miracle I was hoping it would be, so there isn't much point in sharing the details. To sum it up, it was running slowly up a steep incline to force underused muscles to get stronger faster. Unfortunately, my shin hurts a little more, not less, today.

For my short little "run," I wore my Hobble Creek Half race shirt. On the back it says FINISHER. My husband asked what the people who didn't finish got. I jokingly said maybe they got a DNF or DNS shirt - did not finish or did not start - and told him those are actual running terms.

Then he asked if there were DNPTP shirts.

It took me a few seconds, and then I laughed. DNPTP - did not poop their pants.

Quick Fix

This is gonna be quick because I have been sucked into the book I am reading, Under the Dome, and want to use some of my quiet downtime (aka my girls napping) to read. I am also on page 724 (of 1072), so the end is in sight.

The weekend running recap? There isn't one. There was no long run because my shin was very angry on Saturday. It's a little happier today. I went to buy insoles to see if something about my new shoes is causing the problem, but the girl who helped me suggested a few other things instead. She doesn't think it is my shoes since they are pretty similar to what I have always worn. So this afternoon I am trying an "almost instant fix" she suggested. I'll be sure to give you the details and let you know if it works.

I'm sure a lot of you get the Runner's World quote of the day emails, but I wanted to share today's because I thought it was awesome:

People can't understand why a man runs. They don't see any sport in it. Argue it lacks the sight and thrill of body contact. Yet, the conflict is there, more raw and challenging than any man versus man competition. For in running it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his ability, with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions.

– Glenn Cunningham, American Runner, Olympic Medalist

RUN: This weekend is one of the busiest racing weekends of the year. I am still debating whether or not I will be part of this year's statistics. A lot will depend on the happiness of my shin.

The Running Fad

One powder-puff football game was the extent of my participation in high school sports. I even took Spanish dance – castanets and all – to fulfill my phys ed requirement without exerting the kind of effort actual sports would involve. I really didn’t become active until I gained weight in college and getting my booty moving was part of the key to getting rid of that extra poundage. Even then, running took too much exertion, so I stuck to fitness classes and yoga. Then four years ago, my daughter was born and I had fewer options for staying fit. You can only do the same few workout videos so many times before you can’t stand the thought of them anymore. Then I walked that fateful race that would turn me into a runner.

I ran my first race in 2007. That is when I became a runner. June 23 marked the three year anniversary of that race.

Someone recently wondered when or wished that (I can’t remember which) “this running fad” would end. I know more and more people are running these days. And many of them run for a while and then stop. Some run just long enough to get ready for a race or train just to be part of a Ragnar team. I know plenty of those people. I am not one of them. If you are reading this, there is a good chance you aren’t one of those people either.

Being a runner is not a fad. It is a way of life. It is part of who you are.

I am a runner.


RUN: Can't figure out why I'm having so much shin pain lately. And it isn't just there when I run; it's there off and on throughout the day. Any ideas or suggestions for getting and keeping my shins happy?

A Letter to My Treadmill

Dear Treadmill,

As I shared some time with you yesterday, I realized how much I love you lately and that I owe you an apology. I used to dread spending time with you and chuckled when anyone called you the "dreadmill." I'm so, so sorry. I no longer dread you, and promise to never call you by that unkind name, even when we go through a rough patch, which is bound to happen now and again.

I also want to say thanks for always being there. When it's so hot outside that I don't even want to go get the mail, you are there. When there don't seem to be enough hours in the day and the only time I can slip on my running shoes is while my girls nap, you are there. When the day has faded into darkness and the thought of running outside scares the bajeebies out of me, you are there. When I need you, you are there.

Last but not least, you deserve mad props for what you help me do. Many of my runs wouldn't be the same without you. You force me to push myself; you won't let me slow down; you don't let me quit.

The bottom line is without you I would not and could not be a runner. Thank you treadmill.

With love,

Candice

Running with Facebook

My hubby is not a fan of Facebook. He doesn't have a FB account or page. Really the only appreciation he has for it is the entertainment it provides as he reads through the posts of my "friends." And trust me, there is some true entertainment to be had.

The longer I have been on Facebook, the less I post randomness from my life on there. I do post on my I Have Run page, but the last time I posted on my profile page was May 13, when I passed along something The Princess shared with me while shopping at Costco: The employee lockers at Costco are where the employees keep "an extra pair of clothes in case they pee their pants."

The other day, I asked the hubby if he wanted me to leave my Facebook open so he could get his fill of entertainment, but he said no and pointed out that it is mostly just running stuff lately. As I pulled up Facebook today, I realized how true that is. Here's what I found:

• The Happy Runner Shake up your routine with Tuesday Track Nights.
• Gone For a RUN NEW $5.00 FLAT RATE SHIPPING OPTION!!
• Runner's World Magazine ENDS TOMORROW! Thinking about a fall marathon...
• Active.com Motivational Monday! What did you do "Active" this weekend?
• Caution: Redhead Running Ladies, what's your take on wearing heels?
• Master The Shift NEW VIDEO FROM LANCE
• Utah Valley Marathon, Half Marathon, & 5k Another race shirt pick-up today...
• The Ragnar Relay Series Great article on volunteering for the race.
• The Recovery Sock Offer N. 2

Among the running stuff, there were pics of people doing summer things, birthday wishes to a cousin, talk of vacations, swimming lesson updates, pics of naked babies in the bathtub, and some soccer shout outs. But the things that really caught my eye were the running things.

I guess you know you are a runner when your Facebook is being taken over by all the running things you follow/like.

RUN: So remember when I said I was going to try getting up early to do my runs in the morning this week? I kind of forgot about that until I was driving home from the aquarium and it was past nap time and I knew I wouldn't get a run in during naps because The Bean was already taking hers in the car. So if my run doesn't happen tonight, I'm going to try that early morning running thing tomorrow. For real.

All You Need Is Love

I think it is annoying and cliché to hear someone talk about the love of their life. As you can guess, this happened recently. I actually read a comment (on Facebook, where else?) about someone's love of their life. I rolled my eyes and then started to contemplate why that label bothers me so much, especially since I could so easily just roll with it since I have the most amazing husband.

What I came up with (while running of course) is that first it is totally overused. I bet you could interrupt a gaggle of high school girls and at least one of them would claim to have met the love of her life. Second, I don't think you can really know the love of your life until your life is coming to an end. Ask almost anyone that has been divorced or has ended a long relationship, and I'll bet they called their former significant other the love of their life at one time or another. Third, I think you can have more than one love of your life, which kind of takes away from the whole concept.

I am a perfect example of multiple loves. I would say my husband and my girls are the loves of my life. I obviously love them in different ways, but I also can't imagine my life being complete without any one of them.

If I want to take the idea to a whole other level to further prove how much of a truism it is, I could call running a love of my life because I love it and I plan to do it the rest of my life. Or reading because I have always loved doing it, it makes me happy, and I plan to do it for the rest of my life too.

Well, we might as well take this all the way. Who and/or what are the loves of your life?

RUN: My running miles have been low this week, however I am getting to know my bike pretty well. My legs haven't been happy to hit the treadmill, so I have been taking advantage of the opportunity to cross train by riding the bike (and loving the chance it gives me to spend some time with one of my loves...reading).

Three Things Thursday - Summer Fun Edition

It's Thursday again ... already! Here's the latest at I Have Run:

1. This week marks the start of marathon training, sixteen weeks until I tackle that 26.2. However, I am a still a little in recovery mode - recovering from my half marathon and the cold that took me out all weekend. I still hack up a lung a few times a day but am on the mend overall. I finalized my marathon training plan. It is too big to stick the whole thing on here as a post, but I will let you know the plan week by week. I've had a few people ask if I am going to share it, so let me know if you want me to email you a copy. It is a modified version of the FIRST marathon training plan.


2. Summer has officially begun at our house. We made a list of fun summer things we want to do and we are marking things off left and right. Because all the fun kind of messes with our eating and napping schedules some days, I am thinking of getting up to do my runs at 6 am. It's only an hour (or some days less) earlier than I get up normally, so it shouldn't be that big of an adjustment. However, I do like every minute of sleep I can get. Next week is going to be my trial run. We'll see how it goes.


3. The pics from Saturday's half marathon were posted. Here is what I wish I had felt like and how I looked when I knew the photographer was taking my pic:

Here is how I really felt:

I also added a picture to my race report if you want to venture back a post. Hope you are having a great week. Tomorrow's Friday!

RUN: I have only run once this week, but it felt so good to get my legs moving. I have another run planned for this afternoon after my lunch has digested and then eight miles on the schedule for this weekend.

Utah Valley Half Marathon Race Report

I’m sure we can all agree that some runs are better than others. This is true for races as well. Saturday’s race, well it was one of the others.

I figured it wasn’t the best sign when I woke with a stuffy nose and sore throat on Friday. Then I picked up my packet that afternoon in a drizzle that had been going on all day. Because my Internet was still on strike, I hadn’t been able to check Saturday’s weather. I called my husband, and he checked for me: 50-70% chance of rain during all race-related hours. I actually don’t mind running in the rain, but when it is combined with temps in the 40s and low-50s, I start to mind it a little.

Sure enough, it was raining when I got up at 3:15 Saturday morning to get ready for the Utah Valley Half Marathon. Luckily it stopped by the time I got to the bus and didn’t start up again until just as we started running. I met my cousin and her friend, and we rode one of the last buses to the start. We hit the potty lines and then stood by one of the fires until the race started (15 minutes late, but I’ll take that over the hour I waited for last year’s Hobble Creek Half)!

The race itself can be wrapped up in one word: HARD. I was sick, it was raining, I ate like CRAP on Friday (three Krispy Kreme donuts – what was I thinking??). My headband fell out and I had to run back and get it a few miles in. My ITB started hurting at mile 4, but I ran through it and it eased up a mile later. I never felt in the zone, like I could just keep going. At the halfway point, I wanted to quit. I had to keep telling myself to just keep running over and over.

The last three miles were tough. I knew I could make my sub-2 goal if I could remain steady, but I wasn’t sure I had it in me. I kept telling myself I could walk if I just made it to the viaduct that was near the end. When I hit the viaduct, it was less than a mile from the finish, so I made myself keep going. As I neared the finish, I saw the clock and knew I would make it.

Chip Time: 1:59:08 (9:05 pace)
Garmin Time: 1:59:12
Garmin Distance: 13.17
234/900 overall; 92/592 female; 30/150 age group

Splits:
Mile 1 – 8:48
Mile 2 – 8:53
Mile 3 – 8:15
Mile 4 – 8:33
Mile 5 – 8:58
Mile 6 – 8:56
Mile 7 – 8:57
Mile 8 – 9:23
Mile 9 – 8:57
Mile 10 – 9:33
Mile 11 – 9:20
Mile 12 – 9:46
Mile 13 – 9:22
Mile .17 – 1:25 (8:27 pace)

I crossed the finish and a not long after my cousin finished. We hugged and then headed to the port-a-potties. My stomach was NOT happy. Even with three Imodiums in my system, it was letting me know how it felt.

It is crazy to compare how I felt after the Ogden Half last month and this race. I think being sick just took too much out of me. I hurt in places (my lower back felt like it was bruised, my hip flexor hurt so bad I limped to my car) that didn’t hurt even after my marathon. I was so wiped on Saturday afternoon that I could hardly do anything. My sore throat and stuffy nose turned into a full-blown cold with body aches and chills and a cough. And I felt nauseous until that evening. I am on the mend today, but still very sore.

At one point during the race, I decided I would never run anything longer than a 10K again. Yet today I am recommitted to my half in August and the St. George marathon in October. I am just taking what I learned from this experience and hope to make those races just a little bit better. I can’t control whether or not I get sick, but I’m going to do everything else I can (bye-bye Krispy Kremes) to make the most of those races.

In spite of Saturday’s half being the hardest race I have ever run (and not at all because of the course), there were a few awesome highlights:

• Alicia cheered me across the finish and we chatted after the race. I am so excited to run some of our long runs together as ,we both train for fall marathons. She is an awesome runner and a wonderful person. She is doing some amazing things for Train4Autism, so be sure to check out her blog!


• My leg didn’t hurt. It didn’t hurt before, during or after the race. Not sure what it was, but I’m glad it is gone.


• I had one tiny blister on my foot that was gone within 24 hours. I’m not sure if it was my ongoing effort to get rid of my calluses or the fact that my socks were sopping wet most of the race, but my feet were the happiest part of my body after this race!


• I got a post-race massage at the finish. The girl must have sensed how beat down I was because she didn’t just rub my legs but pretty much gave me a full-body rubdown and took nearly twice as long as those around me.

How was your weekend? I am trying to make the rounds and get caught up on the week of blogs I missed because of my angry Internet, but until then I hope you had great runs and races!!

RUN: I forgot my camera and my phone was in the car, so I didn't get any pictures. However, Alicia took a few of me as I finished (how awesome is she?), so I'll post them and the official race photos once I have them.

Three Things Thursday - Half Marathon Edition

1 - The Utah Valley Half Marathon is in two days, so I have been really focusing on what I eat and on drinking enough water each day. I am trying to do all I can to give myself the best opportunity to do well on Saturday.

2- My right lower leg has been bothering me since I ran on Monday. It is weird because I can’t pinpoint the pain. It’s almost like it radiates from my shin through to my calf. Ibuprofen is helping a lot, but I can always tell when it is wearing off. I rode the bike yesterday instead of running. I’m really hoping my leg feels better by Saturday.

3- As you can tell, I am excited about Saturday’s race. I have to admit, there is one part of the “event” that I am not looking forward to – picking up my packet. It seems like every time I pick up my race packet the day before the race, I am so intimidated by the other people there. I notice how fit and fast they look, how calm and sure they seem. It’s funny because all that melts away on race day. Somehow being in running clothes and shoes, waiting anxiously for the race to start, becomes this great equalizer. On race day, I am as comfortable chatting with a 5:30/mile runner as I am with an 11:00/mile runner.

It just makes me wonder … am I alone in my intimidation?

RUN: In case my Internet continues to hate me and I don't post again before Saturday, I have only one goal: cross the finish in less than 2 hours.

Happy Monday?

It's a new week with lots of fun things on the schedule, but it's also Monday and I have a long to-do list. So basically, I've had a love/hate relationship with this day. Here are some other things I am loving and loving not so much right now...

Love: Spending time with family at weddings and family reunions.

Not So Much: The extra lbs that came with the food and fun-filled weekend.

Love: My new purse from Banana Republic. I am near the end of the diaper bag era and I found a great purse that is perfect since I still need to pack around some diaper bag essentials, such as the diapers.

Not So Much: The purse I bought at a purse party for $18 that started falling apart the first time I used it. Guess that is why you pay what you do for a purse at Banana Republic.

Love: The Princess's* excitement to earn a big-girl bike.

Not So Much: The Princess was talking to me while I was showering this morning, and I couldn't hear her over the water. She stomped over to the shower door, put her hand on her hips, and said, "Fine. Whatever. I'm done." Waaaayyyy too familiar.

Love: Getting my July Runner's World in the mail today.

Not So Much: Knowing I have to go to the post office multiple times this week.

Love: Getting caught up on my blog reading to keep me inspired and motivated.

Not So Much: Choosing between reading blogs and reading the ginormous book I just started (Under the Dome). Okay, so this one isn’t so bad.

Love: Updating my blog.

Not So Much: My new Internet Service Provider (selected by our HOA, not by me). I have no patience when it comes to the Internet not working, and it has been ridiculously intermittent since the change. It has been so bad that I had to wait for my husband to get home to use his work computer with its satellite Internet (or whatever it's called).


RUN: Newest songs on my playlist: Break Your Heart (Taio Cruz feat. Ludacris), Bulletproof (La Roux), and I Gotta Feeling (Black-Eyed Peas).



*My 4-year-old will now be known as The Princess and my 1-year-old will be known as Bean on my blog.

Three Things Thursday (Giveaway Edition)

If your week has been anything like mine, it is hard to believe it is Thursday. Oddly enough, you would think with Monday's holiday it would seem like Wednesday, but I keep thinking it is Friday. Since it is indeed Thursday though, let's get on with those "three things."

1 - My cute little cousin is getting married tomorrow. My other cousin Stacey, the one that ran her first 5K a few weeks ago, is the maid of honor. She is also one of my favorite people, so I want to give her a little shout out because she is awesome and she deserves it. Here we are last week at the opening midnight show of Sex and the City 2:

2 - This is my BibFOLIO: I LOVE it!! I love that it is personalized. I love that it is pink. Are you sensing yet how I really feel about it? Most of Gone for a RUN's BibFOLIOs can be personalized, so if your name isn't listed below as the giveaway winner, you should order a personalized one for sure! What else do I love about mine? In addition to being made to last, it came with a second set of rings so I can up-size when my race bibs really start to pile up (that will be a while). It also came with a hole punch in case some of my bibs don't match up with the BibFOLIO's rings.

3 - Wow! You guys really want a BibFOLIO*. I was amazed at the response, and it has been fun to "meet" some new readers. You have no idea how much I wish I had one to give each and every one of you. Whenever I do a giveaway, I am bummed that there have to be non-winners. But the BibFOLIO winner, as selected by Random.org is......

shellyrm aka jogging stroller mama

Congratulations Shelly!! Email me (ihaverun[at]hotmail[dot]com) your address, and I will get your BibFOLIO in the mail!



RUN: I love shoes. Yet since I became a runner, I look at shoes in a whole new way. I won't even consider buying a pair of shoes, no matter how cute, if I don't think I can wear them for hours and still have happy feet.


*Gone for a RUN generously provided the BibFOLIOs for this giveaway.

Running to Stand Still

Those words have a whole new meaning after today's run. I headed out with the girls in the double jogger, hoping for ten miles. When even the downhills in the first mile seemed to take extraordinary effort and I felt like I was hardly moving, I started rethinking the distance. I was doing an out and back, so I had to decide ahead of time when to turn around. Two miles in, I was vowing to only run with the girls before 9 am. Starting at 10 am isn't going to cut it anymore. The stroller seemed to weigh more than ever and it was my warmest run of the year, so I turned around at a little over two and a half miles and we headed back to the car. I finished five and a half miles drenched in sweat. I thought about finishing on the treadmill, but I decided to spend an hour doing strength training and core instead.

Monday's six miles were the complete opposite of today's run. I ran outside without my girls, so I let my legs pick the pace and just ran. I finished in 55:14. The weather was perfect and my legs felt great; they even powered through the hill that was mile three without slowing.

Tomorrow I am doing speedwork and then I will run six miles either Friday or Saturday. That will be my long run for the week since next Saturday is my half marathon. I am attending my cousin's wedding on Friday and have a family reunion on Saturday, so I'll just get it in whenever it fits. Oh, and by the way ... HAPPY NATIONAL RUNNING DAY!


RUN: Tomorrow morning, I will announce the winner of my BibFOLIO giveaway. Today is your last chance to enter!