Taking a break

So I've decided to kind of take a break from running for a little bit. I just can't find the motivation to put on my running shoes right now.. I'll still go for a run here and there to stay in shape, but I'm not going to be doing any training or any races

My motivation is just spread among other things right now. I'm coaching, I'm a full-time graduate student, and I'm getting married in about 4 months! My motivation is spread between those 3 things. I'm excited for the coming track season! I've been enjoying coming up with training plans for "my children" and seeing them work hard this semester, but the track season is where they'll put that hard work into play so to speak. I have a pretty steep goal for grad school. I want to get a higher GPA than I had in undergrad, so I've been working pretty hard in my classes. Also, with the wedding only like 4 months away, I've been working on taking care of things such as invitations, wedding favors, dress alterations, and stuff...

So I'm taking a break from running which means I'm taking a break from this blog for now. Maybe I'll start blogging again in February about coaching stuff. I don't know, we'll see when the time comes.

NC marathon recap

I did it! I completed my 3rd marathon. I was the 7th overall female, and I ran a PR by 4 minutes. My official time was 3:33:48.

A lot of people have been asking me how it was...well, quite frankly, it was hell. Why? because I ran 26.2 miles...it's no easy feat.

Ok, but really it wasn't that bad. I had a good time. There were less than 260 people in the marathon, and the spectators along the course were almost nonexistent. It was, for the most part, a very lonely course if you didn't talk to people.

I did meet and talk to some cool people along the way. For about 11 miles, I ran with a guy from Asheville who had only done 1 marathon. Then he slowed down and I kept trucking and some foreign guy started talking to me. I'm not sure where he was from, but just 4 weeks before the NC Marathon he had done a marathon in Beijing. I knew he was foreign because of his accent and he told me that he did his training and everything in kilometers. He, also, told me about how he vomited from drinking too much fluid during the marathon.

I met some other people along the way, like a guy from Maryland who was wearing shorts that were pretty much the Maryland flag (I thought they were awesome and I wish I had a picture). He was from Maryland, had attended the University of Maryland, and was a Terp fan through and through. And I met some older man who I met in the last 3 miles that told me where the rest of the hills were along the course. Those hills were really tough, especially the ones in the last 5 miles. I'm pretty sure there was a hill every mile. Oh the joys of the rolling hills of the piedmont.

If you click here you can type in my bib number (17) and check out pictures of me during the marathon. It was pretty chilly when we started. I wore gloves, home-made arm sleeves, and ear warmer headband all of which I threw off later in the race when I got hot. The home-made arm sleeves were just some knee-high socks that I cut the toe off and wore on my arms (Shout out to Alyssa Halter who gave me the idea).

Josh ran around and saw me 4 times along the course and coached me a little bit. The first time I saw him I was running with the guy from Asheville, and Josh was telling me that I was running a great pace. The guy from Asheville asked me if Josh was my manager. haha.

From the start to halfway, I was running 8 minute pace. My plan was to pick it up after halfway to try to run 3:25. I picked it up (a lot, probably too much), and was doing great until mile 19. I hit the wall hard....I ended up running 9 min pace for the last 7-8 miles. There was a hill every mile from 18 to the finish. It was awful. The last 3 miles were the absolute worst...because you're body hates you and you want it to be over, but you still have 3 miles left. It's the longest 3 miles ever.

I ended up with 3 blisters, and trying to walk after finishing was probably funny to watch. Maybe I'll do another one in the spring to try to get that 3:25.....i don't know. we'll see.

game plan

There are less than 24 hours until I am on the starting line of the NC Marathon in High Point, NC. It's important to have a "game plan" with any race that you do, and it's ok if your game  plan changes during the race. Having a game plan on how you'll tackle different things in the race will give you the mental edge over others, and will help you to push through to the finish.

I think that the marathon is the hardest race to come up with a game plan and stick to it. When training for a marathon, you don't run that distance in training, so you can never be sure of how you expect to finish. The most that people will run in training for a marathon is 20-22 miles like one time, maybe twice.  My longest run while training for this marathon was like 15 miles, so I'm not really sure how I'll do. But what I can do is look at my past experiences with the 2 marathons I've done previously. What I did right, what I could've done better, etc.

My game plan for this marathon is to start out easy, maybe find somebody to chat with along the way to make the time go by better, and then hopefully run some negative splits by running faster the 2nd half. This plan might change though if I get a cramp or hit the wall really hard or if I'm just not feeling it. I know that the course is kind of hilly with some rolling hills, but I'm ready to tackle those. I actually have a mantra for hills, and it's pretty simple, "Get up that hill." haha. It really does help...

Some people have been asking me what time I'm looking to get. I have a time in mind, but you know...whatever. My main goal for this marathon is to just have fun. It's going to be a beautiful day, and my mom and Josh will be coming out to see me run. I'll be looking forward to eating some Lexington BBQ afterwards. mmmm

Get ready for some post-marathon blog posts with pictures (hopefully)!

running nerd

I am a running nerd or as flotrack likes to say "run junkie". I follow the sport like it's my job...oh wait?! It kind of is my job now that I'm a G.A. coach! 

I enjoy following the sport, analyzing the pros, and keeping up with the news of what's going on. Any time there is a race or track meet on TV, I'm watching it. I'll even watch races and track meets live online or even just race videos online (bet you didn't know that stuff existed). Heck, Josh and I once paid to see the NYC Marathon live online instead of waiting to see the highlights on TV. Josh and I even make predictions about who will win and stuff, and we're pretty darn good at it. In fact, he did it as part of a contest once and he did so good that he won a USATF fleece pull-over and hat. USATF = USA track & field.

There was some crazy stuff going on in the running world last week. When I was in class last week, Josh texted me to tell me that Lukas Verzbicas was rumored to have left Oregon (It has since been confirmed that he did leave). I was so excited and perplexed about the news, but I had nobody to talk to about it. I did tell some people in my class and they were like, "what? who?" I bet you're thinking the same thing right now.

This past weekend was D1 xc regionals, and oregon's men's team did not make the cut to go to nationals. Why is this big news? Because Oregon is like the most well-known running school, duh. I like to think that everyone knows about Oregon's track team, Coach Bill Bowerman, and Steve Prefontaine but I know that's probably not true.

Everyone knows who Steve Prefontaine is, right? Well, if you don't know who he is then you probably know his famous quote, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." How about Bill Bowerman?! No?! He's the co-founder of Nike Inc. and he's probably most famous for using his wife's waffle iron to create a new sole for some shoes.

Well, even if you don't know these dudes, everyone knows Usain Bolt. But there are SOOOOO many more runners and track athletes out there than just Usain Bolt. How about Yohan Blake? Ryan Hall? Geoffrey Mutai? Trey Hardee? Shalane Flanagan? Queen Harrison? Paula Radcliffe? Do you know anybody other than Usain Bolt?!

I'll take track and cross country over football, basketball, and any other sport any day of the week. Did you know that track and field has their own "Heisman Trophy" so to speak? Yeah! It's called the Bowerman award after Bill Bowerman. I bet you've never heard of it.

Now, I have plenty of friends who are runners, but I can't even talk to them about stuff like this because they would have no idea what I was talking about. In fact, I think I scare some of my friends when it comes to running stuff....I don't mean to, it just happens. Luckily, I have Josh to share my running nerdiness with.

The 2 biggest websites for running nerds like myself are letsrun.com and flotrack.org. I know I mentioned flotrack earlier...I'm not even that big of a run junkie as compared to some people....

4 days until my marathon & D2 xc nationals....and 6 days until D1 xc nationals!! WOOO!

7 days...

The time has come to start the countdown to the marathon I'm going to do.
7 days til the NC Marathon in High Point, NC. That's right people, I'm doing the NC Marathon in High Point, NC.

This will be the first marathon I've ever run in NC, and I would love love love love for people to come out to see me run, make signs, and cheer for the other runners too. 

The NC Marathon is a small marathon. Last year, they had only 302 runners in the marathon. I'm really looking forward to running in a smaller marathon because if people come out to support, I'll actually be able to pick you out in the crowd and hear you cheer. 

Check out the sweet medal I'll get when I finish the marathon.

october update

So it's been a month since I've blogged, but I feel like my life has been going non-stop with no time to blog. Between office work, track & cross country practices, graduate classes, homework, marathon training, and seeing Josh....there's not much time for anything else.

Here's a quick update:

• I did four 5ks in October. 

• I got to run on an airport runway.

• I got to run at the ESPN Wide World of Sports (previously the Disney Wide World of Sports)

• I broke my college PR by 10 seconds. (I always knew I could run faster than what I did when I ran at Catawba. I just needed to train differently.)

• I won $50 from running in a 5k that I had no intention of running in, but registered for 10 min before it started (no warm-up and still won. haha)

• Josh and I picked out and ordered our wedding bands. (Yay!)

• I had a set-back in my marathon training, but I'm back on track and have less than 2 weeks til my marathon. 

• I was the sundrop girl for Halloween and won 3rd place in a most creative costume contest.

drop it like it's hot

 There you have it. The month of October is gone, it is no longer daylight savings time, and cross country season is officially over. For now, I'm looking forward to my marathon, Thanksgiving, and the end of this semester.

I'm a has-been

When Josh and I first started dating, I used to call him "has-been." He used to run cross country for Pfeiffer University, but when we met and started dating, his college running career was long gone. Even though his college career was over, I was still running in college, and he would call me "wanna-be."

Well, now my college running career is long gone, and I'm a "has-been." It hit me like a brick when I started coaching, but I'm ok with being a has-been. I still run in races, and I still consider myself to be competitive. Since the end of my college running career, I've done plenty of other races and plan on continuing to run for several years.

Being a coach and a "has-been," watching college races makes me want to race in college races again. In college races, the competition is higher and race strategies are more important. I miss it.

Luckily for me, this past weekend I had the opportunity to race in a college race unattached. I got to run in the disney xc classic. The weather was rainy, the course was super muddy, wet, and pretty flat. It was awesome! I got pretty muddy. The only problem was that the whole time I was racing, I was wondering how the team was doing. I just wanted to cheer them on.


I'm a has-been and I'm proud. My college running career is over, but I'm still competitive and still have goals to continue racing for a while. I've already got plans to race again this coming weekend, not to mention a marathon in November, and I'm trying to find a half marathon to do a few weeks before the marathon. This has-been can still bring it!

Run, Forrest, Run

We've all seen Forrest Gump, right? We all know the part where Forrest is trying to run away from the bullies with his metal leg casts (or whatever they're called), he starts running, the casts break off, and he's able to run away while Jenny yells, "Run, Forrest, run!" Well, this particular part has caused many runners some grief. We've all heard people yell at us, "Run, Forrest, run" and what-not. If I had a dollar for every time someone has yelled this at me, I would have at least $500.

It is so annoying to me to have people yell at me while I'm running, I'm just talking about things related to the Forrest Gump movie. "Run, girl, run" or "run" or something along those lines. It really annoys me. If people yell, "run" at me, I usually yell back, "I am running, what are you doing?" If they yell, "Run, Forrest, run" to me, I usually yell back, "My name isn't Forrest, it's Maleah."

Honking is pretty obnoxious too. It really freaks me out when people honk at me. It's really loud, so it usually startles me. I'm pretty good about getting "into the zone" while I'm running. I don't think about anything, and I block everything out, and when someone honks......it just scares me.

Worse than yelling and honking is something that happened to me when I was in high school. When I got home and told my family the story, they thought it was really funny but I was really pissed off. I was out running close to home when this car pulled up beside me driving really slow and sprayed silly string in my face. I was so incredibly mad. It was obnoxious, rude, and why would anyone do that to a stranger?? I had no idea who were those guys were and they just pulled up next to me and shot me with silly string....grrrr. I was really, really mad, but everyone else thought it was funny.

Has anything like this happened to you?

800s for marathon training?

You betcha I do 800s as part of my marathon training. In fact, I did some this morning. If you don't know what an 800 is, then you should just stop reading my blog. An 800 is 1/2 a mile or 2 laps on a track, but really....if you didn't know that....just wow.

There's a marathon specific 800 workout called "Yasso 800s" that was created by Bart Yasso...if you don't know who he is, you can google him. Anywho...With Yasoo 800s, you try to build up to doing ten 800s in the same time as your marathon goal time. These are not done at marathon pace, they're faster than that. If you're goal marathon time is 3:40 (which is 8:23 per mile pace), then you try to hit each 800 at 3:40 (which is a 7:20 mile pace). If you're goal time is 2:50, you try to hit the 800s at 2:50. If you're goal time is 3:15, then you try to hit the 800s at 3:15.. Do you get it? It's pretty simple really.... Then between each 800, your recovery is a jog that is the same number of minutes that it took you to do the 800.

Now, you would want to start these a couple of months in advance, starting with just four 800s and then adding 1 each week until you reach 10. This workout really works. If you can do 10x800s at your goal marathon time, then you're definitely in shape to be able to hit it.

Don't forget about your normal marathon training though, you've got to get that in.

planning to fail

Nobody wants to plan to fail, right?
Well, in one of my classes last week we talked about something called the "Wallenda Factor," and I've been thinking about it a lot and figured I could share it with y'all.

You're probably thinking "wallenda what?" Well, it's named after this dude, Karl Wallenda. He was a circus performer, and he performed on the tight-rope with no nets. He did all kinds of performances that many (including myself) would consider insane. Well, he had learned how to walk the tight-rope when he was very young, and he was taught to never think about falling. He was taught to think about positive things and the performance. He had never thought about falling until a few months before his death. In the months leading up to his death when he was practicing, all he could think about was not falling. Well, he ended up falling to his death while performing.

Karl Wallenda performing on the tight-rope

Now, you're probably thinking....ok where is this going. Well, the wallenda factor is all about your outlook because your outlook can ultimately determine the outcome. If all you can think about is avoiding failure or the fear of failure, one fails.

Therefore, if all you can think about is failing or not doing well, then you're planning to fail. (now you get it).

We talked mostly about this in an administrative kind of way, but I think it could apply to running as well because negative thoughts can eat you up and hurt your performance. You're letting thoughts of failure take over...and you're defeated before you even start. I'm not going to run good because I don't feel good or I didn't get enough sleep or my hamstring is really tight or I tied my shoe too tight or it's too cold or a million other things....

You've got to change those nasty negative thoughts into positive ones. Think instead about how you're going to kick that certain person's butt or how you're going to get a good start or how you're going to finish strong or how you're going to work hard on the hills or how awesome it will be to win a "top ten finisher" T-shirt or how awesome you slept or a million other things. I personally, when they're getting ready to shoot the gun to start, I like to think either, "Let's kick some butt!!" or something like, "It's show time! Time to shine!" The whole point is that people who maintain a positive outlook and inner confidence emerge as winners.

So plan for success and kick some butt!!

My run is my drug!!

That's right! My run is my drug!! Someone from the team (they will remain unnamed, but you know who you are) made me aware of this video...and I had to share it!

 Leave me some comments if running is your drug!!!

It's about time....

So it's been like FOREVER since I last posted....almost 2 months or something like that. Well, I really haven't been doing much of anything, just trying to find a job, find a place to live, and be able to go to grad school and stuff...oh and my birthday was on July 25th but it really wasn't that exciting. I also passed my athletic training certification exam, so I am officially "Maleah Cole, ATC".

Anyways...This summer was SUPER HOT, so I wasn't really running much this summer...but now I'm back at it with a passion similar to what I had when I was training for Boston (which was pretty intense) and I think part of the reason is my new job!!

That's right folks, I have a new job and I absolutely LOVE IT!!!! This job was literally an answer to prayer!

Let me tell you the story.
I had found a part-time coaching job at a christian school close to Charlotte, but it didn't pay enough to afford an apartment or food or gas or much of anything really...so I was looking for another part-time job (something like a waitress or sales associate...anything really) where I would still be able to coach....and I was having absolutely no luck. I was starting to freak out about what I was going to do because I was going to be starting grad school in less than 3 weeks, and living an hour and a half from where I took classes was not an option in my mind.
Then I got an email from the head track & field coach at Wingate University (which is where I'm taking grad classes btw) saying that they had a G. A. (graduate assistant) coaching position available and that he would like for me to send in my resume and a cover letter.
To make a long story short, I jumped on the opportunity, interviewed, and got the position like a week before I started class!!! My official title is Graduate Assistant Cross Country/Track and Field Coach, but my main responsibility will be coaching sprints for track.

Right now, you're probably thinking something along the lines of...You're coaching sprints? Do you know anything about sprints??

It's true, I don't have any real experience with sprints...but I have such a big passion for the sport of running that I'm really excited to be learning all about sprints (which is probably why I got hired). Plus, whenever I'm done with my GA position, it will have increased my marketability as a coach to where I could pretty much coaching anything in track (except throws). Which will also help me in my pursuit of a head coaching position.

I'm really looking forward to sharing my experiences with the xc team and learning from their program. I'm already learning that they have an awesome program, and that the coach I work with knows his stuff (like Whoa!!)

And the reason that it was literally an answer to prayer is (1) I was praying and other people were praying for me and (2) because it meets all of my needs! This position covers my tuition, provides housing, a meal plan, and I get a stipend that I can comfortably live off of (it's not much, but I don't need much).

I am more than thrilled to be able to do something I really, truly love and to share my passion with a team that has a passion for it as well.

I LOVE RUNNING!!!!!!!!!

Tat tat tatted up

I got a new tattoo yesterday! I'm pretty excited about it. This is my second tattoo. Each of my tattoos has special meaning to me.

My first tattoo is a family tattoo. Both of my brothers and my dad have it too. Each of the tattoos are slightly different. Mine is much smaller than my brothers and dad's. My dad's is the only one in color, and mine is the only one without a rope. Also, my brothers and dad have theirs on their arm, mine is on my back.

Matt's tat

my tat

Why did we get it?? It pays tribute to our family's Navy background. My mom, dad, and my brother, Matt, were all in the navy. For me, I really like sharing it with my brothers. We've had our differences, but we've always stuck together.....We're family!!

My new tattoo is very simple, but holds a lot of meaning to me. I got it on the inside of my left wrist (which is the wrist I wear my watch on ).

 

It is the distance of a marathon, 26.2 miles. I have done two marathons to date, and I'm registered to run my third in November of this year. The reason I got the marathon distance tattooed onto me, is not just because I've completed two marathons, but as a reminder that I can do anything. Before I ever did a marathon, I never thought I could run that far at one time, I thought it was impossible and just plain crazy...but then I did it! I ran 26.2 miles! Impossible is nothing!! I can do anything!

Also, as you can see, the numbers are done just like digital numbers. The reason I did it this way is because of all the time that I put into running and training for the marathons. It always seems like there's not enough hours or minutes in the day to do everything you want or have to do, and it's a reminder that there's always time for the stuff that's important to you.

running study baseline stuff

Last Wednesday, I went in to get all the baselines done for the running study I'm participating in. They did height, weight, body fat, and VO2max. I would've posted sooner, but I've been hanging out with some family that has been in town from out of state. Anyway, I wasn't able to get any pictures...oh well, I'll find some.

I'm not going to share my weight and body fat because I don't want to, but I will tell you that you would be surprised by my body fat percentage.  I'm over 5 ft tall!! Seriously, I swear!! Anyway, healthy body fat percentage for females is between 11 and 30%. It's common for female athletes to be at the lower end of that range, especially runners. To check our body fat percentage, they used a bod pod. You sit in it, and it uses air pressure or something to figure out your body fat percentage. (I hope nobody was claustrophobic!)

bod pod

Now for VO2 max testing, Josh called it "the torture machine" mainly because of the mask we had to wear. We also had to wear a heart rate monitor. I didn't think the mask was that bad. It was definitely weird and uncomfortable at first, but after a couple of minutes I was fine with it.

 We started out by walking on a treadmill (with the mask and heart rate monitor on), and every 3 minutes we went into a "new stage". With each stage, the speed and the incline increased on the treadmill. It was really tough, but I wouldn't call it torture. For the testing, you go until you can't go anymore, and when you grab the handles on the treadmill....you're done. I was able to go a little over 16 minutes. Josh made it about 19 minutes or something like that. Here's a video of someone doing VO2 max testing...

They told me that my VO2 max is 58. What does that mean?? That means I'm super athletic according to the chart. I seriously haven't been running much lately. I run maybe 1or 2 times a week (maybe), so getting 58 while being out of shape was pretty sweet!

this is the exact chart they gave us (ignore the highlighting)

As you can see by this chart, being a girl and getting 58 for my VO2 max....I'm almost olympic! haha.  If I was a 50 yr old male, i would be olympic. haha.

They'll use our VO2 max to determine our speed for the 2 hr treadmill run that we'll have to do in July. Our speed will be 75% of our VO2 max....whatever that means.  I guess I better start running more so that I can run for 2 hrs.

blogging laziness...

So I've kind of been neglecting my blog lately. It's been like 2 weeks since I last posted. I don't really have much of a reason for neglecting it other than laziness.

What have I been doing for the past 2 weeks?

• hanging out with my fiance and his family
• NOT running
• cleaning the carpets at Mom's house (she's paying me)
• knitting
• reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

Yep, that's pretty much it.

I usually just hang out with Josh and his family on weekends, but last week I pretty much spent the whole week with them because Josh's grandpa, Papa Pinyan, passed away. I spent the week with them, hanging out and helping wherever I could. Josh's dad is the oldest of 6, so his family is pretty big. At the funeral home for the visitation, the entire family was standing in a big circle. They tried to all fit in one room, but they trickled into the other room. I almost feel sorry for the people who had to go around the room, shaking everybody's hands....there were at least 25 people's hands to shake (including mine). It was the most fun visitation I've ever been to. Everyone was cracking jokes, teasing each other, and laughing...sounds odd, but that's just how the Pinyan family is and I'm happy that I get to be part of that family soon.

I've only ran 3 times since the Bare Bones 5k. Yeah, I'm really slacking on that lately, but I've got no motivation. I was thinking about it the other day, and if I wasn't participating in a running study and if I wasn't already registered for the marathon in Novermber, I would be perfectly content taking the year off.

I think part of the reason I haven't been running is because Josh hasn't been running (that's right, I'm blaming Josh!). He has bilateral (both sides) achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis with fluid on his left achilles tendon. He hasn't run but 1 time since the Boston Marathon. With him not running, I don't want to make him feel bad if I'm running all the time when he can't and I just don't have the motivation to run b/c he can't run with me. (It'd probably be a good idea for him to take the whole year off from running).

What's this running study I'm participating in? They're researching/testing arterial stiffness in runners, that's all I know. The first time I go to the testing place, I'll have my height, weight, body fat, and VO2 max tested (my vo2 probably isn't very good since I haven't been running and they'll be testing this in 1 week). Then I'll go 2 more times, one time I won't do anything except sit around and the other time I'll have to run for 2 hrs on a treadmill (they don't tell us which one we're doing on what day). They test VO2 max to determine what your speed will be during the 2 hr treadmill run. Oh, and I'll be getting paid $300 to participate. Cha Ching!

What is VO2 max? VO2 max is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and use oxygen during exercise...it is considered the best indicator of cardiorespiratory endurance. I'll let you know how it goes...and maybe even get pictures.

Bad to the Bone

This past weekend, I raced in my first 5k in like 6 months. I registered on race day, so I didn't get a small T-shirt. I got a medium and it is ENORMOUS on me. I gave it to my mom to wear as a night shirt or whatever she wants.

The race I did is call Bare Bones because they put it together using as little money as they possibly can (It just makes me think of the song "bad to the bone"). They send all the money from the registration fees to relay for life or some other non-profit cancer organization. Anyway, the trophies were really cool because they were "recycled" trophies. They were trophies that had been used at other races and had been left over, so there were lots of different kinds of trophies given out.

my sweet trophy

I got 4th overall for women and won first in my age group (they gave out awards to the top 3 overall and then top 3 in each age group). My time was 20:44, which is better than I thought I would do! The girl who won ran it in 19:00. I think my age group trophy is way cooler than the overall trophies.

Oh and I finally bought some new running shoes! I got me some Mizuno's, but I like to call them mizunees. Next race (money permitting), will be on June 10th. Races are so expensive. I wish they were cheaper.

Move over!

I recently went to a local high school track to do a track workout. The high school is only 10-15 min from my house, so it's pretty convenient even if the school is my high school's county rival. The workout I did I like to call, "The Devil Workout" because I did 6 x 400s, 6 x 200s, and 6 x 100s (get it? 666?!).

I'm so glad the the high school track is open to the community where people can come walk or run and just get moving, but there is one simple, important courtesy that people should follow if they're going to use the track. If you're walking on the track and somebody else is running, walk in one of the outer lanes, let the runner have the 1st lane. In other words, MOVE OVER! It's really not that hard. This also applies if you're running, but somebody is running faster than you...you move to the right.

There were several people walking on the track when I showed up to do my workout, but there was one woman who walked in the first lane and would not move. In between each of the 400s, I took a 2 minute break. I did 3 of my 400s to her 1...and I was taking 2 minutes in between each...and she still didn't move out of the first lane! It was annoying.

I told my mom about it when I got home (since she likes to walk a lot), and she told me that I should have run by her really close to scare her into walking in one of the other lanes. Josh said I should've just run her over! (Note to self, don't ever get in Josh's way!)

The courtesy also applies on trails. If you're on a trail and you come up on somebody, you should pass them on the left and they should move to the right. On exercise trails (biking and running), the proper etiquette is to say out-loud, "Passing on the left." If someone is passing you and the trail is really narrow, you might even want to step off the trail, somewhere safe, in order to give them room to pass.

Also, if you're going to run on a trail with a large group of people, be courteous of the other people who want to use the trail. Do not take up the entire trail! Break into smaller groups or run in pairs or something.

When I lived in Baltimore, I used to run at the NCR trail a lot. It was this nice, wide, flat trail that people would run, walk, and ride bikes on. There was this one time I went, and there was this large group of young girls that all ran together and took up the entire trail! The ENTIRE trail! And they were going really slow. I could've walked faster than they were jogging. There was one point in my run that I had to stop running and I walked behind them until I could pass them! It was just really rude of them to take up the entire trail when there were other people using it.

So, whether you're at a local track or on a trail, if someone is going faster than you, move over to right for them to pass. If you're on a trail with a large group of people, don't take up the whole trail. And if you ever see Josh running, stay out of his way!

here's a pic of Josh running so you know what he looks like in order to stay out of his way.

hot hot HOT!!!

As the weather continues to get hotter, the risk of heat illnesses/injuries increases. I figured I could share my knowledge of heat illnesses/injuries with you because knowing is half the battle and preventing is the other half!

First, preventing heat illnesses:

• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!! With both water AND sports drinks!
• Gradual acclimatization (big word for becoming accustomed to the weather conditions)
• Avoid activity during the hottest part of the day (the hottest part of the day is between noon and 5pm)
• Wear weather-appropriate clothing (common sense)
• Taking water breaks
• Re-hydrating after activity

Another little note...humidity impairs the evaporation of sweat. Sweat does not cool you down, it's the evaporation of the sweat that cools you down. So if it's humid, the chances of suffering a heat illness increases.

Alrighty, there are 5 heat illnesses:

• Heat rash
• Heat syncope (sync-a-pee)
• Heat cramps
• Heat exhaustion
• Heat stroke

Heat rash is a rash accompanied by sensations of prickling or tingling during sweating. It happens in areas that are covered by clothing and that are continuously wet with sweat or in areas where the skin folds. It's most commonly seen in the legs. I once had it where my elbow bends. The key to preventing heat rash is sweat evaporation, but sometimes that doesn't happen. Other ways to prevent it is to towel off regularly and to wear sweat wicking clothes.

heat rash

Heat syncope...well first, the word syncope means fainting. Heat syncope is fainting from the heat. It is usually caused from being in the heat for long periods of time and not being accustomed to it.

Heat cramps is exactly what it sounds like. Cramps...painful muscle spasms. They occur most commonly in the calf and abdomen. They are related to excessive loss of water and electrolytes. Immediate treatment is to drink large quantities of water and/or sports drinks, stretching, and light massage. Another common remedy for heat cramps is a shot of pickle juice.

Heat exhaustion is when someone becomes dehydrated to the point that they're unable to continue exercising. It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion: pale skin, profuse sweating, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, headache, muscle cramps, and dizziness. People experiencing heat exhaustion should immediately move to a shaded or air-conditioned area, excess clothing should be removed, and fluids should be replaced by drinking water/sports drinks. It is also a good idea to lay down with your feet elevated, in a cool area.

Heat stroke is a medical emergency! If not treated, it can result in death! If heat stroke occurs, call 911!! Heat stroke occurs when the core body temperature reaches 104 or higher. Signs and symptoms include collapse, confusion, seizures, altered consciousness, flushed and hot skin, decreased or absence of sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, and a rapid, strong pulse. The immediate lowering of the body temperature is extremely important if heat stroke occurs!! This includes moving to a cool environment, stripping off all clothing, pouring cool water over the head and neck, a fan, and anything to cool the body down!

As weather continues to get hotter, it is important to know about these different heat illnesses but more important to prevent them! I don't want anyone going to the hospital!!

Stay safe and keep cool out there!!

The Shack

I realize it's been a little while since I last posted. And I haven't bought new shoes yet, but my hot feet have kind of gone away.

I haven't really been doing much lately. Mostly just chilling at home and applying to jobs. When I'm not applying for jobs, I'm doing other little things such as knitting (yeah I know, I'm a grandma).

What I haven't been doing much lately is running. I looked in my running log, and in the past 3 weeks I've only ran 28 miles total. In contrast, the weeks leading up to Boston I was running pretty much twice that much in 1 week. It makes me laugh. Being at home right now, I have all the time in the day to go run, and I just lack the motivation. I think it's the lack of routine. I don't know. I am running though, and that's more than what most people do.

Anyway, I just finished reading a book called The Shack by William P. Young. My mom gave it to me for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I never gave it a second look. You have to understand that my mom isn't very good at picking out what I consider to be "good books" to read. One year she gave me a book that was a collection of "Guideposts" stories. I've never read "Guideposts" before, and I don't ever plan on it. If you've never heard of it, it's some kind of magazine. Oh and the collection of stories were Christmas themed.

I usually just place the books she gives me on a shelf, leave them there, and don't think twice about them. (I hope my mom isn't reading this post...Sorry Mom, but it's true). Which is what happened with this book, until I found it the other day and actually decided to read it. Not sure why, but I guess I just felt like reading a book.

As much as I hate admitting it (because my mom gave it to me), it's actually a really good book. Honestly, I've never cried so much from reading a book before....in a good, kind of cleansing way. There's a quote from the book about crying that I really, really like, "Don't ever discount the wonder of your tears. They can be healing waters and a stream of joy. Sometimes they are the best words the heart can speak." So don't judge me!

What is this book about? This book is about a man who took 3 of his kids camping. While on this camping trip, his youngest daughter gets kidnapped and brutally murdered. The only evidence they obtained from the brutal murder was her blood-stained sundress in some old, abandoned shack. 3 years after her death, he receives a note in his mailbox, that is supposedly from God, inviting him back to the shack. Then, he goes to the shack to find God. That's all I'll tell you.

It was...Wow! That's all I can say. This book will give you a new perspective on God, religion, and relationships...in a good way. Once I got into the book, I couldn't put the it down. I pretty much finished it in one day, which is something I don't do very often with books! You should definitely read this book! It's good.

What are your favorite reads?

hot feet

Ever since I moved home, I've been suffering from what I call "hot feet."

My feet just feel uncomfortably hot, but normal temperature to the touch. I have a hard time falling asleep when my feet feel hot, and when I finally fall asleep, it's a light sleep and I wake up a lot too. If you know me well, you know I'm a hard sleeper. I can sleep through alarms, huge storms, and even people climbing over me like it's nothing. Not being able to sleep well is really frustrating.

 I've tried keeping my feet out from under the covers, having a fan pointed at my feet, cooling foot lotions,  and even running cold water over my feet. But nothing seems to work.

This isn't just a recent thing. I've been getting "hot feet" for years now, but usually I'll have it one night and it will go away. This is the first time I have had it consistently for about a week or so.

I know it's not athlete's foot because my feet aren't red, itchy, scaly, or cracking. I think that I might just need to buy new running shoes. I'm still wearing my asics that I trained for the Boston marathon in, and they have about 500 miles on them. Maybe once I get new shoes, the "hot feet" will stop.

my asics training shoes on the left

 Have you suffered from "hot feet" before? What helped you?

What are some things you think I could do until I get new shoes?
Any other ideas?

I just want to sleep well again!!!

We're just goofballs

Josh and I just recently had our engagement photo shoot. It was a lot of fun. Photography by Zandi said that we were the CUTEST engagement session she has ever done so far. Well, since we're both runners, we did a running section. Pfeiffer and Catawba have a huge rivalry in pretty much every sport, so we felt it was appropriate to wear our T-shirts from our alma maters.

We're just goofballs, so there's a bunch of silly pictures...

our serious faces

Ok, that's only just a few of the silly ones. There are a lot more of those. Now, here are a few of the non-running really good ones!

The plan is to get married in April 2012.

More time means more races!

I've been taking time off from training since the Boston Marathon, and it's time to start getting back into it. Now that I've moved home, I have the freedom to do races whenever I want...I'm going to do just that. Working in Maryland, I rarely had weekends off, so I rarely did races.

Here's a list of the races I plan to do:

• Bare Bones 5k, May 28th in Salisbury, NC
• China Grove Main Street Challenge 5k, June 10th in China Grove, NC
• Salisbury Parks and Recreation Greenway 5k, July 23rd in Salisbury, NC
• Run to Victory Half marathon, September 24th in Randleman, NC
• NC Marathon marathon, Nov 19th in High Point, NC

I might decide to do more than that, but this is my list for now. I hope to get a PR (personal record) in the half marathon and the full marathon. My PR in the half right now stands at 1:59:36 and my PR for a full is 3:37:32.

I will definitely PR in the half marathon. That PR is from the most miserable race I've ever done, and my very first one. I hadn't ran in over a week because of sickness, the temperature was literally freezing, and it was raining. I was miserable.

I have done 1 other half marathon, but I can't count that time as a PR because the course was 2 miles short!! My time was 1:17:27. If I had really ran that time, that's a 5:54/mile pace...and I know I can't do that. If the course had been the proper distance, I probably would have ran a 1:33:00 or faster. So, I know I can definitely break my PR in the half marathon in September.

As for the full marathon, I think it's kind of funny that I'm already registered for another one. It's only been 3 weeks since Boston and after finishing the Boston Marathon, I said to Josh, "Why did we do this? Why did we run another marathon?" And here I am registered for one in November. lol. Marathons take a lot out of you, but the fulfillment you have after finishing one is unreal. They're addicting.

I'm happy to be home, and I'm happy that I'll be able to run more races now!! Plus, I'll have my trusty side-kick, training partner, coach, and fiance all rolled into one person, Joshua, to run with more often!! Yay!!

unpacking means play time

I'm currently in the process of moving back home to NC. I packed up all of my stuff, and I've moved half of it home. I will be going back to Baltimore later this week to get the rest of my stuff.

my car all packed up.

I'm trying to get all of the stuff I've brought home unpacked. I'm not very good at it. I feel like I just go through my stuff and then just play with everything. When I unpacked my clothes, I played dress-up. When I unpacked my flat iron, I did my hair. When I unpacked my nail polish, I painted my toe nails. You get the point...

did this with my flat iron

I've also noticed, that there's not as much room to put all my stuff as I had in Baltimore. I think it's because my mom has been using the spare rooms for her storage. It's hard trying to find places for my stuff, and I'm only working with half of it right now!

Well, living at mom's is only temporary for now. I hope to find another job and place to live before I start grad school in the fall.

I QUIT!

That's right people. I quit my job! I feel so good about it!! Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed my job...working with all of my assigned sports (Volleyball, Tennis, Swimming/diving, and Crew), the coaches were great, the athletic administrators were awesome, and everything. But, the crap that I got from the head athletic trainer and his side-kick...it was time to go.

I'm not going to get into details or anything because that would be unprofessional, but I feel great! I no longer have to go into work every day scared that I'll do something wrong, no more crying from stress and the things that my supervisors said to me, and no more bullshit (pardon my french). I'm so glad I quit, I don't think I could've handled it for another 3 months. I know that I'll miss my athletes dearly, but I just couldn't take it anymore. I know that wherever else I work, that it will be so much better. I have learned a lot from all the negative things here, and I'm better for it. If I'm ever in a supervising/managing position, I will not treat people how they treated me and my coworkers.

I quit at the perfect time too. I can move home and not have to worry about asking for time off to go home for mother's day, wedding dress shopping, for a family reunion in June, or my mom's 50th birthday bash! I really feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I can't wait to move home!!

The best experience I had working here was getting to travel to Florida for the volleyball conference championship tournament. It was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports (formerly known as the Disney Wide World of Sports). It was a great time! We got to go to the Disney Parks, I got to network with other Athletic Trainers, and it was just plain fun!

I've learned a lot from working here, and I'll miss all the great people I met and worked with...but it was just time to go.

Have you ever had a horrible work experience?
What was your best work experience?

the 115th Boston Marathon

ok ok. So I've been lazy about blogging about the Boston Marathon, but here it is. I left my camera with my future mother-in-law for the marathon, so I don't have any pictures from anything until after the race.

On the morning of the marathon, we got up at 5:30am to get ready and to catch a shuttle to the "Athlete's Village." First, we took a shuttle from the hotel to the train, took a train to the Boston public garden, and that's where we caught a shuttle. The shuttle was a school bus, and it took an hour to get to Hopkinton where the athlete's village was. We got there around 7:30am, and athlete's village was crazy. It was on the grounds of a local high school. I have never seen so many port-a-potties in my life!! There were hundreds of them! And what's even crazier is that I still had to stand in line for 30 minutes!!

They had buses for us to put our bags on so that we could have our stuff at the finish line. It was all done by bib number. What bus you put your bag on, and where in the bus it went was determined by your bib number. I was wearing several layers of clothes that I definitely didn't want to wear during the marathon, so I put them in my bag onto the bus.

We left athlete's village according to our wave number and corral number to head to the starting line. It was a .7 mile walk from athlete's village to the starting line (according to the map they gave us). My wave started at 10:20am, and I had to leave athlete's village at 9:40am to make my way to the starting line. So, I was leaving athlete's village before wave 1 even started (they started at 10am). Since I had to wait in line for the potty for 30 minutes, I barely made it in time to my corral at the starting line.

Once we got started, it was crazy. There were so many people running! I definitely weaved in and out of people, but I tried to stay on the same side of the road as best I could. There was water/gatorate and port-a-potties at pretty much every mile. They had water and gatorade on both sides of the road which made going through the water stops interesting. People would grab the cups and just stop running, and I almost ran into several people that way. There was one time that someone threw a water cup and it splashed all over me!

The crowd was electric!! There were so many people that came out to cheer!! I gave out hundreds of high-fives along the way, but after a while, I stopped giving them out because I didn't want people to touch me. With less than a mile to go, I saw somebody getting a sobriety test on the side of the road (spectator, not a runner). I thought it was funny.

The girls of Wellesley are definitely loud! They're pretty much the most famous cheering section of the Boston Marathon. I could hear them like a half a mile before I even got to them. I heard that they're called the "scream tunnel." An older guy told me while running, that they were coming up and he would be staying on the far side of the road because they hurt his ears. Most of the girls had signs saying "Kiss me..." There were girls holding signs that said "Kiss me I'm Vegan" and "kiss me I'm a senior" and a lot of girls had signs saying "Kiss me I'm from [a specific state]." I actually kissed a girl on the cheek who was holding a sign that said, "Kiss me I'm from NC."

During the marathon, I was running really good for the first half. I was on pace to run under 3:19:00!!! Then at mile 15, I stopped at a port-a-potty. I was in it for a little more than 5 minutes. I knew that I would not be able to make up the time, so I relaxed and then right before heartbreak hill I hit the wall...and I hit it hard. After hitting the wall, I walked a bit and even stopped to stretch one time. My finishing time was 3:50:00! Surprisingly, not meeting my goal time really didn't bother me at all. I still ran in and finished the Boston Marathon, and it was an AWESOME experience.

After crossing the finish line, I felt like a baby cow in a herd of cattle. We had to keep walking and grab stuff along the way. There was water, gatorade, our space blankets, our medals, a bag of snacks, banana, powerbar, and gatorade recovery. Then you had to find the bus that your bag was on and pick that up, but I skipped the bus and headed straight to the family meeting area. As soon as I finished the marathon, all I wanted to do was find Josh. He had been in Wave 1, and had to leave athlete's village at 9am to head to the starting line. Once I found him after I finished, I asked him, "Why did we want to do another marathon? Why did we do this?" lol. After finding him, I went back to the buses to find my bag. Then we left to go back to our hotel, shower, and go to dinner with my family.

It was a fantastic experience, and I hope to do it again sometime. We said that if/when we do the Boston Marathon again that we will run it together instead of separate, that we'll bring a camera with us during the race, and that we won't have any goal times for it. As for my next marathon, I'm thinking of running in the Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte, NC in November of this year.

Boston Funsies

We drove to Boston from Baltimore. It was an 8.5 hr drive. Josh and I are used to driving 7 hrs to come see each other between NC and Baltimore, so 8.5 wasn't that bad. It was cheaper than both of us flying. On Sunday, we picked up our bib numbers and went to brunch at the Top of the Hub restaurant. It was fancy.

After brunch, we walked around the expo. It was a mad house!! There were so many people and booths and stuff. We didn't really stay for too long because neither of us like crowds. We walked around to see what their was and then got out of there.

a port-a-potty fitting room at the expo

Then we went to the finish line and took some pictures. 

Then there was the pre-race dinner. They had circus people entertaining us in the line for food. They had assigned times for us to go to the pre-race dinner to keep things organized. Josh and I had different times to go. I had 4:30p and he had 5p. We ended up getting there close to 6p. The people at the dinner never checked our ticket times to see when we were supposed to be there. I'm glad we were able to eat together. 

I don't like clowns. but this dude on stilts was cool

We ate dinner with a guy from California that had done 82 marathons and the 2011 Boston Marathon was going to be his 83rd!! The Boston Marathon was only my 2nd marathon. Him and his wife were really fun to talk to, and I guess I need to run some more marathons...

Before heading home, we stopped by Harvard and Fenway Park. My little brother is a big Boston Red Sox fan, so I made sure we stopped at Fenway to get some pictures just for him. 

 

There was so much stuff to see and do in Boston that we didn't get to. I wish we had been able to stay another day or 2 so that we could've seen more stuff. I'm sure we'll go again sometime.

And hopefully next time we come, my grandparents will be able to come too. They weren't able to come as planned this time because 2 weeks before the marathon, my grandpa had open-heart surgery to replace a valve in his heart. I know that they wanted to come to Boston for the marathon so bad, so we'll be sure to do it again sometime.

More on the actual marathon to follow soon...

on the finish line

Ok. I'm so excited that I can't even post about the Boston Marathon right now! Why can't I post about it? Because I'm ENGAGED!!! That's right! My boyfriend, Joshua Pinyan, is now my fiance! I know everyone is dying to know all the details, so here it is....

We were walking around at the finish line getting pictures the day before the marathon, since we figured we wouldn't be able to on race day. We had been walking around all day and we were late for the time we were supposed to arrive at the pre-race dinner (we had assigned times to go), and we didn't really know how to get to the place for the pre-race dinner. I was tired and starting to get a little cranky and was pushing Josh to ask someone where we were supposed to go.
Then he said he wanted to go back to the finish line before we went to the dinner beacuse he wanted to see something. I didn't know what he wanted to look at, but I figured it was just something about the professional runners that would be racing.
Once we got back to the finish line, he looked around and said something about how he didn't see whatever he was looking for. Then he took my hand and said (roughly, don't remember exactly because of all the excitement), "This is the finish line, but it could also be the start of something more." He got down on one knee, said something about me being his best friend, and proposed.
After some happy crying on my end, some hugs and kisses...We got someone to take our picture.

The person taking the picture for us asked if it was something official, and when we said yes, a whole crowd of people cheered their congratulations. It was definitely the perfect proposal for us!

No, we do not have a date set yet. The wedding will be held somewhere in NC sometime in 2012. Posts about the actual marathon and the rest of our visit to Boston will follow soon...

Almost there...

With only 1 full day left before I travel, there is still so much to do. I've already checked some things off of my "to do" list like getting the oil changed in my car, doing laundry, and getting my hair trimmed (got to look good, ya know!!).

Unfortunately, I've been sick this week. Whatever I have, it hit me on Monday. After going 5 months without being sick, it just had to hit me the week before the biggest race in my life. I didn't even get sick when I was doing my runs in 15 degree weather!! It's nothing bad, just a head cold, but I'm just a little frustrated at the timing. Positive thought: at least it didn't hit me on race day....that would be super miserable.

I'm putting off packing as long as possible. I know I'll bring WAY too much stuff if I pack too far in advanced. I would just keep adding things that I think I might want. I do know  that I'll be bringing a bunch of shoes. lol. I'll be bringing my trainers, my racers, flip-flops, my toms, heels, maybe some cute flats, and maybe the shoes I wear to work. What do I need heels for? Well, Josh is taking me out to Sunday Brunch at the top of the hub restaurant for our 1.5 yr anniversary (It's kind of a big deal for us). It's a kind of fancy restaurant, so I'm gonna wear a cute dress and heels. anyway...

Since this will be my last post until my return from Boston, I want to say thank you to some people. Many thank yous to my roommate Stephanie for getting the oil changed in my car, for trimming my hair, and for the hours you'll be covering me at work. And to Rachel and Jonathan for, also, covering for me at work while I'm gone!! You guys are the best!! I know that without you, this trip wouldn't be possible!! I can't thank you enough!!!

I want to give a HUGE thank you to all of my family and friends for all the love and support you've been giving me lately. I feel so blessed to have so many people who love and care about me!!

And because Sunday will also by my little brother's 21st birthday and I won't be there to celebrate with him.....

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY MIKEY!!!!



Mikey in 3nd grade



Mikey all grown up!



I love you Mikey!! We'll celebrate when I come home from Boston!!

Much love to everyone!! Here, again, is spectator information. My bib # is 14740 and Josh's is 833!! Now onto packing and prepping and then the funsies of Boston!!

Boston Spectator Information

I know that a lot of people want to watch the Boston Marathon on TV just in case they get to see me in the race. They usually show just the elite men and women during TV and online broadcasting of races. Well, here is a link to spectator information that includes text updates, race day media coverage, race day schedule and lots of other stuff. Props to the Boston Athletic Association for being unbelievably organized.

racing gear prep

There's less than 1 week until the Boston Marathon. I'm starting to worry less about the race and more about the traveling details. This past weekend, I didn't sleep well because I would go to bed thinking about all the things I was going to pack, worrying about gas prices, food for the trip, and what I would say to Ryan Hall if I met him (he's going to be at the expo, so I might get to meet him).

Ryan Hall currently the fastest American marathoner (I'm a fan)

Anyway, in preparation for the marathon, I did a 10 mile run in pretty much what I plan to wear for the marathon, including my race shoes. I just bought a new shirt for the marathon that is BRIGHT pink. My family wants me to wear something noticeable just in case they get to see me on TV (which is highly unlikely even with the bright shirt). I hadn't worn the shirt running yet, and it was important in my mind to test it out. I think more important than testing out the new shirt, was breaking out my race shoes that I haven't worn in about 5 months.

I promise the pink shirt is brighter in person.

My race shoes are pretty different than my training shoes. I can't tell you the exact specs on them, but I can definitely feel a difference when I wear them.

trainers on the left, racers on the right.

As you can see, my trainers are Asics and my racers are Adidas. My racers are significantly lighter than my trainers, and since I don't wear them very often, they have far less miles on them. I started wearing this particular pair of training shoes in January, and they now have over 400 miles on them. I can definitely feel that they're worn out when I run in them because my feet and ankles will start to ache pretty badly. I'm not sure how many miles my racers have on them, but I think it might be under 100. Since my racers are not worn out, my feet and ankles should feel good on race day and light as a feather. Also, my racers have sentimental value because my boyfriend got them for me for Christmas in 2009, 1 month before our first marathon (he did a good job).

Anyway, I busted out my racers for my 10 mile dust-off run this weekend. I hadn't really run much during the week, and I wasn't sure how I was going to feel. Once I started running, I felt amazing. My legs felt strong, my fast pace felt pretty easy, I was in a groove, and I was just cruising. I didn't mean to run fast, it just happened. (It must be the fresh legs from the tapering). After this weekend's run, I'm confident that I'll be able to run a strong performance.

Whatever you wear for a marathon, you should wear at some point before you race in it (testing it on long runs is best) just so you know that it won't irritate you and that you feel good in it (unless you plan to dress in a monkey suit or something).

A note for my family: If it's cold on race day, I will be layering clothes. Therefore, even if you happen to see me on TV (still highly unlikely),  my pink shirt will probably be covered up.