Having my brain examined

Remember that race I registered for that takes place in three weeks? I've had the cold from hell for the last two weeks and have basically just been struggling to breathe ever since. We've also had lots of crappy, cold weather and ice falling from the sky.

OVER IT!

That said, my workouts the last couple weeks have consisted of coughing and blowing my nose and coughing...and blowing my nose. So you know, to say that I won't be completely ready for this race is an understatement. Luckily it's also a full marathon, so I have plenty of time to finish.

I planned to get back into it Saturday and do a two mile treadmill run to remind my body what this whole running thing is. I got on the god forsaken machine and almost instantly the dizziness hit. Yes, THAT is still happening and it makes it really hard to run both straight and upright.

Except way less fun-ny.

After being wrongfully diagnosed with Pastulous Eustachian Tube back in 2011 (oh God, it's really been four years!) I was forced to give up trying to find the cause/cure due to lack of funds, especially after my MRI and hearing tests didn't show anything amiss. Endless guessing at my expense just isn't my thing. I recently switched to a primary care physician closer to my house who has filled me with a newfound need to get this shit found out! 

Last week I had a visit with a neurologist. Talk about an amazing/interesting/enlightening experience. Dude knew his stuff, treated me like I was an intelligent being, and he wasn't too awful on the eyes. So far in this train wreck experience, I've felt like the doctors were literally guessing, with absolutely no confidence behind their "diagnoses." This time, though, I have a newfound hope.

Mmm..veiny.

In case you're like me and have a need to Google search ALL THE THINGS, I'm going in later this week for videonystagmography (VNG). Enjoy, fellow nerds! Results to come.

By far the best image found by Googling videonystagmography

99%

So, nagging question: Wouldn't it make more sense to refer to birth control as conception block?



This deep, burning question has been plaguing me for weeks. My brain. I can't.


In other news, spring race training has once again begun. I've decided, for financial and sanity reasons, that two half marathons a year—one in the spring and one in the fall—is a good plan for me.

Because my spring race is on a trail that used to be a railroad, it's pretty flat; a good chance to attempt a PR once again. I had originally planned on creating a plan from different plans (read: winging it) as I usually do, but then I was asked by a friend if I wanted to try to train for a PR. He's super smart and has coached track and, well, I've got nothing to lose. You know what Einstein said about "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result," right? So, my training is officially in his hands (not Einstein's).

Einstein wore tidy whities.

One thing I really need to work on (and I never thought I'd say this) is my nutrition during training. Specifically, eating enough calories and protein. Apparently a couple servings of peanut butter a day isn't enough protein. The world is a cruel place!

I love to eat. Food is my BFF. And yet, apparently, I've been doing it an injustice by not consuming enough of it. I'd make that my resolution for the new year, but I don't do resolutions because what happens looks a little something like this:

Womp.

Did you make a resolution for 2014 that you stuck to?

2013 City of Oaks half marathon

If you follow me on social media, you already know that I completed my fourth half marathon. (I got a little annoying with the race photos.)

Many thanks to Will (Lindsey's BF) for being there after I finished to hang out.

This race was, by far, my favorite even with all the dang HILLS. For the first time, I had the opportunity to train AND run this race with friends. It makes such a huge difference. I ran with two friends who were running the full marathon and who had to stop to pee a couple of times. I didn't come close to a PR but I don't even care. Not even .1%. I ran into (no pun intended) calf cramps around mile 10, which slowed me down. My next race is at the beach, so I'll try for a PR next time. Maybe.

Lindsey, Molly, and me. Smiling. While RUNNING!

Aside from friends making this race awesome, a few other things stood out:

• A church group handing out Twizzlers around mile 5
• Mile 9-ish, a woman with a box of tissues for those in need (temps were in the mid-40s so snot was flowing)
• Amazing police and volunteer involvement 
• Firefighters at two fire houses outside cheering 
• A pastor spectating outside of his church, fully robed
• As finishers were approaching the finish line, their names were called over the speakers. 

You can't not fist pump at the sound of your name at this moment.

Also, after crossing the finish, the volunteer handing out medals shook my hand, congratulated me, and put the medal around my neck. That dude deserved a medal!

Well-placed photographer: WIN

This whole weekend was one that I won't soon forget. I think sometimes running to finish and not worrying about your time, but just on having fun, is important. I know people who disagree and that's just fine. 

Hartford half: the recap

Meet my newest bling.

Spoiler alert! I didn't PR but I finished and it was a pretty good race, despite some stomach cramping issues. (Official time: 2:40)

The morning started out pretty cold. It took four miles for my toes to thaw and for me to drop my gloves. In hindsight it probably would have been better if my toes had stayed numb because toward the end my feet were up to their normal antics and the balls (haha balls) of my feet were in pain.

Alyssa doing her best baked potato impression.

The crowd support at the race was amazing, as was the race course. We ran mostly through neighborhood streets in Hartford and there were very few hills. My kinda race!

Things seen during the race:

• A girl wearing underwear that said "LOVE PINK" across the butt. The only reason I know this? I could see them through her tights.

I hope she was getting paid to advertise.

• A sign meant to show drivers what speed they're driving clocking runners' speeds.

You'll be happy to know no one was caught speeding.

• Lots of spectators with dogs, which I really appreciated.

• A dude running dressed in a full Flash costume—mask and all.

There was a ton of music along the course, including bagpipers! I listened to my music for most of the race until the end and I was amazed by the number of runners who talk to themselves while running. As usual there were people all through the course yelling that we were "almost done." It's a good thing we were busy running or those people were dangerously close to getting gut-punched. No, at mile six, we are nowhere close to being done!

I had a side stitch for most of the race, which I attribute to feeling like crap the day before the race and probably not fueling efficiently. I was able to push past it until about mile 10 when my stomach cramped up and running or walking upright was a challenge. I did a lot of walking for the majority of the last three miles and knew a PR just wasn't in the cards for me for this race. I was ok with that.

I've decided my mentality around running is that I am running for, and against, myself. Feeling inadequate to others is just a huge waste of energy. Yes, I want to improve and that's my overall goal but I'm also not going to beat myself up over falling short of my goal, whatever that may be at the time. There's always tomorrow.

Third half marathon? Done!

 
After the race Kari's friend, who is a massage therapist, came over and gave us all 20-minute massages. That was, by far, my favorite part of the day. She addressed the recurring pain in my lower back and asked why I haven't been seeing a chiropractor. It looks like it's time to loosen the purse strings and just make an appointment. Today most of the pain is in my calves. Walking down stairs today is a special kind of torture.

I've already been hooked into running another next month, which is close to home so a PR should be in the cards.

I'm so easily influenced.

Never again

...will I run two races less than a week apart.

I've learned in my short time in this sport to never say never, but seriously. Never.

On to the Tar Heel 10-miler recap. That's why you're here anyway, right?

The race started in the UNC-Chapel Hill football stadium. This was a big marketing point for this race, although I actually think it was a terrible idea.

That line of people extending from the START line all the way around the stadium? Yeah, it kept going. I lined up behind the 10-minute mile pacers and was basically all the way across from the start line, with many more people behind me. Once the gun went off, I didn't actually start moving for what seemed like years and by the time I got to the start line, the clock was already at almost 9 minutes. And that's where I started to freak out for the first time during the race. I think the stadium start could have been a good idea had this been a much smaller race.

The temperature for the race wasn't bad (60 degrees) but the humidity had to be hanging around 100%. My plan was to stick close behind the 10-minute pacers, but after about the second mile at an average of 9-minute miles, I couldn't even see the pacers anymore because they were so far ahead of me. What's the point of even having the pacers?! Really really frustrating.

The first 4-ish miles I felt like we were repeating the same route over and over, which was basically hill after hill after hill. Around mile 4 I was already drenched in sweat and frustrated at the route and was so ready to quit. A DNF didn't sound so awful at that point. Around mile 5 I passed a woman vomiting up all her hydration stores and realized that I was ok and things could be worse! I finally was able to get some sports drink and it gave me back a bunch of motivation (it's the little things in life).

It wasn't until after I passed the water station that I realized that was the station with GU and that I just screwed up and didn't get any. Frustration returning.

The next 3/4 of a mile was entirely downhill and was so amazing...until we turned another corner into another hilly neighborhood. I did a lot of walking the next couple of miles. My quads were tight and I was out of water and wishing I'd had that GU. At the mile 8 water station (yes, two miles before the finish line), I was able to grab a GU and more water. Why did I do this so close to the finish line? I knew what was coming.

Entrance to Hell.

It's probably a good thing this wasn't closer to the beginning of the race or pulling a DNF probably would have been even more tempting. The best part of it was about halfway up, there was a dude cheering us on in a bathrobe and slippers.

Fast forward to the finish, aka-where everything kind of fell apart.

As I was approaching the finish line, the announcer was yelling for people to hurry to section 301 (I'm making up this number because I don't remember what the actual number was) in the bleachers for their medal and food. All I wanted at this point was a sports drink or water. I *think* I was handed a sports drink (or else I picked it up. I don't remember that either), and had to ask a random stranger if she'd mind opening it for me. All I wanted to do was down it but was being shooed up into the bleachers.

Mike and my new friend (actually his friend, whom I just met after the race. I make strangers my friends if they come highly recommended by my actual friends :), Nicole found me and showed me the dude handing out medals. Up in the bleachers. Strangest thing ever. He didn't even put it around our necks. Also, they look pretty cheap compared to the ones from last year. But I digress.

Purple. I know, you're all shocked.

Once I felt like I was hydrated enough to form sentences again, we went in search of food. After a trek around the outside of the stadium, the only food to be found was banana halves. So I ate one and tried to imagine it was a bag of chips or a bagel. To no avail.

As with every race, the volunteers and police support were awesome and I was pleasantly surprised by all of the people in the neighborhoods who came out to cheer for us.

Unfortunately the cons outweighed the pros for me in this race. There were far too many people for the starting venue and the finish felt haphazard and poorly planned. Mike said this was his best race so far, which is awesome! Will I run this race again next year? Probably not. But I'm glad I did it this time.

The race photos should be interesting

You know how it's generally frowned upon to run a race having not trained exceptionally well for it and also to wear new running shoes for that race? I am here to tell you that those are some great rules, friends. I learned these lessons the hard way yesterday, running the RunRaleigh half marathon. I knew that I wasn't going to PR, but I never expected to add 20 minutes to my time!

Apparently I can't follow directions.

Without going into a lot of detail, I'll just say that I ended the race limping and barely able to actually run through the finish line due to the pain in my left hip and the blisters where my baby toes used to be. What was awesome, however, was that Mike and Nicole (who I met in February and who ran at this race, too) met me about a half mile from the finish line and coaxed me to get there. Also, I wasn't dizzy at all for the race. A small miracle.

The shirt was a huge hit with the volunteers.

Thankfully we parked about 100 yards from the finish line, because otherwise I may have attempted to crawl to the car. I may just cut my baby toes off. I don't really need them, right?

Next year, dude. We shall meet again.

So I'm hoping the hell brought to my baby toes is because I never really "broke in" these new running shoes and not that the shoes don't fit right. Thoughts?

Another amazing small miracle happened this weekend. Pippi and I stayed at Mike and Nicole's house Saturday night and, due to her past of growling and snapping at strangers (like "the ex"), I was worried she'd be that way toward Mike and Nicole, and not get along with their dog. When we went in their house, she immediately wanted to meet and lick Mike and Nicole and growled once at their dog and a half hour later the two of them were running around and playing in the backyard. I'm such a proud dog mom right now! I know it sounds dumb, but believe me. It's a big step.

I'm pretty sure she'll be doing this most of the day.

So next weekend is the Tar Heel 10-miler and I'm determined to make it a much nicer experience (all things considered, the RunRaleigh half was a great experience, had it not been for my stupidity). Mike is running this one as well, and I'm hoping he won't have to wait quite as long for me at the finish line after he's done).

I took the day off work today. Such a great idea. I sense a lot of stretching and foam rolling. And watching the dog sleep. And rehydrating. Maybe some ice cream. Best Monday ever.


Have you ever ran a race you weren't very prepared for?

Do you typically get blisters on a certain part of your foot from running/walking/biking, etc?

A day of decisions

Let's get the bummy news out of the way first. I am, once again, single. Sorry folks, the HGG era, while short, has ended.

The most epic "sad" photo I could find.

HOWEVER (If you're a fan of FRIENDS, you know that's a fancy "but"), I also have fun news.

I'm not sure how it all went down, but on Sunday Alyssa is running the Lower Potomac River Marathon and Kara is running the last six miles with her. And, spur of the minute, I decided to join them for the last six. Of course they both are still trying to get me to register for and run the entire marathon, but seeing how much pain I was in after my half, I can tell you that ain't happenin'. Plus, I get my six miles in, get to run with friends, AND I don't have to pay for it. BAM. BOOM. KAPOW!

And also, because apparently I'm feeling extra ballsy today, I just registered for the Hartford Half Marathon in October!

Kari and Alyssa are both running this race (except they're both very advanced and are doing the full marathon). I know I had decided before that I wasn't going to do it, but I'm making some... "financial changes" in order to justify what it's going to cost me in airfare and to register.

Not only does that mean I get to see Alyssa like three times this year, but I also get to see Kari and Bungee AND go to Connecticut AND see Kara, Faith, and Peanut! I think this totally gives us BFF status. Totally worth the cost, no question.

And, since I'm at work right now, I will share the other good news for tomorrow. Wee!

I leave you with something to ponder.

Don't take away my wings!

If all my friends dared me to jump off a cliff

...I probably would.

A year ago I was thinking of training to run another 5k. Since then, I've ran a 15k and a half marathon, and signed up for a 10-mile race in April. Why would I even consider doing such crazypants things, you ask?

That said, there must be no bounds to my insanity. I've taken it another step further and this morning I registered to run the RunRaleigh half marathon in April...the weekend before the 10-miler.

You know what I'm most concerned about right now, besides keeping up with my training?

Race outfits.

Suggestions?? :)


And, because Pippi has been complaining about her lack of air time on the blog, I present to you, her favorite way to lay in bed (especially after I put clothes from the dryer on the bed).

By doze is zo cold!

Thirteen point freaking one

I saw this billboard on my way home from the beach and it just seemed
an appropriate way to open this post. LIVE YOUR DREAMS, KERMIE!

How did my first half marathon go? Well, I reached my goal: I finished!

How sweet is this medal?!

First off, this race was nothing like that horrible hot chocolate race in December. Even from the very beginning (parking), things couldn't have gone smoother. Also, the porta-potties were plentiful and the lines moved quickly. We all know how important that is.

My first race expo and, really, the palm tree took center stage.

One thing I have to note, that I'm sure no one else probably even remembers, is the dude singing the National Anthem messed up and had to restart. He pulled a Christina Aguilera (ha!) Even at 6:20am I was coherent enough to realize this.

I started out the race running in step with Alyssa, Lily, and Mike, but around mile 2 I slowed back because I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to keep up a 9-minute pace for 11 more miles. I was dizzy all the way until around mile 5. At mile 4 I really wanted to go collapse in the medical tent, but I kept trucking. Thankfully the dizziness eased up around the halfway point of the race.

People cheering for me by name was pretty spectacular.

My calves were extremely tight, and just never loosened up. I kept having to step over to a curb to stretch them. I don't remember much between about miles 5 and 11 except for being in pain and having to do run:walk intervals and hating life. I kept remembering what HGG told me the night before, though, and just made finishing my goal. This was my first half, and I kept thinking if I got a crap time, it could only improve next time.

Headphones weren't allowed in this race, although I really could have used some music in my life. I think it's an A.D.D. thing. I need something to occupy my brain. Apparently my own thoughts aren't interesting enough for two hours of pavement pounding. I'm convinced I could have gotten a much better time with some tunes. The majority of the people around me were wearing them anyway. That's what I get for being a goody-two-shoes and following the rules, I guess.

Once I hit mile 11 and the point at which the half-marathoners' and full marathoners' courses split, hunger really hit me and I realized I had forgotten to take my Gu, but knew it was too late now that I was hungry. But, dude, only two miles to go. I could do this! Those last two miles were nauseating. I don't know why, but sprinting the last quarter of a mile into the finishers' chute, it was all I could do to not throw up.

Running through the finish line was kind of a blur. I was most excited to finally sit down. Is that wrong? As I reached the finish, the third full-marathoner was finishing. That's insane! I swear the first few full marathon finishers are superheros in disguise. When I leaned over to have my race medal put around my neck, I almost fell into the medal-hander-outer. I met up with my aunt and uncle, who had been watching everyone finish, and we took some photos. It was nice to have some familiar faces after finishing!

Garmin time: 2:22
Official time: 2:28

That means I took a total of six entire minutes at water/Powerade stations and stopping to stretch my calves. I'm hoping my next half marathon will be a much more comfortable run, but I FINISHED!

Alyssa finished ANOTHER marathon, too. It was the shirts :)

All the runners: Mike, Lily, Eric, Alyssa, and me...and the awesome sign Alyssa's
friend Nicole made.

Fun details and pictures to come!

Freakout mode: initiated

So, the forecast for Myrtle Beach on Saturday keeps changing. Like, one day it'll say a 70% chance of rain and in the 40s and the next it'll be sunny with a high of 60. This makes it really difficult to not pack my entire running wardrobe, just in case. Also, I realized yesterday that our official race results will literally be available immediately after the race. This means that the drink I'll have in hand Saturday night will either be a celebratory one or a "drowning my miseries" one. Either way, I'll be wearing my [first] race medal!

I hope this isn't this year's medal. I don't wear hearts.

The half and full marathons both begin at 6:30am, starting at the same location and along the same route until mile 11. I wonder if I can keep up with Alyssa for 11 miles. I highly doubt it, as I lost her and Kara around mile 1.5 at the 15k in December since they are more of the "kill or be killed" type of racers. I haven't been running long enough for that. Plus, I'm afraid of being punched and having paid $65 to run a small part of a race before having to be transported by ambulance to the hospital to fix my broken face.

I have the bright idea that I'll take a dip in the ocean after the race instead of taking an ice bath. Don't worry, there will be pictures and, if you're lucky, video. There's a pool and hot tub in the hotel we're staying at that I plan on spending a good amount of time in also. This weekend will be epic.


If you've ran one, what was your first half marathon like?

Have you ever ran a race in the rain?

At least it didn't rain

While the race on Saturday did not go at all smoothly, I had decided early on that I was just going to run it for fun and that my only goals were to finish, and to take notes for my half marathon in February. I was able to accomplish both goals.

Eye on the prize.

Not only did the race experience not really go as planned, neither did my feelings on race morning. I woke up nauseous, which wasn't improved at all by the long drive in the backseat of a minivan to the race. I was in such a rush to get in the car after my alarm didn't go off, that I accidentally left the bagel that Kara had so awesomely smothered in peanut butter for me, on her counter. When we stopped at a Wawa to meet the rest of our group and to get some other breakfast items, all I could stomach was a soda AND I had forgotten my wallet, so Kara had to front me the money. I'm such a horrible person when I'm rushed.

Upon arriving at the race (and thanking the good lord that I was finally on solid ground for a while), I grabbed a banana, with hopes that I would soon be able to eat it without wanting to barf. All I could stomach was half of it, so that's all I was being fueled by for 9 miles. Oh and I also had..umm..."cha cha cha" issues. Kara and Kari had suggested that I grab Gatorade at the water stations, which was my plan, until the water stations were all empty when I got to them.


To break it down:


Mile 1.5: I dropped my gloves and, accidentally, my hat. This is also where I lost the rest of my "team"

Kara, I did not Photoshop this one. You're welcome.

Mile 3: My legs were not cooperating and I had to switch to run/walk intervals. A lady came up behind me and yelled, "Go sexy bitch. You can do this!" Unfortunately she was running way faster than me or I would have tried to stick with her for a while for the motivation.

Mile 6ish: Cramps in both my sides and hips. I actually stopped to stretch a couple of times. By this point I knew my time was going to be crap anyway.


Mile 7: I was ready to drop out. I was so incredibly close to not finishing. I think "pissed off" is a good way to describe it.


Mile 8: I finally pushed through the wall and was feeling great. I never thought this would happen. By the time I got to the mile 9 marker, I took off.


I ended up with a 1:39 time (10:41 pace. horrible!), but I know for a fact that I can do better than that. Next time around I plan on actually eating before the race and hopefully feeling a lot better. Oh, and also running a much better race with a much faster course (The terrain for my half in February is basically entirely flat :).


Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of our control, Kara and I weren't able to get our chocolate after the race. Seriously...WORST. RACE. EVER.

I hear lots of these were given out. I'm in mourning.

One good thing to come out of this race: meeting "in real life" three awesome people that I already considered friends. (Kara and I had previously met in college. We go way back).

Oh, and my mom and I went to a local running store on Sunday to see if they had "15k" car magnets. The lady behind the counter said, "I'm sorry, we don't, but boy do you deserve it after yesterday!" Umm...yes, we do deserve it, and so I created one.

I found the website Stickylife.com and went to town. After I created it, using their online template, I couldn't help but order a few. After I receive them, it sounds like I may need to order more due to the positive response. I think it'll be an awesome new addition to my back bumper :)


I promise tomorrow's post will be about the epic "blogger sleepover" Friday night. Be prepared to be very jealous.

Hot Chocolate 15k summed up in all its stinking awful glory

Let me start off by saying that, after this race, this group was started on Facebook. Everything you've heard is true. We aren't making this stuff up. This race was awful on so many levels. Thank goodness I had company in my misery (Kara, Kari, Alyssa, and Amanda), because if I were racing alone, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have even made it to the start line.

Before I get into the "what they did wrong" portion of this post, I'll start off with the "what they did right"s. Don't worry, the list is short. (By "they", I'm referring to Ram Racing).

(screenshots below taken from the Facebook Page Epic Fail - Hot Chocolate 5k/15k. I don't know any of those people personally).

What they did RIGHT at the DC Hot Chocolate 15k race

• Port-o-potties. They had organized rows of them and the two times we visited, we literally waited 20 seconds at most. Around mile 7 of the race I overheard someone say, "The port-o-potties was about the only thing they did right!"
  
  

  

  My new best friends.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Heated tent. I hesitate to call this something they did right, because I'm pretty sure it was heated for the volunteers who were selling shirts and things. Since it was below freezing outside and there were 20,000+ runners, we flocked to that thing like a fly to a pile of fresh poop. It was a great way to practice getting close to all the people we'd be elbowing and tripping over in the hours to come.
  
• ...and umm....that's it! I told ya it was short.

What they did WRONG at the DC Hot Chocolate 15k race (where do I even begin?!)
(disclaimer: this is my first big race, and my first race longer than a 5k, so I feel that I am completely unbiased in my opinions here, other than the opinions of the people I ran with, who confirmed that this is, in fact, not what a race is supposed to be like).

• Late starts. There was a 5k and a 15k option for this race. The 5k was supposed to start at 7:30am and the 15k was supposed to start at 8am. Upon our arrival, over an hour before the 15k was supposed to start, the announcer was already reporting that the 5k would be "delayed 10 minutes at most". Let's just say when all is said and done, we got to the start line of the 15k 1.25 hours late.
  
  

  

  Eric Cole, I do not know you, but I think we'd be besties.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Parking. It cost $10 per car for a parking pass, ON TOP of the already ridiculous race registration fee (I'll get to that in a minute). We received an incessant amount of emails leading up to the race about how important it was to carpool and to inform them how we'd be getting to the race because they were so on top of parking they were practically making love to it and parking this and parking that and OH MY GOD THE PARKING. And then we pulled into the parking lot when we arrived and no one was even checking parking passes. Womp womp womp.
  
• The cost. $45 to run a 5k and $65 to run a 15k. Self explanatory why this is on this list and not the other, especially taking into consideration all of the other things on this list.
  
• Unsafe running conditions. I'm pretty sure Ram Racing's goal of this race was to steal our money and then see how many of us they could take out either as casualties of exhaust fumes, tripping on orange traffic cones and breaking our faces, or getting splattered on big rigs' front bumpers. The first five miles of the race was on a lane of a major highway...one lane. AND it was an out and back. I'll let you have a minute to let that marinate.
  
  
  

  

  Imagine this, but with a few dump trucks honking and spewing out fumes
  mixed in for good measure.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Dude dressed as Ronald McDonald. Was it really necessary to scare the shit out of us right at the start line? That was just wrong!
  
  

  

  The things nightmares are made of.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• "National Harbor" was a lie. Like I said above, more than half the race was spent running on a highway, and then we looped around and ran more out-and-backs around back roads around buildings. We literally were near the harbor for all of a mile (and that's a very generous guestimation).
  
  

  

  It's pretty, right? Yeah, we wouldn't know.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

•  Holy hills! The downhills were nice, but the sick feeling I got running down them, knowing I'd be running back up them again wasn't worth it. I'm all for a mix of terrain, but they just had to throw in that extra punch to the gut, putting the finish line at the top of a hill.

I'm so glad to know that this isn't the norm for big races or I would never sign
up for one again.

There are so many more points that I didn't even touch on, but as they come to me, I'll include them in my next post about how my personal run went...carsick and having eaten nothing beforehand. It's a winner. You'll totally want to stay tuned.


The word of the day for this race experience seemed to be clusterfuck. For those who are unsure of what this word means, my favorite definition, courtesy of UrbanDictionary.com:

A combination of things going extremely wrong in a short period of time within the same general activity -- caused by stupidity and/or ineptitude.