Running Today

I didn't run today. And I certainly wasn't in Boston today. But my heart aches and my head is spinning for all those that were. What should have been a happy moment, one they had trained for through blood, sweat and tears, also ended with blood, sweat and tears.

I cannot imagine that moment, of being so close to the finish line and in such imminent danger. I hope I never have to, and I wish those people never had either. I have already had friends reach out and tell me that I'm never running another race again (not true, I'm doing the Tar heel 10 Miler this weekend) but I don't know if it will feel the same. Will I cautiously approach the crowds of people that should be cheering for me? Will I be fearful as I cross the finish line? I don't know. I hope not, but it's hard to say.

I love running. It's my go-to activity for basically every emotion that goes through my body. When I'm sad, happy, excited, anxious, whatever... I run. We can't let fear take that from us but dear Lord, we have got to do something with this world. Is this really what humanity is coming to? We're trying to hurt each other aimlessly? No war, no vendetta, just mean-spirited? I hate it. I hate it with every ounce of my aching heart.

I want us to find peace and happiness and hope. I want us to build a better world together. Isn't our generation supposed to be the one for change? Let's make it happen. Let's build a world on togetherness and love. Let's fight for the things that matter like equality and freedom, and lend a helping hand to strangers. Let's give more than we receive and never go to bed angry. Let's love big and hold our loved ones a little tighter tonight, and every night. Now is the time for change. Now.

Running the Ramblin' Rose!

I haven't written in a while... and it all goes back to the same excuse as always: I am BUSY. It doesn't help that I got sick for a week and was unable to run, go to the gym, move... I worked from home, which consisted of several naps in between various doses of antibiotics/mucinex/tylenol/sore throat syrup and cough drops. Oh, and in that time, I still had to manage a golf tournament and go to class. I did have to skip out on a 5k last weekend though. It would have been my 9th for the year, but I woke up on Saturday and knew there was no way I was capable of running.

I had signed up for a 5-miler this weekend with a classmate, but my illness kept me from preparing. I haven't run 5-miles in who knows how long, I've done some 3-milers, and a couple 4, but not 5 in a long, long time. So today was a bit of a struggle, but I made it. Crossed the line in 48:03. Sprinting the last little bit and beating my friend (she was actually ahead of me for most of the race).

Usually after races longer than a 5k, I'm set on "never running anything that long again," but today, I came home looking for more races. I don't feel bad, even though it wasn't my best time, or effort, I am excited to run.

Today was my 9th race of the year, so I'm still on track for 12 races in 12 months. Signed up for #10 in November (the Color Run). Just have to find 2 more to do between now and December 31st and I'm all set. I've completed my first 8k this year, my first 4-miler and my first 5-miler. I'd like to do a 15k but it looks like most of those are in the midwest right now for some reason.

I'm motivated right now to be active. I joined 2 yoga studios... one because it's close to my house and one because they have really awesome classes. The one closest to my house doesn't offer "hot yoga" only warm, but it's still a good class. I've gotta get back in the swing of spinning and weights too. Worked out once this week and have had upper body pain for the rest of the week. Maybe I'm just getting old?

Running Summer into Fall

Holy Cow, it’s Fall! It’s Fall? Really? Already? Where did Summer go? I was definitely a busy bee this summer with work, consulting, two-summer grad school classes, two weddings for very special friends, several bachelorette parties and showers to accompany those weddings, baby showers for other friends, a new nephew, keeping up with my 12-in-12 plan for running races, and of course, my own summer travel + fun. Whew, now I remember where it went!

 

For my last week of Summer, I spent it with the best friends a girl could ask for celebrating one of the “maids” weddings. Lots of time was spent on hair, nails, make-up and of course, making sure the bride + groom had the best day of their lives. I even managed to run 9 miles in the time I was in Swansboro which was very satisfying. And.. the wedding… it was ah-ma-zing. Seriously,  it was better than perfect and I’m so happy that I got to be a part of the special day and share it with my incredible friends.

Then we went to the Outer Banks for a few extra days of R&R. Lots of driving but totally worth it once we arrived… this was the view for the week and my view on my morning runs. And me, running in Corolla. I’m pretty sure nothing beats an early morning run on the beach with a little mist blowing on you as you pound sand instead of pavement.

I had a few extra days off that I got to spend with my adorable nephew at a lake house that had an "endless" pool. So cool. And um, so adorable?
As we exited Summer, and entered Fall, we spent our first Fall weekend cheering on the Virginia Tech Hokies. I’ve always said there’s no better college football atmosphere than Lane Stadium but on Monday night, there couldn’t have been a better (albeit slightly stressful at times) atmosphere ANYWHERE. The Hokies pulled off the “W” and I was one happy little girl.  

Now onto Fall classes, major changes at work and cooler running weather. What’s your favorite part of Fall?

Running... and high hopes while hiking!

Wednesday was my 3-year anniversary with my boyfriend. However, I had class so there was no celebrating to be done on Wednesday. So yesterday, my boyfriend told me he had a day o' fun planned for us... starting with hiking at Crowders Mountain. And hiked we did.... 5.2 miles... 5.2 miles that make your ass sore kind of miles.

 We got all the way to the top and I was thinking to myself... THIS would be the perfect spot for a proposal. Sitting on top of the world, peaceful, together... but no. I won't drag it out because it's simple.. it didn't happen. Although, he was super sweet up there telling me how much he loves me and how great our 3 years together has been... still no ring.

All hope was not lost, because we had a delicious dinner reservation at The Fig Tree and that too, could be the perfect place for a proposal. Romantic dinner in a darling little house set in Elizabeth... we were dressed up so pictures would be amazing afterwards. So we had appetizers and salads and entrees and dessert and coffee (and some libations)... and the night was winding down. I was pretty sure when the check came that it wasn't going to happen there... and THEN...

He suggested we go for a walk in the park across the street. Meanwhile, my friends are texting me/blowing up my phone asking if anything exciting has happened. Of course I agreed to the walk in the park, which lasted all of 5 minutes before he suggested we go back home and watch a movie in bed.

There you have it folks, I'm still "single" by all legal definitions. I'm still just the forever, live-in girlfriend.  I still don't get to start planning my happily-ever-after because for all I know, it's never going to happen.

Maybe I should just start running... and see where it takes me.

Running... NOT at ZX Fitness.

I got off work early today as we are traveling to Atlanta to celebrate my boyfriend's 30th birthday. I thought I would allow time for myself to hit the gym before we get on the road... however, instead I've been dealing with this situation below. Here is my message to the gym.... after I spoke with billing for half an hour and then went in to speak with the manager without any resolve:


"I'm very disappointed with the level of service I have received from ZX Fitness. I have been a member for a while now and recently had my debit card number compromised. My bank deactivated the card and sent me a new one. I got an email from ZX saying I needed to update my billing information. I came in and did so, and was informed there was a $20 decline fee on there as well. I asked if that would be removed since it was not my choice to change the card number and was told that it would. I tried to contact the billing on 6/6 to be on hold for over 20 minutes. I went in the gym again on 6/7 and asked if there was any other way to go about this and was told no, I would have to call again but also assured that the $20 would not be charged to me. I spoke with billing today 6/8 and was informed that I had been charged the decline fee and there was nothing they could do. I went into the gym, hoping the situation could be rectified there since that it where I was first told I would not be charged the decline fee and that it would be waved. I was told there was nothing the manager or his manager could do unless i get written proof from my bank. 


I've brought in 3 additional members to this gym and have diligently paid my dues monthly. I'm highly disappointed in the run around and that I'm having to chase down an email from my bank to "prove" this - because obviously I would make up a story like this and then willingly come in and update my number. It makes no sense. 


I am considering canceling my account with ZX after this situation is rectified, as well as my boyfriend moving his account and my two friends that have joined with me. I will gladly pay cancellation fees for them as I do not want them to have to endure stressful and unnecessary situations such as this one... ever. 


You might want to make sure your front desk staff knows what they are talking about before you let them inform your members that fees will be waived. And what's the point of having a manager who has no authority to do anything? 


Highly disappointed in this company and my gym in particular." 


Needless to say, I did not get to run today. Hopefully Atlanta will provide some time for rest & relaxation!

Running & Memorial Day!

I had an incredibly active Memorial Day weekend - which included an extra day off work! Who doesn't LOVE a 3-day weekend?

My fun really started on Wednesday, when we saw Dave Matthews Band at Verizon. What an awesome set list! We heard so many songs that we hadn't before and he played some of his new ones. Seriously an amazing show. Totally worth being tired and slightly hungover at work on Thursday.

Thursday, we went to the Charlotte Knights game with some folks from work. I really have some awesome girls that I used to work with (BF still works with them). So glad that we've stayed in touch and I get to spend some QT with them outside of the office.

Friday, I decided to run when I got home, went for a 3-miler but it was so hot (87 degrees) that I had to stop & walk three or four times. I still finished in 28 minutes, so I was proud that I was able to make up for the time that I walked. I also took my dogs for a mile long walk after that. Then we had an AMAZING dinner (shrimp & grits!) at The Fish Market in Baxter Village. Yum! Should be on everyone's restaurant bucket list!

Saturday, I took the dogs for another long spin and spent most of the day outside soaking up the sun (with sunscreen on of course!). We went to NoDa Brewery for some afternoon beverages and had the chance to taste Maki Taco Truck's tacos. Basically like heaven in your mouth. Seriously, the freshness and deliciousness combined was enough to give you a stroke (in a good way!)

Sunday, we took the dogs to Lake Wylie for a little morning hike before the temps got too high and then we went to Mac's Speedshop. This was really our weekend of good food and good beer. I needed a high-intensity workout after so many days of beers and big meals, so I hit the gym. I was doing intervals on the treadmill. Finished a 5k in 24:43 - pretty proud! My PR is 24 even. We ended up at the White Water Center afterwards for some music. Our friends had told us to check out the Black Lillies, so we stopped by for a beer and some jams.

Today, I did Body Pump to start the day and then took the dogs for a little over a mile long walk. My legs are begging for BioFreeze today. Seriously, so much pain. I'm a little nervous about how I will be able to walk tomorrow... should be interesting. But totally worth it because we just had a week that should go down in the record books. Loving life. And best of all... I'm going to be an auntie this week. Damon is due on Wednesday.... we'll be *patiently* awaiting his arrival until then! 

Running... Georgia

We just spent a week in gorgeous Jekyll Island, Georgia. If you haven't been, you should go... it's so serene and peaceful there. It's tucked away from traffic and tourists, live oak covered roads and sand dollar covered beaches, wild horses roaming at Cumberland Island which is just 45 minutes away, I mean, seriously, it's THE perfect getaway. Here are a gazillion pictures to prove it's beauty just in case you don't believe me..

My view on my morning runs

Every morning I went running and walking on the spectacular beaches. Now, I did have to wait until 8:30 or so because of high tide  (it was REALLY high) but when it receded, the beach was a treasure trove. We found dozens of sand dollars (only keeping the dead ones) and conch shells, and jelly fish and horseshoe crabs and fiddler crabs and rainbow colored seashells. It was such a gorgeous site.

On Wednesday, we went to Cumberland Island, which you have to take a ferry to, and it's basically an all day walking adventure. We took a picnic basket with us and enjoyed sitting on the beach and watching dolphins play. We saw dolphins EVERY DAY of our trip! Cumberland has wild horses, crabs that scamper right in front of your feet and majestic maritime forests.

If you can't tell, I'm head-over-heels in love with this place. It was vacation and I was up at 6 am ready to go every day. We spent one day riding bikes on the paved trails that go all the way around the island. We took a dolphin seeing boat ride one day (or attempted to, we had to turn back because of a storm), we saw deer and a bobcat one evening and on our last day, we watched a sea turtle being released back into the wild.

So, also on our last day, we did the Turtle Crawl 5k. The funds went to support the Sea Turtle Center (which is who released the rehabilitated turtle back into the ocean). It was an amazing, fast, flat course. Some of the turns were a little tight, especially when we had to turn around and come back, passing runners on a sidewalk was tough, but the entire time you could see the beach, which made it alright. AND, best of all, I PLACED in the race! 3rd.... probably would have been 2nd if I hadn't stopped to go to the bathroom 3 minutes in, but I literally did not think I could hold it for 3.1 miles. It was the perfect end to the perfect vacation. I highly recommend any and every active person make this trip at least once in your life. There are a million things to do while getting away from the rest of the world. 

*side note: I have now completed my 5th & 6th races of the year. I did the Run Wild 5k on 5/12 (placed 5th in my age group, 95th overall) and of course, the Turtle Crawl 5k on 5/19 and placed 3rd in my age group with a time of 26:19.

Running... beaches, Florida and TSA!

I went to see my BFF + College Roomie in West Palm Beach this past weekend and wouldn't ya know it, it was grey skies and gloomy weather the WHOLE time. Literally, it actually poured down rain on my last 2 days. Bummer, but we made the best of it and relieved some of our fun college days:

tower of beer

Soul Bowl

I didn't get a lot of beach time (read: any) but I did get to check out West Palm and Sunny Isles beaches. Both of which were gorgeous. I also didn't get to run on either of these guys, my work outs were limited to the gym in Sarah & John's condo. I'm still feeling the one I had on Saturday morning though, so it must have been good, right? "Pain is weakness leaving the body." 

Now, I am a beach girl, at heart. Swansboro, NC to be exact on where I left my heart. It's been my "home" since I was 15 and I get a serious lead foot when I see signs for the town. Almost home. Something about that place is just so perfect and Southern lovely, that I have an obsession. Doesn't hurt that one of my best friends lives there. The beach is my fun place, my getaway place, my rest & relaxation place, my 100%, absolute FAVORITE place on earth. There are some others that I love too: Wrightsville Beach in Wilmington, Folly Beach in Charleston, the beach on Coronado Island in San Diego, OBX... the list goes on. And soon to be added to it is Jekyll Island, Georgia when we go for a week later this month (holy cow, it's MAY!). I love, love, LOVE beaches and I love finding races when we travel so that we can explore the beaches and get a real feel for them. We did the Battleship 5k in Wilmington, the Mullet Run in Swansboro, and we're doing the Turtle Crawl 5k in Jekyll on May 19th (5th Race of the year!) 

As for TSA... they are my least favorite part of traveling. I think this is why I love road trips so much. Packing, unpacking, rushing through airports that are overcrowded and understaffed... not fun. So the TSA lady in WPB was awful as I was trying to get to my departing flight. My 1.5 ounce bottle of shampoo had fallen out of my zip lock baggie and was in my carry on... along with my dry (not liquid) spray sunscreen. I had an inkling of a feeling that she wouldn't let me take that through, but I figured I should try anyway. She started yelling at me about taking shampoo in my bag, obviously it fell out, which I politely explained. Then she told me I couldn't take the sunscreen and she promptly tossed both in the trash. I asked her for the shampoo back - which I didn't really need but she was just so rude! She asked if I really wanted her to dig around in the trash... "yes." 

Best part, I had 2 razors in my make-up bag, but clearly, sunscreen is much more dangerous. Heaven forbid I protect someone from the sun instead of using a razor on them. I'd much rather be sprayed with sunscreen than cut up on a plane. Makes no sense, but I made it through the security check point and back to NC safe & sound. 

Running ... with green smoothies!

First of all, let me say YUM. I had NO idea that smoothies with spinach, chard, romaine, or any other green vegetable could taste like that! The first one was definitely the scariest... and it was more brown than green. Actually, I made my boyfriend try it first, and he promised me that it tasted just like a banana, and nothing like spinach. Lots of good stuff in the blender there... including greek yogurt and a scoop of protein powder.

So after the first one, I got smart and realized that red, orange and purple/blue foods were going to turn it brown instead of the limey green color I was aiming for... and that's when I became addicted, and also experimental. I began adding new fruits and vegetables, cayenne pepper, honey, egg whites... and it was all surprisingly good.

My favorite included a handful of spinach, 1/2 green apple, tablespoon of honey, 2 tablespoons of 0% fat Greek yogurt, frozen fruit (peaches, honeydew, strawberries, pineapple), and 1/8 cup water. I also tried pineapple juice in place of the water and pineapple. Both ways were delicious.

My boyfriend got addicted to these too and we ended up with a new blender because we came to love having a smoothie for breakfast or after a workout. Usually I am not one to try new things (especially brown fruit and vegetable mixtures) but I am so very glad that I opted to participate in PB Runner's green smoothie challenge. I think most of it was mental, but I did feel better that week of doing green smoothies.

And now that I have a new blender, I'll be experimenting with even more smoothie recipes (I've found that Pintrest is an excellent place to find these!)

Be brave, try a green smoothie. And if you HAVE tried one, share the recipe here!

Running... cleansing... and ice baths!

This weekend is my first official 8k... and my legs feel like they are boulders. Yesterday, I really needed an ass kicking so I did an interval work out. I was running between 8.5 mph and then walking at 3.7 for a minute each. Tonight is my night for Group Power with the girls; however, the girls bailed, so I went by myself. CRUCIAL leg tracks... yes, multiple tracks. Apparently, my house has no icy hot in it, or tiger balm, or Bengay. So... I resorted to an ice bath. (If you go back to my first few blogs, I tell you how I'm always cold... so you can imagine how this went). I sat there shivering for all of 5 minutes and had to call it quits. But at least I tried. Now I'm rolling my legs out and giving myself a massage. Fingers crossed that the pain fades before 8 A.M. on Saturday.

Also today, I tried a cleanse that I found at EarthFare. It was on sale and had cucumbers, so I figured it couldn't be THAT bad. It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad. Didn't have much of an effect but it was only $1.15 so I don't really feel like I lost anything by trying it.

I fussed at a friend a few weeks ago for wanting to try a cleanse she found on Pintrest. But it required her to cut major food groups out of her diet for 10-12 days and guaranteed weight loss up to 20 lbs. Anyone who knows anything about nutrition knows that can't be healthy for you. I don't necessarily feel like a drink "cleanse" is healthy for you, but I'm 99% sure it can't be as unhealthy for you as depriving yourself of entire food groups. Plus, that diet told her no fruit and I am addicted to fruit of every kind. So today's adventure spiked my curiosity and I've now decided to try this 6-day cleanse. 

Conveniently, I have 6 days left before I head to West Palm Beach for some girl time and sunshine! I'll update next week on the effects of the cleanse. And as soon as I'm done with my final grad school paper of this semester, I'll post all about my green smoothies from PB Runner's challenge (totally addicted to them now! Who knew?!) 

Running... for 32.

There are some moments in life in which you will neVer forgeT where you were when they happened. 9/11 - I was in French class, freshman year of high school. The day my best friend's dad passed away is another. And of course, April 16, 2007 is one of those days for me. 

I had just finished a 6 mile treadmill run at the gym where I also worked, and I was moving on to the weights portion of my workout when someone announced, "Someone was shot at Virgina Tech." Insert heart in stomach here. Not only does my sweet, sweet mother work at Virginia Tech, I have SO many friends that go there. Part of me thought, "there's no way it was my mom"... or even any of my friends. I continued on with my work out. The death toll went up to 2. 


By the time I left the gym (after calling my mother 4 times at this point and texting countless other family members for updates)... there was footage of bloody bodies being carried out of Norris Hall. Shooter unaccounted for. I was on the verge of freaking out at this point. I drove back to my apartment and sat stunned on the couch with my roommate, Emily. 16 dead. More bodies. More cops. 17 dead. At the end of the day it was 32. (My mother had been at a doctor's appointment and unable to answer her phone. Bless her heart, she scared the crap out of me.)


I actually didn't know anyone that was shot, or killed that day. But the tragedy was still there. It didn't just effect Virginia Tech, it effected the whole community. I not only went to school in that community at neighboring Radford University, but I grew up there. You don't have massacres like that in Southwest Virginia. We farm and drive too fast on back roads. We have field parties and love Hokie football. People don't shoot each other. People only die from old age. Maybe I lived in an alternate reality until that day... and at that point, I saw true evil. 




The pit in my stomach didn't go away for days. My heart ached for the families who lost loved ones. I wanted to hug the students who survived. I wanted the community to be as resilient as they showed they were and to bounce back from such an unimaginable event. Virginia Tech is an amazing place. If you've ever been to a football game there and felt the energy in Lane Stadium, you know what I'm talking about. The people are friendly. When they say "how ya doin?" they genuinely want to know! 


Two years ago, my mom (who still works at Tech) and my boyfriend (who is an alum) did the 3.2 for 32 race. It was a beautiful day to pay tribute to those 32 who left us on April 16, 2007. They will truly never be forgotten. 5 years later, it's still hard to believe that something like that happened in the small town that was named the best place to raise kids by Newsweek. 

Today, we are all Hokies. We are Virginia Tech. 

Running... Cooper River Bridge.

We finished! Yay... what a RELIEF to cross that finish line. And then go an extra .2 to find water. My official time was 1:03:14, and although I'm usually one that hates excuses, let me explain why...

We woke up at 5 A.M. Pumped! I was running the race that 44k other people also wanted to run. I was running with one of my very best friends. And my boyfriend, who loathed running when we started dating, was going to run his very first 10k with me. I was stoked to get out there, get it over with and have a Blue Moon in my hand by 9:30 A.M. (It's legit if you've run a race and are drinking at that time, otherwise, you may want to review your priorities).

The bridge is closed down to allow the buses to transport runners to the start line. We get there at 6 AM to stand in a 2 mile long line. We figure this is the norm with 44k people running the race and waiting their turn to be taken over. So we wait... and wait... and wait some more.

It really wasn't bad waiting, we were with good company. However, we started questioning how they were going to stop running the buses at 7 A.M. if all of these people were still waiting? Surely they couldn't NOT take us over to the start line... could they? So we continued waiting... finally finding a bathroom (which of course also had a line!) I went, and came out only to find that our position in the never-ending line hadn't progressed much. Disappointing. And it was 7:08 at that time. One of the race coordinators made an announcement that the buses got lost?! We're not sure if that's really what happened but if so, all of those drivers should be fired! How do you get lost doing the same thing 20 times? Don't you do this EVERY year? Hasn't the race been a success in the past?

Finally, shortly after 8 A.M. we were loaded onto a school bus and taken (most of the way) to the start line. It was at least a 15 minute bus ride, if not more, and then they dropped us off more than a mile from the start line. So before I even started the race, I had walked 2 miles to stand in line and walk back to the front and then another mile to get the the corral I was  starting in. I was supposed to be in "D" but as we were passing "K" they mentioned the race was starting in 2 minutes, so we hurried up and ran to "G" and hopped in. Here we GO!

Nope. That was corral A that was getting to go.... at 8:56 A.M. Almost an hour delayed. For those of us corralled in "G" ... we started at 9:21 A.M. At this point, I had been up for almost 4.5 hours, had a banana and 1/3 of a Cliff bar and my GU gel. My water had been finished while standing in the longest line ever. My mouth was dry and all that excitement I had at 5 A.M.... also gone. I literally did not want to run the race. And it showed... my friend Liz caught up with me at mile 2 and asked if I was okay? Nope. Struggling. Need water. And not the hot water that was offered at water station 1 before mile 2... then I found out, the next water station was beyond mile 4. I was kicking myself for not enjoying the bathwater they offered at the first station.

We finished. And my sweet, amazing boyfriend finished in 1:10 which is INCREDIBLE for someone who had never run more than 4.3 miles before, someone who is not a "runner" by definition and someone who would have rather been sitting on the porch of the condo having his morning coffee than weaving through 44k people on a bridge with an average incline of 4, which covered mile markers 2, 3 & 4. I am SO proud. We felt fine after the race, although there was not a Blue Moon waiting on me. Disappointing. There must have been lots of complaints about the race, they have issued an official apology.

It's definitely not something I will do again. Once was enough and now it can be taken off the bucket list. I just signed up for my 4th race of the year, the Elizabeth 8k in Charlotte, NC. First official 8k I will be running, just hopeful for a better experience than the Cooper River Bridge Run.