Another half ... and the last for a while

So, today I ventured out to do another half. No big deal right, you've done how many of these already this year? This is what I told myself. Not too long into it, I was singing a different tool.

When you are pregnant, your energy level is zapped. You get tired a hell of a lot sooner than you normally do, and your body is working a bit harder with each and every step. I told myself this was no big deal, my energy was starting to come back so surely this wouldn't be too different from the last half I did back in June. Way wrong.

First, even before I hit mile 1 I started to feel a blister forming on my right foot - right on the damn ball. Sure enough by mile 2 it was making every step miserable. I couldn't stop - I had to finish. Around mile 5 I started to feel another forming on my heel ... that one was awesome at the end. So with two blisters making every step misery, trying to keep my heart rate below 140 (doc's orders) and trying to stay hydrated, um, it was a challenge.

Second, at mile 7 I hit a wall. I was exhausted. I wanted to quit. I didn't want to keep on walking. I was done. My legs protested, my right foot was killing me. I wanted to stop ... but I told myself I had to finish. My pace dropped significantly, but I sauntered on. The aid stations remained open, thank gawd, and I kept trucking along. Slowly, very slowly, but surely I continued to make progress.

Third, I was trying to pace myself when it came to drinking fluids because there were no damn bathrooms along the course, at all. I noticed around mile 9 that I started to feel a bit light-headed and decided I needed to really drink. Miles 10, 11 and 12 I drank like there was no tomorrow, but it wasn't enough ... I was parched when I finished and couldn't seem to get enough water in me. It was only 50 degrees when we started and 75 when I finished, but damn if it didn't feel like it was 90. Lesson learned, it doesn't matter if there are bathrooms or not, you really need to drink. If you need to go, you can always find a bush.

By the time I got to mile 10 I was dead tired. Cheryl rolled up beside me and told me that she didn't think she'd ever catch me. She kept me company until mile 11 and then she kept her pace and I continued to slow down. It was weird being that slow, but you know what, I kept on trucking. I may have finished dead last this time around, but I FINISHED ... er, WE FINISHED. 10 weeks pregnant and I fricking finished. I feel good about it.

Aftermath ... silver dollar size blister on the ball of my right foot, dehydrated as all hell (even with all the liquids I was consuming), blister the size of a car key on the back of my right heel and when it is all said and done, I couldn't eat. I felt terrible at the end of this one.

5K ... Melting, I'm Melting

So, with work there was a group thing going on that I got asked to be a part of ... running a 5K. I thought this would be no big deal, but that was before I found out I was pregnant. I had to take it easy, but I also had to keep the reasons why under wraps as no one was in the know on this at all. It turned out to be 94 degrees when we started, and I was dehydrated, started overheating and it just wasn't pleasant. It really didn't cool down at all during the race, so I was dying about a mile in. That is just way too fricking hot to be doing something like that unless you are used to it, and me and heat, let's just say I am SOOO not used to it.

So, instead of running, I walked. Granted my time was shit, 49 minutes for the 3.1 mile course, but given the conditions and the fact that I couldn't push myself for fear of really overheating at 6 weeks and causing problems, I'll take it. In the end, it wasn't so bad.

I have another half coming up in 15 days, and I still have to check with my doc to be sure it will be ok ... but you know what, I'm walking the fucking thing anyway, so it won't really matter. Guess it will be another finish under my belt. Yay!!

Another half conquered

So, yesterday I did another half - the Slacker - and it was an absolutely gorgeous course. I was able to beat my personal best yet again, and am thrilled that I was able to do so. I actually used runkeeper this time, and it tracks your pace over every mile, and I was doing great, but miles 11 and 12 were slow miles. The last bit of mile 12 to the finish line I kicked my ass into high gear and was able to get back down to my "normal" pace for that race.

I gotta say, with all the ones we've done and the pain that I had in my calves from Surfside, what is going on with my hips is entirely new. This race was almost entirely downhill, and as a result, when I ran, I dipped down into a lower stance to protect my knees and shins. Because of this modified stance over such a long period, my hips bore most of the work and they are bitching about it today. I am fine once I am up and moving around for a while, but the getting up is a bitch. My hips are on strike, and I hope they learn to deal with it over the next few days. The rest of me feels pretty great.

Another milestone on this race, I ran more than I walked!!! I am so happy of this accomplishment. Perhaps some future race will enable me to actually run the entire race instead of the back and forth that I am presently doing. All I can say is it is a huge step in the right direction for me, and it felt great.

Two More Halves in the Bag

So, it has been a relatively long while since I've posted last --- damn, nearly a year. So what has been going on since last August? In February, we did the Surfside run again, but with a kicker this time around. It was pouring rain for a majority of the race. Fun? You bet your ass it was fun, but damn, I could've done without some of that rain. My time suffered because I had to slow down. On the other hand, last year when I did Surfside I had problems with my left calf ... and this year, wouldn't you know it, I had issues with my right calf. It locked up on me again at mile 10. I don't know if it was the rain, the cold or the sand being extremely loose because of all the moisture, but the last three miles kicked my ass. In better news, I met an older gentleman on the race, he was walking it with his grandson. Less than a year prior to the race, he had a heart attack and his wife's solution was to start signing them both up for half marathons. The guy dropped 80 pounds and has done a half a month since he started. Seriously, the guy is my hero. I don't know how the hell he does it, but wow, that is a goal to definitely work toward.

After Surfside, I was inspired and went ahead and signed myself up for a half in April, May, June and July. Talk about biting off more than you can chew.

April 7th came around a lot sooner than I start but damn, I had my personal best on that race. I beat my Surfside time by more than 35 minutes, and for me, that was a huge accomplishment. My legs didn't cramp up, I kept a great pace, and when the race was done, I felt awesome. I really want to do that one again next year. Westminster 13.1 is what it was called, and a majority of the track was on a dirt hiking path. There were some hills, I'm not gonna lie, and one of those hills never seemed to end, but I made it to the top and back down, all the way to the finishing line. I was so proud of myself that day, it was a great run/walk.

May 20th is the next one, and it is coming up this week. I haven't done any kind of walking since the April 7th race, so I am hoping to get some miles in tonight to get my legs back in the mode of go and go and go and then go some more. I hope to get in 10, don't know if that is going to be possible, but I'm going to give it a shot. I want to be sure that I don't cramp up on this one - it has a strict time limit and it is going to be hot on Sunday.

June 23rd is the Slacker - and it is the one that I signed up for last year, but failed to actually make it up there for the race. I must make it this year, as I won't be able to make the July 7th race - as I will be in HI getting married. So June 23rd will be the last of the local races for the summer. I don't know what I'm going to do for August, or perhaps I can find another suitable race (meaning no hills) in July, but around here that is hard to accomplish.

I will post again once I've finished up on Sunday (at least I hope that I'll be able to finish) and hopefully it will be a vibrant post giving glamor to yet another 13.1 under the belt.