Well, it happened again. I signed up for a Half Marathon, but life insisted on other plans.
I wonder if they'll miss me? I wonder what happens to all the packets that don't get picked up? I wonder how many other runners have hearts full of disappointment knowing that this particular race isn't the race for them any longer?
I've signed up for 4 Half Marathons in the past, but have only ran one. Think of the MONEY, the TRAINING, the COMMITMENT....lost. Boo!
The first Half Marathon I ever signed up to run was in Dallas while I was living there. The week-end of the Half Marathon, my good friend miscarried at 23 weeks along. Her husband was gone for months at a time & I was with her instead of running while she gave birth to an already passed baby boy.
My second Half Marathon was a beautiful and very successful run in Lincoln, NE!
I signed up for a third Half Marathon last year after having my son. There were many obstacles to work around with training, but the biggest were finding time for me & my husband to train and a bad chest cold that lasted over a month. Looking back I have regrets about that Half and wish I would have been more assertive with my training runs & continued on after my cold.
The disappointment I felt in myself after not pushing myself is what lead me to scour the internet looking for a Fall Half Marathon I could run. I planned one out for KC and even invited another couple to join me! My hubbie also signed up but said my training would be top priority over the next few months. Training was going great & I was running the fastest & feeling the best I've ever felt running! Then, 3 weeks ago to the day, I hurt my pubic bone. BOOM. No running. Couldn't even walk for days. Today I did a trial 1 mile since the Half is next week and realized it's not happening. My body will not allow for it. What a disappointment.
I have a 25% completion rate on my Half Marathons. I'm thinking it's going to take a lot of future Half Marathons to start working that number back up where it should be!
Showing posts with label Erica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Erica. Show all posts
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Sabre Red: A Review
I often run alone, and as the nights get longer and the mornings are just as dark, I'm often feeling a tad unsure of my surroundings. We live in a good neighborhood, but a neighbor and fellow Mother Runner had a van follow her around on two separate runs AND there is a bus route where the guys from Corrections catch a ride... it can make me nervous!
Several months ago, I bought a Saber Red Pepper Spray Keychain and I am so glad to have it. I feel confident in my ability to use it and love the size, shape and ease of use it provides. Mine is pink, too, because Saber Red donates a portion of proceeds from the pink Pepper Sprays to Breast Cancer Research! Win-win!
I only run without it when I'm doing a large group run where I feel protected by numbers, but otherwise I always have my Sabre Red!
Sabre Red has offered the Sole Sisters different types of products to review!
Here we have Erica reviewing the Spitfire and Meghan with the Runner:
-----------------
Sabre Red Pepper Spray was kind enough to let us try out quite a few of their products. Since the Sole Sisters were testing so many different designs, we all got to joking who was going to really try it out, if you know what I mean. Well, after dry heaving over the toilet and still feeling it in my throat and nose, I guess that would be me. Sometimes, I am such a moron.
I was sitting down to write the review when I thought I’d give it a spray one more time. It’s very easy to use, but also has a little resistance to make it safer. I sat in my basement and sprayed just the tiniest bit away from me. It was within seconds I started coughing and could feel it all in my throat & nose. Oops! I’m still trying to clear my throat! I can tell you without question that this stuff works!! That being said, there is a bigger reason then my stupidity that this will never become part of my running routine: MY KIDS.
The night I brought it home I put it up on the counter and went to bed. The next evening I came home and it was out of the plastic wrapping and sitting under my kitchen table
.
That is terrifying to me. I am a person ridden with anxiety. I
thought pepper spray would leave me feeling confident & ready for
any attacker. But, my anxiety about my kids getting sprayed trump any
feelings of good I get from having the pepper spray. My children are
young, 4 and 1, and I can’t think of a single place in my house that I
would feel confident storing the pepper spray without worrying about
them.
So, although I thank Sabre for allowing me the opportunity to try out their product (quite literally), this is not a running must for me!
---------------------
When I heard about pepper spray for runners I was interested but scared. My last experience with pepper spray was in high school on my key chain and I sprayed myself in the face and it was horrible. My husband even saw what I was going to use while running and said " Be careful you would be the type to spray yourself in the face." I laughed and said thanks hon ( he knows me well). The good news is I ran with it and did not spray myself in the face. I love the cute pink color ,it matched my shoes and running shorts, and the fact that it straps to your hand. I was running as it was starting to get dark and I felt safe because it was in my hand ready to use if needed. It is easy to use just turn dial and spray. It was not too easy though as in spray yourself too easy :) I really liked this product and felt safer having it in my hand.
-------------------
Now for some fun news! Sabre Red is giving Away a Pepper Spray product to a lucky reader!! You have several ways of entering, please comment on this blog post for each individual entry and be sure to leave us with a way to contact you!
- Comment below with the Sabre Red Product you would choose
-Share this blog post on facebook and/or twitter
-"Like" Sabre Red on Facebook
-Follow our Sole Sisters Blog!!
A winner will be chosen via Random.org on Monday October 8, 2012
Several months ago, I bought a Saber Red Pepper Spray Keychain and I am so glad to have it. I feel confident in my ability to use it and love the size, shape and ease of use it provides. Mine is pink, too, because Saber Red donates a portion of proceeds from the pink Pepper Sprays to Breast Cancer Research! Win-win!
I only run without it when I'm doing a large group run where I feel protected by numbers, but otherwise I always have my Sabre Red!
Sabre Red has offered the Sole Sisters different types of products to review!
Here we have Erica reviewing the Spitfire and Meghan with the Runner:
-----------------
Sabre Red Pepper Spray was kind enough to let us try out quite a few of their products. Since the Sole Sisters were testing so many different designs, we all got to joking who was going to really try it out, if you know what I mean. Well, after dry heaving over the toilet and still feeling it in my throat and nose, I guess that would be me. Sometimes, I am such a moron.
I was sitting down to write the review when I thought I’d give it a spray one more time. It’s very easy to use, but also has a little resistance to make it safer. I sat in my basement and sprayed just the tiniest bit away from me. It was within seconds I started coughing and could feel it all in my throat & nose. Oops! I’m still trying to clear my throat! I can tell you without question that this stuff works!! That being said, there is a bigger reason then my stupidity that this will never become part of my running routine: MY KIDS.
The night I brought it home I put it up on the counter and went to bed. The next evening I came home and it was out of the plastic wrapping and sitting under my kitchen table
.
That is terrifying to me. I am a person ridden with anxiety. I
thought pepper spray would leave me feeling confident & ready for
any attacker. But, my anxiety about my kids getting sprayed trump any
feelings of good I get from having the pepper spray. My children are
young, 4 and 1, and I can’t think of a single place in my house that I
would feel confident storing the pepper spray without worrying about
them.So, although I thank Sabre for allowing me the opportunity to try out their product (quite literally), this is not a running must for me!
---------------------
When I heard about pepper spray for runners I was interested but scared. My last experience with pepper spray was in high school on my key chain and I sprayed myself in the face and it was horrible. My husband even saw what I was going to use while running and said " Be careful you would be the type to spray yourself in the face." I laughed and said thanks hon ( he knows me well). The good news is I ran with it and did not spray myself in the face. I love the cute pink color ,it matched my shoes and running shorts, and the fact that it straps to your hand. I was running as it was starting to get dark and I felt safe because it was in my hand ready to use if needed. It is easy to use just turn dial and spray. It was not too easy though as in spray yourself too easy :) I really liked this product and felt safer having it in my hand.
-------------------
Now for some fun news! Sabre Red is giving Away a Pepper Spray product to a lucky reader!! You have several ways of entering, please comment on this blog post for each individual entry and be sure to leave us with a way to contact you!
- Comment below with the Sabre Red Product you would choose
-Share this blog post on facebook and/or twitter
-"Like" Sabre Red on Facebook
-Follow our Sole Sisters Blog!!
A winner will be chosen via Random.org on Monday October 8, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Yes, I train like an Olympian.
Of course I train just like the Olympians do, don't you? Well, maybe I log in less miles, eat a worse diet, and have a few extra minutes on my miles, but our healthcare is similar. I get regular Chiropractic care (which I'm sure I'll need to write an entire blog entry about) AND I use kinesio tape.
A couple months ago I decided to start running again after taking a 6 month break. I found that my knee was killing me after even a mile or 2. I happen to have the cutest, smartest, most gentle Chiropractor in the world :) and he suggested I try taping it. He started taping it before my runs. It took 3 or 4 runs for me to really start feeling the difference, but since the kinesio tape has been amazing. No more knee pain! Today I did a 5 mile jog with no tape & no pain. The tape helped my knee learn to stay in the right position. I'm going to start weaning myself off the tape, but not ready to quit cold turkey! I love it!
My stride was pronated (see the picture on the left). It's amazing how something happening down towards your feet can effect different parts of your body--in my case, my knees. I have shoes from Brooks designed to help with pronation, but it just wasn't enough. Nothing has worked like the kinesio tape.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
You are a runner...and you and you and you!
I still have a hard time saying, "Yes, I run. I'm a runner." Instead I like to say, "I jog sometimes." or "I try to run..." or "I've done races before." I guess I just lack self confidence, but Pinterest keeps trying to tell me otherwise with all these cute little sayings:
IF YOU ARE OFF THE COUCH AND MOVING YOUR FEET AT A QUICK PACE FOR YOU--YOU ARE A RUNNER!
It's actually one of the greatest things about being a runner. Once you truly consider yourself a runner you understand that you don't feel like part of some elite 6 minute mile group--you still feel like you. You can still go a year without running and then start back up at 1/4 mile. You can go 2 miles and feel lousy or 6 miles and feel great. Either way you run. Maybe your run is more of a quick shuffle walk, but guess what? You are a runner too. It's not an exclusive group. We take all kinds. Some will be quick, some slow. Some will be short distance runners, others go the distance. BUT, if you are doing it, you're a runner.
I can vividly remember the first mile I ever ran. For most, it was in elementary school during P.E. Not me, not this non-athletic girl! In elementray school, I was walking that whole gruesome mile in the way back with the fat girl. The first REAL mile I ran (sorta ran...) was in high school. I had skipped class the day of the mile run, but my teacher made me make it up (tricky lady!). I thought I was going to die. I had heard of people running for fun & just couldn't imagine those were ordinary people.
A couple years later I started college and decided I could be one those very strange people who ran. And not running to escape something chasing them (although sometimes I do like pretending I'm being chased by zombie now after watching "Walking Dead"), but running to be healthy. To live longer, healthier, and let's face it--to combat all that drinking weight from turning 21! My husband couldn't believe-and still laughs about the fact--that I could only run 2 blocks before needing to stop to catch my breath. To me, that is not the unbelievable part. Of course, I ran out of breat right away--I'M NOT ATHLETIC...HELLLLOOOOO??! I don't do anything--except watch TV, I love to watch TV :). The thing that is unbelieveable to me is that I stuck with it. But, I came up with perfect plan:
WATCH TV. Yep, that's right. Watch TV while I run--my favorite thing with my unfavorite thing! BRILLIANT. So, I started going to the Campus Rec Center and running on the treadmills. First, I just slowly ran the commercials and walked during the shows. After building my pace, I switched and started running during the shows and walking during the commercials. By my senior year, I could run an hour without walking. AMAZING. But, I still didn't consider myself a runner.
I continued to run off & on through an out of state movie and 2 babies. I don't know why I didn't have the courage to shout out and say I'M A RUNNER. ROOOAAARRRRR!! But, I never had.
Then, I joined Sole Sisters. No judgments here, just courage and strength. It's amazing listening to all these RUNNERS share struggles & trimuphs. I'm a stay at home mom, like most of the Sole Sisters. My life feels busy. The gym is not for me at this stage with little ones and finding time to work out is hard. But, no way & no reason I can't find 30 minutes somewhere in the day if I want to. And ya know what, sometimes I really don't want to :) & I don't. But, I've started running more regularly because of this group and feel amazing. I'm a runner. Sometimes I'm good, sometimes I'm bad, but I AM A RUNNER.
IF YOU ARE OFF THE COUCH AND MOVING YOUR FEET AT A QUICK PACE FOR YOU--YOU ARE A RUNNER!
It's actually one of the greatest things about being a runner. Once you truly consider yourself a runner you understand that you don't feel like part of some elite 6 minute mile group--you still feel like you. You can still go a year without running and then start back up at 1/4 mile. You can go 2 miles and feel lousy or 6 miles and feel great. Either way you run. Maybe your run is more of a quick shuffle walk, but guess what? You are a runner too. It's not an exclusive group. We take all kinds. Some will be quick, some slow. Some will be short distance runners, others go the distance. BUT, if you are doing it, you're a runner.
I can vividly remember the first mile I ever ran. For most, it was in elementary school during P.E. Not me, not this non-athletic girl! In elementray school, I was walking that whole gruesome mile in the way back with the fat girl. The first REAL mile I ran (sorta ran...) was in high school. I had skipped class the day of the mile run, but my teacher made me make it up (tricky lady!). I thought I was going to die. I had heard of people running for fun & just couldn't imagine those were ordinary people.
A couple years later I started college and decided I could be one those very strange people who ran. And not running to escape something chasing them (although sometimes I do like pretending I'm being chased by zombie now after watching "Walking Dead"), but running to be healthy. To live longer, healthier, and let's face it--to combat all that drinking weight from turning 21! My husband couldn't believe-and still laughs about the fact--that I could only run 2 blocks before needing to stop to catch my breath. To me, that is not the unbelievable part. Of course, I ran out of breat right away--I'M NOT ATHLETIC...HELLLLOOOOO??! I don't do anything--except watch TV, I love to watch TV :). The thing that is unbelieveable to me is that I stuck with it. But, I came up with perfect plan:
WATCH TV. Yep, that's right. Watch TV while I run--my favorite thing with my unfavorite thing! BRILLIANT. So, I started going to the Campus Rec Center and running on the treadmills. First, I just slowly ran the commercials and walked during the shows. After building my pace, I switched and started running during the shows and walking during the commercials. By my senior year, I could run an hour without walking. AMAZING. But, I still didn't consider myself a runner.
I continued to run off & on through an out of state movie and 2 babies. I don't know why I didn't have the courage to shout out and say I'M A RUNNER. ROOOAAARRRRR!! But, I never had.
Then, I joined Sole Sisters. No judgments here, just courage and strength. It's amazing listening to all these RUNNERS share struggles & trimuphs. I'm a stay at home mom, like most of the Sole Sisters. My life feels busy. The gym is not for me at this stage with little ones and finding time to work out is hard. But, no way & no reason I can't find 30 minutes somewhere in the day if I want to. And ya know what, sometimes I really don't want to :) & I don't. But, I've started running more regularly because of this group and feel amazing. I'm a runner. Sometimes I'm good, sometimes I'm bad, but I AM A RUNNER.
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