Subluxation

Sunday's 10 miler with my RBK was, well, crap.  We were very anxious to go running that morning, we talked about it all night at work.  I was hoping my asthma would behave, I had 10 miles to do, I didn't want to be huffing and puffing the whole time, slowing RBK down. 

After our 12 hour shift, we changed and met up at Bayshore, just like usual.  We started our run at a great pace, I was amazed at how well my lungs were feeling.  This is going to be a great run.  Somewhere around our second mile, I felt my ankle pop, but it didn't hurt, it just felt like cracking a knuckle.  I mentioned it to RBK and we continued to run.  Since our longest run along Bayshore was only 9 miles, we had to go a little past our normal turn around point to make the last mile.  We ran til we found this cute little park by the water somewhere between miles 3 and 4.  We wanted to stretch, drink some water, and use the bathrooms.  Once I started walking my ankle was rebelling.  WTH?  It kept popping, painful popping.  OH CRAP!  All I could think was 14 days.  There was 14 days before our next half  marathon, I  can't be hurt.  I stretched my calves and did some gentle ankle rolls, hoping to get it back to par, but as soon as I would start running, POP, POP, POP. 

The last one really got me, and had me hopping around like a fool.  This is where we met Debbie.  Debbie is a running coach and organized runtampa.com.  She stopped and asked if I was ok, and I told her I just had some painful popping, but I was just going to walk it out a bit and hope it got better on its own.  She told us about her running community, invited us to join, and we went our separate ways.  I walked a good bit and finally got back into running.  My ankle was still popping but wasn't hurting as bad.  Thank goodness.

RBK and I found our groove and were running along when, BOOM.  RBK tripped over the uneven sidewalk and landed hard.  I almost tried to catch her and I used all my brain energy to slow time so she wouldn't land as hard, but nope.  As she was sitting on the ground assessing the damage, here came Debbie.  She probably thinks we are complete idiots and doesn't want us to join her club now.  Luckily she had a gallon jug of water by the road for her runners and RBK was able to rinse her hands off in clean water. 



Gravity 1 : RBK 0

We walked a bit more.  We were only about 4.5 miles into a 10 mile run, are you freakin kidding.  When I had told Smooth we had a 10 miler to do, he said, "So, you're going to be running all day."  We laughed and I probably gave him a dirty look, but now I was beginning to think he was right.  It might take us forever at this rate.  We get back into our run and debate on making it a 7 mile run and saying screw it, and running our 10 a different day or sticking our tongues out at gravity and anatomy and going the 10.  Of course, we had to finish the 10.  We couldn't let them, whoever they are, win. 





Miles 4 and 5 were awesome huh?



Towards the end, RBK went ahead of me.  The ankle pops were getting painful again.  As much as I tried to tell myself that 13.1 miles don't just run themselves, a voice answered and said, 13.1 miles can't be run with a broken ankle, so I took it easy.

When we, FINALLY, got done, we headed into our breakfast joint.  We hadn't been there on a Sunday morning since our very first run, and we had forgotten how busy it gets.  We were excited about this well deserved delicious breakfast.  But, unfortunately we didn't get to eat a delicious breakfast.  We are huge fans of the poached eggs they serve there, but on the weekends, because it is so busy instead of using a pot of boiling water, they use a poaching pan.  YUCK!!  There is nothing worse than an undercooked egg.  Breakfast fail! 

After I came home and foam rolled, iced, and put on my compression socks I went to my doctor googled what could have been going on with my ankle.  This is the best explanation I could find, but I'm not 100% that is what was going on, because if the tendon was slipping out of place, it was also slipping back into place as well.

"In people who recurrently sprain their ankle, it is not uncommon to hear clicking coming from the outside of their ankle. This phenomenon is commonly known as “snapping” ankle or slipping peroneal tendon. As the name suggests, the clicking sound arises from the peroneal tendons slipping in and out of the groove behind the bone sticking out on the outside of the ankle. Medically, it’s known as peroneal subluxation."Read more: http://mcr.coreconcepts.com.sg/snapping-ankle/#ixzz1IAg7O6hX
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

 

 

Tuesday morning we were supposed to run our 4.35 mile loop, but I had forgotten my gym bag.  Since I had my shoes in my car, I decided to run in my scrubs.  Yuck.  Bad choice.  But I got through it.  Our breakfast was back to its yummy self too.

Tonight RBK and I are going to see My Run at the Cinebistro in Hyde Park. 

What is the correct order to ice, foam roll, and compress?

Are you going to see My Run tonight?

Best Sushi Ever.

The sign above heaven.

The Happy Leaf

Lobster Bomb, Dynamite Crab, Happy Scallop, and Dino and Jimmy Rolls

When RBK and I run from Daily Eats to Bayshore and back for breakfast, we pass this delicious looking sushi place.  After being teased for months we decided to try it.  Even on our 6 mile run Wednesday morning we were wishing they were open in the morning for breakfast sushi.  So Thursday night we met up in Tampa to check out Water-Unique Sushi.  It is joined with Ciccio's California Cuisine, so if you go with a nonsushi eater, they have lots of options as well.  It is also owned by the same company that owns Daily Eats, our post run breakfast joint.  It was obvious from the time we walked in the door this was going to be a great experience, the place was filled with beautiful people.  I wanted to order everything on the menu, but instead we both ordered 2 rolls and mixed and matched.  Everything was perfect.  My favorite was the lobster bombs.  We sat eating, nodding our heads the whole time.  There were no words to describe how awesome it was.  I even got a free glass of wine, what is better than that?  Don't you want to come to Tampa and eat sushi with me?

Oh, this is a running blog.  Sorry.  Well, like I said Wednesday after work, RBK and I ran 6.36 miles along Bayshore.  That is such a beautiful route, but we are currently on the look out for a new place to run to mix it up a bit.  I don't know if we are going to be able to find as good of a breakfast though.  Early this morning I did a quick easy run and I'm fixin to do Jilly Bean's 30 Day Shred.  I tried out my first pair of tempo shorts today and I think I am in love.  I've been afraid to try them thinking they would ride up my crotch and I would chafe, but nope, they were great.  I'm going to love running in them during the summer.  I've been a spandexer up til today.  Tomorrow is a 9-10 miler after work.  Not sure if I'm going to go back to spandex for that run or try the shorts.

Are you a fan of sushi?

Oh, I almost forgot.

Friday night, I Shook My Wheezy Shamrocks. 

I couldn't print my SyS bib, so I just ran without it.  I was hoping I wouldn't get caught by a race official and be thrown out because I looked like a bandit.  Oops.  Luckily, at 11:30 at night the race officials weren't paying attention, whew.  I changed from the 13k to the 7k because I wanted to do the SyS and the Wheezy back to back.  I did alot of speedwork during the run, my legs felt really good, but my lungs were not cooperating.  I hate that.  I finished the 3.1 miles right at midnight.  Because I wasn't feeling so hot, I just ran the 1.24 miles to reach the 7k.  I did not run them back to back, I ran them together.  I was really looking forward to logging some miles with these virtual races.

Shake Your Shamrocks 7k

Wheezy Virtual 5k

I love the idea of virtual races, I think the feeling of community within the bloggers is awesome, and we can't always meet up to run together, but we can still show support of one another by participating in these races. 

Have you ever ran or hosted a virtual run?

Have you signed up to run my virtual race to support the March of Dimes?
Check it out!

Best Recovery Ever.

Yesterday was the Florida Beaches Halfathon and 5k at Fort de Soto, FL.  My coworker had just completed the C25K program and I told him I would help him find a good 5k to race.  I found one that served beer afterwards and he was sold.  I talked (even though it didn't take much convincing) RBK into running it as well. 

I didn't sleep very well Saturday night and was awake at 4:00 am, an hour before my alarm.  I had 1!! cup of coffee and some pb bread while catching up on the happenings in blog world.  I got ready and did a breathing treatment before heading out the door with my very supportive husband. 

Found this crazy girl in the parking lot.

We all arrived, picked up our chips and waited for the start.  The halfathon started at 7:05 and the 5k at 7:20.  We stretched and warmed up, anxious to get started.  I was a little nervous since my lungs have been so tight lately.  I really wanted to run a good race. 

That palm tree didn't look quite so dead in the dark.

Nerd.

Super Nerd.

  

See ya in 3.1 miles.

The three of us stayed together working our way through the crowd for the first half mile, then RBK took off and found her groove.  She said she would probably be running slower today because she fell during her 10k the day before and was really sore, the concert the night before didn't help her recuperate.  Not so much, she is A for Awesome.


Mile 1 came quickly, a little too quickly for me, 9:43.  That is not the pace for this turtle.  I guess I let the endorphins take over.  The second mile was alot slower because I had started out so fast, it was around a 12 minute mile.  It didn't help that the water station volunteer dropped the cup of water on my foot.  Thank goodness it was only a 5k and I didn't have to run too long with my wet righty.  The second cup of water must have been laced with something, because I got my second wind and felt great.  The woman in front of me had a little bit of a quicker pace so I grabbed to her shirt tails and stayed with it.  I missed the 3rd mile marker and before I knew it the finish line was approaching, so I sped up even more, I was really feeling good.  32:24 gun time.  Mike was only a few seconds behind me, Way to go!!



31:48 chip time



Way to go Mike!!

Beer at 8am is totally acceptable, we work night shift.

After the race RBK, Mike, Smooth, and my boss Richard, who came to cheer us on, and I went to breakfast at Beverly's La Croisette at St. Pete Beach.  We have been checking out the menu all week.  I love breakfast foods.  My husband's french toast looked delicious so of course I had to try a few bites.  It was just as good as it looked.  I got the Florentine Benny which was very good. 

RBK came back to my place after breakfast to have blender drinks and lay by the pool.  It was such a beautiful day yesterday.  We sat in the pool for a few minutes to cool our legs down.  The water is still pretty chilly, but it didn't take long to get used to it.  The pools in Maryland were the temperature most of the summer, another reason I love Florida so much. 

I put some burgers, brats, and shrimp and pineapple kabobs on the grill for "linner".  RBK and I had some Banana Bread beers and continued to enjoy the sunshine.  We lounged by the pool for a bit longer, and I couldn't take it anymore, it was too nice, so I jumped in the pool.  Whoa!  It was super cold.  But only for a second.  So March 20, 2011, the first day of spring, was the first day in the pool.  Last year it was Easter Sunday April 4th. 

After a quick trip to Target, I came home, and curled up on the couch, for the night.

That was the best post race recovery I've ever had. 

What is your favorite way to recover?

Blender drinks and sunshine, definitely.

What is the deal with the $500 RedStar gift card?

Feels pretty scammy to me.

Spring Cleaning

Cleaning is cardio, right?

That is how I spent my St. Patty's Day, Spring Cleaning!!  I'm 1/3 done.  Today was the all the rooms you can see when you walk in and my pantry and bathroom.  Tomorrow is my bedroom and the...closet.  I have alot of clothes to go through, nothing fits.  That is a good thing.  The last is the spare room and guest bathroom.  My inlaws are coming to stay with us soon, so I can't just throw stuff in that room.  I'm kind of an out of sight out of mind kinda girl.  I'm also going to do some tie-dying.  I want to make all of my white race shirts wearable.  I'm too clumsy to wear white.

Spring cleaning is alot more fun when you have your best friends there to keep you company.  Nerd Alert.  Today was a total M*A*S*H -athon in the Turtle house.  I could seriously watch M*A*S*H nonstop, everyday.  There is even a Biggest Loser just sitting in my DVR, but I can't stop watching M*A*S*H. 


"If I close my eyes, my brain won't get any air."-Frank Burns

I went to get ink to print my Shake Your Shamrocks bib, but I couldn't get it.  (They were cleaning the floors and had the ink aisle closed, what luck?)  I have until the 20th to do the run, so I'm gonna go pick some up Friday. 

As soon as Smooth gets home from work we are going on a bike ride.  Since I didn't Shake anything today, I'm calling it a rest day.  Back to running tomorrow. 

I hope everyone had a Happy and Safe St. Patrick's Day.

Do you Spring Clean every spring?

How did you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

A Full Rich Day.

I had what Radar O'Reilly would call a full rich day.  After work RBK and I did Bayshore and Breakfast.  Some nights, that is what gets me through the 12 hour shift.  It was the first time since day light saving that we ran along Bayshore and it was so much nicer at that time in the morning.  We got there just as the sun was coming up and it was still nice and cool. 

Good morning.

We we able to see dolphins swimming in the bay while we were running.  We saw probably 5 different ones swimming around. I tried to take a million pictures, only one turned out.  There were lots of crazy birds fishing and tons of funny fish bubbles in the water.  They weren't there when we came back around.  I think they might be there every morning at sunrise and move along a little while later. 

My only dolphin picture.

I am glad the view and the weather were nice for our run, because my lungs were not nice.  I couldn't believe how hard it was for me to breathe.  I guess it is the changing of the seasons and the pollen, I hope it doesn't last long.  I had to use my inhaler and walk a few times, ok alot.  My endurance is really suffering.  There were enough distractions along the way that I didn't get totally down on myself. 




A Tony Little gazelle.





Elliptical

Leg Press Machine

Pull Up Bar.

"You know you like it."  (sorry, I had too.)



A shout out to my RBK on the sidewalk.





We did 4.34 miles, pretty slow due to the lung fail.  But we got it done I felt great afterwards.  I hope I can get through the next few days with no more trouble.  I have 2 virtual races, (Wheezy and SYS), and 1 live race on Sunday, while keeping track of my miles for the Cupcake (Half) Marathon.  TGFA.  Thank Goodness for Albuterol.

I came home and tried to catch a huge bass with my new fishing lore, but uh, I didn't find one.  So I came inside and rocked my world with my new best friend.  I am loving foam rolling.   Foam rolling has felt great on my calves and my glutes, but when I tried to work my sore hip I just about died.  I'll stick with ice and ibuprofen for my hip.  I am so thankful I've started stalking  reading your blogs, I get the greatest advice that no book, magazine, or training plan could give me.  Real time tips.  It's great. 

Smooth and I went and played some disc golf this afternoon.  It was such a nice day today in St. Pete.  I love Florida this time of year.  Well, except for the pollen, yuck.  I did a couple stretches and push ups while we were playing.  Just to stay active.  It has been a long time since we have gone out to the course.  We played a short round once it started getting dark.



Smooth on the dg course.



 

Our quick spontaneous dinner at Chili's was great.  I had grilled chicken tacos, with extra veggies and black beans.  They really hit the spot, I didn't feel like cooking and didn't want to eat junky food either.  That was the 4th or 5th straight day I've had chicken tacos.  The others were homemade deliciousness. 

We went on a nice 3 mile bike ride around the neighborhood when we got back.  Working night shift makes you savor every drop of daylight.  Sometimes we I am so tired all I want to do is sleep after work.  Not today, ok well I wanted to sleep, but I didn't.  We finished off the night with an hour of tennis.  I really needed the cross training to strengthen my legs with lateral moves.  I could feel my legs loosening up as I was playing today.

I really want to continue having days like today.  I can't always have perfect run days.  Sometimes it is hard to stick to a training program everyday.  Playing is just as effective, I could stop and catch my breath is I started feeling tight, and playing is a ton more fun.

Do you play disc golf?

I love going out and spending time with Smooth doing something active and healthy.  I'm not very good, but if I only did things I was good at I wouldn't do very much.

What is your favorite way to play?

Today was pretty great, but I like to swim, play volleyball, and basketball too.  That's why I love living here so much.  We have all that stuff right here.  (not the disc golf)

What is a food you could eat 5 days in a row?

Apparently chicken tacos, but usually crab legs, salads, and this awesome soup affectionately referred to as poop soup.  Its a southwestern soup.  Yum.  I'm a big fan of Mexican foods. 

Runners are Gross

According to Smooth, we are a fairly disgusting people.  We blow snot rockets and go to the bathroom in the bushes.  We lose toenails, get blisters, chafe, and love to show off our battle wounds.  We talk openly about our bodily functions over a post run breakfast, sweaty and smelly in a crowded restaurant.  We take unattractive pictures of ourselves post run and share them with pride to our running buddies.  I guess from the view of a non-runner, we are kinda gross.

On Sunday, my RBK and I ran the Brandon Classic Shamrock 10k.  I learned a few great lessons during that race.

1.  Never drink 2 cups of coffee before a race, and drink that cup at least one half hour before leaving the house.  Mile 4.5 is not an appropriate time for the bubble guts to kick in.

2.  Celebrate St. Patty's Day after the run, not before.  I had a great time at O'Boobigan's, and only had a couple beers, but again, mile 4.5 is not as appropriate time for the bubble guts to kick in.

3.  Remember to set your alarm clock for day light savings time before you go to bed.  I woke up very confused Sunday morning, but luckily I woke up not to be too rushed.  Except for grabbing my coffee as I headed out the door.

My side/hip hurt right where my hand is, any suggestions?  It feels like a pulled muscle, not a side stitch.

Although it was a very uncomfortable last couple miles, I still managed to PR by 8 minutes.  I spent the rest of the day in the bathroom.  Runners are gross.

Thursday I will be Shaking my Shamrocks for the virtual 7k. 

Today I am getting a foam roller thanks to all the recommendations from the bloggers I follow.  I need something for these calves and my strange hip pain.

Do you use a foam roller?

Are you a gross runner?

Peace, Love, Run!

I love running.  I love making time in my day to do something for me.  Something that makes me a better person, inside and out.  I love the way I feel after a run.  I love getting my vitamin D while sweating buckets and getting that runners high.  I love seeing my progress on the treadmill day after day, week after week.  I love running races and I'm not gonna lie, I love the t-shirts and medals and expos.  I love having running buddies, giving running advice, reading, writing, dreaming about running.  I love how my tight my calves are and how nice my butt is starting to look.  I love that my pants are more loose and I love all the compliments I have been getting on how I look.  I truly love being a runner.

I had forgotten why I love running.  I ran 3.1 miles yesterday on the treadmill.  I beat my 5k PR by a few minutes and was disappointed in myself, because I compared myself to someone else.  I know that I am a slow runner and until this past week, I never had a problem with it.  My goal for my first half marathon was to finish and I wanted to run all of my second half marathon.  I did.  Now of course my next goal should be to improve in my time.  But I have to remember, I have to beat MY time.  Not someone else's time. 

Today is Ash Wednesday.  I am not religious but I like to use Lent as an exercise in self discipline.  When I was a waitress I gave up potatoes for Lent and ended up losing 10 pounds.  I couldn't think of what I wanted to give up for lent this year, I'm already eating pretty well, so I decided to give up...FACEBOOK.  I usually use Facebook to spread the word of my March of Dimes events, so I'm asking for your help.  Will you share my March of Dimes link on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter?  www.MarchforBabies.com/amandart 

Why do you love running?
Do you compare yourself to other? 

Do you give anything up for Lent?

Recovery Week

I'm just calling it a recovery, but really, I was a lazy bum.  I logged 3 days of running, and 3 bike rides.  Sounds pretty good, but each run was only 2 miles, and my bike rides were 2, 2, and 4 miles.  I guess after a successful half marathon I told myself it was OK to slack off this past week.  But  I've got my game face back on.

Smooth found a bike by the dumpster in our apartment complex on the day of my half marathon.  My RBK let me have an extra bike she had sitting around.  Two free bikes=Winning!!  After my first ride I remember how much I love riding.  We tooled around a couple times around the neighborhood, but on Sunday we loaded up the bikes and headed to Honeymoon Island.  It is so beautiful along the beach at Honeymoon Island.  There was a motorcycle poker run for the boxer rescue going on while we were there.  We had never been on the trails at Honeymoon before I bike ride.  There was a portion of the trail closed off because of a bald eagles nest.  I thought bald eagles lived in the mountains, I didn't realize they were in Florida too.  I saw it lift its wing up a couple times, but never really saw it. 

Bald eagle's nest.

We had a great time riding the trails around the island, but I was anxious to go along the beach a little.  We stopped on our way back to the car to check out the water.  I can't wait til it warms up a little more so we can swim and go paddle boarding.  It looked like a storm was coming in so the waves were a little bigger than usual.  I love jumping around in those like a little kid. 



Windy Honeymoon Island.

 March is going to be a great month for races.  I'm registered to run the Brandon Shamrock Classic 10k on March 13th, the Shake Your Shamrock 7k Virtual Race on March 18th, and the Florida Beaches 5K on March 20th.   

Only 33 days until my next half, the Iron Girl on April 10th.  That will be my 3rd half marathon in Florida.  It's not really bringing me any closer to reaching my 50 states goal, but they are tons of run.  My first out of state run is looking to be the Stillwater Half Marathon in Minnesota with my running buddy.  It will be my first coed race too.  So far all my half marathons have been women's races. 

What does your up coming race calendar look like?

Up Where the Walk, Up Where they Run.

My RBK and I started our journey to Orlando about 10 am Saturday morning.  We stopped at Einstein's for our free bagel thin and drink and headed east.  It was a beautiful day; we had the windows down and our Disney music blasting.  We had decided during our training that we were going to run the race together.  We are doing another half in April and we are going to run our own races then, but this race was going to be a fun run together.

We checked into Disney All Star Movies resort.  I was so excited to be staying in the 101 Dalmatians building.  When that movie came out, I had a dalmatian, so the movie is very dear to me.  I couldn't wait til after the race to hit up the pool.  We went to the room to get settled in and relax a few minutes before we went to the expo. 





It says 13.1 on the other side. <3



We hopped on the shuttle bus and headed to the expo.  I couldn't wait to get my bib and find out if my RBK and I were in the same corral.  We were!  I was excited to get my new Lift Your Sole necklace and I needed toggles for my SpiBelt.  I found green sparkle skirt to wear over my capris.   When I was at the Lift Your Sole stand and I bought my necklace, I showed Jill my necklace I was wearing, and she said, "Are you Amanda?"  She recognized me from facebook, I had mentioned my giveaway on her fb page. 



After the expo we drove to Winter Haven to eat at Urban Flats.  So delicious.  It was about 3:30 when we ate lunch and our dinner reservation at Portobellas at 8:45.  We headed back to the hotel to take a quick nap before dinner.  Well, when it came time for dinner, we were still completely full from lunch and exhausted.  I'm telling you, night shifters don't always transition well to daylight hours.  We slept until about midnight, got up, walk around, stretched, talked a bit, went back to sleep.  Woke up again at 2:45 to get ready for the race.  I ate pb and a whole wheat English muffin and headed to the bus taking my banana with me. 

So cute.  Sleeping beauty and her fairies.

We got off the bus, FINALLY, we were at the starting line.  Psych!!  We had to walk 3-4 days to the starting line, and stopped at the honey buckets once along the way.  I couldn't believe we were finally here.  The adrenaline was pumping. I loved checking out every one's costumes.We finally arrived in our corral and relaxed.  I hoped that long walk counted as a warm up because I didn't really get a chance to jog any on the way to our spot.  I stretched out a  bit and talked to a "prince" about my Vibrams.  Let's go!  I can't wait anymore!

"Baby,  you're a firework!!" 
(PS that song is on TV as I type this part.) 

 I love fireworks, the song and the actual flaming things. Because I was in Corral E, I was able to watch 6 sets of fireworks before I started.  Now, I was PUMPED!!  I crossed the start line, started my watch, and running app.  It was so crowded and the start was slow.  I couldn't see the ground and  I rolled my ankle on something.  It kinda felt like a snuff can.  Strange and Ouch.  Luckily it didn't bother me for long.  It took a little while to pick up speed and get the crowd loosened up.  I could really tell that I hadn't warmed up, my legs were tight.



13:20



Before I knew it we were at mile 1.  I was so happy to be making progress.  It was very cool to look around at the runners, everyone was dressed up, smiling, and laughing with a bunch of women.  It felt really good.  I was so proud to be part of it.  It is still very crowed and hard to navigate through the group.

12:21

Mile 2 came along and our pace was speeding up.  My legs were still a little tight, but my ankle was feeling better.  We were settled into a very comfortable pace.  We didn't want to get caught up in the moment and try to go to fast.  I think I probably do that in my runs.  I wanted to get those negative splits.

During the second mile we started to see all the fun stuff Disney adds along the course.  Jack Sparrow came out to see us run.

Prince Eric is flirting with me

And of course our Princes.    I stopped to take a picture and got hit on my Prince Eric.  No lie.  You can tell in the picture, he saw me and said, "Hey Ariel" in his sexy voice.  I got all giddy and waved like a school girl.  I ran over to Kristina and said, "Prince Eric just hit on me!"  That got me through a mile or so.

12:21

I loved the sign for mile 3, especially since I was still beaming from my run in with Prince Eric.  We had the same time for miles 2 and 3.  Nice. 

11:21

 We turned our iPods on and got into our groove.  I was blasting some Under the Sea and Coheed and Cambria.  Mile 4 had the first hill.  The DJ on the bridge coached us up the hill by saying there were guys on trampolines at the top. 







11:51

 Mile 5 was all about the scenery, so here is mile 5 in pictures.

Kristina running towards the castle.

Me and the castle.

13:05

 After that crazy fun mile through the magic kingdom, I felt on top of the world.  We fell back into our comfortable pace and just kept running.  We didn't stop to get pictures with any of the characters and I didn't stop running to take pictures as I was running by, most of them are pretty blurry.  If you want to see all of my pictures, check out my facebook album. 

The next mile took us back out of the Magic Kingdom.  There were a few more characters on the way out.  It felt good to be running steady and not slowing down and speeding up to take pictures and check stuff out.  I know that is not a very good technique for running a half marathon, but come on, this was the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  It was all about having fun.

11:54

I kept my Clif Bloks on my SpiBelt using my toggles.  I put a toggle every 2 bloks.  Before we left I opened the end half way so that when I wanted to eat them, I could just reach back and rip it open and pull 2 bloks out.  The toggle kept the next 2 bloks from falling out.  The next time I wanted them I pulled the excess wrapper from the toggle and popped out the next 2.  I pulled the whole package out for the last 2 and threw the little pack away.  I'll definitely be using that technique again.

11:44

I started getting a strange cramp in my ribs around mile 9.  It wasn't like a side stitch.  It was in my back on my left side.  I tried to adjust my bra and roll my shoulders around, but nothing was helping.  I just had to breathe through it and stay in my stride.  

11:34

Mile 10 was sooo long.  I was so excited to say, "Only a 5k to go!!" I was getting tired.  Thank goodness I had my RBK to keep me going.  She is steady as a rock.  I told her before I knew my limitations were all mental and she couldn't let me stop and walk unless I was dying and needed my inhaler.  I knew my body could do it, but I can't always rely on my lungs. 

12:14

After the 10 mile sign there was a long gradual on ramp hill.  RBK was getting frustrated with the crowd and totally beasted that hill.  I took a few steps to catch up and I realized I didn't have it in me to speed up that hill and still have energy to have a good finish.  I would catch up when it flattened back out.  I slowed down to get a cup of water.  I sped back up searching for Kristina.  Oh no, where is she?  Mile 11 came, and still no Kristina.  But we were gonna cross the finish line together. 

Forgot to push my button, oops.

I just kept running.  My legs were getting tired and my toes were hurting.  I walked a couple steps to stretch my toes out a little.  I waved at the camera and saw myself on the big screen.  I passed mile 12 pretty bummed.  She couldn't have been that far ahead.  This mile was taking forever.  I had my camera ready to take the mile 13 sign but it never seemed to come.  Ugh.  Ahh, someone is grabbing me from behind.  OMG!!  KRISTINA!!  She was waiting for me right before the big screen I was waving at.  She said she kept looking for the green sparkly skirt, and saw a few others, but she didn't see me and I didn't see her.  She started running again to try to find me.  I can't believe it.  How A for Awesome is that?!?

Epcot

12 and 13.1   26:51

Finally, the 13th mile!  It was my favorite one.  We were so close.  I took the picture and put my camera in my SpiBelt and took my phone out to stop my RunFree app.  I wanted that to track our run so that I would have the cool map through Disney.  I pulled the screen up...only 2.49 miles logged.  Dang it.  Here comes the finish line.  RBK and I grabbed hand and ran through.  So happy I wanted to cry.  I was pooped. 

2:40:26

We got our medals and took a picture.  The volunteers kept telling us to keep moving.  The next thing I know we are at the food tables.  They had bananas and oranges and Powerade, but I needed water.  STAT. I asked  a volunteer and she said they only had Powerade and the water was up at the finish line.  Luckily another runner heard us and had an extra bottle of water.  Thank you awesome runner for the bottle of water.  I couldn't wait to get back to the hotel to take an ice bath, shower, beer, and hit the pool.  We strolled around and find the buses. 

We got back to the hotel and pretty much passed out.  I said to myself, let me just lay down for a couple minutes before I go get my ice.  Nope. We woke up at 1:00.  Recovery fail!  No food, no chocolate milk, no stretching.  Our check out time was 1:00.  Oops.  I called the front desk and told them we were going to take showers and then be out. 

We left the hotel at 2:30 and headed to Downtown Disney.  We had reservations at Planet Hollywood at 5:15 and had some time to kill.  We walked around DD for a while and stopped at the Tonsil Tickler Bar for a beer.  Ahh.  Pretty sure it was the best Yuengling I have ever drank.

We used the free time to take some photos.  It was fun seeing other women wearing the shirts and their medals.  I'm glad we were able to walk around to keep our legs stretched out after our horrible (non)recovery.

We went to dinner at Planet Hollywood.  We ordered the bruschetta appetizer.  Yum.  I had a delicious Tuscan chicken sandwich.  It was really the first real food we had since lunch the day before.  I was starving and once I ate I got really tired.  I was kinda crabby.  I couldn't wait to get home.  We finished dinner and headed back to the hotel to get my car.  We talked most of the way back to RBK's house but I needed to rest for a few minutes before I headed to my house.  Thanks for letting me nap on your comfy couch Kristina.  I needed that.  I got home and showed Smooth my medal and passed out on the couch. 

I really enjoyed running another women's race.  I love the energy of these events.  Yeah!  Girl power.  My first half was all about finishing.  This race was about no walking, I beat my previous time by 24 minutes!!  My next half is the Iron Girl Half Marathon in Clearwater, FL.  Another women's race.  My goal is to get another PR, hopefully under 2:30.  It is only 6 weeks away, so I have to jump back on the horse.  I went for a very easy 2 mile wog yesterday to keep my legs loose.  When we got to the bay, I walked into the water knee deep.  It felt so soothing on my calves and feet.  I feel amazing today. 

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on running a half marathon so quickly after a race?

I can't wait to read my fellow Princess's race reviews.