No More Water for You!

The weather in Fort Lauderdale was horrible this weekend, which caused me to do my long run on the treadmill. I really prefer to do my long runs outside, but I had no option. So...off I was to the gym for a delightful 12 miler.

If you have read any of my previous posts you know that my gym is not exactly luxurious. I really only need it for an occasional treadmill run, so I can deal with it....or at least I thought I could.

On the way upstairs to the treadmill I saw this sign above the water fountain.

Please DO NOT Use water fountain to fill your water bottle. Thanks, Management

SERIOUSLY???? SERIOUSLY??? Is this a huge problem for them?  Are people bringing in numerous gallon jugs and filling them up with water to bring home and bathe their children or wash their cars? I seriously doubt it. Even if they are....is it really costing the gym that much money? This sign enraged me.

I always bring my own water bottle but, I typically need more than one bottle especially on my long runs. So now....do I have to bring a cooler with multiple bottles of water?  That is ridiculous.

You may ask....why didn't I just ignore the sign and fill up my bottle anyway?  Mostly because I am not a rule breaker. Some may call me a wuss. What is the worst that could have happened? 

Management: "Hey sweaty girl ...you look like you are about to die but....did you just fill up your water bottle?"

Me: "Ummmm.......yes I am feeling a little dehydrated. Would you rather call 911 or have me fill up my water bottle?"

I guess maybe I should just grow a pair .....or start packing a cooler for the gym. Or here is a thought, cancel my membership at this crappy gym!

Speedwork Sucess

Last night was my first attempt at speedwork. The plan was to do 6 miles total, alternating 1 mile jogging and running at a pace of 8:27. My Nike+ sportband has not been very accurate lately, so I figured the best place to do this run would be on a treadmill.

I joined a local gym a few months ago, just as a back up for days when the weather is not nice and I can't run outside. The membership fee is only $10 a month, which is great.....but the gym and members are pretty ghetto. So ghetto, that I am nervous my car is going to get broken in to while I work out. I guess that is what you get for joining a cheapo gym. The treadmills are pretty nice. They have built in TVs, so I was able to watch 2 episodes of Seinfeld while I ran.

The run was great. It totally kicked my butt, but I really enjoyed the increased difficulty. I thought about scenario's of what would happen if I collapsed on the treadmill....I would most likely get robbed  by fellow gym members of my iPhone and fancy water bottle and be left for dead. I guess that motivated me not to give up and die.

Scary thought....I ran 3 miles at a pace of 8:27 (7.1 MPH) alternating with a very slow jog. To quality for Boston, I will need to run the ENTIRE Marine Corps Marathon at a pace of 8:20. Good thing I have 28 weeks to train, because that seems pretty much impossible right now!

7 Mile Bridge Run = $60 T-Shirt

Race Report:

Ryan and I planned on heading down to the keys after work. The weather reports were calling for "severe weather" throughout the keys and South Florida all weekend. We usually luck out and have beautiful weather in the keys no matter what it's like in Fort Lauderdale, so we were keeping our fingers crossed that the meteorologists would be wrong. (Like they are most of the time!)

We made it to Marathon around 8:30pm to pick up our race packets and then headed back North to Islamorada where we were staying for the weekend. I took it easy and Ryan limited himself to a few cocktails before calling it a night much earlier than usual.

I usually don't sleep very well the night before races, and this was no exception. I woke up to heavy rain and cracks of thunder throughout the night. We all got up as scheduled, but didn't start getting ready due to the extreme weather conditions. It was pretty much a full on hurricane outside. We checked the race website, facebook page and called the info line and there was no mention of the race being cancelled. We called a few other friends that were running to see what they thought. They were already near the start line and at that point it wasn't even raining in Marathon. So we all agreed to get ready and give it a shot.

As we got closer and closer to Marathon, it seemed like the weather was getting a little better. Still raining pretty heavy but no thunder or lightning. We parked about 3/4 of a mile from the start line and headed out in the rain. Within minutes we were all soaked and miserable. A Marathon "local" told us, "they never cancel this race....we must be first timers for even thinking it was a possibility."

We got to to the start line and by this point the rain had picked up as well as the lighting and thunder. The most interesting part of the race to this point was that the new shorts I had been waiting to wear for this race, were completely see through!

The race was scheduled to begin at 7:30am. As we all stood around wondering why we were even attempting this... a race official started spreading the word that the race was cancelled due to lighting and thunder in the area. The race has never been cancelled in it's 31 year history.

This meant it was now time to sprint.... back to the car. It was pretty funny seeing hundreds of people running in the opposite direction from the start line in the pouring rain. Back in Islamorada a hot shower and mimosas were waiting.

Although I never got the chance to attempt the run in the hurricane like conditions, I did receive a $60 t-shirt. (No refunds are being issued for the race registration fee)

Seriously Funny

Stolen from runnersworld.com

Article posted yesterday on Boston.com:

MARATHON HEAT PROVES A HEARTBREAKER
More than 2,100 runners treated for dehydration, exhaustion

First two reader comments on said article:

Monday- Run Day!

Started my week off with a 4 mile evening run through Plantation Acres. Before I headed out I made a protein smoothie, quite tasty.

1 Cup Silk Almond Milk
1 Frozen Banana
2 Tablespoons PB2 Peanut Butter Powder
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1 Teaspoon Cocoa Powder






I am really loving these short evening runs.....or maybe I am just dreading when I have to start doing 7 and 8 miles after work. My plan was to work one night of swimming into my schedule, but have not been sucessful yet. Maybe this week!

2012 Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon was this morning. I was able to watch live updates all morning on http://www.runnersworld.com/. For those not familiar...the Boston Marathon is the top marathon in the country. Not just anyone can register...you must qualify for entry by running a certified race in a specific time.
For my age group, I would need to complete a full marathon within 3:35 to qualify for the 2013 race. (Yikes)

Winners this year were all Kenyan.

Men:
Wesley Korir 2:12:40
Levy Matebo 2:13: 06
Bernard Kipyego 2:13:13

Women:
Sharon Cherop 2:31:50
Jemima Jelegat Sumgong 2:31:52
Georgina Rono 2:33:09

I would love to participate in this race one day, but I better start focusing on my pace if I ever want to qualify.

Oatmeal Protein Pancake

Pretty tasty!

Water, Water and More Water

Drinking water has always been a challenge for me. I am a Coke Zero addict, literally. I typically drink anywhere between 3-5 soda's a day. When I started training for my first marathon I stared drinking a Powerade Zero after each run.

After reading some articles I realized with my activity level I needed to be consuming at least 64 ounces of water everyday. So I bought a CamelBak and started my love/hate relationship with water.

Mio Liquid Water Enhancer is my new best friend. The chemicals in it, will probably kill me. But at least I will die properly hydrated.

I tried the sweet tea flavor with some fresh squeezed lemon and literally said out loud "ahh refreshing." I am still only drinking 64 ounces or so a day, but alternating regular water and flavored water has made it much easier.

Next battle, giving up soda. ( I am not even sure I can commit to trying, I think giving it up will be harder than running 26.2)

7 Mile Bridge Run- April 21st

Next race....7 Mile Bridge Run. April 21st, Marathon, FL
http://7mbrun.com/

I am really excited for this race! In years past the registration process was really complicated, but it changed to online registration this year. So Ryan and I along with a bunch of our friends were able to get in even with the limit of 1,500 participants.

My goal is to finish in under an hour. Which would mean I would have to pace at about 9 minute miles. I have not been doing much speed work, so it may be quite a challenge. If I can't finish in under an hour I would at least like to finish before some of the guys. Even with my short little legs!

I am hoping that this race will become a yearly tradition!

Races

So far I have run the races below....

1. A1A Half Marathon, February 2011 - 2:38:30
2. Marine Corps Marathon, October 2011 - 4:38:55 *
3. ING Miami Half Marathon, January 2012 - 2:17:16
4. A1A Half Marathon, February 2012- 2:00:51

* I had to stop to pee, which took about six minutes because the line was so long....so I count my time as 4:32:55!

Marine Corps Marathon

Left to Right- Ryan (Husband), Brayden (Nephew), Me, Chrissy (Sister), Sharon (Mom)

Not Pictured: Dad- He went to the start line with me at the crack of dawn, but somehow didn't make it in any pictures!

First Official Post

Welcome to my blog. I am a new blogger, so am still learning how all of this works. I thought it might be interesting to log what's going on in my life...mostly relating to running. Out, back and in between!

A little background.... I was a dancer growing up and a cheerleader in high school. Before varsity cheerleading practice our coach would make us run a mile to warm up. I remember absolutely hating it, and not being very good at it. I was in great shape, but would struggle and would be extremely out of breath when I finished. That was the extent of my running in high school.

I college I worked out on a very regular basis, but hardly ever ran. I would never consider going on a treadmill. During my last semester at Florida State University I started running around campus every once in awhile. I didn't enjoy the running as much as I enjoyed people watching and seeing the sights of Tallahassee.

Once I graduated I moved to South Florida and started working in the hotel industry as an event manager/convention services manager. I joined a gym and continued working out, but due to my crazy work schedule I never had much time to devote to working out.

In the fall of 2010 one of our good friends was trying to get in shape for his upcoming wedding the following spring. He asked my husband (Ryan) to run a half marathon with him, in hopes of shedding some pounds during the training process. Ryan agreed and asked me if I wanted to join them. I was excited for the opportunity. My job situation had changed and I had a lot more free time to start running on a regular basis.

The rest is history, I started running in November of 2010 and have not stopped yet!