Not really training for anything

It seems very odd for me to not really be training for anything in particular. Oh believe me, I have made my race calendar in my head and it is going to keep me busy. But right now I am just enjoying running.

I haven't enjoyed just running in a long time. It is not a chore (well most days aren't) to get up and get out the door. I am running 4 weekdays and am going to get my long run in on Saturday. I am still swimming and biking but not really focusing on anything. Just enjoying multi-sport fitness.

My goal is to learn to run by myself and if I find someone to hang with me for the long runs, that will be great, but if not, I can do it. I think there is a new lesson to be learned by me in this and it might be to find some inner peace with running. Be one with running.

We shall see how this works but so far so good.

An Apple A Day will not keep the Dr. Away

Well at least not for me. It seems I will be seeing a pulmonary Dr. for the rest of my life. How did this happen and why me is all I keep asking myself. I have never smoked in my entire 40 years of life. I have not always been active but shouldn't the last 4 years of hard training have been enough to make up for it? Shouldn't all the people I know be looking at me saying "Damn if she can, I can"? Yes I think all of those things apply. Well they don't.

As reported in my last update, I had a medical issue at the end of the race. I am an asthmatic and the granddaughter of COPD genes! Well guess who was the lucky one? That would be me. Yeap, my lungs suck. They don't move air the way yours do. Yeah you sitting on the couch eating ice cream, potato chips and french fries and you breath just fine.

As I am sure you can tell already, I am angry, I am mad and now I am reassured that I was not switched at birth, which I had always believed. But they cannot deny me now. I got their lungs! The anger comes from not doing anything to cause it and actually working hard to stay healthy. Unlike the rest of my family.

I will not stop any of this madness, I will just have to be careful. Run with an inhaler, a phone and yes I guess an I.D. bracelet. I was asked to run in moderation and watch the conditions. Which I will watch the conditions but I will not back off, I will just up the life insurance and make sure I always have clean running shorts on just in case!

Race that never was and the Race that I am glad is over

As you all know I was training for the Flying Pig Marathon for the Spring. I would love to say that I went, had a great time and I kicked major ass at it. I don't get to say any of that. I get to tell you that the best of plans sometimes get foiled. The best of plans get interrupted. I think my life is like one of those shows where they come on and say "We interrupt this program for a special announcement". I don't like the announcement coming, but oh well. It is what it is and I move on.

So with that said, Flying Pig never happened and for that matter not alot of anything happened. Training fell by the wayside and I didn't really get much done.

But I still had White Lake to worry about. As we all know that was the one I was worried about anyway. Running is second nature to me now. Not 26.2 miles but running is easy. Triathlons on the other hand, push me to my limits. Physically and mentally. Mentally probably more than anything. That was why I signed on for this multi sport madness, wasn't it?

White Lake Sprint II weekend is quickly approaching and panic sets it. I have to get in the pool to see if I can still swim, I need to get my bike from the shop, I need to ride a bike, any bike will do so Friday before a race I go to spin class. Not sure if that helped or hurt, but I did it. We are there, we have our nice accommodations (not Langston's) and we are having fun. Jill completes her first half ironman distance on Saturday. I cry when she crosses the finish line like any good friend would do. I eat a great meal and go to bed early. Not too early since my start time isn't until 8:56. Really, I won't be finished until lunch time. Just kidding. But everyone else will be finishing and I will be all by myself on the bike and run course. I wasn't but that is what I was thinking. I was on the second loop of the bike by myself for a bit. There were actually several out there and I got to pass them. YAY for the small things. Saturday afternoon I started having major anxiety over the swim. The wind had picked up and the water was getting choppy. That is never a good sign for the girl who is already worried. Sunday morning arrives I get my new wetsuit as my Mother's Day gift and I proceed to get ready. I go get my timing chip, I get my numbers (personally not happy about the Master's age group) and off we are. Like a huge baby, I get nervous about the swim and I what, yes, I cry! I don't want to swim. I want to turn around and back out. But I also hate quitting. So what is it, suck it up and swim or quit and feel horrible forever? OK I get in the water. I warm up a little and I feel better. I met several people that think they swim worse than me. Ha Ha, that is the funniest thing I have heard all morning but I will give it to them. Then they call it, 3 minutes to the Novice group goes off. I learned last year to not swim in my age group. Horn blows, swimming I begin. I am feeling pretty good at first then I realize how choppy the water really is as it slaps me in the face at every time I go to breathe. Swim takes a little longer than I would of liked....but when I got out of the water, I wasn't last and I didn't quit. I wanted to several times. Time to ride my bike 14 miles. Head wind the whole time. I have a good bike time for someone who hasn't ridden a bike other than spin class in 6 months. Bike is racked and time to run. I love running. I feel good! I have an excellent run time. Going back in from the run was hard, everyone was leaving and here I am just coming in. It really shouldn't matter should it? I finished and I finished better than I did last year. Which means I did better somewhere in one or all those of sports (SWIMMING). There is alot that went on after the finish for me but it would take two days to explain. Short of it, I experienced a medical issue and ended up in the medical tent. Glad that is over.

I say this for the second year, I hate that place and I will never do it again. I will be back next year White Lake, I also refuse to let you get the best of me and I am going to master swimming some how if it kills me!

First Real Run in Weeks

Today was my first real run in weeks. I was worried and maybe scared that it would not turn out as I would hope. But that all went out the window once started.


This will be the shortest blog post ever posted by me. Christine and I rocked that run!

Glad I am back!

Sick at the Wrong Time

I came home from Cooper River Bridge Run with what I would call deathly ill symptoms. I think I should of been a man when it comes to being sick. I am a huge baby. So when I started feeling bad, the complaining started as well. Poor Jill, Kate and Josh. They took the brunt of this complaining and I am sorry for it. But the drive home Sunday was not very much fun for me or them. I thought I had a fever but could not verify that as I didn't have a thermometer to check. I came home and went straight to bed.

Monday morning comes and I get up and shower for work. Because as most of you know,I started a job not too long ago and this is a crucial time for us. I hated to miss any time and someone else have to do my job plus theirs. So off I go to High Point. That didn't last long. I ended up at the Dr.'s office laying in a ball on the examination table. My Dr. comes in and says "I don't think in all the years you have been coming here that I have seen you look this bad, you must be sick". HELLO CAPTAIN OBVIOUS. Most people don't end up in your office for the fun of it. So with all of that said, I end up in bed for two more days and barely able to lift my head I felt so bad and the fever was high (100.5).

For the last 9 days, I have been unable to do anything really. I tried to run the other night but that didn't go as planned. We walked and there is nothing wrong with that. We were moving and that is more than I had been doing. But it made me the realization that a marathon in 25 days would not happen. So we have decided to back down to the half marathon at the Flying Pig.

With that decision, came alot of different feelings. First and foremost, I felt like I had failed. Like I had let myself down. Then I was mad at myself for all the races that I signed up for and pushed my body on. I was mad that alot of training would be wasted. Failure still looms in my mind as my top emotion though.

Then today happened. I woke up with a severe sinus headache and extreme pressure behind my eye. So back to the Dr. With that trip I left with three more prescriptions and some words of advise. NO RUNNING or strenuous activity until all meds are taken and I feel some relief. My lungs are compromised by infection. Really! Your kidding? I know, I am really a smartass, but I knew deep down this was not a typical cold.

I have mailed my form in to drop back to the half marathon and I guess I am glad that the pressure of 26.2 miles is off me. Fall Marathon training look out. I will be much smarter about it and even more determined!

Until then, I am racing for fun!

Two Races, One Day

A couple of weeks ago I decided, well we decided, Christine and I, that our mileage this week was 18 or 19 miles so we would run the NC Half Marathon early in the day and then run the 5 mile Beer Run in the afternoon. Totaling 18 miles for the day.

So I took it fairly easy during the week, not running once I might add (probably not smart) but I swam and did an improv spin class instead. I did wonder all week if I didn't run how would that effect my times on Saturday. Only time would tell no pun intended.

Friday I met Pam and Christine and we walked over to Showplace to pick up our packets. We saw lots of people we knew which is always fun. One of the most fun parts of running is the people you meet at races and see at future races. Example, I met a group in OBX from Greensboro, do I know there names, no I don't but I see them all the time and they always say hello and have a hug! I love it. So we got our packets and off we were. Carb loading we did and off to bed early we were.

Early to bed early to rise. I was up at 6:00 a.m. to meet them at 7:00 a.m. We like to get there about an hour early to get ourselves situated and our game plan worked out. Well to get my game plan worked out in my mind. That is what I have to do, I have to mentally prepare for the race. Think about the mileage ahead of me and how am I am going to conquer that. Well in my mind it was a training run and that was all. Time draws near and time to line up. We get toward the back because that is were we should be. We know our place for the day. Gun goes off and we are running. We feel good! We see people we know, slow to chat, speed up to catch other people we know. Mile one under us, a little faster than we should be running, so we slow the pace. Fun, that is what we are having.

It hits me, I am feeling good, I pull out a little ahead of Christine, not much, but she gives the me the go ahead, no I will stay back, no she says if you can go, and PR, go! That is my running group for you. It is about how good can you do.... So I did. She was never far behind me though and at the 8 mile water stop we got to cheer each other for a minute. This is course up to 8 miles is not so bad, it is hilly but it is nothing I find too bad. Then miles 9 to 13 are a totally different story. They are gruelling I tell you. At one point, I was like, SERIOUSLY! Not another hill..... I was happy to hear the water stop ladies say, your right around the corner! I normally hate to hear that, but on Saturday, it was like music to my ears.

I had a time in mind to finish but at about mile 11 I knew I was not going to make it, but I was going to PR. Which for those of you who don't run (then why are you reading this LOL!) means personal record. So I pushed ahead. There were two men in front of me and they were talking smack to each other and it bothered me just a bit so I passed them and I had to make a comment. Yes I know your surprised. I potitlety told them if they were going to talk such shit, back it up. So from that point, I passed them! Oh that felt good. You had to hear them then you would understand.

I rounded the corner and there was the finish line! I heard people yelling "go Amy B go", thanks Christie, that sure helps the push. I looked down at my watch and I had just beaten my last half marathon time by almost a whole minute!

You have no idea how that feels when unless you run and you run as slow as me! LOL! I have gotten faster, but from where I started to where I am now. Is just a good feeling.

We hung out a little while. Of course we used our beer coupon. Nothing better in the hot weather than a cold beer! But it was time to go home and get ready for race number 2.

Lunch and a shower later, we are off to number 2. The Beer Run! Year number 3 of this one and I am dreading it because, yep, more hills. Probably worse than High Point but I need the mileage, I need to finish to wear the T-shirt and the beer is at the end. So we are off...not much talking and if there is any talking, it is about why we are doing this and when we are going to walk. We did some walking, not alot but we did. I don't have alot more to say about this one, except I am glad it is over. My body hurts at this point and I just want to see the finish line or a water stop would be nice. Only two during the entire 5 miles. One was running out of water and the other was toward the end of the race. I need water sooner. Not their fault I know. But boy it was hot and humid and we are just not use to that yet.

After time to think about this idea we had, we have decided that we would not do two events in one day. Since then, I have gotten very sick and Christine is suffering some IT band issues. Not good for either of us less than 4 weeks before a big race. Glad this wasn't an A race on our list. We are going for the fun of it and only the fun of it. Our time doesn't matter just two good friends spending time doing what we love to best together.

Training, training and more training

I think I live in the gym or on the greenway...OK maybe there is a little stop off at MMPI and 104 Farriers Lane, but boy it seems like the rest of my time is spent elsewhere.

Training is going good, I think. This past weekend Christine, Kay and I set out for our longest run for this training session and that was 17 miles. Someone in our group sent out an email asking for a different route because they were tired of the Greenway. Yes you guessed it, it was me. So we decide on the following route. We started at our normal spot, the Spencer Love tennis courts and ran the first part of the Cannonball course, then we went out past Strawberry Road to the end of the Greenway. We were at 11.? miles at that point and had 5.4 back to the tennis courts. Going back seemed like such a pleasing thought. Then we ran into a fellow runner friend, Pam Connor, whom we had not seen or talked to in awhile and we stopped to talk. Mistake, HUGE MISTAKE....Not talking to Pam but stopping for so long. I hope we didn't mess her run up the way we did our own. We cooled off so starting again was PAINFUL! Oh boy, we sounded like 90 year old women who just woke up in the morning. It was funny now that I think back on it. So we ran the 5.4 back, and did a 1/4 of a mile in the parking lot. This is kind of what it sounded like, "How much further?", "really, seriously, it has to be over", "I am not telling you how much further, I will tell you when it is over". At several points during this run, I called Christine a bully! That is my favorite saying now for my friends who push me farther than I would normally push myself. When it was finally over, I wanted to dance but my there was no way dance moves were coming out of this body. I was in need of something..... a good painkiller would of been nice.

So to further punish ourselves, on Sunday, Christine and I participated in another indoor triathlon. We must of lost our minds. We biked and ran farther this time than we did the last time! How does that happen? Our bodies were sore and tired from Saturday, so how did we do better than the last time?????? Yes it is all the training! We wrangled another running friend into our madness on Sunday as well. Mindy had a great time and I think she is looking forward to more triathlon entertainment. We love sharing the madness. Come join us and see for yourselves/

This coming weekend, we are running the NC Half Marathon in the a.m. and then at 3 p.m. we are doing the beer run! Yes we run for beer! Lots of beer I might add. We will do anything for beer,mileage and TSHIRTS!

Happy training my friends.