TIaRT: The marathon

This week's Take it and Run theme at Runner's Lounge is The Marathon-Explained- What is it that attracts us to the marathon? Good question. I've only run one, but I most certainly plan to run more. I've run most of my life, but it wasn't until I finished grad school last year that I even thought about any races-- much less a marathon.

For the first time, I found myself without a goal and without a real definition. I'd always been an athlete, a pitcher, a college student, a bride-to be, a newlywed, or a grad student, and now what was I? What did I do? What was I working toward?

A girl I played softball with ran the Lincoln half marathon every year, and everyone thought that was so extraordinary. I was running 6-8 miles a day, so 13 didn't seem all that impressive. Looking back, shame on me for not giving her the mental props she deserved. Could I have run 13.1 miles back then? Absolutely. Did I have the guts to actually enter, put myself out there and do it? No.

Fast forward to the couple month post-MBA: I was more than a little lost. Now what? I thought about my ex-teammate and how much respect I had (or should have had) for her accomplishments. Five months later, I finished the very same Lincoln half marathon and was hooked.

My first blog entry has the long story of how I decided on doing a marathon, but the short story is "Why the heck not!". I'd been lurking on some running blogs, and it seemed running marathons a.) gave you plenty of things to write about and b.) was a pretty extraordinary accomplishment. Something that took time and effort and passion and was all the things I was seeking.

I wanted to be a marathon runner, I wanted to have blog cred, and most of all, I wanted the 26.2 oval sticker. You know the one. So 11 months after grad school and 6 months after that first half, I became a marathon runner. The Monday after the race, I drove to my local running store, walked straight to the counter, pointed to the sticker in the glass case, and walked out with $1.99 of blood sweat and tears to hang over my desk.

That oval sticker won't define me forever. I hope to eventually add mother and grandmother and CEO and princess (c'mooon Harry!) to the list, but right now, this sticker is a huge part of who I am. Most people that pass my desk have no idea what it even means, but me, I know exactly what it means. This sticker pushed me harder and felt more rewarding than anything I'd ever done, and my goal is to use some of that passion and drive to be the best everyday person I can be.

Jump! Jump!

Oh blog world, I've missed you. (xoxo) I'm sorry work projects forced me to actually do stuff at my desk instead of visiting you all day. I'm sorry I missed running on the 50+degree days this week making me bitter about everyone who did. And most importantly, I'm sorry my life is so boring that even when I did have time to blog, I really had nothing exciting to stay. I promise to catch up on reading and commenting very soon. Sniff, I missed you blog world.

The last 7 days have mostly been filled with working, sleeping, and little else. I got in a few good runs, but the beautiful days in the middle of the week were spent at my desk from sun up until sun down listening to people come back from lunch and talk about it being "sooooo nice outside!" Screw you, people. (I'm a total lock for Employee of the Month.)

I did manage to squeeze in some retail therapy Saturday afternoon following a pretty good 10 miles. Because 90% of my clothes come from Express, I frequent their website to see new stuff I might like.

Pretty sure I autobly gasped when this was the first item under new arrivals:
A jumpsuit. A jumpsuit. Oh Express, no. No no no. I don't care that you call it a "Modern Jumpsuit", offer six kicky colors and charge $79.50. It's still a jumpsuit that even makes your headless, leggy model look frumpy and shapeless. Plus, I've read all about celebs trying to pull off the look, and I've yet to see anyone do so successfully. (Kim Kardashian, honey, you failed the worst.)

So I bundle up and head to the mall, camera in hand, and ready to try on said jumpsuit for you all to mock. I take a lap around the store, wonder past the sale stuff, and finally ask some perky sales girl with too much make-up and far too many accessories. Turns out, my midwest Express doesn't carry the jumpsuit! Not even the black starter set.

I was bummed that I wouldn't get to try on daytime jammies, but my faith in midwest fashion has been restored. We may be a few seasons behind, and we (not me) may wear Crocs against all better judgment, but we're at least smart enough to avoid the jumpsuit craze. Suck on that, Kitson. Suck on that.

13.1 miles of marathon envy

Not sure if you heard, but there was marathon in Arizona today. It was part of the Rock 'n' Roll series, and a few people ran it. After cyber-stalking their results, and getting ready for my run, I got to thinking: I kind of want to run a marathon again too. Not in May when I plan to run the Lincoln Marathon, but like, I wanted to run another marathon today where it's warm and exciting and music plays and people eat delicious Chinese food at the finish party.

Unfortunately, the Phoenix setup wasn't in the stars. What I did have was a semi-nice day and an afternoon to myself. I laced up my shoes, but on my thinnest gloves, and hit the road for an intended 8ish miles. Once I hit the road though, it was on. My legs felt strong, my Shuffle was picking fantatic songs, and I channeled some of that marathon magic going around.

It wasn't a full 26, but it was a pretty respectable 13.1 at a good clip. Especially since I ran 7 yesterday-- making it a half Goofy Challenge! I don't think I'm quite ready to commit to the grind of full-time marathon training again, but this afternoon helped curb some of my race cravings and marathon envy.

So great job to all the actual racers this weekend all over the country. I look forward to reading all the reports, and I can't wait until racing season starts around here.

Just like Baywatch... but in Asics

Most of my work trips send me to fairly average places, (cough Memphis cough) but every January we hold a meeting in sunny Florida. And not just any ol' place in Florida, but a teeny island called Pensacola Beach. It's about 1500 ft wide, making just about everything beach-front.

We Nebraska folk get pretty excited about the annual trip. Especially when we heard it was supposed to be sub-zero this week at home. I love nothing more than to dig out the shorts from the bottom of the drawer and hit the beach for a Baywatch run. I only went 6 miles or so, but the sand running gave my legs a pretty good workout. The major accomplishment however, was taking my camera without dropping it in the ocean or getting the little parts filled with sand.

The short walk from the hotel to the beach...

out...
and back...
Oh, is that a seashell in my footprint? Of course it is! It's the beach!
Even the little birds here are cheery and adorable...

Ahhh... I could really get used to this place.

Alas, my trip had to end sometime, and I'm back home today with my space heater blasting and my scarf permanently part of my outfit. I plan to bookmark this post for whenever I'd like to torture myself in the next few months. Sigh, is it April yet?

Tagged squared

I am apparently so popular, that I've been tagged twice!

TAGGED 1
I have to give special internet love to RooBabs being a way cool chick and for calling my blog fabulous. Her running/fitness/life blog was the first one I found that led me to all you wonderful people and this crazy running community.

RooBabs was my gateway blog.

1. Five names I go by: Nik, Nichols, Pickles, DLN, and that crazy runner girl.

2. Three things I am wearing right now: Omaha Marathon race shirt, Victoria's Secret pj pants, Northface zip up top.

3. Two things I want very badly at the moment: TCBY frozen yogurt and a bobby pin to pull back my annoying bangs.

4. Three people who will probably fill this out: anyone who is hard-pressed for a blog topic!

5. Two things I did last night: screwed up homemade pizza crust for dinner and screwed up homemade pizza crust for dinner again. (We had chicken broccoli and rice at 9:00.)

6. Two things I ate today: apple and fruit smoothie

7. Two people I talked last to on the phone: the husband and a work person in NYC.

8. Two things I am going to do tomorrow: run on the beach and have a cajun cookout on the beach. Yay for a fun work trip!

9. Two longest car rides: Drove from NE to AZ in college for a softball spring break tournament and drove from NE to Denver with the husband last year. I HATE long car rides.

10. Two favorite beverages: Cool (but not cold) water and vodka/cranberry.

TAGGED 2
Both LaceyNicole and raulgonemobile were kind enough to tag me for this one. Thanks guys!

4 favorite memories from 2008:
Running my first half marathon, running my first marathon, getting a promotion at work, going to Kansas City with my girlfriends.

4 favorite movies in 2008:
Sex in the City, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Superbad, Dark Knight.

4 favorite foods in 2008:
Salmon, homemade granola bars, Alabama black apples, morning fruit smoothies

4 places I loved in 2008:
Kansas City, Minneapolis, Pensacola, Denver

4 things I liked in 2008:
US Weekly, Project Runway, marathon training, starting this blog!

4 things I am looking forward to in 2009:
Maybe possibly thinking about the family thing, running more races and marathons, turning 30, going on a fab vacation to celebrate the end of my 20s.

4 people I tag:
Brian, Blyfinn, Amanda, Jeana

OTHER STUFF
By far the most exciting thing I have going right now is that I'm sitting in sunny Florida! Well, it's not actually sunny right now since it's 12:30 at night, but it will be sunny tomorrow, and I will be running on the beach at sunrise. People around here keep claiming a "cold front" has come in, but you know what it was this morning when I left Omaha? 2. Yes, 2 degrees. I applaud your claim to the whitest beaches in America, Pensacola Beach, and I will take your cold front with a smile.

Biking is (almost) the same as running

After I got brought down a peg in the pool this week, I thought I'd see what else the swank gym had to offer before the end of my trial week. Bring on the spinning class! Word from my friends is that this is another great workout with fun music and loads of sweating.

I arrived plenty early, took a bike in the back, and watched all the serious spinners stroll in with their fancy peddle-clipping shoes and official bike shorts. Some of these people, including the perky teacher, were quite serious about this spinning business.

Cut the lights, crank up the fans, blast the Beyonce remix and turn on video screens to .... an old European sprint race? Odd.

Now, I honestly don't remember the last time I was on a bike, but thankfully, they're bolted to the floor. Not that that kept me from nearly flying off a few times. Guess I should have paid better attention to the tighten/loosen tension instructions. (The Denmark rider who won the race was a cutie. I'm easily distracted like that.)

Overall, it was a decent workout and I see the appeal of the class. Thankfully, I'm substantially less sore post-biking than I was post-swimming. The problem with me is that I just can't work out inside. The run today was chilly, but the crisp air and sunshine just enforced that I need winds and hills and the changing scenery that only the great outdoors can provide. Wait, does swimming, biking and running in 3 days qualify as "training like a triathlete?" I think it might!

Maybe I'll see about getting a bike this spring and actually find a small tri to do. Any recommendations about getting a first bike? Should I look for used? Try to borrow? Suck it up and buy one? And how do I find people to ride with? Decisions decisions...

Swimming isn't the same as running

As I look forward to 2009 and some of my racing and fitness goals, I'd like to be a bit better about taking care of my body. I know I probably trained too much too fast for last fall's marathon, so I'd like to incorporate some cross training in my life this year.

Since biking isn't really feasible in icy Nebraska right now, swimming seemed like a good option. In fact, I keep reading about all these Masters Swimming programs that appear to be quite the effective workout. Now I haven't been in a pool since college, and I haven't swam competitively since, well, never, but I ran a marathon 6 weeks ago, damnit, how hard could it be? (I'll give all you actual masters swimmers a chance to stop laughing...)

So in clicking around the local website, they have a little table that tells you where you pace based on a 550 swim . My plan was to get a 7-day pass to one of the swanky gyms in town to a.) make sure I even remember how to swim and b.) do a little time trial with myself. Borrowed suit, new goggles, hearty breakfast and I was ready to go yesterday at 6AM.

First, I forgot how much I hate getting in a cold pool first thing in the morning. Hate. It. After chilling on the edge for far too long, I finally took the plunge. Now assuming I calculated 550 correctly (and that's honestly a hefty assumption at this point), I made it onto the table. Not exactly lane 1, but I made it. Oh, and I can still do a flip turn, which makes me semi-legit at least. As I was going along, I did a quick body assessment:

Cardio- good. My heart rate was about the same as my running pace.
Legs- great. Why am I not using them more?
Arms- J E L L - O. Wow. Pathetic.

Blow drying my hair was shaky at best, and my arms are fairly useless and sore today. Perhaps before I think I can hang with serious swimmers doing serious workouts I should spend some time working on my pencil arms.

Not sure if I'll pursue this Masters class business or not. It was nice to know I could hold my own on paper, but running solo isn't the same as a pool full of hard core swimmers and a coach with a stop watch. Plus, swimming appears to work a few more muscles than running. Like, my entire upper half. Guess that's why they call it cross training.

On another note entirely, Raz and the great folks at Runner's Lounge were kind enough to let me participate in their latest pod cast about Picking the Right Race. I've never done a podcast before, but it was fun to do and hopefully they'll let me do one again some time.

Why my new camera can't come running with me

A couple days ago I got a new digital camera and mentioned I was nervous about taking it running. ONE day later it became evident that leaving the nice camera at home was a good idea. Behold, my left leg:

How did that happen, you ask? Was I traversing icy steps trying to cross-train in the winter? Was I riding down the side of a mountain in a driving rain storm? Was I dodging massive snowplows heading my way? Not so much. Let me reenact how the crash that sent my shuffle flying and roughed up my kneed exactly happened:

(This is me in my purple Nike hatphone.)

Note the absolutely flat sidewalk, (I made sure to draw it with the shift key for extra straightness) but more importantly, note how quickly I was up and smiling like nothing happened. It was a busy street, and I was a freaking Weeble with my rebounding skills!

So thanks for the tips about putting my shuffle into my pocket to keep it from flying either, but clearly my issues go beyond the little clip on the back. The camera stays at home until learn to stay upright.

Random Sunday pics

I read a New Year's resolution from someone (Update: Runninglaur!) about taking a picture every day. Such a great idea! I was desperately due for a new digital camera, so I took some of my Christmas money to Best Buy and brought this baby home.I'm not quite brave enough to take it on a run yet, (my Shuffle flies across the sidewalk about once a week) but I will soon. Until then, I thought I would sum up my Sunday with a quick photo montage:

Finally took down the Christmas tree today. This ornament is the first one to go up and the last to come down every year. Yeah, I'm one of those obnoxious mushy squishy married people.

Going to the grocery store on Sunday afternoon is like, my most favorite thing ever. (I'm way excited to start my new food resolutions this week. I got all the supplies!) Bananas are an absolute morning staple. I even have a banana holder for when I travel.


Because my sister is a broke grad student, she wrapped up the age group medal from my marathon she picked up and gave it to me for Christmas. (Points for creativity.) I hung it with the other race medals in my entry way. I should probably find a less showy home for those some time soon.

The husband got an iPod today and has spent the last six hours loading every CD he's ever owned onto the dumb thing. (Ah, 1993's Doggystyle. I have such fond memories of you.) He clearly has no appreciation for my blogging needs.

Don't rehydrate with champagne...

... or you'll wake up with a purse full of this the next morning:

(I'm giving Runner's Lounge a run for their money with my helpful tips, aren't I?)

My original plan for New Year's Eve was to work until noon, go for a 12 mile run, maybe nap, and take my time getting ready to go out. Well, I got busy at work, and only had time for an 8 mile run and rushed preparation. The backup plan became water at the pre-party and drinks when we got to the bowling alley. (I was planning to channel Jess at 21 Days for some drunken bowling inspiration.)

It seemed logical enough since I don't drink beer or wine, and I knew that's all my friend would have at her house. Logical right up until I was greeted at the door with a tall glass of champagne! (How awesome are my friends.) My water bottle was barely touched, because come on, we all know how yummy champagne tastes out of a fancy glass.

The rest of the night was filled with drunken bowling, rowdy pictures, and far too many buckets of beer for the boys. Apparently as the night concluded, we had several unopened bottles of Bud Light which were pin-shaped and far too cute to leave behind. Three bottles down my pants, two in my coat pockets, and two in my purse was my attempt at thanking the husband for staying responsible and driving me home. I'm told I was very covert with trying to sneak them out.

New Year's Day was full of football and the hydration that should have been. I finally left the house around 3 to get in the 10 miles I'd hoped to do the day before. The weather was sunny, calm, warm(ish), and the perfect way to start 2009. I'm not sure 18 miles in two days off-sets the amount of vodka and champagne I drank, but New Year's only comes once a year.

Happy 2009!