My last post was about my first DNF. It was a tough pill to swallow but the very next weekend I had a 1/2 marathon in Williamsburg to do. I was very excited about this race for many reasons:
1. the run was through colonial Williamsburg = beautiful
2. this would be my last long running race until the Army 10 miler in Oct
3. this would be the first race my dad would see me run
4. this would be the first 1/2 marathon where my kids would be at the finish line
Lots of great things to be excited about. My goal for this 1/2 changed many times. It was going to be an A race, then just a race Sam and I ran together, then Sam couldn't go (but got his bib transferred to next year!), then after my DNF the weekend before it became
THE RACE I JUST NEED TO FINISH
NEED to finish. MUST finish.
My confidence wasn't too badly scared, but I was beginning to wonder if all my health issues were going to keep me from doing what I love to do. Finishing the 1/2 marathon was my goal. Period. I didn't care if it hurt, it I was hot, if I walked. I just needed to prove to myself that I'm getting stronger and whatever health issues I'm having will not define me or keep me on the couch.
The race was very well organized and did not have the crowds of people I'm used to. There were no porta potty lines! Unheard of! I followed some nutritional advice from a team mate (thanks John!) and did not have the bathroom issues I normally do. Whew! There were lots of water stops and great volunteers cheering us along. The race started with a kindergarten girl singing the National Anthem - real tear jerker. Then a man got on the mic to wish us luck and start the race. He was one of the first responders at 9/11 and is a NYC firefighter. He and guys from NYC run races all over the country to raise funds for different charities. It was very cool to have him there.
The horn went off and my feet started going. I crossed the start line 5 seconds after the official start time. That should tell you how small the race was. I've had races where I didn't cross the start until 45 minutes after the start time. In the first few minutes I had a contact malfunction, but got it situated and kept my feet moving.
I finished. It was long, hot, and on mostly cobble stone roads. I gotta tell you, those cobble stones HURT. The race finished on the William and Mary stadium 50 yard line. I came into the stadium, went around the track, and saw my whole family cheering for me. My mom, dad, aunt, uncle, cousin, and both the boys. What a crowd! They announced my name (which instantly puts me on celebrity status) and I crossed. I received my medal from a group of young girls that were super cute.
I did it. I finished. I will finish more. Each one is special and I can't wait to do more!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
My First DNF
Ah, the DNF. Did. Not. Finish. It does not sound great and it feels even worse. This is the tale of my first DNF:
Mother's Day. The perfect day to do a tri. People cheering for me, being alone with my thoughts, breaking a sweat. All great for a mother. We went down to Lake Anna on Saturday (after Sam graduated from NOVA!!!) and stayed with friends. We had a house right on the water, lots of room for the kids to play, and we were close to the race site.
Saturday started like any other day. I ate breakfast and got ready for the day. I then started to feel terrible. I made it through lunch - barely - and took a quick nap. I made it through Sam's graduation and then slept most of the drive to the lake. I started to feel better and ate some dinner. I figured I'd feel better in the morning and everything would be great.
I woke up Sunday and ate a banana and had coffee. Got everything together and went to the race site. The sprint started at 9am, plenty of time to hit up bathrooms (yep, plural), get all my stuff racked up, and make sure my bike was ready to start on a steep incline.
I got in my wet suit (which I hate) and got marked up - ready to go!
I was in the 5th wave out of 7 (i think) - purple caps. Sam told me not to sprint in, just go in easy and keep my heart rate down. So, when the horn sounded I calmly got in and then started to swim. I got about 5 strokes in and realized "something's wrong". I picked my head up, did the breast stroke for a minute to calm my breathing and then got back to freestyle. A few mores strokes and I headed to the first volunteer on a surfboard. I grabbed on and tried to slow my breathing. It didn't really work, so I just kept swimming. I swam along and stopped two more times before deciding "Today is not my day".
Stepping out of a race is a decision I haven't had to make before. It feels crappy. I felt terrible my family came to watch me and I wasn't going to race. I felt silly for not being able to complete the race. I was embarrassed. Ugh. I got in the boat with 4 other people. I was the only one with tears streaming down my face. I felt silly about that, but I was genuinely upset that I wasn't going to finish the race.
It took a while for the boat to drop us off. I got off the boat and had to walk down the shore to where Sam was waiting. There he was. Right on the beach, practically in the water, looking for me. There were only a few people left in the water and Sam looked nervous. I called his name and as he found me and walked towards me I just lost it. He gave me a huge hug and I cried hard for a minute. Sam told me he was so proud of me, there are other races, and now we need to cheer for our teammates.
I was worried about the reaction I would get after saying "I didn't make it through the swim". I was met with "oh, that's happened to me" or "there's other races, other days" and hugs. I got lots of hugs. It's pretty nice to be part of a team that has been through the ups and downs of racing and can help others get through it.
Going to work today I still am thinking about that swim. What if I had just floated through it? Surely I could have gotten through it somehow. Then as I sat in a department meeting my supervisor explained the meaning behind a gift she was giving out. Her father knew this girl that had been training for a triathlon and was hit by a drunk driver while out on a ride. She was totally paralyzed, left the hospital unable to walk or speak. This was 10 years ago. She has regained some use of her left hand and started painting. My supervisor gave me a gift of 4 cards that this woman painted. They are beautiful. I might even frame them. Puts that DNF in perspective.
I did not finish a swim. True. It felt like crap. Even more true. I will learn from it and move on. Does it define me? Nope. Will it make me a better triathlete? I sure hope so!
Mother's Day. The perfect day to do a tri. People cheering for me, being alone with my thoughts, breaking a sweat. All great for a mother. We went down to Lake Anna on Saturday (after Sam graduated from NOVA!!!) and stayed with friends. We had a house right on the water, lots of room for the kids to play, and we were close to the race site.
Saturday started like any other day. I ate breakfast and got ready for the day. I then started to feel terrible. I made it through lunch - barely - and took a quick nap. I made it through Sam's graduation and then slept most of the drive to the lake. I started to feel better and ate some dinner. I figured I'd feel better in the morning and everything would be great.
I woke up Sunday and ate a banana and had coffee. Got everything together and went to the race site. The sprint started at 9am, plenty of time to hit up bathrooms (yep, plural), get all my stuff racked up, and make sure my bike was ready to start on a steep incline.
I got in my wet suit (which I hate) and got marked up - ready to go!
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| like spanx |
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| That's pure determination right there |
I was in the 5th wave out of 7 (i think) - purple caps. Sam told me not to sprint in, just go in easy and keep my heart rate down. So, when the horn sounded I calmly got in and then started to swim. I got about 5 strokes in and realized "something's wrong". I picked my head up, did the breast stroke for a minute to calm my breathing and then got back to freestyle. A few mores strokes and I headed to the first volunteer on a surfboard. I grabbed on and tried to slow my breathing. It didn't really work, so I just kept swimming. I swam along and stopped two more times before deciding "Today is not my day".
Stepping out of a race is a decision I haven't had to make before. It feels crappy. I felt terrible my family came to watch me and I wasn't going to race. I felt silly for not being able to complete the race. I was embarrassed. Ugh. I got in the boat with 4 other people. I was the only one with tears streaming down my face. I felt silly about that, but I was genuinely upset that I wasn't going to finish the race.
It took a while for the boat to drop us off. I got off the boat and had to walk down the shore to where Sam was waiting. There he was. Right on the beach, practically in the water, looking for me. There were only a few people left in the water and Sam looked nervous. I called his name and as he found me and walked towards me I just lost it. He gave me a huge hug and I cried hard for a minute. Sam told me he was so proud of me, there are other races, and now we need to cheer for our teammates.
I was worried about the reaction I would get after saying "I didn't make it through the swim". I was met with "oh, that's happened to me" or "there's other races, other days" and hugs. I got lots of hugs. It's pretty nice to be part of a team that has been through the ups and downs of racing and can help others get through it.
Going to work today I still am thinking about that swim. What if I had just floated through it? Surely I could have gotten through it somehow. Then as I sat in a department meeting my supervisor explained the meaning behind a gift she was giving out. Her father knew this girl that had been training for a triathlon and was hit by a drunk driver while out on a ride. She was totally paralyzed, left the hospital unable to walk or speak. This was 10 years ago. She has regained some use of her left hand and started painting. My supervisor gave me a gift of 4 cards that this woman painted. They are beautiful. I might even frame them. Puts that DNF in perspective.
I did not finish a swim. True. It felt like crap. Even more true. I will learn from it and move on. Does it define me? Nope. Will it make me a better triathlete? I sure hope so!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Cherry Blossom 10 miler and a new record
Sunday was the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. It was lots of fun, a little chilly, and a lot crowded. There weren't a whole lot of Cherry Blossoms to see. Our freakishly warm weather the last few weeks and now cold weather have all plants in a WTF state.
We walked with purpose to the first porta potty we could find. I read there would be 180 - which I was pretty sure I'd use them. I used the porta potty two times before the race. Pretty normal.
I felt terrible waiting 15 minutes for the bathroom, but I had to. I had no idea when the next one would be.
At the end of the race my bathroom stops totaled 5. Who does that? That's my record for sure. Two before and three during the run. I really need to figure out how to fix that. I spent 22 minutes on bathroom stops during the race. Not what I want to be doing.
The race was great. The sun never came out and the water stops were plenty. Sam really liked the distance - nice that he did a 1/2 marathon (first time) and then the 10 miler (first time). My only complaint about the race was the post food stuff. We had to walk a while after finishing for the water. Normally it's shoved right in your face. We eventually found wrapped muffins - but we found no other food at all. We decided to just get to the metro and eat at home.
I think next year my 10 miler will be the Army 10 miler. I haven't done that one yet. I do love to run with military peeps - seriously motivating.
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| 5 am wake up call. Pretty excited to hit the Metro |
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| View getting off the metro. We basically started right at the Monument |
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| Start/Finish line |
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| Lining up in our choral. Naturally I feel the need for the bathroom again |
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| Holy cow there were SO many people. |
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| First potty stop was at .2 miles. This is at 3 miles. 15 minute wait. ugh |
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| As always Sam is super happy |
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| Drum circle. It was awesome |
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| Some times Sam pushed the pace |
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| Sometimes I pushed the pace |
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| The only group of Cherry Blossoms I saw |
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| Beautiful flowers everywhere |
The race was great. The sun never came out and the water stops were plenty. Sam really liked the distance - nice that he did a 1/2 marathon (first time) and then the 10 miler (first time). My only complaint about the race was the post food stuff. We had to walk a while after finishing for the water. Normally it's shoved right in your face. We eventually found wrapped muffins - but we found no other food at all. We decided to just get to the metro and eat at home.
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| Classic ask the stranger to take our pic |
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| Line for the metro. Went pretty fast. |
Thursday, March 29, 2012
A week in the life....
A full time working mother of two (sometimes 3 - sorry Sam). I have a small amount of time to get shit done:
Sunday: 8 mile run, Easter Egg hunt in neighborhood, Sam takes boys bowling. Then this happened:
Mason dropped a 15 pound bowling ball on his toe. He said he will never bowl again. :( Good thing I got so much done already. Spent the rest of the day snuggling my poor guy.
Monday: Full day of work and meetings with Mason at my side. Come home to give 2 hours of private therapy. Run 2.5 miles and do 30 minutes of yoga. Sam biked while I played with kids. Sam cooked this for dinner:
It was delicious. I'm pretty lucky that he is such a good cook.
Tuesday: Work a full day. Pick up Sammy's Kindergarten packet. Come home and bike while the boys play outside. Sam cooked this for dinner:
Wednesday: Work a full day. Do a quick jog. Pick up the boys and find that Mason's toe is leaking. Neighbor cleaned it for me. Called the Dr's office to make an appointment at 4:15. They had a 4:30 opening! I picked up Mason and flew to the car. We were x-rayed, seen by the Dr. and out the door by 4:50. It was great! No break, no infection. Just keep an eye on it. Went to in-laws for dinner.
Thursday: Busy day at work. Spring Break starts tomorrow afternoon - crazy buzz at school when that happens. I'm thinking tons about our race on Sunday. Cherry Blossom 10 miler. I have the boys sleeping at Grandma's for the race and packet pickup will be Saturday morning.
Friday: I cannot predict the future (Sam thinks he can) but I do know what my day will look like tomorrow. Why? I'm a clipboard. That's what we do. I'll work. Give 2 hours of therapy. Play with the boys. Head out to a jewelry party.
Something great that happened today? My picture is featured on one of my favorite blogs!
Happy almost Spring Break! I'll be back with a Cherry Blossom report Monday.
Sunday: 8 mile run, Easter Egg hunt in neighborhood, Sam takes boys bowling. Then this happened:
Monday: Full day of work and meetings with Mason at my side. Come home to give 2 hours of private therapy. Run 2.5 miles and do 30 minutes of yoga. Sam biked while I played with kids. Sam cooked this for dinner:
Tuesday: Work a full day. Pick up Sammy's Kindergarten packet. Come home and bike while the boys play outside. Sam cooked this for dinner:
Wednesday: Work a full day. Do a quick jog. Pick up the boys and find that Mason's toe is leaking. Neighbor cleaned it for me. Called the Dr's office to make an appointment at 4:15. They had a 4:30 opening! I picked up Mason and flew to the car. We were x-rayed, seen by the Dr. and out the door by 4:50. It was great! No break, no infection. Just keep an eye on it. Went to in-laws for dinner.
Thursday: Busy day at work. Spring Break starts tomorrow afternoon - crazy buzz at school when that happens. I'm thinking tons about our race on Sunday. Cherry Blossom 10 miler. I have the boys sleeping at Grandma's for the race and packet pickup will be Saturday morning.
Friday: I cannot predict the future (Sam thinks he can) but I do know what my day will look like tomorrow. Why? I'm a clipboard. That's what we do. I'll work. Give 2 hours of therapy. Play with the boys. Head out to a jewelry party.
Something great that happened today? My picture is featured on one of my favorite blogs!
Happy almost Spring Break! I'll be back with a Cherry Blossom report Monday.
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| Double thumbs up |
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| Double "thumbs" up |
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
I hate change, but SOMETIMES change is.....
The answer. I hate change a lot. I'm a clipboard. I'm a schedule person. I'm a make a list and cross it out person. I will put things on the list I already did just so I can cross them off. I love it. I love to get shit done.
My husband is a beach ball. He's go with the flow. He rolls with the punches and just lets it all happen. Somehow we don't kill each other.
We have really come together on nutrition and training. Turns out the perfect combination for us is a little bit of my structure and a little bit of his flow.
My structure: My Fitness Pal
Sam's Flow: Weigh in after a few good days of eating - not EVERY morning and screaming at the scale
We both need to mark progress in what we are able to do and how our clothes feel. I do have a new trick. Wanna see it?
Sam was able to catch that moment. The FIRST time I've ever been able to do that yoga pose. I was so excited I almost cried. That's something, right? Haven't had the strength, balance, or nerve to do it before.
Also, today, my pants were a little loose. Team Hardman is about to become unstoppable!
My husband is a beach ball. He's go with the flow. He rolls with the punches and just lets it all happen. Somehow we don't kill each other.
We have really come together on nutrition and training. Turns out the perfect combination for us is a little bit of my structure and a little bit of his flow.
My structure: My Fitness Pal
Sam's Flow: Weigh in after a few good days of eating - not EVERY morning and screaming at the scale
We both need to mark progress in what we are able to do and how our clothes feel. I do have a new trick. Wanna see it?
Sam was able to catch that moment. The FIRST time I've ever been able to do that yoga pose. I was so excited I almost cried. That's something, right? Haven't had the strength, balance, or nerve to do it before.
Also, today, my pants were a little loose. Team Hardman is about to become unstoppable!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Rock n Roll DC 1/2 Marathon.....1st time I ever......
Had to stop to use a porta potty? Nope. There are not many porta pottys that I haven't used.
Got chub rub? Nope. Get it so much my kids ask me after races if I got it.
Thought I might not finish? Nope. There have been a few races that I had the momentary thought of "this may not happen". (thankfully I've finished all I've started)
This 1/2 marathon was the first race (and I"ve done close to 40) that I've actually just had fun. Sounds silly, right? Typically I set a goal and if I don't meet it exactly I get pissy. I get down on myself, I get pouty, quiet, and decide "that sucked" or "epic fail". I've cried over race performances more times than I care to admit.
This race was about Sam. It was his first 1/2 marathon - and since it's my favorite race distance I really wanted him to like it. It was on St. Patrick's Day and we wore green, but once we got to the race and saw all the clever costumes and race gear we felt a little under dressed.
The race started like any other one - a huge line at the porta potty. We got to our race coral and then waited. It took about 30 minutes to get to the start line....there were SO many people. We knew we were staying together so we did not have a plan for meeting up if we got separated. BIG mistake.
At mile 2 I had to make a pit stop - no surprise there. There were some technical difficulties and miscommunications and Sam and I were separated. Never to see each other again until 15 minutes after I finished. It was crazy!
I hoped that Sam was in front of me and I decided to just enjoy the view. This was my 6th half marathon. I knew what to expect and I also knew that I never really remembered anything about the race other than if I met my goal or not. I decided my goal was to have fun. I stopped and took pictures. I walked, I ran, I got lots of water, I enjoyed the music....
Instead of checking my Garmin every two steps I looked around and took it all in. I knew my time would be terrible - but I didn't care. Now, I've said that a million times. "I didn't care about the time..." - But I did. I would get home and cry to Sam about it. I am pretty competitive, which is why I like to race, but I need to learn to have fun too. I high-fived every kid I saw, I sang along with some of the music. I even stopped and got the beer that I've seen every year and have always been too set on a goal to grab.
It tasted so good. The carbonation was exactly what I needed. And I got to see Justin Bieber :)
I even made sure I had green Gu
I was moving along pretty slow. My quads hurt. At one point my walk might have been faster than my jog. Oops :) I kept thinking about Sam and how I hoped he was having fun and that he loved it. I saw mile 12 and knew I was going to cross that line.
I finished and spent about 15 minutes looking for Sam. He had finished just ahead of me and had a great time! He met up with a girl and ran most of it with her. He said it was slow but he kept going. He really liked it and was very proud of himself! I am SO proud of him.
In two weeks we have the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. Goal? Show up with a dynamite outfit!
Got chub rub? Nope. Get it so much my kids ask me after races if I got it.
Thought I might not finish? Nope. There have been a few races that I had the momentary thought of "this may not happen". (thankfully I've finished all I've started)
This 1/2 marathon was the first race (and I"ve done close to 40) that I've actually just had fun. Sounds silly, right? Typically I set a goal and if I don't meet it exactly I get pissy. I get down on myself, I get pouty, quiet, and decide "that sucked" or "epic fail". I've cried over race performances more times than I care to admit.
This race was about Sam. It was his first 1/2 marathon - and since it's my favorite race distance I really wanted him to like it. It was on St. Patrick's Day and we wore green, but once we got to the race and saw all the clever costumes and race gear we felt a little under dressed.
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| green socks were everywhere! |
At mile 2 I had to make a pit stop - no surprise there. There were some technical difficulties and miscommunications and Sam and I were separated. Never to see each other again until 15 minutes after I finished. It was crazy!
Instead of checking my Garmin every two steps I looked around and took it all in. I knew my time would be terrible - but I didn't care. Now, I've said that a million times. "I didn't care about the time..." - But I did. I would get home and cry to Sam about it. I am pretty competitive, which is why I like to race, but I need to learn to have fun too. I high-fived every kid I saw, I sang along with some of the music. I even stopped and got the beer that I've seen every year and have always been too set on a goal to grab.
It tasted so good. The carbonation was exactly what I needed. And I got to see Justin Bieber :)
I even made sure I had green Gu
I was moving along pretty slow. My quads hurt. At one point my walk might have been faster than my jog. Oops :) I kept thinking about Sam and how I hoped he was having fun and that he loved it. I saw mile 12 and knew I was going to cross that line.
I finished and spent about 15 minutes looking for Sam. He had finished just ahead of me and had a great time! He met up with a girl and ran most of it with her. He said it was slow but he kept going. He really liked it and was very proud of himself! I am SO proud of him.
In two weeks we have the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. Goal? Show up with a dynamite outfit!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
St. Lucia - honeymoon take 2!
My sister planned a destination wedding to St. Lucia that we just got back from. It was AMAZING!
Day 1: Started early. Early like 3:30am early. We all (mom, brother, his wife, sam, me) met at our house to go to the airport together. There was a lot of excitement, but not too much talking - sleepy people. We flew to Miami and had a layover where we got breakfast and walked around. The Miami airport is HUGE. Back on a plane to fly 3 1/2 hours to St. Lucia. We watched the movie The Big Year (Owen Wilson, Jack Black) - funny, but only watched it because it was on.
Then we landed.
Day 2: We went on a Sugar to Rum Tour. We went to a sugar plantation and learned all about the history of it and how they made the sugar. It was beautiful. Then we learned about a bunch of different rums. The tour leaders said "Ok. Have at it!". So we did.
We also went into the city. We got food, gifts, and did everything local.
Day 3: All day tour. We went on a boat around the island, went to a coco plantation, botanical gardens, saw the volcano, and got in the mineral baths. Long day, totally awesome.
Day 4: The wedding day. We went to Joan's resort (Sandals) and did the all-inclusive thing. Lots of fun.
Day 5: Para sailing, snorkeling, swimming, eating, drinking.....a lazy day :)
Day 6: Go home day :( We didn't have to leave until 11, which was great. We got a last day tour through some villages and ended at the airport. Flight back was easy peasy and we landed in Va at 12:30am. Long day. Long trip. Totally worth it.
Day 1: Started early. Early like 3:30am early. We all (mom, brother, his wife, sam, me) met at our house to go to the airport together. There was a lot of excitement, but not too much talking - sleepy people. We flew to Miami and had a layover where we got breakfast and walked around. The Miami airport is HUGE. Back on a plane to fly 3 1/2 hours to St. Lucia. We watched the movie The Big Year (Owen Wilson, Jack Black) - funny, but only watched it because it was on.
Then we landed.
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| Local beer. Pretty delish |
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| Leaving the airport |
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| Typical house in the village |
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| Rum punches everywhere |
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| Our balcony at the Windjammer Landing |
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| Hills were crazy! |
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| More Rum Punch! |
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| Coco beans and Cashew nut |
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| The row of Rum we tried. Yum! |
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| My city friends |
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| Market |
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| polishing the coco nut |
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| Local food. Fried bananas, jerk chicken, salad, fried fish |
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| mineral baths from the volcano |
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| Getting ready |
Day 5: Para sailing, snorkeling, swimming, eating, drinking.....a lazy day :)
Day 6: Go home day :( We didn't have to leave until 11, which was great. We got a last day tour through some villages and ended at the airport. Flight back was easy peasy and we landed in Va at 12:30am. Long day. Long trip. Totally worth it.
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