How Storm Chasers conquer pre-race jitters...

Today my nerves were in overdrive. I came close to crying twice. Although I know there is nothing logical about the amount of pressure I put on myself (as a non-elite athlete that's running for fun), I do it anyway. It has a lot to do with the fact that running doesn't come naturally for me and I really have tried hard to get better and faster since I started. The "voice of reason" inside my head constantly reminds me that my running career is a year and a half old so I'm a "toddler" runner (in other words I need to just RELAX). But the rest of me is not easily convinced.

I loved the Milepost quote this morning! It was just what I needed...

After getting Kaiyu settled and hanging out with my friend Giselle for a bit, I headed up to Palm Beach. This will be my home away from home for today and 1/2 of tomorrow...

I got checked in and decided on the race attire for tomorrow (I packed a suitcase filled with stuff so I would have options... a sure sign that I'm nervous is that I'm worried about what I'm going to wear). The "winning" outfit...

Once Diane came we headed to pick up my packet...

And we walked around the pre-race expo...

Then we went for vegan smoothies at Bee Organics...

I had a "Paradise" smoothie with anti-inflammatory properties...

(I doesn't look like "paradise", but it tasted ok)

After smoothies Diane and I drove 90% of the course for tomorrow. There is a small section through a neighborhood that might be a bit confusing, but if there are enough signs it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Otherwise the majority of the course is quite scenic and beautiful. I'm really looking forward to the route. 

After the "route review" we went to the Palm Beach outlet mall. I'm not a fan of shopping but it was a good distraction until it was time to eat again. Most of my running group was meeting up at 6pm for a pasta dinner, but that's kind of late for me to eat (especially pasta) so dinner was Pei Wei (I had pad thai) and then I got my pre-race breakfast for tomorrow (a plain bagel) from Starbucks. 

I'm spending the rest of the evening icing my knee and hip, relaxing and hydrating...

I'm hoping for a great race for everyone tomorrow, especially all of the Memorial Milers! 

Good Luck!

Running - Icing - Carbs - Excitement

I started my morning with my last taper run for this week. The next time my feet hit the ground running I will be at the starting line for the Palm Beach Half Marathon. My session this morning was almost identical to my run on Tuesday...

Pace per mile breakdown...

A sub-10 min/mile pace (even for only 1/2 a mile) felt like the most intense workout I've done in a while...

After my run I did an extra long yoga recovery "cool down" session...

Pre-race jitters started today. It's becoming routine now, but that doesn't make it any easier to handle (did I tell you I was close to tears before the Ft. Lauderdale half last month?). Anyway, I've been speaking with friends who are runners and friends who have friends who are runners to try and channel their positive energy. It was a transient fix but it made me happy in the moment. Nowadays anything related to running makes me happy (except injuries)...

My mid-day pre-lunch selfie on my way to having a (bun-less) double hamburger with sweet potato fries...

(I was feeling "artistic")

Lunch was pretty Paleo but I have had a few "starchy" carbs since yesterday. I read somewhere that eating small amounts of carbs spread out over the last few days before your race is better than "carb loading" the day before. I'll let you know if I see much of a difference on Sunday.

I spent the entire day icing my knees (yes both... it's more preventative for the right knee since only the left knee is really bothering me). But even after icing I still found climbing the stairs daunting...

(that's not a good sign)

PR or no PR I'm starting to get a little more excited about this race weekend (more nervous as well). This will be the last major event I participate in for this year. And it will be different from the Ft. Lauderdale half because my running group (the Memorial Milers) will be there (well most of us will be there either running or supporting). It's also the weekend hosting the Reggae marathon in Negril, Jamaica (which I was initially going to run before my injury...maybe next year). I hope everyone running this weekend does well and has a great half/full marathon experience!

Anyone else running a half/full marathon this weekend?

Wednesday's walk and wall sit & My shower singing sessions

No running for me today (I ran yesterday and will run again tomorrow), but I still wanted to be outside so I went for a walk around my complex this morning...

It was "Goldilocks weather" (not too hot...not too cold) and I really hope it stays just as nice throughout the weekend. My weather app is predicting sunny temperatures on Sunday in Palm Beach...

The latest email from the race sponsors have warned runners about "warm temperatures" and the importance of proper hydration in the days before and throughout the event (which is in 3 days... yay!!!)

Before my walk this morning I did a 2 min wall sit...

and after my walk (of about a mile or so) I did 40 sit ups (not much of a core workout...I'm struggling with laziness this week. I think I'm taking the concept of "tapering" way too seriously)...

Ever since Thanksgiving the amount of sweet potato casserole in my digestive system has gotten dangerously close to levels bordering on toxicity, so I'm taking a break for a few days. However, in keeping with my typical emotional & hormonal eating habits, I was craving carbs all day today. Thankfully I didn't go overboard (I just had a dinner roll), but it amazes me how easily a small piece of baked belched flour can put me in a better mood. Sadly, I've gained back all the weight I lost since starting my Paleo remix eating plan (too many "cheat" items I think)...

In other "non-running" related news, I've been preparing for a Christmas talent show for which I've decided to sing. In the interest of full disclosure I feel it's imperative to explain that singing is not really a talent that I currently possess (according to my younger sister...and anyone who has ever heard me sing). Apparently I only sound good in the shower...when the water is on full blast...and the music volume is at it's maximum...

Despite these vocal challenges I'm going to sing anyway. I did a "demo recording" of my talent show song selection the other day, but the voice memo app was clearly not working since the playback sounded nothing like how I sound in my head (yes I'm blaming technology). Maybe a safer and less painful alternative for my listening audience will be a lip-sync performance...if I can't get the technology to "work" then that will be "plan B".

I am T-minus 3 days from the Palm Beach half. I'm not nervous (yet) but feeling a bit resigned because I'm not sure how my knee is going to feel. I've already transitioned (somewhat) from the "I want to PR" mindset to the "I want to finish and not die" mindset. I think the latter is definitely achievable...the former not so much. Regardless of my performance on Sunday I will be proud to have another half marathon under my belt...

(I need volunteers to remind me of this next week...just in case I feel sad about whatever is going to happen on Sunday) 

Do you try to PR at every race? 
What's "worse"...not getting the race PR you wanted or not getting a course PR?

Tuesday's Taper Run & Three Facts...

I decided to do my mid-week running session today and will do my second one on Thursday so that I have 2 rest days prior to the Palm Beach half on Sunday. Yesterday I rested and iced my knee so this morning I felt pretty good. The weather was awesome...

And I was able to complete a 30 minute session...

My pace was not the best, but I was aiming for a slower run (which I clearly achieved). The pace per mile breakdown...

(is it "frowned upon" to get excited about negative splits when you only have 2.5 miles to compare?)

Post run selfie...

Even though the running session was just "ok" I was excited that I had a chance to use my new Metronome app to help me improve my cadence...

I'm at 175 right now...but only for short durations (2:1 intervals) so my future goal is to get to 180 and maintain that for longer and longer durations. 

It would be nice to get to 5:1 intervals by the end of the year (aka the next 4 weeks), and ultimately I'm shooting for 10:1 by the end of 2015...

Today ended up being a "I really need a hug" type of day...

It all started with the realization of these three facts...

Even my "Christmas" skittles didn't cheer me up...

Speaking of Christmas...I found the perfect website for Christmas shopping for all the runners in your life. I still have a lot of shopping to get done (and I hate shopping) so I'll be doing as much stuff online as I can. I have 3 LRs before I head home [so excited!] which means that I have 3 weeks to get all my shopping done....sigh....this year might be the "year of gift cards".

Also, don't forget that you still have a chance to enter the Holiday Giveaway! The deadline to enter is Dec 11th! The gift basket has a lot of cool stuff (shown in pic) and you can check out the link for more information on all the items...

Have you started/finished your Christmas/Holiday shopping (if you celebrate this time of year)?

What's at the top of your running "Christmas" list?

The Last Long Run & My Six Songs...

This morning was home to the last long run before my final half marathon of 2014. It was a struggle. I'm not sure what's going on with me lately. That's not true...I kind of know...but I really need to figure out a way to stop being my own worst enemy...

(the "anyone" referenced above includes myself)

The scenery on the beach this morning was overcast, windy, chilly, and beautiful...

The end result of my run...

I started to feel left lateral knee pain during mile 4 and so I slowed down a lot (from 4:1 to 2:1 intervals). I was going to stop at 5 miles and just "call it a day" because I'm actually tired of having to deal with knee pain when I run [feeling frustrated]. Then I decided to "suck it up" and finish the 6 miles my running group was scheduled to complete...

Pace per mile breakdown...

Post run selfie...

Next week is my taper week and I'm looking forward to tapering and doing some easy runs, maybe some yoga and stretching in preparation for next weekend. As much as I want to PR at the Palm Beach half, a lot will depend on what's going on with my knee...

*****

And now....it's time for my weekly installment of the 10 "Day" YOU Challenge!

I go back and forth between "I love listening to music when I run" and "I kind of enjoy the distracting huffing and puffing of my own breathing". I've been trying to find songs that have a beat that will help me with my pace when running, but these are also songs that I simply enjoy listening to (and surprisingly no country music made the list). Sometimes I keep one song on repeat and that also helps me stay focused on a steady rhythm during my running intervals.

So the top 6 songs I listen to when I run (based on my music app's "Top 25 Most Played" playlist) are...

1. Magic (by B.O.B featuring Rivers Cuomo)

2. Run This Town (by Jay Z, Rihanna, Kayne West)

3. I'm Into You (Jennifer Lopez featuring Lil Wayne)

4. It's My Life (Bon Jovi)

5. Candy Rain (Anthony Lewis featuring Billy Bang)

6. Animals (Maroon 5 featuring J. Cole)

My musical taste is quite diverse as you can see, but these songs have the right tempo and keep me upbeat (which comes in very handy on the Sundays I'm running double digit long runs). 

Happy Sunday!!!

Is anyone running the Palm Beach half or full marathon next weekend? Or any other race?