The Little Things
June 9, 2014

Alright- this is it. Actually, I might do one more recap to show what my recovery looks like, but after doing training recaps almost every week of this year, I finally have about a 2 month break before I hit training again. I have great plans for the summer in terms of my running and physical fitness, and I’ll share that along the way. Here’s how my final week of training (and taper) looked:

The time I spent working out the week leading up to the race was about 1/3 of the time I normally spend, and I could really feel it. My runs were gentle, my walks were at a slower pace, and pilates was gentle as well. I wanted to keep moving and keep my muscles loose, but wanted to let them fully recover too! Thanks for following along with my training!

 

June 8, 2014

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”- Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon Co-founder

On Saturday afternoon, Melissa and I were at the pool, and she (I think it was her anyways and not me- haha) mentioned that she had no idea how to really recap this race, and I immediately agreed. This was by far the most strange half marathon I’ve ever run, and it seriously can’t be compared to any other half marathon that I’ve run so far (this was half marathon #6). This was a totally different game, and one that I said on Wednesday last week might be totally different due to weather.

My alarm went off at 5, and I checked the weather (humidity at 94%-ugh), and ate my traditional pre-race meal: 12 ounces orange juice, 1 luna bar, and 1 medium sized banana. I got ready quickly and warmed up. Melissa accidently turned her alarm off, so I finally woke her up at 5:45 (we were planning to leave right around 6). She had gotten sick in the middle of the night- a great sign of the day to come. We hit the road and got to the corrals about 15 minutes before the start. We warmed up quickly and jumped in the corrals ready to go. Race start temperature was about 60 degrees with 92% humidity, but we knew the temperature was going to shoot up quickly. I took a salt packet about 30 minutes before the race, hoping that would help any cramping issues.

I need to mention again here that, because I have POTS, exercising in the heat is pretty difficult. I can’t cool myself appropriately, so anything over about 50-55 degrees is really warm for me. Going in I knew this was going to be the case, and Melissa and I decided that it was better to be safe than to put ourselves in a dangerous situation (she also doesn’t do well in the heat). Safety was the name of our game.

Indy Women's Half Marathon Race RecapAt the starting line

The first 5 miles flew by pretty quickly, and the temperature felt ok for us too. We started off doing a 2:1 run:walk ratio, and we decided to keep our pace equivalent to training runs until we felt like it wasn’t safe anymore. The first 5 miles we hit in the 11-11:25 range, and that felt awesome. At that point the sun had really come out strong and the temperature was rising. Melissa wasn’t feeling great, and somewhere in the 5-6 mile range my heart rate got out of control fast. We both walked for a good chunk of that mile- remember our motto? Safety first.

We hit the half way point and I was hurting from walking so quickly. When we walked, we were keeping about a 14:40 pace, which is far faster pace than I normally walk at. My right arch was hurting and my left piriformis was unhappy. I remember taking inventory of myself, looking at Melissa, and wondering how we were going to make it through the rest of the race. Running felt better than walking at this point, even though running wasn’t good for me.

At mile 7 we hit a water station and there was no line at the port-a-potty. SCORE! I hopped in and went quickly- a first for me at any race. It was worth it though (one thing I will say is that I feel like I was hydrating well throughout the race. I drank water and powerade at every station the first half, and also carried gatorade in my handheld water bottle). Melissa told me to run ahead and she’d catch up, so I grabbed the powerade at the station and walked along, eating my race fuel (cran-razz shot bloks. I also had margarita shot bloks at mile 3.8 and 10ish). I also took half a salt packet at mile 7, not because I was cramping, but because I was sweating and losing so much salt, and didn’t want to cramp at the end.

Right after mile 7 was a huge hill, and I definitely walked up it. Melissa caught up at the top, and told me that she threw up again. I felt so bad for her, and even though she told me to run ahead, I refused. We signed up together, and we were going to run it together! And honestly, I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the 2nd half without her next to me anyways.

Honestly, those last miles went by in a blur, and I felt like they went by pretty quickly too. We walked a lot, and ran as we could. Neither of us felt fantastic. The second half of the course I only took powerade at the stations because the water was too warm to be refreshing at all, and I couldn’t stomach the thought of it. Right around mile 9 I looked as far ahead of me and behind me as I could, and every single person I saw was walking. That’s when I realized how tough this weather really was.

Somewhere around mile 9 we set a goal for ourselves- we would come in before my slowest half marathon time (set at my first half marathon at the Indy mini), and that pushed us to run just a bit more. Right about mile 12 I suddenly started to shiver a bit, and said “Oh my gosh Melissa, I’m getting goose bumps.” At this point it was still high humidity about almost 77 degrees, and I shouldn’t have been shivering at all, so this was clearly a sign that my body wasn’t doing well. Honestly, if I had more than a mile left I would’ve been pretty concerned, but I felt ok continuing on, knowing that it would all be over in about 10 minutes.

Right around mile 12.5 we ran past some of Melissa’s co-workers who brought out ice cold water bottles for us. I handed off my hand held, and it felt absolutely amazing to hold something that was so cold. Once we saw the finish line Melissa told me to run ahead so I could make sure that I was under my slowest time. I ended up crossing the finish line about 20 seconds before her, but both of us ended with a time of 2:55. It’s certainly a far cry from my half marathon PR, but as I said, this race can’t even be compared to my other races.

I felt more emotional crossing that finish line than in any finish except for first half marathon- I guess because my body felt pretty off at that point. Men who were in the military were passing out the medals, and we also got roses (along with the standard banana, nuts, water, etc…).

Racing half marathon

Melissa and I took a few pictures, and then headed back to stretch.

photo 2 Indy Women's Half Marathon

Honestly- I wasn’t at all disappointed in our time. This race was really tough for both of us, and in many ways I had to push myself much more than in other races. I ran a relatively safe race with POTS (minus when my body started to hit heat exhaustion), and was able to finish strong in that last mile. I had fun for a good portion of the race, and this race was another example of proving that I am stronger than I thought I was, and my diagnosis doesn’t have to hold me back completely. I think that long distance summer races are just something that I can’t really do because of POTS, and that’s ok. Honestly, looking at the big picture, the time doesn’t matter to me. Me pushing myself, being safe, growing, learning, and just being able to run is what’s most important. I’m so thankful that I can run, even in the tough, hot, and disgusting races. I’m thankful for this race, safety in running, and for the lessons learned through it.

Overall the race was organized well. The course was fine- nothing special. There were plenty of aid stations with water and powerade. I wish the water had been kept cooler, as it was just gross and not refreshing the 2nd half of the race. The volunteers were really encouraging, but there was minimal spectators cheering on the side of the road.

I’m interested to see how I view this race in a few months, but right now I’m not disappointed at all. Despite having to drop our pace, we didn’t quit, and that was huge for us. More on the expo and post race fun later this week!

Check out Melissa’s recap of the race too!

For more information on POTS, click here. For other race recaps, click here. To see how this race compares to the Monumental Half Marathon, the Indianapolis Mini Marathon, and the Carmel Half Marathon, click here. For more information on my Bioskin calf sleeves, click here. 

 

June 6, 2014

Happy Friday!! Today is the day before race day, and I’m so excited!! It’s nice and warm and humid out, so we’ll see how it goes. Today Melissa and I are spending the day together, watching TV and going crazy from taper and sitting out at the pool! It’s a great distraction for how antsy I’m currently feeling. How about some random facts for you?

I really enjoy using TV Catchphrases in my every day life. I still have to try hard sometimes when I’m talking to clients to not say “that’s what she said” after things they say. I figure it’s not so professional. If you love TV catchphrases, check out this youtube video:

I sometimes wish that I could get clients to understand some of what goes on in my head when I sit across from them. This article on 5 things Counselors Want You to Know was a great read for me.

I deleted a bunch of photos (maybe close to 40) in preparation for race day. Here’s a collage that came out of the photo dump.

desserts and other fun thingsClockwise from top left: Melissa and Me, Oikos came out with frozen yogurt (that I can eat even though I’m lactose intolerant because of the active bacteria cultures!!), I’m obsessed with the honey mustard wheat thins, conquering the bench press, and trying to get the 2048 tile.

I’ve finally conquered the bench press. BOOM. I’m actually pretty scared of it, but I’m bound and determined to continue to bench even though my brother can’t lift with me anymore. I benched last week and I felt solid!

I’m obsessed with the new line of wheat thins. I eat the honey mustard and/or zesty salsa crackers almost every day. YUMMM. Have you tried them yet?

Alright- I’m off to relax, sit by the pool, and hit up the expo. Tomorrow is race day!!!

June 5, 2014

What a week! I’m still not into my full blown summer schedule yet, so these weeks I’ve had a bit more free time to get things done! I’ve been able to slow down and enjoy life just a little bit more, which has been nice. Here’s what I’m thankful for right now:

I’m thankful for the sunset that I can see right now. As I type this I’m looking out at a beautiful pink and purple sky right now. I want to take a picture but I know that a picture won’t really capture these colors, so you’ll just have to trust me that it’s beautiful. When I see moments like that, I try to slow down and breathe, to enjoy the present moment.

I’m thankful for allergy medicine. Oh man- we actually have a “pollen alert” right now. You know when you go on the weather channel and look up a place and it has the severe weather alerts on the top? We’ve had a pollen alert for almost 2 weeks now, and I’m a little bit over it. I’ve lost about half of my voice for the last week, so I definitely have to strain a bit when I speak. Yelling over the music in my barre class has definitely been a challenge. But- I remind myself over and over how thankful I am for medicine, because my symptoms would be far worse without it.

I’m thankful for friends. Oh my word I love them! I have so many really fantastic people in my life, and I’m thankful for the fun, laughter, workouts, and support I have with all of them. Whether in person or long distance, I feel very thankful for each of them.

I’m thankful for air conditioning. It’s that time of year again. When it’s 89 and sunny outside, I’m thankful that I have air conditioning inside (for those few moments when I actually want to be inside or am sleeping…).

I’m thankful for time outside to read. There is something so peaceful to me about going outside, slowing down, and sitting to read. I love it, and feel so content while doing it. I’ve had a few hours over the last weekend to sit outside and just enjoy life, and I’m thankful for those moments.

I’m thankful for running. All of it- the hard, the good, and the inspiring. For the times I quit, for the times I have to fight, and for the times I feel like I fly down the road. I’m thankful I can run.

Now it’s your turn to share! What are you feeling thankful for today?

 

June 4, 2014

First of all- happy National Running Day! I’m celebrating by going out on a very short run- just a little shake out one since I have a half marathon on Saturday! Last year I wrote an entire post on why I run, so check it out if you’re interested in it! Running helps me deal with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome– it allows me to fight, to prove that a diagnosis can’t completely control me. Running is a time set apart for reflection, for happiness, for time in nature, and for mindfulness. Running is for stress relief and for freedom. I’m so thankful I took a risk in that first run, and even though I almost passed out, I kept going. I run for me, and I run because I can, even though it has to look different due to POTS.

national running day badge 2014

Like I mentioned, this week is race week. I’ve never had a race week that’s been so hot/high in humidity before. This is obviously pretty nerve-wracking to me, especially with POTS. With POTS I don’t have the ability to cool myself down like I used to. I already have to consume more salt and fluid than the average person, so add in lots of sweating, and I’m curious to see how it’ll go. I do know that I won’t put myself in danger, so if I need to take extra walking breaks, and/or slow my pace down, I’ll definitely be doing that. I’ll likely carry my handheld with me so I can have some extra fluid in case what’s on the course isn’t enough. I’ll be carrying extra salt packets in case I feel myself getting dizzy. And I’m debating whether I should wear a tank top or go without a shirt… with my issues cooling myself, having one less layer of clothing might be really helpful. I’m still pretty undecided on this though. This week I’m doing all of these race week preparations and trying not to let taper get to me.

I’m craving a good bike ride, but I’m not allowing myself. I walked way more miles than I really should have last week, so I’m really cutting back this week. I find myself pacing around my living room a bit, and then force myself to sit down. That’s how it goes, I guess.

Carmel 2Melissa and me running Carmel in April 2014

Despite the concerns about the weather, I’m so excited to get to spend more time with (and race again with) Melissa (we ran the Carmel Half Marathon together in April… when it was much cooler, but with more hills), and hit the starting line again!

Now it’s your turn to share! Why are you a runner? Any hints for running in the heat?

 

June 3, 2014

I’ve now taught 4 sessions of pilates/barre classes (started my 5th two weeks ago), so I thought I’d do a check-in on how it was going. Teaching pilates and barre classes have been one of the greatest things about my last year. While I haven’t loved the 5 am wake up call (especially in the winter!), my Tuesdays and Thursdays are better for it!

These classes feel different to me than a regular early morning work out. Because both of these classes involve the mind-body connection, they feel incredibly grounding. To spend an hour focusing on my breath as I cue others to connect their minds and bodies as they exercise is energizing and peaceful to me at the same time. Even though I wake up over an hour earlier on the days that I teach, I tend to have so much more energy on the days that I teach.

Barre is especially awesome with the playlists that I have. Here are some examples: Playlist 1 and Playlist 2. Listening to those playlists from 6-7 in the morning really gets my heart rate up!

I love the energy that the students give off too! The little groanings they give off when they take a break, but then continue to push themselves forward inspires me, and I appreciate how much they give to class! This last session I’ve had my hardest working group of people yet, and they’ve really improved greatly, and I can tell that they’ve gotten so much stronger!

It’s been great to see how I’ve improved too, and how much more comfortable I’ve gotten in teaching and stringing the flow of exercises together! It’s sort of funny to think that a year ago, this wasn’t really even on my radar, and I’d never even taken a barre class!

I also love that I get paid to work out. Now really I walk around and correct the students positions quite a bit in class, but there are some things that I do the entire time with them (like the warm up, cool down, and cardio sections in barre), or at least do the first few reps with them. It’s kept me extra flexible and strong through half marathon training!

Most of all I’m just thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to get paid to teach something that I really love and believe in to others! It’s great to see their life benefit too!

Here are a few other posts about my journey in the instructor process:

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you have a reflection on some aspect of life lately?

 

June 2, 2014

In the fall of 2013 I was invited to join a group ride through a cycling shop in town. I’m not the fastest rider, and biking scares me a little bit (especially in large groups), so I held off on going all fall. Then I went into the bike shop to get my back tire changed (since the tread was rubbed off due to the constant rubbing on the trainer), and the guy invited me to join the ride. I told him my average pace, and he said they had a slower group that I’d be fine riding with.

I got there on Tuesday (this was May 20th), and was the only female there. Everyone else looked like they were solid riders, and I was sitting there in my running shoes and my white and pink helmet. I felt ridiculous, but also couldn’t help but laugh at how silly I was in the middle of this group of solid male riders. Luckily right before the ride started another female came in, and she stuck with me. She said her average pace was in the 15 mile range, and I said that right now most of my rides are about 14 but I wanted to get faster.

Within a few miles we were dropped by the male riders (see- I’m so glad she showed up or I would’ve been stranded out in the country on roads I don’t know!), but we had a great time riding together. Around mile 10 I stopped to get some sports beans. At this point I really realized my mistake. When I’m on my trainer in the winter, I usually went through about 16 ounces of water and no fuel for a 20 mile ride. However, the bike trainer doesn’t have wind resistance or hills, so it wasn’t as intense. I had grabbed about 20 ounces of water and a half a packet of sports beans before I headed out the door, and that was clearly not enough.

By mile 15 I was almost completely out of water and felt really depleted. The woman that I was with had forgotten fuel as well, so we were stuck. I kept trying to power through as best as I could. The last 4 miles I rode with another guy in the group who had also hit a wall due to a lack of fuel (clearly it’s the start of the season and we’re all trying to remember what we need to bring), so it was a struggle-fest for us as we got back to the shop.

These rides intimidate me. They are FAST, but I also know that, as I stick with the woman who is faster than I am, I can also get faster. When I got back to my car, I realized that perhaps my pace had something to due with why I sort of hit the wall during my ride: I was hitting 14.5-15.5 mph while on hills, with wind. While this is great to push myself, 20 miles at this pace when I’m not used to it at all, and only my 2nd ride on the road for the year, was a little rough. I’ll be back, but it’ll have to wait a few weeks because of my upcoming half marathon.

At least the next 20 miler I did brought a little redemption…

 

June 1, 2014

First of all- Happy June! Seriously- how are we in the 6th month of the year already? I feel like this year has flown so quickly- yikes! I wish it would slow down a bit!

Well, this training cycle has been a short(er) one, but I can’t believe that it’s almost over! The next time I post a training recap, my race will be over. EEK! This week was pretty solid on the fitness front, but tapering didn’t quite happen the way that I wanted it to. I cut down on running but increased walking mileage, which I will force myself to decrease next week too. I seriously need to buckle down a bit more to let my legs rest up! Here’s how the week looked:

So, there you have it! I got in an extra lifting session this week, which was nice! Now that my brother isn’t here anymore, I’m left to lifting on my own. I’m trying to keep up the intensity I lifted at with him, and am trying not to take a break from it. I know if I stop I won’t pick it back up in the same way since he isn’t here.

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you lift? If so- do you do it by yourself, with others, or by following a pre-written plan?

Looking for more ways to connect?

 

May 30, 2014

Happy Friday- Here are a few random facts/stories/moments from the week:

Now it’s your turn to share! Share a random fact from your last week! 

 

May 29, 2014

Every once in awhile I do Thankful Thursday posts that are dedicated to something specific (often times it’s running after half marathons). Today I’d like to dedicate this Thankful Thursday post to my youngest brother (soccer brother) who just graduated from college last Saturday.

IMG_3869I keep most information & pictures of my family members off my blog, but I thought I’d share this one (since he little and obviously doesn’t look like this today)- this is the day that I first met my brother, and the first time I ever held him.

I’m thankful for 4 “bonus years” with my brother. When I went 10 hours away to college, I never imagined us living in the same place again. He surprised me almost five years ago by asking if he could come stay with me while he had his official try out for the soccer team at the college. He decided to move down to go to college, and it’s been great to get to be around him for 4 more years.

I’m thankful for all the soccer games I got to attend. I missed out on 6 years of soccer games for my brother (and obviously those 6 years were really formative years in his soccer ability), so to be able to sit and watch him play collegiate soccer for 4 years was a true pleasure. I loved getting to sit in the stands and scream and cheer. I loved getting to hear all the fans talk about how great of a player my brother was. I loved getting to see him help lead his team to Nationals, be named conference player of the week, etc… I was thankful I was on the sidelines when he got his concussion and his other injuries, so I could help take care of him. I’m thankful I got to be his #1 fan for 4 years…. and I’m thankful that he’s not done with his soccer career yet.

I’m thankful for the hours we spent lifting (and the talks we had in the gym). The last three spring semesters we lifted almost every week together at the gym. While we occasionally lifted first thing in the morning, we usually lifted when he was done with class and I was done with work. It was a great time to catch up on one another’s lives. He taught me correct lifting form, and gave me a huge amount of different exercises to do. I hope I can continue “arms and abs” in a similar fashion to what we did, but having him there to help and encourage me can’t be replicated. I’m SO so sad that these times are ending, but I’m also thankful that they happened at all.

I’m thankful for the hours and hours of car trip time we’ve had. When he first moved here, I was a little annoyed because with 2 of us we drove home instead of flying (which I did the first 6 years)- driving 10 hours each way on holidays is long (hello holiday traffic jams), tedious, and takes away 2 days of the break. However, I look back on all the hours we spent sitting in a car together fondly. We sang, listened to books on tape, and had great conversations. I got to learn more about his life, his friends, and it was genuinely fun. I’ll really miss his company on those long trips home now…

I’m thankful for the races that he’s been at, along with all the advice he’s given me as I’ve trained. He really helped to calm my nerves as he came to my first half marathon, and I was so thankful that he was there. He ran those last 3 miles off to the side of the course, and it’s a great memory!

I’m thankful for his laughter and jokes, and I’m going to miss them! He’s not only the most athletic one in the family, but he’s also the comedian of the family. His quick jokes and play on words is so funny, and has added levity to tough days.

I’m thankful that I got to see my brother at random moments throughout my day. Because college classes aren’t always back to back, he had free hours throughout the day, and sometimes he’d pop over to my office just to say hi. I’m definitely going to miss that.

I’m thankful for the encouragement and hugs. Sometimes there’s just nothing like a family member hugging you in a tough moment, am I right? I was lucky to have a family member close to me over the past few years.

I’m thankful for the hours of movies and TV shows that we watched. We watched Frozen twice in the last week and a half, and yes- we sang along to it. I’m thankful that we had the chance to watch all of the seasons of “The League” this semester (it was such a fun way to end a busy day), and I’m thankful for all the hours of House we’ve watched.

Let’s be honest. I’m thankful for so many other things too. Really, I’m just thankful that I had 4 more years with my brother. I’m not sure if we’ll ever live in the same place (or even state) again- if he has his way (and I hope he does) he’ll be playing soccer in another country soon enough, and then I won’t really get to see him. I’m so thankful that we really had a chance to be friends instead of JUST siblings (because let’s be honest- the difference between elementary school and high school is huge, so we were always in pretty different life stages). I’m thankful he’s my brother.

Now it’s your turn to share. What’s one thing you’re thankful for in one of your siblings? Do you live close to or far away from your family members?

Looking for more ways to connect?