MCM Training: Week 1

I just started Week 4, so to say, "I'm behind" would be an understatement! As July approached, I was still struggling to find a plan that didn't scare the living daylights out of me. With the help of my husband and my friend/running partner, Jill, I finally narrowed it down to a mix of a couple plans (Runner's World Intermediate, ING Beginner, and my own comfort).

July 9th was D-Day. My first week was supposed to go something like this:

Monday: Off
Tuesday: 4 easy
Wednesday: Intervals
Thursday: 3 easy
Friday: 3 RP
Saturday: 13
Sunday: 3 easy

My actual first week looked like this:

Monday: Intervals (1m w/u, 1x1200 HP (400), 2x800 TK (200), 4x200 FK (200), 1m c/d) 
Tuesday: 4.32
Wednesday: 9
Thursday 3.09
Friday: 4.11
Saturday: 3.03
Sunday: Off






As you can see, I didn't really "stick" to my plan overall. But I did log some miles, so overall, I was happy. The heat has been kicking my ass. Thank goodness I did the intervals with Jill and her husband, my Tuesday and Friday runs with Stroller Warriors, and my Wednesday long run with my friend, Nicole! Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have made it through any of those workouts.

The long run for the week was now well planned by me. I saw that Nicole was planning to run at the Air Station, so I tagged along. I had the Weasel in tow and her potty too, we started too fast, plus we ran the first 5 on a trail. That made for a rough first half. At the 5 mile mark, we stopped for water and a potty break for Weasel. She didn't go which was frustrating and stopping just made it harder to start again. Nevertheless, we continued along the paved roads, with me begging to stop a few more times. As we came up to the 6.5 mile mark, we had the choice to turn left and go back to the vehicles, or turn right and add on another 2.5. It was a battle in my own head, but we turned right. We got to the vehicles and I was DONE. But Nicole said, "I'm going to finish 9." So after a minute of feeling lousy about failing so miserably to get my mileage in for the week, I finished out 9 myself.

One of my awesome SW running partners, Nicole, looking amazing after what I thought was a TERRIBLE run!

So Week 1 finished with a total of 28.83 miles. And while I didn't stick to the plan exactly, I did get a good start and learned some valuable lessons. 

Lesson #1: Stop wearing cotton t-shirts and start putting those dry-fit tops to use.

Lesson #2: Run earlier in the day whenever possible.

Lesson #3: Just because you don't nail the plan, doesn't mean it was a wasted week. Move on and don't dwell on your bad runs.

Not One of My Best...

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

Last Saturday, Stroller Warriors participated in the second race of the Have to Half series. It was brutally hot despite our early (7am) start, and I was thankful I hadn't signed up for the full race! Instead, I planned to log a short 7 with some friends. I lucked out and got the morning off from stroller duty while the Weasel slept in. 

The run started off ok. We tackled some hills for the first 2.5 miles and it wasn't terrible. I was running with my biking water bottle in hand as a test for some of my longer runs. Overall, it wasn't difficult to hold the bottle and run, but in the future, I think I'll look at different options. I've gotten so accustomed to running with the stroller and having a place for everything, that I am spoiled:)

We turned onto a nice shaded trail and took a quick break to say hello to some of the ladies manning the water station:

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

We kept a decent pace along the Greenway trail, but I was hurting and had gone a little quiet (typically I try to talk for most of the long runs I do). As we neared mile 6, I told the group I most definitely HAD to slow down, but urged them to go ahead. Naturally, they slowed their pace with me and just encouraged me along! I LOVE MY STROLLER WARRIORS! We took a short walk break and managed to finish out 7 miles, but it took every ounce of effort I could muster. I wasn't happy with the results, but it was over and I was thrilled.

Self-portraits post-run...how I felt, and how I was trying to pretend I wasn't hating every minute of it!

In a hurry to get back to the weekend, I headed home without properly stretching...MISTAKE! I wasn't too sore after, but I know just taking 10 minutes to stretch would have made a world of difference. Then later in the day, I hopped back on Facebook and saw some awesomely inspiring stories from some of the ladies who had finished their first half marathons! I couldn't believe they had covered twice the distance with smiles on their faces! Here are some of the pictures from the event:

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

Hand towels on ice to cool down the runners...what a great idea!!

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

 One of the wacky ladies who created the Have to Half series! 

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

 Now this gal is inspiring! She's a mother of 3 who had 2 in tow during most of this race. She even stopped twice to nurse the baby!

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

 Mini Warriors out to show their support!

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

Leading the pack...here's Jane and Jen running as though it was a nice cool 60 degrees!

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

As if running a half marathon isn't difficult enough, try adding a double stroller...for the ENTIRE race. Go BRE!!

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

 Candice finishing her first half marathon! 

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

Whitney and her husband tackling her first half! She did awesome!

If this doesn't inspire you to get over those bad runs and leave them in the past, I don't know what could!

BOB(s) Find a Home

Yesterday, 45-50 Stroller Warriors and probably twice as many Mini Warriors gathered for our Tuesday workout. But this was no ordinary Tuesday. This was a workout to remember. We gathered to receive instructions from our group leader, Stephanie, and then set out on a 36 minute Fartlek. It was a good run and naturally, I partnered with Jill. We got in some good intervals and hit the timing perfectly. And while it was a good run, that is NOT what I'm referring to when I tell you this workout was EPIC!

Let me get to the point. A while ago, Military Spouse of the Year, Jeremy Hilton, donated a BOB Revolution SE single stroller to the Stroller Warriors of Camp Lejeune. In order to be fair about who received the stroller, Stephanie created a format where we could submit our nomination and the names would be placed in a bowl for a random drawing.

Source

BOB Revolution SE

For two weeks, we waited in rapt anticipation of who would receive this coveted gift! After our run, we gathered once again and Stephanie held out the oldest Tupperware container I've ever seen and had one of our Mini Warriors draw a name. The name pulled was Nicole Berg, an amazing mother of four who gave up smoking a few years ago and found her love of running. This Warrior wakes up at 4 to log miles before her kiddos arise and then goes out again with one, two, three, or even all four of her kiddos in tow. She was running with a decent jogger, but was in desperate need of a BOB. Needless to say, she was overwhelmed to hear her name called:

Picture courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

Jacob, her youngest, LOVES his new wheels!

Nicole was so grateful she posted this on FB:

"I cannot even begin to tell you guys how blessed I am to have won this!!! I cannot stop looking at it or pushing it around!! I am truly Over the Moon!! I couldn't wait to get home and give it a spin. So we jumped out of the truck and headed out for a little 2 mile jog! Jacob adores his new 'ride'! He did not want out at all and screamed for about 10 minutes when I made him come in!! All of the kids have taken turns pushing it and Bryce my oldest said it best! "It's Perfect Mom!" And it Truly is!!! I get tearey eyed every time I think about it!! Thank you!! Stroller Warriors Rocks!! 
I thought I had posted this here but it was on my page!!! And HUGE thanks to the HiltonFamily!!!!!"

After a very emotional response, we settled down to hear Stephanie say, "Well, we have a couple more prizes to give away, so let's pick another name." Our Mini Warrior complied and selected none other than her own mom's name!!! Amanda Courtney was happy to hear her name called, but she was floored when Stephanie opened up the trunk to reveal yet another BOB! Yes, we had not one, but two to give away.

Picture courtesy of Elizabeth Harlow

Amanda, a professional photographer, has been a quiet, but dedicated member of Stroller Warriors for over two years. She lends a unique dynamic to the club with her quiet presence, making other SWs feel welcome on a personal level.

Here are Amanda's words from FB:

"I don't even know how to express in words how thankful I am and how excited I was to see that BOB this morning!!! All I know is this club has been my saving grace for the past 2+ years, and this just makes me realize how much I NEED you all..I know I'm not much of a talker at runs, and don't really reach out to anyone, but, please know that I LOVE all you girls and I look forward to SW each and every week. 
I can't wait to take my new stroller out for a run tomorrow morning!!! I have my alarm set for an early wakeup call even though I'm shooting a midnight homecoming tonight!!! Who needs sleep when you can run, right?!?!"

As if that wasn't enough excitement, Stephanie revealed that we had yet ANOTHER BOB to give away. This one was not randomly selected, but given to a SW who received 7 nominations! She has been raising two children while dealing with a deployed husband who is with MARSOC and actively participating in Stroller Warriors since joining earlier this year. She has definitely impacted nearly every member of the club in one way or another.

Shannon Reynolds is such a deserving candidate that no one thought twice about Stephanie's decision to give her the third BOB. 

Shannon shared this with the club on FB:

"It's about time for me to go to bed and Im still in awe of what happened this morning! It took me a while to even post on fb today I couldn't wait for a phone call from Afghan land to tell my husband what this amazing group has given me! I talk to him all the time how I'm doing something for myself and couldn't have done this without you ladies! I joined Stroller Warriors as soon as my husband left in January and this group has helped me keep my sanity through this deployment! I would be totally bored and out of mind with out you ladies. Thank you so much for Always being there no matter what, just the extra push or seeing a smiling face on run mornings help me push through this deployment.
Thankyou for the greatest gift I have ever received my first BOB and I didn't plan on running with a stroller at this Saturdays race and now I'm pushing a beautiful BOB stroller across the finish line Saturday morning and I couldn't be more thrilled!
Thank you so much ladies!"

Now you see why I'm calling this workout EPIC! Here are a couple more pictures from a great day:

The new BOB recipients!

The bottom photo is a group shot with all the BOB strollers we run with! Now all we need is a sponsorship deal with BOB to make this a yearly give away! 

And to Jeremy Hilton and his family:

There are no words to express our gratitude for your generous donation to Stroller Warriors. You have truly changed the lives of these three mother runners and they will be forever grateful. This is just one more reason why I KNOW in my heart that you were the right selection for Military Spouse of the Year! Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do, not just for Stroller Warriors, but for the military community at large. You inspire me.

WAC Triathlon Recap

On Sunday, June 24th, I headed down to Wilmington to run the Wilmington Athletic Club Triathlon. It was a short one: 300m swim, 11.5m bike, 5k run. I haven't been in the pool to train since I was pregnant (Weasel turns 2 next month to give you some perspective!) and it's been months since my bike tires have felt actual pavement. I have done a bit of riding on the trainer when Weasel naps, but otherwise, not much. Luckily I've been running for the last year and half or this would have kicked my bootie!

With my setup

Pat, Jill and Liam pre-race. They take turns racing while the other cheers and watches the kiddo. What a great team!

My friend, Jess, was kind enough to volunteer to ride down with me and, being a seasoned triathlete herself, provide me with some tips for the race. She also let me borrow her bib belt which came in handy.

My friends, Liz and Jess (on the right). I didn't get a picture of her on race morning, so I stole this old one from FB.

After I checked in and staged my gear, I headed over to the heated pool to do a warmup lap. Thank goodness I did, because that's when I found out my goggles didn't work! I ended up tying both rubber straps to secure them, but water was still leaking in. I discovered that Weasel had removed the rubber around the actual goggles, so after fixing that, I thought they were good to go. When I registered, they asked me for my 100m swim time. I had no idea, so I guessed a 1:55. That put me in line at number 95 and 26 minutes into the race I hopped into the pool to start my swim. It was 6 lanes down and back. On the first push off, I realized my goggles were definitely NOT fixed. Nevertheless, I continued to swim, passing two ladies and then enjoying some clear lanes. I finished the swim in 5:56 (6th for overall females) and quickly made my way to the transition area.

Me and my fellow SW, Darcie, who was doing her first tri! This is just after my warmup swim when I discovered my goggles SUCKED!

Waiting in line to start the swim. I think I had just witnessed one of several head-on collisions in the pool!

And I'm off...

Exiting the pool and heading towards the transition area

53 seconds later, I was headed out on to the bike course, a 2-loop course with tight, technical turns. The staggered start didn't allow for much interaction along the bike course and I found that I passed two people and was passed by two others. The 11.5 miles took me 38:24, way longer than it probably should have if I had invested more training time.

I ran my bike well passed the "mount" line because the course started with a little hill. I didn't know what gear my bike was in, and I didn't want to get stuck:)

Starting my second loop. I was so bored at this point and really wishing I had someone to ride with.

I had decided not to wear socks for the first time ever and popped on my running shoes right away. I now know why people invest in those quick laces as I felt like it took a lifetime (55 seconds) for me to tie my shoes. And if you're going to buy the quick ties, you might as well add in one of those straps that holds your racing chip, or your ankle may end up looking like this:

This is from my run on Monday, but you get the idea. I was wearing one of those plastic bands they give you and apparently I didn't have it high enough or tight enough.

The plastic band rubbed my ankle raw:(

But soon enough, I was out on the course and running down people one-by-one. I'm pleased to say that I passed about 10 people and was not passed by a single runner. I finished the 5k in 23:46. It was by no means my fastest run time, but I was happy with it. The temps were brutal, but they had two great water stations available that we passed twice since it was an out-and-back course.

Someone was happy to be off the bike!

I don't run like this...I was putting my bib on!

The final turn before the finish line.

My friend Jill's husband was running too and it was so nice to see him a couple times throughout the course. It was also a great pick-me-up to see friends cheering me on! A fellow Stroller Warrior, Heidi, even brought her mini-warrior, Maddie along to cheer!

Heidi and Maddie. (Also not from race day, obviously:). This was taken a week or two after she gave birth. Yes, we are all jealous!

All in all, it was a great race. I ended up placing 3rd in my age group and 7th among all females (63 total females raced). I know I need to do some swimming and biking beforehand next time around, but this was one last thing to do for fun before turning to on MARATHON TRAINING! I promise my next post will finally include the plan I'm going to use. It has been really tough sorting through existing plans without deciding to quit before even beginning!

Me and Pat with our race "trophies." Pat placed second in his AG with a time of 1:06:36

Have to Half

I've mentioned my awesome running club, Stroller Warriors, a few dozen times. This post is all about just how great this club is! Back in March, a HUGE group of us participated in the Quintiles Half Marathon. Following that, several of the girls ran either the Hope for the Warriors Half or the Myrtle Beach Diva's Half (one of my favorite gals even ran BOTH!). Since then, there has been a shortage of races in the local area. SW wouldn't let a small thing like that get in the way though...

Two of our fabulous group leaders (they run the C25K program for newer runners), developed an idea that was conceived over a glass of wine in the kitchen...the Have to Half series! These girls (pictured to the right) mapped out a course on board Camp Lejeune, complete with mile markers, directional signs, water stations, medals and motivational sidewalk chalk sayings. On Saturday at 7am, almost 30 of us met at Dunkin Donuts to kick off the first race of the series.

This group consisted of ladies who have done several marathons and half marathons to those who have never run more than a 10k!

After a group photo, we walked across the street and got started with a very casual, "Ready, Set, GO!" My friend, Jill, and her husband Pat even brought their son, Liam, along for the entire 13.1! He was a trooper and didn't make a peep for 2 hours in the stroller! The first couple three miles of the course included the only hills on base, so it was nice to get that part over early on. We are blessed with great paved trails on Camp Lejeune with only a few minor detours due to construction, and we took advantage of being able to run in small groups. We had a few gals who came out to support the race by taking pictures and providing directions too. 

If I remember correctly, this picture was around mile 4.

With limited support staff, the coordinators decided the best way to provide water was with these "stations" of ice and water bottles. It was perfect!

At mile 4, the course left the housing area and wandered along a great trail we frequently use for our weekly workouts. It was a great break from the noise of traffic and luckily there were no bugs out! There was a short out and back along the New River that was quite scenic and allowed us to cheer one another on throughout the later miles. We made the final turn toward Dunkin Donuts and arrived at the finish line just short of 2 hours (1:56:45). It was an fantastic event made better by the race bling, beer and chocolate milk found at the end:)

We even had three pregnant mother runners along for the race!

In conjunction with their need to race, the coordinators also do a lot of fundraising. They have decided that each race will be paired with a charity of the club's choosing. This time around we ran in support of the Semper Fi Fund (and raised over $500!). The overall cost to enter was minimal - $5.75 to pay for the medal and whatever donation you chose (if you even wanted to) give to the Semper Fi Fund (an organization that is near and dear to many military spouses). 

I had to take off early, but most of the ladies stuck around to cheer on everyone who finished:

This is a photo of two amazing ladies (white and blue shirts) who volunteered to run with whomever needed the extra motivation and support. The gal in the purple had never done over 9 miles and was super hesitant to run 13.1. Needless to say, she totally rocked it!

And here's a shot of the group once the race was over:

I'm so blessed to have joined this group of women who are crazy enough to think that randomly running a half marathon is a great way to spend a Saturday morning:) I'm already looking forward to next month's race!