Snow Day 2014

I have come to the conclusion that I am not sure that I could be a runner if I lived somewhere that snow and ice was a frequent thing.  It is not running in frigid temps that would bother me, it would be the constant fear of hitting black ice and breaking something.  With that being said, I had a not so romantic date with the treadmill Tuesday.  This was my first "task oriented" run that I have done since the marathon.  Other than it being on the treadmill, it went pretty good.  It was a tempo run varying between marathon pace, half marathon pace, and threshold pace.
Now for the snow and ice.  So, I am sure you are all aware of our "massive" winter storm in the south.  I was so excited for our one snow day of the year or every other year, and the boys were pumped as well.  We stared out the window all afternoon Tuesday waiting on it to happen.  We waited and waited.  The boys finally passed out a little after 9.  Around this time we started to see some freezing rain and sleet and then around 11 p.m. a little snow started to mix in.  We were keeping our fingers crossed for a few inches so the boys could build a snowman and get a little sledding in.  All we got was a little dusting (maybe an inch accumulation) but, that didn't stop us from being rednecks in the snow.  By rednecks in the snow, I mean we improvise on our sleds.  Ours happened to be a top from a 60 quart cooler.  I had to laugh at how time, age, and parenthood changes your use of items.  10 years ago we would have worried about keeping that lid on the cooler to keep our "drinks" cold now, we say to heck with that cooler that top looks like a sled for the boys!  I wouldn't trade today's outlook on things for anything in the world.
Here are a few pictures from our snow day.......

The Big Hill In Town

(my sister in-law somehow got her hands on a real sled)

 Love their expressions.  

 Proof not a lot of snow is needed for sledding

 Mommy gets a turn on the "sled" too

How did others enjoy your snow day?

What have you turned into a sled?

What I Have Been Up To.

OSo over the past week I have really been taking it easy on running as I am supposed to do post marathon. I snuck in a few 2 mile runs at a very slow pace just to keep my sanity. 

I worked all weekend but, really snuck some good workouts in despite the fact. I am employeed now by the University of SC so I get some really awesome staff perks including a $10/month membership to their state of the art wellness center. 

So, I have begun my journey into adding in strength training. Now, If I can just figure out the machines and get me a good routine down. I am really excited about building some much needed core strength. 

I would love some strength training tips. 

What are your favorite "machines"?

How long should my strength training workouts last on average?

Charleston Marathon.....The Rest of the Story.

So, after giving myself a few days to reflect and remember my first marathon, I have decided to give my full review of the entire process.
My friend Nikki and I left for Charleston, SC around 2p.m. on Friday and made the drive down.  It is only about an hour and half from home.  We arrived in Charleston and went straight to the expo (after a short pit stop at Dick's so I could get a "fanny pack" to store my race fuel).  The expo was sort of a cluster to say the least.  We walked in and there was a line wrapping all the way around the inside of the gym with nobody readily on hand pointing us in the direction we needed to be.  Finally, we figured it out and were in the line to get our bibs, then on to another line to purchase shuttle tickets, then on to another line to collect the race bag, then on to another line to get the race shirt.
The race shirt.....COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER.  Seriously, it looks like they took a picture of some random people running and ironed it on a shirt.  The shirt is really nice itself and I like the fact there was a ladies cut instead of the unisex sloppy looking ones that most races offer.
After leaving the expo we headed over to the La Quinta and checked in quickly and unloaded our bags. After that it was a quick trip to King St. for a taste of retail therapy before dinner.  We had 8:00 reservations at Bocci's which is an Italian restaurant that was recommended to me by a friend.  It was nice and authentic.  I had spaghetti and meatballs and Nikki and I split a side of sauteed spinach and roasted potatoes.  We were back at our hotel shortly after 9 and got all supplies ready for the next morning.  Nice little thunderstorm with hail came through so, we were glad we were already in for the night.  We both slept great.  I logged more sound hours of sleep that night than I have in what seems to be forever and Nikki said she slept great too.  I think we didn't know how to act not having to sleep with one eye and both ears open listening out for toddlers all night.
So, we woke up race morning around 5:45 ran down to the lobby for some pre-race fuel.  We headed over to the start line around 7:10 and was in our parking spot at 7:15.  We stayed in the car until 7:25 then headed over to make a quick bathroom stop before lining up.  The bathroom line was ridiculous but moved along until we were at the door leading into the actual bathroom.  It came to a halt.  At 7:57 I was 2nd in line.  At this point I didn't feel the need to panic.  My chip wasn't going to start until I crossed the start line and I wanted to start with an empty bladder.  We got out of the bathrooms and over to the start line in plenty of time to get in the pack around the pacer groups we needed to be near.  I think it was 8:05 when I his start on my Garmin.
The first few miles were beautiful but, freezing.  We ran along the battery for a few miles and then made a left onto King St and ran all the way down it.  Nikki was doing the half marathon, so we split off between mile 9 and 10.  I felt great at 13.1 and continued to feel great despite the 18 mph head wind that was blowing me backwards at times.  I felt great on through mile 22.  I would say around mile 23 I felt things start to tighten and my pace slow down.  I kept a pace that I felt comfortable in and a pace that I knew I could maintain and not risk a no finish.  This was my first so I had nothing to beat myself against.  I finished in 4:45.  I had in my head I want to do closer to 4:30 but, with the wind it just wasn't possible.  No matter what my time was, I am happy and can now call myself a marathoner!
Now, looking back, I have decided that running a marathon is comparable to child birth.  You forget anything negative about the process and you do it all over again.  I have now registered for my 2nd marathon.  Rock N Roll Raleigh........HERE I COME!!!!

I Did It! I Did It!

It is official!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am a marathon completer!  I have done something that most people will never be able to say that they have done. I know there are a lot of "i's" in these first few sentences but I EARNED a little bragging right. Agreed?  Now, I could not have done this without the support of my my family and friends and I  forever in debt to them  most importantly I thank my God for giving me the courage, power, and health that I needed to complete this task. He was there with me every second along the way. 

My chip time was 4:45:39. Not the fastest girl in the pack but, I ran the entire time and I FINISHED!  Now, that I have the experience under my belt I can focus on improving. Don't get me wrong, I think I did amazing for a first timer and considering the weather conditions.

I will have more to share in the upcoming days for sure. In the mean time here are a few pictures. 

Already Looking Ahead

First, I wanted to share a picture of the wake up temperature this southern belle had to experience this past Tuesday. 

It actually got down to 9 degrees, but I missed that photo op. I was working this day so no running in that cold for me. 

I can't believe I am now only 8 days out from my first marathon.  I am getting more excited by the day. I have been executing the race in my head daily. It is hard for me to believe I am about to accomplish such a dream. 

I think I have decided on my next race. I am pretty sure I am going to do the half marathon in Columbia, SC in March. I think I am going to work on improving my speed for a while so when I do decide on my next marathon I will be in tip top shape. 

T Minus 12 Days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ready or not, here I come.  I am 12 days out from my first marathon.  I have in some sort of way been preparing my mind and/or body for this for over a year.  Charleston Marathon I am on my way!
I am not going to lie and say that I am as ready as I will ever be, because I am not.  I could have trained more but, I am a wife and mother first.  Life happens and logging all of the runs that my plan called for just didn't happen.  I do not think I will finish in near the time that I initially set out to do but, I am confident that I WILL FINISH and I WILL HAVE FUN.  At this point I will say that I believe this will not be my first and last marathon.  I have enjoyed my training for the most part.  The training I did was a plan that I downloaded from Marathon Nation .  I felt like the plan was totally doable and didn't take me away from my family for hours on end.  I will say that I have had to tweak the plan the last month or so due to life =) .
In the last month, I have teamed up with a long time friend for runs.  She is doing the half marathon of this race.  She has really done a great job!  I am not sure if we have enjoyed our running together in itself, or 2 + hours of adult conversation the most.  Now, we are looking forward to a little retail therapy along with our marathon weekend.

Any advice for my final 12 days?

Anyone else running the Charleston Marathon?