Exclusive Video!

Okay, so it may not be as exciting as it sounds. Here is the little bit of Mud Run video that we have. My poor parents totally missed us! Hahaha. The effort and support was much appreciated though.

A messy rush

Last weekend, April and I (along with Denis and Matt) got a little muddy! We took on the Ultimate Mud Run Challenge! Proceeds went to Marines and their families – what community could be better than that?

Our goal was to complete the race and I think we did this in a respectable amount of time. Our training paid off. We completed a 4.2 -mile course with 30 various obstacles in 1 hour and 14 minutes. Now that we know what to expect, I think we could shave off at least 10 minutes next year.

We had fun obstacles like a swinging by a rope over a muddy pond and crawling under a huge Hummer. Of course, some obstacles were not so much fun, like the "heart attack hill," a 1/3-mile stretch of road with a straight up incline.

All in all, it proved to me (once again!) that my body could do so much more than I give it credit. Certainly if I had been hanging with the wrong crowd (and by wrong crowd, I mean with a group of prissy gals), I would have never known that I had the physical and mental capacity to accept such a challenge. It’s a good thing I’ve been hanging around April! I mean that as the ultimate compliment.

Apes -- just think how far we’ve come since last year! Last year during Labor Day, we completed our first 5K as a running group, whining and walking along the way. I’m still determined to keep Joeli in our running cycle, though it looks like she has her own version of endurance building!

What amazing, ballsy girls we are. What’s our next event, April?

Running on a Lovely Gray Afternoon

That's right, I ran farther down Riverfront Park than I ever have before :-) I started at the top and ran to the dam. It was a rainy afternoon last Wednesday and I decided to go see what the Strictly Running group was doing and run with them. All my other friends have pretty much bailed on that endeavor. Something about feeling inferior or some sort of excuse. It has been difficult to run lately outside due to the South Carolina summer heat, but Wednesday was perfect! The temperature had dropped considerably, the drizzle of rain felt good and I even got a chill on cool down while the wind was blowing. It was very nice and satisfying.

I've found that recently my endurance has been doing better. It is like I've gotten past a bit of a hump and can go a little longer. I'm still not a marathon runner by any means (nor will I probably ever be one), but it does feel good to see some results from the training.

I also got an idea from Runner's World about taking pictures while on a run. It is something I would like to get in the habit of doing more. Eventually I'll get a more compact camera designed for taking on the go. I kinda hate the camera I use now, but I suppose it does capture images...better than nothing. Anyway, here are some pictures from my run to spice up this blog a little :-)



The wonderful view at the end! It was so good to see, haha.



The long and winding road: One of the other runners trudges on ahead.



I went fishing down here one time. Not many fish though.



One of the clusters of runners working on their speed work.



Taking a breather at the end...whew!

My Long Lost Post!

Ok, folks; I started this post back in May and never got around to actually posting it. Personally, even though I am young, can already tell that I have some hip issues. I read in Runner's World that a lot of people actually do. Our hips may be slightly off or maybe one leg is actually slightly longer than the other or something like that. Either way, if you're a little abnormal like me (go ahead and insert your smart remarks here), you may find yourself with some pain from time to time from running that isn't the typical muscle soreness from working out. I went looking for some things that may help prevent injuries and came across this little video. You may feel a little stupid doing some of these exercises, but they will loosen up and strengthen your hips and hopefully prevent injury.

Amendment to my previous post...

So I didn't go running for pizza after all. I wasn't feeling the running today. In fact, I was feeling a bit weak. I figured the only way that I would actually go would be if someone would go with me. Everyone had an excuse. So I created excuses as well. I did yoga instead. Made me feel stretched and energized :-) Maybe tomorrow running will be in my future. Just got off the phone with a client. I'm putting an end to this work day now at 9:07 PM. Gotta go chill, dudes. Peace!

April

Getting Ready for the Mud Run!

So, I meant to write a blog weeks ago. It is crazy to me how fast time is flying by. Life somehow got very busy. I'm a single chick; things aren't supposed to be this hectic for me! Nevertheless, I'm taking a break from the world of Web design to update you on what's been going on with the training.

As Lauren mentioned in the previous post, I've been going to run with Strictly Running on Wednesdays...well most Wednesdays. I missed last week because I thought it was going to storm, and though they ran anyway, some people's cars got broken into, so I'm glad I chose to go to the gym instead. The folks at Strictly Running make me feel like a pansie of course. Not on purpose; they're actually really nice people, they just run waayyyy better than me. For me though, it is actually good motivation, something to strive for. I'm going to try to make it to the run for pizza through 5 Points tonight.

Aside from the Strictly Running, I've been managing to get in some sort of workout in each day. I've started biking and lifting more weights. I've really been working on my arms recently in preparation for the Mud Run. I want to have myself to where I can do a pull up on the pull up bar. That way I'll know I can pull myself up over obstacles. My friends at Shandon have kept me active on Sundays with ultimate frisbee during the afternoon. I also dug out my jump rope. That gives me something to do during breaks from sitting at the computer.

My diet has also undergone a bit of a change. I'm not 100% strict, seeing as I will probably be running for pizza tonight, but I've definitely cut down on quantity and eat a lot more fruits and veggies. The less I weigh, the less of me there will be to pull up over obstacles and carry around while running.

Anyway, I was looking at stuff about the Mud Run and happened to come across this YouTube video someone made about their experience. It is not the best videography in the world, but it does give you an idea of what kinds of obstacles we'll be facing. Enjoy and I'll catch you later!

April

Running group wannabe

April got the bright idea for us to tag along with a running group over at Riverfront Park yesterday after work. The running group meets weekly and is coordinated by Strictly Running. We decided it would be a good idea, what with us determined to stay actively involved in our community and what not.

I’ve run at Riverfront Park before. We’ll call it “Doofus Move at Riverfront Park #1.” It was back in March or so (before daylight savings time), and I had worked a little late, so I didn’t get to the park until around 5:45 pm. When I parked my car, there were plenty of people around the main area, so I felt safe within the general pack of the crowd. I ran about 2 miles down the stretch beside the river, but by the time I reversed and ran back (45 minutes later), it was dark outside and the once populated “after work” crowd of runners and walkers had dispersed and gone home. It was pretty scary stuff.

Doofus Move at Riverfront Park #2 was yesterday, running with that darn running group, God love ‘em. The coordinator gave a few announcements and asked if there were any newcomers. We raised our hands, introduced ourselves … and Apes told them that we were here to train for the Mud Run. Little did they know, we were really here to absorb their magic running power. Of course, maybe they did know that. I mean, after all, that’s what a running group is for, right? Motivation. Inspiration. Side stitches, the whole shebang.

We were given the option of running an “easy 4 or 6 miles.” It only takes a few scrolls down this blog to notice that April and I ran a five miler about 6 weeks ago. Of course, that took every thing we had to finish that race, but we did it and we’re alive to tell the story. This time, we chose to do 4 miles. But it certainly wasn’t easy.

Everyone began running, and after about ½ a mile, April and I shuffled into the back of the pack while the real runners quickly become a distant vision in front of us. We ran about 1.5 miles, and then walked. And then we cursed ourselves for letting overall life (work, vacations) get in the way of our physical fitness. We ran another mile, turned around and then walked. We talked about how out of shape we were (those darn side stitches!). We ran a tad bit more, and then we talked about how to get that defined, toned, runner’s body we had been dreaming about.

Here’s a thought! Maybe the easiest way to getting a runner’s body is to date a runner and have your way with them.

Anyway, we finished up the 4 miles, stretched, and drank our body’s weight in water. My legs felt like jell-o, but looked awesome. I think April and I are naïve enough to try this torture again next week.

More 5 Miler Follow-ups and Allergies

Above is the picture we had printed at the milk exhibit after the run. It is supposed to look like we're on a magazine cover. The set up was not that successful. We did get a free picture out of it though, so I guess we can't complain! There's a shot of me in action here. That will probably be up for a limited time because that picture is up for sell from the pro photographers there. You can also scan their gallery to check out other pictures from the event. Lauren is in there somewhere. Lauren is also in the Strictly Running gallery (I think she is in the second one. Apparently they've added more galleries since I last checked, so there could be others). Anyway, that should do it for the 5-miler stuff.

Yesterday I decided to go ahead and try to run so I wouldn't fall off the bandwagon. I must say that I was pretty lethargic and had a very difficult time. I really think part of it was the allergies. The other part was still being sore from the race. And the other part was that I really wasn't feeling that motivated. I think today I'm going to change some things up and just go to the gym. It is good to keep your routine varied so you don't get bored. Especially if you are like me and have a short attention span. The end for now :-)

We made it 5 miles.

So Lauren and I both ran the Providence Heart and Sole 5 miler today and made it! I met my goal by running it in under an hour. My time was around 52 minutes and some seconds. Let me just say that 5 miles is a lot longer on foot than it is in a car...or anything else. The first two miles were pretty good. Coming up to the 2 mile mark was cool because it was downhill and I got to high five Cocky :-) Then I turned the corner and it was a big climb up Gervais Street. That sucked majorly. That had to have been the worst part. In a nutshell, we made it though. The finish line was downhill and I even kicked it into high gear and passed some 40-somethings who had been ahead of me the whole race, haha.

Since we've been lazy for the longest time and haven't blogged in forever, I figure I'll keep it short and just post the few pictures Lauren and I took. Joeli was still coming off of her Mexico high, so she didn't join us. The next one we're gonna run, probably is the Hot Summer's Night 5k in August. I really can't wait till the Mud Run in September. That's gonna be INTENSE!


Early in the morning before the race before we got out of the car.
We were scared.



After the race, after walking around and getting our freebies (like the rose).


All smiles because the race is over :-) haha.


We decided to actually ask someone to take our picture this time instead of using self timer.
We feel accomplished :-)

Oh baby it's raining...You can stand under my umbrella...ella...ella

As I sit and listen to the rain pitter patter on the roof, I am reflecting upon my last run, which was yesterday. Due to weather, a day full of errands and just flat out placing everything else first, I did not get to run today, which I am kind of sad about, actually. The right time never presented itself. Therefore, I must reflect on yesterday. Yesterday was a beautiful day. It was almost impossible to not want to go outside. Everyone was out at the Riverwalk.

Lately I feel as if I have hit a bit of a wall with this running. When I hit a point I feel as if I could just fall over. Yesterday was a bit rough. After about the first minute of running I was already starting to feel not so happy about running. My left calf muscle decided that it wanted to tighten up on me, even though I stretched ahead of time. It wasn't at the cramping point, just on its way. On top of that, my acid reflux decided to act up a bit as it often does when I run (all the acid starts to get stirred up). Then, I was reminded why spring is not so glorious and why I am not really an outdoorsy person...my allergies started freaking out. Okay, perhaps not horribly, but my nose was running faster than I was, and the breathing was getting more difficult not just because I was running. (Now, don't take this as whining, I'm just really in tune with my body). I decided to keep pushing it though and made it to the Pointe West bridge, which means I ran a mile and a half.

When I reached the bridge, I stretched my leg muscles, grabbed a tissue out of my bag and tried to blow all of the snot out of my nasal passages (attractive, I know). I stretched a little more and caught my breath a little bit. Then I decided that I needed to go a little more, so I proceeded to run back. Due to the allergies, I was feeling a bit lightheaded. It's because I can breathe in fine, I'm just not able to breathe out so well. Also, as I began running back, something happened that rarely happens with me. I got this sensation like I wanted to just cry. That's right, I wanted to cry for absolutely no reason. Oh yeah, that's right, I failed to mention that I was a tad hormonal. $%!# that red tent! I resisted the whole crying thing and ran about another half mile or so.

All in all, I think I ran around 2 miles. I just can't seem to be able to comfortably reach that third one. I'm going to have to try to fix that by the 15th. I definitely have some work out plans for tomorrow to make up for todays slackness. We'll see how it all works out.

Hey girlfriends! :-)

Yesterday, April and I went to see Kristin Armstrong speak at First Baptist Church about taking time for your heart. Kristin is a writer for Runner’s World magazine and blogs on the magazine’s Web site. She’s also well-known as being the ex-wife of Lance Armstrong. But in her own right, she has quite an amazing talent as a (super hottie) motivational speaker!

Decked out in her red dress, Kristin spoke about how important it is for women to nourish and use their heart, both emotionally and physically. It’s a difficult balance sometimes to juggle everything that’s going on in my life that I struggle to find “me” time. Get up at 6 am, workworkwork, maybe take a lunch (or maybe do the grab-and-go), mid-afternoon meetings, head home before it gets too dark outside … and then collapse into bed and start all over again.

I don’t want to sound like a martyr though. I do have a pretty sweet life – take one look at it and you will see how amazingly blessed I am. It’s just that I tend to forget all of that when I’m rushed into the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

I think that’s why I’ve begun to slowly enjoy my weekend runs as time I’m taking for myself. I enjoy the beginning of my run when I’m fresh and naïve to the torture I’m about to inflict on myself. I enjoy the independence I have in deciding, “Where will my adventure take me today?” I enjoy the first song I select as the soundtrack to the day’s run. And I certainly enjoy the moment I finish the run, when I can pat myself on the back and find that self-pride deep down.

We’re incredible women for getting up in the morning and doing what we do every day (and doing it well!). I’m really glad that Kristin Armstrong was able to help me reflect on that.

Ladies, the Women’s Heart & Sole Five Miler is ten weeks away (Saturday, May 17th). We can do this!

Does this make me a real runner?

I got my first running-related injury last week. Since it was raining outside Thursday evening, I decided to throw my excuses in the garbage and run on the treadmill at my apartment’s fitness center. I ran a solid three miles (awesome!) at a turtle’s 11-min/mile pace (boo). But, hey, a girl’s got to start somewhere! Well, it had been a while since I had run on a treadmill. I had really gotten used to running on the neighborhood roads and sidewalks. I had read that pavement and concrete were the kindest to your body, but it certainly seems to help pass the time away when you’ve got something new and fresh to look at each step of the way.

So, Thursday, I ran on the treadmill. The conditions were perfect. I had the music from my iPod in my ears (Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl really pumps me up!) and that classic episode of Friends on the TV (you know, the one wear Ross and Rachel take a “break”). I stretched afterwards by doing a few yoga moves in the fitness center. Luckily, no one else was there to witness my version of downward dog.

I went to bed that night, patted myself on the back for being a good exercising girl, and woke up the next morning unable to move. The calf muscles in both of my legs were rock-hard (and not in the good way). I attempted to hobble to my freezer to grab some frozen bags of peas and quickly made the smart decision that I would NOT be able to go to work and walk the 0.7 mile uphill trek from the Coliseum parking lot to the health center. Ugh. Pretty painful!

I iced my calves all morning and then soaked them in hot water. By mid-afternoon, they were feeling better and I think I was making a good, solid recovery. On Sunday it was really really cold outside, so I gave the treadmill another stab. This time I stretched for a much longer period of time, and I woke up this morning feeling like a million bucks.

I have got to get a watch...

...Because I'm thinking that maybe I want to start timing myself. I decided yesterday since it was a tad nippy outside (for South Carolina that is), I would go to the Leisure Center track and run instead. When I got there, there were not that many people on the track so I decided to push it a little more than usual for a mile. Now, this in itself is impressive for me because I can remember having to run the mile in high school for softball conditioning. I absolutely HATED it! Like hate seems like a nice word to describe how I felt back then about running it, and anything that would get me out of it, I would try. So just the sheer fact that I now not only will voluntarily run a mile, but I will run more than a mile, still leaves me in disbelief over myself. I guess I'm really not the same person I was back then.

Anyway, now a mile doesn't seem so bad, so I decided to give it a run, literally. While I did not have a watch, I suspect I ran it in 9 minutes or a little less. I determined this by the songs I was listening to on my mp3 player. I can make the mile within "Same in Any Language" by INine, "Want To" by Sugarland and about half of "Cigarettes" by the Wreckers. So roughly translated, I'm around 9 minutes. While that may not seem incredibly impressive for real runners, for me I'm pretty darn impressed. That's back to what I was back in high school when I worked out and played sports all the time (and weighed less). And if you think back from where we started, I was struggling for the 11 minute mile and cursing each day I went to run. So yeah, give me a cookie.

Oh and speaking of not being a "real runner," Lauren, Joeli and I had a conversation about that last night. We decided that we're not real runners yet because we don't get upset when we don't get to run. We don't go for miles and miles on a Saturday morning. We don't wear spandex (ok, so I just made that one up...I dont' wear spandex anyway...though perhaps that will be a goal of mine: get to the point of looking hot in spandex. Hard thing to do; we'll see). We may not be hard core and we may never be hard core, but we are getting better and we're getting healthier and we're having fun. That's what it's all about :-)

-April

New Best!

So last Thursday, I ran from the New Orleans Restaurant side of the Riverwalk all the way to the end of the new part past the long bridge that's past Pointe West! I thought I was going to stop before that, but I kept feeling like running. It kind of surprised me. I feel bad today though because I missed my workouts yesterday and it doesn't look like I'll be getting around to working out today. My mind and imagination have just been in sort of this abyss to where I really need to feed the creative monster, but I feel like my work space needs to be conducive of that. So I've been doing some rearranging and evaluating. I want to start putting together a scrapbook of sorts of our running experience. I've kind of been mentally all over the place as of late so we'll see what all comes out of this. I'm going to have to start timing myself soon. I've gotta bounce...later y'all!

-April

Certified courses

I found a cool listing of all the certified 5k, 10k courses in SC. I think I might try a new course each weekend for a while. Want to join me on another Saturday run? It's a guaranteed adventure every time!

http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/search/searchResults.asp?courseStatus=A&courseType=R&state=SC

Lauren

So we kinda skipped January I see...

Oh so much time has gone by I almost don't know where to start! Hmmmm, maybe I should start with I'm the person who posted last the last time we did a 5k back in December! Here we are in February now. SOME PEOPLE need to get on the ball (hint hint) (teehee, Lauren is sitting next to me right now and doesn't know I'm typing all this).

So we're training for the Get to the Green 5k (Part of the St. Pats in Five Points Festival). It takes place on March 15, so if anyone wants to join us, feel free; leave us a comment if you want to meet up with us. You can check out information at strictlyrunning.com.

So in preparation for this 5k (and just in general because I'm becoming a fat lard and need to lose weight), I've been working out usually at least 5 days a week. I got my gym membership and do weights and some row machine Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, Tuesdays and Thursdays are my go out and run days. Soooo, that means that today was a go out and run day! At first I didn't want to go. I was feeling lethargic because I had been sitting at my desk most of the day, however, I pushed myself to go out to the Riverwalk and run. It felt pretty good because the weather was nice and after I pushed myself to a point, my energy level went up. I found that after I ran and recovered a bit by walking, I wanted to run some more...so I did. I ran for a time, then walked to recover and then ran some more. And it was nice. It gave me more energy for the rest of the evening.

Soooo, I want to encourage you that even if you are feeling a little too tired to go out, give it a shot, it just might energize you a little bit. So, run, Lauren, run and get better Joeli (if you even check this blog anymore ;-) ) HA!

-April