I'm wondering how...

I can look like Debbie Dunn. WOW!

I am not being lazy right now...

It's been far too long, yes, I know! Just been healing up from my injury and slowly adding mileage. Funny how quickly your body LOSES fitness, and at the same time, how quickly it can regain it. I am not pushing myself at all--I refuse to push so hard that I don't allow myself healing time and I definitely don't want to be down for so long again. It's been torture. Since I began running a few miles a week, I have been much happier. Nothing, not even P90X gave me the same feeling as a good run did. Totally different beast, it is.

So I'm coming back--slow as molasses. But I AM returning and loving it. I went out on Tuesday and had the most horrendous run. Before leaving the house, I vowed to do 4 miles. No problem, I thought. I get out there and my elbow started sweating. Yes, my ELBOW! So I said, "Hey, do 3, that's a respectable number." Everything was dripping and drenched and I felt horrible. I knocked out 2 miles. I felt like a chump. No typo there. CHUMP.

Everything is great, FYI. Wedding planning, happy with running again, just living life and hoping for the best every day! How are YOU doing?

Downdate (as opposed to an update)...

I have been a little quiet recently, I realize that. It's not that I don't WANT to update you guys, it's just that I don't really have anything exciting or special to report. In fact, I've been pretty bummed and down since the KDF Mini-Marathon.

I know what you're thinking--I've got those Post-Race Blues. You know, the Blues when you finish your BIG RACE and you look around and say, "Now what?" And you get all anxious because nothing will ever compare to that feeling of accomplishment you just experienced. Or something like that.

Well, if that's what you were thinking, you're wrong. The night before the Mini, I hurt myself. I have been calling it a hamstring tear. I have not had it professionally evaluated but I gave it my best guess. I don't need to hear about how I should go see the doctor. I've heard it before.

So I ran with that injury during the Half Marathon. I was in severe pain for the last 4 miles or so, but I pushed through. I stayed off of it for about two weeks after--no running. I was okay with that because I had planned a pretty substantial rest period after the race anyway. But I got the bug to start running again and I felt no pain so I went for it. 2.5 miles in, I was in pain again. So now, I'm going on one month of *pretty much* no running and I'm SO frustrated. I WANT to run.

I was supposed to be training for my 10K in June but I haven't even been able to start because of this injury. I'm just bummed.

I've been cycling and doing P90X, plus a lot of strength training and plyometrics but those activities don't make me feel the way (the GREAT way) I feel when I run. I MISS IT.

I figured that I better start planning something for myself so that I don't get stuck in a RUT and do myself a huge injustice. This is hard for me because THIS round of planning requires wisdom, patience, determination and honesty.

1. Wisdom--to know the difference between the things I can do and the things I cannot do. (Sounds sort of like the Serenity Prayer, huh?)

2. Patience--in allowing my body to heal and in training when I DO start running again.

3. Determination--to fight through the laziness and stay focused on a target goal since I don't have a race urgently waiting for me around the corner.

4. Honesty--with myself. I can't conquer the world. I HAVE to heal. I WON'T be as good when I start running again as I was when I stopped. I WILL have to work hard. I WON'T be able to keep up with my running buddies. I MIGHT get down on myself. I will probably feel alone for awhile. I WILL get better. Everything WILL be great, in time.

So now, I have to create some goals and make a plan. That'll be the next entry--just wait!

Trail Running with My Other Buddy...

Chassis and I went to Bernheim today for some official trail running! This wasn't her first time out on the trails but it was her first time trail running with me. We had a blast! We entered the park, and the attendant at the entrance booth smiled and said "You guys have fun!" That's right, mister, we're two hot chics looking for some hot trails!!!

I took her to the Zen Garden first, which is a favorite of mine. (I'm going to post a couple of pictures but they aren't from today's visit--just some of my own stock photos from previous visits there!)



She was amazed at the sound of a frog croaking continuously. It was here that I also taught her to overcome her fears! I crossed to the other side of the pond and she froze in fear and cowered! I talked her through it, trying to make her feel comfortable enough to just let go and trust herself and she DID IT!!!! It wasn't graceful but she did it and she did it twice!

We then headed over to Knob Top Trail, which is a RIDICULOUSLY hilly trail and if you take it in the direction that we did today, you go uphill most of the time. LOL We had a blast running through there. She tried to run in front of me a couple of times but I was NOT going to let her pass me, not a chance! So I made sure to keep the lead throughout the trail.

From the exit of Knob Top Trail, which is where we entered for today's run:


From Knob Top Trail, we ran over to Two Ponds Loop:


Beyond the bridge, she saw a goose and was quite interested by him. He was NOT happy that we were there and he was very vocal about his feelings--not a typical male, if you ask me. LOL After torturing him for awhile, we exited onto the main road. We followed along the loop and stopped near the Sun and Shade Loop to rest up. I didn't want to push her too hard today but she was having so much fun! (Still no water at the fountains...wondering if they'll ever turn it back on?)

After we reached the parking lot, I grabbed some treats and water and we walked back over to the Zen Gardens and to Lake Nevin. We sat together on the bench and admired the lake and all its beauty! (If you look closely on the left of the picture below, amongst the trees, you'll find the bench on which Chassis and I rested today!)



Total run was just about 3 miles but we had a ball and I really wanted to test out my leg. There's still discomfort but at short easy runs, I think I'll be okay. I'll just need to allow proper recovery even between the easy runs for now!

Happy Running everybody!

Shifting gears--literally.

Mid week update!!

Hamstring is feeling better. I still don't have full range of motion but I'm feeling 85% better from Saturday. As much as I hate having the rest from running, I'm using this time as a much needed mental and physical break from running.

Of course, I don't want to lose my fitness level so I've been cycling. Today I did a tempo ride of 7.4 miles. It was actually a great ride--a little tough at certain portions but I'm really starting to love it. I have to buy a pair of gloves though, my palms were getting a little callused after the ride and that's only at 7 miles--I'll have to make plans to pick up a pair. Any good discount cycling sites? I've checked Nashbar, not bad there. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I've got a 5K approaching on May 9 so I'll be focusing on that next week, making sure that my hamstring is in tip top shape. I would love to bring that race home in under 30 minutes but without recent speedwork and consistent long runs, I wonder if I'll manage that again. We'll see. :)

I hope everyone is fully recovered from the racing during the past weekend! Run strong!

The Morning After

Woke up early today and got Joey, his parents and my mom together for an early morning breakfast at the Bristol on the Ohio River. It was spectacular. The food was good (the service was questionable), the view was great and the weather was perfect. A cinnamon cappucino, an omelette and some home fries later, we all took off to walk down at the Falls of the Ohio. A FUN MORNING.

Here's where we sat:



Joey and I took our bikes out this afternoon and I put in 5.07 miles. I was hoping it would loosen my legs up a bit and it did just that. Felt great. Even my injured leg felt good for an hour or two but now it's stiffening up again. Other than my injured leg, the only thing that is even bothering me from yesterday are my shoulders. They are so tight and sore.

Today was the perfect day after a wonderful Race Day. I missed my running buddies though--wish we could have had some fun before OUR weekend came to an end. There's always next weekend, though.

Now I'm excited about the potential that lies ahead of me--hiking, biking, trail running, more group runs (I HOPE!) and some more fun stuff sure to come! I can't wait!

And on a NRR note, today was the first day I really paid attention to the progress of our new arena construction project. Here are some cool artist rendered pics I found today:





Oh and while we're talking about Louisville Cardinals, peep this motorcycle at the Family 1st Bike Blessing yesterday (and really pay attention the detail). It's spectacular:



That's all I've got, folks.

Thank You

I need to say thank you to a few folks for making my first half-marathon everything that it was.

Thanks to all of the race officials and any and everybody that had anything at all to do with planning, organizing and executing this event. At least from my perspective, in my running shoes for 13.1 miles, all aspects of this race were executed to near perfection (with only one or two minor things that I didn't actually let effect my race experience). The volunteers were generally helpful and READY, the police officers were incredibly friendly and dutiful, the announcers were motivating and fun and it was just a great and smooth experience. THANK YOU!

Thank you to all of you wonderful spectators--even if you weren't at THIS race. I don't think people realize how much a few words of encouragement, a funny sign or some sort of noisemaker can actually HELP runners. I'm all for a clap, a yell or even just an outreached hand to slap when I run by, and thank you to everybody out there yesterday that did that! (My favorite was probably the group of drunk guys on Southern Parkway, they were a hoot!)

Thank you to my mom and to Joey and his parents for the constant support I receive. From motivating words, running magazine subscriptions, my GARMIN!!!, to just being there to cheer me on at races or to take pictures--and to listen to my incessant running-related and training stories--THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR ME!

And last but CERTAINLY not least--thank you to my running buddies and everybody at Run the Ville. I love the support I get from these folks and a special shoutout goes out to Joe and Tom. Thank you for welcoming me and for motivating me and for helping me. The Mini wouldn't have been as great without you guys, no questions asked. And Christian and Lee, you guys have been great to run with and I hope we all continue to find time to train together for our next big endeavor, whatever it might be. And actually, I want to thank everybody's family because without their understanding and supportive nature, it wouldn't be as easy or as fun.

Learning Experience--KDF Mini Marathon RR!

I'm not sure how exactly I should write this entry because there's a lot to tell. But I'll do my best! My first half marathon went a little something like this:

THE DAY BEFORE

My wonderful running buddies and I have been raising money for Kosair Children's Hospital in an effort to aid in the expansion and continued improvements to the facilities to help those precious patients. We were lucky enough to be able to schedule a tour of the hospital and learn a lot of information about the hospital and what they can provide for our community's children. The tour was a little bit sobering for me but interesting and very well worth our time. Perhaps my favorite part of the experience was the poster that a couple of the children made us to show their thanks for our fundraising efforts. It touched my heart to think that there were some little hands making something to help motivate US. Here's a picture of it and thanks to Tom for posting it on the site!



After the tour and a couple of stops, we headed for the runner's Expo and packet pick up at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center. It was actually a lot more fun at the Expo than I expected and there were a few vendors with cool stuff. We ran into another one of our running buddies there and hung out watching everything and thinking about the morning ahead. Then we got some lunch and Joe and Tom were lucky enough to get to go down to the Waterfront Chow Wagon while I had some errands to run that I had been putting off for too long. Luckily, I got everything done, they had fun (and some beer, apparently) and then we all met up for an early dinner at BD's Mongolian Grill. It was just an excellent day with good friends and a relaxed vibe--which we needed the day before the race!

PRE-RACE MORNING

I woke up at 4:30am, which was a little later than I intended to but I didn't actually get in bed early enough to feel good about waking up any earlier than that. I got up and did my pre-race routine and headed out the door to meet the team. Thanks again to Joe and his parents for a wonderful parking spot! After we were all organized and ready to roll, we took off on a trip down memory lane for Joe and headed for the start, which wasn't anymore than a mile or so away. It was a nice, cool and relaxing walk with friends. One of my favorite parts of the morning--everything was just sorta falling into place. Bathrooms were pretty easy to come by considering that there were an expected 12,000 participants, so that was another plus.

Before we knew it, we were done with a short warm-up and were lining up at the start. Everybody seemed pretty energized and ready to go. I started getting anxious--realizing MY FIRST HALF MARATHON WAS HERE--and there was no turning back. It was warm and that concerned me. I'm a happy runner in 50 degrees. As it gets beyond 60 degrees, I become less and less happy. LOL At the start, it was 71 degrees and I knew it wasn't going to top out there. We were expecting 80 degree temps before the course closed.

THE RACE

The Start
The start was smooth and quick--an unbelievable feat, I'm sure. Looking back, I'm a little stunned at how punctual and smooth the start actually was. I didn't have to elbow anyone and nobody elbowed me--it opened up just enough to get through. Joe took off pretty much immediately and Tom was a little ahead of me--I think he was taking it all in as much as I was. I wasn't as concerned with running at that moment. I had goose bumps and I was just enjoying those first few moments of excitement and anticipation, watching all of our wishes and hopes of the last few months unfold right in front of us. In no time, I saw my mom on the side, armed with her air horn! A great send off to be sure!!

Miles 1-3
This portion was crowded but not at all deadlocked like at most other races with far FEWER participants. Thumbs up to that! I felt strong and able and intended to keep my pace conservative early on. I even took water at the first water stop, which is something I rarely do. But I knew that it was going to be the hottest day of the year so far and I wanted to make sure that I hydrated early and often. Just before entering hilly Iroquois Park, I saw mom again. She sounded the air horn and someone a few feet in front of her turned around--I thought she was in trouble! LOL

Miles 3-6
This was pretty much the entire park's main loop, which is tree covered and shady. I didn't notice being too terribly hot through here, but the hills were bothering me more than they do on training runs. And whatever had happened to my leg the night before (something weird, I dunno what it was but I'm going to self-diagnose it as a hamstring tear until further notice) was starting to become less manageable and more noticeable. There were a lot of spectators all through the park and that truly helped me make it a little stronger through there. But I was noticing a decline in my stamina through there--to the point where I was constantly thinking "where's the next water stop" and "I need fuel!" At the ascent on the last, and most brutal hill of the park, I heard lots of cheers and applause ahead of me. I had stopped to walk (as SO MANY OTHERS HAD DONE) at the bottom of this hill but when I heard the cheeful noise ahead, I decided to give it my all and take off running. I noticed many other people did the same thing. But when I got a little further up the hill, I realized that the yells of motivation weren't for us wimpy walkers coming up the hill, they were for a lone wheelchair racer who was struggling terribly to get up the hill, literally inch by inch. I kept thinking about how he had a great downhill journey ahead of him if he could just make it to the top--and I kept pushing myself with the same thoughts.

The descent of that final hill was also us nearing the exit of the park and heading to mile 6. Near the exit, I saw Joey for the first time on the left. And then from the right, I heard my name--it was mom again! Number 3 for her! WAY TO GO! I did some weird little run/dance for them and didn't know which way to look for a picture, since they both had their cameras up! Here's a picture that Joey took. Mom's head is straight back in front of the tree!



Miles 6-10
My plan was to take in my PowerBar Gel at the next water stop after mile 6, which appeared after mile 7. By this time, I was hot, and tired and my right leg was starting to be in a lot of pain. I kept pushing through and trying to tell myself that it wasn't bothering me. I stopped to walk it off just after the water stop and I looked over across the field to my right. There was a woman about my age who had stopped running to walk with a bad limp. I saw her struggle to fight past the pain of whatever was bothering her but she couldn't. I decided to jog over to her and make sure that she was okay. I ended up walking with her for about a mile. We compared injuries, and just talked for a bit. At this point, because my leg was hurting and I knew I wasn't going to break any records with my times--I decided to just walk with her and support her, and she seemed appreciative that I stopped for her.

I was relieved when we entered Churchill Downs and I sped up the two main hills that were there. I stopped to walk a few times inside as well because a lot of the people were stopping and taking in the scenery and it was difficult to run around them. I offered to take pictures for people that were trying to get pics of the Twin Spires--so they could prove they were in there! I enjoyed seeing some of the horses in there training. Just a fun little detour!

At the exit of Churchill Downs, I decided I wanted to pick it up a little bit if I could and I saw Joey waiting for me! Such a joy to see familiar faces sporadically throughout the race, I don't know if anybody knows how much it means to me!

Here's a picture he got when I was rolling up 4th street, right at the corner of Winkler and the one that follows is one with me just beginning to give a thumbs down...LOL--





Miles 10
I questioned even writing about this horrid, piece of crap mile because it was the most SUCKY ASS MILE. I felt pure misery during this mile. When we first got to mile 10, I tried to be positive and tell myself how it was only a 5K left and I could speed it up and finish strong and fast and blah blah blah. Yeah frickin' right. It sucked. There was nothing good about mile 10. Wall, here I am, stand in front of me and don't let me pass.

The pain in my leg was unbearable. I had to stretch and walk more than I could run. HIDEOUS performance. I never want to feel that way again. I guess it was good that it was only THAT bad for that mile.

Miles 11-13

I was VERY MUCH AWARE that there were only 2.1 miles left once I got to the 11 mile marker. Mile 10 sucked so bad and it got me mentally and I was really trying to turn that around. So I vowed to run the best 2.1 miles of my life. I saw Joey again and he told me that his parents were waiting for me at the finish, watching from a parking garage and I was hoping I'd get to see them. I tried to push through the pain of my leg and the pain of the race in general but it was so difficult. I was running on fumes and just wanting to get through it by this point--wanting it to be over.

I did, however, bust out some dance moves and performed a little bit of the Soulja Boy. What? The dude was asking for it...

0.10 and the Finish
Pretty long damn 0.10 mile. LOL When I turned the corner at 7th and Market St., I looked ahead and saw FINISH! Oh. My. GAWD! THERE IT IS! It was an open path and I forgot everything else and just kept up my pace.

My finish picture--looking focused, right?



I was SO HAPPY! And then I got within 200-300 feet of the finish and I looked around at all the celebration, heard the people cheering and I went from thinking--

THANK GOD IT'S OVER

to saying--

OH MY GOSH, I JUST DID IT!

Which was mixed with--

OH NO, IT'S OVER. IT'S ALL OVER...

I was so overcome with emotion. I started to tear up because everything I have been working for since September and even before had led me right to that moment. And it was nearing it's end. I felt like I should have done more because I was never going to get THIS back. I was sad. But I was proud.

So as I crossed the finish and stopped my Garmin, I was starting to tear up. But I learned something--it's very very difficult to give it a good cry when you've just run 13.1 miles and you're trying to catch your breath at the end of it. I was gasping for air and couldn't breathe. Stupid emotions. LOL I kept telling myself to calm down, don't cry and make sure I don't suffocate myself.

I got my medal, I loaded up on water, a bagel, Powerade, Sun Chips, granola bars, a banana...everything. I started eating while walking and looking for anybody familiar. The first person I saw was my fiance's father and I was SO happy to see him! Soon enough, we were all together again--mostly discussing what a horrible performance we all had and complaing about how our legs or our stomachs or our whatever's hurt us. LOL

After going to pick up a beer, we went back to the finish to try to catch Joe Malone but we didn't have any luck. The announcer called his name by mistake so we thought we had just missed him--turns out somehow they got it mixed up. During our wait though, I saw some very touching finishes by some racers with BIG heart and major guts. I teared up watching some of these people finish, thinking about how wonderful it was that they had the strength to push through--I knew how hard it must have been for them.

And I watched the marathoners roll in--and I was astonished. I wondered how on earth they could do what I had just done, but doubled. And in my amazement and pride at THEIR accomplishments, I revelled in my own. There was a time not too long ago that I would never have believed that I would have been capable of completing a half marathon. But I had done just that. And I realized that if I ever choose to do a marathon, I'll be able to do that too. It's not impossible. I've learned a thing or two about discipline and hard work and having a support system and if I ever decide to do the 26.2, I WILL BE ABLE TO. And that amazed me!

Oh and for you nosy people, my HOT AS HELL HALF MARATHON TIME was 2:37:21, more than 13 minutes more than my goal time. But for some reason, I'm not upset about it. This is the first race that I've done that I did worse than I anticipated. So it was time for it to happen that way--and this wasn't just ANY race. And I had a blast--more fun than I've ever had at a race. And that makes me happy.

Something to improve upon, isn't it?

Here are a few more pics from immediately after the finish:

Me and Tom:



Jenny, Vincent, Me and Joey:



Me and Joey:


Me and Mom:


POST RACE
Picked up my car, stopped at DQ for a grilled chicken sandwich which was the best *BLEEPING* sandwich I have ever had in my life, ate it in the car. Went home and took an ice bath, showered, stretched, rolled, ate again. Fell asleep for an hour. Got up, stretched, rolled, and did nothing but sit around and watch Lost and eat. Talk about recovery.

THINGS I NOTICED ABOUT THIS RACE

I didn't even LOOK at the clocks at the majority of the splits. I maybe checked 3 during the whole race. I honestly didn't care. That was the first race that I wasn't really really concerned with my time.

It was really well organized and the spectators were FANTASTIC and super-motivating.

There was plenty of water and Powerade for everyone and most of the volunteers were 100% prepared. Most.

The participants were overwhelmingly friendly, excited and in good spirits. People passing a football, wearing costumes, dancing, and all sorts of other fun things were going on and it really made it a fun experience.

The medals are VERY attractive and I'm really happy about that--I was worried my first medal would be corny or something. But not this. It's dope.

The finish was spectacular--there was a plethora of food and drink and partying to participate in. It was PERFECT.

Thanks for staying with me through this long entry, if you could. And stay tuned for my next entry--I need to say a couple more things.

US and Jamaica, Allergies and ITBS!

That poor panda!! That's how it is living in the Ohio Rivnah (inside joke, sorry) Valley. Today I had my first taste of Spring time here this year--it's weird how it happens. I finish my run (which goes fine, by the way, nothing weird, no symptoms) and IMMEDIATELY there's this weird feeling in my throat. And it doesn't go away. Then it feels like I shouldn't talk and my throat is constricted. And the coughing or the sneezing begins. 3 hours after my run and I am having horrible coughing attacks. So, I took my first sinus pill of the year just now! YAY! NOT!

I was pretty amped to hear about the announcement from USATF and the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association--next year, the US and Jamaica will be going head to head in a series of track and field events. The USA vs. Jamaica Challenge series is a team based series of track and field events that will include long jump, two hurdles distances, three relays and 100, 200 and 400 meters competition! I think it'll be exciting and a positive way to bring track and field back into the radar for a lot of people! US athletes--you better start working now!

So in the interest of helping DBF with some errands tomorrow, I switched my higher mileage day of speedwork to today. I ended up doing just over 7 miles total--3.75 miles of intervals at 10K race pace. Great running on hills--I'm powering up those babies a little easier than I could before but still it ain't no joke! I realize I shouldn't be doing speedwork at hilly ass Iroquois Park but I don't really have any other options. Okay so I do--run a loop over and over and over again. But no thanks.

By the third interval, my mind was getting into my mind. LOL I swear, that was a tough one to break through--my ITBS had kicked in again (must be speedwork on hills induced...*sigh*) and I was having a hard time running normally, and my phone was ringing and a guy wanted to chat--I now understand why those speedy runners that look straight ahead with a slight grimace do that. As soon as I looked up beyond my current step (which I thought was going to be the apex of the current hill), I told myself to stop. Not just stop running fast. Just stop and walk dammit! MORE HILL, just STOP! YOU CAN'T DO IT! And then "One More Mile" Kriston came out. She fired back, "Umm, how the hell do you think you'll ever get better if you don't just suck it up and power up this damn hill." One More Mile Kriston can get a bit moody sometimes, but it's always out of love. Unconditional, crazy, bite my hand til it bleeds LOVE. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to 1:45 in the video below, if you feel like wasting your time! LOL)



Anyway--I powered up that hill, probably wobbly. I definitely thought I was never going to be able to breathe again. But I made it!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it...

I knew there was a reason I've always wanted to go to Paris...

To DBF, I'm TOTALLY joking. That's not the ONLY reason. LOL



Ladies, here's what the rest of him looks like...