Wednesday, May 9, 2012

HERE IT IS.

Soooooooo, where do I start?!

Saturday, I woke up at 4 AM to volunteer for the Pittsburgh Marathon 5K/Children's Marathon. It's a really cool concept, the Children's Marathon--the kids spend the school year running, and once they reach 25 miles total, they run the last mile around the Point, where the three rivers (Allegheny, Ohio, and Monongahela) meet. The kids were soooo cute, and so excited! I had a great time. Plus, I got a sweet outrageously orange t-shirt. haha.



I volunteered from 6 AM to a little after 10 AM. The weather was warmish, but overcast the whole time. I was hoping the marathon the next day had some more sunshine! Afterward, I walked around the city for a little bit, and then went home. First, I stopped at Giant Eagle to get some apples and protein bars--y'know, the essentials--,then I headed to GNC to pick up my Lean Shakes, that were on sale. Theeeeeeeen, I went to Rite-Aid, because I needed to pick up my mutivitamins--I was done to one or two! I went home and pretty much carbo-loaded. I tried my Honey Stinger dark chocolate protein bars...oh my wooooooooord, so good. They tasted like a candy bar! Also, out of curiosity, I tried a Honey Stinger Waffle, and I was not disappointed. Honey Stinger may become my new best friend. I may use those for my long runs, because they don't upset my stomach, and they taste super yummy. I just need amino acids somehow, though.

I had two pieces of leftover veggie pizza for lunch, some Cinnamon Raisin walnut bread, and later on, I had a tofurkey sandwich for dinner. No peanut butter on cinnamon raisin bread, because I didn't want to have too much fat before a marathon--could mess with my tummy. I went to bed at 8:30, because I didn't sleep much the night before, and I wanted to make sure I was as well-rested as possible!

I woke up at 4 with NO problems. So anxious/excited! I ate my usual pre-run breakfast of a Clif Bar with Shakeology. I foam rolled a bit, used the tennis ball on my bum, did some dynamic stretching, etc. I made sure all of my stuff was packed up, and then I went down to the city with my brother and his girlfriend. We parked at the Consol Energy Center and walked to the corrals. I was supposed to be in Corral C (expected finish time of 4:00), but I knew that wouldn't happen, due to my injury :(. I went to Corral D/E, and I had to literally climb over the barricade, because it was so crowded. I talked to some girls running the half before the whistle, and they were super nice!


The whistle went off a little late (7:36), and we were off! Because I was so far back, I walked to the start line for a good 5 or 10 minutes. Once we got to the start line, we were able to run. I felt pretty good, except for a little pain in my butt. I was worried, but not so much at that point.

For the first 5 miles or so, the pain was constant, but nothing too bad. My friend, Megan, was riding her bike with her boyfriend, and I saw them a couple times Mile 1 through 6--it really helped me! Great cheerleaders :).

Saw a few awesome signs on this leg as well. The best:

"If Rick Santorum can run for 26 months, you can run for 26.2 miles!"

"Your training lasted longer than Kim Kardashian's marriage."

"Runners have balls. Athletes just play with them!"

I hadn't had any water or food at this point, and I saw a lady with Twizzlers, and she gave me two around mile 6. I ate them...and they were yummy. It was too hot to stomach GU, and I knew my stomach would revolt.

Once I got to mile 11, the pain was preeeeeeeetty bad. I stopped for the first time at this point (well, power-walked. I never actually stopped moving). I was fine with the hills, my breathing was fine, the heat wasn't bad, my legs weren't tired...it was just my stupid butt! The pain radiated through my entire lower right side. So unfair :(. haha. At this point, I started to drink 1 or 2 cups of Gatorade and 1 or 2 cups of water at every aid station. I ran mostly, but I had to take a bunch of walking breaks, because the pain was so bad when I ran, it made me scrunch up my face and put a lot of tension in my upper body and lower half. Blegh. A lot of spectators were so encouraging, though!

Around mile 14, I met up with a girl who was also injured--she got a stress fracture in her ankle the week OF the race. I felt so bad for her. We gave each other pep talks for those couple miles we ran together. The people with sprinklers helped too :). And the bands. Aaaand the orange slices. And the 458940358 high-fives I got.

At mile 20, I saw my mama, and she said that I looked like a grandma...buuut, I  was smiling, so she wasn't too worried. I tried to smile the whole time, even though I was in a large amount of pain.

The last 3 miles or so were all downhill, which helped a lot, because my calves were screaming. My calves almost never hurt during a long run, but I was compensating for my SI joint. Around mile 23 or so, I got a HUGE cramp in my lower calf. I thought it was my Achilles heel, so I started freaking out! The other runners were helping me out, so I pushed through. They were giving out beer at the Church Brew Works around then, but I politely declined. haha.

At mile 25, the pain was so bad, it was almost numbing. I focused on reaching the finish line. Wouldn't stop. My butt felt terrible, my calves felt terrible, my quads were screaming for compensating, but I refused to give up. Once I got to the final stretch, I couldn't stop smiling. The people were really cheering me on, and who else did I see at the finish line, but Bart Yasso! He announced my finished, and I felt AWESOME. I mean, physically, maybe not, but mentally and emotionally...I was on Cloud 9. Waaaay off from my finish time of 4:00, I finished in 5:58. haha.




I collected my medal, ate a bagel and a banana, and went to the postrace party. I grabbed a bag of salted nuts, a bag of pretzels, and a bottled water.

I know I shouldn't have been, but I was super pissed that it took me so long. Reflecting on it  now, and realizing what others said to me post-race, I should be glad I even finished! I heard of so many people having to drop out, and my friend told me that her mom had to quit running after experiencing an injury like mine. I feel pretty damn lucky. Even my brother told me I should be proud of myself! If you know my brother, you'd know how big of a deal that is. haha

I went grocery shopping afterward (obviously, that's what you do after a marathon), and then went to Burgatory for my post-race meal. I got a veggie burger with onion marmalade, grilled pinapples, roasted tomatoes, and gouda cheese on a whole wheat bun with a side salad. Sooooooooooooooooooooo good. I drank that with a coconut water! I caught up on "Game of Thrones" while eating.

I didn't do much, once I got home, and after running for almost 6 hours, would you? haha. I foam-rolled, showered, a little while later, I ate dinner (tofurkey sandwich with some fresh broccoli and zucchini in marinara sauce), and then a little while later, I had Oikos Honey Frozen Greek Yogurt with some pretzels and blueberries. Random, but sooooooooo good. haha.

I went to bed around midnight--I think I was so pumped with endorphins, I couldn't settle down until then!


Oh yeah. I got some sunburn, but I also improved on  my sweet UA capri tan:


So hot. hahaha.

I woke up Monday morning feeling preeeeeeeeeeetty sore. It took me like 2 minutes to get down the stairs. Yikes. I had my usual cereal breakfast, then decided to spend the day cleaning my room.

I had race swag aaaaall over the place, so I organized that, and I also vacuumed the floor and all that good stuff. I was sweating by the end!

Meals of the day included two pieces of Loafers cinnamon raisin walnut bread, a tofurkey sandwich, passion fruit Chobani, some fruit, and a huge salad for dinner with a black bean burger and tons of fresh broccoli.

I had a chiro appointment at 5:30, and the results were pretty good! He said that I was tight (ummmmm, hello? We knew that would happen), but overall, no bad damage! He also suggested I start taking an MSM supplement. I bought one of his, because he said they're an extremely trusted brand, and I trust him, sooooooo yeah.


After the chiro, I did a little more grocery shopping (I'm doing Foodie Penpals, so I bought a bunch of stuff for my penpal--yummy things!), then headed home, where I ate my dinner and greek frozen yogurt!

I slept like a LOG that night.

I woke up on Tuesday morning, feeling pretty great! I decided to go to the gym. I had my usual Clif Bar and Shakeology breakfast before workouts.

I did 90 minutes of cardio and 15-20 minutes of strength training. Probably not the best idea, considering how sore I was last night/this morning. Whoops. I'm taking a rest day today, though, so hopefully I'll be better later on! I need to learn to better listen to my body--that's what got me into this mess in the first place! Overtraining's a bitch :(.

I worked yesterday from 1-10, and it went super fast! I think because I'm STILL on a runner's high. haha.

Also, I tried Amy's Pesto Tortellini for dinner last night. Oh my God, so good. Not something I'd eat regularly (A LOT of fat and not the best ingredients), but it was a nice treat.

I came home from work to find the Flyers had lost the series (woo!) and my mother made an egg white frittata. I saved a piece of it for my dinner tonight! So excited. It has so many veggies in it :).

This morning, I had my usual rest-day breakfast, and I'm now just lounging around until work at 1. At some point, I'm taking out the garbage and doing some laundry--I hate sitting still for so long!

I started getting into the HBO series "Oz" (yeah, I know...way to be late to the party), but I've been watching that, while icing my bum.

I work until Friday, then I have off on Saturday! If I feel okay, I might try a short easy run on Saturday, to see how my legs/butt are feeling. I'm hoping the supplement helps--it's going to take a while to get into my system, but I am optimistic! I'm also going to the Pirates game on Saturday, where I'm meeting up with a BUNCH of people. It's going to be crazy! Afterward, we're probably going to the Hofbrahaus, to celebrate a friend's birthday. I've never been, so I'm pretty excited about that too.

Alright, time to get outta here. If you read this entire post, kudos to you. I am soooooooo happy about Sunday still. I think I am addicted. Definitely doing it next year for the same cause! Team Mario Lemieux Foundation 2013 :).

PS. Mother's Day and my brother's birthday are only a few days apart. Need to get some baller gifts. Any suggestions?!

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