Category: Run!

Brain Dump-Marathon Edition

I’m freaking the frak out over here. Be warned- this will be disjointed and rambling.

What the hell was I thinking? I am a Slacker- slacker’s don’t run marathons!

I’ve been a hot mess for 2 weeks. Wednesday- I dropped a 5 gallon water jug on my foot. It was full. I was bitten by a spider. Lunch made me sick. Figured out later that the water bottle also bruised my lower stomach.

Thursday- I fell off my chair. The spider bite grew. I drew lines around it. I ate Burger King while waiting in the car wash line- it was glorious.

It’s not the miles that are freaking me out- not really.

Thanks to my Fitbit, I know that every time I think about the marathon, my pulse jumps.

Back to the freakout- it’s the fog. My last race kind of scared me. What the hell was I thinking running a race in a city that named the fog?!?!?! Damn Karl.

Why have I never bought a pair of blue compression socks? I have no idea what I am wearing. Running clothes are strewn everywhere.

This was the most solid training I have ever done but I don’t feel trained. 2 months of Hansons Marathon method training for a 4:30 and I felt pretty good. Then my shins threw a bitch fit. 2 months of doing what I could destroyed any confidence the first 2 months built.

What if I can’t finish? What if I fail? Do I consider that a failure? Do you consider that a failure? How do you tell people? Well, I really tried.

Or what if I push too far? What if I should quite but don’t? So many questions!

We’re stuck between 2 fires and have had an air quality alert for days. It’s not like my lungs are getting a break.

My legs hurt and I have a wierd phantom limp.

I miss my heals. And flip flops. I am so over living only in running shoes, flats and Vans.

And on and on. I think I just needed to vent.

Thanks for reading.😭😂😛😬

Run to the Music- 2

Is these last few days, there are a few more songs that are either A- getting me through the giant knots in my stomach or B-keeping me distracted. So, I thought I would share them. Like I said before, my music taste can be a little all over the place.

I first saw Skillet on the free stages at the Mid State Fair years ago. I had never heard of them before and was a little taken aback by the enthusiasm of their fans. I mean, who takes a frying pan to a concert? Now, I would love to see them in concert again. They’ve become on of my favorite bands. And it’s great timing that they have a new album coming out next week.

Feel Invincible-

Back From the Dead is pretty awesome too, but this one pumps me up.

What are you listening to?

The SF Marathon Week 17 Training Recap

17 down, 1 to go. I’m trying not to dwell on that.

This was the first week that I fully embraced the taper. Some might say I took it too far. 😛 I guess there really is a way to run less when training. I didn’t mean to have such an ummm- “relaxed” week it just kind of happened.

The week started off rough. I got little to no sleep on Sunday night and almost called in. good thing I didn’t as my boss wasn’t feeling well either and didn’t make it in. Then when I finally did make it into work, I was greeted by the news that my fish had died. Can you be done with the week by 8:20 on a Monday? Work was crazy from that point forward all week.

Monday- Rest. After 13 miles on Sunday and crap sleep, I was fried. Throw in the work day from hell and I was done.

Tuesday- Rest. I thought about running, I really did but I was still feeling kind of foggy. Besides, I had plenty of time during the rest of the week right?

Wednesday- ~~Run~~– Fall Out Boy!!!!! Running was the plan but when you are given the opportunity to see one of your favorite bands for the cost of only 2 drinks- you take it! So I made my trip to the fair a little sooner than planned. Both the funnel cake and the concert were amazing. 😃😃 They played all the songs I wanted them too and a few more.

Thursday- Rest. I took my gym bag to work. Even though I was still super tired I was planning on running. I really was but once again I allowed my family to text-coerce me into going to dinner with them. Yum.

Friday- 4 miles. Holy crap, I ran on a Friday! I didn’t get home until 7 but I was out the door fairly quick. After 4 days off, I was kind of worried my legs wouldn’t remember what to do. They did! It was slow and still very warm but it was nice to get moving.

Saturday- Rest. Damn, I’m really good at this rest thing aren’t I? I wasn’t completely sloth like though. I headed down to SLO and did a bit of shopping. That counts as moving the legs, right?

Sunday- 9 miles. I headed out around 8 but I should have headed out sooner. It was way hotter than I would have liked. I packed my Camelbak with more supplies than I needed and filled it with water. I knew I didn’t need all of it but I wanted to practice carrying the weight. The run was hot and slow and my neck was a little sore after it. I was a nasty, sweaty mess. Whose idea was it to train in the summer?

Shouldn’t I be feeling at least a little more fit these days? Every run just seems so damn hard. The smallest thing seems to trigger my asthma and I am freaking out. But let’s save all the drama for another post, ok?

How was your week?

Seen any good concerts lately?

Tell me something shiny!

Ultima Replenisher Review

Disclaimer: I received Ultima Replenisher to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

When the chance came up to try Ultima Replenisher, I have to admit that I had never heard of it. So I headed to the website to check it out.

6 electrolytes plus support minerals, real fruit flavors and plant-based colors, vegan, nonGMO, no caffeine and gluten-free

ultima

Hey, that fit all of the new dietary restrictions I had just been hit with plus the flavors looked tempting. I liked what I had been using but felt like it wasn’t really holding up in my marathon training. Maybe it was time to branch out. Plus Dean Karnazes is one of their ambassadors and who runs more than he does? Sorry, fan girl moment. 😛

It arrived on a Friday- perfect timing for weekend running! I tested the Lemonade and Raspberry flavors. The Raspberry came in single serve packets, 20 to a box. Awesome for portability, perfect for shoving in my purse, and my gym bag…and my car. The Lemonade was in a little plastic canister and contained 30 servings. It also had the cutest little scoop I’d ever seen. Little things, right? They also have a 90 serving canister.

I tried the raspberry at work the next day. Having to work on a Saturday totally calls for electrolyte help right? Not bad, kind of sweet but pretty good. Ok, truth moment- I don’t think I’ve ever had a real raspberry so I am not sure how close the taste is. I later tried the lemonade on afternoon run. Holy crap! I drink lemonade every day why had I never tried lemonade flavored drink mix before?! Who knew?!

So those were my first impressions. I kept using it and I noticed my flavor preferences changed. I was loving the raspberry. I was using it on all my shorter runs and for recovery. The sweetness kind of makes me think of candy and I won’t lie- I have a sweet tooth. 😏

I tend to suffer from a lot of headaches- they tend to get worse after hot runs. They did seem to improve after drinking Ultima on my runs. Now that could just be because the taste makes me want to drink more than I used to but I’ll take it. I was kind of skimpy about my water intake while running before. Don’t get me wrong, the headaches are still there, they just hurt a little less.

My only real sticking point is the canister. While I like the idea of a loose powder and the larger serving size, I cannot be trusted to not make a mess. Maybe if I used a larger mouthed water bottle I would spill less. The scoop, while adorable, is a little too small. Or my hands are too big. Both of those things are my quirks though. 😛 Also, the colder the water the more the powder tends to clump when first mixed. This never bothered me as I tend to drink water at room temperature anyways. And it was nothing a good shake couldn’t fix.

I liked my first box so much, I went through it pretty quick. 😢 So I ordered myself some more! They have a combo pack which is awesome so I can try all the flavors- Raspbeyy, Lemonade, Orange, Grape and Cherry Pomegranate. Orange is pretty much my favorite flavor in everything so I am hoping I like it as well. Fingers crossed!!

Want to try Ultima? Use code “BIBRAVE2016” for 35% off plus free shipping. It’s a great deal!

How do you hydrate?

The SF Marathon Week 16 Training

I just had to look up what week I was in, it’s all starting to blur. 😛

The head games have multiplied…the race is so close and unfortunately my last few weeks of running have not been confidence building. More like the exact opposite. I felt pretty damn good after my 20 miler a few weeks ago. I haven’t since. I’m trying to tell myself that it’s all part of training but I hurt and I am tired and I just… I don’t know.

Monday- Rest. I had a few vacation days from work and it was so nice to have no alarm to set. I really wanted to sleep in but I woke up a little before 8. Grr. However, I must have slept soundly- I woke up with a dead arm. Guess I hadn’t moved from the first position I fell asleep in.

Tuesday- 7.12 miles. Birthday miles!!! Another day off too. I was torn what to run today. I know some people like to run their birthday but let’s be real, there was no way I was running 35 miles or kilometers. 35 minutes seemed too short and 3.5 miles seemed like a cop out. So instead I ran the day. It slow and hot but it was fun. I ran to the high school where my mother was having tennis practice. I then dragged her along to a local burger place to get my free burger!!! The little things excite me.

Wednesday- Rest. Back to work. They bought me donuts!

Thursday- 3.75 miles. Talk about slow! I think all the over indulging of the past few days caught up with me, I did not feel well. Plus, I decided that until the marathon, I should probably wear flats. I forgot how sore that would make me. Ouch!

Friday- Rest. I still felt off, I think I found my sugar intake limit. Rough. A new toy came in the mail though.

Saturday- Rest. Sensing a pattern here? After feeling poorly for 2 days, I chose sleep over running. After a few errands, I just had a low key evening. Plus, I was sucked into streaming Stranger Things on Netflix. So good.

Sunday- 13.1 miles. Dress rehearsal. My last long run of training. Plan ( what plan) called for 12, I wanted 16. Yes, I know that’s stupid. I was also testing a few things out this run. When I was shopping in Santa Barbara last weekend, I picked up a new Lululemon skirt for race day. I also recently ordered a new hydration vest as well. I’ve never been a huge fan of them but I need to be able to carry more water than just my handheld. So this long run was a test of all that.

Good lord, it was rough. It took my legs 4.5 miles to warm up. My lungs wanted no part in running. I probably should have tested the hose on the hydration pack before running. I choked twice. My new skirt rode up in very uncomfortable ways and yet also migrated down. That shouldn’t be possible?! I just kept moving forward. I hit 13.1 and called it for the day. Called my mom for a pick up as I was 4 miles from home and went for Chipotle. I really need to stop eating when I’m stressed.

24 miles for the week. Bring on taper. Even though part of me is excited for no long run next week, I feel like I haven’t done enough to prepare. The voices in my head are getting louder. But, this is the best week to quiet them. It’s fair time!!!!! It’s time for my yearly indulgence in a funnel cake. Hopefully, I’ve detoxed enough from birthday cake/ donuts to enjoy it. I look forward to a funnel cake and pretzel all year long until fair time. 😛

So here’s to week 17- another week in flats, even fewer miles and a funnel cake at the end.

How was your week? Do anything fun?

Do you have a dress rehearsal run?

What’s your favorite fair food?