Brie Fit

Alternate title: How to do everything wrong and still PR (spoiler alert!).

So, as you guys know, I wasn’t feeling great yesterday.  I was crabby and my sinuses/allergies were bothering me quite a bit, and I was having some shin pain.  So I went into today’s race with pretty low expectations.  My main goal was to beat my time from the Rock the Parkway Half two weeks ago—since this half was much flatter, I felt that was a nice, realistic goal.  My other “maybe, if it’s a good day” goals were to either PR or go sub-2:10.

Anyway.  I woke up to wind howling at the window and briefly considered staying put under the covers.  I knew this might not be my day when I discovered that Southpaw had left me a poo surprise on the floor.  Got dressed and hopped in the car, ate a PB&J on the 40 minute drive.

I made it to Garmin headquarters about 20 minutes before the race start and jumped in the port-a-potty line.  I pretty much realized that I was not going to get an opportunity to clean things out of my system and was a bit worried.  Then I remembered the Disney Princess Half, where I didn’t poop, and had a great race, so…maybe not pooping (along with fruit punch Gatorade and neon shirts) is lucky for me.

I saw the 2:10 pacers at the starting line, but lost them in the crowd and didn’t really care.  I fiddled with my Garmin a bit and got to running. 

The first four miles were especially exposed to the wind.  Like…not a breeze, but knock you over, running in place, 25 mph wind gusts.  It blew the BondiBand off my head, which has never, ever happened before.  I just kept thinking, “The faster you run, the sooner this will be over.”  I felt really bad for everyone doing the full today.  The winds kept up the whole race and were seriously out of control.

Also, I’d made the mistake of changing my Garmin to show average pace rather than current pace, so I had no idea how fast I was running at any given time.    For the first four miles, I was all, “damn, I’m a pretty consistent 10:02 runner,” and then, I was like “…oh.  Nevermind.”

I didn’t see the 2:10 pace group at all, but hung around the 4:15 group for awhile.  They seemed like a friendly bunch.

At mile five exactly, my iPod shuffle died. 

I’m not really one to run with music—I usually listen to podcasts or watch Netflix while training, and I’ve done my last two halfs and my full with no music at all.  But for some reason, I wanted it today, so I dusted off my ancient shuffle and made a fun playlist last night around 10:30 pm.  It was kind of crappy, because I was jamming out to “Jesse’s Girl” at the time, and thus sang that song in my head over and over for the rest of the race.

I will never know where I can I find a woman like that, I suppose.

Anyway, at mile 6.5, I was like, “hey, this is the halfway point and I feel pretty good.”  I took out a Gu and nibbled on it for about two miles, when they were giving away Gu on the course, and I threw mine out and took theirs.  I didn’t eat theirs, but hey, I will always take free shit.  Always.

At mile 7 or so, I started using a lot of really foul language in my head.  Cursing gets me motivated, guys.  Specifically, I started repeating over and over, “You do not fade.  Brie BLEEPING Lastname DOES NOT FADE.  You don’t even know what BLEEPING fading is.”  Mile 7 is my make-it-or-break-it mile in a half, and I went for it.

This was also was where I kind of lost it last year during my first half marathon.  I remember running through the exact same neighborhoods, watching the pace group slip away from me and feeling desperate and wanting to give up.  This year, I felt strong and good and had plenty left to give.

The course started heading uphill a little bit at mile 10, but it wasn’t a big deal after Rock the Parkway a few weeks ago.  My pace slowed a hair, but not a lot.

Somewhere around mile 11, I fell in step with two older guys.  It was obvious one (was pacing the other, and he was being really motivational.  He kept cheering for everyone who passed them.  We kept trading positions, and on a downhill, he told me, “stretch out your stride, you can ride this one hard!” and so I did.

After that, we started chit-chatting a bit, and I told him, “I am going to PR today.” 

We spent the next two miles encouraging one another and cheering for everyone who passed us.  It was a really great distraction!

Ultimately, the friend needed a walk break and I pulled ahead, but major thanks to Kevin and Fred for keeping me going! 

I don’t really know what happened the last mile.  I felt fine, but it was extremely windy and uphill and I guess that slowed me down more than it felt like it did. 

I also apparently picked up an extra .15 somewhere in mile 11 or 12, because until then, my Garmin was right in line with the mile markers.  Annoying, because that makes a difference when you’re shooting to PR!

And PR I did.  By 5 seconds.

There…was no finish line.  Just some mats, and then a chute, and I was like, “oh, I guess I’m done.”  I don’t know why there wasn’t, because there was one last year.

I got my medal and laid down on the ground for a minute because I got dizzy when I started walking.

Also, a fireman hit on me.  He invited me to join him on the “warming bus.”  Uh, no.  I then realized I had gloves on (God bless the $0.50 Target throwaways) and my wedding ring wasn’t visible.  I was like, “uh, I’m going to go warm up in my car thirty feet away.  Where I will go home." 

I also cried, a little bit, because I was so proud.  2:13:32 has haunted me through four half marathons, and now the magic number has been taken down. 

So I drove home and Tim took pictures in all my neon glory.  (I wore some DIY armwarmers for the race, made from the cut off sleeves of a compression shirt that doesn’t fit anymore.)

Final thoughts?  I’m proud of my PR today.  This race could have turned into a shitshow quickly but I held it together and pushed through.  I wish it was a bigger PR, sure, but don’t we always?  I am also officially convinced that neon+fruit punch Gatorade=lucky. 

I am off to destroy some food.  The best part of racing in April is that you get to refuel with a nice Cadbury Crème Egg.

Thanks for all your encouragement along the way!

In twelve days.

I need an Intervention.

(Source.)

With a name like “Wickedly Fast Half,” how could I NOT do it?  $50, in town, and what the hell else am I doing that weekend?  I won a little money at the casino this morning (AFTER church, thankyouverymuch) and took it as a sign.

Maybe 24 hours ago, I was saying to Tim, “Yeah, I’m done with halves until the fall.   Maybe gonna do some 5Ks, lift some weights, take it easy.  It’ll be nice to chill out a bit.”

Snort.

I PRed on this course last year for my first half.  It’s flat, except the end, and I admit, I got suckered into the cute Oz Marathon rebranding.  Seriously, check out the site.  It’s cute.  (Hopefully the t-shirts and medals are better than last year.)  I know the course is boring, but the people are friendly and I’ll do anything for a medal.

I swear—I PINKY SWEAR—that this is my last half until the fall.  

Now, how does one train for back-to-back-ish halfs?

Post mac and cheese yesterday, I refueled with a smoothie (frozen strawberries+OJ+yogurt).

Dinner was another win.  Chipotle, Boulevard Irish Ale, and chips and salsa.

Topped off with a Single Serve Ooey Gooey Brownie a la Kier.  With peanut butter in the middle.

On tap for tonight is some crockpot pulled pork.  We stuffed ourselves silly at the casino brunch buffet this morning, so we’re probably not going to eat until later!

So…how do you train for races that are close together?  I’ll be visiting the in-laws next weekend, so I can’t get another long run in!

Welp, half marathon #4 is in the books.

I just realized that in the last year I have run four half marathons and a full marathon.  That is pretty bananas!   That’s almost one major race every other month.  I’ve also done three 5Ks and a 4-miler on top of that.  Not too shabby.

Anyway, I had PB&J for breakfast today.  I was feeling extra confident today because our new church delivered us a loaf of bread yesterday, and the bag had a Bible quote on it, so obviously this was not your average bread.  I like to think it was a little lucky.

Also, this bread is really good.

My wonderful husband got out of bed early on a Saturday to play chauffeur.  We left the house by 6:30, and made it to the starting line by 7:05.  It was chilly!  I think it was around 42 degrees at this point with some decent wind.  I wore throwaway gloves and the random Pittburgh Half Marathon long-sleeved tech t-shirt I got for free at the RnR Chicago expo over my Chicago Marathon short-sleeved shirt.  I figured I wouldn’t be heartbroken if I had to part with it along the course.

As soon as I got out of the car, I heard someone ask, “Are you Brie?” and it was one of my readers!  Hi, Rachel!  I hope you got your 1:50 today!

Other than the chill, it was a beautiful, clear day.

I started with the 2:10 pace group, but didn’t stick with them for super long.  They were taking long breaks at water stations, and I knew that wouldn’t work for me.  For the first half of the race, I was running probably 2 minutes ahead of the 2:10 pacers.

The first half of the course was basically a constant slow uphill.  There were a few small downhills, but it was basically a straight slog up.  I ditched my throwaway gloves at mile 4 and took off my long-sleeved tee and tied it around my waist at mile 5 since I was starting to warm up.  (I was going to toss the shirt, and then thought, hey, I just ran a half with a frigging tutu around my waist, this is nothing!)

Around the halfway point, the hills started going from tolerable to WTF level with steeper inclines.  I let the 2:10 pace group pass me for awhile, then caught up with them at a water station around mile 7, and then let them pass me again.  It was a little rough watching them go, but at some point, I just realized that I can only do so much.

Miles 7 through 10 were rough. The pacing strategy handout on the website describes miles 7 and 8 as “rolling” and miles 9 and 10 as “gently rolling.”   I honestly enjoyed having hills a bit because they kept things interesting—what goes uphill must come down, which was nice—but they were just unfortunately placed.   I always have my hardest time, mentally, in halves from miles 7-9, and the steep inclines were hurting me.  I also really had to pee and my stomach was bugging me a little.

(Also, hi to the couple of readers that said hi to me during that point in the race!  I think I need to get a Brie Fit racing shirt.)

At that point, I started taking a few short walk breaks—under 20 seconds every half mile.  This really got me through those tough miles and I did this from miles 7 to 11.  My average pace slowed, but not by much.

Thankfully, there was one big hill in mile 11, and once we reached the top it was basically straight downhill for the rest of the race.  (Thank. Goodness.)

I ran the rest of the way from the top of that hill at mile 11.5 through the finish at 13.1.  Tim was waiting at mile 13 with the camera and took this epic picture.

Running is super fun, you guys.

I crossed the finish line strong with an official chip time of 2:18:00.  I grabbed my medal, water, and a space blanket and collapsed on the grass.

The medal  was still in a plastic baggie, my one beef with this race—can’t you unwrap them and put them on us?  Every other race I’ve done with medals, no matter how pathetic, will put them on your neck.  If they can do that for 30,000 people in Chicago, they can do it for 5,000 here.

Anyway, the medal is yooge and I like it.  I also enjoyed the space blanket.  The last few miles were windy and I was feeling a bit chilly.

(Random: I got a pair of Oakleys with a gift card for running and they are pretty fantastic.  They don’t budge or fog when you’re running, AND I no longer look like the d-bag running in giant tortoiseshell sunglasses like I am in all my other race recaps.  They are a sound investment!)

Afterwards, Tim drove us home (with windows open, because man, I smelled), and I showered (with soap, lots of it, per his request) and then had a recovery cocktail.

Chocolate milk.  It upset my stomach, so I waited awhile, but now I’m putting on my favorite indulgence for lunch:

You guys, this would be my last meal if I was on death row.  (Or at least a part of it.) Amazing.

And because it’s been way too long since I’ve regaled you with a picture of a giant blister, here you go!

I feel pretty good aside from aforementioned blister and a couple of toenails that need to fall off.  My legs feel a million times better than they did after my first half.

SO.  It wasn’t 2:10, and it wasn’t a PR, but it was my second fastest half to date, and I shaved about 5 minutes off my last half just a month ago on a MUCH more difficult course.  I feel pretty awesome about that.  I felt strong for most of it, and tackled some pretty gnarly hills without doing much hill training.  I also finished with very little gas in the tank—maybe not totally on empty, but I think my fuel light was definitely on.  So to speak.

I don’t know if this a problem or a strength, but I mentioned to Tim on the way home that I just can’t get too terribly worked up about race times.  I’m running distances that make most people go, “WTF?” and eight minutes does not change how awesome that is.  I’m proud of myself.  The fact remains that for the first 25 years of my life, I did not think there was any way I could accomplish the things I’m doing now, and I’m not going to split hairs.

Anyway, I’m not currently sure what’s up next on my schedule—I don’t think I’ll do any more halves until the fall, and am just going to work on speed and weight training for the summer.  I plan to race some shorter distances, but nothing too long!

Thanks for all your support, guys!

Annnnd it’s carb loading time!

I’ve been eating a little more  carby the last two days (there were some Cheerios last night after I posted), and today is an official carbfest.  It may not be scientific, but I know what works for me, so I do it.

Calorie watching resumes Monday.

For breakfast today, I had an extra big helping of Kashi and mixed in a few dried cranberries for fun.  And cinnamon.  I need to incorporate more cinnamon in my diet because I have borderline high cholesterol.  (It’s genetic—my dad, the health nut, had terrible cholesterol too!)

I snacked on a tiny banana with my mid-morning coffee.

Somehow, the peel was really thick, so the banana inside was really small.  It was odd.

For lunch, I had some egg frittatas (I’m loving these!), yogurt mess, half a PB sammich, and half of this thing of grapes.

Someone brought a huge tray of delicious cookies in for us, and I was all, “Sweet!  It’s carb loading day!  I’m totally going to have a lunch dessert today.”  And then I went into Sparkpeople and realized there were 340 stinking calories in that cookie.  So I had half at lunchtime, and ate the other half later with the rest of my grapes instead of the snack of trail mix I had planned.

I also used this handy dandy free tool to create a pace band.  I covered it in Scotch tape and will be sporting it tomorrow.

Nailpolish is Lollipop by Essie, which is a fun, bright, kind of orangey red.   I’m a big fan!

After work I continued carbing up with homemade pizza.

Warning: don’t try this at home:

So.  Let’s talk goals for tomorrow.

1. Obviously I want to go sub-2:10.  That was the goal for my first half marathon almost exactly one year ago, and I still haven’t achieved it.  It’s time.
2. I would be reasonably happy if I set a new PR, though.  That means I have to beat 2:13:32.
3. I want to finish with nothing left in the tank.  I want to leave it all out there on the course.  (“It”=everything but poop.  I will not defecate in public to achieve a goal.  Sorry.)

Which leads me to strategies for tomorrow.

1. Cling to the 2:10 pacers for dear life…
2. …except through aid stations.  The race materials say that they’ll be walking for “10-60 seconds” at aid stations, and I’ve figured out that I just need to keep running.
3. Gatorade in the handheld.  Seemed to work well for me last time, and if it ain’t broke…I’ll have an emergency Gu on me, but it’ll be an “in case of serious energy drain” thing.
4. Save it for the downhills.  The words “rolling hills” and “flat for Kansas City” have been used in describing this race to me.  I admittedly haven’t done much hill training.  So…I’m going to consciously go slow uphill and save energy to ride them down fast and make up any time.
5. Use my head.  I can usually talk myself into or out of a good race in my head.  No excuses.  I don’t have a running mantra per se, but I tend to think logically when I run about what is going right and what I need to work on.  I give myself pep talks and I think about all of you crazy readers and how I want to give you a good race report to read! 

For a good time, check out 100 of the Most Ridiculous Yahoo! Answers Posts, as given to you by Tim.  Hilarious.  He recommends 24, 61, 73 and 90, especially.

And now, I’m going to hit publish and head to the grocery store!    I’ll see you after the race tomorrow!Wish me luck!

What is your running (or cycling, or swimming, or life) mantra?

So, I’m gearing up for my fifteenth race on Saturday, and I think 15 is the magic number that qualifies me to talk about the topic of getting ready for race day. 
For half marathons, I taper-ish for a week.  I tapered for two weeks for my full, but I don’t really remember what I did, and I have no immediate plans to run another full right now, so I’ll focus on the half.  So, here’s how I taper for a half.
Disclaimer: this is what works for ME.  Runners are a crabby group when it comes to traditions and superstitions, so by all means, follow your own.  I’m not a dietitian or a personal trainer or a running coach. 
Let’s pretend all races are on Saturday for purposes of this post.

• Monday: On Monday, I like to get in a good, solid, final run.  Not particularly long, because I already know I can run the distance, but just…good.  This time around, I did three speedy miles that totally boosted my confidence.  I am not a high mileage runner, as I’ve ascertained running high mileage gets me injured and crabby, and I can conquer long distances just fine on 2-3 days of running per week plus cross training.  A lot of people do low mileage all week, but I like having a few mental days away from running.  That way I’m excited to race and not like, "but…I just ran three easy miles yesterday?" at the starting line.
  Tuesday: Lift.  Upper body, maybe a little legs, but nothing that will leave your lower half too sore.
  Wednesday: Cross-training.  Something light, like the elliptical.  Start eating a little more than usual.
  Thursday: No working out.  Maybe an extra-long dog walk if I’m feeling antsy.  Eat more than Wednesday.  Mentally make sure you have enough of things–Gu, Gatorade, your super power breakfast, Body Glide, whatever.  FIND SOME SAFETY PINS.  Start drinking some extra water.  Check the weather and plan your clothes and make sure they’re clean!
  Friday: Packet pick-up.  Try on your shirt at the expo lest you get an off centered logo for your marathon shirt.   Eat more than Thursday.  Big, carby dinner that includes a decent amount of protein.  I don’t know if this is mental, or what, but for my first and third half marathons, I ate a big carby dinner (one was pizza, one was pasta bolognese) the night before and performed really well.  For my second half marathon and my full marathon, I didn’t eat much the night before because of nerves and ran out of gas.    Also, lay out stuff.  I go from head to toe: Bondi Band, sunglasses, headphones, shirt, sports bra, Garmin, handheld bottle, pants, socks, shoes, timing chip. Pin your bib on your shirt before you put it on, because safety pins plus nerves don’t mix.  Make breakfast in advance.  I even fill my handheld with Gatorade the night before. 

The morning of, you should be on auto-pilot.  Set yourself up for being able to get ready without even thinking about what you’re doing.  Also…poop.  Coffee helps.

Finally, I like to line up some things to look forward to AFTER the race.  Stock your fridge with a yummy meal to come home to and if you’re into ice baths, make sure you have some ice ready to go!  Schedule a pedicure or a massage, and plan a nice meal out so you don’t have to cook.  The last few miles of a race, I like to think about what’s waiting for me after the finish line, and it’s much more fun to think about, “I’m going to take a nice ice bath, then a hot shower, then get a pedicure in my favorite yoga pants and eat Chipotle” rather than, “Ugh, when I get home I have to do laundry and cook dinner!”

What are your favorite race prep tips?

(shrug)

Lunch today was basically a repeat of yesterday, except I remembered my PB sammich.

Snack was also a repeat because I enjoyed it so much yesterday.

After work, instead of hitting the gym (I’m tapering!) I went to pick up my packet for Saturday.  It was smooth and uneventful.  I really like the shirts—they’re black adidas tech tees and they had women’s cut/sizes!  Score one for this event.  And they let me exchange mine for a different size, no questions asked.

So, you know what makes me happy?

(fangirl shriek)

Dinner was beige and I’m not sorry.

Chicken stuffed with some Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese, roasted fingerling potatoes, and a toasted sandwich thin (I’m carb loading!)

I almost feel like things are aligning TOO perfectly for my half on Saturday.  The weather is supposed to be 65 and clear.  My body feels awesome.  My hair looks great.  It’s been an easy, slow week at work with very little stress.  It’s worrying me a little bit.

(PS: I’m working on a post about what, exactly, I do pre- and post- race…hopefully it will be up tomorrow.)

Dear lurkers: I know you are out there.  Introduce yourself in the comments!  I’m nice!  Tell me about yourself: who are you, what do you do, do you like pizza, etc.

Hi guys!  I’ve taken a few days off because I’ve been a little stressed lately, but I’m back!

Yesterday, Tim and I ran the Westport St. Patrick’s Day 4 Miler with our friend Sarah who was visiting from St. Louis.

One of my favorite parts of the race?  It started at 10 am.  Sleep in a bit, and then run? Yes, please!  Getting up at 6 am on a Saturday is not my favorite thing to do.

(Confession: I took zero pictures.)

Anyway, we made it to packet pickup by 9:15 and got our numbers and shirts.

I’ll admit: this was my third race in fourteen days and I slept horribly the night before.  I was not exactly thrilled to be running it.

I do like the shirts, though. They are nice and lightweight—I hate heavy t-shirts—and will make a good “bumming around the house” shirt.

Anyway.

The atmosphere was very festive.  Most people were wearing green, and I was happy I remembered to wear my obnoxious lime green tech shirt.  Lots of runners were also having beer beforehand, which made me think that this would be a fun race.

And it was!

Sarah, Tim and I all started together, but the first mile of this race was CROWDED.  Like, more crowded than the Disney Princess half.  I couldn’t do more than a very, very light jog for the first half mile, and there were many point where the course bottlenecked and I was stuck walking behind jogging strollers and dogs on extendable leashes (worst. idea. ever).  The crowd split us up pretty quickly, and I was behind Sarah and Tim.  I kept them both in my sights for the first mile but then lost them.

Since it was Tim’s first four-miler, I let him borrow my Garmin to help him pace, so I was running my first “naked” race in a long time.  I’ve also stopped racing with music, because it annoys me more than helps me, so I said, “hey, let’s just run by feel this time.”

Anyway, most of the severe congestion had cleared up by mile one (though it was still a VERY crowded course and I did a LOT of jockeying the whole time) and we’d hit the hills.  There’s no such thing as a flat race in KC, unfortunately, but I just went with the strategy of “slow up, fast down,”—in other words, conserve energy on the uphills and ride them fast on the way down.

At mile two, I saw Tim on my left.  He was doing great, but I passed him and didn’t see him again until the finish line.  I never saw Sarah!

Miles two and three felt really long, and I kept wanting to look at my Garmin, but I didn’t have one.  It was a weird feeling, but oddly liberating.

At mile 3.5, we passed an ‘unofficial aid station’ handing out beer and green jell-o shots.  I said, “well, why the hell not?” and took two green Jell-O shots—I did one right there on the course and ran with the last one until the finish line.

I didn’t realize how close I was to the finish line because you couldn’t really see the sign due to the hills, but as soon as I did, I said, “Well, huh.  Let’s kick this bitch!” and was able to sprint past a whole lot of runners.

Final finish time?  39:08, good for an over 2 minute PR from my first (and most recent) 4 miler in 2009.  I’m surprised at how easy it felt, too, and that I was able to do it given the congestion and hills.  I’m quite proud, altogether.

I was able to turn around and watch Tim finish with Sarah right behind, both a hair after the 41:00 mark. 

And now let me get a little philosophical.

I realized yesterday that as much as I have good races and bad races, I learn something from each one.

• At my first race, the KC Zoo Run, I learned that I was totally capable of running in public without humiliating myself.
• At my first 10K, I learned that I am capable of running a smart race and using my head to pace myself carefully.
• At my first half marathon, I learned that I can do things I never imagined I could.
• At my second half marathon, I learned that I am human, and not invincible, and sometimes bad races just happen.
• At the Chicago Marathon, I learned that running is so much bigger than just me.  It takes a community—not just runners, but those around them, to make this sport a success.  And that the memory of my father can carry me when I can’t carry myself.  (You can’t bury a man in running shoes and think he won’t become the savior for his running daughters.) 
• At the Disney Princess Half, I learned that I can dig really deep just to give myself a good race.
• At the Diva Dash 5K, I learned that I should probably NOT start a race next to someone wearing a Boston Marathon jacket.

And at this race?  Well, I don’t know if it’s a learning thing, per se, but I think I am starting to suspect that I’ve been selling myself short.  I keep telling myself, “You can’t run fast on hills!  Don’t even try.  Just hit the treadmill and be safe.  You’ll never be a fast runner, you’re too big!   Stick with your 10:00 miles and get on with your bad self.” 

But I want to push myself.  I want that speed and I’m beginning to think I can do it.

So, henceforth:

• At least one speed workout a week.  Tempo.  Intervals.  Will Google Fartleks and Yassos and maybe figure out what they mean and do them.
• No pussing out.  Period.  Unless I am doing a designated recovery run.  At the Disney Princess Half and this weekend, I’ve finished with gas left in  the tank.  I’ve sprinted like a madwoman at the end and felt totally fine a minute after crossing.  I want to finish races with nothing left.  I don’t want to save it.
• Positive mental attitude.  I’m not the 200 pound girl I used to be. 
• Get outside.  Now that the weather is good and we have more daylight, I’m going to run outdoors more and tackle those hills rather than live chained to the treadmill for another year.

And I may or may not be thinking about a fall marathon.  True story.

So, that’s that.

How do you balance giving a race all you’ve got but not burning out too soon?

Yep, that’s right. 3 am. I wasn’t kidding.  Don’t we look chipper?In a way, I was thankful for the early start. After Chicago, I bitched incessantly about how ridiculous it is to start a race later when you have weather to contend with. I would much rather get up early for good weather than sleep an extra hour or two and get stuck in the heat!

Plus, I didn’t really sleep anyway. Nerves, sharing a bed with my sister who kept throwing blankets on me, and screaming kids at the pool all contributed to this.

Anyway, we got ready and were off. I had a bagel with peanut butter since it worked so well for my last long run. We shared a taxi to the starting line and made it there with plenty of time to spare!
I then discovered the best thing to ever come out of a port-a-potty…my friend Brooke!

Brooke (or Brookie Jay) and I went to college together–we were sorority sisters!  She’s now in dental school in DC and I haven’t seen her in years.  I ran into her literally coming out of the port-a-potty. So random!  It was her first half and she totally rocked.
My sister and I split up because we were in different corrals. Somehow, my 2:13 from last April put me in corral B, but my sister’s 2:33 had her in C. We had very different goals for the race anyway–she wanted to PR by a lot, I didn’t really know what I wanted other than a good race.

I also ran into two Internet friends while chilling at the start of the corral!  Hi Caryn and Mercy (and Mr. Mercy)!  It was great to meet you!
At the start, our fairy godmother saw us off and there were some fun fireworks.

I was really worried at the start and anticipating a bad race because my stomach was feeling funny and I hadn’t been able to clear things out beforehand, if you know what I mean.

The first two miles were pretty crowded and dark. The sun didn’t start rising until mile 6 or so, which was kind of a blessing in disguise because I couldn’t stare at my Garmin and freak out about pace.

I was also the freak who talked to people just for fun.  I’m one of those chatty assholes on courses.  Sorry.

Miles 1-4 were pretty uneventful other than the on-course entertainment. We saw Jack Sparrow’s pirate ship and a giant Epcot ball balloon and some cute, yawning Japanese drumming kids.  I felt good, and strong, once I got going, even though I had no idea what my pace was.

I think we entered the back roads of Magic Kingdom around mile 4. We got to run by all the beautiful rich people hotels and they were fun to ogle.
At mile 5, we entered the actual Magic Kingdom!

I got all teary when I turned the corner onto Main Street USA.  I started this blog a year and a half ago, and wanted to list my goals for the heck of it, and threw on "run a race at Disney" because it sounded like so much fun, but I had no idea how I’d do it, since at the time I hadn’t even run one race. And here I was!
Dreams really do come true at Disney.

Anyway, we ran through Tomorrowland and Frontierland!  Fun!

Anyway (sniff), the Magic Kingdom was the most baller part of the course. Great scenery, and lots of fans and characters to take pictures with!  There were lines at every character for pictures, but I managed to get some good drive-bys.

We exited the Magic Kingdom at mile 6, and at 6.5 I decided I was at a turning point. I turned inward for a good mile or so and thought about the following things.

• You’re halfway there. You can run another 6.5 miles no problem.
• Hey, remember how you pooped out mentally at mile 7 of the Rock n’ Roll Chicago half, and physically at mile 20 of the Chicago Marathon?  Remember that regret afterwards for not pushing harder?  You have a choice to make, Brie.  Don’t puss out.
• You feel really good right now. Yes, this is hard, but half marathons are kind of supposed to be hard.
• You are a well-trained runner. Act like one.

I decided to make one goal: finish without walking. In all my previous halves and my full, I’ve walked some–through aid stations, or when I broke down, or when it got hard. I had my handheld full of Gatorade and had plenty of Gu if I needed it, so I could fly through the aid stations.  I knew that if I walked, it would all go to hell from there.

So, at mile 7, I chose to finish strong and run a race I could be proud of.

Miles 7 through 10 were probably the hardest part of the course for me. We were running into full sun and there wasn’t much crowd support, though I did see Belle, Pocahontas and several other characters.  And also the Disney fire department hotties dancing like Chippendales in pit-sweaty t-shirts.

Once mile 10 hit, I knew I could do it!  There were some steep onramps to climb, but I honestly enjoyed the change in grade. It kept things from getting boring, and hey, uphills mean downhills, right?

For the last 3.1 miles, I just ticked away the distance left on my Garmin and kept chugging along. I also experienced some really strong cravings…specifically, an ice cold Diet Coke, a hot dog, a cold shower, beer, and a pedicure. Every time I thought, "it’s hot," I thought about Mile 20 of the Chicago Marathon and shut my mental piehole.

I gave it a little kick when we entered Epcot and finished strong, proud, and feeling great.

Final time? 2:22:08.

Not a PR, but BY FAR the strongest race, mentally and physically, I’ve ever had.

A few random observations:

• I didn’t have a training plan for this race, beyond a general "add a mile to your long run every week, take a stepback week if you need it, skip the junk miles" thing. I cross trained on the elliptical and by doing workout DVDs and I lifted some weights. I loved this plan, it worked, and I had zero mental burnout.  I plan to keep this up for my next half in two weeks.
• On a whim, I skipped Gu altogether this race. I didn’t need it on my 11 miler and did fine. I drank Gatorade the entire race and felt great–no tummy issues like I sometimes have with Gu. Again, going to stick with this!
• Ohmygosh I need new shoes. I have a new pair calling my name that need to be broken in!  I considered leaving my old shoes in the garbage in Florida, but figured I’d being them home to donate at least.
• War wounds:  second toes on both feet are black (again) with blisters on them (again). I’m interested to see if this stops in my new, half size larger shoes.
• Running in a tutu wasn’t bad, but it got stuck in my crotch quite a bit, and made getting in and out of my SPIbelt tricky.  Also, the tiara needed some bobby pins, because I had to adjust every mile.
• Losing weight has helped me feel more confident about my running. It’s just 10 pounds, but I kind of feel more, "hey, if you think I’m slow, fuck you" than chip-on-shoulderish than before.

After the race, I got glittered and medaled and waited for my sister at the runner reunite area. She was in tears because of foot pain, but PRed with a 2:29:32! 

Also, because I was mad about the crappy expo with no freebies (nothing in the bag but ads and a piddly mini Luna bar!  Lame!) I stole 4 Luna Protein bars from the finish line. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, $140 race entry fee!

God bless the shuttle bus driver who dropped us off at our hotel even though we weren’t on his route. We showered, I inhaled a Diet Coke, and we spent the rest of the day at Magic Kingdom!

I wore my medal around all day and in the Country Bear Jamboree some lady made the whole place yell “yee-haw” at me.  I got lots of congratulations, too!

For dinner, we took the monorail to Epcot and ate at Via Napoli in Italy. Not only was the food great, but the waiters were hot too!  Thanks to Meghann for the awesome recommendation.

It was a long, long, long day, but so fun and I’m so happy with how I did!

Ugh.

I realized today that this, right here, today, is why I weigh myself every day.  When it’s an every day thing…it’s just a statistic, and I say whatever, and move on with my day.  But after a few days off the scale, I was anxious about what happened weight-wise while I was traveling. 

And when I saw a gain (or, who knows if it’s a gain, maybe it’s just a fluctuation) I had a horrible morning.

Okay, there was other stuff. I woke up with no covers on, freezing (ahem Tim and Milhouse).  My contacts felt like tiny stabby knives in my eyeballs.  I had a pile of work on my desk that no amount of coffee could make okay.   But man, that little gain started me off on the wrong foot today.  I KNOW that number doesn’t represent my self-worth; but it does represent my efforts lately, and I’ve been trying so damn hard, and it sucks to be discouraged.

It’s just so hard to see stuff like that and go to the mental place of, how on earth is it fair that I run 11 miles and track calories and STILL can’t lose weight, or I wish I was naturally thin, why not just quit, you’ll succumb to your genetics eventually anyway.  It’s a slippery slope, and even though I generally have pretty healthy self-esteem…it’s just hard not to get angry when you’re giving this your best shot, and there are some skinny jerks out there who never see the inside of the gym.  You know?

Anyway, breakfast was the usual, and lunch was an “I’ve missed you, fresh produce!” kinda meal.

Yogurt mess, carrots and hummus, tons of spinach with balsamic, a tiny Babybel gouda, and a tangerine.

(PS: Is it just me, or does all orange citrus taste very similar?  I am pretty confident I couldn’t tell the difference between an orange, tangerine, clementine, and blood orange in a blind taste test.)

I snacked on a Vitatop in the afternoon.  They’re better still half-frozen, I think. 

After work, it was still super gorgeous outside—about 58 degrees and partly sunny with a nice light breeze.  So I went for a run just to kind of loosen things up and move and clear my head.  No iPod, just me and my Garmin and a neat trail I finally took the time to explore near my office.

It was fairly slow, but that’s okay.  I had two great runs this week already, and for some reason, I had some muscle soreness in my hips and butt this afternoon.  I’m not sure where it’s coming from, but whatever.  It felt good to get outside again.  Next week I’ll be doing some tapering for my half!

Dinner was our traditional Friday night homemade pizza.

Today I also registered for two more races!

• I will be doing the Diva Dash 5K which benefits Girls on the Run KC on March 5.  Any KC readers/bloggers care to join me?  It’s an all-girl race (and for a great cause, and HELLO, packet pickup is at Lululemon!), so Tim will be at home dog-sitting.  It looks like a fun one!
• Tim and I will be doing the Westport St. Patrick’s Day 4 Miler on March 12 with our friend Sarah. 
• I’m also planning on registering for the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon on April 2.  I haven’t yet for budget purposes, but I’d like to do at least two more halfs this year after Disney Princess, and this looks like a fun one!

(PS: I’ve started tracking my vitamin daily just to keep an eye on whether I’m getting enough calcium, iron, etc.  Yes, it’s a prenatal vitamin, and no, we’re not trying for a baby yet.   It’s good for the hair and nails, and, well, wishful thinking.  It’s good to have the baby-related vitamins built up in advance of trying, I’ve heard, so what the hell.)

And the run estimate:

What do you do when you get frustrated with healthy living or weight loss?

Since Tim was such a good husband last weekend,  I decreed THIS weekend is Tim’s weekend.

Last weekend, he traipsed around Chicago, cheering me on.  He humored me and followed me to blogger meet-ups.  He got terribly lost finding parking at McCormick Place.  He let me pick every restaurant we ate at and calmed me when I was nervous.

So, it’s Tim’s weekend.

Except when it comes to racing.  Because I won the bet without needing the 90 second handicap I was awarded!

This morning was kind of every racer’s nightmare.  We set our alarms for 5:30 am, since  the race started at 7:30, was downtown, and parking would be a nightmare.  At 6:10, Tim woke me up—we’d slept through the alarm!  We got downtown as fast as we could and promptly got stuck in traffic in a full parking garage.  We ended up parking on some random street 5 blocks from the race at 7:20 and walking verrrry quickly to get to the starting line on time.

But we made it!

Some lady at the starting line didn’t realize I was running the 5K, saw my shirt, and was like, “OMG, are you running back to back marathons?  That’s crazy!”  But I set her straight.

As much as I am looking forward to running another marathon, I did not envy the marathoners this morning.  This is why I will never run the Kansas City Marathon:

Look at that climb from mile 21-24!  Ha!  Noooo way.

Anyway, the race started and we were off!  The first mile wasn’t great—it was basically a straight uphill climb, and I was dodging and weaving around tons of people.

Second mile was mostly downhill.  I spilled some Gatorade on myself at the aid station.  I didn’t really NEED Gatorade, but I’d forgotten my gum and had cotton mouth, like I always do when I race without gum.

Third mile was flatter, comparatively speaking, except for a bit of an incline at the very end.  I thought of Sammy Wanjiru’s final kick at Chicago last weekend and did my best to sprint to the finish.

Official result?

Which was good for 27/187 in my age group!  Yay!

The splits:

(Is it officially a negative split, since the last lap was 1.1 miles?  I am pretty math stupid.   Either way, it was pretty close!)

Elevation in green, pace in blue:

Tim beat his goal of coming in under 30 minutes, and our friend beat his goal of coming in under 40 minutes by quite a bit!  I’m so proud of them both.

So, Tim’s lady co-worker wins a candy bar.  I’d be lying if I said the friendly bet didn’t keep my ass moving during that race.  Perhaps I’ll buy myself a Kit-Kat anyway.

I was reminded today of how much I’ve missed short races!  It was really fun to put my balls on the table for half an hour and go all out, rather than having to worry about saving something for the end.  I feel pretty good about my chances of achieving my goal of a sub-27:00 5K.  I was just 91 seconds off today, but given the hills, the crowds, and the fact that I’m only 5 days out from my first marathon I feel like it’s pretty achievable.  I’m excited to do some serious speedwork the next few months and will start looking for a 5K in December or January soon.

Unfortunately, the top of my left foot is really throbbing post-race.  It’s weird—it feels almost like it’s badly bruised, but looks normal.  Who wants to diagnose me?  I think I need to focus on cross-training and resting it next week.

Anyway.  Not relevant to Tim’s weekend, but I bought some cute, comfy, dressy flats for work purposes today.

Other “It’s Tim’s weekend” celebrations included lots of college football (M-I-Z!):

…me doing the dog-walking:

…and Chipotle for dinner:

(Not pictured: delicious First Watch with our friend post-race; Brie’s three-hour afternoon nap in which I had a nightmare that I was doing a triathlon.)

What’s your favorite race distance? I love everything but 10Ks!