And by Baby, I mean this………

Remember that graceful fall I took on Sunday? Yeah, well, I also did this in the process:

The strap broke(!!) and I had to stuff it in my ifitness belt for the rest of the run.

I remember Christie asking me on our run, “Will you buy a new one if it’s broken for good?” And, to be honest, I seriously considered it (I really believe that a Garmin is a great tool for marathon training). But I kinda believed that it was fine so I didn’t give it another thought.

That is until I got home and I plugged it into the computer. The time splits just didn’t seem right so I asked Kimi to email me what her watch said. And, just like I thought, they were way off. Sigh……

So I decided to clean up my watch (used a toothbrush, toothpick, and lots of soap) and give it a few days off.

Then tonight I put it back together with extra pins that J had (sometimes it’s a good thing that I married a horder!) and it looked brand new.

Ahhhhhhhh……….So fresh and so clean clean……

And it worked!!! I’m choosing to believe that the extra care I provided is what brought my baby back to life. We’ve been through a lot together and I know we have a lot more adventures to experience.

Do you own a Garmin? Are you ridiculous and treasure it like I do??

Running has always been a sore subject in our house. Or, I guess I should say TRAINING has been. Before I committed to running the Pittsburgh marathon last year I made sure to discuss my thoughts with J. Having a supportive spouse during marathon training is KEY.

Even with the “talk”, training still caused more arguments than I’d like to admit. The biggest problem was that he didn’t “get it”.

• He didn’t get that I didn’t want to go out/drink Saturday night since my long runs were on Sundays
• He didn’t get that I had to run Easter morning
• He didn’t get that I would risk the freezing cold to get my run in, but wouldn’t go sled riding because “I hate the cold”
• He didn’t get that I had to run 11 miles in Pittsburgh when we were there visiting his family for the weekend
• He didn’t get that I didn’t want to try new restaurants the night before a run in order to avoid any potential stomach issues
• He didn’t get that running clothes and shoes are worth the money
• He didn’t get that I enjoyed running when I would end up on the couch with ice on both my knees for hours
• He just didn’t get it

So imagine my surprise when we were trying to decide on where to go to dinner Saturday night and he says, “Where should we go? We should probably stick to what we know since we both have long runs tomorrow morning.” And THEN when we were deciding on a movie time he said “Yeah, you don’t want to be out late since you’re meeting the girls at 6:15.”

WHAT??! Who are you, and what have you done with my husband??

I did it, ladies and gentlemen. I turned my husband into a runner.

I honestly don’t know how I did it. Maybe it was all the family 5k’s I made him do:

Or joining me in Team Challenge:

Or convincing him to train for the Columbus half marathon:

Or maybe he just realized that he could drink more beer if he ran more.

I don’t know. But to be honest, I could probably (pretty accurately) guess that it was the beer.

In any case, I really don’t care why. I don’t even care if he never runs again (though, I would prefer that he did!).

I am just SO GLAD that he finally “gets it”.

Does this apply to you and your friends/family/spouse/significant other?

Today started early. Too early for a Sunday in my opinion.

But I’ll do anything for running buddies.

Here’s my “I don’t want to be up this early but my friends are straight up crazy and want to start our long runs early” face:

I am not a happy girl at 5:30am (obviously).

The girls were running 20 miles and I had 12 on schedule. The plan was to run a 13.1 loop so that they could refuel (and only have 7 miles left!) and I could head home.

One thing I can say for sure is that Christie and Kimi come PREPARED:

They do NOT mess around (and I could probably learn a lot from them but who are we kidding, it’s just not gonna happen).

It was dark when we started and the running joke was that I should carry a flashlight because they didn’t want to be responsible for me tripping and hurting my ankle any more than it is.

So can you guess what happened 1.7 miles into our run?

AND IT WASN’T EVEN DARK ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!

Sigh…… Christie said I was pretty graceful since I aimed for the grass and put my hands out in front of me. It was almost like I was diving into 2nd base on my side (except there’s no way I would have been safe). I don’t believe her one bit.

Luckily I only had a small cut on my calf, the rest of me was fine. So off we went – 18.3 miles left for them and 11.3 for me. Off to a great start!

The rest of the run was uneventful. But once we hit mile 10 I could tell I was in new waters. The girls were killing it and I was feeling the pain. So instead of trying to push it (and hold them back), I stopped at mile 12.5 and said good bye.

I drove my sweaty, stinky self home and jumped right into an ice bath. My IT band is real tight and I am NOT taking any chances.

SIX WEEKS TIL THE NYC MARATHON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I die.

Please tell me some of you have fallen during a run – I can’t be the only one, can I???

Thanks for all the encouragement on my last couple runs. I didn’t post about them to get compliments, but I’m not going to tell you to stop. That wouldn’t be very smart of me, now would it?

When I first started running (seriously) about five years ago I really only had one other friend who ran (hi Jen!). The rest of my friends had no interest so it was something I pretty much did on my own. I never felt any pressure to run a certain pace or a certain amount of races. I just ran because I enjoyed the challenge. I liked pushing myself.

Dying after my first half marathon in 2005!

I was very relaxed and never really put any pressure on myself. I didn’t know about fueling for long runs or pacing. It was just running. Plain and simple.

After the 2006 Cleveland Half Marathon.

And I was honestly got kind of bored. Bored of running by myself, bored of the same distance, and bored of the same races. I had no idea there was a Cleveland “running community”. It never even dawned on me to try and reach out to other runners in the city.

2009 Presque Isle Half Marathon

An then I decided to see if I could run a marathon. And write a blog.

Turns out that I love both. I love the training, I love the runners high I get, and I love the friends I have made from blogging.

It was pretty quiet my first year of blogging (2010), I was still pretty shy about the blog and didn’t tell many people about it. I was starting to meet some awesome Clevelanders, though, but none of them were runners.

Until this year. This year (in my opinion) the running community has taken off like wildfire. I love that I now know people at races, and that we actually make plans to meet up before and/or after the race.

But what I don’t like is the competition. The pressure that I put on myself thinking that my race time will affect my credibility as a runner. The feelings of insecurity that I get because I know I’m not “fast” compared to so many other runners I know now. I never have been. I never will be. I’d rather run 26.2 steady miles than kill myself running a speedy 5k.

And this is all self-inflicted. Do people really care how fast I run? Do they actually log onto the race website and look up my name? I sure hope not. These aren’t things that I do, so why would others? I’m really not that important, and I’m not even sure why I care if they do.

I guess all this is coming from my self doubt regarding NYC. I’ve been scared people will see my time and judge. But I’ve decided to let this go. I’m going to be proud to run (or walk if I have to!) NYC and no matter the outcome I’m going to OWN IT. I’m going to share my time, my struggles, my accomplishments, and be proud of each and every one.

I’m going to get back to that place I was when I first started running and do just that. Run.

Today was one of those days where I just didn’t feel like running. I was tired, it was drizzling, I had plans tonight and I was going to have to shower again, etc etc etc.

But when I got home from work J said “If you’re going to run you better do it now. The rain is coming.” That’s all it took. Not sure why but that one comment got me out the door. And I’m sure glad it did because I KILLED IT today.

4 miles. Boom.

Maybe it was my new shirt:

Maybe it was the cool temps or maybe it was the rain, but I ran my fastest mile since my ankle sprain (and it wasn’t even downhill!).

• Mile 1 = 9:06 <———-KILLED IT
• Mile 2 = 9:14
• Mile 3 = 9:22
• Mile 4 = 9:34

Average pace = 9:19/mile. I think 5 miles would be my max at this pace right now, but I’m getting there. I can feel it coming back. Slowly, for sure, but it’s happening. I know it. And it’s exciting!

NYC blogger, Ali, is selling these shirts to benefit the CCFA. You can buy them here if you’re interested (though I think they may be sold out now?).

I’m not normally a fan of Brooks running shirts (they’re normally too short), but I think this may be my new favorite shirt. The material is super light and it was mad comfortable.

Plus, the message is pretty sweet, too. Perfect for me!

I even had a lady on the street pump her fists while I was running this afternoon and yell “I love sweat, too!!” Hehe. I love Lakewood.

What’s your favorite brand of running shirt?? I love Lucy and Lululemon – they’re both amazing (and flattering!).

Today I ran 10 miles.

I’m not gonna lie. It was pretty amazing.

It definitely wasn’t easy, but I had a lot of help:

1. Nuun is the bomb.

I have yet to have any stomach issues this time around and I’m convinced this why. I love this stuff and can’t run without it.

2. Cleveland views.

Isn’t this the the most amazing view? I love to plan my runs around this spot to refuel and/or regroup.

3. My husband.

I never thought I’d see the day we ran 10 miles together. We didn’t talk much during our run, but knowing he was there helped get me through those last 2 miles.

4. Ankle ice baths.

I’m working through this sprained ankle still. And I’m sure I will be until the marathon is over. But until then, these ice baths are my life saver! (don’t mind the mess around me – we’re still trying to finish painting our living room!)

I ran 10 miles today. It took a lot to get me there, but I still ran 10 miles. And it feels pretty damn good.

What gets you through your workouts? Do you have a support system like I do?

Lots of sleep, medicine, and orange juice seem to be doing their job. I feel 75% better than I did on Monday. It’s funny how that works when you actually take care of yourself.

So, my friend, Andy, has been inviting me to his “fun runs” on Wednesday nights. His Facebook invites always say “all levels/paces welcome”. But let me explain. This is Andy:

(very matchy matchy tonight, right? – hehe)

Andy is running the Columbus marathon and his goal is to qualify for Boston. This is his first marathon. He’s so fast it’s ridiculous (and I’m totally jealous).

So, needless to say, I was a little worried to say yes to these weekly “fun runs”. But I just decided to get over myself and do it. I had to run 5 miles tonight anyways, it may as well be with some friends, right? Before I knew it I was sitting on his porch waiting for another friend to show up.

I used my time wisely and did my ankle exercises while we waited.

It’s been a little sore this week, which I’m sure is a result of running 3 days in a row (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday), so I’m being a little more careful than usual.

I talked to him about my frustration with my speed and I LOVED his response:

“I totally get it. I’d be mad, too.”

Finally! Someone who gets it! But then he said:

“But what can you do.”

Basically he told me to suck it up and deal with what I got. Tough love. And I liked it.

And then our other running partner showed up so we took off. Five miles around Lakewood. The weather was perfect and it was nice to just run and enjoy the company. No worries about pace and no breathing problems. Perfect. My pace ended up being 10:27/mile and I love that Andy and Chad didn’t mind my slowness. They were awesome.

They even pushed me to run a 9:30 last mile. It felt GREAT! It may sound silly to you, but I felt like I was flying, and kind of felt like my old self again. I’m on a total runners high right now, people – can you feel the love??

If any of you west siders (or east siders if you wanna come to the ‘Wood!) would like to join our Wednesday fun runs let me know and I’ll have Andy add you to the group. Come join the fun!

Tomorrow is Thursday, friends, get excited for Jersday!!!

Do you (or have you) ever run with a group?

I seriously ADORE how many of you are champagne lovers! I’m usually the only one out of my friends to love it so much. In fact, there have been 2 weddings now where I have stolen all the champagne glasses off the table (and maybe even the surrounding tables). Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea, though, because one of those weddings resulted in a full on push up contest and the other in me wearing part of the centerpiece as earrings. What can I say, champagne = a good time!

Though, champagne wasn’t my friend last night because I woke up with a horrible sore throat and head cold.

Bad timing, my friends, bad timing.

Doesn’t the universe know that I don’t have time for this? I’ve been resting for far too long – it’s time to train!

So, train I did.

C took this picture – he wouldn’t stop snapping photos and this was the best of the bunch.

Three miles at a 9:46 pace.

It doesn’t matter if I run 3 miles or 8 miles, I still end up a sweaty mess.

My husband is a very lucky man.

And then C took the most unflattering picture of me ever:

Again, J is one lucky guy. This is probably what I look like 75% of the time when we’re at home.

In any case, I’m chugging orange juice like it’s my job in order to fend off this cold. I don’t drink juice very often and this was SO FREAKIN GOOD.

Hope you woke up this morning feeling better than I did! What do you do to fight off a cold? Any miracle remedies out there??

I wasn’t going to write much about 9/11 because I believe that the way we grieve, remember, honor, etc is personal and something so much more than I could ever put into words. But this morning I experienced the most amazing and emotional spinning class that I couldn’t not mention it. The ride was dedicated to those affected by the attack and all proceeds from the class were donated to charity. The music was uplifting, moving, sometimes angry, and simply perfect. As silly as it may sound, I was even moved to tears at one point. It was the best way I could have honored those who fought for our freedom that day 10 years ago. I’m so glad I went. If you haven’t tried Psycle in Westlake, you NEED to check it out. The instructors and studio are GRADE A, a class act all the way.

I also went to spinning this morning to flush out my legs from the 8 MILES I ran Saturday morning!!!

Baller.

The eight miles went by so quick due to some kick ass running partners. Seriously, they ran 10 miles before I joined them.

Kimi thought she was freakishly amazing running those 10 miles before I even started (but to be honest, she kinda was):

p.s. Check out my new ride in the background.

They quickly refilled their water bottles and we were on our way. Everything was going great. It was new scenery, I had people to talk to, the rain was holding off, and then we got to mile 6. I swear the first step I took after we hit 6 miles was when my ankle started to hurt. And then my calf was cramping up so bad. I have a hard time stretching my calf because I don’t have the full range of motion in my ankle yet. But then we hit mile 7 and I felt good again. Weird, yes, but what else is new?

Kimi and Christie totally rocked their 18 miles – I was secretly jealous I only ran 8.

But no matter how many miles we ran, we were all a sweaty mess when we were done. It was 96% humidity that morning!

Gross, sweaty legs. You are welcome.

And then, as Kimi refueled with her beloved chocolate milk,:

She came up with the best idea ever:

Why did I never think of that? The perfect way to ice my ankle after a run. So simple, but completely genius!

And to celebrate the 8 mile milestone?

Champagne!!!!

Kimi bought this for me way back at the beginning of summer (she knows I have a not so secret love affair with the bubbly goodness). She told me that each bottle represents 5 miles. So I’m supposed to drink one after my first 5 mile run, the second after 10 miles, etc.

I broke out the first one tonight.

Yeah, I may or may not have chugged that bottle. I’ll never tell.

As I look back on my day, I’m so glad 9/11 was full of remembrance this morning and celebration tonight. A good balance if I may say so myself.

What’s your favorite post-workout drink? Chocolate milk, water, gatorade, champagne??

Today I had a rough time getting out the door for my run. The weather was perfect but I was doing everything I could to stall (hello, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!). I can’t even blame it on the boys since they were both at soccer practice. Nothing but my own lack of motivation.

I waited until the last possible moment and finally put on my running clothes, laced up my shoes, and got out the door. And it was my best 4 miles yet! I swear, the best workout are always the ones that you dread doing. Never fails.

BUT, if I had had a team or running partner to run with I wouldn’t have even hesitated. I would have probably even been at the starting/meeting point early. It’s always so much easier to get out the door when you know someone is waiting for you.

Which is a great lead in for today’s topic:

The Liver Life Challenge is a program similar to Team Challenge, except that the money raised is to help create a better future for the 30 million Americans with liver disease.

The Challenge is an endurance training and fundraising program and the Cleveland chapter is about to start their training season for the Disney World half marathon, full marathon, or Goofy Challenge (which is both races over a two day period!) on the weekend of January 5-8, 2012.

(Two runners from last year’s race)

I can speak from personal experience when I say that these programs are life changing. It’s more than just a training and fundraising program, it’s a life EXPERIENCE.

Here’s what you can expect when you join:

• Professional running coach – Kate Pophal from Perfect Pace, LLC (Boston qualifier!)
• 16 week training program
• Team runs once a week
• Fundraising support
• Airfare and travel arrangements
• Accommodations at the team hotel
• Race entry fee and registration
• Team gear and most race weekend meals are even covered!

Your campaign manager, Katrina Marshall (and good friend of mine!), will help you make traveling to Disney and race weekend as easy as possible so that you can focus on your training and fundraising.

Katrina is looking for more Clevelanders to join the Team! If you’ve ever thought about training for an endurance event and didn’t want to do it alone, this is the perfect solution. Or if you trained for a race all by your lonesome last time and the thought of all those lonely long runs is preventing you from doing it again, this would be great for you! The Team atmosphere alone is worth it.

The kick-off event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 13th (next week!) and training begins Saturday, the 17th. Please check out the website for more details or feel free to contact Katrina directly:

• Katrina Marshall
• 646-737-9426
• kmarshall@liverfoundation.org

Let me know if you join the Team – I’d love to hear all about it!

Oh, I almost forgot! The winner of Running on Empty is…………Kelly!

Kelly, send your address to mile26andmore@yahoo.com and I’ll get your book out to you!