Why Taking a Vacation from Running Hurts (literally)

After I discovered that sprinklers are the best thing about running at the beach...........I decided not to run at all the rest of my vacation. Each morning I got up and intended to run, but due to the groggy and foggy feelings I had after being up with my injured husband every few hours, I just didn't feel like it. It's been a long time since I used that excuse to not exercise, but I decided not to be too hard on myself. It was vacation, after all. Everyone deserves a break. I've worked hard all year for it....blah blah blah. I did fool myself for the rest of my glorious, indulgent week away from home. I found a shirt to wear that summed up my feelings for the week (see left!) When my six pack comes back I am going to wear this. Really!


The dreaded time arrives when it is time to pack up and leave the beach. Saddest day of the year next to the day after Christmas. We arrived home, and reality sets in. Finally it is Tuesday, and time to run. I just haven't been able to make myself get up early to run, so my running partner and I are having to suffer through in the late evening when it is pretty hot and humid. I felt like I was back to square one. I could barely run for 2 minutes and felt like I was gasping for air. Not a good feeling when you thought you made progress! My muscles felt like they were tearing away from the bone. I thought my feet would burn off. Pitfiul.

Thursday's run wasn't much better. It was a little better, but not much. I began to wish I had a tank of oxygen and a mask to help me. It seemed like nothing worked right, not even my fuel belt. I was beginning to think FAILURE.....you're never going to make this half in November.....everyone else will be rocking and you'll be rolling on the sag wagon. I decided it would take the rest of the summer for me to catch up from not running three times during vacation. My body was screaming out in pain like I had never run a day in my life. It was a very scary moment when I thought all I have worked and sacrificed for is over. (I tend to be a little on the melodramatic side. I'm sure you can't tell!)

Moral of this story:  NEVER EVER take a vacation from running unless you are injured and running will further damage your injury. I will NEVER EVER stop running, even for a few days,  just because I think I deserve a break. I don't. I do deserve to keep my body in a rhythm and a habit of exercise. My lungs and heart deserve to work harder so they can be more efficient. My joints and muscles deserve the familiarity of a regular run to stay in sync. I've learned this lesson the hard, painful way.

Note:  My Saturday run was excellent, and I feel much better about my half in November! I'm not giving up!

My Favorite Thing About Running at the Beach

Perfect Beach Reading--Getting ready for the half!!!!

Ahhh...vacation. I wait all year for it. This year's beach trip to Destin, Florida, was a little different, though. The week before our trip, my husband decided to race some friends on a dirt bike in the field behind our house, and he was involved in a wreck that caused him to break his collar bone. And bruise some ribs. Oh, and his knee....I didn't mention that. He also hurt his knee. Needless to say, the trip was a little more stressful than I expected.

Being the avid runner that I have become, I packed two sets of running clothes and my shoes, because I needed to run three times while away from home. Because of the hubs' injuries, we didn't get a lot of sleep at night. Every time he rolled over, he moaned. Then I had to help him sit up so he could get out of bed for several trips to the bathroom. Somehow that collar bone and his bladder are connected!!! Amazing miracle of science!  When I woke up each morning, I felt like I did when my boys were newborn babies and I had been up with them the night before. Groggy and foggy are words that come to mind. I didn't feel like running. I knew, however, that I had this half-marathon to train for, so on Sunday, our second morning at the beach, I tiptoed out of bed and put on my clothes, grabbed a water bottle, put on my armband with my phone, and headed out. It was around 6:15 ish and the sun was up, but it wasn't too hot. I started out, and was so happy to see many others running. I'm so used to not passing another soul way out in the sticks where I live, so this was a different experience for me. I was feeling adventurous because I had not mapped out a route, I just decided to Forest Gump it, and when I reached a dead end, I turned around and went the opposite direction. I really wanted to run on the beach, but in Destin the sand is way to soft, plus the strong waves had carved out a shelf between the beach and the water, which also happened to be slanted, and I didn't want to run on an uneven surface. I was surprised to find out that RunKeeper doesn't work any better in Destin than it does in the rural areas of Georgia. It continued to get "stuck" on the mileage so it wouldn't actually show the distance accurately. I would have to take a short walk break, pause the app, then resume it to get the numbers to catch up. Pain in the rear!!!!! Despite this challenge, I was able to run about 4 miles in 45 minutes, which is actually a personal record for me, because it usually takes me 45 minutes to run 3.1 miles. I supposed the lack of humidity helped me--you really can breathe better in Destin! Reason number 1,075 to move there!!!

The beach view is fabulous!!!!

When I arrived back at the condo, I thought about my run and tried to pinpoint my favorite thing about running at the beach--the community of runners all out doing the same thing at the same time, the view of the ocean from the sidewalk, the sidewalks and the safety of them (as opposed to the side of the road that I am used to), or the lack of humidity. I realized it was none of those things! My favorite things about running at the beach is............sprinkler systems!!! Several were on each part of my route, and it was so refreshing to run through them and get sprayed with a little water. These little gems kept me cool the entire run! What a luxury!

No, these are not sprinklers. But they will help me on my runs at home. Purchased on clearance!!!! Cha-Ching!

Run for Aimee Copeland 5K

On June 30, 2012, I ran in the Run for Aimee Copeland 5K. Many of you know that Aimee continues to make national news as she battles to survive necrotizing fasciitis as a result of a zip-line accident.I am not going to go into much detail about her accident and her health....please visit this link to read more:

http://aimeecopeland.com/

Her father writes a blog for the site, and you can get first hand information from him. Her story is very inspirational and she is a strong, remarkable woman! I know you will enjoy learning more about her!

When I first signed up for the race, only 90 people had registered. The organizers were hoping for 500, so they sent out emails to encourage everyone to participate.  There is also a Facebook page where you can learn more about the race:

https://www.facebook.com/RunForAimee5k


 It wasn't long before I received another email saying the run was FULL! 500 people registered to run the 5K! I was thrilled, because I knew the more people that were there would mean more money raised to help with prosthetic costs for Aimee and a portion of the money raised was going to benefit Life Skills for Women.Please visit their site for more information:

http://lifeskillsforwomen.org/

Finally, race day arrived! Although I knew the run was for a good cause and no real awards were being given (except to the top 3 finishers...not age group awards) I was very nervous! I think I will always have that feeling when I race! The venue was packed....500 people is a lot for the area we were running in!

Our before picture: 

Me and my cousin and neighbor, Jennifer

We settled ourselves in at the starting line....we didn't line up first, but we didn't line up last either! We heard the words "On your mark, get set, GO!" And we took off! It was very crowded, so I kind of bounced up and down until I was able to really run once the Seabiscuits flew on by! The dust was horrific, and I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to breathe since I as recovering from bronchitis. That's why I stuck my inhaler down in the front of my tank top.  I did have to take a few walk breaks so I could blow my nose.
Jennifer was way up ahead of me, but my other running buddy, Candye, was close to me during the entire run. At the turnaround point, I drank a few sips of water and threw the rest of it down my back because it was a very hot and humid day. The run towards the halfway point wasn't bad, but the run back was sheer torture. The sun was glaring down on me and there was no more shade. The temperature continued to rise! Finally, the finish line was in sight! I was so glad to cross it so I could stop running and get more water. I did not have a PR, but wasn't really concerned because I was just so proud that I could finish the race after not having ran at all the previous week due to being sick. 35:00 wasn't too shabby!  I've decided that summer isn't the time for PR's....all I can hope for is to increase mileage, no matter how slow it is. I'll worry about time when it gets cold.

AFTER!!! Me, Jennifer, and Candye

We survived the heat, humidity, and dust! We also got to see Ryan Bowers, who made a recent appearance on the TV show, The Bachelorette. I high-fived the Chick-Fil-A cow--that was pretty cool!!! After we finished, we drove immediately to the nearest Cracker Barrel for coffee, grits, and the works for breakfast.

Somehow I missed this, but Candye was telling us about a woman with prosthetic legs who was running the 5K, and I felt guilty because I had complained about the heat, and here was this woman running and so glad to be able to do so.....what an inspiration! Jean Law is amazing! Read more about her here:

http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2012-06-30/run-raises-money-prosthetics-aimee-copeland

Here is also something else to make you know there is hope for young people today--the winner, Justin Weeger, donated his $100 prize money back to the cause! What a young man!!!

Besides getting to run a race, I'm so thankful to be associated with a group like this who came out to support Aimee and her family for no other reason than to give to someone who couldn't give anything back. If you have a chance to participate in a charity run, I encourage you to do it! There is no better feeling!

Guest Blog Post

Happy Weekend everyone! I am fortunate to have the opportunity to write a guest blog post at Running With Spatulas. I'm posting the link here so you  can read all about my search for the perfect running shoes. I've been through 4 pair and finally found my sole mates!!! Enjoy!

http://www.runningwithspatulas.com/2012/06/guest-post-lori-on-searching-for-your-sole-mate.html