Comments (16)

By kilax, May 3, 2009 5:56 pm

My birthday isn’t until July 31st, but this is what I want:

The Forerunner 405CX, 405, or whatever cool version is out in July…

Steven has had his Forerunner 405 (Jack) since December 22, but really hasn’t started using it intensely until now, since we finally have weather that permits outdoor running.

We were already impressed that it kept track of our pacing and distance, and even figured out when we were running laps at the park, but when Steven connected Jack to the computer today and showed me the Garmin Connect website… I was blown away.

The website shows elevation, speed, heart rate, as well as a physical google map of your run! I cannot believe we haven’t looked at this until today!

Of course, many of you already know this… and have been sharing your maps/charts on your blogs, but wow. This is one cool little watch!

If you click here, you can see our stats from yesterday’s race. And if you click on the “player” button (and hit play), it will show a little video of our movement on the map as well as our elevation vs. speed (chart shown below).

Today is a “Yes, I love technology” day!

It’s also a “I am so happy my legs aren’t as sore as they were yesterday” day! My legs aren’t usually sore after a long run, but they were immediately yesterday. I was changing in the backseat of my car, and just lifting my leg up while in the sitting position made my calf cramp. We walked around for about an hour and a half after the race, so I am happy we just didn’t get into the car and drive home! I imagine that would have made it much worse.

I really, really, really think I am going to have to try ice baths after my long runs now. Anything that prevents injury and lets me keep running… brr!

Comments (35)

By kilax, May 2, 2009 1:53 pm

Today was the big day… Steven and I ran the Wisconsin Half Marathon! I am still waiting to get our official time. I think it was 1:57:45 or something like that. Update: Official time is 1:57:47.

It was a beautiful, perfect day for a half marathon! Clear blue skies, weather starting in the low 40s and moving into the mid 50s – we couldn’t have asked for better weather!

The beautiful scenery! We got to run along Lake Michigan for much of the race!

The calm before the storm (Check out all those tissues! I didn’t use one!). I am happy I wore green – it was very easy for people to find me!

In the beginning, we looped right past the start and I yelled to my dad (as a joke), “I’m tired!” He yelled back, “Quit your whining!” Ha ha. (Click to enlarge – see me waving in the green?)

The race went really well. I felt great most of the time, despite spending half of it feeling like I had to go poo. I finally succumbed and went at mile 10. Talk about a load off! It took me a full mile and a half to catch up with Steven, which was kind of a bummer since it was so close to the end of the race and I wanted to run with him.

Ever wonder what Steven is thinking when he has to run alone?

I had just handed my hydration belt off to my mom before this photo – I am so happy my parents were there!

The Jelly Bellies worked really well for me! I ate 25 of them around mile 6 and they tasted great and maybe gave me a little boost? I am not sure. I would definitely use something with electrolytes in it for a full, but they worked fine for me for this half.

Steven got really dehydrated in the last couple of miles, and I felt so awful there was nothing I could do for him. We still finished strong, together!

Crossing the finish line!

Still nipping out after 13.1 miles! Check out the cheese medal!

My mom made this fun sign for us. When she got here last night I asked if she made me a sign. She said, “I didn’t know people did that!” So I happily supplied her with paper and markers. Yeah. I’m kind of lame.

Me and los padres (doesn’t that background look like something bobbiandmike would like?).

My legs immediately felt sore and tired after the race. I quickly changed out of my race clothes and into my “frump” outfit to walk back to the finish line to watch other runners and check out the booths. And dance on the rocks.

They were planning polka music at the finish line so my mom and I had to do some dancing.

We saw my coworker finish her half, and well as Susan BOSTON QUALIFY! You rock Susan! I am so impressed!

Go Susan Go!

This race left me totally pumped. I was really energetic throughout it, talking to the spectators, making jokes… I definitely see a full marathon in my future!

Comments (28)

By kilax, April 26, 2009 7:29 am

I used my last pack of Berry Blue Sports Beans during my 12 mile run on Friday. I later drove to Sports Authority to buy a few more packs for next Saturday’s race, and… they were out. I actually said “shit!” when the sales clerk told me.

Since we’ve decided we like them so much, we looked into buying a case of them online (we’ll be using a lot once we start training for a full marathon!) yesterday morning. Then, we actually compared the nutritional label for Sports Beans versus regular Jelly Belly Jelly Beans and found out the differences are some added vitamins, potassium and sodium (electrolytes)  in the Sports Beans, and less calories in the Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. That’s it.

We basically just need them for the sugar/energy during endurance runs (I mean really, do you actually expect to get vitamins from candy?), so we decided to just buy regular Jelly Belly Jelly Beans for awhile and see how those work out. We’ll get to eat more. Ha!

Our Target has a HUGE Jelly Belly selection. So it was fun to pick and chose!

There are actually more jelly beans not shown in the photo!

I decided to try one of the Cold Stone Birthday Cake Remix Jelly Beans, because they made me think of my sister. They were okay, but I know I wouldn’t like that taste in my mouth during a run!

I chose (starting on the right): berry blue, kiwi, and watermelon*. Steven made two mixes: lemon drop with lemon lime, and orange juice with tangerine and orange crush. I put the Sports Beans in the picture below for comparison.

I am not sure what those last things are on the left? They don’t look like Jelly Beans.

When we went through the checkout, I started chatting with the cashier about Sports Beans, and how we were buying these instead, and blah blah blah. She said  (something like), “It looks like you got a lot of healthy food, so it’s no big deal you are getting these!” Then I explained to her that we actually eat this while running. She was nice to me, but I think she thought I was crazy. And Steven probably did too. But you know what? I try to talk to the cashier, to be polite. Even if I don’t make sense (that’s often). What’s the point of acting like they aren’t there?

If we end up liking using these, it will be a huge cost savings. Sports Beans cost $1.00+ for a 1 oz. pack. Jelly Belly Jelly Beans cost $7.49 a lb. That is a saving of .53¢ an ounce!

So… we’ll see how it goes! Has anyone else tried doing this? Probably. It’s not that novel of an idea.

Kenosha Half Marathon Weather Watch Day 4:

Steven asked if looking at the weather every day was making me feel worried. Actually, it’s not. I am just looking at it for humorous purposes. It is what it is on race day!

*What’s funny is, these can sit in our pantry forever, and I won’t touch them unless I am running. I’m not that into jelly beans! But that peanut butter… oh, no.

Comments (17)

By kilax, April 24, 2009 8:09 pm

Today, I learned two things about my running:

1. My pacing sucks: Jack*, Steven’s Garmin Forerunner 405, accompanied me on today’s 12-mile run**. WOW. I am a sporadic runner. My first few miles kept going back and forth between 8:00 and 9:15. Then my later miles were between 9:00 and 10:30! Boo! I still finished in 1:48:43, but I hate those positive splits! I am happy Steven will be wearing Jack during the race.
2. I cannot predict my pooing patterns: I have a very real fear of having to go poo while I am running the half marathon. Today “nature called” around mile 5. I ran all the way to the public restroom (I was running in a Forest Preserve) and… it as closed for cleaning! Now, for me to stop running to go to the bathroom is a pretty big deal and I was looking forward to that relief. I think my sprint to the other bathroom made that one of my fastest miles! I wish I could figure out what is causing this (cutting out dairy has only helped a little bit). It seems so random. I will be really upset if I have to stop during the half marathon. I am the type of person who would not be ashamed to go in the woods (yeah, I said it!) but Steven would kill me if I did that. So I am hoping I will have an empty bowel that day!

Kenosha Half Marathon Weather Watch Day 2***:

Lame… see how much it has changed since yesterday? Why do I even look at this?!

*Steven’s GPS Car Garmin is called Jill, so I brilliantly named his Garmin GPS watch Jack. As in… Jack and Jill! Yes, Steven has to put up with my lame-ness on a daily basis. Poor guy!
**Yes, I know I should not be running 12 miles so close to my half marathon. But I HAD to get it in. Every day I had a long run scheduled it rained or snowed. So I watied until we had GORGEOUS WEATHER – today!!!
***I am posting this for my amusement, to see how much the forecast actually changes between now and race day!

Comments (20)

By kilax, April 23, 2009 5:32 am

Update: Aron is right – the Chicago Marathon is now closed. Funny thing is – it was open this morning when I checked it. Total bummer. Steven wanted our first full to be local – time to look into Wisconsin!

Earlier this week, a coworker (who is also a runner) asked if I will be excited when the May 2nd Half Marathon is over.

No way! I will be SAD when it’s over! I am having so much fun training. I love being on a schedule. I love having a race to look forward to.

And yes, I am a little bit worried of keeping my mileage up when I am NOT training for something specific. I feel great when I get at least 25 miles in a week.

My guess is, I will spending most of May 3rd convincing Steven to sign up for the Chicago FULL Marathon before it’s too late. (Wait, is it a good idea to give away my reasoning for signing up? Ha ha.)

Related story: On Saturday, after I got my medal, Steven said to me, “That medal is pretty cool. A lot better than a block of cheese.”

Ha ha. Yes, the Kenosha Half Marathon Medals are blocks of cheese:

And… today is the first day that weather.com is showing the forecast for race day. Let the worrying begin! I have absolutely NO faith in weather predictions. But I still look at them, and somewhat plan my life around them. Why? I am not sure.

Looks good so far…