Raleigh

This entire week has been a hot mess.

| cheriarmour

A hot mess.  The universe is off-kilter.  Between Monday’s horrific tragedy in Boston, and continued weird events throughout the week, I am 100% confident in saying, that we all could use a vacation.  And a hug.  And a smile.

And knowing that the universe was acting strangely, I forced myself to run yesterday.  And usually when I do this, it  ends well.

My first mistake?  It was over 80 degrees, kinda humid, and I was wearing Nike Dri-Fit Capris.  “Oh, it’ll be fine, these hot capris will keep your chub from rubbing!”  False.

Then, I drank enough liquid to solve the clean water crisis in Africa.  I was thirsty!

Third?  I really didn’t feel like running.  Not I was just being lazy.  I really wasn’t feeling it!  But sometimes, it’s hard to tell the difference between laziness, and your body telling you to chill.  Learn to tell that difference.  So you won’t be a mess like me.

I set out on a short run before I had to teach a class yesterday.  And I began my gallop down the sidewalk with the grace of a Holstein Cow.  Took a few more steps.  And the liquid began to slosh around in my belly.  My pace fluctuated as wildly as my breathing did.  Sweat began to drip into my eyes.  And all I could think was.  “Shucks.  This is a bad run.”

It was a bad run.  Really bad.  I haven’t felt so defeated since I began to run.  And you know what you do when you have a bad run?  Drop it low, do a dance, be grateful you’re not injured, take a day off, and revisit running when you feel up to it.

Bad runs happen.  You’re emotionally drained.  You’re physically exhausted.  Your girlfriend just dumped you.  You lost your house.  You’re going through a divorce.  And your body is like. “Nope.  I need to expend energy grieving and repairing myself, not messing around here in this hot weather, inappropriately dressed.”  At that point, it’s tempting to push yourself harder, and try and redeem yourself, prove to yourself you can run.  You can.  You know it.  You’ve run 5ks, 10ks, half-marathons, marathons.  You need a break.  So when a bad run happens to you, (and it will, because you’re a human being), take it in stride.  Take a day off.  Come back when you feel ready to come back.  Dress a little more appropriately.  And do your thing a little better and smarter next time.

 

I woke up Monday morning…

| cheriarmour

…excited, like it was Christmas!  I mean, it was Boston Day!  The best day of the year for so many! And one of our teammates was running, and was nervous to finish.  (He finished with flying colors, btws, and we never doubted he could do it for a second).  And by the end of the day yesterday, we were devastated.  I don’t need to repeat what happened at the finish line at Boston about 4 hours into the race on Monday, I’m sure you’ve heard.  But I feel like we all need to pause, and take stock in what we have.  I want to take a second, be absolutely corny, and say this.

I am grateful for those of you who’ve read and commented on this blog.  Your support keeps me going.

I am grateful for my job and my work friends.  We squabble like a little family, but we love each other.  You make going to work a pleasure.

I am grateful for running.  It’s changed a lot for me.

I am grateful for my family.  I am more grateful since my Mom’s been sick.

I am grateful that Kerry Seal, our teammate, is coming back from Boston safe and sound.

I’m grateful for Zumba, Yoga, and however it is I choose to move.  It keeps me calm.

I could go on for days.  But you’d probably get sick of it.

Race Shirt

So here’s my race shirt, showing my Boston folks a little support.

And I leave you with this – a Russian children’s folk song that’s gotten me through a few rough days.

May there always be sunshine,

May there always be blue skies,

May there always me Mama,

May there always be me.

Race Review! Run Raleigh Half Marathon!

| cheriarmour

I think by now, I’ve figured out, that though I work okay without the pressure of a race coming up, I do a little better when I have a race breathing down my neck.

I hadn’t planned to run the Run Raleigh Half Marathon, but a friend of mine decided she couldn’t run it, and generously allowed for me to take her place.  And it’s a good thing, I still have the Nike Women’s Half in two weeks, and it kept me on track with a long run this weekend.  And gosh, I needed that long run.

Time

I have stress dreams. So I dreamt all night that I’d overslept the race. But, my mom’s been sick, and I dreamt that she, on the way to the race, took my hand, and jogged with me to the start line. (One day Mommy, you’re totally gonna do it!)

I ate the breakfast of champs, Nutella on toast with a Gatorade Primer, Rock Taped my hips, and watched Sean T’s hip-hop abs infomercial for a while. (I love for a good infomercial).

Bafroom

I put on my compression pro-tight (rocked my world), and my Brooks mesh tank (doubly rocked my world), and set off for the start line, which was about a mile from my house.

Back

I mean, on the real, how cute is the back of that top?

Okay, onto the race review.  

Run Raleigh Half Marathon 2013:

I give the race an A- overall.  Lemme break it down.

  • Packet pickup was seamless.  Packet pickup was at Capital Run/Walk, a local running store.  I’m more of a Fleet Feet Raleigh girl 😉 but I’d be lying if I said the store wasn’t beautiful, and the volunteers weren’t friendly as could be.   
  • The race was extremely well organized.  I walked to the site, and was easily able to find the start, find the pacers, find out where I was supposed to be, and all that good stuff.  For folks that are down with  Port-a-Potty, there were like a million lined up to start.  Heads up: if you’re driving to the race?   You share those parking lots with a Starbucks, a Rite-Aid, and a Harris Teeter.  What I’m saying is, these businesses don’t love it when you park in their lots, but you’re not shopping.  If you’re driving, park respectfully, or have someone drop you off at the start line.
  • The race started on time.  You don’t know how important that is.
  • The volunteers.  They were the rock stars of the entire operation.  The volunteers were well-trained, friendly, smiling, and handled the water stops with ease.  They were wonderful.  If any of the volunteers are reading this?  Seriously, thank you.  You guys rocked.
  • The course.  Okay, here’s where the minus part comes in.  The course was pretty.  We had home-court advantage, so the hills weren’t a surprise.  We used Greenway (which was so cool!), and the miles just flew by.  Here’s the minus.  There is the rudest hill at 12.1 miles that will have you praying for salvation.  I ran with the 2 hour  pacer, and nearly lost him at that hill.  And my glutes are talking today, they didn’t like that hill, either.

Overall? If you’re looking for a pretty spring race to do? Do this one? Beware of that hill at 12 miles, but other than that, you’re in for a really really enjoyable 13.1 mile ride!  On a more personal note, I’m proud of how consistently I was able to maintain a 2-hour pace, despite a pretty hilly course.  I certainly need to work a little harder, I’d like to hit below 2:00 now, but I’m proud of my work yesterday.

Navigating bar food.

| cheriarmour

So I’m adding an element to the blog.  Super relevant, yet super challenging.  It’s the part where we’re young and we like to go out with our friends – so how do we navigate the downtown bar/restaurant scene without totally wrecking our diets/lifestyles/training programs?  Here’s a little guide with a couple of tricks to help you navigate when your frands call you up.

First, don’t panic.  It’s tempting to, when you’re training, or when you follow a specific diet, alienate yourself from friends who don’t eat or drink the same way you do.  But just because you’re watching what you eat doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to spend a little quality time with friends, right?  So your friends call you up and say, “Hey, let’s go get nachos and watch sports (ew) at the bar!”

Draft 1

“Okay girl!  Let’s go!”

So second, scope out the scene.  Google the place where you’re going to go, check out the menu, and make a plan for yourself.  Don’t expect yourself to make a great nutritionally sound decision when under duress.

Draft 2

Third, skip the sodas, skip the bread basket, and skip the appetizers.  If you can manage that, you’ve already won half the battle right there!  Between those three things, you could add on enough calories for a full meal, so if you skip those, you’ll actually still be hungry when your food comes out!

Eyeball the sides.  Can you replace the chips or fries with something else?  Is there a fruit option?  An option for a side salad?  Even sweet potato fries?  Go for the one with the least grease, and stick to it!  Fries and tots are completely awesome, but trust me, your belly will thank you in the morning on your next run.

Draft 3
Veggie burger with green beans on the side! Proof that you CAN find better choices, even when you’re at the bar, among the nachos, beer, potato skins, and fries!

Do your thing!  Enjoy your meal!  And enjoy pretending that you care about sports!

Finally, finally, if you slip up and go for something that wasn’t the plan, that’s okay.  Don’t beat yourself up over the stray fry or the dessert that accidentally found its way into your mouth.  Food is meant to be enjoyed, and dang it, you’re allowed to have a good time once in a while!

So fear not next time you go out with friends, and hey, maybe your good habits will rub off on a few of them!

 

 

Q: You’re running a marathon….so why don’t you ever run 26.2 miles in your training?

| cheriarmour

I feel like I’ve been asked this question about a bazillion times since I started this marathon training thing.  I may have even wondered it myself prior to buckling down and doing the training.

But the training involves me running about 4 times a week, one long run, and then 3 others.  The long runs never go over 20 miles, and I just did my 20-miler last week.  And folks seem beyond puzzled.  So we chatted about it at work.  I did my research.  And I bring to you the answer.

I don’t really know.  That’s just what the training told me to do so I did it.

Landreth
Chilly day here in Raleigh! This is the Asics Landreth. Great shoe, right? Well it’s SO great that they’ve decided to discontinue it. ::side eye:: As far as a shoe family, it fits right in with the Brooks Ghost, the Saucony Ride, the Nike Pegasus, and the Adidas Glide as far as feel/shape/the fact that’ it’s neutral. And it’s yellow!

Sike.  So you can search high and low for marathon training programs.  Generally, most will be something like mine.  Some of the more advanced programs, for folks who may be more experienced and more elite may call for you to do maybe two 20-milers in the course of training.  But I’d be surprised if you could find a legitimate training program that would tell you to run over 22 miles.  Here’s why.  For one, there’s no training for 26.2 miles quite like a marathon.  Second, and this is coming from pretty seasoned pros, 20 miles is all well and good.  Much more than that for a simple training run, and you are shredding your body and legs.  And your body will need a long long time to recover from that.  So the deal is, if you’re training along with me for a marathon, follow your training program.  And though it may feel counter intuitive once you begin to taper (OMG, my mileage is decreasing?!), there’s a method to the madness.  On race day, you’re supposed to be rested, refreshed, and raring to go.  And the only way you do that is to get your super long runs out of the way about a month out, and then starting to let your body rest, heal, and hydrate for the big day.  How do you prepare for childbirth?  How do you prepare for your wedding day?  You get ready.  Read the books, do your training, and you talk to people who’ve done it.  Now I hope you guys can deal with the crazy as taper madness begins to descend on my household!

Let’s talk about poop, baybee! Running makes you move!

| cheriarmour

I’m not talking about some chub jiggling.  I’m not talking about the booty bouncing.  I’m talking about p-o-o-p.  I don’t want to say it, so we just have to spell it.  (My mom reads this blog, so we can’t get too graphic, because she will call me and yell.

If you run any sort of distance you know what I’m talking about.  You’re in the groove, and all of a sudden, the urge hits you.  The urge to ::ahem:: evacuate the dance floor, if you will, hits you.  There can be a number of reasons for this.  1, if you’re running in the morning, it’s part of the natural cycle of waking up and getting yourself together.  2, if you eat a little breakfast before you head out, your body wants to move things along!  It’s natural.  3, if you’re completing a long run and you’re taking gels, the combination of sugars and/or caffeine can give you a kick in the gut.  And finally, 4, if you’re racing, sometimes nerves can get the best of you, and set your stuff aflame.

So what do you do when you’re running, and all of a sudden, it hits you?

-In a race?  Hit the port-a-johns. Avoid looking down, make sure your quads are strong, and HOVER. Just hover.  Douse yourself in Purell, and keep on your way.

-My least advisable option is to take an Immodium before a big race. I’m not too big a fan of this option because it freaks me out to artificially plug things up.  Unless you catch the stomach flu and are severely dehydrated before a race, I’d skip this one.

-Before a long run or a race? Hit the throne so you can clean house before you find yourself 15 miles from home with a bewildered look on your face.  Skip the super fibrous veggies just before and clean house in the days leading up to a race or a long run.  Don’t eat weird or exotic (to you) foods just before a long run.

-If you really find yourself upset often, try switching to a non-caffeinated gel.

– Trees. If you’ve ever run a long race, people will regularly leave the course on the nature-y parts.  Don’t look at what they’re doing.  You know what they’re doing.  Don’t peek.  That’s weird.  You can do it too if you find yourself in a pickle.

-Finally. Finally. Finally. Map out the bidnesses in the area that will allow you to use their facilities. Some places (understandably) won’t let you use their restrooms, presumably because they don’t want folks getting dressed/having relations/using Listerine/getting drunk and throwing up in their places.  It’s happened to them before, so they not with it. Coffee shops that you frequent in real life, the YMCA, sandwich shops, or places that you worked in high school usually will be nice about the bathroom stops.  Use them.  Thank the folks who let you use them.  And make sure you frequent and patronize these bidnesses when you’re not running as well so you build a lovely rapport with these owners.

For those of you who live in Raleigh?  I’m working on a database to store those bidness (business) owners who are willing to let us use their facilities, and who might even spare a cup of water on a good day.  Look out for the info!

Guest Blogger! Carly Swanson!

| cheriarmour

I am once again, thrilled with the opportunity I have to introduce today’s guest blogger, my friend, Carly Swanson!

Carly 1

I met this tiny nugget while I was working for NC State University, in their department of Campus Recreation.  We got certified to teach cycling together, and cross paths all the time in Raleigh.  Carly is usually crossing the finish line first, while I’m rolling in hours mere seconds behind her.  Without further ado, my inspiration to crush a few miles just a tad faster!

“Fast Car and Freedom”

By: Carly Swanson

It’s 5:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning and while many people my age are just getting in from downtown Raleigh or Charlotte, I am heading that way, as part of a 16-mile run scheduled in my marathon training plan. As I contemplate sleeping in, I know that if I hold off on my workout, I would not complete it that day, as I work weekends web producing at a news station. I end up rolling out of bed onto my apartment’s cold, wooden floors to put on warm running clothes and try to eat a banana before I face the wind and dark streets for a few hours.

Some would call my passion for running as an addiction, but to me, it is just something that runs in my family, as my 53-year-old dad logs over 1,000 miles each year and my mom was a high school track coach when she was pregnant with me.  Ever since December 2010, my mom has run in races with me each month, as well as successfully completed three half-marathons.  Our monthly “mother-daughter tradition” keeps me motivated and I hope to look half as gorgeous and healthy as she does when I am her age.  My parents were my inspiration to take on running as a lifetime hobby and as I’ve been around the sport since I literally was in the womb, my parents even said I was the baby who ran first instead of taking baby steps.

This “get after it” and free spirited attitude has been instilled in me and running is something that has helped me gain confidence in other aspects of my life. I cannot describe how much more powerful I feel after completing a run or race and it is something you have to experience yourself to truly understand. This confidence has enabled me to achieve other goals, such as apply and get accepted in to graduate school and work my way up in the news or sports industries to become a reporter one day.  I always feel physically, as well as mentally stronger and healthier after a morning run or workout and it is one of the few moments during the day I have to myself outside of school and work. Running really is a “free form a therapy” and the energy it gives me during the day helps me push tough everyday work and school activities.

As I set personal running goals for myself, I also try to inspire and motivate others to do the same.  My supporters: family, friends and followers are frequently a motivation to me to train and work hard. I feel that if I can show them how running has helped me maintain a healthy lifestyle, they too can easily reap the benefits of exercise with small lifestyle changes. If it weren’t for their support, the training of my marathon would have been extremely difficult.

The unique opportunities racing each month has provided me with ranges from winning the Krispy Kreme Challenge for women in 2012 (eating a dozen doughnuts and running five miles for the NC Children’s Hospital) to treading in pond water up to my nose and climbing through barbed wire and mud in China Grove YMCA’s Down and Dirty Run.

The fitness opportunity I am most thankful of is representing the Oakley Women brand, as an ambassador. I was one of 10 women chosen to represent the brand in the “Perform Beautifully” competition, where over 600 women applied in the fitness industry in 2012. My fellow women ambassadors are like sisters to me and are a group of the strongest, most determined women I’ve ever met. All of their stories are such an inspiration to me, as they are “real, everyday women” who not only enjoy have a passion to lead healthy, active lifestyles, but also help others do the same. They frequently motivate me to set and achieve goals and I recommend learning more about them, as well as finding workouts and healthy recipes here: http://www.oakleypbc.com/Article/Details/dfd636a8-4826-4956-9355-b2c920c6fe37 as I know they can inspire you as well! Connecting with these women and the Oakley brand has opened so many new doors from me and I cannot be thankful enough from the support and fitness opportunities I have taken away from each time I am with this group of kick-butt women.

My Oakley sisters helped push me to sign up for my first marathon in 2012. I was able to achieve some personal running goals, as I ran in Charlotte’s Thunder Road Marathon, where I ran it in 3 hours and 20 minutes, as well as placed first in my age division. I also achieved a bucket list goal, which was to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The best part of my first marathon process was that I made a great friend/training partner in the process and I still enjoy running today (I’m itching to run another 26.2!)

I learned so much about myself after completing my first marathon and I am not going to lie, there were many times that I wanted to skip that early morning workout or just give up because I didn’t think I could mentally stay tough through the pain. It doesn’t matter if you are training for a race or trying to land that dream job, you have the freedom and ability to do accomplish any goal you hold yourself accountable for. Here are a few tips that have worked for me and I hope you can use them to achieve your goals you have set for 2013 and beyond!

-Schedule your workouts/runs/studying like an appointment in a planner. The feeling of crossing that off your to-do list is very empowering and helps set the tone for the rest of the day.

-Announce your goals to your friends, family and followers. This will give you a great support system and then the pressure is on and you are held accountable to achieving that goal!

-Connect with others who have either achieved the goal or are working to achieve that goal too. I frequently look to other runners or fellow Oakley ambassadors for advice and to learn how they have been successful and unsuccessful in their specific interests and niches.

-Remember you hold the tools to build a successful and healthy life for yourself. Do not let anyone stand in the way of achieving your goals. Let that unsupportive person be your motivation to work harder to achieve that goal faster. There is no better feeling than to prove those people wrong and show them how much stronger you are than before!

As Cheri has been such a wonderful motivation to me through her sense of humor, amazing Zumba classes and inspirational blog, I love connecting with other runners and those looking to leader healthier lifestyles on social media! My current goals include: continuing to lead a healthy lifestyle, constantly challenging my fitness routine, completing graduate school, reporting full-time, running in the 2013 NYC Marathon, 2013 Marine Corps Marathon and 2014 Boston Marathon. I frequently post motivational articles, workouts and healthy recipes on my social media outlets and feel free to connect with me and hold me accountable for my goals as, I can also help you achieve yours!

Email: carlyswanson1@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/carlyswanson37
Twitter: @carlysamsonite
Wordpress Digital Portfolio: www.carlyswanson.wordpress.com
Instagram: carlysamsonite”

Carly 2

Thank you Carly!  I hope I can glean a little bit of your magic for my Spring races!

New Year’s Weather…

Image | | cheriarmour

New Year's Weather...

I hope the weather wherever you were was better than ours. Here, today’s weather absolutely blew. The silver lining? Today was one of the first days in a while that I didn’t need to wear gloves on the run – it was warm enough! And I have to admit, running in the drizzle made me feel a teeny bit more hardcore than I normally do.

RIP Hibernian

| cheriarmour

When you run through any city, you sort of get to know it. Hibernain is an Irish pub that’s part of the permanent landscape of Raleigh. I’ve both run by, and drank there often.  The bartenders are great because they’re literally the only bartenders in the city who won’t give me a hard time about drinking Michelob Ultra on Mystery Beer Night.

The last time I was there was on my 25th birthday, with my run-date, Shawn. We had a blast, and have since talked about going back to relive that evening.

Last Wednesday morning, around 10:30 am, Hibernian burned to the ground in a fire that was suspected to have started in the kitchen. I’ve since re-routed my run by there to be able to pay my respects to the little pub down the street from my home. I was heartbroken to see this.

Hibernian

Between the noise and the smell of that night, it felt like going to a wake.  The inside was compltely burnt and everyone who walked past would double back to see what’d happened.

The owner says that they’ll rebuild, and when I ran by today, despite the smell of burnt plastic, there was already a Cary developer who’d hung a fence and signs.  I’ll keep my tradition of running by til they’ve rebuilt.

For now, let’s raise a Mich Ultra to the memories lost in old Hibernian.  2000-2012