.:weekend in the smokies:.

friday [after my mini meltdown] brad and i headed to tennessee for a weekend with friends. after we made it through the ridiculous traffic we checked our cabin. it had been raining for most of the day but it gave us the opportunity to see the 'smoke' over the mountains. beautiful.

when shannon and chris arrived we went to dinner at the smokey mountain brewery. the food was just alright but the beer was great.

saturday we got up and headed to cade's cove, where we were able to spot several white tailed deer and turkey. after lunch we hiked up to grotto falls. it was a great hike and we also saw a black bear on the way up.

it was a great weekend, and it was so good to see shannon and chris. even if i saw shann every weekend it wouldn't be enough! we lived together for 4 years and i forgot how much i missed just being in the same house as her. i'm blessed to have her as friend.

thank you all for your sweet comments and encouragement about my last post. i hadn't heard of post marathon blues but i'd say i've got all the symptoms! it's nice to know i'm not the only one who's ever been through it, and hopefully i'll get back to my 'normal' soon!

soooo...

so... i don't even know what to say about life lately. i'd be lying if i wrote that i don't try to keep things mostly rainbows and sunshine on the blog. not because i'm trying to act like my life is so much better than yours [come see me, any illusion of that will be gone in 0.002 seconds], but because i figure no one wants to read the crap of everyday life. my friend, suz, did some really great posts last week about being authentic last week, and i figured what the heck.

i've been in a weird place since the marathon. at times i wonder if i made a mistake in running it. i sacrificed weight training to train for this marathon and i also let my eating get a little out of control. so while i can all myself a marathoner, i'm up 10 pounds on the scale, i've been dead tired, and i've done something to mess up my back. not great.

i don't like to complain. i know there are so many people dealing with things that are so much worse than anything i'm dealing with. i also know that i serve an amazing God who has a unique plan for me, so i try not to worry. but sometimes i just fail miserably. right now i'm feeling a little overwhelmed and hopefully i'll get to a better place soon.

brad and i spent the weekend in gatlinburg with my best friend and her husband. it was such a great time. i've been looking forward to it ever since we planned it. yet, on friday as we were packing to go, i was having a borderline panic attack because our house is a wreck. crazy.

what do you do when you feel overwhelmed?

have you ever regretted doing something that most people consider a huge accomplishment?

review:::: the ultimate beginner's running guide: the key to running inspired

a few months ago i was contacted by ryan robert to see if i wanted to review his new running book, the ultimate beginner's running guide: the key to running inspired. i love to read and i love running so of course i was happy to oblige.

ryan sent me an electronic copy for my kindle [and after he very patiently walked me through the process of uploading it from email to kindle]. i started reading the book during the peak of my marathon training, so it was slow going.

as you can guess from the title, this is definitely for BEGINNER runners. i had read most of the information previously [between kara goucher's running for women, many, many issues of runner's world, and running blogs], but it was nice to have the information all in one place. i think if you were brand new to the sport, this would be a great place to get started, but even if you've been at it awhile, it's a great resource.

it was great to review how to dress for the elements... because i needed all the help i could get at our arctic marathon!

my favorite part of the book was when ryan talked about body image, motivation, inspiration, and being self conscious. when i started running i was SO self conscious, heck, i still am sometimes. i thought he did an excellent job with this topic, and it would be particularly helpful to all runners.

there are also some really great training plans in the back of the book, which ryan explains so they aren't overwhelming.

if you're a beginner, this is a great place to start. if you have a kindle, you can get the book for $1.99 here!

disclaimer::: i was approached by author to review this book. i was given an electronic copy at no charge, but i was not required to give a positive review. all opinions expressed are my own. 

review mirror:::: march 2013

.:running:.

as i sit down to write this post, i almost skipped this portion because i feel like i've done so little running lately. then it hits me, you ran your first full marathon this month you dummy! but lately, UGH. i've lost my running mojo so failure is the primary thought that comes to mind when i think of running. 

anyways, three races this month: the asheville marathon, the oskar blues 4 miler, and the spartan race. other than the marathon, i can't say i trained or prepared for these races. i did a few short trail runs and a couple of even shorter treadmill runs. i've even quit tracking them on daily mile because they're so few and far between. 

but hopefully i'll get straightened out in april. if not the flying pig three way [5k, 10k, and 13.1] and the 30k trail race that i've signed up for in may will be MISERY. 

.:weight training:.
i really should skip this portion! as much as i idealized getting back to my weight training routine after the marathon... eh, not so much. partly because i've been lazy, partly because i've done something to my back [getting older is fun!]. 

.:reading:.
i finished a bunch of books this month:

three cups of tea was my favorite, i'd been meaning to read it for awhile when i stumbled upon in at the library. 

i'll have a full review of the ultimate beginners guide to running because the author, ryan robert, graciously gave me a free copy to read. spoiler alert: it's really good and i was even able put some of the tips to use for the marathon!

.:2013 goals:.
full marathon finished. 

30 minutes of computer time may have been a little unrealistic. i am doing this on days i work and i've also decided that i shouldn't get online until i've completed my daily Bible study. this seems to be working great for me, so i'll probably modify this goal at some point.

.:life:.
march was full of highs and lows. i was so grateful to spend time with matthew when he visited for the spartan race, and my parents visited on easter weekend. mom basically put me in time out on the couch because she was worried about my back and proceeded to cook us an amazing easter dinner. i felt bad, but it was so good and so greatly appreciated! for some reason her food just tastes better! :)

on easter day my sweet aunt sherri passed away. i am heartbroken for those of us she left behind, but i know that she is with Jesus and that her pain is gone. when i feel sad about her being gone i feel like i'm being selfish, but i suppose it's a natural part of grief. i miss her sweet smile and her unwavering heart. she always had a special way of making you feel like the most important person in the world when you were with her. please pray for her family [husband, two daughters, two grandchildren and a third on the way] and my momma, they were so close. 

when she and momma were helping me to pick out my wedding dress. 

mom, sherri, and their friend donna dancing at my wedding. 

2013 spartan sprint carolinas :::: recap & review

spartan sprint carolinas

march 23, 2013

time: 1:34:13

my brother and i ran this race last year, if you want you can read about it here. this year we dragged brad along too :)

our heat was scheduled for 10a so we drove to charlotte that morning. we got to the race site [us national whitewater center] and went up the hill to get checked in. i had ezekiel toast with PB before we left asheville and that seemed to do a lot better than last year's clif bar.

of note::: it was COLD this year. i was not looking forward to the water obstacles!

we made ourselves get out of the car and get our bibs on, then we headed up to get marked up. volunteers write your bib number on your face, arm, and leg [from what i can tell this is mostly for pictures because bibs tend to be covered in mud].

then we headed to the start line. i believe they release heats of 200 every 30 minutes. i don't normally start near the front of any race, but we lined up pretty far up for this. last year we got behind a lot of people on a single track trail at the beginning so we wanted to avoid that.

.: obstacles that i remember :.

• up and down a set of stairs
• pretty technical trail running
• set of 4 foot [i think] walls, one you go over, one under, then one through the middle
• the trenches [barbed wire mud pit] i'm talking mud up to your chest. 
• the mud pit led into the river, which we waded in for a bit
• one seven foot wall followed by an 8 foot wall
• obviously matthew and brad helped me here. matthew gave me a knee then they made sure i was steady at the top. i slipped coming off the back side and hurt my palm pretty badly. i should have just let go when i slipped but my reaction was instead to grip harder.  it immediately started turning blue so i skipped the second wall and went to do burpees. 
• tractor pull [i managed this one all by myself this year!]
• back to the river for some more wading
• three mud pits that were shaped like this VVV you walked down into them then had to climb up the other side. it looked super easy but was actually pretty hard. it was slippery but that's where the teamwork comes in. [TMI alert - i ripped my bootie to shreds sliding into the pits, OUCH!]
• barbed wire crawl
• monkey bars = my second set of burpees
• bucket pulley - they actually had girl and boy buckets this year and i was so happy to be able to complete this obstacle. 
• climb through a concrete tunnel
• cargo net climbs
• sandbag carry [they also had added a girl version of this, last year we all carried the same sandbags]
• traverse wall [burpees for me]
• tire flip
• spear throw [30 more burpees]
• rope climb [umm... burpees]
• a ladder type wall that you climbed up, over and down
• an incline wall that you used a rope to climb over
• fire jump
• gladiator pit

.:my race:.

• i felt like it was easier this year [matthew said the same]. 
• i feel like i could do another one and let the boys go on ahead of me. while it was nice to have them as my safety net and cheering me on, i know they would like to see how fast they could actually do a course. 
• i was disappointed in myself for skipping that second wall. i let my fear get the best of me and i regret it. 
• i made a point to stop and help people when and where i could. i love the camaraderie that comes with spartan race. it's all about getting everyone across the finish line. 
• i did two obstacles that i wasn't able to do last year.
• once again, my brother stepped up big for me. he and brad went ahead and finished because the they thought i could do the final obstacles myself.
•  matthew ran back to encourage me, telling me i was almost there and giving me tips on the final wall. 
• last year i burpeed out of this wall because people were killing themselves on it. they had put dish liquid on it to make it super slick and i have this unrational fear of busting my teeth out!
•  matthew told me that i could do it so i said i'd try even though i wanted to burpee out of it.
• i started up it and started to have a mini freak out because my feet started slipping out from under me. i was about to let myself slide down when i heard my brother at the top of it telling me to lean into my heels and that i could do it. 
• i climbed up to him and he helped me over the top. he had come back onto the course to help me. love him. 

this was after we hosed off. still freezing our tails off. and here are some pics from the race photographers:

i think brad win's for best picture! side note::: they allow you to download hi res copies of these pics FOR FREE. huge kudos to spartan race for providing that. 

they also send you a video of yourself completing some of the obstacles. here's mine, if you're so inclined you can see me crawling through the barbed wire pit, finishing the last incline wall, and running through the gladiator pit:::: click for video.

improvements from last year:

• ladies versions of some obstacles
• mile markers
• more water stations
• the shirts said 'finisher' on them. however they still give them to you at the end of the race when you're covered in mud. they're still black cotton. yuck. 
• bibs were nicer

earth fare friends 5k :::: april 13th

for those of you in and around asheville i wanted to share this... earth fare is hosting a 5k in a few weeks  (saturday april 13th). all the proceeds are being put towards the goal of eliminating childhood obesity.

and what's even better? i have a discount code! use the code  EF2013Friends for $5 off your registration! you can find out all the details on their website. 

oskar blues 4 miler:::: brevard, nc

oskar blues 4 miler

brevard, north carolina
sunday march 17, 2013

time:::: 37:38

i was so excited when i saw this race because brad LOVES oskar blues and we haven't been able to make it down to their brewery since it opened in december. i figured the promise of post race beer might just convince him to join me for the race [so far i had only been able to talk him into 5Ks]. i was right, he was in!

i didn't realize we'd have to miss church to go though. i ASSUMED that since the race was at the brewery that the start time would be later [you can't serve alcohol in NC until after noon on sundays], but i was wrong. whoops.

here was my original outfit [and our unmade bed]:

at the very last minute i changed into my usual capris... it was a little chilly outside... and while i've ran 4 miles in this skirt before, unfortunately my legs have changed shape a little since i haven't been lifting legs, so i was worried about chaffing]. we made it down to brevard and got checked it and picked up our packets. i loved the race shirts [and they're north face technical shirts!]

john tuttle, an olympic marathoner, started the race for us. the race was really fairly flat for a race here. there was one big hill, but it wasn't bad and there was a nice downhill following it.

during the first mile i felt horrible. when my watch beeped my first mile i figured out why... i was running way too fast for me!

don't get me wrong, i'm pumped that i'm even able to run that fast [i had no idea that was even possible for me!] but i wasn't running this race seriously, it was just something fun for us to do together [and by "together" i mean we both had a bib. i saw brad at the start line and then again at the finish. he's way to competitive to stick with me]. i had run 3 miles since the marathon, obviously i was not training!

i slowed down so my heart didn't explode and started to feel a lot better. there was a water stop around mile 2 then we finished the loop back to the brewery. i finished strong [even though i really wanted to walk at about 3.8 miles]. the race was run entirely on the roads, and while it wasn't terribly scenic, it was a really great, relatively flat course.

after the race we got some water and we decided to wait around for awards [we should definitely do this more often, especially for smaller races!]. they also had 'medals' for us which i though was super cute. they were unique!

fyi - brad did have on some green... one measly stripe on his shorts. he's a party pooper. and there were like 5 people with the same RNR savannah shirt on, random!

during the awards,  i won a door prize (25 bucks to a local outdoor store, black dome!) and brad found out that he missed 3rd place in his age group by 3 seconds! it sucked a little, but i think it actually encouraged him a lot. he's really competitive and i think he knows if had trained for more than 1 week for this race that he'd have easily placed. i hope it'll give him the bug to start running with me more!

after awards we went to get breakfast [i'll post on this later this week, i want to start posting more info on local eats] then came back to the brewery tasting room [the tasty weasel]. we enjoyed some fresh oskar blues brews.

such a great day and i cannot wait to do this race again next year. pisgah running organized the race and i thought they did a wonderful job! great course, well organized, and wonderful volunteers.