The Half Marathon

It's been one week since the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in Chicago, and I haven't really known what to do with myself now that training has ended! It feels strange to know that I don't have to go run long miles at the end of each week anymore. I must be honest - for the week after the half, I pretty much paid no mind to what I was eating, and I only exercised once with a 5 mile run on Thursday (August 18th). I had cheeseburgers, fries, ice cream, pizza and wine throughout the week. Although I know it's not the right mentality to have, I felt that I deserved it and that 6 days off wouldn't be the end of the world. Yesterday (Sunday) I got back on track. Now, to review the race!

Friday, August 12th

You had to pick up your bib number and race packet on either Friday or Saturday prior to the race at McCormick place. I was grateful that I got to ride along with my boss Lindsay who was also doing the same half, because I HATE parking at McCormick place with a passion - as Lindsay very well knows, since we were at a conference there last fall for 4 days and I got lost looking for my car EVERY day! At the expo, there were all sorts of health and running vendors who you could score freebies from. At check-in, we got a bag full of goodies and your T-shirt:


There were also a lot of food and drinks you could sample, and I made a couple purchases. The first was Nuun.



Nuun are these little tablets you put into your water that add flavor and electrolytes. I sampled the strawberry lemonade and lemon lime flavors, and they were delicious! They had a deal of two containers of 12 tablets each plus this cute plastic water bottle that has the pull top that I like for $10, so I went ahead and got it. I took it with me running today, and learned something important...tastes kind of gross when it gets warm! So I won't be taking it running with me anymore, I'll drink it post run.

The second purchase was from PR*Bar. Now, I didn't actually talk to anyone at their booth or read information, just sampled their product which tasted REALLY good and then decided to jump on their 3 for $5 deal. After checking out their website just now, it looks like they market it as meal replacement for weight loss, which I don't agree with. But, I am willing to give it a try as something to have pre-workout and then have a smaller meal after working out, which I often like to do. I got the iced brownie bar and chocolate peanut butter bar. These bars are unbelievably soft and smooth - not gritty like some energy bars are.



Saturday, August 13th

Took it easy and rested up. Knew I needed to load up on carbs and had a craving for waffles all day long, so I ended up eating them for breakfast and dinner! I did have a turkey sandwich from Spicy Pickle for lunch, which was good for protein. I went to bed at 10:15 PM - early, but not early enough considering I had to be up at 3:30 AM! =(

Sunday, August 14th - RACE DAY!
Alarm went off at 3:30 AM. My first thought? "F this." But there was no turning back now, so I dragged myself out of bed. Lindsay was coming from Aurora, and so it was easier for her to pick me up off I-88 rather than I-355 where I live, so I parked near my boyfriend's apartment. We left at 4:30 AM. The race started at 6:30, and the roads start getting closed off around 5:15, so we had to get down there to park.

Us bright and early!




I felt a little nervous, but I was definitely way more nervous before the triathlon I did last year. My wave started running around 6:40 AM. I ran pretty slow in the beginning, because many warned me to not start off to quickly and burn yourself out. The race did not go by as quickly as I was expecting. My 10, 11 and 12 mile runs didn't seem to bad, but honestly this seemed like an eternity! I didn't see mile markers until mile 4, and I was expecting it to be mile 5.

I kept trying to make up my time and was monitoring my watch between mile markers, but no matter how hard I tried to go just a little faster, my pace kept hovering around a 10 minute mile. When I saw it was only mile 4, I was like "Are you KIDDING me?!?!" By mile 8, I was really tired. Mile 10, I kept thinking "I cannot wait to NEVER run again!!!" By mile 12, I wasn't sure I would make it. Once the finish line was in sight, I had to push myself like never before. The look on my face for the finish photos shows how badly I wanted it to be over!



After the race, I got my sweet medal:



The temperature for the race was perfect - about 70 degrees - but it did rain a few times throughout the race, and that made it kind of cold. I wanted to check out some of the vendors that were at the race and snag more free stuff, plus get my two free MGD64's that I wore my darn wristband for all weekend! (You could get your ID checked at the expo to avoid waiting in line after the race, provided you wore this yellow wristband that I had to keep on all weekend long). However, it was raining pretty steadily at this point and we were freezing, so we left.

I had a celebratory breakfast with Phil, Julie and Mike, which ended up being free because poor Julie bit on a piece of glass that got into her eggs! Besides that, breakfast was delicious. I've never finished a huge breakfast portion like that, but I was ravenous! Then as soon as we got back, I passed out for a nap. That night I went to bed at 8:30 and slept until 7 the next day!

So now that it's over, I'll be training for the Willis Tower Stair Climb. However...I have come across a Naperville Half Marathon that is happening Sunday, September 11th. I would just pick up the last three weeks of my training schedule to prepare. Kind of crazy that I'm already considering another one! But it's cheap, it's close by, and best of all...it doesn't start until 8:30 AM :) I only have a couple days to decide, as I would need to get back on my training. But Phil and I were going to go to Wisconsin September 9 - 10th, provided that he gets a 1/2 day request approved at work. If we go, I won't do the race. If we don't...I'm considering it!

1/2 Marathon Training: Final Week

Just 6 days until the half marathon! I'm excited and feel ready for it. It's felt a little strange winding down my training knowing that there is still a 13 mile race ahead...last week my long run was 9 miles, this week I'm not supposed to do more than 4 or 5 miles on any given day. Part of me is nervous that my endurance will wear off, but overall I know that I've trained properly and am ready to go! I'm looking forward to doing different cardio workouts again - I'll keep up with the running somewhat, but definitely cannot wait to take a break from these running blisters!

Now that my training is almost at an end, I feel that I need to get my eating back under control. I lost two pounds during training, which isn't a whole lot, but given that I still ate fast food, cookies, cake, cheeseburgers, hot dogs here and there, it's fine by me! All the running leveled out any extra calories. I was also stuck between two clothing sizes at the start of the training, running helped me move down a size and stay there.

I purchased a Groupon for a small, private owned grocery store in Downers Grove called Lemon Tree. They carry a lot of quality produce, organic foods, and healthy foods. The deal was $12 for $25 worth of groceries, so I jumped on it right away. Here's what I got:



I bought some convenience produce that I normally don't waste money on - like $4 on pre-cut strawberries and blueberries, for example. The grocery store also has a cafe, and so the shopping area was a little cramped in my opinion - I regretted choosing a cart instead of hand basket. I might have to cough up the extra cash on a regular basis for the deli turkey and provolone cheese that I got - it's DELICIOUS!!! Melts in your mouth! Was about $5.50 for the 1/2 lb of turkey and 1/4 lb of cheese, I will get 4 wraps out of that, so not bad when you consider most deli sandwiches cost you about $6 anyway.

I have been OBSESSED with Flatout wraps as of late.



I like the mini ones (pictured above), but also bought the regular size ones today since I have so many more veggies to add to my turkey wrap I've been eating for lunch. I spread roasted red pepper hummus on the wrap, then add lettuce, tomato, turkey, cheese, and now will be adding yellow and orange bell pepper slices. So much more filling and satisfying than my Lean Cuisines I've been eating the past year!



I also really like the mini wraps for a midday PB&J snack. The package recommended trying this with fresh strawberries and banana slices with a sprinkle of granola - YUMMY!



I have been wanting to eat more eggs in the morning but am usually too lazy or running too late to do so. Since I often reheat breakfast leftovers, I realized I should just do the same thing. So I made some scrambled eggs tonight (1 full egg and 2 egg whites) mixed with feta, tomato, and bell peppers. I will try it in the morning!



After the marathon training, I'm excited to focus more on toning and strength. I'm always so concerned with fitting my running in that I haven't done a whole lot of strength training, which is a main reason why I want to start eating more healthy and fresh foods. When I started eating the wraps, I noticed that if you start looking forward to your fresh foods instead of thinking about the things you aren't allowing yourself to eat, you're a lot more satisfied overall and not tempted by the unhealthy foods as much. I am now trying to focus on wanting healthy and fresh foods - it seems to be doing the trick!