It's Official

3063 Lindsey Visbaras  238/766  1174/5231 1:54:58  8:47

My official time was 1 hour, 54 minutes, and 58 seconds. 

If you look at my last post I was only off by 2 seconds using my 

own watch- not too shabby!

I Survived 13.1 Miles

Well I did it, actually we all did it!  Way to go Marissa, Emily, and Marianne!! Sadly I forgot to bring my camera to the race so there aren't any pics from race day but I do have pics of the goods from the race as proof that I actually ran it.  Here is the rundown of the race:

It was a cold start to the race and gloves were a must but the sun came up which was nice.  Luckily my adrenaline was pumping so I definitely didn't feel as cold as I usually do with only a few light layers on.  We started in corral 8 of 10 so we could all start together (and get to pass people which is always a plus) so I don't think we actually crossed the start line until 7:15.  The first 5 miles were great and we were cruising along the flat streets of DC, passing the capital, white house, washington monument, etc.  Even the cherry blossoms were in bloom.  

We hit a couple decent hills between miles 5 and 7 but training here with all the hills made them seem like no big deal.  Around mile 8 I separated from everyone which was kind of annoying because I didn't have anyone to ask what mile we were at  and the race didn't have many mile marker signs.  Maybe that is a sign I need to invest in a Garmin watch!  Everything was going well until mile 11.  That's when I started to hit a wall.  My legs were feeling sore and heavy, my feet hurt, and I was running out of gas. 

  Up until mile 11 the Clif shot bloks (which I had never tried before but are awesome and easy to eat while running without immediately needing water to wash them down) and a good playlist along with adrenaline had made the first 11 miles seem like a breeze.  I then faced decision time- power through the last 2 miles and meet my goal of a sub 2 hour race or give in to a slower pace and risk finishing after the 2 hour mark.  What did I choose?  Go for it! 

My unofficial time was 1 hour and 55 minutes!  Pretty funny because when I had to estimate my time to register for the race way before I even started training I put down 1:55 without having any clue if that was going to be accurate.  Mile 11 was rough but knowing the finish line was approaching gave me the push to finish pretty strong in the last mile.  It was great having a fan club at the finish- thanks for all your support Jamie, Luke, Erin, and Nick! 

The finish line was chaotic and I only managed to get my space blanket while in the chute.  I double backed around and finally got a hold of some bling!

I wasn't even able to get my hands on water at the finish!  There were certainly some organization problems with the event, including the fact that they lost my bib.  I was so bummed I didn't get to wear a personalized bib but it wasn't a deal breaker so I shouldn't complain. 

They did have nice t-shirts which I appreciate.  Plus the swag bags had some funny things including the following:

Yup that's right, mini bottles of olive oil and vinegar!  So random.  Here is the t-shirt which lists all of the sights we ran by.

All in all it was a great experience.  I don't think I'll ever run a full marathon but I am definitely considering running another half.  It's far enough to be a challenge but not so far that it destroys you.  I'm definitely feeling it today in my quads and yesterday I was sort of waddling around! 

It's kind of crazy to think that I can run long distance after spending years as a sprinter.  My last shout out goes to Hefty for providing inspiration.  While I was running I kept thinking how I had to beat her time from the half she ran last weekend.  Heft thanks for calling to see how it went and congrats on your award- you really are a hero and an inspiration to many including me.  Miss you but we will have to plan a run together this summer.

 

Tomorrow is the BIG day

Well I'm all packed and ready to go.  It's hard to believe the half is tomorrow morning after 12 weeks of training!  I've been waking up really early in the morning this week on my own...I guess subconsciously I'm preparing myself for the super early morning.  This whole weekend should be action packed and full of fun!  I probably won't be able to update right after the race but I'm bringing my camera so the next post will include pics.

 

I triple checked that I have my running shoes

Wish me luck!

Solid 10

I ran a solid ten today in beautiful weather.  Marissa let me wear her new Garmin watch which is so awesome.  It tracks your distance and your pace...two things I always want to know when I'm running.  Sadly the battery died at mile 5.25 but the freedom to run wherever without planning out a route is liberating.  At my gummy/water stop I got on the computer to try and figure out how many miles it was back to my apartment.  Then when I got home I calculated the total distance on mapmyrun.com and it came out to exactly 10 miles.  No crazy wind today just lots of sunshine and a nice cool breeze.  My pace while the Garmin was on was between 8:40 and 9:00 per mile I think, probably slower toward the end of the run.  This run was sooo much better than the last long one which I needed before race day.  I did get to run 4.6 miles and 3 miles on Monday and Tuesday this week.  Sadly with a push for cardio, I have been neglecting my arms/abs entirely.  Hopefully when the half is over I can really get on track with that!

Sometimes you just have to modify your goals

Today my goal was to run 11 miles.  As you probably guessed by the title of this post, I didn't make it that far.  Here is the breakdown of the run.  It was a sunny and warm Saturday but in true H'burg fashion it was very windy.  I started from campus this time and ran to the park, through neighborhoods, and stayed in the general vicinity of campus because I was running solo (which I really don't enjoy- can't wait for Marissa to come back from spring break!).  I've discovered that when I run by myself I tend to run way too fast at the start which makes the rest of the run more difficult.  Probably the sprinter mentality that I'm still trying to get away from.  Aside from being too hot during the first few miles everything was going fine up until about mile 4 or 5.  My lungs got really tight and I felt kind of wheezy.  I think its a side effect of the cold I got because I still haven't shaken the cough entirely.  So I stopped and walked for a minute or two to catch my breath and then kept on going.  By mile 6 I was dying and could not have been more thrilled to make a gummy/water pit stop.  This time my office served as the gummy location.

Shout out to Fran! Do you see flat (consultation) Stanley on my desk?

I felt a little better after the break but I think I was running low on fuel because I had eaten breakfast a couple hours before the start of the run and didn't have a last minute snack before I started.  At about mile 7 or 8 I got the tight feeling in my chest again and had to walk for a couple minutes again.  By this point I was feeling bummed about the whole thing and kind of defeated.  I hate having to walk during a run!  When I got back near my car at around 9.5 miles I was feeling totally beat both physically and mentally and decided it was enough for one day.  My body was screaming to stop so I listened to it and decided that 9.5 is not a failure- that's the second furthest distance I've ever run in my life!  So next time you set a goal don't be surprised if you have to modify it.  After all, goals are a challenge- they are something to work at.  I'm just hoping that another 2 weeks will work wonders on the lungs and I'll be good to go for the half.  It's getting close!

One way to remember the route you want to run- write it on the hand.

Rain rain go away

It's been cold and rainy here the past two days.  That means cardio has taken place on the treadmill at my apartment's little gym.  I personally find running on the treadmill to be extremely boring so this is what I try to do to avoid looking at the mile or time display every five seconds.

First of all, if you can cover the display, do it! This won't allow you to look down in 30 second increments and for me usually I'm surprised at how long or how far I've gone when I eventually look.  I usually cover the display with a magazine, which provides a great distraction.  Next use your willpower not to look at any of the clocks or if you can't resist the urge, tell yourself that in 20 minutes you can sneak a peak at the display you have now covered up.  Then it's all about distractions.  Personally the best workouts I've had on a treadmill are the ones where my mind is totally consumed with thinking of something else.  Preparing for interview questions was the best!  Some people like running without having to think about anything but on a treadmill my mind always focuses on the boredom of treadmill running.  Other distractions include the television, magazines (with lots of pictures), and of course great running music.  I wish I could read a book while on the treadmill but it's too hard for my eyes.

Unfortunately the treadmill I ran on the past couple days did not have the option of covering the display so I only ran 3 miles each day due to extreme boredom.  I did have a breakthrough thought while running yesterday- three miles is a piece of cake!  After 3 (just under 9 min. mile pace) I was barely breaking a sweat and physically didn't feel tired at all.  A year ago a 3 mile workout was a huge accomplishment and now it's just a typical workout on an easy day.

I was slacking in the arms/abs department but I got in a really solid 20 minutes of arms in yesterday.  I was the only one in the gym so I took the time to figure out some of the weight machines and then did a circuit both with the machines and the free weights.  I'm a little bit sore this morning so I know it was a productive session. 

Imma back!

I went for my first run in a week and a half and it wasn't awful but there was a lot left to be desired.  With my running buddy away for spring break, I decided to run at the park because I knew there wasn't a whole lot of time until the sun set and I figured that was a safe place to go.  Well for those of you who run with me, you know I always need at least one more layer than everyone else to stay at a comfortable temperature.  Poor decision number one- running with just a long sleeve shirt.  I was freezing for most of the run and even wished I had a pair of gloves.  It had been nice out all day but as soon as the sun started to set it got cold!  Poor decision number two- I forgot my lunch at home today when I went to practicum and luckily found a granola bar in my bag to hold me over for a little while.  On my way home I stopped at the mall in Charlottesville to cash in a gift card and ended up getting a pretzel there.  That is not enough fuel pre-run but with limited daylight I didn't have time to eat and digest anything when I got home so I was dragging.  The good news is after a good dinner and about 10 different snacks tonight I think I made up for the lost lunch.  Poor decision number three- running too fast at the start killed me near the end.  I only ran three miles but my lungs and legs were not happy.  I'm still hanging onto a cough and the cold air was making my nose run like crazy which got my cough going.  All in all I probably looked like a disaster the whole time.  On a positive note I did see the cutest yellow lab puppy there and ended up seeing another grad psych student running there too.  It's nice to know I'm not the only one in town for the break.  It really does seem like a ghost town around here this week but the quiet and lack of traffic is a nice change of pace.  Tomorrow is a definite abs/arm day with the possibility of a run if I'm feeling motivated.  It's so hard to believe the half is less than 3 weeks away!  I'm going to try and get one more long run in at the end of this week and then start to taper to prepare for race day.   

What about exercise!?

Ok so to report on the exercise front.  Last week I got in 35 minutes of arms/abs but was thwarted by a bug I picked up while in San Fran.  I did 20 minutes of arms/abs on Sunday morning when I woke up, the day after Marissa and I ran our 10 miles.  The hotel we stayed at also had a gym so on Wednesday morning Emily and I went for a little while in the morning and I got in about 15-20 minutes of arms/abs there and that was nice because they had exercise benches that I don't get to use when I do the workouts in my apartment.

As far as running, Marissa, Emily, and I had a fun 5 mile run through the streets of San Francisco.  I think this picture gives you an idea of what the hills are like!

So steep- my knees hurt the next day

 The cool part was that we went running on Wednesday so it was the first opportunity to do some sightseeing.  We ran (most of the way) up the ridiculously steep hill to Coit Tower which you can see in the background of the picture below.  It sits atop Telegraph Hill and is shaped like the nozzle of a fireman's hose.  We also got our first glimpse of the Golden Gate bridge from this spot.

 

Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill way in the distance

We then ran toward the water and stopped to see the sea lions at Pier 39.  We didn't bring our cameras along but luckily we got to go back to the sea lions and to the bridge later in the week.  Other interesting facts about the run included a homeless man hiding in a trashcan, other homeless people shouting "life's too short to run", and the awful fishy smells and animals hanging up in the open air markets of Chinatown.  Overall it was one of the most fun runs I've had in a while and we were definitely up for sightseeing stops.

Now for the bad news...I haven't run since last Wednesday.  A whole week of not running!  I'm feeling much better now but am still hanging onto a cough (which I never seem to be able to get rid of).  My plan is to get rest for a couple more days and ease back into running and my arms/abs routine.  I want to get a long run in sometime next week which will probably be toward the end of the week.  I'll keep you posted on my progress! 

Update...as promised!

Ok so why have I been slacking so badly on blogging lately?  I was in this fair city last week:

San Francisco!

Why? For a school psych conference but we got to do lots of sightseeing as well.  Here are some of the fun things we saw:

Chinatown

The world curviest street: Lombard Street

Alcatraz

Union Square

Cable Car

Sea Lions at Pier 39

Alcatraz from the city (aka "The Rock")

Ghirardelli Square- yummm!

The Golden Gate Bridge