What Happened in Vegas...

Anyone that knows me, knows that I absolutely ADORE visiting Las Vegas. I'm not even a huge gambler- I just really enjoy the food, the party atmosphere, and the "anything goes" vibe of the strip.  So, this summer when I saw that the Competitor Group was going to hold the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon at night on the strip, I jumped at the chance to register hubby and I. I figured this race would be a great final race of 2011 and would take a big chunk out of my remaining miles on my quest to 1000.

The race was scheduled for Sunday night so my parents and hubby flew to Vegas on Saturday morning. Hubby and I had also signed up to participate in the race's "Run Through Wedding Ceremony" and we had a mandatory meeting for that on Saturday afternoon. After landing and getting the the MGM Grand, our hotel, we booked it to the expo to pick up our packets so we could make our meeting on time.

Hubby with his race number

The expo should have tipped me off to how the rest of this race was going to go. With 44,000 runner's participating in the race and countless family members and friends in attendance, I figured the expo would be enormous. Nope- not so. The rows were quite narrow and people were should to should trying to get through. I generally try to stay calm in situations like this but I was getting so frustrated that after we grabbed our packets and shirts, we only stopped at 3 booths and then we left. What a headache.

After the expo, hubby and I attended our informational meeting about the Run Through Wedding Ceremony. There were 106 couples who were either getting married for the first time, or renewing their vows. We got all of our info for the ceremony and then made our way back up the strip. We grabbed a cupcake at the Cupcakery in the Monte Carlo- Hubby had strawberry shortcake and I had lemon. Hubby definitely made the better choice.

Watching the Broncos and Vikings

After an amazing dinner with my parents at Diego in the MGM Grand, Hubby and I gambled a bit and then went to bed. We had a big day ahead of us!

TEBOW!

On Sunday, we decided to watch the NFL games in the Sports Book at the MGM. We grabbed some food at the buffet (OMG- bread pudding- so amazing!) and then tried to find a seat in the sports book. It was SO CROWDED that we ended up sitting on the floor after a security guard told us we could. About an hour later, a different security guard made us move so we went back out to the casino to finish watching the game. Luckily the Bronco game was on every tv in the casino and I went crazy when they pulled out another win! I even "Tebowed" in the casino.

So many people!

After the game, we headed back to our room to get ready. We got dressed in our gear and said goodbye to my parents. We had to head to the Mandalay Bay to meet up with the rest of the Run Through Wedding couples. We tried to ride the monorail from the Excalibur to the Mandalay Bay but the lines were terribly long. In the end, we decided just to walk.

Hubby's ready!

We finally found our group at the Mandalay Bay and took a couple group pictures (I didn't get one though :( ). A lot of the couples were dressed in wedding-esque running gear. There was lots and lots of tuile skirts and veils. I thought it was so adorable that some of these couples were getting legally married while running a race!

Our group got to start in one of the earliest corrals- Corral 14 and we were escorted there by one of the race officials. We had to stand in the corral for over an hour and while we were there, the sun went down and it got really, really cold. Luckily, we met some amazing people (two CSU grads and one woman who also works in Student Affairs!) that we chatted with to pass the time. We also got to watch some performances by the Jabawokeez and an 80's cover band on a big stage that was set up next to the starting line.

Finally, it was time to start the race...be sure to come back to see how it all turned out in the end!

A Thousand Thanks

I haven't blogged since my last race because, frankly, there hasn't been much to talk about. I've been extremely busy at work- October and November are two of our craziest months. I have been trudging along, trying to finish my 1000 miles for the year, and I have been studying as I am taking a Chemistry course at the University where I work. So, nothing completely "blog worthy."

Today, however, is Thanksgiving. In the past (and still today!), I have looked forward to this day for the 1)food, 2)opportunity to see my family as we all live in various states, and 3) the Macy's parade. Typical, I guess.

This year, though, my attitude has shifted to one of pure thankfulness and gratitude. I am so humbled by the gifts I have been given and by the amazing people that have surrounded me, that I need to give thanks. And since this blog is my platform, I will do it here.

1) I am thankful for God and His son, Jesus Christ. I often don't publicly spout out about my faith (which, trust me, disappoints me) but I can feel a change occurring. I asked Jesus to come into my life on Easter Sunday, 2000. It was one of the happiest days of my life. Since then, there have been some pretty amazing times and some pretty dark times. It was easy to praise God on the good days and it was easy to turn my back on Him when things got rough. The great thing is that He can take it- He still loves me even if I haven't been very nice to Him. Jesus died on the cross for my sins (and for yours) and I can't think of a better reason to tell him, "thank you"- today and every day.

2) I am thankful for my husband. Jason is a gift from God (see point number 1). He, too, loves me even if I am not being very nice to him. His heart has so much love in it that I'm surprised it can hold it all. He's a miracle husband and I still can't believe he's mine!

3) I am thankful for my family. The Haptonstall clan is a tough, funny, loving, and loyal group. I have heard it said that you don't want to mess with one of us because if you do, you're going to face the wrath of all of us.

I am thankful for my dad who doesn't say much (yeah, I didn't inherit THAT), but when he does, you either marvel at his wisdom or are rolling in the floor, clutching your sides because you can't stop laughing. He missed his calling and either should have been a professor or a stand up comedian.

I am thankful for my mom, who is gorgeous inside and out. She's the hardest working person I have ever known. She also always challenges me to be better, even though she loves me exactly how I am. I know everyone says this, but my mom really is the best one out there.

I am thankful for my sisters and brother. While there is an age gap between the three of them and me, I have appreciated that. I have experienced being a kid while they were adults and have had three more protective grown-ups to guide me. Now, though, I appreciate being an adult WITH them. I love laughing with them and reflecting on stories from our past. It's funny to talk about something that I experienced as a kid and hear their perspective on it as adults. I appreciate having been able to watch them grow in their marriages- I have had the best teachers for how to have a successful, loving marriage. I also appreciate that they've given me space to grow into who I am. We live far apart and I am not the best at picking up the phone (I am SO awkward! Trust me, I am much cooler in writing). Honestly, I have needed my space to find out who I am. And guess what- I have found out that while I am uniquely me, I sure do have a lot of the three of them in me!

I am thankful for my in-laws who allowed me to take their son to the other side of the country. I am thankful that they let us grow into the couple that we are, all on our own. I am thankful that they embraced me as their daughter and pour out an endless supply of love to me- even though we are still far away from them.

I am thankful for my nieces and nephew. I have FIVE nieces and one nephew. I haven't seen the littlest girls, my gorgeous Nuss twins, since they turned one. I will see them this Christmas and can hardly wait to see the amazing people I am sure they are becoming.

I am thankful for my two younger nieces on the Haptonstall side. Although one of them isn't with us anymore, I am thankful that she reignited my love affair with God and reminded me to love those around me with everything I've got. I am thankful for my other youngest niece because she is fighting battles everyday, just because of who she is. She reminds me to stand up for the right thing and to always be 100% authentic.

I am thankful for my nephew because FINALLY, my dad will get the engineer that I wasn't cut out to be (just kidding- kind of). In all seriousness, I am thankful that he's embraced his intelligence and reminds me that being smart is cool.

I am thankful for my oldest niece- my first friend and sister. As kids, she taught me to be a little more patient. As adults she's teaching me to be refined by the fires in our lives. She has been to hell and back and has emerged as a woman who has grace, beauty, poise, strength, and a relentless will to survive. She's amazing- point blank.

4)I am thankful for my friends, both old and new. I am thankful for Facebook (yeah, I know- sorry) for allowing me to stay in contact with folks (remember my phone phobia??). I am thankful for the women of Delta Phi Delta, for Kelly and Mary, for 2nd floor Olin, for the cheerleaders, for Wes and my admissions folks, for my SDP family, for my USF peeps (VW, DG, DLM, Midhun, Liam, David, Shelby, Gus, Joel, Grace, Steph, BP, et al), for Brianne and Ben, for Jen, for Shalini, for Justin and Julie,Matt and Beth, Jackie and Ryan, and Jenny and Mike. I am thankful for the new crew of Denver friends that Kelly has introduced me to. As someone who struggled to make friends as a kid, I am blessed to have a long list of people that I have the honor of calling my friends.

5) Finally, I am thankful for my body. I haven't treated it very well in my 33 years and, yet, it's still going strong. I have been 12-120 pounds overweight on any given day. I've abused it with food and alcohol. I have had excruciating injuries to my feet. I have been beaten in the street by a robber and I have been hit by a vehicle. After all of that abuse, my body is strong, powerful, and essentially says to me, "what next? Let's do this." I thank God for my temporary abilities and this body because it is the only one I get and it's a pretty darn tough one.

Honestly, this is just a small dose of all of the things I am thankful for (because to be complete, the list would have to include the Denver Broncos, Sour Patch Kids, Diet Coke, and anything sparkly) but, to me, these are my most important blessings.

I wish all of you a day full of love, laughter, family, friends, and food. God Bless.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Battle Royale

After work today, I wanted nothing more than to sit on the couch and watch my DVRed episodes of Private Practice. I got home, took off my shoes, and the battle began. I tried to figure out how to spread the miles I had planned to run today (4-4.5) over the next three days. I got our my calculator and my training plan. Seriously, running was sounding about as appealing as getting a root canal without Novacaine. I was tired. I was really, really tired.

Then, I thought about how angry and disappointed with myself that I would be if I didn't run tonight. I thought about how irritated I would be tomorrow when I had to add 2 miles to my run and run 6 miles instead of 4. So, with that, I took a step and put on my running clothes. Then, I thought about how heartbroken I would be if I fell short of my 1,000 mile goal by 4 miles. And then, I put on my running shoes.

So, there I was, in running clothes and running shoes, still tired, still not loving the idea of going out in the wind to run. But, I made a deal with myself- I would run one mile and if I wasn't feeling it, I'd turn around and come home.

And you know what happened? I ran 4.3 miles. It wasn't pretty, it was difficult, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. But, I did it. So, the winner of this battle was me- I won.

Denver Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon Race Report

If you read my previous post, you know that I was in bad shape going into the Denver Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon last Sunday. I was nervous, banged up, and unsure that I would even be able to race. Never a quitter, I sucked it up, took some Advil, and got ready to run.

This race had a really reasonable start time of 6:55 AM! I was so happy to not have to get up at 4:00 AM, which is what generally has to happen on race days <<sigh>>. My alarm went off at 5:00 AM and I got dressed.

I ate a quick breakfast of toast and Diet Coke (DON'T JUDGE- I always drink it before I race- some people do coffee, I do DC). I grabbed my gear bag and my sweet hubby drove me to the drop off area down in Denver.

This race started at Civic Center Park in downtown. It was so dark, and so cold, but the buildings were all lit up and there were tons of people milling around. I found the gear check area and, as usual, got in line for the port-a-potties.

Before I knew it, it was time to line up in my corral. I had to run to get there before the race started. Luckily, I was in group eleven, so I had to wait about fifteen minutes after the gun went off to even get up to the starting line. I stood in my corral, listening to my iPod, and prayed for the best. I figured I would either completely blow this race and finish with my worst time ever, or I would meet my goal. I was just going to go with it and see what happened.

So, off I went. I started the race and, as usual, the first mile or so was a mess. People were weaving in and out, trying to get past walkers and people running four or five across. I didn't feel the best as I completed the first two miles and even came to terms with possibly getting a DNF (Did Not Finish).

As I finished mile four, both of my lower legs cramped up very severely. Every step felt like a stabbing pain in my calves, Achilles, ankles and shins. I was in really bad shape.  I kept trudging along and then, in front of me, I saw a woman with "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" on the back of her t-shirt. I decided to say a little prayer and, no kidding, I started to feel better. My cramps started to go away and I felt like my old self again! Through the rest of the race, I repeated this in my head when things got tough and, as you'll see, I not only survived, but I thrived!

I continued running along and realized that, although I hadn't had the best start, I was on pace to meet my goal. Then, out of no where, I saw a pace group (an organized group with a pacer) who were trying to meet the same time goal that I had. Interestingly enough, they had started the race before I had SO, if I stuck with them, I'd be sure to meet, and maybe even break, my goal time.

I ran along with this group for a bit and, wouldn't you know it, my foot hit a hole, or a crack, or something in the pavement and I was launched forward. I was sure I was going to wipe out. Out of nowhere, another runner crossed in front of me at the perfect moment and, instead of falling on the ground, I bumped into him. He didn't fall, and neither did I! Honestly, the angels were looking out for me during this race.

After a few more miles, I got ahead of the pace group. I was feeling so strong and really fast. I followed my fuel and hydration plan to the "T". While this was quite a hilly course, I only walked through the water stops. As I approached mile 11, I decided to pull over and have a few Gu Chomps and stretch my legs. While I was stretching, I hit yet another roadblock. My iPod battery died! Thank God I'd planned ahead and I had my 1,000 year old iPod shuffle in my waist pack. I traded out my iPods and off I went.

During my last 1/2 marathon, I'd missed the sign for the 13 mile marker and was disappointed because I didn't get my usual kick at the end of the race. I just turned a corner and, bam!, there was the finish. For this race, hubby promised me that he'd be at the 13 mile marker so I was sure to see it. I turned a corner and sure enough, there he was. He yelled "you have a quarter of a mile left, you can do it!"I looked down at my watch and noticed that I was 7 minutes ahead of my goal time. I yelled back 'I'm killing it!".

I turned one more corner and there was the finish! Not only was it close, but the last stretch of the race was downhill. I kicked it into high gear and crossed the finish line six minutes ahead of my goal. Instantly, I started to cry, thanking God and my lucky stars for not only getting me through, but letting me triumph. I saw my parents standing on the sidelines and I ran over to them, crying. They thought I was hurt, until I was able to sputter that I'd finished six minutes ahead.

I made it through the chute, getting my medal, some water, some popcorn, and my foil blanket. I stumbled off of the course into a stretching area and couldn't stop talking. I babbled on to my family about getting hit by a car three days ago and smashing my goal. I was so excited and proud of myself.

After collecting my bag from the gear check, hubby helped me back to the car and we headed back to my parents' house. Once there, I celebrated with champagne and a delicious breakfast casserole that my mom made. For the rest of the day, we watched NFL (poor Broncos!) and relaxed on the couch.

Beyond the fact that I got a PR and smashed my goal time, this race may be my favorite race that I've run yet. The course takes you trough downtown Denver, past the Sports Authority Field at Mile High, the Pepsi Center, and Coors Field. You also get to run through City Park and Civic Center Park. I absolutely plan to run this race again next year and I absolutely DO NOT plan to get hit by a car beforehand.

Hit and Run

If you follow me on twitter (@Princesks) or are my Facebook friend, you already know that last Sunday, I ran the Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon in Denver. This race has been my "pie in the sky race"- I have had a goal time in mind for this race since May and I've been training my butt off to get it.

To be completely honest, when I train for a half-marathon (or even when I trained for me two marathons), I'm not the best at getting my weekly runs in. If my training plan says to run 4 times in one week, I might have run 3 times, or sometimes only 1 or 2. I'd always run my weekend long runs, but the weekday runs had ZERO appeal for me. When I started amping up my running for this Rock 'n Roll race, however, I vowed to run my weeklies- even if they weren't my favorites. So, in turn, I ran my weekly runs.

I felt really good going into race week. I'd planned a nice, easy taper and then three rest days. On Wednesday night of that week, I went out for my last regular run before the race. I got about a third of a mile from my house, running north on a fairly busy street in my neighborhood. I noticed some cars stopped on a side street waiting to turn right onto the street I was running on. I stopped before making my way across the road and then when it was clear that these cars were not yet turning, I started making my way across. At that point, the driver of the lead car was looking to his left and I was approaching from the right. He must have seen an opening in the traffic on the busy street and he zoomed out, turning onto the busy street and, in turn, HIT ME WITH HIS CAR!

Yes, that's correct, three days before what was to be the race of my life, I was hit by a gold crossover-type vehicle. I don't remember any of it except being on the ground, in the street. My headphones were detached from my iPod and I was screaming, "I thought you saw me!" The man stopped his car, got out, and ran over to me. Some other people helped me up off of the street (I don't know where they came from but they said they saw what happened).

The driver was so freaked out- I definitely remember that. He kept asking me if I wanted him to call an ambulance. I told him I didn't- I remember thinking that that would take too long- take too long for what, I'm not sure! I was in total shock. I did twist my ankle and my knee was skinned pretty badly. I could tell that I would have some bruises but, overall I felt ok. I got the driver's contact info and told everyone that I was just fine. As such, after they all drove away I continued my run and finished FIVE MILES (I admit, again, I was in shock- this was adrenaline that got me through it.)

I got home and called my husband- he was more worried than I was, at that point. I told him I was ok and then I watched some tv. No big deal. The next morning, however, everything hit me. My body was sore and stiff, I had huge bruises on my legs and knees. My ankle was swollen and stiff as well. Emotionally, I was a mess as well. I realized that things could have been much worse and I was kind of a head case. I stayed home from work that day, icing my ankle and doing homework (I'm taking a chemistry class, of all things).

The next two days were stressful, as I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to run the race at all. My legs were still so stiff and sore, I couldn't imagine running 13.1 miles in that condition. I powered through it, though and tried to think positive thoughts.

On Saturday, the weather in Denver was a disaster. It was actually snowing! if you recall from the last 2 half-marathons this year, I tend to always end up racing on freezing cold days. Since my parents aren't huge on going out when it's snowing, I drove myself to the race expo. I got my bib, t-shirt, and race bag and wandered around for a bit. It was a typical race expo with vendors and freebies. I bought a few really cute headbands because when I run on the treadmill, my hair curls up and goes crazy! i figured these couldn't hurt.

The most exciting part of the expo was meeting Dan from season five of the Biggest Loser. He and his mom, Jackie, are working for a foundation to encourage kids to be active. They've run every Rock 'n Roll race this year! We talked about losing weight and keeping it off and then we took a picture! When I was running the race, I actually ended up passing him (but that's a story for later- when I recap the run!). 

I headed back to my parents' house after the expo and just relaxed for the rest of the day. I got a pedicure and then laid around. I got all of my race gear together and went to bed, hoping that I'd be able to fall asleep- I was so nervous! Turns out, I fell right to sleep and, even though I don't remember having any dreams, the next day was absolutely a dream come true! Stay tuned for my race recap...

License to...SLOW DOWN!

I started noticing something a few weeks ago that really got me worried. Back pain. Not a "oh no, I can't even stand up or get out of bed" kind of pain- but a twinge. I initially thought it was my mattress- so hubby and I flipped it. Then I thought it was my feather bed on TOP of the mattress- so we flipped that too. Then I thought it was my chair at work...on and on I went.

Well, I think I finally figured it out- the back pain, as well as the pain I had experienced in my behind, and pain I had in my lower leg.

Let's see if you can figure it out- here's an excerpt from my running log:

June 27
Distance: 3.07 Duration: 29:21 Pace: 9:37

July 3
Distance: 3.51 Duration: 34:01 Pace: 9:41

July 6
Distance: 6.25 Duration: 1:01:44 Pace: 9:55

July 20
Distance: 5.86 Duration: 57:03 Pace: 9:44

Do you see it? Ok, ok, I'll tell you- I'm treating far too many runs like a race! My goal pace for my next half marathon is 10 minutes, 40 seconds per mile. And, while I've only listed 4 sub-10 min mile runs up there, believe me, there are a lot more. So, does that mean that suddenly I'm a 9:55 per mile runner? NO! It means I'm going way too fast, way too often!

I've found that on the mornings that I run 10:20-10:40, I have the most energy, AND- no back, butt, or leg pain! Interesting, right?

So, I've got to just keep reminding myself that, especially in this case- this is a marathon and not a sprint- literally!

Halfsies

A few weeks ago, July 1 made an appearance (this blog entry is FAR overdue- I've been busy!). That day marked the half way point of my one year race to a thousand miles, so to speak. If you've been tracking me (see the widget over there on the right- that's up to date), you'll know that although half of my TIME is up, I'm still about 40 miles away from completing half of my mileage.

So, here's the thing- I'm a control freak so, it would make sense that I would lose it over the mileage gap that I have to make up for. Interestingly enough, I'm not worried about it at all. Weird. It's not that I don't want to meet my goal of running a thousand miles this year. I just seem to have more confidence in myself, and in the fact that I'm absolutely going to get there.

Honestly, this is new for me. Sure, I KNEW I'd graduate college and I KNEW I'd complete my Master's Degree- but this goal is different. Those goals played on the strength of my intellect and ability to understand concepts. This goal has to do with physical and mental strength and stamina. And this goal has to do with the wherewithal to get my butt out the door, and onto the roads, no matter how fatigued, sore, or "over it" I might be. In other words- school was fairly easy. Running, still not so much.

So why am I not freaking out?? I just think I'm turning a corner. I trust that my body is fit and capable. More important, I actually LIKE what I'm doing. I look forward to my 5:15 AM runs and use it as a time to clear my head, and have some alone time. I also look forward to my short runs with my hubby, who is coming back to running after an injury. Not only do I get to spend time with him, but I get to spend time with him doing something I like...or maybe LOVE?

As of today, I have 537.89 miles to run to reach 1000 mile by New Year's Eve. I'm trusting myself that I'm going to get there. Further, I have a very detailed training plan laid out for the next five months. What, you thought I'd just go by the seat of my pants? Yeah- I trust myself- but, come on, I am still the most controlling of control freaks!

Until the next!