Well this just bites

Several updates since I have been behind on blogging. I will try to put in order of timing.

-We went on the cruise 10/7 to 10/14. Terri, Lori, Moni and I had a good time. We left out of Baltimore and went to Grand Turk, Freeport and Half Moon Cay Bahamas. We laughed a lot, read and ate way too much. The seas were quite rocky which I really did not care for.

-Got ambushed with bad news last week. My step dad's cancer is back on his lip, my 94 yr old grandma is having difficulty with her bowels and there is a major concern of something that they are doing testing 10/31 and my dad is having hernia surgery on the same day.

-Ran the Bowman Cup 5k in Kent Ohio on 10/20/2012 at Kent State University. It was a very chilly morning . One of the first races I went to on my own. Ran a PR in 26:37. I grew lighting legs overnight.

-Spent last Sunday with a 7.6 mile morning run and then a 4 mile bike ride with a stop at Szalay's farm for lunch and some produce. Great fall day spent with Terri.

-Tues morning out for a run. I have started to love my dark mornings and wearing headlamps. Not sure how the events unfolded exactly but slowed to look behind me for traffic to cross the road and either slipped on wet leaves or hit a crevice in the road. I rolled my ankle and went down. It hurt like a @#$%^&. I got up started to walk it off, telling my self not to be a wimp, I just sprained it. It started feeling better and I went back to my run for a total of 3.2ish miles. Made it home and showered. Worked from home so went to work. An hour or so later got up to go bathroom and could hardly walk on it. It also looked like a half of baseball. Later after work at urgent care.....fractured on the bottom tip of fibula. Saw my Orthopedist yesterday and small avulsion fracture and lots of ligament damange. Bad news healing of 5-6 weeks. Placed in air cast . Will see  MD again in 2-3 weeks . If not healing then a boot cast. Woke this am with more pain than the last 2 days. This is going to be a long 5-6 weeks. Good news is I can catch up on blogging , reading, and I am not currently training for a race.

Presque Isle Erie Pa Half Marathon

I did it!!!! I did it!!!

Terri , Moni and I headed to Erie Pa in the rain Friday afternoon for my Half Marathon Weekend.
We arrived at the Glass House Inn, a quaint little family run motel. It is a bit dated but we knew that. It was clean and that is what mattered. We headed to dinner at a local restaurant called the Colony. It was very good and I had a delicious Chicken Marsala. We headed back to the motel and played cards and boggle and laughed and relaxed.
Saturday morning after breakfast we headed to the Presque Isle state park for race packet pick up. It is soo beautiful out there and I got a good look at the race route. I was starting to get excited.

We saw places to rent bikes and hike and also boat tours. We decided to try the boat tours on Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay. Beautiful sun, scenery and relaxing. Ended the evening with a yummy pasta dinner at Serafini's.

Woke up bright and early on Sunday morning. There is only one way on the island and one way off. So traffic was expected to be high. So we needed to be at the race area by 6am. I was ok with that as it  gave me time to work out nerves and stretch really well.

It was time get line for the start. Nerves setting in more but excited. From advice that a fellow running friend told me.....don't rush jack rabbit. I didn't. They had water stops at every mile, plenty of bathrooms and
beautiful scenes. I did well and was still smiling for my pic at mile 5.7ish.
I finished strong and took it home in 2:09:16!!!!!!! Woot~~~
I did my first half!

Pros to this race-
They give a lot to charities and support groups.
Lots of water stops
Very Scenic
Very friendly

Cons
None that I can think of!

I hope to do this race again next year!!!

Only 3 more days

Till my first Half Marathon.To say I am nervous would be an understatement. I actually go back and forth with the feelings of "OMG what am I doing " to "Wow I am know one of those people".
I know the half I am doing at Erie PA is not a big event or venue but I am ok with that. I think I first need to experience the Half before going big. Too big of an event makes me anxious. I may never go to bigger events and that is ok right now. I just want to get my run on.

I find myself over packing.  This is an weekend affair as we are leaving to go up tomorrow afternoon. But in my mind I would rather have too much and not enough. Besides it is me who has to carry the bag. Taking plenty of my own snacks and such.

My biggest concerns are
-We have to check out of the hotel earlier morning, no late check outs(it is a small family run hotel). No showers at the park were we are running and I sweat when I run...ALOT. So it would be a long stinky ride home for Terri and Moni. I am planning on dipping into Lake Erie and then change into clean clothes. Problem is it will be only high 70 on Sunday. Time to pull up the big girl panties.

-Hoping for no tummy issues , just saying

-Unfamiliar running area and people. I will get over that fast. Will do drive over route on Saturday.

-Not sure where to eat dinner on Sat night. I know I need chicken and pasta. It works for me.

And because I am feeling like a Superstar!

Friday Five

1. Heading out for camping today after work, probably our last camping trip since we have out cruise in Oct.
I am looking forward to relaxing, campfires, pie irons, napping and kayaking. Oh and some needed girl time.

2. My half marathon is coming up in 15 days...OMG...I am actually doing this and the nerves are starting up. Will need to quiet the monkey brain that is going on.

3. Took the day off yesterday to finish some house repairs. Painted the front fences and the trim around the garage. I was dead beat tired yesterday as I was up at 5am, got a 8 mile run in and painted from 10am to about 6pm with a 1.5 hr rest time.

4. Worried about Puma kitty. He is moving slowly and stumbled yesterday which was new. Might end up taking him to be checked when we return from camping. We have a friend checking on the kitties while gone.

5. We have 36 more wake ups till out cruise. I am getting excited and soo looking forward to a vacation

Warrior Dash Ohio II

I took part in the Warrior Dash Ohio II this past Saturday. This was my second Warrior Dash and probably won't be my last.
I decided this year to run for a charity and became a St. Jude's Warrior. It felt good to raise money for a good cause . St Jude's had a tent there for those that raised a certain amount where there was private port o potty, showers and some food. I used the potty prior to the race but didn't return to the tent after. No reason why, just didn't get back there.
One of my major complaints was the price for parking. We had to pay $20 per car. On top of what I paid for the race, I think that was a bit steep.
I ran with 3 other women and we had a blast.
I will definitely do this again next year. Who knows maybe next year I can do the Tough Mudder.
We didn't go all out, one because I did not want injuries so close to  my first half marathon and two because one of our group struggled with knee pain and doing some running and obstacles.
I will let the pics tell the rest of the story.

5 more days till....

The Warrior Dash!!!! Woot. I am running with 2 other people . One I know well-Carri , the other I just met once- Deb. Then I come to find out that one of my running group buddies is running it as well , so we are going to run it with her as  well. Should be a good group of us having fun and getting muddy. I am going to go cautiously, because I do not want injuries , because it is only......26 more days to my first Half!!

Sunday morning long runs are going well and so glad I met up with others to run. It makes time go faster and just enjoy the company. I really like the one lady Tracy. She and I keep pace well together!
Here we are after this past Sunday's 10 mile run.

After my long run, went home, breakfast and showered then headed out for a 7 mile bike ride with Terri and Dave. We had a blast. Felt good to get back on the bike. We stopped over at Szalay's Farm for produce shopping and lunch. Included turkey burger, roasted corn and ohhh this fabulous fresh fruit sundae.

We ate lunch and chatted and sat on a wonderful gliding picnic bench. Finished up and headed out as some storms were rolling through.

Pro Compression Review

Not to long ago I received a couple pair of Pro Compression socks to test .
A little bit about the Pro Compression socks:

PRO Compression socks are designed specifically to deliver both maximum comfort and speedy recovery times. The science is complex, but benefits such as improved blood flow, stability and comfort are universally understood.  The innovative design, lightweight construction and stabilizing zone make it one of the most comfortable, yet effective, running socks available.

 I have to say that at first I was excited and then  hesitant. Would they be too tight, would they cause issues in the toe area. Will they rub my skin around the knees and cause chafing?

I put the socks on a day after a long run and my first thought was.."ahhhh my legs thank you!" Literally my legs-calves felt comforted and rested.  I wore them around that day to help my legs recover and they have never been happier. I am tempted to even wear them to work under my pants to assist my legs as well.
Just to get this straight up front...I LOVE these socks.

The next test was to wear them on a couple runs. A long one and a mid length one. During both runs the socks felt part of my legs. The did not rub raw areas, there was no pressure on my toes and they fit snug to allow my legs not to feel over worked or tired. After the run my legs felt good and not fatigued. The are somewhat hard to get off sweaty legs but not a complaint just observation.  I am looking forward to wearing them on all my long runs and my first half coming up in Sept. In case I haven't told you I LOVE these socks.

I am definitely in love ....I am hoping to get a few more pairs of socks. Love the color selection on the website Pro Compression socks. The best part is they are made in the USA!!! I am now hooked and off to get more Pro Compression socks. So thank you Pro Compression and my legs thank you too! Lastly...I LOVE these socks.


Disclaimer-I was sent these products free to review on my blog -courtesy of Pro Compression. I did not pay for the items , receive payment for the review or agree to give a positive review.