Ten in '10

Somehow I managed to complete 10 official events in 2010. Needless to say, my tee-shirt collection has grown exponentially. I blogged about a few of them previously, but here's an end-of-year rundown and some caption awards as I think back over the year:

• March - Warm-up for Relay (for Life) with my cousin Katie. We'd discussed doing an event together during the spring and decided on 2 days notice that we'd do this event. It was Katie's first 5K. (35:57)
• May - Komen Race for the Cure 5K (36:32, unofficially)
• June - Race for Ellie 5K (39:43)
• August - Children's Home 5K (not chip-timed - just under 36...and last place)
• September - Emerald City Quarter Marathon (1:26:45) , Oktoberfest 4 Miler (42:28)
• October - Pumpkin Run (33:23) Nationwide Half Marathon (2:43:05)
• November - Buckeye Classic 10K (1:19:41), Flying Feather 4 Miler (43:06)

Toughest Event - This is a tie between the Race for Ellie and the Buckeye Classic 10K. I was ill-prepared for both events. I was injured (and abrasion and a bruise on my right leg from a volleyball accident) before the 5K and hadn't really been running as much as I should have. It was humid and rainy and my leg hurt so after the first mile, I walked a lot of it and finished feeling really demoralized. The 10K was nearly all hilly trails. It felt tougher than the half marathon I completed a month before it.

Most Surprising Finish - I was astounded at my speed/time in the Oktoberfest event, especially given that 1) I'd had a terrible couple weeks at work and wasn't able to train the way I'd hoped to or even get out of the office when I'd planned to that day, 2) It was about 85 degrees and super humid at the time of the race. It was two laps around a loop course and I finished the first lap in 20:30! The fact that it was an evening race made it easier for me, since most of my training runs are in the evening. I also liked knowing during the second time around how much further I had to go.

Most Fun Event - The Oktoberfest event was a lot of fun. Many runners dressed up and the brats, beer and creme puffs ensured a good time.

Proudest Thought - About a mile and a half into the Flying Feather, I realized I wasn't in the back of the pack but about in the middle of the several thousand runners participating.

Most Touching Event - I'm not sure I'll ever do a more emotional race than a Komen. It's awesome to race with nearly 50,000 others for a common goal. The survivors are truly an inspiration.

Favorite Distance - I love 4 mile races!

PRs - I set a new 5K PR in the October Pumpkin Run. And, technically, my times in the half marathon and the 10K were PRs since I've not run those distances until this year. I'm hoping to set new PRs in all those distances in 2011.

Smartest Plan for 2011 - Keep running! Having events every few weeks during the final months of the year really kept me motivated and in shape.

Review: Sugarland, "The Incredible Machine"

I made a special trip to Target on the day Sugarland's new album "The Incredible Machine" was released. I had a general idea of what to expect as I saw Sugarland in concert at the end of September and they played some of the tunes off the album. Since they were carefully spaced amongst older Sugarland stuff (which is more towards country on the music continuum), it didn't occur to me at the time that their fourth album was actually going to be a departure from country. And by that, I meant that Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush were going to jump further away from the genre that they've thrived in than Taylor Swift has.

It took me a few times around the album to actually form some opinions about it. As with the previous three (3) albums, I need to be in a certain mood for some of the songs and I have some definite favorites... Here's a track by track review
1) All We Are - This one is kind of 'eh' for me. It's an interesting anthem to set the tone for the album and after hearing the whole thing, it makes some sense why it's first.
2) Incredible Machine - The title track doesn't disappoint, unless you were expecting something in the way of country music.
3) Stuck Like Glue - I really enjoyed this song when it was first released as a single over the summer. I still think it's a lot of fun but like many hits on country stations, it's hit the point of being overplayed. Jennifer really shows off her vocal talent and even breaks it down in a Gwen Stefani-like interlude towards the end of the song which caught me absolutely off guard the first couple of times I heard it.
4) Tonight - I can't put my finger on it, but this reminds me of a song I liked from the 80's. Although the, "tonight, tonight, tonight" is reminiscent of a NKOTB song, I was thinking more along the lines of a B-side Belinda Carlisle tune. Like many B-sides, it's rather forgettable.
5) Stand Up - This is a powerful but simple song. When I heard it at the concert, the chorus immediately drew me in and seemed familiar and I found myself singing along.
6) Incredible Machine (interlude) - I have absolutely no use for this track. In fact, I'm a little disappointed it is its own track number. The fact that the deluxe edition cost me less than $12 makes me just a little more accepting of it but then I realize without it, the album is only ten tracks long and that seems awfully short for a fourth album, doesn't it?
7) Every Girl Like Me - This is a fun little tune that sounds a little like a match.com personal ad.
8) Little Miss - This song really strikes a chord with me. The lyrics are simple, but profound. "Little Miss I'll take less when I always give so much more." "Little Miss who you are is so much more than you like to talk about." Yeah, that's me. And it's probably you, too.
9) Find The Beat Again - I seriously feel like Jennifer is channeling Debbie Harry from Blondie in this track. It's peppy, it's up beat and it was a ton of fun at the concert to echo the "hey's". But, so SO SOOO not country. If you haven't noticed that this far into the album, you've probably somehow fallen asleep.
10) Wide Open - This song is tons of fun to crank up in the car and sing along to. One of my favorite lines from the song - actually, from the entire album - is this: "Every life has a moment where sweat meets fate - on your mark get ready, get ready now."
11) Shine The Light - This seems to be to be this album's version of "Fall Into Me" (on the "Love on the Inside" album). I love that it features just Jennifer and a piano. It's a lovely song but lacks the emotional power which I've associated with Jennifer's solos/less Kristian-intense songs, e.g. "Fall Into Me" or "Stay."

It's sure not country, but I like it...

1/2

It's been just over 2 days since the end of the half marathon and I still can't believe that I actually did it - I actually finished Nationwide Better Health Columbus Half Marathon and I have the medal to prove it!

Three days before the race, I got my new issue of Runner's World and there was a blurb about setting three (3) goals for a race - one that's a reach, one you could live with and one that's in between. Because I only started really training after the quarter marathon over Labor Day weekend that I walked and ran, I figured I'd apply the same M.O. and plan to walk a fair amount it. At that point, I figured I could run about half the 13.1 miles, but since I've never done one before and really am not a morning person so I was just going to just see what happened. I posted the following goals (reach, live with, in between) where only a few friends could see them:

1) Run 7+ miles of the race
2) Not get carted off by the SAG wagons (just finish)

3) Finish in under 3 hours (I finished the quarter marathon in under 90 minutes - part of me wonders if this is actually a reach, tho')

I was convinced I was crazy when I got downtown at 6:30 a.m. I mean, I'd voluntary gotten up WAY before the sun on a weekend, parked my car 0.9 miles away from where I needed to be and then was going to take 13.1 miles to get back to it! (Okay, more like 13.2 miles, but whatevs). I borrowed an idea from a friend who ran the Jersey Shore Half Marathon a few weeks ago and wrote mantras on my hands - "Because I can" on my right hand and "I'm not a quitter" on my left before leaving my car.

It was interesting how 'alive' the city was - 15,000 total participants in the marathon and half-marathon and their cheering sections heading towards the intersection of Broad and High, where the start corrals were set up. Even though I've done the Race for the Cure downtown the last two years, it just seemed like way more people and a lot more energy even though this year there were 45,000 people in the Race for the Cure. I didn't feel at all like I'd gotten up at 5:30 a.m.

I knew when I registered that I wanted to start and finish the race running. I was pumped and decided I was going to try to implement the most aggressive strategy for completing the race that I thought I could handle. I felt great so I decided to go for my reach goal. I decided to run all the odd miles and walk all the even miles. I made a final trip to the port-a-potty and stretched before I took my spot towards the back of corral 4.

It wasn't long before I was off, although it took me 11:29 to get to the start line. We started going west on Broad St. towards Bexley. Since there were so many people, it was a very slow start and according to my heart rate monitor, it took me 12:03 to complete the first mile. I wanted to keep running, but didn't want to end with no gas in the tank, so I slowed to a walk and completed the second mile in 14:22. We were pretty well into a suburb soon after that, and I thought I hit the lap button but didn't. When I got to the end of the third mile I know I was at 38 something. I finished the combination of miles 3 and 4 in 25:48 and was feeling good about my pace. It seemed strange that even as recently as June, a 5K seemed pretty long and I'd just done that and still had nearly 10 miles ahead of me.

The fifth mile put us out near Capital University and I finished that one in 10:52. The sixth mile took us through Franklinton . I walked that one in 13:48. I crossed the 10K mark at 1:19:04. I knew that even if I had to conserve energy and walk an extra mile or two, my 3 hour goal was still very attainable. We were back on Broad Street at that point and I got the seventh mile in 10:45. The next mile took us towards German Village and I finished that one in 14:03 and sucked down some Gu. I noticed some people on the sidelines with cramps and that's when I realized my legs felt really heavy. While I was opening the Gu I saw quitter on my hand and realized I shouldn't have put that word on there at all. I got that word out of my head relatively quicky and was excited to see the next mile marker and started running again. I got that mile done in 11:02.

I'm pretty sure I saw a Starbucks during mile 10 and although I had a $20 bill in my RoadID shoe pocket, I kept on going because I thought I might have been hallucinating. I also got passed by walkers (and never caught them again!) who were wearing shirts for the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon and were essentially walking, talking billboards for that event. I finished that mile in 13:50 and realized I only had a 5K left and, if I remembered the corral criteria correctly, that if I finished in under 2:45, I'd qualify for corral 3 next year. So, while I was tempted to walk an extra mile, I decided to stick with the plan that I had at the beginning and ran the eleventh mile in 11:01. The next mile was on High Street which I discovered during my first Race for the Cure is actually a pretty big hill as hills in the middle of Ohio go. I took short steps, though, and finished that mile in 13:36 and then I was in the final stretch and going about a mile more than I had in training. It was tough, but I got the last 1.1 miles done in 11:49 and collected my mylar sheet, my finisher's medal, got my official finisher's photo taken and pounded down a bottle of water which I chased with a banana and a glazed donut.

I'd met all my goals!!! I walked to my car to grab my camera and my phone, mostly so I could see what times were posted from "TweetMyTime" on Facebook and figure out what my official race time was. Turns out it was 2:43:05. I dropped 3 minutes off my pace between the 10K mark and the end of the race and passed 317 runners while only getting passed by 53 during that same interval. My heart rate monitor also said I'd burned 2126 calories, so I'll probably be in a perpetual state of hungry for the rest of the month!

I took some pictures and headed home to get cleaned up because I was hoping to be able to watch the Steelers/Browns game with some friends and enjoy a beer. I managed to do all that and get back downtown - to about the mile 11 marker, in fact - by kickoff to celebrate finishing the race with Rachel (aka the one who has encouraged this craziness at every juncture).

Impulsivity: My first quarter marathon

I'd known for a while that my friend, Rachel, was planning to do a quarter marathon this holiday weekend as a warm-up for her second half marathon in mid-October. I knew from listening to her that it was in a nearby suburb, it was this weekend (but couldn't have told you whether it was Saturday, Sunday or even Monday) and that there was a fun- and yummy-sounding post-race party. Other than that, I didn't know much... it was Rachel's thing. Then I got an email Wednesday from a running list I'm on that indicated registration was still open for this event and noticed it was being marketed to both walkers and runners. I knew I couldn't run that far but I realized though I'd never logged that distance, my fitness level would certainly allow me to walk it. Heck, I walked 5K's before I ran them and usually finished in about 46 minutes.

I immediately started to toy with doing it. The concept hadn't worn off by Thursday morning. The forecast for Sunday (turns out that was the date of the race) was awesome. High of 74, race temperatures around 50. I checked out the registration page and saw that the course was only open for two (2) hours. I was still working on finishing my coffee, so I busted out the calculator and multiplied 15 minutes (my goal walking pace per mile) by 6.55 (the distance of half a half marathon). The result was 98.25 minutes. I emailed Rachel and let her know I was starting to lose my mind. She replied quickly, encouraging the insanity. I signed up and decided my goal was to finish in under 100 minutes.

I picked up my registration packet Thursday night. Because I registered so late, my bib didn't have my name on it (and unfortunately, the race results don't include my name, but I know I'm 1260) but it was beautiful and green. I stared at it for a while, wondering what in the world I'd done. The event shirt was pretty awesome, too - it's a fitted technical shirt.

I'm actually in the process of training for a 4 mile run at the end of the month (my longest running event to date), so I had to figure out how to realign my workouts for the next couple of days. I didn't end up doing anything Thursday night but logged 5 miles on an elliptical at a near perfect 12-minute mile pace, knowing I really needed to take Saturday off. Since my battle with shin splints two (2) years ago, I'm really careful about not overdoing it and knew this previously unplanned 6.55 mile add-on was really going to screw up my plans to slowly build up running mileage.

Rachel ended up spending the night here Saturday because she has a jerk of a neighbor who likes to crank up his stereo and keep her from sleeping but I opted not to ride with her because I didn't want to get up any earlier than I had to and my warm-up wasn't going to be very intense. I had oatmeal, one scrambled egg and heated up the last of Saturday's coffee before I headed off to the local hospital where the race was starting and finishing. When I arrived, it occurred to me that having a quarter (and there was a half course, too) marathon at a hospital was a pretty good idea in the grand scheme of things.

I quickly got moving (because it was 47 degrees and rather uncomfortable to stand still) and did some stretches before finding my way to the back of the pack, behind the last pace team (13:00) and found the other walkers, who included a disproportionate amount of skinny old lady mall-walking types. Before I knew it, we were off.

I neglected to start my heart rate monitor as I crossed the start line but started it about three minutes afterwards. At the first water and aide station, I ended up with blue Powerade because I wasn't paying attention. I was so appalled that I forgot to hit the lap button on my HRM receiver. When I got to the second mile marker, I paid more attention and got water and heard the announced time - 31:40-something. I mentally cursed myself for being so off pace but did remember to hit the lap button on the HRM and was just under 28 minutes from when I started the stopwatch... (This mental lapse will prove to be important later.) It was looking like a sub-100 minute finish wasn't in the books but I pressed on. I made it to the third mile marker and was greeted by a guy who noticed my UD t-shirt and mentioned his daughter went there and sent me along with a "Go Flyers!!!" I hit the lap button after giving him a high five and realized I'd done that mile in 14:34.

At that point, the course went through a wetlands area and across a long wooden deck-type course, which seemed a little slippery. I dug in, carefully, and thought about starting to do some running after mile marker 4. I got to mile marker 4, hit the lap button and realized I'd just logged a "careful" mile in 13:41. I also got to this mile marker in just under 60 minutes, according to the guy with the megaphone. Maybe a sub-100 minute finish was still possible? I decided to do some running soon after passing the mile marker.

My feet had been getting the pins and needles feeling they sometimes do on longer distances before I broke into a run; the numb feeling quickly dissipated as I changed my stride. Running hadn't ever felt so easy, really. I hated that I needed to warm up for four miles to feel this way. Then I hit mile marker 5, tapped the lap button and did a double take as I read the numbers: 10:16. Holy crap! I didn't even run quite that whole mile so I must have been flying, especially since my usual 5K pace is 11 minutes plus!

It was tempting to keep running, but I didn't want to do anything to compromise finishing, period. I slowed back down to a power walk. Then it occurred to me that because of that crazy mile, a sub-90 minute finish was within my reach. I decided to run again, but this time a bit more conservatively. I made it to mile marker 6 in 11:50. I walked for a bit again and then decided to do the last half mile running. When I made it to the straight away, the timer showed 1:28 and change and I crossed at 1:29 something. I'd done it - I not only finished, I did it in 11 minutes under my goal!

I got my finisher's medal (!), grabbed some water and a banana and signed up for a Garmin drawing. I didn't immediately see Rachel, so I decided to go to my car and grab my cell phone and camera and then I found her. She'd expected me to cross later than I did, so I'm not sure if she even saw me finish... I was SO excited to have finished as well as I did that I threatened to sleep with my finisher's medal. She told me about the girl that finished in front of her puking (she finished in 1:04) as she crossed the finish line and somehow after that, we decided brunch would be a good idea, but decided to check the age group results first. Rachel finished 7th in her group and I checked around the 1:29 mark in my group and didn't see my name. I was hoping there wasn't a problem with my chip and wondered if my late registration meant that somehow my age had been lost.

I tried to put that out of my mind as we made our way to Matt the Miller's Tavern for post-race drinks and brunch. Ultimat Vodka was a race sponsor, so complimentary drinks were available post-race at Matt's. Rachel and I both opted for screwdrivers and then enjoyed a delicious brunch (for $6.55, because that was the quarter marathon distance, get it?) and coffee. I realized that it stands to reason that I could finish a half marathon in under 3 hours and Rachel, not surprisingly, encouraged this craziness as well. (The Nationwide Marathon and 1/2 is October 17th. Sigh.)

When I got home, I showered and checked the race results. They weren't up yet. I took a nap and checked again. I was able to confirm that I was "just a number" because of my late registration. I realized only then that I had not accounted for how long it took me to get to the starting line. (Duh!) My actual time was 1:26:45, my average pace was 13:24! No wonder the first announced time I heard at mile marker 2 seemed so far off - my delayed start on my HRM receiver wasn't that far off after all.

I still can't believe I went the distance, especially so spontaneously. I'm hoping I can move tomorrow - thank goodness it's a Federal holiday!

Sun Screen Reviews - Brite Prep Fx Brightening Foundation Primer, SPF 50

I bought a sunscreen sampler from Sephora a few weeks ago and I'm bound and determined to try everything in there. I didn't do a lot of research before I made the purchase so I was pleasantly surprised to discover it wasn't just straight up sunscreen but instead included foundation primers, lip balm, etc.

I decided to try the Brite Prep Fx first. It is a foundation primer, so I was able to use it instead of my Bare Escentuals Prime Time primer. Since it was SPF 50, I used it alone (under my SPF 15 makeup).

It worked like a charm. It went on easily, like the BE primer (the only other kind I've used). It evened out my skin's texture and tone. Make-up went on easily over it and it seemed to be very effective in the sun. I wore it for an outdoor concert which involved hours in the sun. I didn't notice any color at all.

When I set out on my mission to review sunscreens, I didn't want to know the retail prices, but I peaked and saw the price for this was $45. I think that's totally worth it, given that it is an effective sunscreen and makeup primer all in one.

An incredible experience: DMB in concert

I attended my first Dave Matthews Band concert on Tuesday, June 22nd and it was the best time I've had in as long as I can remember.

First some background... Between about 1995 and 2008, I thought the band's radio hits were boring and dull. Starbucks offered up a free live single performed by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds (sans the rest of the band) called "Grace is Gone" at the end of 2008 and it made me realize perhaps there was more to Dave and his band than the radio hits. A friend suggested soon after that I give Dave another try and hooked me up with a copious number of live performances - okay, let's just say every live performance released through April 2009 - to check out. The next thing you know, I was drinking the proverbial Koolaid by the pitcher. I did become a fan and even joined the Warehouse fan club. I got tickets way back in February when they were only available to fan club members for the Huntington Park show in downtown Columbus, the first ever concert at that venue. I made plans to attend with some friends from work and we also scheduled in an early departure from work and early arrival downtown into the agenda. (As an aside about where Jeff was in all of this, this sums it up in a nutshell... During the most recent Grammy's when DMB performed Jeff queried, "I wonder if DMB performed a song I loved if I would still love it or if I would hate it, since I really dislike nearly all of their music.")

As early as the Thursday before the concert, the giddiness started to set in. It reminded me of when I was a kid and I knew we were going to Kennywood and every day, I would get more and more excited about our upcoming day at the amusement park. (At least I didn't get as excited as my younger brother who would get so excited he puked, but that's another story for another day.) I was dreaming about possible setlists over the weekend. By Tuesday, I was so enthused I knew it was best to keep my mouth shut so as not to irritate the crap out of unsuspecting coworkers.

On Tuesday, I departed work at 1:00 p.m. and even though it was 85 degrees outside, I decided to go for a 2-mile run when I got home. In spite of the heat, I was still bubbling over with excitement afterwards. I showered and got dressed, made sure I had my ticket and headed downtown to meet Kelly, Jaime, Jeremy and Jaime's friends at R Bar. Kelly and I walked over to the ballpark around 6:00 p.m., I bought a tour shirt (which I have never done before) and then Kelly and I met up with my friend Jon (the one who told me to give Dave another chance) and his brother Bryan down on the field. Jaime and the rest of the entourage arrived a bit later, after the opening act, Robert Earl Keen, took the stage.

To say the rest was a blur isn't accurate, but even nearly a week after the show, I find it difficult to find the words to express how INCREDIBLE and WONDERFUL the show was. It wasn't just the music, it wasn't just the crowd - it was a strange symbiosis I haven't encountered at a concert before... and I've been to many good concerts. I was completely engaged in the music for two and a half hours and it was a refreshing type of joy I don't think I've experienced since high school. I didn't care about anything except being there and having that experience. Even though I knew it was finite, I didn't worry about it ending or how many songs were left until it was over. I wish I knew how to turn that on and off. I'm thinking the couple of beers I had and the dehydration from the run, the heat and the thousands of people at the concert and the *ahem* special flavor of second hand smoke might have had some impact on my experience, but I think that combination only served to enhance the WOW effect, not produce it.


Looking back, one of the things that was most refreshing was experiencing the pre-event giddiness and then having my anticipation match up with my experience. I feel like I sometimes temper my excitement on purpose as a way to attempt to protect myself from disappointment. I'm not sure how to turn that on or off either.