Bowl of Berries

Yes belive it or not I have never ridden my bike alone.  Not gonna lie, as I was about 10 minutes in I begin thinking WWGD (What would Glenda, my Mom, do?)  Glenda would not be biking alone but she is the brains of the family Scottie was planning to bike 70 miles with our fast bike friends and I have no reason to bike that long nor would I be able to keep up.  I thought about going to the gym and riding the spin bike hard for an hour then lift weights but the weather was absolutely amzing so I knew I would hate myself for not getting out.  Plus my foot was sore so I couldn’t run…boo!

So after a glorious swim this morning and a bagel and mae it home to get myself ready, mentally and physically, for this ride.  I would drive out to Apex and park near at the ATT where I have done many runs.  I knew I could bike out to Jordan Lake and ride around and come back to the car.  The traffic would be limited and there would be tons of other cyclists out so I knew if somehting happened I would have help.

I got a a little nervous on the drive but I KNEW I could do this. So off I went without any sort of second thought, I would just pretend Scottie was behind me the whole time. Thanks goodness the wind had died down from yesterday, it was brutal walking into Target on Saturday! The sun was out, no clouds in the sky and it has warmed up nicely by the time I go out just before noon.

I decided to push myself but not kill myself,  i really wnated to enjoy this ride.  I have been a bit discouraged by my cycling as of late, probably due to all of the running and little biking.  So I really just wnated to enjoy myself.  And I can say I was successful at that!  I had a blast.  I even passed the group cottie was riding in which gave me a little boost.  I was so proud of myself.  I ended up averaging about 17 miles an hour, which isn’t terrible but this wasn’t about speed today.  I did 29 miles in 1 hr 40 minutes and I was practically beaming by the time I finished.  So it seems I can survive on my own on the bike…I just need to practice changing a tire…just in case

Get ready for another epic race report! This race has so much meaning to me because I grew up in Virginia Beach and always heard of Shamrock and knew it was one of the larger races in the area.  I decided not to run it last year as I wasn’t sure I would be recovered from a knee injury in time so I ran Tobacco Road half instead.  I was incredibly excited leading up to this race.  I knew whatever the outcome I was going to have a great race, and even though all didn’t go as planned it was certainly one of the most memorable.

The morning of the race I all but jumped out of bed and put on my race clothes.  I was so excited about my race outfit…it was totally “me” with pink compression socks, green shorts and “custom” green arm warmers that I created out of over the knee socks from Target.  The morning was COLD.  Much colder then the weather predicted days prior.  Luckily, Scottie, my sister and I went to Kmart the night before and found some men’s pajamas to wear at the start…only $3 a set…not bad!  It was better than the XL pink owl flannel PJ set I was going to get.  I had my oatmeal breakfast, coffee and then I waited for…ahem…nature to come.  Well it never did.  I can usually take care of business with no problem but this morning…nothing was happening.  I tried not to worry too much as we loaded up the Mini and Dad drove us to the start.  My Dad is awesome for getting up and dropping us off, but I have to give props to Mom because she got up Saturday for Steph’s 8k.  I was really worried about the parking situation after seeing how long it took us top park for Steph’s race the previous morning, and luckily it was super easy to get dropped off and Dad had no problem with traffic on the way back.

It was WINDY.  Very gusty and COLD.  We found a parking garage and tucked ourselves in a back corner which proved to be smart and popular.  We were near the porta pottys and I went once but still…nothing.  Not feeling the urge I figured I would just deal with it on the course, I knew there were be porta potties along the route and I just hoped it didn’t get ugly out there.  We waited about an hour before making our way to the start.  The race was delayed 15 minutes due to wanting to spread out the half marathoners from the marathoners.  Fine with me, we got in our corral then started shedding layers just before the race.  They sent us out in waves to again try to avoid too much congestion.  Finally it was out turn…the gun went off and we were off!

I felt great at the beginning, weaved my way through people and got in a nice grove.  I tried to be conservative and not go out too fast…first mile was about 8:30…which was perfect.  We ran down to Rudee Inlet and looped around before heading over the bridge.  This is a pretty easy bridge so I took my time but still felt strong.  Then we ran all the way down past the Marine Science museum and Camp Pendleton until we turned around and made our way into the base.  Now this was awesome for me because my Dad used to work here so I have many memories of visiting him here and checking out the snack room and shredding paper…yes the little things were fun for my sister and me.  We also ran past the 203^rd Red Horse Memorial where just days earlier people gathered to remember the 10^th anniversary of the worse accident during peacetime in the history of the Air Guard.  I thought about those that died and remembered where I was when it happened.  Said my little prayer and was off.  I also wanted to mention the support of those on base was some of the best I have ever experienced.  Loved running through that crowd!

I slowed down near a group of porta potties and saw someone leave so I ran in and peed.  I felt amazing afterwards!  I kept up my pace trying to stay within 8:30 and 8:45 minute miles.  I took my first two Gu Chomps around mile 5 and just as I finished those a girl commented on my pink socks.  She and I chatted quite a bit and I actually missed seeing Scottie at the turn around b/c I was talking too much…imagine that!  She and I ended up running together for about 10 miles.  This was her first marathon and she was looking to run under 4 hrs, which was my goal so it worked out well.  We started back on the boardwalk and the wind really picked up.  It was really miserable…but we started talking to two guys who were about the same pace.  I mentioned that I do triathlons as well and she asked if I did an Ironman and I said I was doing one in November.  One of the guys asked if it was Arizona and I said no, Florida…he said he had done that one and it is great…so we chatted a bit more about tris before Lauren and I pulled away.  Right around the 12 mile mark we see some of the back of the pack half marathon runners turning in to finish…oh what a tease to be almost done!  But we trucked on.

Right around the 13 mile mark I started to slow.  At this point we were running back on Atlantic avenue and the wind gusts were ridiculous between the tall hotels…I felt like I was crawling. Plus my stomach didn’t feel great…it didn’t hurt but I felt like I had a rock in my stomach and I felt burpey.  So I just tried to do what I could…Lauren was saying our pace was near 9min miles…which I said was fine I needed to slow a bit.  So she stuck with the 2 tri buys and I did my own thing.  Then I realized I think I was a little…um…stopped up and my nutrition wasn’t absorbing properly.  I didn’t feel like I had any umph.  So I tried to alternate water and Gatorade to get some hydration and calories.  We then hit Shore Drive which was a little isolated but by this point I saw Lauren come out of a porta potty, her stomach wasn’t happy either so I told her to try just drinking water to see if her gels would absorb.  We started running together again and met up with Wayne from New Jersey.  He asked how our races were going and how many we had done then I asked how many he had done and he responded: 274.  Ah a veteran!  So we started chatting about his races and how long he had been running etc.  Lauren dropped off to walk and Wayne and I ran together for about 2-3 miles.  This was so fun because we talked races, strategy, travel etc.  We kept up a respectable 9 min mile pace and he reminded me that we run for ourselves not for anyone else…which I needed to hear since I certainly wasn’t BQing today and I felt my PR was going to slip away too.  But I am sure Wayne didn’t PR every race so it’s not really necessarily needed as long as you are having a good time.  He stopped off to walk and I went on my way.

My next mile was much slower as I didn’t have anyone to talk to.  I think this was around mile 18 or 19.  I knew the end was in sight but I also knew these last miles were the toughest.  I tried to take a Gel at mile 19 but it was slightly solidified due to the cold, so I tried to take little bites of it to keep nutrition up…but it was not working.  I felt nauseous and went into a porta potty to see if anything would happen.  I peed a little and noticed it was neon yellow…I was dehydrated…I knew I wasn’t drinking enough because the cold always throws off the amount I drink.  So at the water stop I drank 2 cups of water and felt much better.  So I stuck with water until the end just to keep hydrated and keep my head in the game.

I didn’t use my cell phone at all this race, mostly because I knew Scottie and most of my friends were running races at the same time so I had no one to cheer me on…I was completely in my own head.  I stuck with my Richmond strategy of walking the water stations to get hydrations and keep my head in check…seemed to work ok.  The crowd support near the end was great…a few beer stations which I really wanted to try but I knew I would probably puke it up.  I hit 23 and knew I was almost done but also knew my under 4 hr goal was not possible.  So I just tried to make the best of it and keep moving.  Hitting mile 25 was glorious because I knew I would be turning onto the Boardwalk very soon!  Turning on to the Boardwalk also meant more wind!  But as I start running I saw the finish line which looks deceivingly short but it was quite a trek.  No one was around me so I felt like I was winning the race!  I tried so hard to sprint it in but I knew it I went any faster I was going to lose it.  Everyone was screaming my name and I felt awesome…then I heard Dad yell for me, but I couldn’t look or again, I would lose it. So I gave him the thumbs up.  I am in the zone…trying to compose myself and keep the feet moving.  Then all of a sudden I felt no pain or discomfort…I just smiled big for the camera and finished with jazz hands! Official time was 4:04:14.

As soon as I finished I felt terrible.  I got my medal…walked and got my finisher hat and shirt (woot) and as much food as I could hold.  I staggered through the everlasting finishers chute and found an open spot hear a Ryder truck where I sat down and called Mom.  I chugged a bottle of water and inhaled two sugar cookies…solid food tasted amazing.  Mom and Dad found me pretty quickly and we hugged and then I started shivering  like crazy (I now realize they didn’t have those space blankets to keep warm…those would have been nice) so I put on as many layers as I could…which helped but my legs were still freezing.

Scottie wasn’t too far behind me and somehow among all the crowds he found me…I was so happy that he was in on piece!  After OBX he crossed the finish line with knees wrapped and was hobbling around in tons of pain.  This time, he was still hobbling but he didn’t sustain any major injuries…so I was relieved!  As much as I wanted to get my free beer and beef stew I just didn’t have the patience to deal with the crowd and frankly I wasn’t sure what I could hold down so I suggested we go to a nearby bar.

A side story of sort, years ago I was visiting my parents the weekend of Shamrock and we had breakfast at this bar.  There were lots of finishers there that day enjoying drinks post race and hobbling around with their medals, I told myself that day I would do this race and would come to Big Sam’s to celebrate, so I am very excited I finally got the chance!

Liquids went down better then solids so I enjoyed two beers and 2 slices of quesadilla before we went home to ice and recovery.  I didn’t do my usual ice bath and Recoverite shake…which I am regretting now because I am quite sore.  Almost as sore as after my 50k in December.  Oh well live and learn.  I have plenty more marathons to run and I think you learn something new after each one!

4 days until Shamrock!

Can.Not.Wait!

It is seriously killing me to go to work and sit through the day and watch the clock tick by.  I just need to get to Friday when I can work from home, pack up (wait I started packing Sunday lol!) and then the fun begins!

I think one of the advantages of being a “veteran” marathoner is that you kinda know what to expect.  I can’t wait to get to the start and soak it all in…then take off and just enjoy the crowd, the fellow runners and the city that I grew up in! I know I am going to hurt around mile 23 but then I remind myself…I ran 31 miles at one time!  I can totally do this!

That being said, this past week has left little to be desired in terms of workouts and eating. I have lost some motivation simply because I want to be fresh for the race and I seem to have an all or nothing mentality when it comes to working out.  I have also been out of control with my eating but I am not too concerned because I have been eating DELICIOUS food including some of the best Indian food I have ever had today at lunch. I figured I have 3 weeks until Ironman training begins so I better have fun now because it’s all business come April 10th!

Well I think this month’s challenge was a success:

Swim:7h 24m 16s  - 19900 Yd

So close to 20k yards!  If I realized earlier that I was that close I would have thrown in an extra 100 somewhere!  I didn’t get to 5 days of swimming a week but considering I did less then 5k in January this was a pretty big step up. Most of my weeks were 3-4 days, which I am happy with.  I am back in the swimming groove and now need to work on building a bit. I never did get to a Master’s swim.  The research study I am participating in has thrown off my schedule a bit but that ends Wednesday so hopefully I will get there evenually.

March’s challenge? Tone up and trim up.  I started strength training again in January but let it fall by the wayside in February, so the challenge will be to add stre ngthand core training and clean up the diet before Ironman training begins in April!

Wow 7 weeks  since my last post?  I am either 1. Lazy, 2. Too busy training, 3. Too busy working or 4. Some combination of the above.  Well it is 4…life has been WAY busy and by the time I do settle down the last thing I want to do is blog!  Leave it to the new year to get one motivated and then overwhelmed!

I have been solidly training since January 1st.  Running is going VERY well after a rocky start.  Seems my legs enjoyed the 2 vacation post Ultramarathon and decided they were going to throw out weird aches and pains.  I had one entire weekend of bad training that left me doubtful that I would be ready to run Shamrock, but luckily I have had some really solid workouts to make up for a few bad ones!   I am learning how to rest and baby my legs so they recover and not lead to petty injuries.  My knee has never been better, I think in part to my Kinvaras and the strength training I have been doing.  Hooray!

Swimming has been slow going but I imposed a little (ok crazy) challenge of 5 days of swimming a week for the entire month of February. This has since turned into a more realistic 3-4 swim sessions a week goal. I am a perpetual cloud of chlorine and I might as well leave a gym bag at the RTP pool.  I am even considering the whole Master’s swim class, which admittedly scares the hell out of me.  I am such a non swimmer and I am scared I will just look like a total wannabe swimmer.  Wait, I will but I suppose that’s why I should go, to just get better…set the pride aside!

On the job front..I got a promotion!  I am taking on full service, managed paid search clients whereas before I was training some of our small to medium sized clients and they would take that wonderful knowledge and manage their own accounts.  While I am excited it is also overwhelming because it all happened so fast!  I am taking on new managed clients, transitioning my smaller clients and training my replacement…to say the next 4-6 weeks will be busy is an understatement!  But I am thankful for the opportunity and I can’t wait to dig into my new clients.

Shamrock is exacly for 4 weeks away.  I had to cut my planned 20 miler short yesterday because I felt nauseous…I was really bummed but I know I can make it up next weekend.  I think I pushed the pace too hard in the beginning and then I think maybe Hammer gels may not be agreeing with me anymore.  I haven’t trained with them this go around, instead using Gu’s and maybe they just aren’t working anymore?  I will probably stick to Gu’s for the remainder of training and the race and pick back up with Hammers a bit later.

So that is the State of Jennifer so far.  Fast and furious, never a dull moment…just how I like it!

I really hate resolutions.  I hate that the gyms are packed, I hate that there are diet commercials on TV, I hate that it takes a new year for people to make a change in their lives.  Why start on 1/1/11 when 12/30/2010 is just as good of a day?

Luckily as an athlete the year is broken into seasons so it is easy to set goals for a season as opposed to a whole year.  I feel all of 2010 was one big season as I started training in January and went straight through until 12/18/2010…it was really exhausting mentally and physically.  Spring running season morphed into triathlon season morphed into marathon and ultra training.

This year the goal is to break the year up.  With an Ironman in November it can be really daunting to look at the amount of time from now until then.  It seems so far away but also really close!  So I am breaking 2011 in to 3 segments; Marathon Training, Ironman Training and a true off season (weee!) Luckily the Ironman plan I am using doesn’t start until mid April, and with my spring marathon scheduled for the end of March I can get in some real rest before ramping up full speed again!  This should help me recharge and get excited for the next round of training.

Another thing I am focusing on is quality over quantity.  I am trying to trim down the races I do this year.  I know racing is important to test out my fitness level and nutrition but it can also get quite expensive so I am looking to do races that will help me succeed in Florida.

I will also be testing out some things I haven’t regularly done in the past. Strength training, especially core work, which will hopefully prevent injury and help with my knee issues.  I am also going to strive to clean up my diet.  I have given myself a free pass the last two weeks from any kind of healthy eating and exercise and I feel like crap!  So while training I will work to eat well 90% of the time but still allow 10% for fun and the occasional beer

So are my tangible goals for the 2011 season, however far fetched they may seem (hey gotta dream big right!)
-Qualify for Boston (eeeek!)
-Get a podium spot again
-Finish IMFL under 14 hours (this may change once I get training…I really have no idea what I can do it in)

Not a long list but I have a bunch of things I want to work on that are hard to measure therefore it’s hard to call them a goal.  But I am super excited to get back training and working hard again!

Happy New Year!

From last year but nonetheless awesome

Merry Christmas from Jennifer, Scottie, Bella and Porkchop!

Well I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be writing a race report for an ultramarathon but here goes nothing!

Up at 5:45 to make my oatmeal and get my early morning supporters (Scottie and my sister Stephanie) up and at em. Mom set out my oatmeal supplies the night before and Steph got my coffee started. I dressed in the 5 layers needed to survive the frigid temperature. Then realized we needed to get on the road! 3 humans, 2 dogs piled into my sister’s car.

It was about 30 minutes to the park and my support crew needed their coffee! But luckily since this was a really small race (only about 234 racers)I didn’t have to worry much about parking and getting to the start on time.

After a quick walk across the street to the trails and we saw just how small this race was! 3 porta potties and I went ahead and jumped into the short line. Slowly people trickled to the start. I was really cold and didn’t realize that I had started to quiver…I am sure nerves had something to do with it too! By the time Scottie wrapped me in his jacket it was time to line up!

The race starts on the main road which was icey and slushy from the snow on Thursday so everyone took their time making their way up the road. From there we turned onto the trail. Now the trails in Virginia Beach  are unlike what is in Raleigh, nothing terribly steep but there are some slight inclined that kept you on your toes. There was a good mix of rolling hill trails and the main flat trail. You were never on one part of the trail for more then 3-4 miles which helped mentally to break up the long distance.

There were 2 aid stations that we hit multiple times but I bypassed the first one as it was only 5 miles in.

I will say even though it was about 34 degrees through most of the race, I was never cold. My toes were pretty frozen for the first mile, felt like I had rocks under my toes but once they warmed up I was good to go. It wasn’t windy at all which probably helped too.

I ran around people for the first 12 miles or so, I had a slow and steady pace which was fine with me…I was NOT doing this for time. I was just trying to finish without injury. Once I hit the last trail before the start of the second loop I hit no man’s land. I was completely by myself for about 2 miles…it was eery but also very peaceful. I hit the aid station and grabbed a PBJ on white bread (delicious!) and went on to lap two. I was feeling pretty good but I would be lying to say I wasn’t a little scared about that second lap. I text Scottie I was onto lap 2 and quickly saw my Facebook comment update…he is so good! Around mile 17 or so I noticed I was pretty much alone again so I started the Ipod. I wanted to save it until I really needed it. I hardly ever run with music but I knew mentally I may need something to take my mind off of running for so long. The music really helped and I felt my spirits lift a little and my pace pick up a bit.

Mile 20 came and I was still feeling good, texted Scottie I hit 20 and said I felt good except sore hips but nothing terrible. At some point my feet started to hurt, I have had issues with blisters on the outside of my big toes and I could feel them develop again. My pinky toes were also sore…again something that started during the Richmond Marathon. I tried to push it out of my mind and just focus on the fact that my knee didn’t hurt! My ITBS flared up during Richmond and even more so the week after when I ran some single track. I have been working to strengthen my hips to avoid this as well as continue to see my chiropractor. I went in cautiously optimistic as I hadn’t had any issues on the last few long runs.

I hit 26 miles in 4:45 which was my marathon time at OBX! I chuckled at that but knew the last 5 miles were gonna be a doozey. I texted Scottie and said I would see him at the finish line. From that point on it was nose to the grindstone. I tried to stay focused and not feel all of the aches and pains. I moved to a walk/run method just because my feet were screaming. I hit mile 27 and the last aid station, I picked up my last PBJ square and the 8 yr old volunteer let me know I had 4 miles left… “I can do 4 miles” I said and then the older gentleman beside me reminded me I had already run 27! So I thanked them all and set out for my last 4 miles.

I distinctly remember mile 28 being the hardest, I no longer wanted to run so I just walked. I power walked for probably 3/4 of a mile until I snapped out of it and realized the fast I move forward the faster I would be done. So I started running again. At mile 29.5 my friend Brad called and said he was with a bunch of our other friends and they were trying to guess what mile I was on (I spoke to them 2 prior times on the run) at this point I was taking a walk break (I am sure my fellow runners thought I was nuts but I needed that mental boost!) so he passed the phone around and I got lots of well wishes. After hanging up with him I was ready to be done so I started running. Then I got a text from Scottie asking if I was close (he estimated I was going faster then I really was!) and I let him know I was almost at 30. Just after that I hit the road and was told I had less then a mile. I was NOT stopping until I hit that finish line so I trotted along, trying not to look half dead.

Then I saw the turn into the parking lot and almost burst into tears, I turned left and start towards the finish…with my parents, sister and Scottie all waving and cheering! I crossed the finish line and immediately hands went to knees. I was done…I had done it!

Still Smiling!

The great thing about a small race is that your family can easily find you! I got a thermal sheet, a medal, hat and paper weight then saw the fam. They were all smiles and so proud of me. I found the Gatorade and quickly guzzled it. I tried to stay on top of my hydration through the run but I know I could probably use more. We didn’t stay around too long because it was cold and I instantly felt it once I stopped. We walked back to the car and I changed into warm clothes before heading for a celebration lunch of mexican food and beer!

This was an awesome race. The race director had to deal with weather issues again this year (last year it was a nor’easter this year it was snow 2 days previously) and at one point we thought he would have to cancel the race but luckily the race stayed on and without any course changes. The volunteers were amazing! Very gracious and accommodating.

As I sit here still pretty sore (but luckily not injured!) I would like to tackle this distance again but not sure when. I think I need some downtime and then focus on Shamrock marathon in March…but I am pretty darn proud of myself!

A few weeks ago I saw this post on Kelsey’s site about making pizza rolls from wonton wrappers. I became obsessed with these.  I added wonton wrappers to my shopping list and picked some up.  I kept it simple and added sauce, chopped pepperoni and mozzerella but I can see how adding veggies would be good (and good for you!)  But when you are hungry you don’t wanna mess around and I have made these on 3 different occasions for snack or dinner.

Scottie seems indifferent too them but I think they are just way to easy and tasty to not love!  Mine don’t look as neat as Kelsey’s but I’m sure they taste just as good! Just rolls up the wontons egg roll style with whatever filling, spread a bit of oil on them then bake for 375 degrees for about 15 minutes until slightly browned.

But wait there is more!  As part of the Kitchen Cleanout Challenge I wanted to use up the last few wrappers and some ricotta so I made Cannoli Dumplings!  I just added a few scoops of ricotta, powdered sugar, cinnamon and mini chocolate chips.  mix it up, give it a taste and fill your wrappers!  Bake as above and you have dessert to go with your pizza roll dinner!

Fridge/Pantry/Freezer Items Used:

Wonton Wrappers
Ricotta

You know when you use  ricotta in a recipe that doesn’t quite use it all up.  I know there aren’t too many recipes like that but I bought some ricotta to make some calzones and had about half a container left to use.  Looking through the pantry this weekend I realized I had a partial box of pancake mix form the beach earlier this summer and I then realized some ricotta pancakes I made years ago.

The recipe originates from Giada and she makes a fancy type honey syrup but Scottie enjoys the old fashion high fructose corn syrup version so I don’t bother with making fancy stuff. The pancakes couln’t be easier to make…not much different then following the directions on the back of the box but the ricotta adds a nice density whithout making these heavy.  I added the blueberries to mine and kept them plain for Scottie. My addition to the recipe is cinnamon, which I add to all of my pancakes. i do think adding lemon would be fantastic…lemon ricotta blueberry pancakes…mmm.

FYI- this makes great post night out on the town food…not that we know anything about that

Pantry/Freezer/Fridge Items Used:
Frozen blueberries
Ricotta
Pancake mix

Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberries

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups pancake and waffle mix
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup frozen blueberries
Pam Spray

Using a rubber spatula, stir the remaining 1 2/3 cups of water and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the pancake mix and stir just until moistened but still lumpy. Stir in the ricotta and cinnamon into the pancake mixture, then stir gently to incorporate the ricotta but maintain a lumpy batter. Fold in the blueberries.

Heat a griddle over medium heat or about 350 degrees. Spray with pam spray. Working in batches, spoon 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.