Since ending the run streak and taking time off after running two marathons, I haven’t had much to write about.  I have only ran once since the marathon and I could barely walk the following day.  My calf is still tight and my right foot is still sore; so right now I am just taking time to recuperate.  I have also been pretty busy with work and some other projects I am doing on the side, all of that being said not a lot of time to write, but since Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday and that means Thinking Out Loud, I thought I would take some time to write before going to sleep.

For those of you who know me ‘in the real World’ know that I don’t like celebrating holidays.  It wasn’t always that way, but being in the military and away for 8 years holidays just become another day, besides that I don’t like the commercialization of holidays.  That is my real pet peeve.  Though I still enjoy Thanksgiving; for the most part ‘they’ haven’t found a way to commercialize Thanksgiving yet.

This week for TOL I thought I would share 5 meaningful Thanksgiving memories.

2014:  Running–Last year Thanksgiving was also day #33 of the run streak.  When I started I wasn’t sure I could make it 33 days, looking back I’m still not sure how I made it 365 or if it was worth it.  Did I sacrifice my marathon training for the streak?  I’ll never know, but I will have another shot to run a marathon and I’ll always have that year of running!

2013:  Nick’s Seat–Every year since I can remember my family has always gathered at my Aunt’s house for Thanksgiving, it is the one thing I always look forward to!  I could probably tell you a story from every year, we always make memories and reflect upon years that have past and tell each other stories about the ones that have past, that we all know by heart.  Sadly in 2013 my Uncle passed away.  He was an avid golfer and I really enjoyed the times he would ask me to golf with him.  On Thanksgivings we would normally switch back and forth between golf and football depending on what time of day it was.  2013 was the first Thanksgiving without him.  Even though we don’t have assigned seats at the table we all sit in the same chairs each year.  After my Granddad passed away my Dad took his spot at the end of the table and Nike had always had the other end.  This year I wasn’t sure who was going to sit in Nick’s spot or if anyone would.  When it was time for dinner my Aunt asked me if I wanted to sit in Nick’s seat, I wasn’t expecting that.  I don’t think she realized how important or honored I was to have his seat.  So now it is me and my Dad at the ends of the table each year.

2012:  Gordon Biersch–In 2012 I really started running with people and going to different run clubs until I found one where I fit in.  That is where I met FKBT, I didn’t call him that then, I called him Tim.  If you want to know the story behind FKBT read Sarah’s blog.  Anyway, Tim was the leader of the City Sports run group and it just so happened that run group this particular week fell on ‘Friendsgiving’.  Tim had arranged for a rep from Brooks to come and demo some shoes; after the run Tim, myself, a few other runners, and the rep from Brooks went to Gordon Biersch around the corner from City Sports.  The rep offered to pay for the first rounds of beers.  After 1 or 2 rounds pretty much everyone left, but Tim and I stayed and talked with the rep for a while.  Next thing you know we were quite a few rounds in and having a blast.  At the end of the night the rep looked at us and said, so there were like 20 people with us tonight right?  We all agreed and the rep picked up the whole tab for Tim and I!  Pretty awesome!  I only tell that story because the rep no longer works for Brooks.

2003:  Surprise–This was the year I got to surprise everyone with a visit on Thanksgiving!  I missed the last two Thanksgivings, I was away in the military.  This year I flew in from Turkey and surprised everyone.  I know Turkey/Thanksgiving you can make some puns of your own.  It was great to see the surprise on everyone had on their faces.  I think I was only able to come back for 3-4 days and then back to Turkey, but it was well worth the trip.

2001:  The Redding’s House–My first Thanksgiving away from home I planned to spend in my dorm in Minot, ND.  Not very exciting, the holidays this year were especially rough being the first time away from home.  The day before Thanksgiving I got a phone call from pretty much a stranger.  She said her name when Ester Redding and she went to the same church I did.  She told me the pastor had mentioned it was my first Thanksgiving away and didn’t have any plans.  I told her that was correct; with that she invited me over to have Thanksgiving dinner with her and her family.  Normally I am not up for meeting strangers in a new setting like that, but I decided I would go.  I was pretty anxious about going, but once I arrived everyone was really welcoming and the Redding’s made my first Thanksgiving away from home a little easier to deal with.

2000:  Turkey Cup–Fifteen years ago my best friend and I asked two of our other really good friends to go golfing.  We decided to have a friendly competition, we called it the Turkey Cup.  The first year I won!  My friends did it again the following year, but I wasn’t able to defend my championship because I was in Minot, ND my first duty station.  Each year since the Turkey Cup has grown, sometimes we play on Thanksgiving, sometimes the day after.  This year we will play on Thanksgiving and have over 20 people playing.  The format of play has changed, instead of individual tournament we make it two-person best ball.  It has become a tradition we all look forward to and one that will hopefully continue for many years to come.

Yes, I know I chose 6 memories, I had to add one at the last minute after I originally posted.  Well there you have some of my most memorable memories from Thanksgiving.

What are some of yours?

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Veggie Fueled Runner

 

If you are reading this on Saturday morning, I am out running around the great city of Baltimore!  Race Day has arrived and I have returned to the Baltimore Running Festival after taking a break last year.  I haven’t ran a marathon in two years and the last one was a very poor performance, I ran without training.  This time I am prepared and as ready as I can be.

During the last four months I have logged lots of miles with lots of great people.  To be more exact during my training I have run 470.81 miles since July.  I cut back on some training runs but I’m hoping I put in enough to get my goal time, under 4 hours.

The first time I ran the Baltimore Marathon was in 2012.  I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been and didn’t take training serious until about six weeks before the race.  Once I hit the wall around mile 18 things sort of fell apart, but I was happy to finish my first marathon.

In 2013 I had signed up for the marathon almost 10 months in advance, by the time October came I was burned out from the previous year of running.  I had run something like 15 races that year and had sort of lost interest in training.  I had thought about dropping out but all my friends I had been running with were running so I did to.  What a horrible idea!  By mile 12 I had enough of the marathon and wanted to quit, but finished anyway.  Let’s just say the finish line was pretty empty by the time I got there.  But it was an awesome party at my house afterwards!!!

2014 I pretty much gave up running all together.  I still went to run club and ran but it was sporadic.  I dropped out of a marathon in May, I knew I wasn’t ready so I withdrew about 3 weeks before.  I only ran a couple of races that year and knew running at Baltimore wasn’t going to happen.

If you have been reading my blog you know what 2015 has been like for me!  I’m feeling good, my body is strong, other than some minor aches; I am ready to run the Baltimore Marathon for the 3rd time! (4th marathon total).  I’m hoping this is my year.

As I ‘toe the line’ tomorrow, okay let’s be real I’ll be in the middle of the crowd somewhere, it will be sort of odd.  It will be the first time in Baltimore I’m not running with anyone I know.  All of my friends have finished their marathons!  I’m sort of jealous.  I have a game plan in my head and just need to stick to it tomorrow.  I’m sure lots will be going through my mind tomorrow as I run the streets of Baltimore and I am sure I will reflect a lot on the past marathons, training, and the people who have helped my prepare for the race.

I’m looking forward to sharing more thoughts after the race and hopefully being able to share a story of a PR!

What pushes you to run?

-Veggie Fueled Runner

Well Week 9 didn’t go exactly as planned with mileage, but it was better than Week 8.  I honestly think I was still recovering from so many hills!  Half way through the marathon training plan and I’m feeling pretty good about things, but a little nervous.  I know the marathon is still two months away but I’ve been laying in bed awake at night worrying about breaking the 4-hour mark.  I really want to make sure that happens this marathon!

Monday:  4 Miles (Pace 8:04)

Today I decided to run the promenade around Canton.  My plan was to run 3 miles, but I was feeling pretty good and decided to add a mile and make up for some of the miles I skipped out on last week.  The evening air was warm and humid, but not as bad as it had been during the day.  There were lots of people out enjoying the evening.  I really do enjoy running along the water, much more than in my neighborhood.  I think that is because I actually see other people out running and the scenery in general is much better!

Tuesday:  9.5 Miles (Pace 8:30)

This evening I decided to run with Tin Roof Runners.  They normally run around 4 miles so I knew I would need to add some miles today.  I couldn’t decide if I wanted to run miles before or after meeting with them.  The heat index was over 100 during the day, so I decided to get in the extra miles after.  We started running late, it was a little after 1900 hrs. by the time we started running.  It was only a few of us.  I pretty much ran by myself and the lead runners turned well before I was ready to.  I ran the waterfront through the Harbor, Fells Point, Canton, all the way to the end of Clinton St. and back.  It was a good run!  It is amazing the difference the weather can make when running.  Last Sunday it was much warmer when the sun was up and I was struggling to get 10 in.  Today wasn’t ‘easy’ but it was much more comfortable.

Wednesday:  5 Miles (Pace 8:03)

Tonight was a special but sad run, I decided to write a seperate blog for this run.  You can read it here.

Thursday:  1 Mile (Pace 8:14)

I decided I would run hills tomorrow instead of today and take a rest day today.  Today was my Dad’s birthday so I went out to dinner with my parents.  After dinner it looked like it was going to rain so I quickly changed and logged a mile around the neighborhood.

Friday:  5 Miles (8:33)  Day #300 of the Running Streak

My alarm went off at 0530 hrs.  I hit the snooze.  It went off again at 0539 hrs.  I hit the snooze again.  The alarm went off again at 0548 hrs. I finally got up but didn’t want to.  As I started getting ready I was sort of anxious about running with November Project, not because I don’t like the group but because of the weird ‘ritual’ they start off with before running.  I talked myself into going, mostly because I told my friend Sarah I would be there.  Today’s morning welcome was especially weird in my opinion, it was a welcome with a Sponge Bob theme.  For anyone who knows me, knows I don’t like cartoons and I think I’ve shared before I don’t like strangers touching me so this morning really peaked my social anxiety.  November Project using the hashtag #hillsforbreakfast since they run hills, but they normally incorporate some other exercises into their workout.  Today they had portions of the hill you were suppose to sprint, skip, and sprint again, then other circuit exercises at the top and bottom.  When I do hills I just like to run so I didn’t do any of those things.  Really I pretty much decided not to run with November Project.  I was feeling really anxious after the weird welcome so I just did hill repeats on both sides of Patterson Park by myself.  I like running with people, but I don’t think I can get past the beginning of the workout with November Project, they are a great group thought.  If you enjoy a crossfit-type workout and don’t mind getting really close to strangers I recommend it, but I think I’ve finally decided it isn’t for me.  I did (6) 800m hill repeats, not as fast as I wanted to but it was a good run and after about 3 hills my anxiety started to subside.  I also decided to meet some friends in the evening for Floyo, it is yoga on paddle boards.  I am really glad I went we all had a good time and it was a good way to work on the core as well as stretch out!

Saturday:  1.5 Miles (Pace 8:37)

The weather today was more like a late September day rather than late August.  I had every intention to run 9 miles today, but by  the afternoon I was exhausted.  I have no idea why I was so tired, I went to bed at a descent hour and hadn’t really done much other than meetings in the morning.  I took two naps and finally convinced myself to run.  I was meeting some friends from high school and didn’t have a lot of time, so I ran around the neighborhood.  Not an exciting run but I got some miles in.

Sunday:  14 Miles (Pace 9:26)

I went to bed early last night and got a full 8 hours of sleep, maybe even a little more, but I was really tired all through the day again today.  My original plan was to wake up at 0400 hrs. to run, but decided my body probably needed the sleep more than the running.  I had meeting in the morning, then by the afternoon I was wiped again.  I took a nap and dosed off again.  I finally talked myself into running around 1830 hrs.  The weather this weekend has been great and it was in the low 70’s when I started my run.  Right away I was feeling lethargic and generally not well.  About 2.5 miles in I almost got sick, at mile 3 I made a pit stop in the Four Seasons and felt a bit better after that.  I ran into my friend Kristen, she was running with some other friends and we quickly made plans to run Tuesday.  I was starting to feel better, by mile 7 I was thinking I could do 19 maybe even more.  I felt pretty strong up until around mile 12, then my hips started to tighten up.  They felt like they couldn’t rotate with my body, at this point I pretty much knew my run was done.  I slugged through the next 2 miles and made it back to my truck. I was a little dissappointed I didn’t get in 19, but it could have been much worse considering how I felt when I started.  I think running everyday and following the marathon training plan is started to take its toll on my body.  I’m looking forward to a real rest day!

Total Miles: 40

-Veggie Fueled Runner

 

Week 7 of training was tough but a solid week.  The speed work and long run took it out of me, but I’m looking forward to running in St. Thomas this week.  (editors note:  I did not feel this way at the end of the week.)

Monday:  3.1 Miles (Pace 8:58)

Touched down in beautiful St. Thomas today with two of my great friends Paul and Adrienne.  After a flight delay and long’er’ day of flying then planned we had arrived.  As we drove to the resort I couldn’t help but notice how hilly the island was.  When we arrived at the resort there was nothing but hills leading up to our condo.  I was wondering where I was going to run.  We went to eat and I noticed the roads really didn’t have a shoulder to run on either, ugh!  After dinner I decided it was time to log some miles.  I descended the first third of a mile from the condo, it had to have dropped at least 500 ft.  I had to lean all the way back and work to slow myself.  Finally I hit some level ground and decided to run on the main road.  I went up to the next resort and I stopped at the guard shack and asked if it their property was level.  When the guard told me yes, I asked if I could run on the property. She said it was okay and off I went.  After making two loops around the property I was getting ready to leave when six security guards came up and stopped me.  I explained the guard at the gate told me it was okay to run on the property, they informed me I could not.  I apologized and told them I was leaving anyway.  They laughed and said it wasn’t a big deal and let me go.  Shew!  Thanks goodness!  I ran back to my resort and began the very steep ascent to back to the condo.  I was so happy to reach the top.  I was hoping to run a bit faster but I’m happy with the amount of hills and uneven terrain.  A good first night in St. Thomas!  (I looked up the elevation it was actually 230 ft. over .4 of a mile with 20% inclines, no wonder it felt so much higher!)

Tuesday:  3.1 Miles (Pace 9:02)

Well I have resigned myself that my times this week are going to be a bit slower and I most likely won’t be getting in any long runs.  Running here feels like technical trail running.  There are lots of potholes, hills, and bumpy terrain around the condo.  After descending the mountain today, I ran the same direction I did yesterday but decided to go into a neighborhood instead.  I thought that would be a good idea, not so much.  About a 1/4 mile in dogs starting chasing me.  One a mutt mix and the other a pit bull mix.  I turned and saw them chasing after me, I put my arm out hoping they would bite that first.  As I did that they turned away and ran the other direction.  Definitely spiked my heart rate!  I decided sticking to the main road, though not much of a road, would be best.  I ran back past my condo in the opposite direction; the terrain did not improve.   I looked at the Garmin and knew I could get in 3.1 miles and turned around at the next resort.  The ascent seemed more difficult this time;  it could also be that my legs are incredibly tired from over 9 months of running.  I reached the top and dreaded thinking about how many more times I would have to do that this week.

  
 

 
Wednesday:  1.2 Miles (Pace 9:26)

I didn’t run in the morning today, which proved to be a mistake.  We took a ferry over to St. John’s and spent the day there.  We did some walking and I went snorkeling for a while.  I was pretty tired when we got back to St. Thomas.  I changed to go for a run.  The hill is really becoming my nemesis.  As I started to descent, my quads, specfically my right femur really hurt.  I had a sharp pain in my leg.  After a long day I knew I wasn’t going to run far, especially since it was already dark.  I ran to the next resort and turned around.  The ascent back up the hill wasn’t as painful as the descent but still really hard.  I’m starting to doubt how many more times I can do that this week.  I actually thought about running on the treadmill tonight, but I haven’t since the streak began and I don’t want to start now…

 

 
Thursday:  3 Miles (Pace 8:48)

My pace today was not an indicator of how I felt.  I really thought about ending the streak today.  St. Thomas is not a runner’s paradise by any means.  St. Thomas is taking it’s toll on my body; mid-afternoon I mustered up the energy (physically and mentally) to tackle the hill again.  I really don’t know how many more times I can do that hill aka mountain.  After the slow descent, I ran along the road filled with potholes, sloped terrain, and rocks.  Today I went a bit further and came to an area with a few stores and a good size parking lot.  I was about a mile in, and decided to loop the parking lot once.  I realized, by looking at my Garmin, the loop around the parking lot was about .12 miles.  I decided to run a mile here.  My legs finally fell into a rhythm that they haven’t had in days.  I was still hot and sweaty but glad to be on flat ground.  My second mile was 7:32.  I didn’t meant to run that fast but I wasn’t struggling and it was freeing to be able to run without focusing on the terrain!  I thought about putting in another mile but decided not to, I still had to tackle the mountain again.  I made my way back to the condo and ascended the hill.  I was a bit surprised at my pace considering how slow it has been.  Overall, I had a decent run but I really need a change of terrain.

 

 
Friday:  XX Miles (Pace XX:XX)

I didn’t forget to put in my miles and pace for today.  I don’t actually know what it was, other than it was further than a mile.  You can read about my entire experience on my Born to Run Experience blog.  To summarize, I ran barefoot for approximately 2.5 miles, over tough terrain.  I wound up with a blood blister on my left foot.  Later that night while on the sandy ‘dance floor’ I banged my toe on a rock, yup left foot.  Pain was shooting around my foot, I’m still not sure if I broke my toe.  It started bleeding and is pretty purple.  Not looking forward to running tomorrow.

 

 
 Saturday:  1.1 Miles (Pace 10:04)

In Guam they are called Taotaomona or Deundes, in Hawaii island spirits go by several names Pele or Menehune are just a couple (I reference those because I have live in both places).  I’m not sure if the people of St. Thomas believe in island spirits but I feel like they have gotten to me, if there are any.  The island beat me up pretty good yesterday, my feet are really sore from running barefoot, getting a blister, and stumping my toe.  I really thought about calling the streak today.  I decided I would try to keep the streak going; we stopped at a store where I bought some gauze to wrap my foot.  When we got back to the condo I wrapped my foot with several layers and laced up for the run.  Surprisingly, my blister didn’t hurt that much; when I started the descent though that was another story.  My joints have really taken a beating with all this hills this week.  My knees and ankles started throbbing.  I kept going, my descent was actually slower than my ascent. I ran a different trail that stayed on the condo property.  I was glad to finish tonight but completely worn out.  I’m glad I only have two more runs here in St. Thomas.  St. Thomas may be paradise but it is not a runners paradise.

Sunday:  1.5 Miles (Pace 8:35)

Today I decided to give barefoot running another try, this time on the beach.  We went to a beach called Megan’s Bay, it was pretty long and the sand was pretty firm near the water.  I decided since it was flat it was better to run here without shoes than the hills with shoes.  I ran with my phone to keep track of distance and pace using the RunKeeper app.  For the most part this run was probably one of the better ones since I have been here.  I did have some trouble getting my hips to fall into sync when I was on uneven ground.  I had to modify my stride a little because of my toe and blister.  I thought about running further but I didn’t have my sweat gutr and the sweat was really burning my eyes.  I jumped in the water as soon as I finished.  After this week of rough terrain my body feels awful and I still have one run left tomorrow.  I’ll need to run before we fly out.  I’m looking forward to getting back to Baltimore and better terrain.

 

 
What has been your hardest week of training?

-Veggie Fueled Runner

  

This week has turned out to be a pretty hard week of training.  I’m in St. Thomas and the island is extremly hilly and the roads do not have shoulders so it is difficult to find a place to run.  I’ll have all the updates in my weekly  blog on Monday.  

 

 
I have been taking lots of pictures here and it got me thinking about a few things.  How much I have changed in the last year.  Running has become a part of my life that I didn’t realize I rely on so much.  Since I haven’t been able to run the way I want it is bothering me.  Running really is an outlet and a time to clear my mind.  I feel like I have been doing much more technical running and my focus needs to stay on that, instead of decompressing the day.  I’ll be glad to get back to a regular running routine!

 

 
I mentioned pictures ealier; a picture from the memories feature on FB popped up this week and it was odd to see how much I have changed in the last year.  I’ve lost about 25 lbs.  I almost don’t look like the same person.  A year ago I wasn’t eating very healthy and running wasn’t really a part of my life.  I had given up any sort of regimine.  In October of last year I made a commitment to running and becoming a vegetarian, both have proven to be great experiences.  While I do think the running streak will come to an end after 365 days, I do not forsee me going back to eating meat.  I feel so much better and healthier!  

 

 
It is odd that to think when people ask, “What’s new” I usually say not much.  Everyday seems the same but looking back a year everything has changed.  (I’m pretty sure that is a quote from someone else, just not sure who)

 

 
That was a bit random and short, but that is me thinking out loud this week.  Plus I’m pretty tired from a long day.

How have you changed in the last year?

-Veggie Fueled Runner