Mission: Mercedes

Did I ever tell you that I run a mean 15 minute mile?

That’s right. You’re impressed, aren’t you? Well, let me go ahead and say I AM! I started this running journey 5 months ago and when I took my first jog, I could only jog for 30 seconds at a time. That’s right. I couldn’t even keep up with the first week of the Couch to 5K program. But you know what? Today, almost exactly 5 months later to the day, I can run for 30 minutes straight (maybe even longer, but the treadmill and it’s 30 minute time limit cut me off before I could figure that out for you). And let me just say that I’m proud of that 30 minutes. It shows progression, determination, and most importantly it shows integrity. I’m on a mission. Any day I don’t step on the treadmill or park trail when I’m scheduled to, is a day I keep myself from reaching my goal.

My goal?
Mercedes Half Marathon 2012. 

Why the Mercedes Half?
Because 10 years ago, I had the privilege of taking care of a set of triplets who benefited from the Bell Center in Homewood, AL. And I watched their mother push them across the finish line after completing the 2003 Mercedes Half Marathon. And it was inspiring. Not because she just ran 13.1 miles, but because of what she endured to get to the start line. Without going into great detail about these precious babies, this mother had been through a lot. With everything she had been through in the 2 years prior to running this half, she still managed to find a way to pay it forward, to do it for her children, and to do it for herself. This race is very near and dear to my heart, and making it my inaugural half marathon is icing on the cake. It gives me the same opportunity to do what this mother did: pay it forward, do it for children, and do it for myself.

Holly gave me an assignment earlier this month to figure out why I wanted to run this Half. So here it is Holly. :) In everything that you do, do it with purpose, believe in the mission, and believe in yourself. Even if you’re not the best at what you do, you can still have a major impact on the end result. And if you have the integrity it takes to get the job done, you will always come out on top.

Race Report: The 12Ks of Christmas (and 5K too!)

Nice to be running the longer of the 2 runs offered today and it was definitely the most ideal weather to run in. Wetumpka had a few community events going on and the energy was great! Holly and I met up at a little after 8 and went through packet pickup, pinned our numbers, took a few pre race pictures and we were ready to run at 9! The horn blew and we were off! I am never as pressured to run fast as I am when I’m with so many other runners. It’s unreal. And I’ve accepted the fact that I’m slow, but I just can’t conquer the urge to push my pace. With this being my longest run to date (yes, Holly, longest run to date), I knew I needed to save it. While I wish I could break this down in to a mile by mile blog, I can’t. I was in charge of intervals, Holly was in charge of distance. And even though she says she told me when we were at mile 3, 4, and 5, I only remember her telling me about mile 5 and even then it made me wish I hadn’t wished to hear it. We treated this run as a normal training day, so we ran/walked 2/1 intervals. I’m going to break this down into beginning, middle, and ending.

The Beginning: It was pretty uneventful. There was a hill or two, but only 1 really made me work harder than I’m accustomed to. We had other runners around us pretty much the entire time because the 12K and the 5K runners didn’t break apart until about mile 2ish. When we were at the point where 12s turned right and 5s went straight, the friendly volunteer directed us in the 5K direction, which, I’m not going to lie, kind of stings. I guess most women my size normally take the shorter distance. But you know, I turned right and kept running. I’m not normal. ;)

The Middle: The middle is kind of fuzzy. I drank A LOT during the first 3 miles. Running felt good, but walking felt tingly. We took our nutrition break at about mile 3.5 on the fly which took me a minute longer than it should have. I learned today that GU Chomps are probably going to be my fuel of choice from this point on because Holly says that I treated the regular GU like it was a leisurely snack. I’m not going to say it exactly like she did, because it might hurt your feelings too. ;) We laughed about this after the race. Anyhow....Holly sang me songs....Quad City DJ’s “The Train” was my personal favorite, but I really did miss the Luverne and Shirley Theme Song. It’s so perfect for these occasions....I kid you not!

The End: I got a little overheated and started to feel a little squishy. Yes, squishy. Holly says I turned yellow? So she made me eat 4 chomps even though I really only wanted to eat 2. And you better believe I gobbled those babies down in record timing. I remember asking her if we were getting in the way of the Wetumpka Christmas Parade (the race started at 9 and the parade didn’t start until 3). I was obviously delusional and feeling internal pressure to get my tail moving towards that finish line. I remember turning the corner and seeing the infamous Wetumpka bridge and I was happy because that meant the end was near. We ran to the top, took advantage of the photo opp, and ran the rest of the way down. We came to the end of the bridge and I knew we were close because City Hall was just a few blocks away. I was pumped! And then we hung a right.....to the trail the runs along the Coosa. It was pretty, but I was done with pretty. Holly says I yelled out loud, “WHAAAT?!?!” and proclaims this as her favorite part. So I just go with it....kicking and screaming. I said “I can’t” a few times in this stretch and learned that it is a trigger phrase for Evil Holly. She literally grabbed my hand and dragged me the rest of the way through the park. I told her I was going to throw up, but she didn’t care. So here’s a tip: when you say you can’t finish when your a stone’s throw away from the finish line, it’s too late. As we crested the hill towards the finish line, I wanted to walk so bad, but there were so many people still there cheering for us! Pulling us in. Reminding us that this is the best part of the entire race! So we ran our way in, and I felt every step like I was going in slow motion. And when I crossed that finish line....
Disclaimer: What you are about to read might not be for people with weak stomachs, but if you are interested in things people don’t always tell you about running, the ugly truth....read on.....


I covered my mouth, made a bee line for the trash can and I puked my brains out. Yep. They say this happens and it’s normal. Most runners do this at some point. Everyone coaxed me through it and won my heart at that moment. Runners are great people. I hugged all the great people volunteering at that race that cheered us in until the minute we crossed the finish line. Props to About-Time-Events for putting on a great run and not giving up on me. Props to Evil Holly, because if it weren’t for her I wouldn’t have finished. 

So, my results?
I finished.
Yes, I was last.
Yes, I puked.
Yes, it sucked.
Yes, I’d do it again.

-Amanda

Running is for Cavemen!

Yes, those were my exact words back in July of this year. Running has never been something I aspired to do or felt that I needed to do....or at least that’s what I thought, until I met Holly.

Holly stepped into my office in April or May 2011. She had just moved to the Montgomery area from the DC area. I was telling her about all the different things to do in the area. And at this time, I was reaaaalllllyyyy into biking. Okay, not THAT into it.....let me be honest. Biking was new to me, so I wasn’t as into it as I was excited about it. It was a new hobby of mine....seriously. My longest ride to this date is still only 23 miles. I was proud of it then and still am to some extent. But hearing about people riding centuries and 300Ks and riding across country make my 23 miles seem like a leisurely ride around the neighborhood. Back to the story: I offered up the usual suggestions to Holly: go to a Biscuits game, kayaking, Shakespeare....and then I did something I’ve never done before. I shared a part of my life with a stranger! I said (and I quote!), “And if you’re into biking, you should join the Montgomery Bicycle Club!” How odd is that? Not everyone’s into biking and even if they are, they might not be THAT into it....or as excited about it as I was at the time! But without a pause, Holly whips out an envelope addressed to the Montgomery Bicycle Club and proclaims that her next stop was the post office to drop off her membership application and club dues! We did as everyone does these days and friended each other on Facebook. And the rest is history. :) Well, not really....

Fast forward to July: Holly suggested that we go for a bike ride sometime and of course I said yes and also jokingly countered her to teach me how to run. And she agreed. And I really had no idea what I was asking for. Once I settled into the idea of starting a running regimen, I thought about how running would be a great way to kick off losing the extra 100 pounds I’ve been carrying around for the past 5 years. (And let me tell you now, Rome was definitely not built in a day because I’m still sitting here 5 months later with more of me than I thought would still be here at this point in the game. But it hasn’t discouraged me. My goals aren’t only to lose weight here. But it sure would make running a lot easier)
:) And you don’t know this yet, but I’m going to go ahead and say it out loud so I don’t have to hide it anymore: I am a chicken and new things make me a little nervous, I had to express my concerns to Holly before we started: shin splints, losing toe nails, what to wear and where to get it, long runs and getting lost, etc. You know....the usual things that worry you when you embark on something new and foreign. And of course all these things were foreign....they were things I had only read about....not anything I had actually experienced and quite frankly, they were somewhat mythical. So, we met at Starbucks early one Sunday morning and went over these things in great detail. Next on the agenda was to get me fitted for running shoes, because according to Holly, my 4 year old New Balances just weren’t going to cut it and with the thought of losing a toe nail still fresh on my mind, I quickly agreed. So I bought a nice pair of Asics. A pair of shoes I feel like I can do anything in, might I add. And I started my journey on July 31.

I’m not going to go in great detail about each and every workout we had. But we worked hard and when it got easier, we made it harder. And when it got too hard, we took a step back and reevaluated. We set the date for my first 5K on October 1st. And that’s when my perception about running changed. I’m not going to lie and say that running comes easy....or fun....or quick. For me anyways. But I will tell you that there is no greater feeling than the feeling of accomplishment. It’s pride. It’s encouragement. It’s dedication. Knowing that I put in the time. Knowing that I didn’t give up because it was hard or because it wasn’t always fun. Knowing that a race for me is not a race against anyone other than myself. Realizing that the hardest part of this journey is not getting to the finish line because the finish line is fun and full of relief. The hardest part of my journey is stepping up to the start line.

I don’t need a dinosaur chasing me to get me running anymore. I just need to find the start line.

So welcome to my world. This is only the beginning. :)