Week Workout Recap

This post is mostly for my own records...

Sunday- Gulf Coast Half Marathon
Monday- Rest Day
Tuesday- CrossFit
Wednesday- Zumba and CrossFit
Thursday- CrossFit
Friday- Zumba and CrossFit
Saturday- 3.1 miles (36:40)

Gulf Coast Half Marathon Recap

This picture is pre-race,and yes, we're both wearing lipstick for a race.

On Sunday morning my friend Avni and I woke up at 430 and got ready for my second half-marathon, the Gulf Coast Half Marathon in Pensacola.  It was Avni's first.

13.1 more miles. 

The race was great overall.  I didn't get the time I was hoping for but I did have a great time.  This race reminded me of Springtime Tallahassee in that it was very communty supported.  We ran through a lot of neighborhoods and people were out there cheering us on and that means a lot to me.  That's what I love about the running community.  One woman was even offering shots of rum from her driveway.  Another woman let me use her restroom in her house.  Like I said: community supported.  Also, all of the water spots were sponsored by different businesses on the island and each had a different theme so one water station was Greek/Roman themed, another was 80s hair metal bands, another was a Jamaican party.  That station even had food which was awesome because the race couldn't promise food at any of the stops so when a different water stop had orange slices it was just awesome.  Essentially people/businesses just bought this stuff themselves, cut it all up, and offered it to 2000 strangers.  I just love that about local races. 

After the race there was food and drink for runners and their people.  Publix was one of the sponsors so they brought in a ton of bakery cookies.  Land Shark was another sponsor so there was plenty of that too.  The only thing I couldn't really understand was the main food option: beans and rice.  I think it was from Moe's.  I'm sorry, but when did rice and beans become post race food?  This is my second half marathon and neither event had what I considered to be the most basic of all post race foods: the bagel.  Bagels are delicious.  They are chewy simple carbs that I don't let myself have that often and it is the the only thing I want after I run more than 6 miles.  The only thing.  At the Disney race they gave us hummus, crackers, edamame, and gummies.  No bagels.  I was so frustrated by this.

The rest of my post Sunday events involved me trying to find a bagel.  Avni and I went out to eat afterwards but we missed breakfast by 30 minutes and I tried repeatedly to get a bagel but was denied at every turn.  I had to wait until I got back to Tally.  Good grief.  I know this seems silly- it's just a bagel.  I know that.  But really, rice and beans?  Hummus? Who thinks these are good ideas after you've run 13 miles? 

I know who thinks like this....

People who don't run 13 miles.

This year in words.

About a year ago I was writing about the 2011 Springtime Tallahassee 10K.  I was worried that I'd be last.  Springtime Tallahassee 2012 was last weekend and I didn't run it.  Instead, I ran the Warrior Dash. 

It's really been a busy year.

I ran Springtime Tallahassee.

I climbed a mountain.

I embraced Hot Yoga.

I ran a Turkey Trot.

I passed my comps exams.

I joined CrossFit.

I subsequently fell in love with CrossFit.

I ran my first half-marathon, the Disney Princess.

I ran a Warrior Dash.

Sometimes it is hard for me to keep things in perspective.  I only remember the most recent fact that my last two longer runs were horrible.  

But look at that list.  It's hard not to be proud of my accomplishments when I add them all up like that. 

Really, this has been a pretty awesome year. 

Next Sunday I have another half-marathon.  Yesterday's 10 miler was really hard.  I basically threw in the towel with frustration- why would my body not do what I told it to do?  I was exhausted and today I was in some serious pain.  I keep reminding myself that if I evaluate the my whole progress one (or two) bad run doesn't really matter.  I look at everything and one bad training run isn't the end-all of my experiences. 

It's like one meal in a year's worth of eating.  A few bad meals- even a lot of bad meals- do not determine my overall success or worth.  Neither does one workout dictate my overall value as an athlete. 

It is not the individual pieces of my efforts but the sum of the whole that evidences my acccomplishments.