The First Two Blow...

After running for the past 7 months I can still confidently say: The first 2 miles are awful!!! I don't know what it is, but my body has a difficult time accepting the concept of running. My body aches with every pounce against the unforgiving pavement. Even my psyche becomes unfocused...and eventually I feel an overwhelming desire to quit! Give up! Throw in the towel! 

I don't. 

And if there are people that are new to running (and are actually reading this blog) and feel the same...Don't! Don't give up. After mile two, for me at least, I began to flow into a type of "running meditation." My focus is drifted away from my legs or feet, and then centers on my breathing and pace. There is no pain, just thoughts. Sometimes it's nice to allow the brain to wander while being conscious. 

So, there you have it. Don't give up after one or two miles...it gets better.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

The Color Run

                                    

In May, I participated in the Orange County Color Run. I managed to get a few of my fellow mom friends and my sister-in-law to join me in this fun 5K. This was my first race, and I'm happy I chose this fun run.

A few days before the run my sister-in-law had to substitute my brother for herself since she had prior engagements. That's him in the picture above, with me at the finish line. Our team wore these awesome neon rainbow socks, so if Gregg was going to be a part of the team...he had to wear the socks too.

                                         
Here are a few tips:

• Arrive early. This means leave home early. I know it seems easy enough. However, we left fairly early, but we had no idea the magnitude of this event. Traffic was horrendous! Then came parking. The event coordinators are very organized and kept us all moving at a nice pace. That being said, we, again, had no idea the number of participants would be so great. From our parking spot we had to walk at least a mile to get to the event entrance. At our arrivial we were too late for the pre-race events. I believe by the time we reached the starting line we were in the 4th heat. 
•                                       
• Have fun! Wear white, and accessorize with color. At the start line dancing is a great warm up, and it has its perks. My friend shook her booty hard enough to get all of our team Color Run knee socks.
• Run! Hahaha...running is something you'll see very little of at this event; no offense to those that were walking. Sure, have fun...but running and challenging yourself is fun too. Try it.
• If you want lots of color, stay on the outside lanes. If you want less color, stay in the middle. 
• Speaking of color, the "color" is a powdered color. It can make it a little difficult to breathe. Also, it gave me some extreme dry mouth. Water is available at 1.5 miles (helps with the dry mouth) and the finish line.
• Smile. There are photographers throughout the race. They have pictures posted online within a few days after the race.                                                            .                                                                                                           
• Post race: there was lots of music, food trucks, and photo ops. Be sure to do the big color throw...or whatever they call it. They do it every 15 minutes or so, while participants finish the race.                                                         
• Cleaning: I forgot to grab a few towels for the seats in my brother's car...apparently, that was not easy to clean. Have some type of exfoliate for bathing, and scrub the color away. I have blonde hair and there was not any permanent color, so no worries. Also, I threw all my clothes, socks, shoes, and anything with color into the wash. They all came out mostly clean...including my white tank! Basically, expect some stains, but nothing to stress over.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

I run, therefore I'm a runner

                                                

To start off: I'm by no means a professional runner, nor a coach, or anything extraordinary. I honestly don't like to label what I am, however...I wake up before most, drink my coffee, tie my laces, and move forward...steadily. I suppose that makes me a runner, right?

It all began at the end of 2012. Turning 30 was creeping upon me, and I felt an overwhelming urge to become a runner. Unconsciously I probably desired the health benefits, but I mostly wanted to prove to myself that I could achieve the goal of running a half marathon. There is something about that number: the big 3-0. Well, whatever it may be, over the past 5 years running has boomed in this country. In 1990 the estimated half marathon finishers was 303,000. In 2012, that number jumped to 1,850,000!!(http://www.runningusa.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.details&ArticleId=333)That's HUGE!

In January 2013, with the hubby in a leg brace (broke it in December), I signed us up for the Disneyland Half Marathon. Our race is September 1st...which I thought to be plenty of time to train. 

Before all this running nonsense, I was, and still am, a fit person. I frequented my gym at least 4 times a week, participating in yoga and pilates with 30 minutes of pre/post cardio. That being said, running is a league of its own. I was completely unaware of the level of endurance needed and the use of muscles/tendons I was unaware existed prior. One of my first timed runs was (February 27, 2013) 3.30 miles, average pace: 12:10, Total time: 40:09. My thoughts: Well, crap! That’s a far reach to my goal of running a half marathon in 2 hours.

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