nfarris79
Things I've learned from my pace group
Oct 06, 2013
In the past months, I've had the pleasure of running with an amazing pace group, and now a few hours after our last really long run (20 miles) before starting the taper, I'm reflecting on some interesting things I've learned.
- women of all walks of life, of all ages and stations, can be just as insecure/negativistic/worry-warts/awkward as my newbie-running self! Women who kick butt professionally, who've been thru marathons before, have shared with me their insecurities and made comments that seemed to emminate from my own head.... I thank them for their sisterhood!
- listen to your coaches, trust your training.... and learn your body!
- part of running is physical, but the strongest and most challenging part is mental
- the evolution of cleanliness depends on how bad you gotta go.... I used to be fussy about using public restrooms. Now I'm happy at having a port-a-potty that doesn't have poo on the seat. Not that I'd actually sit down....
- I can pee in the woods. I may still run 300mts into the woods, risking poison ivy & other threats of the forest, but I've done it.
- My performance enhancing drugs are caffeine and Oxytrol. Running is the delicate balance of going and not going.
- I used to think that the best catharsis happened in therapy sessions, but it seems that lactic acid build-up is a very potent truth serum and that running past your inhibitions can help you access a very authentic self!
- I'm not crazy for loving running..... or at least I can run with other crazies and feel slightly more normal!
- there is NOTHING like putting together a diverse group of people and giving them a task to work together to achieve that bonds them quicker than any unifying commonality....
Shock-tober
Oct 01, 2013
26 days till Marine Corps..... OMG! We have 1 more 20 miler to go this Sunday, so I'm gonna practice with my newly-expanded Amphipod belt, since I can't run with my Camelbak due to security concerns at MCM (woulda been good to know this thru my whole training season!!). I just bought another couple modules to add to my belt so now I can run with over 40oz strapped to the belt instead of 20oz. I go thru water so much during runs that I can't even keep up w/ refills before I'm thirsty again. Which makes the frequent port-o-potty stops a PITA, but better overhydrated than underhydrated!
Freedom 5k
Sep 16, 2013
So I can't copy & paste the results but NSA Bethesda MWR and Navy Exchange's first annual 9/11 Freedom 5k (held on 9/11/13 at 11am), just posted the results from a really hot & humid, but fun, race. Not a PR, but it was my first time on a military base - thanks to my running buddy & sole sister Jess! Ooorah!
Bib #111, time 33:17
4th Half-Marathon (belated entry)
Sep 08, 2013
8/4/13: Riley's Rumble Half-Marathon
Place Sex/Tot Div/Tot Num Name S Ag Hometown Club Net Tim Pace Gun Tim Pace
===== ======== ======== ===== ===================== = == =================== ===== ======= ===== ======= =====
357 120/201 23/29 374 Nicole Farris F 33 Germantown MD MCRRC 2:19:41 10:40 2:20:02 10:41
Parks Half-Marathon 2013
Sep 08, 2013
Yet another Half marathon that we ran as part of the marathon training group.... So this makes my 5th Half!! I'm pretty shocked with the results since we weren't actually racing. And only 1 port-o-potty stop during the race, so I'm ok with that!
Place Div/Tot Num Name Ag Hometown Gun Tim Net Tim Pace 689 121/181 1269 Nicole Farris 33 Germantown MD 2:27:45 2:15:38 10:21
OT - my rights
Aug 04, 2013
I have the right to assert my boundaries. I have the right to HAVE boundaries. I have the right not to feel selfish when my recent behavior has been self-less. I have the right to not feel guilty when my mother is being selfish. I have the right to NOT be at her beckon-call when I have others to put first.
Every day since she's been at the rehab hospital, she's had me doing the "go-for" stuff. Most of the time she's said thanks, but last nights texts had just thrown me over the edge. Falling back on old behavior, she "told me" to get her a 2 liter diet coke. Not asked, no "please" or "thank you". And then started bitching about her roommate and how annoying their family has been and how the staff is fussing at her for eating in her room instead of going down to the dining hall.... bla,bla,bla. I just couldn't take it anymore last night & had to take a klonopin b/c I was on the verge of a panic attack. She didn't get the hints w/ my 1-word or 1-sentence replies that she was overstepping her boundaries: e.g. "ok", "sorry you're going thru that". Her response to that last text from me was "spoken like a true therapist", which I'd interpreted as a jab. As in "you're not being sympathetic enough to me". Um, so why would it be my responsibility to cater to her self-victim-portrayal? It's not. She's been thru more shit in her life that this is just a drop in the bucket, so it's not my responsibility to pity her. Especially when I don't.
Just really struggling with this stress. I have an overwhelming feeling to cry & scream and I HATE being in this place again when I'd worked so hard to establish some normal boundaries with her. I don't want to cut her out again but it's starting to come to that place.....
Scale, stress, and success
Jul 28, 2013
I've had some major stress in the past few days and I think it's starting to wreck havoc on my eating habits.... The chaos of transporting my mom, seeing her thru surgery, and her neediness while she's at the rehab hospital has lead too many cookies & junk to my mouth, which has lead to weight going up again. I'd been down to 121 again last week but today weighed in at 126. Ugh! Very disappointed in myself and probably need another "come to Jesus" talk with myself. As much as I promote that psychological healing needs to take place within the mind, and not the mouth, I'm finding myself not practicing what I'm preaching! So despite a 17 mile run yesterday (distance PR!), I'm still eating too much of poor choices..... It's really hard not just to feel bad and beat myself up about it and do nothing productive. I logically know what'll work, both on the physical and mental sides, but am just having a "pity me" moment.... On the positive side, I've already planned out my runs this week so I know I'll stay on track with marathon training. Now I just gotta get a wrap on making lower calorie choices and managing my stress. Easy peasy, right?
Hard work pays off
Jul 18, 2013
Looking forward to this weekend - we have our long run on Saturday instead of Sunday so that FTMers can volunteer at the Rockville Twilighter 8k on Saturday night. I'm assigned to bag check 
. Our long run in the am is going to be a 16miler point-to-point, Bethesda to Union Station via the Capital Crescent Trail and a little detour along Haines Point & the Nat'l Mall. Lovely run but gonna be a bit intimidating to be up this high in milage....
Weighed myself this morning and finally have all of the excess weight off from the 4th weekend. Took buckling down on the calories and some two-a-days runs and operating in calorie deficits but finally back down to 121.4 lbs!!
Longest run to date
Jul 14, 2013
I think today was the furthest I've ever run! One of my running buddies never ran past 13.1 so she was definitely in PR territory and we were ALL feeling it! Hard run but it's only getting harder as the season goes on. Had momentary fear sweep over me - if 15 miles is hard, how am I going to do 26.2?? But I just gotta have faith in our program and put in the hard work thru training.
My wonderful husband manned the waterstop at mile 8 and he got mad props for being so awesome! Hopefully the gratitude of the other runners might encourage him to join Road Runners and train for something, maybe the 5k program? One can hope...
Here's the info from my Garmin:
Summary
| Distance: | 15.41 mi |
| Time: | 2:50:36 |
| Avg Pace: | 11:04 min/mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 322 ft |
| Calories: | 916 C |
| Time: | 2:50:36 |
| Moving Time: | 2:46:29 |
| Elapsed Time: | 3:01:43 |
| Avg Pace: | 11:04 min/mi |
| Avg Moving Pace: | 10:48 min/mi |
| Best Pace: | 3:53 min/mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 322 ft |
| Elevation Loss: | 325 ft |
| Min Elevation: | 165 ft |
| Max Elevation: | 361 ft |
| Avg HR: | 139 bpm |
| Max HR: | 154 bpm |
|
| Device: |
| Garmin Forerunner 405CX, 2.40.0.0 |
Elevation Corrections
: |
| Enabled |
| Summary Data: |
| Original |
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Time (h:m:s) Distance (mi) 33:2001:06:4001:40:0002:13:2002:46:4000:0008:0016:0024:0032:0040:00Pace (min/mi) ElevationExpand
Time (h:m:s) Distance (mi) 2.557.51012.515-200-1000100200300400Elevation (ft) Heart RateExpand
Time (h:m:s) Distance (mi) 33:2001:06:4001:40:0002:13:2002:46:4080100120140Heart Rate (bpm)Heart Rate:137 bpmTime: 01:12:39 h:m:sServed By: olaxpw-connect05.garmin.com
Copyright © 1996-2012 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries
Ups & downs
Jul 12, 2013
My grand experiment to skip my Friday run and eat whatever I felt like last weekend over the 4th of July had resulted in a 6 lb gain... well, today, after a few 2-a-days and working hard to operate in a calorie deficit (some days more successful than others!), I'm finally back down to a more acceptable weight! I had been 123lbs before we left on Thursday morning, then up to 130.2 on Sunday morning (GASP!!!), so now this morning - almost 1 week later from highest - I'm back to 125.2lbs. Whew! Just gotta keep on keeping on....
