SNOMG!

Winter Storm Pax stopped by this week and left us with 14-18" inches of snow in Martinsville-Henry County. My family was fairly prepared for being snowed in a couple days - minus a serious craving for Doritos, which we didn't have. #Didn'tNeedThemAnyway

We enjoyed sledding, snow cream, building snow forts, making a snowman and making snow angels. All this trekking up and down the hill, packing snow blocks and rolling snow balls had to constitute some kind of cross training right? Two and a half days after the snow fell we ventured out to go restock on groceries...and yes, I bought Doritos!

35 Days to Go - H and I were enjoying the morning at home while Darrin went on an outdoor excursion to combat cabin fever. I planned to run at some point during the day but no firm commitments had been made. Mid-morning I received a text from Sharon inviting me to a group run. I knew going with a group would be more enjoyable than running alone so I jumped on the opportunity. H got to spend some time with his Gigi and Pops while I went out for a run.

It's What Runners Do...

This week it was so nice to get back in the swing of things after the crazy winter weather of last week. I enjoyed running with friends, got in three runs and even set a new personal record for my long run on Saturday. Here's how the week went...

46 Days to Go - I was excited to finally get to run with the YMCA's Half-Marathon Training Group again. During our discussions we learned about running supplements like GU and other similar products that give you a boost of energy and electrolytes during the run. It seemed like all the experienced runners in the group had very specific preferences of one brand or flavor over others. The bottom line, our coaches advised that if we plan to use them during the race to try out various supplements early so that we'll know what type we're most comfortable with. (I'm going to a sports store this weekend to purchase a variety of supplements and will have a taste testing session soon. Watch for that in a future post.)

We began the group run by turning left on Starling and running around the block. We turned left on Church Street and ran all the way down the the Farmers' Market then up Main Street before taking a left to go down the hill at Ford Street. We continued down the Uptown Connection Trail until we reached the intersection of the Silverbell Trail and then reversed the route. I enjoy running in Uptown and was happy with this route. One new element for me was Ford Street. Running down it was a breeze but coming back up was a beast. As we began up Ford Street our coach Becky yelled back at us "This is just a hill- you all can do this." My thighs burned. Behind me I could hear Richard shouting "Thank you Ford Street for making me stronger!" That helped me pick up the pace to muscle through it and when we go to the top, I couldn't help but give a joyful shout!

Running with Dr. Leanna Blevins

Finishing her 1st half-marathon.

Leading up to the Martinsville Half-Marathon, 5K & Relay, Run MHC will feature the stories of other runners so you can hear different perspectives on how various people began running and what motivates them. Today's guest blogger is Dr. Leanna Blevins of Martinsville, VA. 

I started running around the time I turned 40.  I was never much of an athlete, so I didn't think I could be a runner.  I am, however, stubborn, so when some girlfriends and I decided to try to train for a half marathon, I figured it would be a physical commitment for a few months and then I could check it off the list.  What I didn't realize was that training and running is as much mental as it is physical.

I am a mom of 3 young children with a full-time job and various volunteer positions in the community.  I thought I was too busy to incorporate regular exercise into my life.  I made the decision to do it temporarily to train, and now I have decided to make it part of my lifestyle.  

Lifetime Record

I am 31 years old and yesterday I ran the longest distance that I have ever run in my life. EVER. It was the most amazing feeling, but before we delve into that I want to tell about the week.

If you want to test your dedication for running (or any hobby for that matter) see how well you fare in a polar vortex. Yes, we've now had two of them this winter. Days and days of freezing cold, ice, snow, repeat. There were days that I longed to run, days that I was willing to run if I had to and then days when asked if I was going to run my response was "No Way!"

After three weeks of continuously increasing my distance with each run I had been feeling great but the past week was just rough in more ways than one.

54 Days to Go - The weather was so nice. Temperatures were in the mid-50's and after publishing my friend Juan's guest post that morning, I was really pumped to run. In fact, I thought about it all day long and could not wait to get home for an afternoon run. An impromptu afternoon meeting kept me at work a little longer than I had planned to be there but it was OK, I'd still have time to do something.

When I arrived home I set out on my run, dressed for 50 degrees, and realized that the temperature was dropping rapidly as the polar vortex set in. My fingers, nose and ears all burned. I decided to pick up the pace and make the most of this one-mile route. I finished one lap at a pace of 9:21 per mile. This was a new personal record for that distance.

5 Mile Milestone!

59 Days to Go - I felt bad not going to the YMCA's training session the night before. I heard that they had a great time running in the snow but where I live, out in a rural community, it's important to get home before the snow sets in. There's a half mile incline between my home and the main road that does not get salted or scraped by VDOT. #CountryLife

58 Days to Go - Our training coaches sent out an email to the group reminding everyone of our training assignments for the week -  I needed to get in a five miler before the next session. They also sent a wonderful story to share from a fellow runner.

“A few years ago I was running in insanely high winds.  The type of wind that pushes you back a foot for every two feet you go. I may have had a little of a runners high or maybe I was just being my insane self but every time the wind would smack me in the face and push me back I would pound my chest and yell (yes literally yell out loud) “That’s all you got”. Last week I ran again in strong winds and this time I thanked the wind.  I literally said out loud “thank you wind for making me stronger”. I welcome opportunities like high winds, rain, snow extreme heat or cold, for I know it makes me stronger, better and tougher. When I finally get to the starting line I know I am ready for anything that day holds.  I also know I will crush my competitors that decided during training that it was too windy, too rainy, too cold or too hot to run. Embrace adversity for it will give you the edge to victory!”

This was definitely something I needed to hear. Reality check - it might be cold or raining on race day and there's no turning back at that point. Training in the elements is important so that you are ready for race day, no matter what mother nature brings. After work I headed to the YMCA to run on the treadmill since it was quickly getting dark outside. I ran two miles before getting bored. Treadmills are nice to have but pale in comparison to actually running outdoors.

"Just Keep Running..."

65 Days to Go - During the week I was contacted by a friend who's been reading the blog and was interested in running; we'll call her "Joy." I invited Joy to come running with me. She is an avid walker but had not run in quite a while. Joy had the same wishes as me to get in better shape so that she could keep up with a growing child. She admitted that she was concerned about being able to run a half-mile so I challenged her to do just that and try her best at half a mile.

I began running on my own, to get in my miles, and had arranged to pass by Joy's office when she got off work. I reached the three mile mark right as she came outside and then we began running together. When Joy felt like she needed to slow down we did and at one point when she felt like stopping, we power walked. We picked the pace back up and when she was at a point of desperation I informed her that she had already run four-tenths of a mile and needed to go just one more. The look on Joy's face was priceless - instead of worry it was suddenly "hey, I can do this!" She ended up running 0.66 mile and didn't give up. My total mileage was 3.66 at a pace of 11:03 per mile. Joy agreed to run a half-mile again in the following days to get stronger at it. I'm so proud of "Joy" and am sharing this story to remind all my readers that you've got to start somewhere to move forward!

64 Days to Go - I really wanted to reach the four mile mark and knew that I'd need a little motivation so I called on Sharon to run with me. Not only did she agree to help me get in four miles but she also brought along three other inspiring ladies to run with us. One of the ladies was this week's guest blogger, Tiffany.

Running with Tiffany Coleman

Leading up to the Martinsville Half-Marathon, I'll feature the stories of other runners so you can hear different perspectives on how various people began running and what motivates them. Today's guest blogger is Tiffany Coleman of Martinsville, who has been running for about six years now. I had the opportunity to run with Tiffany today and enjoyed getting to know her a little better. 

My name is Tiffany Coleman, I am 41 years old, I have been married for 12 years and I am a mother of 2 daughters CW age 8 and B age 6. My whole life I have been an active person who loves the outdoors. Every morning at 6 am I walked with one of my dearest friends.  She moved out of town after B was born and I dreaded walking alone in the dark…but I did. Then my brother made a suggestion that changed my life…..J who is 7 years older than me suggested running…….Hmmm I thought I could burn just as many calories in half of the time! 

Words of Wisdom

We're 67 days away from the Martinsville Half-Marathon, 5K & Relay and my personal goal for today was to run 1.5 miles during my lunch break. In the past two weeks I've picked up lots of great tips but the absolute best piece of advice that I can give anyone interested in running is to find a veteran runner that you can connect with. Training for a race is intimidating but hearing from others that they once had the same concerns and challenges as you is very motivating.

Today, all of the advice that I've been hearing from veteran runners really helped me out. I seemed to have a million excuses not to run. I knew I needed to run and I wanted to run but doubt can creep in telling you that your stomach doesn't feel good, you have a headache, there's more work left to be done, I might get cold, etc. 

Pushing Forward

This afternoon I went running with Sharon. She took me to one of her regular routes and provided lots of great encouragement along the way. Thanks to her motivation, I was able to meet my next goal of running 2.5 miles and also set a new pace record of 10:04 per mile! While I lagged behind twice, I did run the entire distance (#ProudMoment). Sharon never gave up on me and kept cheering me on.

One moment that sticks out in my head about today's run is towards the end of when we topped a blind hill and I could suddenly see my car (a.k.a. the finish line). I experienced a quick boost of energy and even though I was spent I just started running faster going towards the car. That moment reminded me that even when you think you are tired there's always a little more to give. Push yourself to the next goal.

Making The Moment Count

71 Days to Go - I ran 1.25 miles during my lunch break on the YMCA treadmill at a pace of 11:22 per mile.

70 Days to Go - This morning H woke up exceptionally early. My plea for him to snuggle in the bed with me was futile; he wanted me to get up and play. So we had fun playing trains and cars, ate breakfast and watched cartoons together. All during this time a heavy rain and thunderstorm was going on outside. It appeared that I would not have an opportunity to run today. I already had plans made for the rest of the day and the morning was my only chance.

While H was engrossed in a favorite program, I slipped off to check my e-mail. Sharon, my guest blogger this week, had invited me to be a friend on RunKeeper. I accepted the invite and sat there in amazement looking at her stats..."how on earth does she find the time to run like that?"

After the thunder stopped I hopped in the shower to get my morning started. (I have a date with a cute young man at Dino Day later today.) As soon as I was out of the shower and dressed it was no longer raining. For the moment I was torn, I just got all cleaned up but I really want to run. If my new running friend had found the time to get in 5 miles this morning, surely I could do something, right?