Syracuse Half Marathon

Well, the time had finally arrived...yup...my first race of 2015.   Back in December when I signed up for the Syracuse Half Marathon I had high hopes of being in great shape for this race.  Unfortunately, a calf strain on Turkey Day and then sciatic/hip issues in January pretty much put that idea right out of my mind. Fortunately, the injuries have healed and I have started running again but my volume and intensity were not where I had thought they would be just yet.

Before I get into the deets of my race, I do want to say how very well organized I thought this race was. Packet pick-up was at Fleet Feet.  The girls and I went early Friday to get my packet as well as get some new running sneakers for Phoebe. We were able to get in and out quickly  ... they even had a photographer taking pictures and handing out copies of the prints for free. 

The half-zip technical long sleeve shirt was great race swag as well.  The Oncenter provides a great venue for pre and post race festivities. Plenty of space for the numerous vendors that were on hand the morning of the race. Post-race, massages were available and there was a spread of the usual post race food in addition to chocolate milk (my fave), pancake breakfast and pizza (free to runners and a nominal $5 fee for guests).

the one day running in shorts was possible...

The forecast for Sunday was not very nice. We had one day of 50+ degree weather and then it was back to cold, windy, wintry weather. I woke to a fresh 4-5 inches of snow on the ground, howling winds and a temp reading of 16 degrees F. On top of the weather, I had woke up with the stuffy, runny nose Maggie had been sporting all week. By the time I decided what to wear and arrived at the race site, there was a huge line of cars waiting to get into the parking garage. Originally the race had been capped at 2000 runners but then the course was altered and they allowed an additional 1500 runners in...and they were all ahead of me in line waiting to park!

The race was delayed 15 minutes (apparently due to either people still trying to park or long portapotty lines...) so we ended up starting at 8:15am. The wind chill was reportedly 8 degrees. By this point, I think everyone just wanted to get started so we could get finished! To say I was less than excited would be an understatement. Fortunately when the gun went off instinct took over and I just ran.

i've never raced with this many clothes on!

I LOVED the race course. It was continuous rolling hills...some major, some minor, nothing super steep.  Had it been 60 degrees out I would have been super happy!  We ran through the city and lots of neighborhoods. There were LOTS of turns (apparently we ran through like 135+ intersections!!)...the traffic control was superb (thank you volunteers and Syracuse police) and the numerous turns helped the run go by quickly.  During the first 10 miles I actually felt pretty decent.  I went through the first mile around 20th female, moved up a few places by halfway and then stayed there for the remainder of the race. I thought I might be able to reel a few ladies in during the last 2-3 miles but my endurance was just not there yet.

The last mile was down State Street straight into a headwind and I seriously thought that the wind combined with my faucet of a nose had combined to give me frostbite on my upper lip.  I couldn't even speak when I finished because my face was frozen in place.  Fortunately, my face thawed quickly once I got out of the wind and I even surprised myself running faster than I thought I would and ended up with a 1st place age group award. Despite the weather, I really enjoyed this race and recommend it be put on your early race season schedule.

There are some great races coming up in April and May (and maybe the snow will even have melt by then)! Check out a few of my favorites...Fork2Fit springtime 10K (on the 70.3 run course...a great preview if you plan on doing the tri), Fork2Fit Orchard Run and Du the Lakes Duathlon.  And if you are not up for racing please consider volunteering! Ken Hammond is offering a free race entry to either of the Fork2Fit races if you volunteer at one of the races. Click on the link - when you register to volunteer it will ask if you are racing for free.

As always, thank you to family and my sponsors! I couldn't do any of this without your support!!

Accepting Yourself

I have a friend who has been going through a very difficult time right now in her life.  Recently she sent me a text that said, "Where are the people that say, 'Just be you. I love you just the way you are.'"

I can empathize with her on this. I find that there are so many people (spouses, significant others, social media, blogs, etc) telling us what we should do be doing.  How we should act.  How we should spend our free time. How whatever we are doing is not good enough if we aren't doing what they are doing.  It can really start to bring a person down and make one question their self-worth. Often I think some people feel they have to change who they are to be liked and accepted.

It is so important to not listen to these voices and work on loving who we are. As I was searching for some inspirational articles I came across this blog entry that really struck a chord with me.  It is entitled Accept Yourself as You Are. Even When Others Don't. In the blog, she discusses growing up feeling the need to change to meet others expectations. As an adult, she then comes to the realization that the only person she needs to please is herself.  What a great message but difficult to put into practice without a high level of self-confidence.

When I am doing what I love, I find I am happy and confident.  This allows me to be a great mom and role model for my daughters. At work I am more efficient and am really able to make a difference in my patient's lives. For some people, they find that inner peace through yoga or through religion and charitable work. Some may spend hours in the kitchen creating elaborate meals. And there are those of us that just need to get a good, hard workout in. Find what works for you. What puts a smile on your face?

The bottom line is really knowing that who you are is enough. And if others can't see that they are not worth spending time around. So my advice to my friend is, find those people and do not let them go. They are true gems. I know I love her just the way she is.