Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I guess CMM wasn't about running for me after all.

As upset as I was over the race being called due to weather I have realized that this race for me was not so much about a new personal record, or crossing the finish line.

I did not realize until this week just how much my story has affected others around me.

Just to catch you all up to speed this started with me, then I conned (read as begged) Hubby to run with me, then my oldest friend Cari signed up just to support me. Then I get chosen to be featured in the Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon race book, next I find out that two of my sister in laws have started walking/running, next Hubby's mom tells us that she and her hubby have been getting up early to go walking everyday before work (his idea).

After last Saturday MIL says that she and oldest sis in law want information for the 1/2 Marathon in September. We are so happy that we have influenced our family to get motivated. That made us feel really good.

Then as this blog's community gets older and more of you decided to follow us here, your encouragement has been wonderful and keeps us so motivated.

I did not realize the depth of the people that have been influenced or inspired by my story. I still get embarrassed when someone that is faster and stronger than I am tells me that I have inspired them.

I am getting use to people telling me that they like my story and asking how I did it. Sometimes it strikes up great conversations with new people and one can never have too many friends.

This leads me to the reason for this post. I got a letter in the mail from the Secretary of the State of Tennessee. Now usually one is not excited about something like that. I opened it and inside was a copy of the race program and a hand written note from Tre Hargett. I will get pictures posted in the morning. The note was just two sentences but it made my day. All he said was that he thought I might want an extra copy of the program and he congratulated me on my commitment and dedication.

Now I'm sure he probably sent one to each resident of the state in the program but that one simple note made me realize that this change, this journey is much bigger than just lil ol' me.

So to all of you that have been such a support and encouragement at the beginning of this journey you all hold such a special place in my heart.

FCR

Monday, April 26, 2010

Meeting Mark Cleveland and using the Swiftwick brand.

As you all know I only post reviews about products that we have personally used.

This weeks review is about a brand of socks called Swiftwick. I got a chance to talk with one of the owners Mark Cleveland at the County Music Marathon Expo on Thursday the 23rd of April. Since this was the first day of the Expo traffic enabled us to talk about his product, and as a Fat Chick Running what I was looking for in a sock.

I explained to him that due to my extreme flat feet that socks that have a toe seam cause painful rubbing and that leads to blisters on my little toes. I have never really liked socks with toe seams for everyday use and try to find socks with out them.

I told Mark I was looking forward to getting my special order socks. Back in March Hendersonville Running Club placed a special order of Swiftwick socks with the HRC Bob the bird logo on them. The reason I am so excited about these socks is they have woven toes and no toe seams. Hubby and I have 8 pairs ordered four for each of us.

As Mark and I talked about socks and finding the right fit and type of sock I asked him about Swiftwick Compression socks. He asked if I had tried a pair yet and I told him that I had not because I had not found a company that made a pair that would fit. I have always had muscular calves and now that I have lost so much weight and built some runners muscles my calves are really solid.

After taking a look at my calves and checking out his stock I now owned a pair of white Swiftwick Twelve Olefin compression socks. Mark asked me if I was going to wear them race day and I responded that a smart runner doesn't add any new race gear two days before a race but I was planning on using them for recovery.

Later that night I got home from the days activities and pulled on my new Swiftwick socks. My legs were a bit tired and I wanted to give them a try. I pulled them on and immediately fell in love with the foot of this sock, toe seams and all. The weave of the sock is soft and comfortable. It took a bit of work to get them on but that was to be expected due to the nature of the sock itself and the job it does.

Swiftwick has two different versions of the compression sock :

Twelve Merino comes in black it is constructed as follows:
Merino Wool, 30% Nylon, 10% Lycra
12" neck. Sits over the calf. 144 needle construction.
Perfect for: Hiking, Biking, Hockey

Twelve Olefin comes in black and white and is constructed as follows:

80% Nylon, 15% Olefin, 5% Lycra
8" neck - 4" Cuff. Sits over the calf. 144 needle construction.
Perfect for: Hockey, Rugby, Football, Volleyball, Baseball, Airline Travel.

The Twelve Olefin is the sock that I tried. The weave of the foot and then the combination of the Nylon and Olefin and Lycra provide a comfortable compression with out feeling like you have just been stuffed into a sausage casing. They also retain their original shape once removed.

I gave them a second try on Saturday after the race and was pleasantly surprised at the relief that I felt on Sunday. I was not nearly as sore as with previous runs and will be adding the compression sock to my post run recovery at every possible opportunity.

The toe seam is actually comfortable and has possibly changed this runners mind about socks with toe seams, well when it comes to this brand.

Hubby wore the Four Olefin in black to run in and loved the fact that it kept his feet dry and comfortable and blister free. Even after the rain began to pour and his socks got wet he had no problems with them chaffing or causing blisters. He also said that he did not experience any problems with weave pain. I have tried several different brands of socks and have had problems with the weave causing painful indention in the bottom of my feet after long runs. I can not wait to try these socks in training.


80% Nylon, 15% Olefin, 5% Lycra
4" cuff. Sits three-quarter-calf.
Perfect for: Hiking, Biking, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey

I think the major selling points of this brand is the fact that they have the two traits that I look for when shopping for gear. First they are located right here in Tennessee and can be found in most of the local running stores. Second the owners are all about listening to the people whom wear or might wear their product.

To check out Swiftwick products for yourself, you can find them at www.swiftwick.com or check them out on facebook at Swiftwick Socks or on twitter @swiftwick

Starting with this review we will be using a running shoe rating scale from 1 to 5, 5 being the best.

The Swiftwick socks we reviewed received the following ratings:

FCR:
Hubby:

Till Next Time
FCR and Hubby

County Music Half Marathon Wrap Up.

Mother Nature decided to throw a temper tantrum worthy of a two year old.

The day started out great. I was ready to run, mentally and physically I was ready to do my best. Things went well we got to LP Field early used the porta potty with out much of a wait, got right onto a bus and headed to Centennial Park. Got to the park my feet and my legs were tight so once we found a spot of grass I got help getting them stretched out.

Made sure to pick up water and a bottle of the electrolyte substance called Cytomax. Honestly it's like drinking a cup of syrup. I did drink it during the course of the race because I know I was going to get dehydrated.

We had changed corrals from 32 to 28 so Hubby and Cari and I could all start together even if we didn't stay together. It seemed like FOREVER for our corral to get started. It was just over 30 minutes before they cut us loose to run. The sea of people in front of us was just amazing.

I kept my self in check and thought I was starting out slow. Looked down and at one point I was on a 15 minute pace, way to fast to start. So I kicked it down a gear I really wanted to run in the last 4 miles of the race. The Belmont area of the race was great we got to see Leon's parents and a friend from church at water stop 4. I still have not found the right sock to shoe ratio. You would think 4 races would give me some clue as to what to wear. More on that in the next post.

Stopped and got some blister pads not sure if they really helped or not, the medic at the aid station couldn't tell me either. Moved on and the heat was starting to kick my tail a bit. So I made sure to drink and pour water at each fluid stop.

The never ending residential loop kicked my tail. For some reason between mile 4 and 8 I just seem to lose focus but once I passed that mile 8 marker my determination over road what my body was trying to do. Mile 8 thru 10 was nice, the weather cooled a bit and we got some rain. My core temperature finally started to cool off and everything was starting to work together.

Then the race official drove up next to me and told me that they were closing the course and as soon as she had passed me, I would have to get in the van or risk being on the course with no race support. I was mad as a hornet. I trained for this race. This was the carrot that started all of this. I wasn't going to get in the van. I crossed the mats at mile 10 and kept running. She pulled next to me again and said the weather was getting really bad and I needed to get in. Common Sense kicked in and I realized that I needed to get in. Of course I was so mad I was crying. Then I realize that they didn't make the group of hula hoop walkers get off the course. This was after our van driver took the longest route back to the stadium, so long in fact that I could have stayed on the course and still been to the finish line before our van got there. A bunch of us finally made him stop and let us out. We got out and rejoined and got to cross the finish line. They prorated our times and that gave us an "official finish" but it feels very empty and some how makes getting the hardware empty as well.

Hubby and Cari were able to finish all 13.1 miles and I'm so very proud of them for doing so. Both had limited training, Leon due to his broken leg and Cari due to having a new baby.

I know there will be other races, in fact I have a 5k to run May 1st and than the Women's Running Magazine Nashville 1/2 Marathon in September. There will also be more added to that list as the weeks come.

FCR

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

"How do you do it?"

I get this question quite a few times a week sometimes several times a day.

The question is always in response to me posting to Facebook or talking to someone about how I have given up processed foods.

When I started this journey to get healthy as many of you know I was morbidly obese. The doctor told me to change or die. Now not in so many words did he say that, but the implications were the same.

Honestly it was not an easy task. Ramen Noodles always had a presence in my pantry since they occupied the bottom dresser drawer in college. I even know people whom feed these easy go to noodles to their children. The sodium content alone in boxed and processed food is astonishing.

I started changing our lifestyle with food. Food is the center of just about every culture in the world. So changing what you eat is a hard step. I started with this first because it really does not matter how many miles you run or how often you exercise if you are not properly feeding your body than you are asking it to do the impossible. There is an old computer programers adage that says "Garbage In Garbage Out". As with computers so are our bodies.

Changing your eating habits is not an easy task. We are ingrained as adults to eat how we were raised. If you were raised eating what many celebrity chefs call convenience foods, these are the just add x,y and z and cook, than you are more likely to eat that way as an adult. This also goes for healthy eaters.

The biggest problem with convenience foods is that they are loaded with all kinds of artificials, flavor, color, chemically changed items, preservatives, and many things this chick can not pronounce.

There are several rules to eating healthy. For the next several weeks I will be posting these on our new feature "Healthy Monday's"

So you do not have to wait that long my faithful friends and readers, classmates and running buddies (who know all this already because I learned some of it from you) I'm going to give you a taste of how to change your diet today.


The first rule of healthy is as follows: If you can not pronounce it you should not eat it, if you need a dictionary to define the word then you should not put it in your mouth.

Now for an admission. There are a handful of staples that I buy that are classified convenience foods but in this case I try to find a version of that product that is "organic" or "kosher" or "vegan" We will explore these labels in another post. I choose these types of products because they are more likely to have all natural. not chemically boosted or changed ingredients in them.

In a perfect world we would all have the time to make our own bread and pasta and grow gardens and can all our own veggies to use. That is what is so great about choosing to change the food you put in your body. In today's markets you have a choice. You are not saddled with one brand of noodles or bread or pasta. You might find that at first is may be slightly more expensive, but in the long run it will be worth it. I have started to offset that cost in several ways, looking for buy one get one deals, and shopping with local produce growers and my local independent dairy Gammon Family Dairy, Inc.

As you begin making changes be sure that you do so in small steps. I started out by choosing frozen veggies instead of canned. There is a HUGE reduction of salt in just this on small change. You have to be willing to look at the labels. Read what is in your food. The fewer ingredients the better for you.

How do you get motivated to change?

Why here at DOAFCR we are going to help motivate you to change. Your challenge should you choose to accept it is as follows.

Challenge 1:
Stop buying canned veggies and start buying fresh or frozen veggies.
Small steps lead to big changes.


If you decide to accept this challenge please leave us a message we would love to know that you did.


FCR

Monday, April 12, 2010

It's almost here!

All the training is done, all the proper diet the grueling long runs, the rainy day training runs, the daily scale checks. All that is left is the taper, the back down and the rest and keep focused and mentally calm.

All this would be great except for the stomach flu that I got hit with Sunday. This is the last thing I want to deal with. I am just glad that it happen this week and not next. I should be able to rest and recover.

The Country Music Half Marathon is the race that started this journey. It was the original motivation to get moving. The journey so far has been amazing. The friendships the motivational moments, the people from Hendersonville Running Club and my husband and family there each and every race. Those that came back for me when I wasn't sure I was going to finish the races and the long runs.

Some have asked me what my reason for all of this was. The answer has changed over the last five months. In the beginning the reason was I wanted to be healthy, I wanted to be able to climb the three flights of stairs with out having to stop at each landing, I wanted to keep up with my family at theme parks and fit in the ride seats. I wanted to be able to participate in life, I no longer wanted to be a bystander.

What is the difference now 40 pounds and 3 almost 4 races under my belt? It sparked something in me that is more than the desires that I listed. It sparked the desire to do better to run faster to do more than just complete the one race. There has been this ever increasing desire to set more goals for my self to push my body to be the best it can be, to test and try my limits and push past those limits and create new ones.

My goal is no longer just one race, it has become the next one on the calendar. I have even registered for my next half marathon. Yup I have fallen in love with the half marathon. I do well at 5k races, I have a hard time pushing my self. I know that I will improve and get faster.

After this years Tom King and pushing and the struggle and the tears, it makes me want to be able to do better, to work harder to push my body to be the strongest it possibly can be.

I am looking forward to the Country Music race because for the first time I will be running a race with my husband and my oldest friend is also running with us. Cari and I have known each other since 4th grade. It's been an amazing journey with amazing people and I am so thrilled that this journey will continue and that I can share that journey with my loved ones. Two of my sister in laws and my mother in law have started walking on their way to jogging and running. We are looking forward to competing together in our first race.

People keep telling me how much I've inspired them. I have a hard time with that. It has to do with the image I have of myself. I have always looked for inspiration in others on this journey I'm learning that sometimes that inspiration comes from within and that is okay.

Till Next time
FCR and Hubby