Running Cramps

So lately when I've been running I've gotten these really bad running cramps. They are extremely bad like I can barely breathe, I can barely run let alone walk. I literally just have to stop where I am in my run and try and walk home as I am wincing with pain. 

And so my runs are looking like this...

No fun! 

I'm wondering if I should see a doctor or just try and run it out. During the Disneyland Half, the cramps lasted for about a mile but I kept running and they went away. But mind you I was crying. So, I'm not sure what I should do. Any ideas? 

QOTD: Have you ever had running cramps? What did you do to help? 

Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend: Spectating the 5k

On Saturday, August 31, runDisney held a family fun run 5k that my mom and sister participated in! I was so excited for them because my mom worked really hard for this. She is not a runner and she really challenged herself by doing this race. I was so proud of her. My sister has Addison's disease which causes her to not be able to run long distances. Originally, her doctor told her to walk it, but she pushed herself and ran the whole thing! Dang girl.

Snapped this pic as I was exiting Downtown Disney the night before the race.

Anywho, while their alarms were set for 3 am, my alarm was set for 5:30ish. I was going to wake up, then wake up my brother and we would walk near the finish line and wait for them to cross. Well, plans don't always go through do they? In this case, I slept through every single one of my alarms I had set. Ahh!!! Somehow, my brain triggered the idea that I was supposed to be somewhere and it decided to wake me up at 5:50. I jumped out of bed and started brushing my teeth immediately. Next I through on jeans and a sweatshirt (bad idea) and tried to wake up Brad. I tried a couple times...and a couple more. By then I was so worried that I would miss them crossing the finish line that I ditched Brad. Sorry!

I was late for this very important date.

I was so, so scared that I was going to miss Lex and my mom and then they would be mad that no one was there to support them. So at this point I had no choice but to run. I ran down the very long street all the way to Downtown Disney. And it was hot. And I mean hot, humid, the whole deal. Keep in mind that I did this in jeans and a sweatshirt. Once I hit the stoplight that leads to the Disneyland Hotel it was time to walk through a sea of people. There were spectators every for the 10k along with all of the 10k runners moving in the opposite direction as me, trying to get to their corrals. It was a mess and a lot of "excuse me's".

I finally reached a pretty good spot of the finish line and stood my ground! I probably looked like I had just finished the 5k by how tired and sweaty I was. I ended up waiting their for about 20 minutes before Alexandra crossed the finish line. At first she didn't see me, but then she found me and we waited for Mom.

Alexandra celebrating her victory.

About 20 minutes after Lex had finished, Mom came through the finish line and saw us. She was so happy to see us! Next they both got their medals and I may or may not have sneaked into the runners area where they got food, water, and a goodie box.

Happy to get some food and water!

We headed into the family reunion area and took some photos with the medal.

So proud!

Ended the morning with a beautiful sunrise!

I was so glad that I actually got to see them cross the finish line despite my alarms not waking me up. I had so much fun supporting them! Great job Alexandra and Mom.

What Brad was doing this entire time...

NIKE

So, it's official. I got into the Nike Women's half marathon! I received this amazing email as soon as I got back from Hume Lake:

I have to admit, I was completely surprised. I went into this thinking that I wasn't going to get in. I thought I wasn't going to have to keep training after Disneyland half but it looks like I am. And with hills. Ugh. The dreaded hills. I have no idea how I will even try and train for those. I know I have to and I know that somehow, some way, I will conquer those San Francisco hills!

I'm so happy to be sharing this news with you guys and I am glad I can share my journey on this blog. Happy running :)

October 20th here I come!

Train Insane or Remain the Same

Yesterday I ran a pretty hard run but only for a short amount of time. I wanted to run around 1.5 miles with around a 9:00 minute mile. I really want around a 9:00 or 10:00 minute mile for race day on September 1st (It will be here before I know it!) so I'm trying to train closer to 9:00 minutes that way I have some wiggle room.

I've kind of been getting bored in my runs, which sadly, makes me want to stop running. Then I end up not getting to my goal or not conquering what I wanted to. I haven't been really into my running playlist so I thought that maybe I should do a run without music. Didn't go too well. I lasted like a mile. Lol. So yesterday I thought I should change my course. Instead of running out on the streets, I ran around all of my connecting neighborhoods. It was kind of nice because I could set little goals to myself like "When you get to that green house, you can turn around and go back" or something like that. Whereas on the streets, I would get confused on which tree I set my goal at.

The new course actually helped me a lot! I ran at a 9:27 pace for 1.44 miles. I was done within 13:39 minutes (I didn't want a super long run yesterday).

I actually felt really good afterwards too. And lately, I have been feeling like I'm going to either pass out or throw up when I run. I felt so good but also completely exhausted afterwards that I literally laid down on my grass and stayed there for a while. People walking by probably thought something was wrong with me.

Yeah so that's me lying down on the grass. Great picture huh? But that face literally describes how I felt. Even though it was a short run, it was definitely a great run :)

QOTD: Have you ever had a great run, short or long?

Nike Running App

 When I first started running, I wanted to find the perfect app where it could tell how many miles I've gone, know my pace for every mile, calculate my average pace...etc. I thought about doing those Couch to Half Marathon apps but those are walk/run. I didn't want to tell people that I walked/ran a half marathon, I wanted to tell people I ran a half marathon! After searching for many days, yes I searched for days, I'm pretty sure I found the best running app ever. The Nike Running App. It fits every single expectation I had for a running app. I usually need music when I run (see my music playlist HERE) so I wanted an app that would allow me to play music while I ran. You would think that would be a common thing in a running app but most of the running apps I looked at didn't allow you to play music. Anyways, this app lets me do so many things and I will give you a little tour of how this amazing app works...

So this is your "home" page. It tells you how many miles you have ran total, your average pace, how many runs you have been on, and how many Nike Fuel points you have. It also has little facts and different goals that you have conquered. For example, the one on my screen today said that I ran .15 miles more and 0"22/mi slower than the average of all of my past runs. Pretty neat. It was also tell you your fastest mile, 5k, 10k, or your longest run.

   When you want to go on a run, all you do is click the "run" button in the top right hand corner. Then you get to the "Run Setup" page (left). This is when you make your options for your run. It lets you choose your music, location, and how you are holding your device. The one thing that I recently discovered is the "Run Type" option. At the very top, you tap on whatever setting it is on already (in my case, time run) and then it will bring you to this screen (right). Now it know exactly was run you are running and how to track it! It amazes me.

When you click the options tab, it tells you all of your past runs. If you turn your device horizontally, you see the picture below which is a graph chart about all of your runs.

The last thing to mention is the end of the run. Once you are finished running, this screen pops up. It shows your progress throughout the run. After your run you get to choose how you felt, where you ran, and if you have Nike+ shoes you get to tag your shoes. It's really cool to see that when I first started running 2 miles, I felt sick and horrible after. But now, I always choose the "I felt great!" happy face. 

As you can see, I would definitely recommend this app. It's pretty amazing. Hopefully you can give it a try!

QOTD: What is your favorite running app?

Upcoming Races (Part 3 of 3)

San Francisco Nike Women's Half Marathon

Today I'm sharing one of the races I will be doing later this year. The San Francisco Nike Women's Half Marathon. The race features a marathon and half marathon but I'm just doing the half. I'm really excited about this race! 

Some of you may know that it is not guaranteed that everyone who signs up can get into this race. They pick runners by a lottery system. This is a very popular race so hopefully I will be able to get in! As seen in the picture above, this is the 10th anniversary of this race. That just adds to the popularity of the race. I'm now praying that I can get into this race. 

The race starts in Union Square right next to the race expo. Then the runner travel by the bay and into the many hills and hills and hills. That is the number one thing that I am nervous about. The dreaded hills. And SF has many of them. I heard that there is a moment where it's just 3-4 miles of all hills. YIKES! Better start training for hills or else I think I might die. 

I thought that the most interesting thing about this race is the bra exchange. During the race, there is spot where Nike gives you a free sports bra. The catch is that you have to change in it right then and there. They give a changing room of course, but it does add some extra minutes to your time. I will definitely do the bra exchange (who doesn't want a free bra?) but that's mainly because I know I won't care about my time that much since the hills will already be setting me back. 

And of course, the number one thing that is on everyone's mind when they think of Nike races is the bling. Because it's not just any bling, it's a Tiffany and Co. necklace. Now that is bling. And to add to that, firefighters dressed up in tuxes give you that perfect little Tiffany blue box. That sounds perfect to me! 

I'm really hoping that I will get picked to run this race. It seems very fun and enjoyable! Can't wait :) 

QOTD: Have you ever ran in a Nike Race? Have you ever ran in a race with lots of hills?