Guilty & a Giveaway

I'm guilty and I can admit it freely. I have a few (ok a lot) of running blogs that I stalk. One of my favs and I'm sure yours too is SUAR. I love the inspiration of her BQ and her recovery from injury and I equally enjoy her (ahem) bodily function stories.


I am so honored that she wore our necklace for her Boston race I may just print off a copy and carry it in my purse.

Hop on over to SUAR's blog for a chance to win a $50 voucher to Sporty Girl. Good luck!

15 miles of suckiness & carbs

Yesterday was my first 15 mile run and it was rough. The run began well with nice temperatures and a good attitude. I was daydreaming about "qualifying" someday and had a good rhythm.

And then. I. bonked. I just ran out of gas at mile 8. I didn't have any water or gatorade with me so I stopped in Kwik Shop where they took pity on me and gave me some water. I drank that with my gu and took a few minute break before heading out to finish. It was ok the next few miles but the last 3 took everything I had. I didn't cut the run short because I knew that I would be even more disappointed in myself but I did take a couple short walk breaks.

I am going to take a couple days off and just chalk that up to inadequate fuel. I did go and pick up a fuel belt so next week I won't be stuck without hydration.

I met my hubby for lunch after and have mercy was I depleted. The sweet waitress was taking her time about taking our order so I finally asked if we could have some bread. Please. I said I just ran 15 miles and I really need some carbs. And then a few tears leaked out. Seriously. It was so embarrassing.

This was the first time we'd eaten at this restaurant and they make their own pasta every day. It was simply delicious and I enjoyed every bit.

How do you overcome tough runs?

How do you hydrate and fuel before/during/after long runs?

The Parkway Rocked! - Race Report - and a coupon!

First of all thank you to everyone who commented or emailed about pace groups. I really appreciated all of the insight!

Saturday I ran the Rock the Parkway 1/2 marathon in Kansas City. It was the first 1/2 I've done where my goal was not just to finish - but I had a goal pace in mind. I spoke with the pacers at the packet pick-up and they suggested that I start one time back from my goal time since I have not raced at this pace before. Even though I felt confident in my time I decided to take their advice.


Saturday morning arrived with PERFECT, that's right PERFECT IMO race conditions. At race time the temp was about 50 degrees, sunny and no wind (a Kansas miracle!).


My goal time was 1:45 so I started with the 1:50 pace team as they suggested. The pacers were awesome and did a great job. My only complaint about running in the group was the other runners! It felt like some people just couldn't figure out how to run in a straight line and kept bobbing and weaving back and forth in front of me.


By mile 6 I was feeling pretty great and started thinking about dropping from the group. But since it was my first "goal time" race I decided to stick with them a few more miles to make sure I had enough left for a strong finish.


At mile 9 I broke from the group and put in a kick for the finish line. I hope you can see the detail of the gentleman's face in this photo because it is pure anguish. I'm secretly hoping he's thinking "man, I just got passed by 4 girls!" :)

I didn't make up all 5 minutes to my goal, but finished strong with a time of 1:48. I was so happy with my race I've worn my race t-shirt 2x already.

Can't wait for the full in June!

To celebrate here is a coupon code just for my readers. Use code RACE10 for 10% off your order on www.sportygirljewelry.com. Happy shopping!