If you live within driving distance of Charlotte, NC, you need to do this race. Hell *I* need to do this race, because it has the coolest medal. Ever. If you’re a NASCAR fan, you’re going to cry if you miss this. Trust me.
Watch the ENTIRE video!
Google “NC Half Marathon” since WordPress is being stubborn and refusing to let me set hotlinks until I update plug-ins so that’s what I’m off to do next. Baby steps.
Anyone out there but me remember Morris Day and the Time? Specifically, do you remember their song: The Walk? (aside–it was the very first ‘dirty’ song I remember understanding was dirty…) Anyway, there is a verse that goes:
Who? Me? I wear baggies, zip, snap, and drop.
Easy access baby. Yes, before you get a chance to holler “Stop!”
Besides, Rollo likes his freedom.
So for the purpose of today’s blog…
Rollo = Mel’s Boobies.
First off, Monday the clasp on one of my favorite workout bras broke. So…I had to wear the bra I wore to work. And whereas my pretty lavendar silk bra from Vicky’s Closet is nice to look at while I’m disrobing, it is not made for running. Hell, it barely suffices for walking.
Yesterday, I grabbed a racer back bra that zips in the front. It’s a really comfy bra and has always been a very good harness, I mean, friend to Rollo.
Apparently Rollo and that bra broke up yesterday.
Picture this: I’m a half-mile into my run on the elliptical, almost preening as it’s my 2nd day in a row to hit the gym and I’m looking good. Other’s see it, as well, They are basking in the glory of my accomplishment…they are smiling and staring and…
And what is that breeze? and why do I suddenly feel FREE…?
Oh…because Rollo has escaped my now unzipped bra.
BTW, had a pole been available, I could’ve made some extra money during my workout…just sayin…
I spent the rest of my 20 minute run re-zipping my bra every 5 minutes. There were 2 college boys working out directly in front of me who spent the entire 20 minutes ogling me from the same piece of equipment. Their quads should be jello today. I hope their legs collapse as they sit for their morning constitutional…
A trustworthy source has lead me to this site, promising when they say NO MOVEMENT that they mean it. So I’m going to test that bitch out.
I say all this as a gentle reminder to those of us chest areas that are not concave. Wear a good bra. Wear two good bras if you have to. Or come to the gym equipped with your own stripper pole. And remember, some states require pasties…
Here’s the edited (as in no ‘Rollo’ lyrics) version of The Walk. You’re welcome.
What’s been going on in your FatChicksRunning world lately? I can tell you one thing this chick hasn’t been doing…and that’s running.
I blogged on my personal/author blog today about completing the marathon and then just falling off the exercise bandwagon. It sucks when I do that. And I don’t know WHY I do it except that I do. And it sucks. But I started back yesterday and even though I don’t have a race I’m training for, I do have a goal…so here we go again.
Tell me about your successes and challenges lately…tried anything new that works wonders?
Bueller?
PS: I can’t promise I’m back on a regular basis to blog…but I’m gonna try. I kinda miss my fitness blogs…like I kinda miss being fit. Also, I miss Carbkiller…YO CK…Where you be?
Today is Patriots’ Day.
Patriots’ Day is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. Observances and re-enactments of these first battles of the American Revolution occur annually at Lexington Green in Lexington, Massachusetts, (around 6am) and The Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts (around 9am). In the morning, a mounted reenactor with State Police escort retraces Paul Revere’s ride, calling out warnings the whole way. (from Wikipedia)
Patriots’ Day is also referred to as “Marathon Monday” in running circles. It is the day the Boston Marathon is run. The Boston Marathon is the most elite running race in the world. You have to finish another marathon within a certain (very strict) time requirement in order to register for Boston. Some people work towards it their whole lives. I have several friends running and am so very excited for all of them!
For more information about the Boston Athletic Association (the group that runs the Boston Marathon) and the race itself click HERE
I did it. I finished. My goal was to walk the 13.1 miles under 3:30. Our actual Runkeeper & Nike Timekeeper said 3:25:09. My walking buddy (Eric) and I stopped twice, so our official marathon time was 3:36. I am okay with that. 
Here is my new body part. It’s a double blister named Bert. He is a pain in the arse…I mean, heel, but I will gladly take the reminder that I walked long and hard and earned him.
This is Team MELF. From Left to Right: Lindy, Eric, Me & Robyn. Lindy and Robyn kept a very fast pace (or very fast compared to myself and and Eric!) They finished under 3 hours. Yay for them. I actually “ran” the majority of the last half of the race. We can’t really call my run an actual run, but it was a slow mo jogging motion. It felt better to jog than to <s>waddle</s> walk.
Here are my goods and services. I was disappointed because this year is the first year that the half marathon and full marathon didn’t share the same GIGANTIC medal. Don’t get me wrong…I love my medal, but it’s not as big as Flava-Flav’s clock…and it should have been.
After the marathon, we moseyed (hobbled) over to Sticky Fingers and carb-loaded with some adult beverages. Mmmmm. Beer. Then we went to Robyn’s house and continued the party. Then I took a long hot bath and promptly fell into a coma.
I feel very accomplished and oh so proud of myself for completing the half. I can honestly say, I have absolutely no desire to do a full… Just no. Thank. You.
Ever notice how when you don’t have time things just popping up and grab your attention?
There are a couple websites I check for races, one is MarathonGuide.com. Most (but not all) marathons also have half marathons as well so a couple times a year I check this site to see what is coming up. Well today I discovered something new. Marathon Guide has a free pacing calculator with free pace wristband.
What’s a pacing wristband? Basically this is what it sounds like, a cheapo wristband that you tape to your wrist to make sure you are where you need to be time-wise on a course. Some people use them to push themselves to personal bests. If you are a back-of-the-packer like me, you use it to make sure you stay ahead of the sweeper bus they send along for people who fall below course time minimums. If a race has a four hour or longer half marathon time limit then I don’t worry about it. At this point if it has a 3:30 or longer time limit I’m okay too. The 3 hour time limit sometimes makes me worry about elevation charts and course challenges. For example, I have a race with a three hour time limit coming up so I went to the Marathon Guide pace wristband page and entered my information.
I’m not worried about the marathon distance for the moment so I went to option B and plugged in my half marathon distance (13.1 miles). Then I put the time I’d like to finish in (3 hours), then I made sure to set it for miles. The United States unlike everyone else in the world loves miles. I could do this in kilometers but I would have to start counting on my fingers and toes.
See where it says Please Wait on that bottom button? That’s because I’ve been playing with it. Yours will say Create Pace Band. Click that and you will see:
This is a miniature screen shot I’ve included here so you can see what I’m talking about. The real one will be a full 11″ long (we print it on 8 1/2″ x 11″ computer paper at home) and you can cut to your desired length. I plan to cover mine with clear plastic packing tape so it will be waterproof/sweatproof. And I will likely tape it on me securely because it’s free I can just cut it off and throw it away after the race is over.
So if you have any pace goals for your upcoming races no matter what the distance give this site a try. I wish I’d found it awhile ago!
I know, I know I should have hung this on the wall before I took the picture. Sadly, I have to paint first and that isn’t getting done until March at the earliest and I already felt like enough of a blog slacker. This is my running medal collection from Feb 2009 (Surf City Half Marathon my first ever race) to January 8, 2011. I actually finished another race yesterday but I ran out of room so that will go on medal hanger #2.
The hanger is from Allied Medal Displays.
As for the hanger I know you’re going to ask so I will beat you to it.
289.2 race miles
19 – half marathons (13.1 miles)
1 – 10K (6.2 miles)
11 – 5Ks (3.1 miles)
Not bad for the fat chick who thought a half marathon was insane.
And yes I have shamelessly searched for the races with medals. I am always amazed that not all races have half marathon medals much less 5K medals so you have to look for the races that have them (it tends to be bigger races).
Anyway, if you have any other questions bring it on.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the Bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”– Mark Twain
I remember reading that quote on a poster in my 9th grade classroom. I think if someone had walked up to me the first time I read that asked me what I wanted to do at exactly that moment I would have said pilot a sailboat. I tend to be kind of a literal thinker. LOL. Still, I think about this quote from time to time, particularly when things aren’t going my way.
It’s easy to be safe. It’s easy to hide away in your safety bubble and protect yourself from the world. It is much harder to put yourself out there and try something outside your comfort zone. And I always think about that when I hear judgemental bullshit from non runners.
I don’t care how fit you are, I don’t care how skinny you are and I don’t care how young. Until your ass has been 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles during a sanctioned event you don’t get to call me slow. I just thought I should proclaim that to the internet.
I was at the gym today doing weight work (which is kind of a miracle, I hate the gym) when a guy saw my Disneyland half marathon shirt and asked me about it. When he asked me my time, I told him. He said “wow, that’s slow,” with a smirk. Now understand it is slow. I am slow. I don’t mind being slow and frankly killing myself to finish 5 seconds faster then last race isn’t why I’m doing this at the moment. Maybe one day I will feel that way but I don’t at the moment. Still, the sneer really pissed me off. So I looked at him and said “Yes it is, what’s your half marathon personal best?” He told me he hadn’t run a half marathon yet. I turned “Well then,” I said, “I guess as slow as I am, I’m still faster then you.”
I wish I could say that was my parting shot and I walked out the door with perfect timing but my workout wasn’t over yet and sadly, neither was his. So I did what all smart women do when confronted by a guy with a small peepee who can’t backup their trash talk. I smirked for the duration of my workout.
Good news: I came in second in my age group today for my half marathon
Bad news: They missed the second digit on my age and put me in as age 3
Really bad news: I can’t even come in first in the 1-8 age division.
I’ve seen two quotes recently that I thought were pretty cool. First:
“It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
and another:
“Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.” Margaret Shepard
I finished three half marathons in 2009. That was 39.3 race miles more then 2008 where I sat on my butt for most of the year and I might have swiped my 24hour fitness card may be a dozen times.
In 2010 (the year of crappy blogging) I logged 223.7 race miles. That doesn’t include training runs and it didn’t include the 14.6 miles of Marine Corps Marathon which I don’t count because I didn’t finish. Most of those miles are from May to December.
14 half marathons (my two streaks are 4 in 37 days and 8 in 84 days)
one 10K
A 10k is 6.2 miles which is kind of a weird distance. I did it so I could get a medal that said 10k on 10-10-10. The best part? The medal they gave out was the size of about two pennies laid side by side and didn’t have the date on it! Small medals I’m okay with, I’m even okay with sticker medals (a medal with a sticker on it to display the details) but a generic medal on such a neat date? Race fail!
eleven 5Ks
It’s still my worst distance. I mean really truly kicks my butt. The first two miles are always hard on me for some reason and when your whole race is 3.1 miles anyway that doesn’t give you a lot of room.
2010 Recap (the best, the worst, and stuff that made me laugh)
OVERALL FAVORITE RACE: The Marine Corps Marathon- I know I didn’t finish it but the course was fabulous and what I would have given to be able to run the rest of it. I did see it from the sweeper bus but it just isn’t the same.
LEAST FAVORITE: Columbia Half Marathon- it was horribly run, incredibly dangerous and I wish I could afford to hire a skywriter to warn the runners before next years race. If you missed the details check out my BLOG about it.
HARDEST: Rock and Roll Los Angeles 1/2 Marathon- Now don’t get me wrong the race itself was actually great but it was the week before the Marine Corps Marathon and mentally I freaked out. From my very first mile. It actually got to the point where two friends were text messaging me nonstop encouragement and I just put my phone away. For me that’s bad.
FLATTEST: Long Beach 1/2 Marathon- Last year I did this race and they ran out of medals. This year I walked the entire course with my friend Brandi’s mom Pam. It was her first half marathon and an amazing experience. I also realized something pretty important. No matter how many races I do there are always people who have done dozens if not hundreds more races then I have. I had gotten so used to being the most clueless/inexperienced person in the group it really shocked me when I realized I was actually an experienced runner. Crazy!
MOST SCENIC: Malibu 1/2 Marathon- It was a point to point race where you park at the finish line and a bus takes you to the start. You have to go the 13.1 miles back to the finish. The start was right on the beach (we were all stading around next to the sand waiting for the start and two pods of dolphins swam by, plus I saw a sea lion. It was the coolest thing EVER. Running along Pacific Coast Highway where all the movie stars live didn’t hurt either!
BEST MEDAL: Disneyland 1/2 Marathon- I have wanted it for so very long and the anniversary bling was a bonus.
LEAST FAVORITE MEDAL: Magic Mountain 10K- What genius decided a generic medal was a good idea on 10-10-10? NOT COOL!
SMALLEST EVENT: Los Angeles County Holiday 5k- A small race but the race organizers were fabulous and the medals were awesome!
LARGEST EVENT: Rock and Roll Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon- Me and 28,000 other people running up and down the Las Vegas strip. And when we got to the finish line there was a concert with Bret Michels.
MOST UNIQUE: San Francisco 1/2 Marathon- I literally got talked into doing the race 48 hours before the race started. I signed up online at 10:30am Friday morning, threw a bunch of stuff in a bag and was in my car driving to San Francisco by noon. The weather was perfect, the scenery was interesting (I don’t know much about S.F.), and at the finishline I received my first ever bonus medal.
MOST FUN: MLB All Star Charity 5K- Ran past Jillian Michels from The Biggest Loser and looped the field at Anaheim Stadium before reaching the finishline.
BEST CAUSE: Operation Jack 1/2- A great race for a great cause (Autism).
MOST ORGANIZED: Run Racing Events- Both the Long Beach Marathon weekend and the LA County Holiday Half weekend were incredibly well organized.
BEST DESTINATION: Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon- Still my personal best half marathon time but it was such a beautiful course and the residents are so fabulous and supportive.
JUST PLAIN FUNNY: Oceanside Turkey Trot 5K- The race was Thanksgiving morning and they had a costume contest for the runners. People were wearing fake turkey hats, one woman dressed up as a football game, my favorite was the man and his wife duo. She was dressed like a turkey and he was dressed like a chef with a fake meat cleaver and he chased her the entire 3.1 mile. And we got free piggy banks you could decorate yourself at the finish line.
