Hiking Red Rock

By Slick

Hey it’s me Slick again, here with another exciting tale of exercising.  And away we go…

Last fall my sister and I decided to surprise my mom for her birthday and join her on a girl’s weekend in Las Vegas. I am not much of a gambler, something about knowing how many hours I have to work to make X amount of money, takes the fun out of gambling. But we did go ziplining over Fremont Street while a Bon Jovi concert played on the screen over our heads.  And the day of her birthday we all put on our hiking gear and went to enjoy the great outdoors at Red Rock Canyon.  

Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation area about 30 minutes from the Strip.  Our first stop was the Visitor’s center were we picked up an handy dandy hiking map that also gave us the low-down on how strenuous the various trails are.  Though everyone in the group hikes often, we were not what you call serious athletes and no one wanted to face a 5 hour car ride back to SoCal with a leg brace or cast. 

We decided to pick three of the shorter trails.  The first was “Calico 1”.  I took most of my pictures on this trail.  I was just upset that my point and shoot camera wasn’t going to capture the multitude of colors or do justice to the formations. 

Here is another picture from the same trail…my sister is giving my poor mother a heart attack pretending to fall off.

For our second trail we decided on the Keystone Thrust.  As we could never find the Thrust…and I only have a vague idea of what a Thrust is or what it should look like, there are no pictures.   We gave up after a couple of miles and decided to detour to the pictograph before the final trail. 

The pictograph was right off the Willow Springs Loop, and an easy two minute walk from our parking spot.  The waterfall, though supposedly an easy to moderate trail, was actually a bit difficult to access…as there were lots of hikers (both serious hikers and the flip flop variety)  and a very narrow trail at several points.  But it was worth it.  My best picture is of my sister under the water, but as I didn’t ask her, and my birthday is coming up (she gives me the best gifts), I will refrain from posting it.  And you all will have to settle for an example what we climbed over in the “moderate trail” to get to the waterfall.

The next time I go to Vegas, I will definitely make time to return and maybe tackle one of the strenuous trails, how bad could it be?!

A Year of 5ks, from a Former Couch Potato

Subtitle: How I lost 17% of my body weight! 

Well, Huzzah! It's the 1-year anniversary of my weight loss. 38 lbs. That is supposed to be significant, in terms of joint health, but I must also point out that between the running, healthier diet, and fish pills, my cholesterol went from 242 to 130 something. (Again--Huzzah!)

I don't have pictures for every 5k I ran in. I'm still waiting for today's photos, but I think I was ... not at my best when crossing the finish line, so those may not get posted.

Before: 

Here I am in September 2011 (At a castle in Wales...Newton House?)

Above, at Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon, same time...

Drumroll.....

Here I am now! (pardon the potty shot, my only other mirror is in a dark hallway)

Here I was one year ago at the First Annual Iron Girl Half and 5k, April 2012:

Spirit of Gettysburg 5k, June 2012:

With Slick and Mini-Slick (Mr. Slick took photo) at the Catonsville Fall Into Fitness, September 2012:

(With her do-rag and shades, Mini-Slick is far cooler than I can ever hope to be)

 The Howard County Strider's Metric Marathon and 5k, Veteran's Day 2012:

 (Slick and Mr. Slick were in San Antonio running the Rock and Roll Half)

Last weekend (April 20), at the Arbutus Spring Fling 5k:

They played the Whitney Houston version of the National Anthem, and I thought it would never end!)

And ... I really don't like this photo, but right now it's all I have ... here I am this morning, at the 2nd Annual Iron Girl 5k, 28 April:

 Missing: Two Monster Dashes and one Armed Forces Week 5k, Jingle Bell, New Year's Resolution.

Next weekend is the Port-to-Fort 6k.

My first 5k was in October 2011. I walked and ran when I could, and came in at 44:14. Today's "5k" was actually 3.37 miles, according to my Garmin ... at the 5k mark, I was at 33:23. When I crossed the finish line, it was 35:54. I'm a little peeved by this, even though it's minor, because Iron Girl posted that I ran 3.1 miles in 35:54, and it was more than two minutes faster than that! I started Garmin at the start gate, and turned it off at the gate. I was talking to a watchless woman who said she felt like it was a longer run than just 3.1. It's small potatoes, sure, but again -- my best 5k time will go unacknowledged because the official time is measuring the wrong distance! Very aggravating.

Today's event was all about Boston, of course -- it was delayed slightly so it could start at the same time the Boston Marathon started. Lots of memorial shirts and signs, and a moment of silence.

I want to thank everyone who clicks 'like' and watches my incessant status updates about running. I know in the world of running I'm just a snail, but the acknowledgement helps motivate me.

I didn't want to sabotage my weight loss or running by setting a goal that I would then fret over, so I set my first goal as just "run a 5k without stopping." I've done that several times. I would like to work my way up to a 10k. We'll see how it goes!  There are 6,7,8ks ... relays ... all sorts of races to aim for.

Rock N Roll Half Marathon USA 2013

By Slick

So last year after completing our first half Marathon together, Mr. Slick and I decided we enjoyed the experience so much (sore legs and all) that we promptly signed up for the 2013 half marathon.  Fast forward 10 months and my husband found out due to a work commitment, he would not be able to run the marathon with me.  Blah!  Running alone with 30,000 other people was not what I had anticipated when I signed up.

On the Thursday before, my daughter and I braved public transportation to pick up my packet at the DC Armory.  Those of you familiar with DC, this is much easier than trying to find parking. Getting the packet was a piece of cake, but we were a bit disappointed with the Expo.  There were not as many vendors as the year before.  We walked around and tried a sample of the new caffeinated Jamba Juice that they are selling in a can.  It was pretty tasty.  We also stopped by the Larabar booth and tried a couple of samples.  Then back home.

There was a new route this year and my corral started in front of the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History and there was a lovely view of the Washington Monument.  Of course, as I only had my camera phone, no great pictures.

The start wasn’t the only change from last year.  There were also port-o-potties in every corral and all along the track.  This seemed like a good idea at first, until the race started and you had to weave your way through the lines of people waiting to get into them.  Another difference was there seemed to be fewer volunteers.  All of the Rock N Roll races I have run in, had people with rope blocking off one corral to the next and moving them forwarded in an orderly fashion.  Since there was no one with ropes, there were people from several different corrals all crowding together…very crowded by the time we arrived at the actual start point.

The other problem I had with the run this year was the water points.  By the time I got to the first water point, there were only empty tables.  I had to get a cup out of a box and fill it at the water tank.  This experience repeated itself over and over through the rest of the run.  The tables that still had volunteers were barely keeping up with the demand.  As in you had to stand and wait for someone to fill a cup for you.  I spoke with someone who started in corral 7 and he said that this was not the issue when he went by. 

I will say the race route was nicer this year, instead of some of the rougher DC neighborhoods, the course went by the zoo. 

When I finished the run, at a not so great time, the medal was handed to me in a baggy, again, another difference from last year.  There was plenty of water and Gatorade at the end as well as food items, but the lines were longer maybe.  And they seemed to be having trouble moving people out of the area and keeping family from wandering in.  One woman was actually arguing with the volunteers, trying to get them to let her in so her toddler son could use the bathroom.  They could tell this was a lie, because one, there are no bathrooms in the food area and two; she was about 10 feet from a dozen port-o-potties, with barely a line. 

I am not sure if I will run it again next year.  As fun and invigorating as the run is, it is more fun to run it with others.

Three In-Home Exercises You Can Do With a Little One

With five children, I haven't been able to reliably get to the gym since I left the Navy years ago, so I've had to be pretty inventive with how I get my exercise in. With this thought in mind, I have tried my hand at making a video highlighting three of my go-to exercises to do with the help of my youngest children. I hope these are helpful to you!

The video is my first of this kind and pretty rough, so please excuse the jumpiness (the 13-yo and 8 yo were my primary videographers!) and sound quality. I'll get better as we go along, so stick with me!

Tillie

Best and Worst of 2012

By Slick

 

So, taking a page from Spinster Beth’s blogpost, I (Slick) have also assembled a best and worst blog. 

By my calculations I completed four 5ks, two Half Marathons, and two 1-milers.

 Here are my bests: 

1.       Best Race Ever:  Okay, this was easy, the Rock n' Roll USA  race.  Not only was it the inaugural DC run, it was my first Half-Marathon and the first time I ever ran 13.1 miles.  The swag bag was great, and everything seemed to be well planned and executed.  This will probably be my best race ever, forever.

2.       Best Packet Pick-up/Expo: Well, hands down, the Rock n’ Roll races had the best expos and packet pick-ups. Since they were the only major races I ran in 2012, no competition.  They were all similar, so no way to just vote for one of them.  Of the small runs, I would have to say that the Remembrance Run probably had the easiest packet pick-up.  It was also one of the smallest races.  My daughter and I did same day registration and it only took a couple of minutes.

3.       Best Tee-Shirt:  My favorite tee-shirt was the tech tee-shirt from Rock n’ Roll San Antonio Rock n' Roll San Antonio.  I cannot really point to any one thing.  It was pleasing to my eye and it fits well. 

4.       Best Post- Race Chow:  So the Rock n’ Rolls give you tons of food after you finish and a free beer, but my favorite was definitely the Catonsville Fall into Fitness post race  chow.  They had a local brewery RavenBeer with samples and sales and they had volunteers grilling burgers and dogs.  I love bananas and yogurt, but sometimes nothing beats a nice hot meal.

5.       Best Course:  A lot of the races had different aspects that I enjoyed.  The Rock n’ Roll USA went by the Washington Monument.  The RNR San Antonio went by the Alamo (there is a pic of me running in front of it, but I didn’t actually see it.)  The Jingle Bell Run Jingle Bell Run ran around beautiful Centennial Park in Ellicot City, which would have been a spectacular solo run, but not with hundreds of other runners and walkers…and strollers and dogs.  Path was too small for everyone.  Even though it was not one of my favorite runs, the Rock n' Roll Virginia Beach was probably my favorite course.  It was flat and you end up running next to the ocean.

Time for the worst…again, these are only out of the 8 races I ran this past year.

1.       Worst race:  Even though the course was nice, the RNR Virginia Beach was not only hot, but the humidity had to be at 100%.  It was so humid I was exhausted before the race even started.  The medics appeared (to me) to be super busy with all the runners overheating.

2.       Worst Tee-shirt:  From my daughter’s school.  As my daughter is in elementary school, the tee-shirt always has some cutsey animal on it.  And they only use the colors that the uniform wearing students wear to school.  Other than that, it was just a standard tee-shirt.

3.       Worst packet pick-up/expo:  Was the Catonsville Fall into Fitness run.  When we showed up an hour before the posted closing times, we found out they had closed early because the volunteer was cold.  I am sure there was more to it than that…but we drove 45 minutes to get there, so it was very annoying. Which leads me to…

4.       Worst amenities:  This might be common, but the Catonsville Fall into Fitness had one water point, at the 5k mark.  I am not one of those people who runs with water, so I am a bit dependent on water stations.  There was only one, and it was at the end of the race.  There was also some confusion about the start line at this race…I think Spinster Beth covered that in her blog.

5.       Worst Course:  Was the one held at my daughter’s school.  It was only a mile, which I finished in about 7 minutes.  Now if you have been following this blog at all you would know I do not run a 7 minute mile, which means that this mile was not really a mile. I would love to run a 7 minute mile, but I don’t…yet.

She's One Tough, Dirty Mudder!

I've often been curious about - and intrigued by - the Dirty Girl Mud Runs. So when we heard that our friend had taken the plunge, it only made sense to get her to tell us all about her fun here!

Enjoy!

Tillie

Feeling a bit crazy in the middle of Summer, I decided not only would I sign up for this Dirty Girl Mud Run, I would sign up my 16 year old too! I sent out a message asking who would be interested in joining me and in the end, we had a team of 5. I was a bit disappointed in the size but in the end, it was the right number. 2 teenagers who were not happy and 3 ladies who were scared about what was to come on race day.

It's no good if you stay clean! (Reverse these pictures and you have a Tide commercial!)

2012: The Year in T-Shirts

I ran seven 5ks in 2012! What a great improvement over 2011 (one 5k) and 2010 and all the previous years (no 5ks!)

There was the Iron Girl in April and the Metric Marathon and 5k in November, both held in beautiful Columbia, Maryland.

The September 5k, Fall into Fitness, didn't give t-shirts. But they did give beer. 9:00 in the morning, and there was beer, and hot dogs and hamburgers and sausages being cooked right there. It was quite an event!


The starting point was a total mess, though. We were herded up to the start point, which was not marked, and no one knew which way to face, so we were two large groups of people facing each other, ready to run ... right into one another. We all turned the same direction, and then the organizer hollered at us to move back. So everyone turned around and started walking backwards -- and then the starter fired the gun. Imagine a few hundred people suddenly whirling around, slapping their watches, and taking off.

The 22nd Annual Spirit of Gettysburg was in June, and I felt like I was going to die of heatstroke. I will do that one again, but I will walk it. I just can't handle running on a warm day. It was a beautiful run, right past a flaming memorial (which I couldn't see because I was blinded by sweat).


The Jingle Bell run was part of a series of runs held throughout the country on 1 December. Slick and I ran the one held at Centennial Park in Clarksville, and Tillie's husband ran one in Alabama, where he was visiting at the time. It was cool and humid, and I felt like I was going to melt away. This one was a mess; the running trail was narrow, and there were about 1400 people there -- 600 more than expected. And there were some exceptionally rude people at this one -- walkers ambling 2 and 3 abreast in the middle of the path, which made it impossible to get around them without running in the mud on the sides. If I could have gotten my breath I would have fussed at them (orpushedthemintothemud). But you know how some people show up for runs with no intention of either running, or getting their pretty shoes dirty ...

These two events were held by my workplace. The annual Armed Forces Week 5k is held during Armed Forces Week in May; a bit warm for me by then, and it's actually a very hilly 5.3k run.

The Monster Dash is the annual Halloween run/walk. A lot of people walk, but that is because their costumes won't allow for running. And we saw some very creative (and disturbing) costumes. My favorite was the Octomom, but there were also characters from comic books and movies.



This is the 5k that started it all, in October 2011...

I actually couldn't fit into this t-shirt until six months later. I started 2012 weighing 20 pounds more than I do now.

And this year, 2013 started with this:

Held in Patterson Park in Baltimore, yesterday afternoon. Again, very hilly and very cold outside. About 1,000 people showed up. Guess how many port-a-potties they had available?

Go on, guess. You'll never guess.

None. There were none.

Absolutely none. 1,000 people had to make do with the bathrooms in the basement of St. Elizabeth's Church, and guess what? They all backed up and overflowed (basement bathrooms near the waterfront, go figure). It was a mess! Afterwards, there was chili and cornbread (we just had to avoid standing in the uh, water near the bathrooms), the inevitable bananas, and dozens and dozens of homemade cookies. I couldn't stomach the chili, but I did have four cookies. Five cookies. No regrets!

I have to say a big part of the fun of these runs is the energy and high spirits of the other runners. No matter what happens -- too few toilets, too many people crammed into a small starting space, the man with the starting gun shooting it at the worst possible time -- everyone is excited and happy and laughing. The serious runners are way up front where they can run unimpeded, but everyone else just arranges themselves in the line according to their abilities, and then we shuffle forward until enough fast runners clear out and we can spread out a bit.

And now I've been to a total of nine 5ks. None of these would have been possible without all the organizers and volunteers, handing out water, picking up discarded cups, making sure everyone gets a banana, and standing along the trail helping us all stay on the right route. It's thankless, because no one ever thanks them except for in passing. Runners tend to be a little arrogant (we saw that when the New York Marathon was canceled) and I am just as guilty of this. Next time, I will go around and personally thank the volunteers for their assistance.

Here's to a great 2013!