Let’s Brag!

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Hi everyone!  Sorry for the delay.  It’s been a very vacation-y morning.   :)  Lots of relaxing and napping (yes, already).

 

I never really ate dinner last night (tummy troubles), so I woke up positivity starving and wolfed down toast with almond butter and watermelon.

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I thought I was going to go for a walk/run with my mom, which is why I just had a snack.   But when she woke up, she said she was feel too sore from last night’s hike so we just hung out instead.

 

I also had a little more breakfast:

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I ate about 2/3 of this Oikos, blueberries, and cereal combo.

 

And then…. I went back to sleep.  Yes, at 9 AM.  It felt pretty amazing. 

 

I just had a cup of veggie soup with some crackers to prepare myself for our 12:00 Yoga class:

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I can tell my mom used the blog to buy all my favorite foods — Oikos yogurt, Wolfgang Puck soup, blueberries…. I love her!

 

Eliza’s Half Marathon

 

Eliza wrote to tell me about her first half marathon, and her story was so inspirational that I asked if I could share it on the blog!  She said YES! — read on!

 

Eliza said: I finished my first half marathon this morning! My little brother ran it with me. The first 6 miles were huge hills (Vermont is pretty hilly), and I think I pushed myself a little too much early on. My brother and I ran together for the first 4.5 miles, and then I let him take off because I could tell he was itching to go faster.

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From mile 6 to about mile 8 there was a father-son team behind me. I could hear them talking- the dad kept making his son do multiplication tables to distract him! They got closer and so I asked if they were going faster or I was going slower- they said they were doing 9-minute miles the whole time. I was pretty surprised because that meant that we were really pushing it in the beginning! My goal was only 10-minute miles, and I thought that was a stretch so I was telling everyone my goal was just to finish by 2:30:00!

The last 3-miles were torture. It was on beautiful paths through the woods, and until about mile 12 I didn’t see anyone (it was a small race!).  I did have to stop a few times to rest, my feet had started to hurt and my quads were pretty tight  The last 3/4 of a mile was a straight, flat, paved road. But for some reason it was the hardest part! At one point I just stopped in some shade, and this older man, maybe age 65, came up and just said "No! come on!" and I ran with him the rest of the way, just concentrating on matching my breathing to his.

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I finished at 2:06 and some odd seconds, and my brother came in at 1:56:something! (he was very proud of himself, I was a little shocked: he smoked 2 cigarettes and got drunk on Friday night! I guess that’s what being a 22-year old generally athletic boy does for you!)   It was a blast, and I’m so glad that I did it. Especially that I did it with my brother, because it was a real bonding experience for us. I’m also proud of myself for how far that I’ve come in terms of taking care of myself- I used to be a smoker and a pretty heavy party-er, and this feels symbolic of all the changes I’ve made in the past two years.

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I’m not sure I’ll do another half, maybe someday. I think 10ks might be the ideal length for me, maybe 15ks. There is a marathon here in the spring that my brother and I are talking about doing in legs with one or two other people. We’ll see!

 

Seriously, way to go, Eliza!  What an awesome race recap.  🙂 Did anyone else compete in any races or tackle a new challenge this week?  Go ahead, brag about it.  I love to hear it!

{ 33 comments }

 

  • Eliza August 10, 2009, 8:04 am

    I'm blushing! Thanks Caitlin 🙂

  • Andee (Runtolive) August 10, 2009, 8:08 am

    Cute post! Great job on the half marathon, it is a long distance and something to be really proud of. Running has helped me overcome my negative view on food

  • VeggieGirl August 10, 2009, 8:32 am

    Congratulations to Eliza!

  • Mandy August 10, 2009, 8:35 am

    Girl, what are you sorry for?? You're on vacation! 🙂

    Congrats to Eliza!! Amazing!!!

  • theangrydieter August 10, 2009, 8:36 am

    Great story!! Thanks for sharing…and congrats Eliza!!!

  • mcari August 10, 2009, 8:37 am

    I'm running my first half in September and I love hearing stories like this! They help me stay motivated during this training period right now (all my runs are getting longer and longer as I get closer to the race!). Thanks to Eliza for sharing and Caitlin for posting 🙂

  • Whitney@whitsgettingfit August 10, 2009, 8:48 am

    Congratulations Eliza! What a great time!

  • Oh She Glows August 10, 2009, 8:49 am

    I LOVE the story!!!! wow…way to go!

  • Amelia (AC/DC: Highways to Health) August 10, 2009, 8:49 am

    Congrats to Eliza! Great job!

    Caitlin – that's so cute that your mom uses the blog to purchase your favorites! When I went home recently I was greeted with a fridge full of greek yogurt too because my dad saw I posted about it! So sweet.

  • runnerskitchen August 10, 2009, 8:50 am

    yay, for running! there's nothing like completing your first half-marathon and first full marathon. such an amazing feeling!

    i've been having tummy troubles too. i think the heat makes me feel off 🙁

  • Lizzy August 10, 2009, 8:52 am

    Such an inspiration, thanks for posting that story Caitlin! and Congrats Eliza! i'm running my first half in October! So excited and ready to face the challange!

  • ~carolyn~ August 10, 2009, 9:02 am

    I completed my first 1/2 marathon (San Francisco) 2 weeks ago! This is just a year after I said I hated running and would never run more than 5 miles. Something changed, honestly, reading many of your blogs really does inspire me to push myself and I will admit I am 20 years older than most of you:)but age is just a number!
    After the SF 1/2 I was hooked. I went through post-race depression. I needed the next challenge and I needed a schedule that tells me how many miles to run and how many days a week, so basically, I need to be in training!

    This past weekend I started going to the Nike Run Club in San Francisco. It is a weekly run club that helps you train for the Nike Women's Marathon (1/2 for me) in October.

    Oh and yea, I lost about 35 pounds doing all this…:)

    Thanks for letting me brag and have a great vacation!!!!

  • brandi August 10, 2009, 9:11 am

    congrats to Eliza! what a great recap 🙂

    have fun with your mom today!

  • Kristen @ Simply Savor August 10, 2009, 9:21 am

    Aww aren't moms the best about that stuff–it's always nice to come home to you're favorite foods! Enjoy your relaxing vacay 🙂

    And big congrats to Eliza on her half marathon–so inspiring!

  • Susan August 10, 2009, 9:29 am

    I love falling back asleep after breakfast, it's so luxurious 😉

    Great story Eliza!! I used to a be a partier/smoker too and every run for me signifies how far I've come since then. This past week I ran 5.25 miles in 50 minutes. Probably doesn't sound like much, but it was a huge accomplishment for me. I was grinning ear to ear for the rest of the day 😀

  • Amanda August 10, 2009, 9:33 am

    Congratulations Eliza – it's really so amazing how much you can accomplish!!

    My biggest accomplishment over the past few weeks has simply been honoring my body! I got a stress fracture on one of my feet, so I have taken a running hiatus. Even though it is really hard to rest, I have been doing yoga and the elliptical, icing my foot, and taking it slow! It's not worth it getting worse!!

  • Jessica August 10, 2009, 9:39 am

    I did my second Sprint Tri this past weekend. It was great.

    Congrats on the half! I'm doing my first next month so hopefully it goes as well as yours did.

  • jesstyler August 10, 2009, 9:47 am

    Great job Eliza!

    I ran my first race ever this past weekend. It was 4 miles and extremely tough – there were lots of hills. Even though I walked up a few of them, I'm proud of myself for doing it at all! I finished in 51:30 – and my goal was 60. I blogged about it here: http://tinyurl.com/mc6nzc

  • K from ksgoodeats August 10, 2009, 10:04 am

    Those crackers look really good! What kind are they?

    CONGRATS ELIZA!!

  • Britt August 10, 2009, 10:23 am

    Congrats Eliza!! If you're talking about the Vermont City Marathon/Relay, do it! Its a great race. It was a special one for me as it was the first marathon I broke 4 hours at and qualified for Boston.

    Keep it up, great job!

  • Juicy Jessy August 10, 2009, 10:25 am

    not right now, but i'll hope to be bragging about my first full marathon in exactly two months and ONE day. aaaaaaargh i'm so excited!!!

  • Meg C. August 10, 2009, 10:34 am

    nice job eliza!!

    my most recent running accomplishment was finishing a 5 mile race in 46:20 which I was proud of because i was in tons of hip and back pain during the 2nd half of the race… but i didn't stop to walk and I finished (albiet slower than i had hoped).

  • Nicole (the other one) August 10, 2009, 10:38 am

    Caitlin – I'm just catching up on my weekend reading. I love the jeans you are wearing in the Ominvore's Dilema photo. If you don't mind, what brand are they?

  • postcollegecook August 10, 2009, 10:44 am

    I love reading race recaps! That is so adorable that the older gentleman motivated you to the finish line, Eliza. Great job!

    I ran my second half marathon this weekend – a night race! I posted a recap here: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/52883342.html

  • Deva August 10, 2009, 10:46 am

    Congratulations to Eliza! That's a great story and good reminder, too.

  • Maggie August 10, 2009, 10:57 am

    Congrats to Eliza on the half, super impressive! I ran my first 5k last Sunday and it was amazing. And today I finished level 1 of the 30 Day Shred (scared for level 2 tomorrow!). And today I'm conquering my fear and awe by finally commenting on your blog which I've loved reading forever!

  • Glo August 10, 2009, 11:02 am

    That's so awesome! I love hearing stories like Eliza's.

    I don't have anything exciting to brag about, but I did enjoy a beautiful 30-mile bike ride along the beach 🙂

  • Beth @ CrossBorderCravings August 10, 2009, 11:27 am

    Aww, I love how that older man cheered Eliza on at the end. What a kind gesture!!

  • Anna August 10, 2009, 11:35 am

    What a wonderful post! And it sounds like you're having a great time on vacay. You most def. deserved it!

  • Tami August 10, 2009, 12:09 pm

    i love seeing older people running, i ALWAYS say something to them. I think it's so important to help people, young or old during a race, i always say keep going, good job….

    my brag story from the weekend is that I ran 21 miles! i have never run that far before, i am training for an October marathon and felt like I could have run the whole 26.2 on Saturday.

  • randomlymikey August 10, 2009, 12:17 pm

    i loved reading elizas story. and how sweet of your momma to buy all your favorites foods 🙂

  • emily August 10, 2009, 12:21 pm

    thanks for sharing that story, I just signed up for my first half marathon and I am super excited!

  • Courtney August 10, 2009, 12:56 pm

    I'm training for a sprint tri at the end of September, my first one. (You can check my training website out at http://courtlove111.wordpress.com).
    Last Thursday I swam .40 miles in the morning and then a few hours later met my friend for a 9 mile bike ride. I jumped off my bike to try and run one mile to get used to the transition and when I finished that, my friend encouraged me to run one more mile and I did!! I was very proud of myself and realized I had done a "mini tri" that day!

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