Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon-Official Goodbye Until Intersession.

Clearly, I haven't blogged in ages. This semester has been really tough for me for a few different reasons. Trying to balance working forty hours per week on top of student observing, social life, school and training for a half marathon was really tough. I went into the semester thinking I could do it all but quickly realized that I am not Wonder Woman. I did, however, talk a lot about the marathon before I stopped writing in the blog and felt compelled to at least do a recap. I will actually most likely be continuing the blog over winter break and through next semester when I'm going to be teaching in...Ireland!

I feel like the past few months have been a blur. I remember coming home from visiting my family in Arizona mid-August when I first started "training". I could barely squeeze out four miles without feeling like I was going to drop dead. I finally registered for the event in September and everything felt "real". I was going to do this-the right way, especially because I would be running on Team JAF in honor of my friend John who passed away the second semester of my freshman year of college. After John passed away, the next couple years of my life were really tough, as my family moved cross country, my grandfather died, I broke up with a long term boyfriend and battled depression and anxiety. Somehow, after traveling to Florence I broke out of my shell and everything changed. I became a new, better version of myself. I look back at those years and I never want to be in that place again, but at the same time going through it has given me a new vision for the kind of life that I want to live-a one with no regrets. I wouldn't change anything.

At the beginning of the current semester, I was on top of the world. I was coming off a high from a fantastic summer where I traveled all over the US and did some crazy hiking with my wonderful family. I had graduated, aced summer classes and was starting graduate school. Just before Halloween, I received the worst phone call of my life. My doctor, who I now know probably got D's in med school, diagnosed me with "pre-cancer of the cervix" and long story short-basically told me to "Google it". I had no idea what to do with myself, especially because my family is so far away. I cried, leaned on my friends, ate a lot of ice cream and tried to focus on the positive things in life. Eventually after getting a biopsy and a second opinion, I am in 100% good health. Long story, but the good news is that there is actually nothing wrong with me, my original doctor jumped the gun.

Throughout the entire pre-cancer drama, running was my outlet. I could still be in control of my body and it was the only time I really felt at peace with myself and my life at that point. As long as I was consistently running, I was okay. For so many reasons, the half marathon really became symbolic, which is why the actual event today was so emotional for me.

Event details:

This morning, my alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. (ew) and I immediately rolled out of bed, got dressed (I lay out all my gear the night before a race-superstition) and ate breakfast which was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a banana. I normally drink coffee but decided to cut it out on race day. I also took an Advil to avoid inflammation in my legs.

Parking was kind of crazy, we originally drove towards the race because I didn't want to walk right before I would be running. We drove around for about 30 minutes before deciding to drive closer to the Philadelphia Convention Center to park. They had porta potties laid out all around the city, which was very convenient considering we were running a little bit late and the lines close to the race were miles long. When we finally got to the starting line, close to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I went through my rope stretching routine and then lined up with my color corral (purple). At 7:00 the gun sounded and the first wave of runners were off. I probably left around 7:18 with the third wave of runners.

The first three miles were a complete blur. I didn't even feel like I was running when I reached the 5k point. I was a little annoyed with the timing system, but I don't know how they would have done it otherwise. The clocks started when the first wave of runners left so when I reached the one mile mark it said 25:00. Clearly, it did not take me 25 minutes to run a mile. I had no idea what I was pacing. I just tried to run comfortably so I didn't over exert myself too early. I wound up eating two Power Gel drops at the water station at mile 5.25. I walked through it so that I didn't get a stomach cramp.

Around mile six when we were coming through South Street, there were just miles of people screaming, ringing cow bells and holding up signs. A personal favorite sign read "run if you think I'm hot"...clever. I laughed out loud when I saw it. I flew through miles six and seven because of what felt like the entire city out to cheer us on. At mile seven a guy tapped me on the shoulder and I thought he was being a creeper, but eventually realized he was getting my attention for my family! My Uncle John, Aunt Nancy and two cousins Blair and Joseph came to watch me run! This immediately pumped me up. I was so happy, I love my family-they are so supportive. I took two more Power Gel drops at the water station right after seeing them.

Miles 8-10 were probably the hardest miles I have ever run in my life. I wasn't expecting hills, but Philly brought them on. My legs felt like lead and I was cursing myself for not training on hills more often. I stopped to walk through the water stations at each mile and ate more Power Gels for energy. There was a horrendous hill at mile 9. I hated every second of it. I had no idea what I was pacing, my legs were on fire and there was no way I was running it. I stopped to walk for about two minutes to regain some strength. After the hill, I gunned it.

At mile 11 there were some people dressed up in crazy hippie costumes. I was really wishing that I had a camera, they looked awesome! At mile twelve, I really wanted to run off the road and into the bushes for a nap. I stopped to walk for a second and then thought to myself "what kind of competetor are you?". I had one mile left, walking wasn't necessary. I thought about all the reasons why I was running the marathon and just floored it. Crossing the finish line was the most amazing experience of my life. My BFF Glenn who came to watch got a text with my official chip time a few minutes after I crossed.

The official time was 2:09. I am really happy with my time. It was my first half marathon, I walked up the mile 9 monster hill and through several water stations and still came out six minutes under goal which was 2:15. Yahtzee! When I finished I received my medal, a space blanket and a bag of goodies which had a funky tasting probiotic bar, orange, apple juice and a soft pretzel which was really stale and cold. Yuck. I met up with Glenn and my family and we went out for my second breakfast (not before taking a picture on the Rocky steps) which was an egg and cheese sandwich on a multi grain bagel.

My favorite thing about running is that it is a competition with yourself, therefore everybody wins. There is nothing like running a race. I have tried to explain my love for the sport so many times, but words don't do it justice. I swam in high school, played basketball in middle school and always felt awful when I wasn't on top of my game. Some people might think 2:09 isn't a great time, but I felt like a champ before I started. Running reminds me of how lucky I am to even just be alive to finish and to carry on the memory of those who are no longer with us.

Thank you to everyone who had been following "Healthy Adelphi" before I went on a hiatus. I will be back at the end of the semester and will probably make an official annoucement before I come back. Hopefully at that time the blog will finally be on the school website.

One last thing, this next quote is for all of you who don't believe you could ever run a half marathon. After today, I know that I can TRULY do anything I put my mind to...and so can you. It's all about taking the first steps...

"The miracle isn't that I finished...it's that I had the courage to start"

See you in the winter.

Au revoir,

BethAnn :)

1/2 Marathon Training Plan

Happy Tuesday, except it feels like Monday since we had off yesterday. I am happy to report that the ants are gone! Our land lady finally got an exterminator and now I can breathe easy. This is post is going to be short but sweet. Instead of studying for my nutrition exam, (bad idea) I spent two hours making the rest of my 1/2 marathon training plan. The first four weeks of my training are written on a loose leaf sheet of paper. When I get the chance I will update the entire schedule, which is on a google doc.

Total training weeks: 15

Weeks 4-11

Let me know what you think!

Sunday Long Run Schedule

Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying your three day weekend! I think there should be an official three day weekend once a month. National rest day? In a perfect world.

Yesterday I hit 8.5 miles on my training schedule! I got an email from someone asking what I do to prepare for the long run, so I'm going to do a little step by step!

I don't like to save long runs for the evening, I'd rather get them over with at the start of the day so I can spend the rest of the day lounging around. Here it goes...

*The night before I use Map My Run to make a route depending on how many miles I want to run. This week I ran up Nassau Blvd, over Jericho Turnpike to Park Circle, cross Hillside down to Herricks HS and up just past the library. It was an out and back. Once I hit 4.25 miles, I turned around and headed home.

*Wake up, do the cripply shuffle-walk into the kitchen. Make coffee immediately (Dunkin Donuts dark blend) and have breakfast. I always eat the same thing before a long run which is two slices of whole wheat toast, 2 T peanut butter, 1 T jam and a banana.

*Start charging the Ipod and make a playlist. I've been using the same playlist for the past couple of weeks. I listen to some slower, more chill music on the long run. Some songs include:

"Hey Girl"- OAR (LOVE this song...I use the live version which is 8 minutes long)

"Fool in the Rain"- OAR (Billy Joel cover)

"Crash Into Me"- Dave Matthews

"Tripping Billies"- Dave Matthews

"Two Coins"- Dispatch

"Bats in the Belfry"- Dispatch

"Momentary Thing"- Something Happens

"I Hear the Bells"- Mike Doughty

*Start drinking water to hydrate. Relax for about 1.5 hours. I stop drinking water 30 minutes before the run. You will know if you are hydrated or not when your "urine" is clear. Kinda gross, but don't hate: you need to be hydrated on a run or else you will hit the floor.

*Put on running clothes. Generally, I wear a dry fit or cotton t-shirt with shorts. If it's a little colder out I rock the spandex.

*Start stretching. I do the entire routine minus the icing.

*Get outside. Run.

-Running is such a mental thing. I have so many people tell me that they could never handle the long run. You can, you just need to keep your head in a positive place. Yesterday, my legs started cramping at mile four. I wanted to stop. I wanted to walk. I wanted to cry. I wanted to hit something. I just turned up the music and kept going. The slower I ran, the longer it would take to be finished. You have to have the faith in yourself, that you do have the strength to keep going. If you quit in your mind, you might as well not even go to the starting line.

*When I hit my apartment, I generally walk around to cool off for about five minutes and then head up. I immediately chug a glass of milk to help get rid of some lactic acid build up in my legs.

*Next, I change out of my running clothes which are usually drenched with sweat. My t-shirt was soaked from rain on Sunday.
FACT: Never wear cotton on a run in the rain. It wore me down so much.

*Take a freaking shower! I usually wind up eating after the shower, when my appetite comes back in full force. I eat something with a mix of healthy fat (nuts, peanut butter, avocado), carbs (whole grain rice, beans, whole wheat bread etc.) and protein (nuts, lean meat, eggs).

*Face plant...

...or stretch, ice, foam roll and watch the JETS game! Yes, that is a Favre jersey. I know he's a complete ___ but it's the only one I have!

A few things to take note of...

*You need to stretch. It helps keep your legs loose, warms up the muscles and prevents injury.

*Make sure you are properly fueled. A lot of runners will eat midway through a long run to replenish glycogen storage. They generally start depleting after 6 miles. You can bring a small bag of jelly beans, Clif shots or goo.

*Make sure you are properly hydrated.

*Know your route. Whenever I'm running a new path or trail, I make sure to carry a cell phone just incase I get lost (which has happened multiple times).

* Have fun! I actually like the long run better than short runs. I feel like there is less pressure to keep a quicker pace. I can zone out, listen to my music and just empty my brain from the scattered thoughts of the week. It is a de-stresser. It almost feels like an out of body experience. I forget that my body is working so hard.

Hope that helps!

"A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood."

Before and after every run I have a specific routine that probably takes about 30 minutes. I ice after the second stretch which adds on about another 20. For someone who doesn't have a lot of time to begin with, I always manage to fit in my runs, my stretches and my ice time. I am committed to my training. For those of you who don't have the time to spend stretching for a half an hour, I understand, but a little extra sweat has saved me so much aggravation over tight muscles, bum knees and tired legs. I am in the best shape of my life. Since I started sticking to my routine, my whole training has turned around and I am right on track. My legs feel amazing, because I'm going out of my way to take the time to care for them.

Note 1: I learned everything I need to know about this kind of stretching from Foundations XC Camp...you should check out the link to the camp on the side bar. I still need to complete the recap of my day there...it is way overdue. Check back for that tomorrow.

Note 2: prepare yourself for a series of awkward photos!

Part One (warms up the muscles): Pull your leg in like this, hold for a quick two second count, release leg (make it straight). Repeat for a count of eight on each leg.

Part Deux: Use a stretching rope. Start with your knee bent like in the first photo...there should be slack in the rope, which you don't see in this picture. Also, make sure to lead with your heel, which is a fancy way for saying flex your foot. Straighten your knee without using the rope for assistance and when you can't physically straighten it anymore, pull back and hold for a quick count of two seconds with the rope. Repeat 8x.

Part three: Immediately after finishing the second stretch, before switching to the next leg, straighten your leg out completely and lift it (without assistance from the rope) as far up as possible while still keeping good form. Lead with the heel. When you've hit your limit (second picture) pull back and hold for a quick count of about two seconds with the rope. Repeat 8x on each leg.

Incase that was confusing, if you're stretching your right leg, do part two and then immediately go into part three before starting on the left leg.

Part four A: This might look a little confusing, but it's not. For the first part, you want to wrap the rope around your ankle like you see in the first picture. If you get confused, the long end of the rope should be sticking out in the direction you are moving your leg. Bring your leg out to the side like in the second picture, as far as you can without using the rope. When you can't pull any further, tug lightly with the rope and pull a little bit more, hold for a short two second count. Repeat 8x.

Part Four B: Before switching to the next leg, after you've completed the first part of four, you need to stretch the IT band. This is INCREDIBLY important for runners. I know someone who has been out on injury on several occasions because of an injured IT band, better known as "runner's knee".

Wrap the rope around your ankle like the first picture. If you're using your right leg, the long part of the rope will be sticking out towards the left. I am stretching my left leg in the picture, so the rope would be going in the opposite direction, sorry, kind of confusing. Cross the leg you're stretching across your body, like in the second picture. You want to pull your leg out as far as it can go, without raising your hip (I'm kind of doing it) or lifting the leg up high. When you can't pull the leg out any further, assist with the rope, pull back and hold for about two seconds. Repeat 8x.

After you finish part four A and B you can switch legs.

Part Five: This stretches the quads. Pull the rope on the leg you are not stretching. Reach back and grab the ankle or foot and pull back, like in the picture. Release after a two second hold, straighten the leg out completely and pull back again. Repeat 8x on both legs.

Part six: After finishing the quad stretch I move to the calves. You can use the rope. I didn't actually take a picture of the rope stretch for the calves but you would sit with your legs out straight, wrap the rope around your foot and just pull up and back a little bit, hold for a two second count I do this but also grab my toes and pull back. When I'm not using the rope I hold for a longer count, probably about 10 second intervals. This is easier if you do it on the floor. I'm kind of sinking into the bed in this picture.

After my run, I usually come in, slam a glass of milk to get rid of some of the lactic acid build up and then do the stretching routine all over from part one to part six. Then, depending on how my knees feel, I ice them for 20 minutes in front of the tube. I love long run Sundays because the football game is generally just starting when I'm sitting down to stretch and ice. J-E-T-S! My left knee has been giving me more of a problem, so I save the ghetto bag for the right knee and wrap the left. I will probably go out and get another fancy ice pack this weekend, now that I have time.

Please shoot me an email if you have any questions!

Happy Running!

An Update: Healthy BBQ and Running Stats for the Week

Hello...for those of you that don't already know this week was incredibly hectic. Actually, hectic is more like an understatement. I deserve a statue in honor of myself, right in the center of Garden City for surviving this week. Maybe someone can name the creepy Andy Warhol tribute on the

Levermore lawn after me? No? Bad joke? I'm the queen of them. :)

Among assignments, work, observations (what a nightmare) and a million other things that went on this past week, I somehow managed to set the kitchen on fire. Most people that know me are probably not surprised. Not only do I often make bad jokes, but I am an extreme klutz. Look it up in the dictionary...it will say "BethAnn Caputo" next to the definition. We have a terrible ant problem and cannot keep our food in the cabinets. There was a bag of cereal near the back burner on the stove, which I accidentally turned on because I wasn't paying attention while cooking. Needless to say the bag caught on fire and we both had no idea what to do. I started screaming "BAKING SODA, BAKING SODA" to my roomie, who had no idea where it was. We contemplated running next door because the man that lives there works for the fire department. After staring at the flames for probably a minute, I took a towel that was on the counter and beat the (insert derogatory term here) out of the fire which eventually went out. Yeah, I put out fires. I'm kind of a big deal. As a result, this has pushed us to call the board of health on our land lady, who refuses to get an exterminator. This is war.

Anyway, back to the point of this entry. I don't have pictures of breakfast or lunch for the past couple of days. It's been very boring: I'm trying to save money and have been eating the same types of meals. I always try to jazz up dinner a bit, so here is a sample of my excellent (lame) photography skills...

Healthy BBQ food...

You're not really supposed to eat too much red meat. If you want to stay lean, it's probably best to avoid meat like steak, pork etc. Considering that a diet consisting only of chicken, turkey and fish can be a bit lame for the taste buds of those of you who love meat, portion control is essential. As you can see, the pork chop was small. Also, rather than breading it, frying it or dousing it in oil and baking it, I put a little bit of Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce on it and then grilled it on the Foreman which took about 3 minutes tops. I also trimmed the fat (ew) off the sides before and made sure to buy a LEAN pork chop.

I am about to make a serious confession...

I hate vegetables.

I've come clean, but really, I hate them a lot. I would rather eat hay, fat laden ice cream, Crisco straight up and a lot of other really terribly disgusting things over a plate of most vegetables. So sometimes, I really have to trick myself. The fries in the picture are actually butternut squash fries. These are really pretty tasty. I bought a precut butternut squash so I wouldn't wind up wasting left overs and it would also be easier to cut. I just cut the squash into fry shapes, sprayed a cookie sheet with some olive oil, sprinkled a little salt and pepper over the veggies and then put them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Yum. I also forced down some steamed broccoli...not so yum. Gotta do whatcha' gotta do.

My running/exercise stats for this week are as follows:

Monday: off/volleyball game and weight lifting (Team Awesome is actually awesome)

Tuesday: 5k/volleyball game

Wednesday: 4 miles

Thursday: off

Friday: 5 miles

Saturday: 5k/weight lifting

Sunday: 8 miles (hopefully)

My legs have felt just okay this week. Not amazing, not terrible. Eventually I will post my entire training schedule as well as my stretching routine and a little entry about how to use a foam roller (it's magical).

Hope your Friday evening plans are more exciting than mine! I will be stretching, icing and sitting in front of the couch. Perhaps some Wii? Then dreaming of this and this and this.

Goodnight!

Soaking Up Sodium

Sodium is not necessarily a bad thing. Your body needs a small amount of sodium to function properly. According to Mayo Clinic, sodium helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body, transmits nerve impulses and influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles.

Too much of anything good is bad. Not only does sodium make you feel bloated but when the levels are too high in your body, the kidneys excrete excess amounts of it in urine. If your kidney's can't eliminate the sodium, it begins to accumulate in your blood. Since sodium holds water, your blood volume increases. Increased blood volume makes your heart work harder to move more blood through your blood vessels which increases pressure in your arteries. (Mayo Clinic)

The recommended daily allowance of sodium is between 1500-2400mg. Okay...so what does this mean?

*In a 1/2 cup serving of Campbell's chicken noodle soup there is 890mg of sodium.
*In one Amy's organic black bean burrito there is 580mg of sodium.
A hotdog seems like an easy meal...right?
*One Nathans hot dog=684mg of sodium
*One Wonder Bread hot dog bun=220mg of sodium
*2 T of Heinz ketchup=380mg of sodium
*2 T of Heinz saurkraut= 234mg of sodium

Total sodium content in one hotdog meal=1518mg...which almost succeeds the daily allowance.

In order to cut back on sodium be careful of how much you add while cooking. Avoid packaged products, frozen meals and try to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Fresh fruits, veggies, lean meats, unsalted nuts and low sodium food is best.

First Food Post in Forever!

Hello!! I didn't take a lot of pictures today...the picture I do have is totally boring but I will post it anyway because I promised I would get back on the band wagon!!

I woke up feeling like a train wreck this morning. My body is exhausted from my schedule. I wish I could go back to the summer where I was doing whatever I wanted. Ahh..the life.

Breakfast was:

Coffee with pumpkin spice creamer (sue me)
2 slices of whole wheat bread (Nature's Path is the brand...70 calories per slice)
-with 1 tbs of peanut butter on each slice...about 2ish tbs of strawberry jam courtesy of my roommate who bought me some homemade from Cape Cod.
-1 banana

Lunch was:

Salad
-Some broccoli
-Probably one cup of lettuce
-Some grilled chicken
-Some tomato
-Some red pepper
-Caesar dressing

Snacks: Picture!!

I haven't been food shopping in over a week and I basically have eggs and bread in the fridge so for dinner I microwaved (yuck..microwave cooking is SO bad for you..radiation!) a frozen organic burrito from Costco which was 260 calories and 1ish grams of fat?

Yesterday I ran seven miles for my training schedule so today was an "active" day off. We had our first volleyball game. Team Awesome won both games...I am a happy captain. :) My legs have been feeling amazing and the training is going swell! Tomorrow I have a 3.0 mile run planned, so we shall see how that goes. I will eventually post my training schedule as well as my nightly routine (stretching, icing etc.) which has really helped keep my legs feeling great.

Stay tuned!