A Run To Remember

So, I arrived in Oklahoma City with Jeff, Caleb and Nicole on Saturday to visit the Expo and pick up our packets for our Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon on Sunday morning.

We picked up our packets and made a couple purchases at the Expo and then went to thoroughly enjoy our pre-race dinner. Let's just say we were definitely carb-loaded going into Sunday's race!

We were all really excited and had our own goals in mind for the race. I didn't really have a "time" in mind as a goal, but I wanted to stay under 10min/mile pace as long as I could, hoping to at least get half way before my pace started to gradually fall as I expected it would.

I was trying not to be too worried about the new knee pain that I began experiencing during my final 10 mile run and then again on Friday with a 5 mile run. I was sure that at one point it was going to start hurting, but was fully intending to mentally "run around" the pain, which I have been successful at doing in the past.

After a few anxious moments waiting for the hotel shuttle, we made it to the race with about 40 minutes to spare...all I can say is ~WOW~ what an atmosphere! 22,000 participants sounds like a lot of people, but let me tell you....it looked like there could have been a million people there! It was amazing how windy and chilly it was until we all crammed into the starting chute and them magically it was warmer...ah, the power of the body heat of 22k people!

So, there we are and "bang" the starting gun goes off....wait...we're not moving yet?!?! 9 minutes later the we start moving....we were probably about in the middle of the pack...it was nuts!

So, the jingle of the chip on my shoe as I crossed the Start line meant "It's time to run!". Caleb was already long gone and I lost Nicole as I was trying to catch up to Jeff to tell him good luck!

And off I went....had the tunes blasting and was passing people left and right. Quick checks of my watch were telling me I was right on track with my pace, totally comfortable at about 9:45 min/mile pace...occasionally I would have to slow down when I got stuck behind a group and then zoom by to get around them. The first big hill came and went, and I was still feeling great.

Around mile 4 the knee started whispering to me...just a little pain, nothing that a good song couldn't drown out. Not sure exactly when it happened, I remember passing a house with what I assumed was 168 red white and blue pinwheels (one for each victim of the 1995 bombing), and then the next thing I know that whining right knee starting giving out...I couldn't even put my weight on it when I was running. I stopped...stretched out a bit, grabbed a drink of PowerAid and started running again....5 steps later the knee was giving out again.

Trying not to panic I started walking again, I was going to give myself one minute of walking and try again....I don't remember the exact time, but I remember the seconds were at :20 when I started keeping track....loop around to :20 again and I started running...pain..."maybe it will hurt less if I run faster"....pain..."5 more seconds, maybe it will go away"...pain....the more I ran the more that darn knee failed....

Finally I conceded....fortunately the pain was mostly gone as long as I was walking and not bending it too much. Unfortunately I still had 8 long miles to feel sorry for myself before I was done. Nicole caught up and passed me at about mile 7, she was doing great, at least I could be happy for her. Jeff caught up at about mile 8 or so...and I started crying as I told him I couldn't run. He slowed down to walk with me, but I told him to go...I didn't want to hold him back...he jogged off, disappearing into the crowd within minutes.

Wow, it was an emotional experience. To say I was disappointing would be an understatement. I was devastated. But it seemed like every time I wanted to start feeling sorry for myself I would look up to find one of the 167 Memorial banners that listed the name of one of the victims of the bombing. How can I feel sorry for myself knowing that each name represented a stolen life. So I sucked it up, found a new song and kept going.

As the miles racked up I watched my average pace on my watch slowly fall....from 9:45 to 10...to 11...to 12...you get the picture...it was not pretty. I watched as people continued to pass me, some barely breathing, some limping, some going strong with their heads held high. I was passed by 2 kids, not more than 12 years old and was encouraged by all the people encouraging them. I was able to sincerely thank each of the volunteers that helped to make the race a success and tried to smile as people stood by the road holding signs of encouragement and clapping for people they've never met.

I finished the last mile with New Kids On The Block, smiling as I was (now) limping along to "Hangin' Tough" and "Please Don't Go Girl" As I finally entered the finish chute I forced myself to run the last couple yards across the finish line. I was astonished to see that, in spite of having to walk over half of the course, I was still able to beat last year's Dam to Dam time by 5 minutes, and this was .7 miles longer!

Follow my journey thru my Garmin here: Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon by nkessink at Garmin Connect - Details">

I am still dealing with bitterness about not being able to see what I was fully capable of, but at least I can celebrate in the success of my friends and I know that I gave 100% of what I had on that particular day and in the end, isn't that the point?

And...Jeff, Caleb and Nicole even "let" me be in the group picture, even though I was a still a little whiny when the picture was being taken!

It started 2 weeks ago....

Had my first follow up visit to Max Muscle today. I've been following their nutrition plan for the past 2 weeks and was anxious to see if I was on track regarding my weight and body fat % goals.

Here is a recap of my initial visit/goals:

4/7/2010:
Weight: 155 lbs
Body Fat %: 24.9%

Goal Weight: 150 lbs
Goal Body Fat %: 19%


If you missed my previous post, check out It Starts Today

So...how did I do? I am happy to say that my discipline paid off well! In two weeks I lost 5.9 lbs and had a 3.69% decrease in body fat....

And it gets better! I actually lost 6.98 lbs of body fat and gained 1.08 lb of muscle!

Seriously? Yes...Seriously. I am nervous and excited to see what the next 2 weeks holds...


4/23/10 Follow up:

Weight: 149.4
Body Fat%: 21.21%

Gotta keep this train a-rollin!

The End Of The Beginning....

I completed my final long run in preparation for the Oklahoma City Memorial (half) Marathon. Yesterday morning I started out at the Altoona Campus and with the company of a fellow training buddy Nicole. By the 5 mile mark we found ourselves in Pleasant Hill at the Copper Creek lake and on our way back to the start.

I have ran/biked that trail before and I swear those hills weren't there before! We chatted thru the first half and then found ourselves getting quieter and quieter....until we needed each others support to push thru the pain! There is something to be said to have someone next to you that you can complain to when the going gets tough!

I experienced knee pain for the first time in my running career and I gotta say, I'm not really a fan!

While the pain was pretty brutal at the time, it was nothing compared to how great we both felt when the Garmin jingled for the last time, marking the 10 mile point! We pushed ourselves another .04 and collapsed in the grass to stretch and bask in the glow of our greatness (and pain, but honestly, that part is already been forgotten!)

Today I feel great! I am a little slow going up the stairs from that knee, but other than that I am amazed that I ran 10 miles yesterday and can feel so perfectly fine today.

I am now officially ready for 13.1 emotionally charged miles next Sunday as we run to remember all the lives lost and forever changed in the Oklahoma City bombing 15 years ago.

6:30 am will be the beginning of the run I have been training for for the past 12 weeks...let do this!

Nikki Takes A Tumble

That's right...it happened. I fell off my bike yesterday! Decided to ride the bike (with Ben behind me in the trailer) to my 9:30 FXB class yesterday.

I clipped in for the ride, because I still haven't switched my pedals and I have Ben hitched to my mountain bike (which has the clip pedals), I figured clipping in would make the pulling a little easier.

On the way there I successfully un-clipped numerous times to cross the street and was pretty comfortable with the whole process. I rolled thru the Farrell's parking lot and into the little "breezeway" near the entrance to FXB. I had un-clipped my left foot, but was still sitting on my seat...a slight lean to the right and the next thing I knew I was on the ground with the bike on top of me. A random person walking by ran over to help me up (ugh!). And of course it was right in front of the door/windows @ FXB, so the fall was witnessed by many!

Good news is that Ben's trailer didn't tip over...I don't know what he was doing when this all happened, because he didn't see it, even though he had a front row seat!

I am actually a bit relieve to get the first fall under my belt...it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...I have a couple of scrapes, bruises on both of my palms and a wicked bruise on my right leg and a little tenderness on my left side, I think the handlebars hit me.

An hour later, after a 45 minute bands class and 15+ minutes of stalling, I got right back on that bike! I was tempted to ride home un-clipped, but I resisted! I clipped in and rode home without incident!

I am still concerned about the whole falling-while-in-motion thing...I have a feeling that "first fall" might hurt a bit more!

It starts today!

Okay, so I started a new nutrition program today. I was struggling finding a balance in my nutrition because of all the extra exercise I've been doing. I want to fuel my muscles so I can train hard, but I also would like to lose a little weight at the same time. It was a little overwhelming.

Some of my fellow FXB'ers have been buzzing about the Max Muscle 10 week Nutrition Plan and from what I heard were getting great results. So, I decided to give it a try.

On Wednesday I went in to MM to get weight and my body fat% measured and also set up my customized plan. Now, let me just say that I've been pondering this blog post since Wednesday...should I share the "numbers" or not? Well, I decided there was no better way to hold myself accountable than to put myself out there (how many people really read this anyway). So here goes:

Wait...wait...wait...before I share the numbers let me explain the program. It is a 10 week nutrition program that is based off the physical activity of the individual. I go in every 2 weeks to be re-weighed and have body fat % measured. At the beginning of a program and weight loss goal as well as goals for fat loss/muscle gain. Seems very individualized, which is exactly what I was looking for.

Because of my training schedule and my high lean body mass (that means I have a lot of muscle...I knew it wasn't all fat!) My 10 week weight loss goal was set conservatively at 5 lbs. I was told that if I tried to lose more than that I would probably end up losing muscle too, which is not what I want. More importantly than the weight loss, my fat loss goal is 10 lbs, my total weight loss is offset by my muscle gain goal of 5 lbs. So, the plan is to lose 5 total pounds, lose 10 lbs of fat and gain 5 lbs of muscle.

Still with me? Okay, so I will plan on updating every 2 weeks with my new numbers. Here are my numbers from Wednesday:

4/7/2010:
Weight: 155 lbs
Body Fat %: 24.9%

Goal Weight: 150 lbs
Goal Body Fat %: 19%

Nutrition program officially started today...wish me luck and keep me accountable!!

Six pack abs...here I come!

Okay, so apparently I am a slow learner. This morning during my swim workout, I was about 40 yards into a 500 yard pull and I suddenly made the "core" connection.

Since day one of swim practice one of my biggest obstacles in swimming is turning my hips. It turns out that if you use your abs...like really use your abs, it makes turning those hips over way easier. What a concept! How this never truly got thru until today, is a mystery.

And guess what....if you turn your hips over when swimming, it makes it easier to go FASTER...WHAT?!?! Wow!

It was a fun and funny workout for me this morning. But also a very important day for me as a swimmer.

I would like to note that this late realization is not a reflection of the awesome training I've received to day! It is a testament to the stubbornness (I think that is a word, blogger didn't spell check it)of my brain!

Actually, I think it is because swimming is becoming easier, I am starting to master some parts and like most things in life; that reveals new things to learn!

Here's to learning (and six pack abs)!

Maiden Voyage

Rode my new bike for the first time today! It was also my first official outside ride of the year. The ride was great, I just upgraded from a mountain bike to a road bike and was curious to see how different it would feel. The ride didn't really "feel" different, but I rode 5+ miles/hour faster on average than I ever had on the mountain bike, so that must count for something!

Here is my route info, per my garmin:

First Bike Ride

I do have to admit that I didn't switch the pedals, so I didn't "clip" into the pedals today, I am still a little nervous about that. Another goal for another day!

Also, I have another thing to add to my Favorite Things list:

Looking down while riding the bike and seeing the road/trail rushing by in a blur!

I wonder what I will find to add to the list next!