Last week I received an email with my ‘official’ race photos from the Asheville Half Marathon at the Biltmore Estate. For once I look mostly human, so I thought I’d share a few. All official photos are from Carolina Snapshot.

Mile 6 at the house:

Before mile 7 going past the gardens:

Here is a picture I took of the gardens during the race:

And here is a picture of what the gardens look like in full bloom. I took this picture when I went to the Biltmore Estate with Barry, his mom, and his sister during May or June when I was in college.

Okay, back to race photos. Finish line:

Not sure where this is, possibly somewhere on the west side of the Estate during the second half:

Finish line:

How do your official race photos typically turn out?
Half of the time I liken mine to my driver’s license photo…. I don’t really look like that, do I?

I intended this week to be a cutback week after all of my racing, but I did not intend to cutback as much as I did.  I ended up taking three rest days this week (although two were unplanned, due to catching a cold), ran three days, and cross trained one. We can call it listening to my body, but I think my mind played a big role this week. It is what it is.

Monday- Rest day following the Asheville Half Marathon.

Tuesday- 3 mile run on the treadmill. I took it nice and easy, since my legs were still a bit sore from Sunday’s race. It did feel good to get moving for awhile. It was below freezing outside and after the cold and rainy weekend, I had no interest in being outside.

Wednesday- Rest day. This was an unplanned rest day after I came down with a cold and had a long day at work. It turns out you’re almost guaranteed to get sick when you spend 6 hours outside in the rain when it is 40 degrees. Especially when you’re soaking wet and freezing for the majority of that time. Go figure.

Thursday- 4 mile run on the treadmill. I don’t know what kind of alternate reality we’re living in where I’d choose the treadmill over a run outside when it’s sunny and 50 degrees, but we’re there. I think part of it was I had spent too much time on the road this week at work, and I just didn’t feel like being around cars or other people. Nevertheless, it was a good run. I ran the last 3 miles under 10 minute pace.

Friday- Rest day. Another unplanned rest day. I intended to do a short run after work, but instead I fell asleep on the couch for about 1.5 hours. I figured it was my body’s way of telling me it still needed a break. Message received.

Saturday- 6 mile run with Kim on the Dora and New River Trails. It felt good to get out there for a run, but I definitely didn’t feel like anything over 6 miles. There was a bit of spring in the air, with temperatures in the mid-40’s. My favorite. The spring weather was short lived, though, as we’re expecting snow tomorrow.

Sunday- Jillian Michaels No More Trouble Zones DVD workout. I felt tired, and at times weak/shaky and lightheaded during this workout, but I managed not to “phone it in” in the words of Jillian. I’m not sure why I felt so tired. I had just given both of the dogs baths right before this workout, but that shouldn’t be enough to wear me out. But then again, this workout is  is probably the toughest workout DVD I have. It’s a tough workout for me on a good day, and even more so on a bad one.

Total miles: 13 miles

Once again I am joining in on the monthly Runners Tell All link-up. This is a monthly link-up for runners that poses a different topic each month. If you missed last month’s ‘my running story’ link-up, click HERE. This month we’re talking about our favorite running gear.

Running is a simple sport. All you really need is a good pair of shoes and a place to run. A watch, some decent apparel, and a hydration mechanism doesn’t help either. With that in mind, here are my favorite pieces of running gear:

1.   My (newly) beloved Hoka One One’s. After reading and hearing a lot about this brand of shoes last year, I took the plunge invested in a pair of Stinsons towards the end of January. The big price tag was a bit scary, but they’re supposed to last twice as long as “regular” running shoes (800 miles).

The fact that they’re purple, which is my favorite color, helped me get over how much they resemble clown shoes. But so far my shins have been very happy, so I don’t care what they look like. I should note that the shoes are merely one tool in my arsenal, though. I am also stretching and icing diligently, in addition to backing off when necessary, to keep my shins healthy.

2.   Garmin Forerunner 405. I seldom head out for a run without strapping on my trusty Garmin. I’m not one to get obsessed over numbers (for the most part), but I really like knowing exactly how far I ran, down. to. the. hundredth. of a mile.

Plus it gives me a chance to strike the famous “runner pose” while waiting for my satellites to load.

Unfortunately, this particular watch has been discontinued. So on the sad, sad day that my Garmin dies, I will have to find a new version to love.

3.   Nathan handheld water bottle. I used to run with a waistpack that had a 20 oz water bottle on the back, but it would never stay in place and drove me nuts. Then I discovered the handheld water bottle. I take water with me on any run over an hour, and any run when it’s hotter than 75 degrees.

Early on in 2013, I also started running any race over a 10K with my water bottle.

Virginia 10 Miler

I found that I like being able to take sips of water whenever I please, instead of relying on the aid stations. During my full marathon, I would take the cap off before I got to an aid station and then someone with a gallon-sized jug of water would refill my bottle for me as needed.

4.   Go Sport ID. When you’re out on the run, there’s always a chance that an accident could happen. I have emergency contact information right on my wrist, on the backside of my Go Sport ID, in case I’m not able to communicate it myself.

I currently have the purple band on, but I have a pack of bands in various colors that I can switch out as desired. The outside of the plate is engraved with one of my favorite motivational quotes from 2 Chronicles “Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

5.   Last one, I promise. Can you tell I had a hard time choosing my favorites? My final favorite piece of running gear is my Oiselle shorts.

They fit me the way I like, and they have three pockets! I also just discovered new colors have been released, so I may have to increase my Oiselle shorts collection.

——————————
This link-up is hosted by Amanda @ The Lady Okie and Beka @ Sunshine to the Square Inch. You can click the icon below to see all of the details about these monthly link-up’s.
 

What are some of your favorite running product? Or if you don’t run, what are some of your favorite workout gear items?

It finally happened. Last Friday afternoon the dogs were out back, Barry was in the living room watching TV, and I was in the bedroom packing for our weekend trip to Asheville. Barry happened to look outside and saw that Hank was actually in the chicken run. Sometimes when you glance outside, and the dogs are walking along the chicken run fence, it looks like they are inside but they’re not. This time, it wasn’t an illusion.

Barry shouted to me that Hank was in the chicken run as he headed out the back door, expecting to find dead chickens. I wasn’t far behind. You won’t believe what we found when we got out there. Six chickens pecking the ground like nothing was wrong, and one bloodhound sniffing the ground with immense interest. I gotta say, Hank really shocked me this time.

Still alive, by some miracle.

The first time we tried to introduce Hank to the chickens was when they were babies living in our garage in their brooder box. The first thing he tried to do was bite the head off of one of them. So from that time on, we have always kept the chickens and dogs separated.

We did our best to dog-proof the chicken coop and run area, in effect protecting the chickens from other types of predators as well. But I figured it was only a matter of time until the one of the dogs found a way in. Hank, especially, is so strong that if he wants to do something it’s inevitable.

Hog wire along the chicken coop, 5 foot chicken run fence, and chicken wire buried below fence to keep dogs from digging under.

Hank gained access to the chicken run area by breaking one of the ties that holds the chain link to the fence post, and squeezing between the two. He has gone under the fence once before, but ended up out in the field instead of in the chicken run. That was the time he got me tied up in a barbed wire fence. But this time he was successful. By some miracle, we still have six chickens.

I would have thought the chickens would have run into their coop to get away from him, but apparently they saw no threat. When we got out there, I opened the gate to the chicken run and Hank came trotting out. He wouldn’t come near Barry or me, because he thought he was in trouble. But the truth is, we didn’t punish him because he didn’t attack the chickens. He certainly did wrong by going under the fence and into the chicken run area, but he seemed to know he had been naughty.

Who me??

So this story has a fairytale ending. We made some adjustments in the fence to deter the dogs (see above picture where five ties now hold the chainlink to the fence post), the chickens are alive and well, and the dogs remain infinitely curious about the coop and run area. For now, we all live happily ever after. Oh and our other dog, Scout? She just watched the whole thing like nothing out of the ordinary was going on.

Tell me about a time when you had something happen that could have been disastrous, but turned out alright.

This past Sunday I ran the inaugural Asheville Half Marathon at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. For those who don’t know, the Biltmore Estate is a large, private estate. The main attraction at the Estate is the Biltmore House, which was built between 1889 and 1895 by George Vanderbilt II, and it is the largest privately owned house in the United States. When I was in college, I took a trip with Barry, his mom, and his sister to tour the house and grounds, and it is unbelievable. The fact that this race takes place entirely on the private estate is what makes it so special.

Now that we’ve got the background out of the way, I can recap the race. WARNING: there is a picture of blood towards the end of this post. If you are squeamish, you have been warned.

Barry and I arrived at the Biltmore Estate (about a 20 minute drive from our campground) around 6:00 AM for the 7:30 AM race start. I was expecting bumper-to-bumper traffic, but surprisingly getting onto the estate (they had to check tickets at three different checkpoints) and getting parked went very smoothly. We hung out for a bit, did some final race preparations, and used the restroom before heading over towards the race start. It was in the low-40’s with a forecast of rain. Just before the start of the race a light rain started to fall on us. As luck would have it, it would continue to rain throughout the entire race and would become increasingly heavier as the day went on.

 

There was a long climb from miles 3-5 as we made our way to the Biltmore House and it was tough going at times. I never gave in to a walk break, though, and just focused on taking the road one curved section at a time. Just before mile 6 we arrived at the gate to the house.

We turned the corner and ran straight towards the Biltmore House, making a horseshoe around the courtyard area. It was really neat to run right by the house during the race and it gave me a little boost! Lots of folks were stopping for photo op’s, but I just snapped a few as I ran by and kept going.

As we left the main house area, we made our way briefly through the gardens and down to the French Broad River. The downhill felt wonderful, and I caught my second wind. We ran over a bridge and past a waterfall as we ticked off mile 7 and made our way towards mile 8.

This is when the race switched from pavement to dirt and gravel roads, which I enjoyed. For the most part, it never got too sloppy even with the rain. Around mile 8 I started to feel a bit of fatigue creeping in, but I just focused on running a steady pace and taking in the beautiful scenery of the Biltmore Estate.

We passed mile 10 and the full marathoners split off to run on the West Side of the Estate. The West Side is the primitive side of the Estate that is not usually open to the general public, so this was a special treat for the full marathoners. Barry told me the dirt roads on that side were a bit sloppier and slicker due to the rain. I kept running along and headed for one final out and back on a gravel road before making my way up to the finish line. Just before I hit the turnaround, a group of folks canoeing cheered us on.

It felt like it took so long to reach the turnaround, but the return trip did not feel as long. From miles 10.5 through the finish I broke the race down by half miles and took a sip of water at the end of each segment. There was one final uphill and then it was on to the finish!

Elevation profile from my Garmin. The uphill from mile 3-5 was no joke!

I crossed the line in 2:16:33, which is a 10:24/mile pace. I am very happy that I ran the entire way, and that I ran such an even race.

The rain was coming down pretty hard at this point

Are you wondering where the blood part comes in? We’re getting there. After I crossed the finish line, a fleece blanket embroidered with the race name was draped around my shoulders (which felt wonderful in the cold rain!) and I was handed my finisher’s medal. I made my way over to the bag check, which was conveniently located next to the food tent. I quickly made a loop through the food tent (basic post-race spread) and then hustled over to a porta potty to change into dry clothes. Mile 20 on the marathon course wasn’t too far from the finish and I wanted to be down there in time to see Barry go by.

I got changed, grabbed all of my stuff, and hurried down to mile 20 with my cowbell in hand. I had a good time cheering on other racers while I waited for Barry. He came by just over 3 hours into the race. He looked strong and said he hadn’t had any issues with cramps! I ran with him briefly and then he headed out for a final 6 mile out and back prior to the finish.

It was around this time that I realized I had cut my finger with my enthusiastic cowbell-ing. Apparently ringing a cowbell is hazardous when your hands are numb and you can’t feel anything. I couldn’t get my knuckle to stop bleeding and the rain was making it run all over my hand, so I reluctantly made my way up to the medical tent at the finish line. My first time ever going to the medic tent! I felt ridiculous walking in there and asking for a bandaid, but they were really nice about it and the lady assured me that that’s what they were there for. They got me cleaned up and even gave me a sparkle bandaid!

Before & After

With that minor crisis averted, I made my way over to hang out with some chickens while I cheered on the full marathoners (there were no more cowbell incidents) and waited for Barry to appear.

I borrowed the chickens’ roof overhang for some shelter from the rain, and they were cool with that.

I continued cheering and cowbell-ing all of the runners. I had a fun time yelling things (Beautiful day for a run! We love running! Well done!! etc.) to get small smiles out of the grimacing marathoners, and honestly really enjoyed myself despite the rain and being freezing. Then I saw Barry! The way the course was set up, I was able to get a picture of him as he came up the last hill and as he went through the finish chute. He crossed the line in 4:06:56, which we think is close to his PR.

We didn’t spend much time in the finish area once Barry was done, because it was cold and raining heavily and we were both soaking wet. Once he collected all of his finish line goodies, we made our way back to the truck (a short walk!) and headed back to the campground. That hot shower never felt so good.

This race concludes my three long distance races in as many weekends. I feel like I’m in a pretty good place as far as my endurance goes. I was a bit worried I would crash and burn on one of these races, especially the last one, but things went well. I’m definitely ready for a cutback week now, though!

What are the worst weather conditions you have run a race in? 

Do you prefer small or large races?
I’m really digging the small races! Yet, I’m planning to run the Marine Corps Marathon this fall.
Have you ever been to the Biltmore Estate?