Every once in awhile, I have nightmares while sleeping. Sometimes I go months without having any, while other times I will have several in the span of a week. You would think my nightmares would center around the thing I’m most scared of, which for me would be losing or having something happen to my loved ones or my dogs. My second worst fear is that our house would burn down. But these are not the things that I dream about. All of my nightmares center around insects, spiders, and most recently snakes.

My most recent nightmare is from last week, and I still remember it clearly. It involves the aforementioned snake. I dreamt there was a black snake spiraling up the post of the lamp on my night stand. I woke up with my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to come out of my chest. I jumped out of bed to see if the snake was on my lamp. I still wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or not. I couldn’t use my cell phone to shine a light on my lamp, because it was right next to the lamp, and I couldn’t turn on the lamp itself because there was possibly a snake on it.

Instead, I opened my night stand drawer and pulled out one of my flashlights (yes, I have several. I’m scared of the dark….). I shined it on the lamp and saw that there wasn’t a snake. For good measure I pulled the covers back on the bed to make sure there wasn’t one at the foot of the bed either. Then I set my flashlight on the night stand, climbed back into bed, and tried to calm down enough to fall back asleep. Barry slept through the entire thing.

The next day we went out to dinner together after work, and I recounted the dream and the events of the night to him. We both had a good laugh, but I assure you it wasn’t funny while it was happening.

As I mentioned, my nightmares usually involve insects or spiders. I’ll dream there are hundreds of cockroaches crawling down the wall towards the bed, or that there’s a spider on my pillow or on my face. These dreams always end in me jumping out of bed with my heart racing and my body shaking. Sometimes I also feel the need to rip my pillow or the blankets off of the bed before I’m fully awake. Those are the times Barry usually gets woken up.

The crazy part is I’m not actually scared of snakes, spiders, or insects. I don’t particularly care for them and usually try to avoid them, but I don’t go running when I encounter one of them. Maybe I have some subconscious fear of them, or maybe my brain just likes to play mean jokes on me while I’m sleeping.

Do you have recurring dreams or nightmares? 
  

This past weekend I ran the Blacksburg Classic 10 Miler. The race was originally supposed to be held on February 15, but it got postponed due to snow. They rescheduled it to March 2, setting up my very first back to back to back for longer distance races.

Last year I had three races on three consecutive weekends, but they were a color run 5K, a 3.2 mile race, and the Blue Ridge Half. That totaled 19.4 miles of racing for the three weekends. This year it’s going to be this past weekend’s 10 mile race, a trail half marathon (my first trail race), and the Asheville Half Marathon at the Biltmore Estate. That’s a total of 36.2 miles.

On Sunday I participated in my third Blacksburg Classic 10 Miler. The race was originally supposed to be held on February 15, but it got postponed due to snow.

I didn’t have the best day, but it wasn’t my worst time either. Although, I should mention that my slowest 10 mile time was at the Virginia 10 Miler and I ran 6 miles prior to that race. But I digress. I finished Sunday’s race in 1:46:40. I would have liked to have run under 1:40, since I have never broken 1:40 in a 10 mile race. I feel like it’s something I’m definitely capable of doing. 

One thing I love about the Blacksburg Classic is that it’s a local race. It’s on the smaller side, the logistics are very simple since we only live about 30 minutes away, and parking is never a problem. Barry and I arrived about 40 minutes before the start of the race.  It was in the mid-50’s and looked like rain.

I bumped into Anita, and later linked up with her and Glenda prior to the race. Last year, I ran most of the Blue Ridge Half Marathon with Glenda and Anita, and we ended up running together at the Classic as well.

From the 2013 Blue Ridge HM

There were a few pre-race announcements, and then shortly after 1PM they sent us on our way. From the start I felt off, but sometimes it takes me a few miles to settle in. So I just stuck with Anita and Glenda and enjoyed catching up with them. The race starts with a loop through a neighborhood, a short stint on the Huckleberry Trail, another smaller neighborhood loop, and then an out and back on the Huckleberry Trail before finishing at the elementary school.

I continued to feel off throughout the whole race. My stomach was bothering me and at times I felt dizzy. I’m not sure what was going on, but the way I felt kept me from taking in any fuel. I sipped on water, but couldn’t stomach anything else. There are no porta potty’s or restrooms along the race course, but had there been I would have paid it a visit.

It rained lightly on and off throughout the race. We also dealt with some pretty strong winds at times. There was one point where the wind blasted straight into our faces, blowing dirt from the gravel road alongside the trail into our eyes, and making us look like we were just running in place. We did have a few spots where that wind was at our backs, though. During the out and back portion on the Huckleberry Trail, I saw Barry heading back.

Barry had a solid day and finished the race in 1:17:24, less than a minute off of his PR. In true Barry fashion, he came back to collect me after finishing his own race. He caught up with me, Anita, and Glenda as we came up one of the last hills in mile 9. I stuck with Anita and Glenda the whole race and they really kept me going.

Me, Glenda, and Anita during mile 9

That last mile felt very long, as it often does. There is one final, gradual incline and then it’s on to the finish. I focused on running steady and picking it up as much as I could to the finish line.

I crossed the finish line in 1:46:40, which is a 10:40/mile pace. Not my best, but I am really happy that I did not take any walk breaks during the race. Just after I crossed the finish line it started to rain steadily, but it only lasted for a brief time. I grabbed some water, and Barry and I headed inside to the school gym for post-race food and to watch the awards ceremony (there is also a 5K associated with the race). They had a large spread including bagels, fruit, homemade baked goods, granola and Chewy bars. I grabbed two orange slices and half a banana.

We hung out for a bit and watched the awards. The New River Valley area is very deep when it comes to the talent of its runners, and it’s amazing to hear the top 3 times in each age group. Especially for a race that has only 230 runners total. 

Overall, I’m glad that I got in a decent amount of time running on rolling hills. With two other races coming up these next two weekends, it may be good that I didn’t feel up to running harder. I’m not sure what caused me to feel so bad. Maybe there was something more going on. I continued to feel bad for the rest of the day and then I was up in the middle of the night on Sunday night with a migraine. Either way, I’ll be back for another Blacksburg Classic next year. Maybe I will crack 1:40 in 2015! 

Have you run the same race multiple times? 

Have you ever run a race that started in the afternoon or evening? 

Monday- 30 Day Shred, level 2 workout. This was day 20 of the 30 day program, and my final day at level 2.

Tuesday- AM: Level 3, 30 Day Shred workout. Day 21.

PM: 5 mile run out to Black Hollow and back with Barry. This is always a challenging route for me to run, because there is a monster hill to run up during the last 1.5 miles. I have only ever defeated this hill once, and the other four times (including this run) I have had to take a walk break.

It was the first time in awhile that Barry and I have run together. It always pushes me to run with him, so it was definitely a more difficult run for me. The weather was also a lot colder than I thought, as there was a snowstorm moving in overnight.

Wednesday- AM: 30 Day Shred level 3 workout, day 22.

PM: 4 mile run on the roads around our house. Nothing especially notable about this run, except I made a conscious effort to keep the pace below 10 minutes/mile and succeeded.  It was also really windy as we were having gusts up to 20 mph.

Thursday- 30 Day Shred level 3 workout, day 23.

Friday- AM: 30 Day Shred level 3, day 24.

PM: 3 mile easy run on the treadmill. I could have run outside, but it was cold and I just felt like staying inside. So I hung out with Sven. This also gave me another chance to test out my newer Hokas- the Kailuas. I have to stick to the treadmill with these in case I decide to return them.

I had to get some taller socks, because the right shoe rubs on the bottom of my ankle bone a little. But the new socks took care of that. The verdict is still out on these shoes, though. I love my Stinsons and the Kailuas feel just as good. I felt like my toes were nearly touching the front of the shoe in the 6.5, so I got a size 7. But running in the size 7 shoes almost feel a bit big, like my feet are sliding around while I run. It’s going to take a few more runs to decide.

Saturday- AM: 30 Day Shred workout. Level 3, day 25.

Sunday- Blacksburg Classic 10 Miler. Not my best race, but not my worst either. I got to run with some friends I hadn’t seen for awhile, which was nice. It was also unseasonably warm for early March. It was in the 50’s, lightly raining at times, and extremely windy at other times. Full race recap coming tomorrow.

After Barry and I got home from the 10 miler, I got my 30 Day Shred workout done. It was another level 3 workout, and day 26. Nearly there!

Total Miles: 22 miles
February Total: 78.3 miles (Still not quite where I’d like my monthly mileage to be. But February is a short month, and I ran 17 more miles than I did in January. So I’m getting there)

Last week, I read about Deb’s Running Story as part of a Runners Tell All link-up. This is a monthly link up for runners, with a different topic each month. This month’s link-up is how and why you started running, in 250 words or less. Here’s my story:

While I was growing up, I always ran. But I never ran to just run. I ran for soccer and for swimming, and in high school I added field hockey to the list. The only time I was on a track was for the dreaded Mile Monday. Running for more than 20 minutes straight seemed preposterous. I knew nothing of road races, and actually thought the only adults who ran were the ones that did it as a profession.

I did not pursue any of my childhood sports in college and found myself with a large void to fill the fall of my freshman year, in 2006. Intramural soccer helped, but I was looking for something more. Then I found out about the local chapter of Team in Training, and ventured out to an interest meeting shortly after I had returned from winter break. I loved the atmosphere, the idea of fundraising for a cause (my grandfather is a Leukemia survivor), and the daunting task of training for a half marathon. I had a great experience with TNT and after completing my first half marathon in April 2007, which was also my first road race, I was hooked.

Since then, I have completed one full marathon, eleven half marathons, a handful of 10 milers, a couple of 10K’s, and countless 5K’s. I fully intend for running to be a lifelong activity for me. Running has taught me so much and I can’t wait to see what adventures lay ahead.  

Ha! Got it done in 249 words.
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This link-up is hosted by  The Lady Okie and Sunshine to the Square Inch. You can click the picture below to see all the details about these monthly link-up’s.

To see a list of others who have joined in on this link up or to join in yourself, through Linky Tools, click HERE .

What got you into running?

Have you ever fund-raised for a charity?