1/2 Marathon

Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Half Marathon 2019

May 17, 2019 by Rachel 6 Comments

Don’t let the fear of not being “good enough” hold you back from achieving your goals!

Nearly two weeks ago I finished my first postpartum race after having Mila and my second half marathon ever, at the Pittsburgh Marathon. I was underprepared.

Like, crazy, crazy underprepared. The days and hours where I should have been running were spent tending to sick children.

But I still got out there. I still showed up. I realized in the wee hours of that morning that I CAN DO VERY HARD THINGS. HECK, I birthed three babies on very little sleep (and one without an epidural). So I knew my body was (and is) capable of more than I think.

So if you think “I could never do ___,” take a step back and give yourself some darn credit! YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS!

Right now my body is still in recovery mode. The mud, sweat, and tears were totally worth that finishers medal (and the finishers beer!). YES, I’m proud of myself for physically finishing 13.1 miles. But mostly I’m proud of the fact that I mentally and psychologically could handle it. Postpartum baby number one and two, I could never have convinced myself to start, let alone finish. But this time my anxiety stayed far from that start and finish line.

That alone was worth the medal. So I’m going to consider this my freaking postpartum medal. And I goddamn earned it!

weekend wrap up //

May 6, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

After last weeks drama that nearly put Moosh into the hospital for an overnight stay, we welcomed the weekend with open arms — and hesitation. Cause who knew WHEN this kid would have another episode, right?

Well he definitely wasn’t feeling himself Friday. In fact, after a quick trip to Café O’Play where we pretty much just stood in the dance room, we picked up a pizza and headed home. It was definitely needed after our week. Chad went to an NFL Draft party with some of the dudes in my family and I stayed at home with my snuggle bug watching movies.

Scratch that: we watched movies together for a while; then this mama scrubbed the house from top to bottom before Mimi showed up for a weekend visit!

But let’s talk about how seriously not himself this kid looks. It definitely was NOT cold; but Moosh kept saying “Mommy, I cold! Blankie Tom, peas!” And then he wanted my Lululemon Vinyasa scarf to wrap around his head (he’s been a bit attached to it since I wrapped him in it in the hospital last week).

We ate “peetzy” and salad and watched Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo on repeat until Mimi arrived.

And then? Mass chaos! Ha!

Yep. That’s my kid running around in his underwear. Moosh finally fell asleep way way later than he should have. With promises of lots of fun on Saturday and goodnight kisses from Mimi, that seemed to do the trick.

My mom and I had planned to wake up early to get a long run in Saturday morning. But we stayed up WAY too late. And then Moosh woke up earlier than anticipated. So we improvised. We brought him with us. I despise running with the jogging stroller, but Mimi decided that we could switch off pushing him, so I agreed. Hesitantly. Ha! We got a couple miles in before having to head home. But every step counts, right?!

Mimi agreed to babysit Moosh while Chad and I went on a day-date to see the Avengers: Age of Ultron. The movie was amazing! Yes, yes… I’m a total dude-movie nerd. I love all of those nerdy comic book movies. But it really was good. And funny. Also? Robert Downey Jr?? LOVE that guy.

While we were at the movies, Mimi took Moosh (or is it the other way around — Moosh took Mimi?) to Café O’Play in an attempt to wear him out and get him to nap. Well, he was worn out. But he refused to nap. Which was extremely inconvenient because we had suite tickets for the Indians versus the Blue Jays that afternoon. So a nap of some sort was nearly required to prevent crazy-baby meltdown. But the little dude did extremely well. We even got to meet the hot dogs! Moosh loved Mustard, could care less about Ketchup (weird considering he eats ketchup as a main course these days), and was downright terrified of Onion! Ha!

Mimi and Chad had fun watching the game. Moosh and I mostly just played. Cause for me, a ballgame is more about the experience of the ballpark than paying attention to the game. SPORTS! Ha!

I’m super bummed that I didn’t get any photos of our food. We visited the new Right Field District and I was in awe of the food and drink selections! My mom ordered a sandwich from Melt, Ari got ice cream from Sweet Moses, and Chad and I split nachos and a taco from Barrio. And GLBC on tap for the win!

On the way home we indulged a little more with some Rita’s Ice. Moosh wanted “Boo ice!” which means blue ice, if you haven’t figured that out. 🙂

Moosh obviously didn’t fall asleep on the way home. And he went to bed really late. Like 10:30.

And Sunday morning he was up at an ungodly hour. 6:00 am. This kid sleeps til 9:30 on the reg, and decides after a day of no napping and staying up late to wake up at 6am!? Sigh, kid, sigh.

Mimi and I took him to Café O’Play for an hour or so before calling it quits! Kids had fun but was nutso! So we grabbed lunch from Planet Sub and headed home.

PS. I’m not certain how I feel about Ari’s most-recent obsession with Monsters Inc. and Monsters University. So he just does this “Roar!” face all of the time. Sigh. It’s cute; but not when he’s meeting new people. KID you do NOT greet people with a roar! Ugh!

We totally bailed on a family party (sorry fam!) so that our teeny family could rest. We were all exhausted and Mimi wanted to get home to Poppy before it was too late. Honestly, we needed it. We slept and slept and slept! It was perfection. The night ended with a clean house and happy hearts.

The perfect ending to a perfect weekend. 🙂

running // the cheap sport.

April 8, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

I used to think that running was the sport that required little monetary investment. All you need is a pair of shoes and an open road. Right?

Wrong. Oh so wrong.

Sure, you need shoes. But the more you run, the more often you need to replace your shoes. And only the right shoes will prevent injury. And shoes range in price from $50 – $250. On average, let’s say a good pair of running shoes costs $110 and need replaced anywhere from 3-6 months. Yes, you CAN run with cheap shoes; but I don’t recommend it. Cheap shoes are cheap for a reason.

If you want to run outside — which is the most fun, am I right?? — you’ll likely want to carry your phone with you for music. So you invest in an armband, such as the NeoSleeve for the iPhone, for your smartphone. This particular sleeve, which is my personal favorite (and costs less than $15 on Amazon) because it’s fairly inexpensive, water resistant, and has a space for your car key. Others can cost upwards of $20.

And then you begin to run longer distances. Long distances require keeping yourself hydrated and also energy gels for fuel. So you decide to get a hydration belt. Which costs anywhere from $10 to $30. I paid approximately $24 for mine. And energy gels are an ongoing expense. You have to figure out which of the gels are best on your personal digestive system, but they range in price from $.85 to $2.00 each (this is the price if you purchase in bulk on Amazon; but if you purchase them individually, they are much more expensive).

Now that you’re running longer distances, you start to get aches and pains that come with the kind of wear and tear running puts on your body. Enter compression sleeves, KT Tape, and foam rollers.

Compression socks run about $30 – $50; KT Tape is about $15 per pack; and foam rollers run anywhere from $10 to $70.

And then you sign up for a race. Let’s say a 5k or a half marathon. A 5k will probably run you between $25 – $35. A half marathon is anywhere from $50 to $150. That’s JUST your race entry (which may come with some ‘swag’ such as a t-shirt and post-race food).

If you are running in a cold climate, a gym membership or a treadmill may be necessary for your training. A cheap gym membership would run someone about $20 (hey, Planet Fitness!) a month. So about $240 per year. And a treadmill is a one-time investment of anywhere from like $800 – $1700. It’s insane how much a treadmill or a gym membership can cost. This past winter was cold — like -20 degrees cold. But we cancelled our gym membership and I started running on a treadmill, which is saving us monthly.

Some runners (OK — MOST runners) choose to run with a GPS watch, whether it be a Garmin or Nike watch. I had a basic Garmin and I hated it; but now I have a much more user-friendly Garmin that I LOVE to use! The battery lasts for my long runs and it controls my pace better than any iPhone running app could possibly do. These run $100 to $500. Mine is middle-of-the-road and runs about $170; but I have to admit I wish it had Bluetooth so it would update to the internet/my iPhone app automatically. (I know — first world problems, right??)

Last but not least you’ll need running clothes. I used to be a Target running gear connoisseur; but that changed when I realized I was getting what I paid for — the clothes I was running in were not withstanding the wear and tear of my running regimen. I don’t feel like I was putting any extraordinary wear on my clothes, but somehow they were pulling and riding and wearing out in a major way. Also? Target charges like thirty-five bucks for running pants! Do you know you could spend just about $50 on a good pair that actually lasts?? I’m not saying that you need to shop at Lululemon; but go to a running store, but go to a running store and try on some gear made my athletic designers. Believe it or not, this makes a difference. I personally stalk down good deals with local running stores to find discounts on “expensive” running clothes.

I wanted to add up all of these costs, but my wallet told me that it would just depress me; so YOU do the math. It’s EXPEN$IVE to run — am I right!?

Basically, running is NOT cheap. In theory it should be just a “lace up and get out there!” kind of thing; but it isn’t. Not if you’re serious about it and doing it right. You don’t have to be a marathoner or even a half-marathoner to take running seriously; but I can tell you that once you put your mind to it and start running seriously, you’ll find a way to make these things a priority. And it’s totally worth it. <3

why I’m no longer running a spring marathon //

March 3, 2015 by Rachel 2 Comments

I must admit — I bit off more than I can chew.

There are several reasons I’ve decided not to run the Pittsburgh Marathon. But the main reason is that it is taking away from time with my husband and son.

Don’t get things twisted — Chad is incredibly supportive of my aspirations to run a full marathon. But I just can’t justify the time it’s taking away from my family for training. It’s becoming more and more stressful on me than it should be. And less and less fun.

Working all day, coming home and “working” at home, followed by making sure I fit in my training runs is becoming more than a chore. It’s making me dread working out. And I’m spending much more time “watching” Chad + Ari play than I am actually playing with them. Literally. I watch them play next to the treadmill while I run.

And I hate it. By the time I’m finished with my runs, it’s time to shower, eat, and head to bed. There is little to no time available to spend with Chad, because all of this running is forcing me to need even more rest.

So I’m choosing my marriage and my family over this marathon. I’m choosing snuggles and stories and bedtime rituals; I’m choosing running for fun instead of running for miles; I’m choosing TV on the couch with my husband; and I’m choosing to run the half marathon on May 2nd instead of the full marathon.

I’ve been tossing the idea around in my head for the last week, but I finally verbalized things the other day to Chad. I told him my fears of the word “quit.” But in all truth, I’d rather be a quitter at marathon training than a quitter at my family and my marriage.

Thank you to my family + friends for already being incredibly supportive of this “adjustment” to my plans! 🙂

Ready To Run //

September 26, 2014 by Rachel 1 Comment

After months of pretending that this day would never come — it’s here. It’s real.

Tonight I will not sleep.

I will toss.

I will turn.

I will spend the entire night in anticipation of tomorrow.

Of starting in a corral for the first time ever.

Of running my first real-deal race.

13.1 miles.

See you tomorrow, Blue Line.

And see you tomorrow, Canal Park Finish Line.

Wish me luck, friends!

half marathon training update //

September 18, 2014 by Rachel 1 Comment

Yesterday marked the 10-day countdown until the Akron Marathon — my first ever half marathon race! I’m officially a nervous wreck! Especially after last week — I pulled a muscle in a serious way. Like, it’s preventing me from walking normal. So I haven’t fit a run in (short or long) in a WEEK. I will likely not get a run in before the big race.

Looking for advice from runners on two things:

1. How do I calm my pre-race day nerves?

2. How do I recover from an injury in time for the race?