My First Tattoo

I've always thought about getting a tattoo, but was never very serious about it until a few years ago. I decided it was something I wanted to do, kind of a "bucket list" item for me, I guess. But I had two problems: 

1. I didn't know where I wanted it (on my body).

2. I had no idea what I wanted it to be.

Kind of big things to figure out, right? So I just kept it in the back of my mind. About a year ago, I decided that I loved little wrist tattoos, so that's where I wanted to get mine. I liked that it was something I could see, but could also easily cover up if I needed to. 

Now to the other problem; what to get. I wanted it be something with meaning, not something that I just thought was cool. I'm really in to arrows, I think they are super cute, especially a little wrist arrow tattoo. But I worried that in 5 or 10 years, I might not think it's cute anymore. I wanted something that would always have meaning. When Kevin and I decided to run a marathon last year, we both decided we wanted to get a tattoo of our accomplishment after the race.

I browsed Pinterest and decided I wanted a roman numeral of 26.2 (total miles of a marathon) on my wrist. So last October, a few days after we completed the Grand Rapids Marathon, we both went and got tattoos!

Right after getting it done.

Kevin's tattoo

It's been over six month and I still love my tattoo. Small and simple, but has a huge meaning. I have no plans of getting another one any time soon, but I'm not opposed to it either. 

The Time I Ran a Marathon

Today marks five weeks since Kevin and I ran our first marathon, and I'm just now writing about it. It still doesn't seem real. I can't believe we actually did it. 

We had been watching the weather all week, leading up to the race. We were hoping it would change, but it didn't. Rain. And wind. And cold. We were going to get all of it. We didn't actually have any "waterproof" running gear. We had trained all summer and not once did we encounter any rain. Lots of hot, humid days, but no rain. Sure, we've run in the rain before, but not for 26.2 miles. The day before the race, we decided we should see if we could find something that might help us stay dry.

Saturday, October 14, we headed to the packet pick up/expo. We picked up our packets and each bought a Grand Rapids Marathon sweatshirt. We checked out the running gear at the expo and all of the rain gear was super expensive. We didn't want to pay $100+ each, so we decided to check out some other places. 

We ended up stopping at a golf course that was having an end of season sale on all of their gear. We each bought a wind/rain breaker-type shirt and decided that would be good. We spent that rest of the day at home, relaxing. It was hard to sleep that night. I was so nervous, but excited too. 

Sunday, October 15, we got up early, ate some breakfast and got ready. Kevin's mom, brother, and sister-in-law came and picked us up at about 6:45 am. We got downtown, parked, and heading to the start area. At this point, it was still dark, but the temps were in the low 60s. A little windy, but not bad. And no rain! We hung out for a little bit, took some photos, then headed to the start line.

before the race!

(Note: I had never run in a hat, ever, before this race. With the rain and wind that was expected, I was hoping it would keep it out of my eyes. Best decision ever.)

We got to the start line and it was getting real. We were doing this. And so were thousands of other people. Just a few minutes before the race started, it started pouring. We were soaked before we even got started. All we could do was laugh. There was nothing we could do about the weather, so no point in getting mad about it.

All the people waiting at the start.

Selfie in the start line before the rain started.

At 8:00 am, the race started. We were off for the longest run of our lives. I had serious doubts in myself. I thought for sure I would hit a wall, mentally, where I would think I couldn't finish. I had to tell myself to be positive the entire time. I was really careful not to start too fast, because I didn't want to burn out before the finish. We saw both of our families at the start, cheering us on. They were out there in the rain, getting soaked, just to see us start. That definitely gave me some energy and motivation right from the start.

After about mile three or four, I was getting too warm, so I took of my yellow long sleeve and ditched at one of the aid stations. Our feet were soaked already, but we kept going. I counted down every mile. I remember when we hit six miles, and I said "only 20 more to go!" In the back of my mind, I thought there was no way I could run 20 more miles. But we kept going. Only walking at the aid stations while getting a drink and/or fuel (I can't drink and run at the same time...I spill and choke lol). We saw Kevin's family around mile 2 or 3, and they took orders for dry clothes :)

Around mile ten, we were greeted by both of our families. They had towels and dry clothes. My coat was keeping me fairly dry, so I just wiped my face and hands off with the towel. Kevin put on a dry shirt and his wind/rain breaker. We were carrying dry socks in ziplock bags, and around mile 13, we ditched our sopping wet socks for the dry ones. But about a mile later, our feet were soaked again. 

Around mile 16 or 17, Kevin was having some cramping issues in his leg, so he insisted I keep going ahead of him, since I was feeling ok (I mean, every part of my body hurt, but I wasn't cramping). I hated going ahead of him, because we had trained together for four months, and wanted to do the race together too. But he kept insisting, so I ended up going ahead. 

Mile 20 was my fastest mile, by about a minute. I think that was the point where I realized I was actually going to do it. I was actually going to finish. I was going to run a marathon. I settled down, and got back on pace so that I didn't burn out before the last six miles were done. The last three miles were the hardest. I was so tired. Every part of my body hurt. I was wet and cold. But I kept going. And I did it. I crossed that finish line!

And not long after I finished, Kevin crossed the finish line. That's when the tears came. We did it. We both did it. Something that only 0.5% of the US population has done, and we did it. 

It rained, the entire time. For 5+ hours. It was also really windy. And the temps dropped all day. So while it started in the low 60s, it was in the upper 40s/low 50s when we finished. I think there may have been a brief time where it cleared up, but we were on trails in parks, with lots of trees. And since it was so windy, the water was blowing off the trees, so it felt like it was raining anyway. Even with the less than ideal conditions, we did it. I couldn't be more proud of us. The four months of training paid off, and we finished!

The course was great and the race director and volunteers were even better. They were out in that cold, wet weather for us. They handed us drinks and fuel, and cheered us on. I'm so thankful that the Grand Rapids Marathon was our first. Such a great experience! 

After the race, we went home, got out of our cold, wet clothes, took hot showers, and tried to relax. But we were so tired and sore, we couldn't get comfortable. No matter which way we sat or laid, we were uncomfortable. Around 6:00 pm, we decided to lay in bed and watch tv for the rest of the night. We both had to go to work the next morning, and that was rough. But not as rough as Tuesday. That was the worst day for me. I limped when I walked for about 4 or 5 days. Any slight incline or decline was torture. Steps were killer. I've never been so sore in my life. But I guess that's what running 26.2 miles will do :)

My Favorite Apps, Watches, and Training Plans for Running

I wasn't sure what topic I wanted to cover first in these running posts, but I figured training plans were a good place to start. I want to remind you that I am not an expert on running. I'm just sharing what I've learned over the past several years, things that I liked/didn't like, and things that worked/didn't work for me. I was constantly searching Google and Pinterest for all sorts of running information when I first started, so I'm hoping some of this may be helpful to others during their research.

When I decided to sign up for a race, I wanted to find a training plan to get me ready. I downloaded the free C25k app (couch to 5k) and used it to get me started. It worked really well for me because it started out small, which is what I needed. Just a few days a week, and more walking than running to start. When I first started, I could barely run for 30 seconds at a time, but by the end, I ran my first 5k and felt pretty good about it!

Photos from the Fifth Third Riverbank Run. I ran the 25k (15.5) miles, which is my furthest run so far.

While using the C25k app, it told me when to run and when to walk, but I wanted something that would track my distance and pace (C25k may be different now, but at the time, it didn't have those features). I didn't have any type of running watch or step tracker, so I used a free app on my phone called Map My Run. The app uses the GPS on your phone to track your distance, pace, duration, speed, and it creates a map of your route. I used it a lot when I first started running and really liked it. 

At that point I was running pretty often, so I decided I wanted a step counter/tracker. So Kevin and I both got the Fitbit Flex. I know that Fitbit has a ton of other versions available now, but I liked the Flex because it was small and I could still wear it with a watch and bracelets and it didn't stick out (see photo below). You could also easily change out the bands so they matched your outfit if you wanted. I was able to use my Fitbit to not only track my steps through out the day, but also to track my runs (pace, distance, etc.). The app allowed you to compete in different challenges with your friends, which was a great motivator. I used my Fitbit Flex for about two years before it stopped working. I didn't have good luck with their customer service, so I decided to switch to a different product at this point. (However, my sister has had great luck with their customer service and has upgraded to another Fitbit product, so sounds like the customer service isn't all bad.)

wearing my Fitbit Flex (next to my watch) in this pic...not very noticeable

After my Fitbit quit working, I decided to upgrade my step tracker. At this point, I was a little more serious about running, and had started training for my first half marathon. After talking to a few serious runners at work, I decided to switch to a Garmin watch. Specifically the Garmin Forerunner 230. Garmin has a lot of different options, but after some research, I decided this model was the one that would be best for me in terms of features and cost. I've had my watch for almost a year and I love it. It does pretty much everything. Tracks distance, pace, steps, etc. It also syncs to your watch so you can get texts, notifications, answer/decline phone calls, and more (or less if you don't want any of that coming through to your watch). 

The Garmin Connect app records all of your runs and allows you to connect with friends, similar to the way Fitbit does. It also syncs with My Fitness Pal (app that you can use to log what you eat and other workouts), if you use it. A feature of Garmin Connect that I just started using a few months ago is the Training Plan section. You can pick your race distance (5k, half marathon, etc), put in the race date, pick your running level, and it will create a training plan for you. Kevin and I have both been using it for just over two months to train for our marathon. We'll see how the marathon goes, but I know I'm getting faster, because I cut over 1:30 off of my best 5k record while on the plan. I've been pretty happy with it so far, and plan to use it to train for future races too.

I know that was a lot of information, so here's a quick breakdown that's a little easier to follow:

Training Plans

Used in the Past: C25k (Couch to 5k training app)

Currently Using: Garmin Connect (all different distance and levels of training plans)

Apps

Used in the past: Map My Run, Fitbit

Currently Using: Garmin Connect

Step Trackers/Running Watches

Used in the Past: Fitbit Flex

Currently Using: Garmin Forerunner 230

Overall, I've been happy with every training plan, app, and watch I've used, but I'm definitely loving my Garmin the most. The Garmin watches can be quite the investment, especially if you are just starting out, but for someone who is running pretty often, I'd definitely recommend it. 

If you're a runner, leave a comment telling me your favorite training plans, apps, or running watches!

*This post contains affiliate links.

12 in 12

In 2016, I ran 12 races. It wasn't a goal of mine when I started the year, but around August, I realized it was going to happen and I was kind of proud of it. And even though I titled this post "12 in 12" it was actually 12 races in 10 months. 

7: 5ks (3.1 miles)

1: Marathon Relay (5 miles)

2: 10ks (6.2 miles)

1: 10 Miler

1: Half Marathon (13.1 miles)

When I started running about four years ago, I never even dreamt about running a half-marathon. Three miles was more than enough for me. But once I reached my time goal for my 5k (under 30 minutes), I decided to try a 10k. And then I thought it wasn't so bad, so I tried the 10 mile race. And then I figured what the heck, what's three more miles? And I did it. I ran 13.1 miles. Sometimes I still can't believe I was able to do it. I'm definitely not fast, but that isn't my goal. My goal is just to get out there and do it.

source

So what's next? Well, I might be losing my mind, but I am planning to run a marathon in 2017! 26.2 miles. I can't even comprehend that right now. I am signed up for a half-marathon in April, and a 25k (15.5 miles) in May, so I'm preparing for an October marathon. 

But do you know the best part? Kevin (my husband) is going to run it with me! As much as I never thought I'd attempt it, I never x100 thought Kevin would. He never understood why I ran or did races, but now that he's been running, I think he's getting addicted too. And I'm not mad about it.

As of right now, my only goal is to finish. As I train, I hope to come up with a time goal to try and beat. Wish me luck! And if you have any tips for a first-time marathoner, send 'em my way!