Run for the Hills

The face of a happy marathoner

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:09:00 +0000

My body really really hurt during the marathon. You sure as heck wouldn’t know it from these pictures.
Mile 3:

Mile 10:

Mile 12:

Mile 13:

Mile 14:

Mile 16:

Mile 18:

Mile 25:

Mile 26:Finish:

I’m still reeling from the entire experience. It proved to be so much more than 26 miles. It was a journey of self-discovery, determination, faith, pride, and sharing. Sometimes you talk to someone that has run a marathon and ask them if they will never run another one. “I wanted to do it once,” they say. “It was on my bucket list.” “No thank you- once was enough.”

I wasn’t sure how I would feel after I finished this one – what my answer would be. Now I know. I will run another one. And probably another after that. I will run them until I can’t anymore, until the distance has nothing more to teach me, until I get my race photos back and they don’t show the face of a girl that, despite pain and adversity, is having the freaking time of her life.

Race Recap: St. Jude Memphis Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:26:00 +0000

On Saturday, in spite of taking most of the last month off of running, I became a marathoner. Don’t get me wrong – it didn’t go how I thought. I guess, in some ways, it was even better. This is a novel with very few pictures. I will be surprised if anyone reads this entirely, but this is the story of my first marathon, and dammit, I don’t want to forget it.

{the night before: Heroes Pasty Party}
Because I raised over $750 thanks to all of you, I was invited to attend a pasta party, honoring the top fundraisers. It was there that I met several other Team Jake team members for the first time. Team Jake is a group from Monroe, LA that have gotten together each of the last 9 years to run and support their members, all in honor of Jake Owen Raborn. Jake was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer at the age of 2 and was treated at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. He fought hard until the day he died in October 2006. He was 4 years old – the same age as my Avery is now. I joined Team Jake at the invitation of another member, and was welcomed into the family. I met Jake’s Aunt Mo, his mom Staci and Lori, who organized a lot for the group. At the pasta party, Lori gave me a set of mile dedications. You have no idea how instrumental these became in my journey.

While we ate, we learned that Heroes raised $3.8 million this year (by race morning, it was over $3.9 million). St. Jude families spoke to us and inspired us. I cried in hearing their stories, and was reminded what made me register for this race in the first place. It was perfect.

For the past 19 weeks, I’ve been training hard. My training cycle wasn’t perfect, but I’d gotten in several 10+ mile runs, including 16, 17, 18, and 20 milers. Then, I was sidelined with a hamstring strain that took me out for the entire month of November. When I started running again on Thanksgiving Day, it felt great, but then the pain was back a few days later. My 2 mile run on Thursday before the marathon was not without pain. I wasn’t sure what to do.

{race day}
So I did what any dedicated runner would do. I showed up in Memphis, ready to go for it, but unsure of how my body was going to feel. I had pain in my leg right out of the gate, but my pain was manageable. It wasn’t affecting my gait and I was actually running a comfortable pace, averaging low 10s, but to be honest, once I turned on my Garmin, I didn’t pay attention to it at all.

There were people cheering everywhere, thanking us for running, clapping for us. A little girl about 9 years old stood on the side of Riverside Drive along the Mississippi River, playing her guitar and singing for us. I didn’t wear my headphones the entire race; it would have drowned out the sounds that really mattered. When I reached St. Jude, the crowds and cheering were overwhelming. People stood shoulder to shoulder lining both sides of the roads. Kids undergoing treatment, outside clapping for us with masks covering their perfect little faces. Families holding pictures of their children, thanking us for running in their honor. Lines and lines of people waiting to hi-five us for running for their sister, brother, son, daughter. I could not stop smiling and crying and trying to take it all in.

After exiting St. Jude, I remembered the mile dedications, and took them out of my Hydrapak. A man named Lou ran alongside me and asked me what I had, so I told him. He took “mile 1” and read it aloud. It was a reminder to be thankful for St. Jude, for all the children whose lives have been saved and all the kids whose brave fight lit the way for new medical treatments. We spent the next few miles running up to another person in a Heroes singlet, asking them to read a dedication with us. We were reminded to be thankful for generous and giving people. To take notice of those around us running for their own kids. We were asked to pray for strength for St. Jude’s families, and for clarity to see the big picture instead of asking “why?”

This method of sharing Jake’s story and the mile dedication with other runners kept me moving. My feet started to hurt in a way they haven’t in a long time, and I was sure it was due to the loss of time on my feet in the month before the race. I met Melanie, who was running her 45th marathon in her 43rd state. We shared a mile dedication reminding us to be thankful that we can eat and that the Lord gave us an appetite. It shared that Jake couldn’t eat most of his life; food is often unpalatable for chemo patients and when they do eat, they often throw it up. When I finished reading it, I looked at Melanie, and she had tears streaming down her face. She shared that she struggled for years with an eating disorder, and she knows that mile dedication was meant for her. She told me that there are no accidents. I was getting texts and tweets and Facebook messages from family and friends (many of you!) and it was so wonderful. Thank you.

Once I hit mile 10, I was in quite a bit of pain, but said to myself, “There’s only 16 miles left,” and that started my mental preparation for continuing on the full path. I’m not sure at what point I became the kind of runner that uses “only” and “sixteen” in the same sentence, but that’s who I have become. Running through midtown Memphis was really pretty – by this time I was into mile 11, had shared dedications with 8 people and I knew my family was at Sun Studios at mile 12.5, right before the half/full split. I was so happy to see them!

Dave had taken these pictures while waiting for me.
HALF to the right.

FULL straight ahead.

I told Dave, “I have more than a mile left to give. I don’t want to be done yet.” I was hurting really bad – not so much my hamstring strain, but my feet, my left hip and my right ankle. But done? No, not yet. Not at 13. So straight ahead I went, making plans to meet Dave at 15 so he could take my Hydrapak and give me my water/electrolyte drink. He was so encouraging to me – supporting whatever decision I made.

At mile 14, I came across a runner that was weaving around and in tears. She had no fuel and was crashing visibly. I gave her my second pack of Honey Stinger electrolyte chews, telling her that my husband was up ahead with an electrolyte drink and that I’d be fine. She was able to get them down, and I moved on, feeling like I was supposed to be there for her in that moment. Like Melanie said, there are no accidents! Mile 15 came and went and I never found Dave. He called me and as we sorted out my location, I realized I wasn’t going to see him. No electrolyte drink. Ok. He told me he was going to head north and try to get me somewhere between mile 24-25.

These later miles were challenging for me. Mentally, I was FINE. My hydration and fueling strategy was working perfectly. I gu’d at 5 miles, ate Honey Stinger Chews at 10, gu’d at 15. I had 70 oz. of water in my Hydrapak that I drank from whenever I wanted. I was happy and alert. Physically, I hurt so badly. I couldn’t decide if it hurt more to run or walk, so I did whatever I could to keep moving forward. It’s a good thing running is mostly mental, because if I only had my body to rely on, I would have been screwed.

I ran/walk with no set intervals beginning in mile 15 and by mile 18, I was walking only. There were times when I cried, when I prayed, and twice I thought about quitting, but I don’t think I ever seriously considered it. I was there – I was doing it. I knew the physical pain I was feeling would be a much easier burden than the mental anguish of quitting. I couldn't bear the idea of it. And so I kept moving forward.

I walked with an Angela, a Melissa, an Amanda. I ate a Clif Mojo bar I had packed in my Hydrapak at mile 19, and it was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. Passing one of the fraternity houses on Parkway, a pledge with a beer in one hand and a black right eye yelled to me, “Team Jake?! Team Jake Owen Raborn?!” I told him yes. He got up ran with me, telling me he knows Jake’s family and is from the same town in Louisiana. He shared that seeing me reminded him that he wants to do something for Jake’s foundation. I encouraged him to do a philanthropy project with his fraternity. I hope he does. I think it might have been the beer talking, but he told me that I made his whole day. Then again, there are no accidents.

I stretched at least once every mile, and sometimes had to sit and lie down to get my IT band loosened up. Once I didn't want to get back up, but I did, and that's where I met Shawn - a 28-year-old guy from Mississippi that was also experiencing a lot of pain. I knew him for 45 seconds when we decided to finish together, and that's what we did. Despite our pain, we laughed and smiled and enjoyed those miles. Shawn was another reminder to me that there are no accidents.

The woman I helped during mile 14 caught up to me around that time, and thanked me for “saving her life.” I didn’t bother to tell her that I missed Dave at 15 and never got my electrolyte drink, but it didn’t matter, because I was feeling fine, and she was feeling better, and we were both at mile 22, smiling in the final miles.

Dave was at mile 25, just as he said he would be. I ran up to my family, got a hug from Avery and realized at that point that I was SO CLOSE. Dave told me how proud he was, and Shawn (right behind me in the picture) and I moved on to the finish.

Fifteen minutes after that picture was taken, I crossed the finish line in AutoZone Park. Dave hadn’t made it back to the stadium to see me cross, but that’s ok. He had been with me the whole journey that started back in April after he toured St. Jude and we decided that we were going to do this thing together. My official time is 6:03:xx. My Garmin time was 5:39:xx, accounting for 2 potty stops, 2 family breaks, and countless stops to stretch.

A few weeks ago, I shared my frustration over my injury with my best friend, whom is a great inspiration of faith to me, and she shared a prayer with me that I want to share now.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Please be with Jill and give her your comfort and strength as she struggles physically, mentally and emotionally with her leg pain. She has worked so hard to reach this point in training for her first marathon, a desire that you have put in her heart, to push herself in your name, and in the name of your children of St. Jude. It's so difficult to understand sometimes, why you place roadblocks in front of us that make us feel like we're being set back from reaching our goals and from fulfilling your purpose. I realize that often our goals are not the same as your goals, Lord. Help her to learn and understand through this process that in all of our weaknesses, your power is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:8). Please help Jill to seek you during her suffering, that you would reach down into her heart and soul and reveal your purpose to her, and walk her through this time of suffering. Let her know she's not alone, that you are there with her. Encourage her. Wrap your loving arms around her. Help her to seek your Will, and not her own, and give her peace and acceptance with whatever your Will may be. I pray all of this in your Son Jesus' name.
Amen.

And with it all done, I know now that my hamstring strain wasn’t an accident either, and that I was meant to experience this marathon exactly how I did: sharing Jake’s story, helping other runners, being helped by others, learning that physical pain is more bearable than you believe, that my mental strength is stronger than my body ever will be, and happy and smiling about every second. No one plans on or trains for a 6 hour marathon, but yet, no part of me is disappointed. What would I have missed if I hadn’t been slowed? Would I have shared Jake’s story or those mile dedications? Would that woman have made it to the finish if I didn’t stop to help her? Would Shawn? Would I? I’ll never know the answer for sure, but I have faith that as crazy as the whole experience was, it was exactly how it was meant to be.

40 minutes after finishing, when we were eating some lunch, I looked over and said to Dave, “I am so incredibly happy. I know I can run a 50K now.”

And yes, he thought I was f*cking nuts.

I’ve turned a corner.

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:18:00 +0000

My hamstring injury has finally turned a corner. The last two days, I’ve hardly noticed the strain which is a far cry from where I was just 5 days ago, and for the first time in a couple of weeks, I feel like the Memphis Marathon is not out of the cards. I’m not running yet because both my doctor and Adam have told me that it’s best to give an injury a few days longer than you think it needs. I will hopefully re-enter the running world on Thanksgiving, just 9 days before my marathon. Stranger things have happened, right?

Not running for the last two weeks, I’ve caught up on laundry, cleaning, a few random projects and beer tasting.

One of the projects I completed was a jewelry display that Dorothy recently posted about, using a vintage frame as a way to display some of your favorite jewelry. I had a frame, so I attached some wire and a ribbon for hanging, and used pearl tipped pins to hang the jewelry. It was a super easy and fast (10 minutes!) way to dress up a wall in my bedroom with items I had on hand already. Yes, I have a hot pink bedroom. I get away with it because 2 walls are made of logs.

I miss running so badly. The first week was rough enough because I was crying pretty much every day, and once I’d not run for 10 days, I felt like the road was just calling to me (I swear I’m not crazy). It wasn’t a taunting, but more of a gentle nudge. I felt comforted and loved. By the road. Ok, it does sound crazy. Do you feel like you have a real relationship with the surfaces on which you run? It can’t just be me.

The first winner of the Saucony Arm Sleeves never contacted me, so I randomly selected a new winner and it’s my IRL friend Ashley aka The Redonk Runner. Ashley, text, FB, tweet, email me and let me know how you want me to get these to you. Memphis maybe?

Also, I owe you a couple winners for the St. Jude Raffle:

Winner #6 is Krissy from Shiawase Life
Winner # 7 is Molly from I’m a Sleeper Baker

Girls, please visit my fundraising post HERE and let me know what you’d like!
(Molly, Krissy will select first, please, so give me your 2 choices.)

My sister and brother-in-law are here for the entire week, my husband took the week off, and our best friend is coming into town on Wednesday from Atlanta. I am grateful to be surrounded by friend and family. Happy Thanksgiving week everyone!

I should be running 20 miles today…

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 19:15:00 +0000

…but instead I am crying over the uncertainty of my recovery and marathon.
For nearly two weeks, I’ve had pain on the back side of my leg near the knee, as shown on the diagram of this prone Blue Man Group cast member, but picture mine more flesh colored and on the left side. The pain started the week after my peak week but wasn’t terrible, and it really didn’t hurt during my Ragnar runs even though it was present. It is now not only uncomfortable to run, but I feel it on every step.

Outside of Ragnar, I’ve not run for 2 weeks.

My marathon is in 3 weeks.

I’ve visited my LMT and chiropractor. My LMT found a very tight piriformis/glute area and my chiropractor found that my left knee was out of alignment and my pelvis was shifted out of position. These appointments were this past Wednesday. I thought these would cure me because massage and chiropractic has always worked wonders. I am not cured.

An African proverb suggests “It takes a village to raise a child.” I’ve learned over the past year that it also takes a village to create a marathoner. Yesterday, I decided to investigate another potential member of the Village it takes to keep me going (yes, I actually call it my Village). Current members of the Village include (but not limited to): my massage therapist, my chiropractor, my yoga instructor/personal trainer, Coach Adam, blog friends, and my super supportive husband and daughter.

I had an appointment with a different chiropractor yesterday that is certified in Active Release Therapy (ART). Living in a rural area, I wasn’t expecting anything close to me, but I’m lucky enough to live 25 minutes from 1 of 3 certified ART practitioners in the entire Middle Tennessee area. Dr. House listened to me about my pain and training and evaluated my muscle use with a series of tests. He is pretty sure that I have muscle adhesions on my biceps femoris (shown at right in red), which is one of three hamstring muscles. Upon evaluation, I had tenderness at both the connection at the glute as well as my regular location of pain on the rear of my leg above the knee. The bummer about this muscle is that it also can involve pain in the sciatic nerve, which I am lucky enough to have as well. Dr. House worked on breaking up the muscle adhesions and gave me exercises to do at home. He felt as though we’d be able to get me out on the road pretty soon, and wasn’t at all worried about the marathon in 3 weeks. I’m encouraged by that, but it’s hard to visualize myself crossing the finish line when right now, I can’t walk without pain let alone run.

I have more ART appointments scheduled for this week. After yeterday’s appointment, I’ve pretty sore, but that’s normal. I’m trying to remain positive, but it is hard.

I feel discouraged. I want to run. I’ve worked so hard for the last 16 weeks to prepare myself mentally and physically for this marathon. A few weeks ago when I ran a 17-miler on the treadmill, my mental strength blossomed. As I watched the treadmill turn 17.01 miles, I knew I could finish the marathon. With belief in myself, I focused on getting stronger on my feet and building endurance. Over the last few weeks, miles that would normally be considered long became the norm, and my body adjusted to it. Distances that were usually hard to fit in became easy and fun, and two weeks ago I peaked at 43 miles and felt great about every. single. run.

And now, in the 11th hour, my body doesn’t want me to run, but my mind won’t let me think about anything else. Instead of feeling rested, I feel depleted. I’m doing what I can and trying to focus on remaining positive. I still believe I can run the marathon, but I need my body to agree to it.

I’m not yet sure how this is going to play out yet. I’m hoping it’s one of the greatest comeback stories of my life.

11/11/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:04:00 +0000

Thanks to all of your support and donations, we have raised over $1,700 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital! Y’all, that makes me SO HAPPY! I never thought I would reach my goal of $1,500, let alone surpass it. I am humbled and grateful. THANK YOU!

I thought that my fundraising work was over, but The St. Jude Memphis Marathon Heroes team has another challenge for me. They want to see how many St. Jude Heroes can collect eleven online donations on the day of elevens: 11/11/11.

Will you help me reach this goal?
Can I get 11 people to donate $11 each? $1?
I’d love to see what we can do in the home stretch!
Click HERE to donate TODAY! Every dollar helps.
Thank you!
Every donation made today will be entered in a special drawing
for a $15 Gift Card to either Fleet Feet or Amazon (winner’s choice).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Who is taking advantage of Competitor’s 11/11/11 discount today?

To celebrate 11.11.11 this Friday, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series will be offering all runners a special incentive to join Rock Nation.

For one day only, SAVE $20* when you register
between 11am – 11pm PST!

I’ll be hopping on the party train and registering for the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville. Come run with me! I originally had not intended to run Nashville, but St. Jude recently became the beneficiary which compels me, and there is a rumor floating around that Tricia, Lesley and Adam may run it too, which means hoedowns and moonshine for everyone (kidding!). Also, since I registered for New Orleans at a ridiculous steal of $38, the Rock Encore medal for completing 2 R’n’R races in a calendar year is just too good to pass up. You know you want one, too!

Don’t forget to VOTE x 10 FOR ME in Brooks’ Light up the Night Contest. Thank you!

Leg update: I could not run yesterday. I still am having a hard time walking without pain. Adam and I have discussed how to move forward, but we both agree that right now, I need to rest until the pain is gone. I have my first Active Release Therapy appointment this morning at 10:15. I’ve heard ART is miraculous. I sure as heckfire hope so. It’s heartbreaking to be 3 weeks out from marathon and know you physically can’t complete it right now. Recovery is everything.

Bunch o’fluff Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:58:00 +0000

I’m sure my post title really reeled you in.
REPEAT: Brooks is hosting a “Light up the Night” contest on Facebook.
Please VOTE for me HERE! You can vote up to 10 times per day. I know you can barely tell it’s me due to the awesome reflectivity. Vote for Skeletor, er, me! Thanks!

Winners…
This week’s winner of the St. Jude Raffle is Maggie who does not have a blog because she’s too busy doing awesome stuff in grad school. Mags, please visit the raffle page HERE and let me know what you’d like!

Also, thanks to everyone that shared encouraging words on my peak week post. The winner of the Saucony arm sleeves is Trinity @ Running Mother. Trinity, your comment about remaining accountable through your daughter is awesome. Our girls are the same age. Email me with your info and I’ll get them mailed out to you!

Training update…
After my peak week the week before last, I was experiencing some pain deep behind the left knee to the outside. I ran through Ragnar with this pain, but earlier this week, it was so bad I couldn’t walk without pain so running was out. This put me in a really crappy place mentally, being less than 4 weeks to the marathon and knowing I could not physically complete it in the state I was in.

I spent some time freaking out, but then gave myself an attitude adjustment and attempted to be proactive with over 2 hours of massage therapy and a chiropractic adjustment. My pelvis had shifted down and rotated, putting weird pressure on my piriformis and referring pain to the sciatic nerve down my leg. While the time off was not ideal, running while in pain wouldn’t have served a purpose either. I’m glad that there was an anatomical explanation for what I was feeling, and it is not due to an injury. I’m still a little sore, but it seems to be going away.

I’m going to run another 20 miler this weekend. I feel that a successful long run this weekend will instill a lot of confidence in me. I’m going to focus on conservative pacing and executing my fueling strategy. I feel like I’ve had a calm cover over me this week. I’m hoping it’s calmness and not apathy.

How do you stay focused during tapering?

Light up the Night!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:05:00 +0000

Brooks Running is hosting a "Light up the Night" contest on Facebook, and without spoiling too much of my Ragnar fun (recap still to come!), let's just say i was the talk of exchange 21.

Even Ragnar thinks so!

PLEASE VOTE HERE: Light up the Night Contest!

I'd love your vote!
Sarah, last week's winner, just shared that you can vote up to 10 times a day, so VOTE VOTE VOTE +7 please! :)
Thank you!

RAGNAR WEEKEND!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:58:00 +0000

Tomorrow morning I’m meeting my vanmates, (which includes my girl Lisa!!!) and driving about 2 hours southeast to meet our other teammates in Jasper, TN for the 2nd annual Tennessee Ragnar Relay. I’ll be busy acting like a monkey, and perhaps looking like one too.

I’ve spent the last 4 days making all kinds of van decorations and tagging monkeys.

And if you think they look granny-crafted in pictures, you should see them in person.

*Follow @iRunForTheHills and @RagnarRelay on Twitter or search for #RagnarTN to keep updated.

Special shout out to Adam (who hopefully remembers that the race is Saturday) and Elizabeth who are running Rock’n’Roll Savannah this weekend!!!!

Adam has kicked his own ass, run up to 70 miles a week and is on the hunt for 3:10 to BQ. Ironically, I hope I get about that much sleep in the next 36 hours.

See you on the flip of Ragnar #3!

Happy Birthday, lucy!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:27:00 +0000

lucy activewear is celebrating their 12th birthday with a fabulous sale, and they asked that I share it with you.

lucy offers tons of cute clothes for all kids of active women. My friend purchased an adorable running skirt from lucy over the summer which I loved! Here are some of the items I’ve got my eye on:

The savings is available in-store only, and you can find one near you by visiting lucy’s store locator.
I wish there was one near me!

Happy shopping, and happy birthday lucy!

a race recap is better late than never.

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:10:00 +0000

I’m really behind, and in the sprit of catch-up, I offer you bullets.

On Monday, September 5th, I ran the Oak Brook Half Marathon in Oak Brook, IL.
I had planned to PR with a sub-2:05.
My sister, Maggie and brother-in-law, Brett ran it too.
They had also run the Oak Barrel Half in Lynchburg, TN this April which was their first.
We’re now trying to ONLY run half marathons with “Oak” in the title.
Kidding about that last one.
My buddy Dave was there and I met some new Half Fantatics.
I had been experiencing some unexplained breathing trouble in the week prior to the event.
The Friday before race day, I took myself to the emergency room because I was sure I was experiencing a pulmonary embolism and likely to die if I got in an airplane.
Ultrasound confirmed that I wasn’t.
Within the first three miles on race day, I knew something was very wrong.
I couldn’t catch my breath at all.
I started wheezing and gagging and freaking out because, I’m sorry, what the hell?
The course was really pretty and was a hilly, challenging and fun mix of bike paths, road and trails that I recommend, but hi, I couldn’t breathe. I also stole all these pictures from Dave Mari.
I ran next to another woman that was gagging and sounded like me.
She confirmed she had allergies.
{almost} 34 years old and I develop allergies for the first time? I considered it.
I ran when I could breathe and walked when I couldn’t.
I saw Kovas, and he saw me.
By mile 8, my legs were in so much pain from 80 minutes of anaerobic activity.
The thought of going 5 more miles was weighing heavy on me.
I thought about quitting.
Then I reminded myself that I NEVER QUIT.

After blood testing, I was diagnosed with allergy-induced asthma and prescribed an inhaler two days after I arrived home in Tennessee.
I had to use it before every run (indoors and out) until mid-October when the pollen calmed the heck down.
I thought back to last year at this time, and recalled similar experience while running, which prompted me to get a HR monitor. I just wasn’t able to identify it as clearly because I was such a new runner.
I’m glad I know my body better after only a year of running. WHAT A GIFT.
My race was no PR, but it also wasn’t bad for as terrible as I felt and as much as I walked.
I lift a lot of weights, but my brain is my strongest muscle.
I learned I can run a long and far way when I don’t feel like I can.
This race was a gentle reminder to be grateful that I can run at all.
I will draw on these lessons with I am running 26.2 miles in Memphis.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This week’s winner of the St. Jude Raffle is…

MARCIA @ The Studly Runner

Marcia, visit the raffle page HERE, then please email me at
jill.runforthehills[at]gmail[dot]com to let me know what you’d like.

As always, my sincerest thanks to everyone that has donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in support of my fundraising goal!
I have not yet reached my fundraising goal and would be honored to have your support. You may donate ANY amount by clicking the Memphis Marathon logo on the top left of this page.
THANK YOU.

FOUR WEEKS TO MARATHON!

If you weren’t selected this week, I have another giveaway going on for Saucony arm sleeves. Check it out HERE.

Peak week for me; giveaway for you!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 02:17:00 +0000

With just 5 weeks to go until the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, I am in my peak week with 45 miles on the schedule. I’ve completed 39 of them so far and have just 4 miles left and tomorrow. I DNF’d a hill sprint workout yesterday because my stomach was in shambles after starting the run too soon after eating, so I’ll end up 2 miles shy of 45. Live and learn. And puke and belch.

My first 20 miler was this past Wednesday. I had planned to do 10 miles out and back on a pretty stretch of road about 10 minutes of of town while the kiddo was at school. Unfortunately for me, Wednesday was the fall day you always wish for: nearing 80° and sunny with a warm breeze. NOT IDEAL LONG RUN WEATHER. I watched my low-10 average pace creep higher and higher, and then I realized that I wasn’t going to finish all 20 miles before I had to pick up Aves from school. It was so frustrating! I cried! I decided while I was out there that I was going to pick her up, head home and hop on the treadmill to finish the rest. Not being able to fathom any more than 5 miles on the TM, I pushed myself to finish 15 miles in 2:50:50, which is pretty slow for me. When I got home, I hopped (yeah right. more like slowly ambled) onto the TM. I figured I could knock out the last 5 at my normal long run pace of 10:00-10:20. HA! 55 minutes and 10 seconds later, I finished 20 miles for an average pace of 11:17. The outdoor route was pretty challenging in terms of elevation. Particularly this beast of a hill: It doesn’t look like much in that picture, so maybe this will help:

I was pretty emotional and cried 3 times during the 20 miles for various reasons: distance PR, not going as well as I hoped, running out of water at mile 13 and feeling hopeless. It was a really hard run for me both physically and mentally, and I'm glad I'll have the opportunity to do another 20 miler before my taper. Even though it didn’t go how I hoped, I was still thrilled. I RAN 20 FREAKING MILES after running a half marathon 3 days before (recap still to come!). I never could have dreamed that this 20 miler would be this hard, but it's all relative, because 6 months ago, I never could have dreamed of running 20 miles. I can only be proud.

A friend told me that if I can run 20 miles, I can run 26.2. That may be true, but I don’t want my marathon experience to feel anything like the 20 miler on Wednesday. I don’t know if I can blame it all on the heat. I wasn’t bummed about being out there, but I was hot. I wasn’t really concerned about my pace and knew I would have to change my goals. It was one of those runs where as soon as you finish, you want another stab at it. Want to try harder. Want to try different. I will have that chance and I’m grateful.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Last weekend at the Iron Horse Half in Midway, KY, I won a pair of Saucony AMP PRO2 Arm Warmers. From the Saucony website:

Compression fit reduces muscle vibration and AMP PRO₂ responsive fibers improve overall circulation to keep you going for as long as you need to.

AMP PRO₂ 41% Celliant Polyester, 43% Nylon, 16% Lycra
Features Microban antimicrobial

AMP PRO₂ heat transfer logo

They’re a unisex size small, which will fit 10.5"-12" diameter measurement at the largest part of the bicep. I was surprised that my arms fell within those measurements because I have some ripped up arms. So girls with muscles or boys with not so much muscles – this one’s for you!

The arm warmers retail for $45 and one of you can win them just in time for the cooler weather. I was going to keep them but I already have a few pairs that I’m perfectly happy with and I’d rather not be a glutton.
Here’s a bunch of ways to enter. Please leave a comment for each.

Share with me how you overcome challenges during training and/or your favorite inspirational or motivational quote/though/mantra. (+1 entry)
Follow this bloggy blog. (+1 entry)
I’m super close to reaching my fundraising goal for St. Jude and I would seriously LOVE your help! If you make a new donation HERE, you get entered into my St. Jude Raffle HERE (please leave a comment on the original post if you do!) AND I’ll give you 3 bonus entries into this one. For example, if you donate $5, you’ll get an entry in the raffle and 3 entries here. And I will also think you are the bomb diggity like I do everyone that has donated. (+3 entries)
Share this giveaway via Facebook, Twitter or your blog. If you want to tag Run for the Hills on FB and/or @iRunForTheHills on Twitter, that’s cool! (+1 for each)

I’m going to be pretty busy this upcoming week, so look for a winner to be chosen on Tuesday, November 8th.

Finally, best of luck to everyone running the Marine Corp Marathon tomorrow, particularly my buddy Lesley at Racing it Off.

21 Questions {and winner #3!}

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:00:00 +0000

First of all, my computer has been seriously affected by a shot hard drive. It started over a month ago when it would just hang. Simple acts that should take no time at all were taking FOREVER. I spent hours virus scanning, cleaning out the c: and just wishing it would go away. Then last week, it decided it didn’t want to boot up all the time.
I hugged it, and told it everything would be ok. On one of the last times it booted, I backed up everything. Score one for me! Since I live out in the middle of nowhere, the nearest Best Buy is about an hour away so I need to schedule that kind of day trip. I finally made it there yesterday, installed the new drive, rebuilt windows and Bob’s your uncle: here we are.
The Geek Squad wanted to charge me something like $180 to install the drive, not including the cost of the drive! Um, no thanks. I can use a tiny screwdriver, dude.

About a month ago, my friend posted a list of 21 questions that you should ask your kids at different ages. So here is what my 4-year-old has to say about life right now.
1. What is something Mommy always says to you?
Have a good day at school.

2. What makes Mommy happy?
When I give hugs and kisses.

3. What makes Mommy sad?
When I don’t clean up my play room.

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?
You say funny things.

5. What was Mommy like as a child?
I have no idea.

6. How old is Mommy?
17

7. How tall is Mommy?
10 pieces of you.

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?
Play play-doh.

9. What does Mommy do when you're not around?
Pick off seed ticks from Jadie. (I did this once.)

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Hmm. I don’t know.

11. What is Mommy really good at?
Decorating.

12. What is Mommy not very good at?
Lincoln Logs.

13. What does Mommy do for her job?
(shrugs) I don’t know. I think you make monkeys.

14. What is Mommy's favorite food?
Salad.

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?
When you take me to the Children’s Museum.

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
A girl. An emperor girl.

17. What do you and Mommy do together?
Play and go out and do stuff.

18. How are you and Mommy the same?
We both have our hair down.

19. How are you and Mommy different?
We have different clothes.

20. How do you know Mommy loves you?
You just DO! (she puts her arms way up in the air)

21. Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?
Lily Jane (this is a locally-owned awesome clothing and accessory shop in town.)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This weeks winner of the St. Jude Fundraiser is my friend Brian. I think he wants me to call him Kick Asphalt, which is his superhero name for our upcoming Ragnar Florida Keys team. Brian was a friend of a friend when he joined our Ragnar Chicago team this year, but I feel like I’ve known him forever. We both like to run and drink wine (not at the same time), and with a foundation like that, friendship comes easy. Congratulations, buddy! Visit the list of prizes HERE and let me know what you’d like.

a Wedding and {Winner #2}

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:16:00 +0000

Last Thursday I left Tennessee to head north to Chicago for my only brother’s wedding. We had a great rehearsal on Friday and Avery loved playing with her Uncle “Sneezy” (long story – my brother pretended to sneeze repeatedly once in order to make her laugh, and then she changed his name) and her Aunt Jen. On Saturday before the ceremony, we took some pictures at my mom’s house. My siblings and I are notorious for our Awkward Family Photos. It’s become an obligatory part of all family functions.
Wait. That’s not us. Here we are!
Avery was the flower girl.
My brother is a damn good photographer, but obviously couldn’t take pictures on his own wedding day. So he handed me his fancy $2000 camera for two days and asked me to shoot, in addition to the photographer they hired. What that means is that I got to go home with NO actual photos of anything. I should have stolen his memory card! As it is, I stole this one from my cousin’s Facebook page. It will pacify me for now.

I’ve never seen my brother so happy or smiley. It was such a beautiful day and the hard work they put in showed in all the details. I’m so happy all 5 of us kids are married now. I remember growing up and visiting my aunt and uncle’s house and playing with my cousins. Those are memories that I cherish, and I’m so overjoyed to be starting the next generation with my siblings and in-laws. There is nothing more precious than family.

I used random.org’s Third Party Drawing service to choose this week’s St. Jude Raffle Winner. I’m sorry it’s late; it’s been a busy week.

RACHEL E.!

Rachel is my Ragnar partner in crime, and I’m so excited for her! Rachel, visit the giveaway page HERE and let me know what you’d like. Again, my sincerest thanks to everyone that has donated to St. Jude. We ARE making a difference! It is not too late to enter into the raffle, and any new donations will receive TWO EXTRA ENTRIES from now until next week’s drawing. Please visit my giveaway page HERE to enter!

I’m running the Iron Horse Half Marathon in Midway, Kentucky on Sunday. This week has not been the easiest because I got sick after traveling for the wedding. I spent Monday and Tuesday in the horizontal position for most of the days and nights and just began to feel normal yesterday. I ran yesterday afternoon, just an easy 3 miles, but was pretty congested the whole time. I’m hoping my body can flush it out and I can run a good race on Sunday. I fee like, with the higher miles I’ve ben putting in, my endurance has improved and I should conceivably be able to work towards a PR < 2:06:58. I hope and I wish.

SIX WEEKS TO MARATHON!

St. Jude Raffle {winner #1}

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 05:16:00 +0000

Thank you to everyone that has helped me raise money for St. Jude so far! I am so very close to my goal of $1500 and know that I’ll make it by December 3rd. With your help, I have already reached three fundraising thresholds! I have earned the privileges of wearing a St. Jude Heroes singlet during the marathon, attending the pre-race pasta meal specifically for top fundraisers and I will have VIP access on race day. I am honored!!

Training is continuing to go well. I completed another long run today: 18 miles ON THE TREADMILL AGAIN! At this point you probably think I’m berserk, but the idea of running alone outside on an untested route had me filled with anxiety, so I opted for the comfort of my home gym and Bridget Jones’ Diary. I laughed, Facebooked and gchatted (not a dirty word) with Coach Adam and fellow-treadmill-lover Giraffy. The 18 miles took me 3 hours and 57 seconds. I did the first 10 miles at a 10:10 average pace and the last 8 at 9:54 average pace (I was running out of time before I had to pick the kiddo up from school). I felt great the entire run, and it was successful in terms of fueling. I am still noticing some fatigue in my legs around mile 15, but it isn’t terrible. With 6 long runs remaining, I’m sure my body will get used to the extra time on it’s feet.

Now then, I used random.org’s Third Party Drawing service to generate the first (and all subsequent) winners. No, it’s not free like the random number generator, but this way I can assure it’s truly random and based on your entries. Just because I’ve selected the first winner doesn’t mean it’s over! There are still 7 more winners to be selected, so please consider donating to an awesome cause for your chance to win great prizes.

24 people donated various amounts and shared the fundraiser lots of different ways. All that means there were 236 entrants in total and the first winner is…

KARIN!

Karin is a local friend of mine that I had the pleasure to meet when I first became a mom. Her warm heart is so welcoming to me, and last year, her running inspired me to try out a half marathon for myself. Here we are at my very first half last September…

So Karin, email or Facebook me, and let me know what you’d like!

{if you’d like to check out the drawing in more detail, please visit random.org via the widget below and search using the username you commented with. If you have any questions, please email me at jill.runforthehills@gmail.com. Thanks!}

This drawing was held by Jill Hassen in a fair and unbiased manner, using RANDOM.ORG's Third-Party Draw Service. For details, please see the drawing's record.

Marathon training, glitter and paint.

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:26:00 +0000

First of all, my deepest and sincerest thanks to everyone that has supported my St. Jude fundraising efforts. I couldn’t be more humbled by everyone’s generosity. Thank you.
<---- Do you see that over there? I am SO CLOSE to my goal and know that I’ll reach it!
If you’ve not yet donated, but would like to help the children of St. Jude’s Research Hospital and earn an opportunity to win fabulous prizes in the raffle, please click HERE! The first winner will be selected next week! If you’re feeling extra generous, my friend Ashley at Redonkulous Runner is also raising money for St. Jude, and her giveaway is full of unique and special things for those that love to run. I donated to support her efforts! Check it out HERE. She is offering an extra entry if you’ve donated to me, too.

Marathon training has been going very well. I’m up to 17 miles right now on my long run, which I just did yesterday ON THE TREADMILL. I’m not going to blow smoke and say it was puppies and rainbows because it was really tough mentally, but sometimes it’s just about miles and nothing else. Even though each run has a purpose (tempo, speed, hills, long, etc.), I’m finding that not all runs are successful for the same reason. Some days, I tank on pace and I realize that I was just meant to see the sunrise that morning. Other days, I run fast and clean and it all feels right. Yesterday, my 17 miler taught me a lot about mental toughness and fueling. After yesterday’s run, I KNOW I WILL FINISH THE MARATHON. It was a crappy 17 miles, boring and adding to already sore muscles, but mentally it brought me to the top of my game. I’m enjoying each and every run and the lesson I learn. I am actually having fun marathon training! That is freaking awesome to me!

I’m running 4 days a week now, and I’m loving working with Adam because it’s taken the guesswork out of preparing for my first marathon. Also, it’s so nice to have someone to complain to, but mostly, it’s nice to have someone to keep me accountable. My running buddy has been having problems with plantar fasciitis lately, and his doctor just sidelined him for 6 weeks. Because of that I’ve been doing a lot of solo runs, and sometimes it’s hard to find the motivation, but I know that Adam is going to be emailing or IMing me at some point during the day asking how my run went. I don’t want to let him or myself down. I’m also weightlifting and doing yoga twice a week, rolling and sticking myself lots, and taking more epsom salt baths than I ever thought possible. Current ailment: posterior shin splints, managed to moderate satisfaction with ice, massage, compression and wine.

Now, onto the shoes results. Most people voted for #1 or #3. Prior to posting, I had ordered #1. Here is what I think of them.

They were so high and unstable. It’s almost like the heel was set too close to the center of the shoe. Also, SO GLITTERY. Think Dorothy but not in red. Or maybe just think stripper, since I was leaving a trail of glitter all over the place. In a word: return. I have some possibilities in my closet already and think I will go with the gold or taupe slingbacks for the family photos and wedding ceremony and then the sassy ones for the reception. Talk to me about it.
And finally, I wanted to leave you with a tip for fall decorating if you have a ginormous Great Dane that has mentally stopped developing at the age of 3 months and threatens to eat your carved pumpkins. Fool me once…
Anyway – paint ‘em up! Avery and I loved fetching and then painting!

Happy Fall Y’all!

Shoes required (not the running kind).

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:29:00 +0000

My brother is getting married in 2 weeks in Chicago. Super excited! I think this is the only wedding of my immediate family that I’m not standing up in, and I’m really excited to just be a sister and enjoy my only brother’s wedding day. So now I’m going to do something never before done on this blog: ask for fashion advice.

I’ve picked out and purchased my dress:

Although I won’t pose like that and I’m not nearly that tall. I chose this dress because it’s flattering, comfortable, and can be dressed up for the wedding or dressed down with tights and boots for ~~the day after the wedding~~ some other time.

I NEED SHOES. Tell me what you like, but quick, because Zappos needs to send these to me stat. I should say that I like all the options, even though I have a couple favorites. And conservative? Yeah, no one expects that of me.

OPTION ONE:

OPTION TWO (please specify grey or red):

OPTION THREE:

OPTION FOUR:

Talk to me.
THANKS!

Blessed.

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:41:00 +0000

Yesterday I turned 34.

The day started out rainy and cold, which was the perfect opportunity to snuggle with Avery until late morning.
Then the sun came out and the the clouds danced into shapes and forced our bodies outside and our imaginations in motion.
We went to the children’s museum and were the only ones there, so we got to play with everything and anything and didn’t have to share or wait turns. Then we came home and spent time doing horsey things with the girls.

And after a day of calls, texts, tweets, Facebook birthday wishes and ecards from family overseas, the one I love came home with a simple surprise that made the day even sweeter.

Don’t think for a second that I didn’t love turning another year older.
In fact, I hope the next 34 birthdays are just. like. this.

The craziest frickin’ day of my life!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:17:00 +0000

Last Saturday, I woke up at 4:47am to meet my running buddy and drive just over an hour to Manchester, TN for “the craziest frickin’ day of my life!”

I had registered a while back for the 1pm wave, but my friend registered later with a Groupon and could only get 8am. I decided to go early with him for fear that he would be turned away if we both went later in the day. For the record, they don’t care. No one was checking wave times or enforcing anything. It was very laid back and some of the best people watching I’ve had in a while. I didn’t bring my camera on course (duh), but Fruit Fly suggested I bring a waterproof disposable camera. That obviously explains the quality of the upcoming photos.
I had run 12 miles the day before so I knew I wasn’t going to be racing the 3.5 mile course, but can’t you see how happy I was?! We ran for just over a mile before the first obstacle. This is my best guess. No, I’m not so OCD that I brought my Garmin to the WD. The first obstacle we came to was a giant wall of hay. Since I’ve been throwing hay and climbing bales for years as a horse owner, I knew I’d be fine. What I didn’t count on was the 240 lb. mass of man next to me that grabbed the universal rope to hoist himself up and flung the rest of us backwards. Good start. It was definitely every man for himself out there.
Next we climbed over cars and through tires, which were not of universal size. My foot would get stuck in every other one. I maintained an upright position. Score.
The third obstacle was a blackout tent where you had to crawl on your hands and knees over rocks, glass, grass and twigs to emerge the other side. I grabbed someone’s foot (I hope) in there. It was also hot as all get out. Then we came to the first wall. This was probably the obstacle I was most concerned about. I had frightening thoughts about my friend having to push me up the wall by my butt. We’re both heartily relieved it was unnecessary. It’s nice to know my man arms are actually good for pulling myself up a wall because, you know, I have to do that all the time.
Next was a tricky rope thing. I kinda flew through it, looked back and C was staring at the obstacle. Um, hi? He thought he lost me to the ropes. NEVER!
The second wall was a little different, but not too tough. We took turns taking pictures. Translation: neither one of us could stand to hold the camera for too long.
I was cracking up at this obstacle. I couldn’t decide what the fireman’s pole was all about. Also, it was the most un-slippery pole ever. I left some skin there. Gross.
The entire time, we were wondering if the course was the same venue for Bonnaroo, the summer outdoor music festival with a gazillion bands and dusty dirty sweaty people that are probably not ‘shrooming or smoking pot at all. Oh lookie there – it is!
We paused on top of the rope obstacle for some ridiculous pictures. I seriously could not stop laughing the entire 3.5 miles. I think my cheeks hurt more than anything else. Right after we took this picture, this guy came storming up the ropes screaming “RRRRAAAAHHHHRRRR!” This was obviously serious business to him. Settle down, buddy.
Then, the leap of fire. I have no words for my face, except to say that I apologize. I’m also cracking up at how I barely cleared the fire while C flew over it. Who says white men can’t jump? Note: this is the last time those socks will ever be white…
…because then this happened.
At this point, we really couldn’t see anything out of the camera anymore since it just took a dunk in the mud pit, so just consider these the bonus shots of the day.
No, that is not sepia tone. Taking a group shower with other muddy strangers should be on everyone’s bucket list, no?
In conclusion, THE MOST FUN. Extremely muddy and dirty, but the beer at the finish line, live music, people watching and food – none of which I have any pictures of because we ran out of film – was a great time. Despite what my face looks like.

Official Time: 43:13.55
Overall: 3623/10934
Gender: 799/4681
Age Group: 184/1044

Have you entered my St. Jude Fundraiser yet?
$5 could be the difference between you and some sweet prizes, and it’ll definitely make a difference to the kids at St. Jude!
Click HERE. Please and thank you!

St. Jude Marathon Raffle!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:36:00 +0000

In just less than 11 weeks from now, I’ll be toeing the line at the St. Jude Memphis Marathon – my first! In 2002, my nephew was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer. He was 7 years old at the time and living in Austria, Europe. I'll never forget the fear in my sister's voice, not knowing what was going to happen and realizing that my nephew was up for the fight of his life. He fought, and he won. I'm happy to say that he kicked cancer's butt and has been in remission for 8 years. He was cleared to travel just in time for my wedding. We had so much to celebrate as a family that October!

A couple of months ago, my husband had the opportunity to tour St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for his job. He was blown away at the facilities but more importantly the mission - to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric diseases through research and treatment.
St. Jude actively shares their research and discoveries with doctors and scientists all over the world, holding nothing that may help as proprietary information. When St. Jude opened in 1962, the survival rate for the most common form of childhood cancer was 4%. Today, the survival rate is 94%, thanks to research and protocols developed at St. Jude. The coolest part to me is that no child is denied treatment because of a family's inability to pay. It was that fact, and the memory of my nephew's fight, that tugged at my heart and made me realize that St. Jude was the perfect first marathon for me. If these kids are fighting for their lives, I can certainly run 26.2 miles!

In support of St. Jude, I'm on a mission to raise $1,500 during my marathon training, and I would love your help and support! I’m excited to host this fundraising raffle, full of some of my favorite things (and more may be added)! A thank you hug the width of Tennessee to all the awesome sponsors that have donated products to help me reach my fundraising goals. I couldn’t dream of reaching my goals without their support.
THE PRIZES:

~~Apple iPod nano (8gb)~~ - Chosen by Brian. Redesigned for music and Multi-Touch, iPod nano is smaller and lighter than ever. You can clip it to your sleeve, jacket, or running shorts and keep your favorite songs at your fingertips--along with the Genius feature, a built-in FM radio, pedometer, and more!

~~Scott James Jewelry~~ Won by Karin, winner #1! - $40 gift certificate. Scott James Jewelry is a full-service, family owned shop that I originally came to love for their beautiful and unique Ragnar pieces, but they have a wonderful selection of running jewelry, including Rock’n Roll specifics!

~~SPIbelt~~. Won by Maggie. As far as I’m concerned, SPIbelt has the best selection of personal item belts out there. I love my water-resistant energy belt!

ChicaBands – 3 pack. If you’ve ever run with me or seen a picture of me running, you know I’ve got my non-slip headband on! ChicaBands are some of my favorite! Meg Perez, the Commander-in-Chica, is fun, energetic and inspirational. If you have the chance to meet her at an expo, you should! Here are some of my favorites:

RelaxReflect – Whippersnapper Shirt. Relax Reflect is the brainchild of Jean Kateraas. With a background in fashion and graphic design, and a husband that is an elite-triathlete, Jean has poured her heart and mind into creating a fun and edgy line of reflective clothing for rebels, competitors, and whippersnappers! As soon as I saw her line, I knew I wanted to wear some pieces for Ragnar! In the spirit of St. Jude, Jean has donated an awesome kid’s shirt. I love these!

~~Amazon $25 Gift Card~~ Chosen by Marcia
GU Assortment. Includes 3 Tri-Berry Gu Energy Gels, 3 Jet Blackberry Energy Gels, 2 Mandarin Orange Energy Gels, 2 Cranberry Apple Gu Chomps, 3 Lemon Lime Gu Brew, and 3 Peach Tea Gu Brew
~~Nuu-Muu~~ ~~– athletic dress.~~ Selected by Rachel - winner #2! My love for Nuu-Muu has been well publicized on this blog. I just love them! Nuu-Muu began in 2007 and is the collaboration of four hardworking people. They are a small business (love that!) that gives back to small organizations and their company philosophies are so very admirable. Nuu-Muu has generously donated an athletic dress like these!

HOW TO ENTER…
REQUIRED: Make a donation to my St. Jude Fundraising efforts HERE. The more you donate, the more entries you receive in the raffle. Your donation is tax-deductible. PLEASE COMMENT BASED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA. ^{Note: Please feel free to keep your donation amount anonymous in your comment if you so choose. I receive an email from St. Jude with the donation amount and will keep track.}

For every $5 you donate, you will receive one (1) entry.
If you donate $26 in honor of the marathon, you will receive a bonus entry for six (6) entries.
If you donate greater than $26, you will receive two (2) entries for each additional $5. (For example, if you donate $31, you will receive 6 entries for $26 + 2 entries for the additional $5 = 8 entries total.)
If you have previously donated (prior to 9/20), you receive (5) extra entries.

BONUS ENTRIES: Please leave just ONE additional comment and tell me ALL the fancy extra entries you get.

Be or become a follower of this blog. (+1)
Share this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter. If you wouldn’t mind tagging Run for the Hills HERE on Facebook and @iRunForTheHills HERE on Twitter AND including a link to this post, that would be great! (+1 for each)

ONE winner will be randomly selected each Wednesday from Oct. 12th until Nov. 30th. There will be EIGHT winners total. More winners will be drawn as more prizes are available. You will select your prize in the order of which you were drawn. I know these are tough times for many of us, and I sincerely appreciate your generosity and support of my fundraising efforts. I could not do this without each of you. Thank you.

They let me join anyway…

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:57:00 +0000

I’m been a busy mom, wife, sister and runner, but all of those things leave me a bad blogger. Google needs to figure out how we can comment on blogs from Reader because that would benefit me immensely. However, this past weekend was just what I needed to feel the bloggy love again. I was lucky enough to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon and evening chatting and laughing it up with 5 beautiful ladies.

After I struggled to park my husband’s Toyota and hoped that no one saw me jump the curb, I joined the group at Bongo Java near Belmont University in Nashville and after two hours of happy chatter, we walked down half a block to enjoy some Mexican fare al fresca. I didn’t take any pictures of my food, but I assure you that the spinach enchiladas with salsa verde were scrumptious.

Each of these women are so fantastic, funny, smart and endearing – totally the kind of girls you want to be around all the time! I’m so glad Julia initiated the idea a few weeks ago, and so glad that Ashley, Lisa, Stephanie and Vanessa let me join in despite my recent writing hiatus. Lucky girl am I! I even got Lisa to agree to run 11 miles with me the next morning at 6:30am. Runners are awesome. Blogging runners are the coolest people on earth. I was so happy this wasn't me:

I would also like to say that I’m an excellent driver and can parallel park my Suburban with one hand while on the phone. I learned to drive on a ‘77 Caprice Classic Station Wagon that was orange with fake wood contact paper. Trust me, the only way to pull this kind of car off as a 16-year-old in a high school class of 672 is with swagger.

August 1st I started working with Adam, aka The Boring Runner to prepare me for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon on December 3rd. I contacted Adam because I was at a real low point in my running life and feeling like a giant sack of crap. You’d think that the prospect of running 26.2 miles in 19 weeks would get anyone off her ass, but no. I wanted a coach that would motivate me, make me laugh, push me but not be in my face, and answer all my dumb questions since I basically have no idea what the hell I’m doing half the time. I’m pretty sure I’m his most annoying client, but I am running again and enjoying it. I’ve even pulled off a 10- and 11-miler on the treadmill and lived to tell about it.
We also hit a weekly mileage PR last week with 35 miles and I’ll hit a distance PR this week with my long run of 15 miles. Now, he’s got me running 12x400s on Wednesday, so by then I’ll probably be telling him to suck it, but right now, I’m grateful, thankful and inspired. It’s a good thing.

Now for some obligatory bullet points to divulge more random information:

FAMILY: Avery started preschool and I’m still getting used to juggling the chauffeuring, dance classes, school, homework (yeah, in preschool. wth?), running, and life. I’ve got to say, though, I really feel like a mom when I’m packing her lunch in the morning. It’s funny to me that that’s what does it. I’m also wondering if it’s socially acceptable to show up in the car lane in pajamas or running attire every day? Is it enough if my kid looks cute?
FITNESS: My strength training routine has crashed and burned and I’m almost positive it’s affected my fitness on long runs and hills. When you have thighs the size of Connecticut and calves like pineapples, it’s pretty crucial they meet with some resistance training here and there. I should probably get back with the Chalean Extreme lifting program, but I’m wondering if that’s too much with marathon training. I’d also like to take a yoga class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings but I just don’t know how that’s possible with everything else. I’m trying to avoid feeling like working out is my job. Balance is tough to achieve, I guess.
BLOG FRIENDS: I ran a half marathon on Labor Day and learned some interesting things about myself (recap to come). I also had the opportunity to meet Kovas! By meet, I mean I recognized him on the sideline and introduced myself while I ran passed him. Kovas was there to support his adorable bride Laima as she ran her first half marathon. I didn’t get the opportunity to chat with them after the race, but I appreciated seeing Kovas several times on course and hoped Laima was enjoying herself. Kovas recently posted about the benefits of wine consumption, so he’s basically the bee’s knees as far as I’m concerned.
FUN: I’m running the Warrior Dash this weekend and would love some suggestions on costumes and strategy. Not to race…to survive.
MONKEY ON MY BACK: I signed up for another Ragnar Relay. Lisa recently asked me to join her team, and after getting Dave’s support, clearing my volunteering obligations and promising Adam that I wouldn’t race any leg, I agreed to run the 2nd annual Ragnar Relay Tennessee in November.

What’s the one thing you can’t say no to?
Maybe it’s your child, your spouse, your favorite food. For me, it’s these darn Ragnars, but if that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right.

It’s a wonderful life.

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:05:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, a man I dated for nearly 4 years ended his own life. He and I had talked about getting married and having a family. When the news reached me, I was really shocked, but more than that I was sad that the demons that haunted him years ago never left him. Three years into our relationship, a struggle with alcohol really began to manifest itself, and I tried very hard to help him through it. I was unsuccessful. When he drank, his personality would change. He would go from caring, loving and funny to verbally abusive, angry and unpredictable. After trying for a long time to nudge him away from drinking, I knew our paths had to go different ways. I ended our relationship, but he wouldn’t let it go. I was harassed on the phone, in messages on my machine and in person. One night, I was at home in my apartment and a friend that lived in the apartment downstairs was with me. This was the one and only time she was in my apartment. He was calling incessantly, and finally my friend grabbed the phone and said “Look, she doesn’t want to talk to you. It’s over.” I never heard from him again. I left him, all our friends, and started a new life.

What I didn’t expect was that 12 years later, I would speak with friends from that time, and learn about all the struggles gone through once I parted ways with that group. As we reconnected over his death, stories of other deaths, both self-inflicted and accidental, addictions, and family trouble came to the surface. I spoke with my ex’s current girlfriend, who is the younger sister of a schoolmate, for three hours on the phone one night, listening to where her life had gone the last several years, crying with her in hearing his story, and finally, realizing IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME. I feel guilty admitting that my tears were more of gratitude than sadness and loss.

So many times, we make decisions in our lives, and sometimes we’re not sure if we’ve made the right ones. Very rarely do people have the luxury of seeing the point at which their path forks, nor what the other road would have looked like. I have thought about my former friends and wondered where their lives took them. Their stories and this experience of glancing into the world of “what might’ve been” feels like I’m taking my own tour of my life with Clarence the angel, and I can pinpoint the fork of my life to an August night, wet with rain and tears, when I said goodbye…

So, I go back to saying that I feel more grateful than sad, and that the one hour that Angie spent in my apartment...the only hour she was in there in the 10 months we lived a staircase apart, is the hour that changed my life.

Stuff I Love: Ruu-Muu Dress Review (and a bonus!)

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:27:00 +0000

A while back, Nuu-Muu announced they were coming out with a dress with pockets as a response to their customers requests. I think we all know that I LOVE my Nuu-Muu running dresses! Additionally, the company is just fabulous. Nuu-Muu began in 2007 and is the collaboration of four hardworking people. They are a small business (love that!) that gives back to small organizations like Girls on the Run (which I volunteer for), and their company philosophies are so very admirable.

Both the Nuu-Muu and Ruu-Muu dresses are easy to care for (machine wash/hang dry) and constructed of a poly-lycra blend that is the softest fabric I’ve ever felt! After traveling and running two half marathons in both a Nuu-Muu and Ruu-Muu, I can say that:
• they are breathable, moisture-wicking & quick dry
• they do not wrinkle, no matter how you pack them!
• they do not chafe or cling and are so very comfortable the whole time
• they cover both my regular everyday, back-clasp, overhead and racerback bras
• you get all kinds of compliments, which totally gives you a nice ego-boost. Hey, I need one now and again!

The Rest of the Story
• Made in the U.S.A (every dress, every time)
• A-line cut that truly flatters (YES – even real bodies)
• Not see–through & not too thin (keeps your secrets – even wet)
• Nothing built in for maximum versatility, which means I can wear it with shorts, capris or leggings and whatever I want on top!

My first Nuu-Muu was this beautiful Whisper print.

My second Nuu-Muu was the Party Girl, that I purchased specifically for Disney Princess.

Once I heard that the Ruu-Muus were available, I knew I wanted to try one out. You may recall this post where I mentioned that my Fuel Belt looks absosmurfly ridiculous around the dress…something I didn’t realize until I got all the Disney Princess pictures back. Seriously- look up. Adorable dress…bad fanny pack. Well since I’m bound and determined not to repeat that look, I had a feeling that the Ruu-Muu would be a great solution for longer distance runs where I need to carry stuff. The fabulous Enid was delighted to send me one to review and I chose the beautiful Sahara. Since I’d already run a half in my Nuu-Muu, I didn’t hesitate to wear the Ruu-Muu for the Parke County Half Marathon over Memorial Day without having run in it first. I’m that confident in their dresses!

Cute from the front, right? Since I felt weird asking a stranger to take a picture of my backside, I’ll have to use Nuu-Muu’s stock images:

I was skeptical that the two pockets were going to feel bouncy and weigh me down once I put things in them. When I started out, I just had my Gu Chomps in there, but if you read my race report, you know that Parke County was the hottest half marathon ever, and was up there with my longest as well at 2:28. Over the course of that time, those pockets held my Droid, a full 16.9oz bottle of water, half a bag of Chomps and my mp3 player. It was AWESOME. The only caveat I have is that if you’re going to sweat like I did, put your phone in a plastic bag so that it stays dry. I didn’t expect my Ruu to be waterproof, so I was cautious about that. My phone doubles as a camera, but if you have a small camera, it would definitely fit in one of the pockets. The water bottle did bounce a little, but hi, it’s a water bottle! Overall I was very impressed with the construction of the pockets and the capacity that they held. I didn’t have all those things in the pockets for the duration of the race, but my Ruu certainly performed when I need it to. And that, my friends, is what our gear is supposed to do.

With the weather heating up, you need a Muu of your own!

Nuu-Muu has been generous to offer all of my readers $10 off a Nuu-Muu or Ruu-Muu purchase!

Visit Nuu-Muu’s shopping site to browse their beautiful dresses and use this code upon checkout:
Run4theMuu
for $10 off your order!

You can also visit Nuu-Muu on Facebook to join in the love.
Thank you, Nuu-Muu!

*Special thanks to Enid at Nuu-Muu for supporting my Muu addiction, being generally awesome and offering this discount to my readers. I was provided a Ruu-Muu to review at no charge. As always, the opinions expressed are unsolicited, honest and my own.

Why is there sand in my suitcase?

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:33:00 +0000

July has come and almost gone, and while I’ve been MIA from the blogging world, I have been very present, happy and adventurous in my real life. We’ve been traveling and away from home 16 days out of the past 26, spending time at the lake, with friends and most recently on the Gulf of Mexico on the Florida panhandle. During my time away, I celebrated an anniversary of sorts…I’ve now been running for a year with some sort of training plan. Ironically, though, I took my entire time at the beach off from running. I felt compelled to spend the time there with my family, building sandcastles, swimming in the ocean, body surfing, walking, and scouting for dolphins. I don’t regret a second of it. How could I?

A couple of weeks ago, Colleen, the Iron Diva, gave her readers the opportunity for some Q & A with her, then Chris K turned it into the “You Ask, I Answer” Blogger Award. In the last few weeks, the six degrees of blogger separation has reached me twice, first from Molly at I’m A Sleeper Baker (@MollySBaker) and most recently from Laima at Women’s Endurance Gear (@WomensEndurance). Thank you ladies!

Now’s your chance to ask me anything! I’m looking forward to the questions and getting back to blogging. I’ve got lots on my mind lately, lots of questions to ask and lots of thoughts to ponder. Part of this award is to tag 5 other bloggers, but since I’m getting to this so late, I’m afraid so many bloggers have already been tagged. I’ll take a stab at it and tag some fellow transplant and native southern ladies:

1. Pam at Life Began at Thirty
2. Lisa at Because I Can
3. Ashley at Redonkulous Runner
4. Elizabeth at Running for Bling
5. Amanda at 5 Miles Past Empty

Comment below and ask me whatever you feel compelled to ask. I'll answer in an upcoming post, and I promise it won't take me three weeks to push it out.
Ready, set, go!

Where I’ve been (and a winner!)

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:40:00 +0000

How lame of me to post an awesome SPIbelt giveaway and then disappear! I assure you I’ve been busy, and I’ll summarize.

Tuesday, June 21st: First day of summer – yay!! Jinx picked the longest day of the year to roll in deer crap – boo. Avery and I enjoyed some time outside anyway.

Wednesday, June 22nd: Avery turned 4 (!!!!) and we celebrated with balloons and streamers and cake!
Her grandparents sent her a Moby Wrap for her babies (shown here with Ellie), and she loves it! I used to carry her around in a Moby. I loved it, too.
Apparently our singing really sucked, though. Must work on that.
How is it possible that I have a 4-year-old? I feel like her tiny years are slipping away from me and I can’t make them slow down. I hope and pray everyday that we’re doing a good job as parents.

Thursday, June 23rd – Sunday, June 26th: I started the day with a great 10 mile run, and then our family left to head up to Center Hill Lake for the weekend with Dave’s coworkers. You may be thinking how awful it sounds to spend an entire weekend with your husband’s coworkers, but he works with the best bunch of people and I look forward to this every year. They are more like extended family. In previous years we have rented a houseboat, but this year we opted for a house with a beautiful view similar to this.
We ate delicious food, drank (maybe more than some of us needed to!), laughed, had living room dance parties, played dice and poker, and taught Avery how to float in the lake. She also had her first waverunner ride and drove a deck boat. It was a perfect weekend and seemed to go by too fast.

Monday, June 27th: Oops. I did it again.

I registered a team for Ragnar Relay Florida Keys in January from Miami to Key West. Oh, it’s going to be awesome. I seriously have a Ragnar addiction. Is there a 12 step program for that?

Tuesday, June 28th: I enjoyed a short tempo run while Avery tapped and danced ballet. I’m pretty sure there is nothing cuter than tiny ones tap dancing, twirling and doing yoga.

Today! Finally! Had an awesome weight training session and brought my speedwork outside for the first time so I could run the intervals with my running buddy. Normally I do them on the treadmill at 1% incline so I can control the pace, but I have a mostly flat stretch out here (~230 ft. of elevation gain/loss) so I thought we'd give it a try.

The Run Less, Run Faster plan was 2 x (6 x 400) with 1:30RI.
We were limited on time, so we did 2 x (4 x 400) instead.

GOAL: 2:02 (8:08 pace)
First set: 1:48 / 1:53 / 1:58 / 2:02
Second set: 2:04 / 1:59 / 2:02 / 1:56
We ran them a little fast, but we did our best and went mostly by feel. I actually loved running them outside and think we’ll be doing that every week from now on! I’m excited about it.

AND NOW! Thanks to everyone that entered to win the awesome SPIbelt! I had just shy of 100 entries. Normally I would use random.org to select a random number from the list of comments, but I just can’t help but think that’s not truly random. My assistant and her canine supervisor decided to do it the old fashioned way.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ERIN @ GO (SUPER) MAMA GO!
Erin, email me at jill.runforthehills{at}gmail.com and we’ll get you your SPIbelt!

Which is a better way to select randomly: random.org or Great Dane/kid combo?

Where do you run your speedwork?

How was your weekend? Do you own a boat on a lake? Will you be my best friend?

The SPI who loved me. (I loved it back.)

noreply@blogger.com (Jill@Run for the Hills) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 03:36:00 +0000

About a month ago, another blogger had hosted a giveaway for a SPIbelt, and after seeing my most unflattering photos with my fanny-pack Fuel Belt (no offense), I decided I needed to find another method of carrying my Droid and fuel during long runs. It wasn’t all about vanity…the pouch allowed moisture into my phone, and because it’s slippery and my running clothes are wicking and slippery, it was just a whole slippery-sliding disaster and I am constantly fidgeting with it trying to get it to stay put. It was not a match made in heaven. When I posted on SPIbelt’s Facebook page that I was entering the giveaway and wanting to try one out, Deb offered to send me one of my own! I couldn’t believe it, but was so very grateful.
After having to coach me way more than she probably anticipated via email – seriously, I emailed her 5 times and she was as patient as a teacher - Debbie sent me the Water-Resistant Energy SPIBelt (pronounced SPY and yep, I had to ask!) with an interior waterproof bag for those days that I’m out in sketchy weather. I received it just in time for Ragnar and used it on all three running legs, totaling 15.5 miles in about 21 hours.
My verdict? This thing rocks!! In fact, I thought it was so great that it went right to the wall of fame on my sidebar of Stuff I Love. I also felt compelled to tell SPIbelt immediately.
The SPI is constructed of this magnificent stretchy fabric that is flexible enough to accommodate my Droid, which is basically the size of a small laptop, let’s face it. I tend to sweat a lot and as I said, have had problems in the past with moisture seeping into my Fuel Belt pouch. I wanted to avoid that, so I put my phone in the waterproof bag each time. Since it takes me the better part of a mile to get comfortable with my Fuel Belt, I assumed there would be a similar learning curve with the SPI, but I’ve got to say, I put it on and it didn’t budge. SPIbelt DID NOT bounce, ride up or slide down. I didn’t have the opportunity to use the energy gel feature, but I plan to on my next long run. It’s a really neat feature!

SPIbelt (Small Personal Item) started in 2007 after founder Kim knew there had to be a better way to carry her keys than in her sports bra. I, for one, am thrilled she figured it out. The company has a wide range of product offerings including reflective and dual-pocket belts, belts specifically for kids (think diabetic pumps and epipens!) and SPIbands for your arm. Perpetual free shipping, a 100% satisfaction guarantee and products made in the USA sweeten the deal. SPIbelt also has a heart of gold and the main part of it’s mission is “to build a company with core values of compassion and honesty towards each other, our customers and the community.” I am impressed.

I’m so glad that SPIbelt was generous enough to make me a believer, and they’re wanting to make one of you a believer too. The SPI can love all of us!

THE GIVEAWAY
One of you will win a SPIbelt of your choice. (You may or may not require selection coaching as I did.)

Please leave a comment for each entry. Enter as many ways as you'd like:
- Be a follower (otherwise how will you know you won?)

- Make a donation HERE in support of my fundraising efforts for the kiddos of St. Jude Research Hospital for my first marathon (Thank you in advance! Every dollar truly helps.)

- Like SPIbelt on Facebook and leave them a comment letting them Jill @ Run for the Hills sent you. (+1)

- Follow SPIbelt on Twitter (+1)
-S hare this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Twitter. If you tweet, please include @SPIbelt and @iRunForTheHills in your tweet. (+1 for each)
- Visit SPIbelt’s website HERE and tell me what you like. (+1)
- Tell me the most ridiculous way you’ve carried something on your run. Key tied to your shoelace? The ol’ sweaty $5 in your bra? Let’s all have a laugh. (+1 entry. Multiple chuckles.)

Giveaway will run until June 28th
and a winner will be selected randomly on the 29th.
Good luck!