What I Hated About My Vacation

A week ago my husband and I took our first vacation in three years, without the kids. We chose to visit a small town in Vermont that was only a 3 1/2 hour drive from our house. It was great not to have to rush to get on a plane. On our trip, we took a falconry course, did some shopping at the factory outlets, took a glass blowing class, went to an amusement park, made a couple of visits to the hotel’s spa and just relaxed.

Learning the art of falconry.

My very first time blowing glass.

Sounds amazing, right? What’s not to love? I actually feel awful saying there was a part of this vacation that I didn’t like, but it’s true.  Sadly, what I didn’t love was the food. And I love food. But seven nights of eating out simply killed my stomach. At home, I cook pretty healthy and we only have dessert once a week. Unfortunately, restaurants don’t cook like I do. Almost every dish in a restaurant is cooked with a combination of butter and oil. Add some wine and a dessert for seven consecutive evenings and you have a recipe for daily upset stomachs (and a few extra pounds!). We did enjoy some great restaurants on our vacation but almost every evening I was curled up in a ball with a stomach ache.

My new enemies – wine, butter and oil.

I left for vacation a little under the weather from an ulcerative colitis standpoint. But I came back with a full-blown attack. A whole week of eating out simply did me in. I brought back some great vacation souvenirs – new clothes, self-made glass pieces and maple syrup. And one not so great – a flare up. Now I’m running to the bathroom a couple of times a day (including in an auto-body shop on Thursday – gross but you do what you have to, right?).  As always, I’m hoping for a quick recovery. Cross your fingers for me!

-By Gia

Angie’s Half Crazy Half Marathon

Ok, so this is a (very, very) late race report but better late than never right?!?

Angie’s Half Crazy Half Marathon was my last half-marathon for the season. It was held on April 7th and it started earlier than all of my other races, 6:30 am, but I understood why as it was a HOT race. I saw people at the start line wearing pants and long sleeve shirts and thought to myself “they are going to regret it”. Although it did get pretty hot, upper 80’s, I saw people pushing through in their warm running clothes all the way to the finish line, amazing.

I can’t imagine how HOT she was by the time she finished

About the race: The course was a loop that starts in Clear Lake, passes through three different cities, and by the Lyndon B Johnson Space Center. Parts of it were scenic and the rest of it was on main highways and roads. It was a flat, fast course with unfortunately little shade.

This is the first race of the season that I knew I was running alone. The friend I had signed up with notified me the week of the race that she wasn’t able to make it. Since I had pretty much run the last two races alone I wasn’t worried. I was actually looking forward to running alone, something that I never thought I would love. The past two races brought out my real joy of running and for the first time in years I felt happy and comfortable completing 13.1 miles without having someone to talk to or music to listen to. I really felt like a runner.

I got to the race early and was surprised by the crowd. This race was over double the size of my past two races (around 950 people) and the lines for the bathroom were insane. Luckily, I was able to go and make it to the start line 4 minutes before the start, whew.

The race started before the sun came up so it felt great to get moving and warm up. The first few miles felt pretty slow, I think because it was still dark. When I looked at my watch and realized I had been keeping a pace in the low 10’s I felt a lot better.

Starting before the sun came up

As the sun came up my pace did actually slow down a little. I slowed partly because it was hot and partly because I really wanted to enjoy this race and scenery. I took extra time to enjoy peeking through the fence at the Space Center, to take in the views over Clear Lake and enjoy the scenery in all the parks we ran by. This race was more about my love of running and being outdoors than getting another medal and competing against my best finish time. This race was just for ME and I enjoyed every.single.minute of it.

I finished the race with a time of 2:19:13, 10:38/M pace (10:31 pace according to my Garmin). I treated myself to an after race massage and even enjoyed a few Girl Scout Cookies J

p.s. There was a really cute proposal at the beginning of the race!

She said YES

End note: As I was writing this post I got very nostalgic about this past running season. The 2012-13 season was my second season of long races, although I have been running for 5 years. I found that I truly LOVE running and it is no longer just a way for met to get and stay in shape. I am sad that there will be no more long races for a couple of months. I can’t wait until next season rolls around and I am able to run some of my favorite races again. Until then, I’ll be training for my first Triathlon!

by: Cara

2013 Seabrook Lucky Trails Half Marathon

It’s been weeks since I posted and this race report is now two weeks late, oops! Better late than never I guess 😉

March 16th was the 10th annual Seabrook Lucky Trails Half Marathon / Relay / Marathon weekend. Yes – this is a weekend long event! Saturday is the half marathon / half marathon relay event and Sunday is another half-marathon / half marathon relay with a full marathon / full marathon relay added. Since I don’t actually want to destroy my body I decided to only participate in one day’s events and chose the Saturday half marathon.

Race morning: Like many race morning this one did not start off as planned. My stomach had been really bothering me the day before so I was extra nervous about this race. I also hadn’t run much since my last half marathon so I was nervous about racing in the heat with a lack of training. But, I am stubborn so I got up for the race anyway!

Since the race was an hour away I waited until I got to the event to eat my pre-race Cliff bar. I am glad I waited because it went right through me, ugh. Within a few minutes of eating the Cliff bar I had to use the lovely port-a-potty. I had already “gone” once that morning at the house so I didn’t expect to have to go again so quickly. My morning stomach issues put a little fear in me about the race. For the first time I was glad it was a loop course because I could easily stop half way through the race and not have to be transported to the end of the course (it was a two loop course where you passed the finish line twice).

Around 6:15, right before my bathroom issue, I received a text from my friend (and the person that made me sign up for the race) that she just woke up; the race is an hour away from her house! I had run races alone before but I was really looking forward to having someone to talk to keep my mind off of my stomach and help push me along if I needed it. I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from at least starting the race; the only failure is in not starting.

Thankfully, I had a wonderful race.

Some of the fun signs along the race

I found out that I LOVE trail runs. The race went by a residential neighborhood then onto the trail with a few miles around water in the middle of it. The quiet, beautiful scenery was a great distraction and I ended up not minding the loops at all.

There were water / Gatorade stations every 1 to 1.5 miles but there were only two port-a-potty spots on the route. Because of this I was a little scared to eat anything during the race in fear that it would go right through me and I wouldn’t have anywhere to go. I ended up taking one GU around mile 8 where I knew a bathroom would be close. My stomach didn’t love the idea of the GU but luckily I was in need of the calories and energy so I was able to hold off going until the end of the race.

Results: I finished in an amazing time of 2:15:45 (10:21 min / mile pace). I wasn’t expecting a great race due to the heat, loop course, rougher than normal terrain and my oh so fun stomach issues. But, in spite of it all I still made it close (less than 2 minutes) to my PR at the Jail Break Half Marathon a couple of weeks before.

I am still in disbelief of the times on my past two races.

I have two running races left this year: Crescent City Classic 10k in New Orleans this weekend and Angie’s Half Crazy Half Marathon the weekend after. After that I ONLY have my first Sprint Triathlon in June to train for!

By: Cara

Jail Break Half Marathon: Sick, Lost, and a PR!

I woke up Saturday morning feeling alright but not great. I decided I’d at least start the race and if I didn’t feel like I could finish it was OK.

The only failure is not starting.

The Jail Break Half Marathon started at 7:30 am at the Baytown Police Station, almost an hour away. I had to be there early to pick up my packet so I was up at 5 am and in my car by 5:30. At 6:15 I exited the freeway at Main St., following my directions, then drove, and drove, and drove looking for the police station. It was only supposed to be about 5 minutes off of the freeway and I knew I couldn’t have missed a parking lot full of cop cars and eager runners.

I decided to stop at a gas station to ask for directions.

Warning: You will get VERY weird, scary looks from a gas station employee when you ask where the police station is at 6:30 in the morning!

The gas station employee was no help. He said he wasn’t from the area and had no idea where the police station was; I think he was just scared about why I was asking. I decided to just plug the address into the GPS – duh! The GPS told me to get back on the freeway and go up a couple of exits to the N. Main exit; I was at the W. Main exit.

Why are there two main streets within a few exits of each other in Baytown?

After finally parking a few blocks away and reaching packet pickup I meet up with my friend at 6:45. I tell her about getting lost and how I am happy I still have some time before the race starts to get ready and relax a bit – or so I thought. She nicely informs me that the race starts at 7 am and has now idea why I thought it started at 7:30 – I don’t know why I thought that either.

All smiles before the race

The Jail Break Half Marathon course was an out and back loop including running to the top of the Fred Hartman Bridge (remember this from the
La Porte Half Marathon).

When the race started I was still stuffy and a little cold but I figured I had made it to the start and the weather was nice (starting in the 40’s and only heating up to the 50’s) so I might as well run. I started out a little fast running with my friend but quickly slowed down reminding myself that I had to run “my race” and not overdo it in the beginning (something I used to be VERY guilty of).

When I run I don’t look at my pace, the mileage, or my time. I have my watch set up to beep at me for a 5 minute run interval followed by a 1 minute walk interval. I keep the display on my heart rate. I run as hard or easy as I feel like while keeping an eye on my heart rate to see how hard I am pushing myself. In my last two half marathons I have finished within one minute of my PR and within seconds between the both race times. I never looked at my pace/time/mileage on either of those races.

At the second mile my friend left me for a bathroom break (which I didn’t have to visit thanks to Imodium). By the time I got to the bridge at mile 5 I was feeling great and decided to be daring and run up it- my glutes are killing me now! I saw my friend running up as I was running down and I thought I must be running really slow if she has almost caught up to me, but I kept going. After the bridge the race went thought the Baytown park, which was the only scenic part of the run, and then back on the streets for the last 4 miles.

The last 3 miles too FOREVER; I really felt like the mileage markers were off. My watch was beeping at me for the intervals and I lost count of how many run/walks it was taking me to go from one mile marker to another (it usually took two). Finally, I looked at my watch after the 12 mile marker to see how many intervals I had completed throughout the race – 22. I did the math and realized that was only 126 minutes, 2 hours and 6 minutes. I was convinced my watch was wrong. The miles were dragging on and I knew I was running slow throughout the race. I thought the watch must have miscalculated somehow but it’s ok because I would get my real time when I finish the race.

I was ESTATIC to see the finish line. I enjoyed the race but was ready for it to be over. I sprinted the last 0.1 mile and happily stopped my watch without paying attention to the time (I had set it back to watching my heart rate). I walked around the finish line to cheer my friend in and then I saw it. The finish line clock read 2:16! I knew that clock had to be right and that meant that I had finished the race in under 2:16! I had killed my previous half marathon PR of 2:24:24. Two minutes later my friend crossed the finish line; she also destroyed her previous PR by almost 20 minutes.

My official chip time was 2:14:14. I still don’t know how I ran an average of 10:14 minutes/mile. I am not sure if I will ever be able to beat this new PR but I have two half marathons left this season (March 16th and April 7th) to try!

We’re innocent!

By: Cara

You do this for FUN?!?

I receive the daily Living Social emails and usually just delete them (yes I know I can unsubscribe but that takes effort!). As I was going through my emails last week one of the daily deals caught my attention. The subject of the Living Social email was “Colon-Hydrotherapy Treatment”. What?!? The description of this deal read:

“You may have just gotten a promotion, bought a new boat, or gone on vacation, but digestive difficulties have a way of casting a pall that’s difficult to escape. Try to eliminate your issues with today’s deal from D-A-N Wellness Clinic: Pay $35 (regularly $99) for one colon-hydrotherapy session, or get three of them for $99 (regularly $297)….”

The company’s website states that they “bring elegance, simplicity and dignity to colon hydrotherapy”. They will happily “irrigate and evacuate the contents of the bowel“.

Really? You want me to pay $35 ($99 without this deal) for you to shove a tube up my butt and evacuate my bowel. No thank you. I can’t believe people pay (a lot of money) to voluntarily do this. I even remember seeing a Shah’s of Sunset episode (yes I sadly watched the show) where one of the guys paid for colon hydrotherapy (colonics) for his female friend for her birthday as a way to help her lose weight. Seriously, people are crazy – or stupid – or both.

I am still in shock over this colonics craze. Having something shoved up my but is not my idea of fun and it doesn’t sound like a great way to cleanse myself or lose weight! I bet none of the people who pay for “colon irrigation” have IBD!

by: Cara

Hey Doc, A Diagnosis Would Be Fantastic. Thanks.

I feel sick. Like UC sick. I won’t go into my symptoms in case you are eating (or live with me), but it’s no fun. And my doctor, well, he’s convinced it’s NOT a flare up. Since he just did a colonoscopy and saw an uninflamed colon, he says it can’t be a flare up. Plus, according to my doctor, I’m not presenting with “normal” symptoms. Whatever that means.

This all started immediately after my colonoscopy. At first, I just thought it had irritated my colon and that the uncomfortableness would go away in a few days. I called my doctor when it didn’t. So he increased my Asacol and asked me to wait a week. I still felt the same. Next he ordered blood work. Nothing. No flare-up here. And I was getting worse. He suggested it could be my diet, even though I haven’t changed anything. Now he has ordered stool samples. I’m working on those now (I need to give him three). He’s testing for a variety of things, from Giardia to IBS.

I am confused. I am frustrated. I am annoyed. But most of all, I am simply eager for a diagnosis. What’s going on? Why do I feel like I’m having a flare-up when I’m not? Anyone else have this experience? What was the outcome? Any tips?

By: Gia

Gotta Run: 2nd Half Marathon and it’s only January!

This race could have been a disaster. I almost didn’t even start this race. But, I started and finished the race. I even got within a minute of my half marathon PR (personal record) again – frustrating!

I had been feeling bad all week. My stomach was good some days and HORRIBLE others. I was tired, stressed, and generally not feeling well.

I felt the worst on Saturday morning. I went to bed early Friday night and could barely get out of bed when my daughter woke up at 8am. Since my husband ignored me (he says he was sleeping and didn’t hear me – I beg to differ) when I asked him to get her, I reluctantly got up. I played with her for a little bit (she played and I laid on the sofa), fed her breakfast, and stared at my food trying to entice myself to eat. By the time breakfast was over all I wanted to do was crawl back in bed. My husband had joined us at the table and I told him there was no way I could make it to our daughter’s music class; he would have to take her alone. Luckily, he is a great father, once he is awake, and had no problem taking care of her all morning. The second he left the house I crawled back in bed and passed out. I NEVER do this. I never go back to bed 2 hours after I get up. Once I am up, I am up. This is when I really started dreading the race on Sunday.

After my 2 hour morning nap I felt better. I don’t know if my body was tired or if something else was going on but I wasn’t going to question it. My stomach wasn’t hurting too bad and I was actually hungry. I ate lunch, went to the bathroom, and felt even better! I told my husband I would watch our daughter for the rest of the day so he could hang out with one of his friends – I almost felt normal again.

By 10pm my stomach pain had gone and I decided I would set my alarm for the race and see how I felt in the morning. I gathered all my clothes and gear for the race and took out the Imodium. I knew there was no way I was going to run without my bathroom stopping pills Sunday.

When my alarm went off Sunday morning I was not 100% but I knew I could at least start the race. I knew the guys who would be in the SAG (“sagging behind”) wagon so if I couldn’t finish the race I at least knew who would be picking my pain in the but up!

Now onto the race report:

Sunday I completed the USA Fit Half Marathon, “Everyone’s Race”. This race has an 8 hour marathon time limit which is why it is “everyone’s race” – even walkers can officially cross the finish line and receive their well-deserved medal: )

All weekend I was hoping that the weather would cooperate for this race, unlike my first half marathon of the year. The race started at 7 am and the weather was in the mid 70’s, overcast and there was a light breeze. If the temperature was a little cooler it would have been perfect running weather, at least for the first half of the race. By the time I hit the 7th mile the cloud cover had gone and it was hot, sunny and the temperature had moved into the 80’s. The route was mostly through new residential neighborhoods which meant almost no tree cover (sadly they cut most of them down to build the communities). I ended up with slight sunburn from the race; something I never expected from a half marathon in January!

I started off the race with my running partner and we quickly picked up two other runners in the first mile. We were all keeping a great 11:50 minute pace (with 5 minute run and 1 minute walk intervals) but my running partner decided to slow down after the 4th mile. I ran the next two miles with the other runners but then they also decided to slow it down a bit. It was hot, my stomach was still cooperating, and I had no intention of slowing down. The faster I finished the race the faster I got out of the hot sun and could stop worrying if my stomach was going to but in the way (pun intended).

The last half of the race I ran alone and I loved every.single.minute of it! It was a small race and the second half of the route was decently quiet (very few spectators) so it was pretty much me and the road. I felt peaceful and relaxed. I felt like I used to when I ran before I got sick. I felt amazing.

When I got close to the finish line I started looking for my husband and daughter to cheer me in. I kept looking and looking and then I crossed the finish line. Once I receive my medal and looked at my watch I knew why they weren’t there – I told them I wouldn’t finish for another 15-30 minutes! They showed up a couple of minutes later and we had a great time at the after party. The three of us shared some Papa John’s pizza, chocolate chip cookies and even something a little healthy – a banana. I felt so good after the race that I even joined my husband Sunday night for a 3 mile run before dinner!

The finish line AFTER I crossed. My husband took the picture anticipating my arrival!

Finished. My 2nd half marathon in 2013!
Me, my running partner, and my daughter

Here are my stats from the race (age group 30-39):

6 mile split: place 117, time 1:10:04, 11:41 minutes/mile

7.1 mile split: place 59, time 1:14:59, 10:34 minutes/mile

Overall: place 85 (out of 193), time 2:25:13

The very TEXAS medal from the USA Fit Sugar Land Half Marathon and my almost full running plaque

Now the race plaque I just put up a few months ago is almost full! Any suggestions on what to do with my next set of medals and race bibs?!?

By: Cara

I might have lost it

My mind that is. My husband thinks I’ve lost my mind but I think I actually found it!

2009 was the first year I really picked up running. I ran for the normal Houston training season – July thru January – and then quit. I had completed my first (and only to date) marathon and I was sore and a little burnt out.

After my first Marathon – January 17, 2010

I took it easy for the next couple of months and only ran a few miles once, maybe twice, a week. When the 2010 training season came around I was 2 months pregnant and lazy! I signed up for the training season with the hopes that I would at least run the first few races and then maybe join the walking group in the last few months of my pregnancy – fail. I made it out to the first two runs of the season and never came back. I didn’t run in the 2010 or 2011 seasons but was more than ready when 2012 came around.

2012 was an amazing running season for me. I have truly loved the half marathon races I have participated in. Since my last race was rainy and wet and I still finished close to my PR (personal record) I decided I really want to keep running past the normal Houston training season. As of last week I had one half marathon left for the season, the USA Fit Half Marathon on Sunday, and I was not happy about it.

2012 Racing Year in Review

Luckily, my running partner and another good friend of mine are crazy like me and want to keep up our running momentum. As of today I have signed up for 4 half marathons and a 10k between now and April!

Here are my upcoming races:

January 27 – USA Fit Half Marathon (Sugar Land, TX)

February 16 – Jail Break Run Half Marathon (Baytown, TX)

March 16 – Seabrook Lucky Trail Half Marathon (Seabrook, TX)

March 30 – Crescent City Classic 10k (New Orleans, LA)

April 7 – Angie’s Half Crazy Half Marathon (Clear Lake, TX)

There aren’t many half marathons in Texas after April so this may be the end of my long distance races until the fall. But, my husband and I always run the Impact A Hero 5k in May and there is the 16th Annual Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Tri in June….

Gotta Run: The Houston Triple

I finished! 2013 was the first year for the Houston Triple and I am happy that I was able to complete the challenge; my husband even joined me for one of the runs!

The word triple is a little deceiving because it is only two races but you receive three medals if you complete both. I am a sucker for race bling so of course I signed up for the challenge.

ABB 5K: On Saturday my husband and I had a fun time running in the first Saturday ABB 5k (used to be held on Sunday with the marathon and half marathon). The temperature was in the 40’s and it was overcast for the entire race – perfect running conditions. It was a very crowded 5k with over 3000 participants completing an out and back course through downtown Houston. I took it pretty easy on this run since I had the half marathon the next day and because my husband is a lot slower than me! We finished in a little over 41 minutes (13.19 min/mile pace) and I happily watched as my husband took off at the end and beat me to the finish line. I wanted to save all the energy I had for the “real” race :).

ABB 5k

Houston Aramco Half Marathon: Sunday the weather was horrendous not ideal. It was already raining by the time I arrived at the George R. Brown Convention Center at 5:30 am. The temperature was in the low 40’s with 15mph winds – chilly, windy, and wet. Luckily, I was wearing my wonderful CW-X capris – I cannot say enough good things about them – and I had brought my wind jacket. I actually debated leaving my jacket behind and just wearing a long sleeve shirt but the wise Dr. Tom advised that the wind jacket would be very helpful. The only thing I didn’t have was a poncho but a nice runner from my running club gave me her extra one. I even had gloves but for some reason I put them in my checked race bag – kind of a big mistake.

When I lined up for the race at 6:45 am the weather started to change, for the worse. By the time I crossed the start line around 7:15 am (race started at 7:00) it was pouring. The light drizzle had turned into a downpour but it was too late to turn back now! At the first mile my shoes were soaked, I couldn’t feel my hands (remember no gloves), and I was running with my arms inside the poncho to help keep myself from getting completely soaked. The first 2 miles of the race were almost my fastest miles because I just wanted to get the race over!

Around the third mile the rain started to lighten back up to a drizzle and I actually started to enjoy myself. I was using my 5 minute run 1 minute walk method and keeping a great pace (around 11:25 min/mile). I had feeling back in my hands, my arms were swinging freely outside the poncho and my shoes were starting to dry out.

I was enjoying the run so much for the next 2 miles that the race gods had to step in – downpour again – ugh. Thankfully I hadn’t taken off my poncho (it hadn’t really stopped raining) so I bundled my arms back up inside and kept going. Mile 5 down. Mile 6 down.

Finally, during mile 7 the rain lightened up and it eventually stopped by mile 8. It was still in the low 40’s and the wind was blowing but I was so happy that the rain had stopped I didn’t even notice how cold it was.

At mile 9 the half marathon runners split off from the marathon runners and this is when I got my wonderful second wind. I threw away my poncho and with a smile on my face picked up my speed.

Somewhere during mile 10 I ran into a very special person from my past – my old personal trainer Tony. He was the person that originally inspired me to run back in 2008 and the reason I was out there running today. As it says in on my Gotta Run page, I used to hate running. I trained with Tony for a little over a year and by the time he was done with me I was a runner. I ran my first half marathon while training with him then went on to complete my first marathon a couple of months later. I was beyond excited to see him, especially since I had no idea he would be on the course. Seeing and talking with him gave me all the energy I needed to finish strong – and I did!

The last few miles of the race flew by. I felt light and full of energy and I started passing people right and left. My husband and daughter were waiting for me a couple hundred feet from the finish line and I LOVED seeing their smiling faces right before I turned the corner to cross the finish mat. I ran the last 1 1/2 miles around a 9:30 pace to finish the half marathon with a time of 2:25:21 (11:06 min/mile average pace) – less than 1 minute past my PR despite the horrible, no good weather – wohoo!

After the race was over I spent some time in the convention center eating a much deserved ice cream sandwich and collecting my medal and finisher’s t-shirt. I then called my husband to meet up and he laughed when I asked him if it was cold out or if I could just walk out in my t-shirt and capris – I had no idea it was still cold because my body had been numb from the wet run! Since it was still very chilly outside (which I realized the second I opened the doors of the convention center) we didn’t hand out at the after party for too long. I picked up my Houston Triple medal and gladly went home to take a nice hot shower, have some warm soup for lunch and take a nap.

Although the weather was awful for the first half of the half marathon, I still really enjoyed the race. I love running and I love it even better when I am healthy (not stopping multiple times to go to the bathroom). I am thankful I was able to run two races this past weekend and I can’t wait until my next half marathon, USA Fit Sugar Land Half Marathon, in less than two weeks!

Aramco Houston Half Marathon DONE

Houston Triple Medals

She loves the BLING too!

by: Cara

Finished!

Colonoscopy, age 33: Done. (Yeah!)

Approximately 60 more to go. (Boo.)

Everything went well and it seems as though I have less inflammation than normal (could it be the probiotics?). I had my first polyp removed. Didn’t get to meet him (yes, it’s a boy), but named him Frank.

Oh, and the prep was AWFUL. Comes in second to my first time (see previous post). So glad it’s over … until next year.

-By Gia