Flying Pig Marathon …. A Pigcredible Race

Posted on May 5, 2016 by tootallfritz

The Flying Pig Marathon was my 32nd marathon. Let it suffice to say that I know a good race from a bad one and I’d put Flying Pig at the top. This was definitely one of the best races I’ve ran to date. I’d go back to run the hills of Cincinnati anytime. They did an amazing job with a lot of people, in very warm conditions. Plus I’d like to shout out kudos to the communities, all of whom embraced this race as their own and were PROUD to showcase their town, their neighborhoods and they brought fun, food, music & games curbside for the runners to enjoy. Incredible, Cincinnati, absolutely incredible. Thanks for letting me run YOUR town.

The theme this year was “Get Oinked for Life”. As I understand it, they have a different piggy theme each year. But the swag is always amazing. This year they gave a gender specific tee, poster, gym bag (with yoga mat holder) & a buff at the finish line. I’ve seen finisher hats in years previous but it was a buff this year.

Nice sized expo with lots of Flying Pig logo’d merchandise. I normally don’t buy much from the expo but I had a feeling this was going to be a great race so I grabbed a visor & an insolated water bottle, which was a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati.

Lots of piggy photo ops too. If you didn’t get your pic with one of the many cool looking piggies, then really, can we even be friends? Get excited, people! Have some fun! WhoooHoooo! Me & Lindsay Glitter Girl on the Run leaving the expo on the right. Pigs FLY in Cincinnati! Yes, they do. And thanks, Lindsay for being excited about all the cool piggies! Smile

This race was much larger than I anticipated so getting to the start & into the corrals on Sunday morning was a bigger process than I anticipated. We had plenty of time but there were a lot of people (over 39,692 participants for the entire weekend)! I said goodbye to Lindsay as she went into our corral. Pre-race selfie with Lindsay below!

Her run plan was to crush the hills. My run plan was to 1) not let the hills crush me, 2) have fun, 3) find some bacon, & 4) run with my friends! So I went back a corral to be with friends and hope that they would walk up some of the hills with me! Found Julie B at waiting for us at the entrance to Corral F! Julie B, Tamyra & I walking up one of the bridge inclines around mile 3. All smiles.

The sun was coming up. The fog was lifting. It was turning into a glorious day and we were all happy to be in Cincinnati to Fly with the Pigs!

I found bacon immediately within the first couple miles (blurry pic but I was excited!!). Then I found Elvis. We ran in and out of Cincinnati several times. Over 3 different bridges, past a few more.

Past Horseshoe Casino & into Eden Park. The views in Eden Park were breathtaking. It was hard not to linger and enjoy the view. Most everyone was stopping for pics & I love to see that. Runners ENJOYING the race vs zooming past all the cool stuff!

We said goodbye to Eden’s park, passed under a cool footbridge & headed to the split for the half & full marathons.

The split was huge. There were 12,532 half marathoners (including walkers) and they split at an intersection with one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever seen (pic below). Then the full marathon continued and had 3,861 finishers (including walkers). I would like to note that the full initially had 4,737 registered runners. Not sure how many bowed out or dropped to the half pre-race but the conditions got very tough and a lot of people were not able to finish. I really hope that we didn’t lose 850+ people over that last half of the race. That’s a big discrepancy in registered vs finished.

After we dropped the half runners, we started to stretch out and head toward the neighborhoods. There are a lot of races where I’d tell you to stick with the half. So many races put all the sites & fun in the first half because the number of half runners always trumps the full marathoners by a lot. They focus on those runners and then just stretch out the course for those of us who “have to” run the 26.2 distance. Cincinnati was NOT like that. There was plenty to see and fun to be had in the last half of the race. Plus, I’ve honestly never seen as better proration of volunteers to runners. Even the people who didn’t volunteer in an official capacity brought the party to the curb as we passed thru their neighborhood.

I’ve never ran a race with so much entertainment. Live music. Boom boxes. Car radios. Bubble Machines. Mini Basketball stations. Cheerleaders. Singers. Bands. Children cheering and high fiving. Mascots. Fun, fun, FUN!

I’ve never ran a road race with so many food stations. Bacon. Need I say more? Chocolate. Hershey Kisses. York Peppermint Patties (Pig Mints!!). Graham Crackers. Chocolate Graham Crackers. Twizzlers. Pretzels. Oranges. Watermelon. Fruit cups. Swedish Fish. Pringles. Trail Mix. Candy.

I’ve never ran a race with the level of community support that I saw in Cincinnati. Full on block parties. Lots of drinking in the early a.m. More piggy decorations than I knew to exist. Beer shots. Mimosas. Margaritas. Music. Cheers. Laughter. Painted streets. Encouragement galore. And dogs. If you love dogs as much as Cincinnati loves pigs, then you will be in heaven. Big dogs. Little dogs. Old dogs. Puppies!! Fat dogs. Skinny dogs. Hairy dogs. Friendly dogs. Scared dogs. LOL! I loved the Cincy dogs as much as I loved the people!!

The race stretched out. Hill after hill. Big hills. Little hills. But always hills. Hard race. Don’t let all the fun deter from the hills cuz Cincinnati is know for hills more than fun. There was over a 1000 feet of climbing and just as much descending (ironically not much more climbing than in Olathe KS for the Garmin Marathon that we thought was flat & fast!).

Our turnaround point was the Village of Mariemont. Cute community! By this time, I was soaked. It was hot. Full sun. I was dumping water on my head & I was drenched. So, no pics by me but I grabbed this from the Mariemont Inn website because I wanted you to have a small taste of Mariemont. The entire area was just this awesome.

By the time we got to Mariemont and were headed back to the City, the temps were soring and the runners were starting to suffer. Some had been suffering for quite some time. I was hearing a lot of ambulance sirens. I was worried about those around me. I was doing okay but going at a very pedestrian pace. Lots of walking. Lots of water intake. Lots of electrolyte intake. I hit every sprinkler and loved the Cintas station that set up with icy cold towels, dry towels and full water hoses with shower heads! About the time things started to get really bad, race officials had gotten ice and were bringing it back to runners. They had gators loaded with cases of water, huge bags of ice and were proactively headed from the finish back toward the runners still on course. I was very impressed that although they had not planned for the higher temps, they were proactive and did what they could to help the suffering runners. That’s a great race organization that is able to react quickly to a less than ideal situation.

There were also about 30 bike support people on course who were watching the runners very closely. They had supplies on their bike and would go get something a runner needed. Med & aid stations toward the end were stocked with margarita shot blocks with extra salt, Coca Cola and things that we normally don’t see at road races. I was very, VERY impressed with the Flying Pig Marathon. I will definitely go back and run it again.

Registration for 2017 is now open. You can register HERE for the May 7, 2017 marathon for $70 (or the half for $60) thru May 15, 2016. Get Oinked for Life!

I’m headed into triathlon season now. My next marathon will be on October 1st in Fort Wayne, IN. The Fort4Fitness event that I’ve loved since its inception in 2008 is offering its first ever marathon and I can’t wait to run in my back yard and rock the run in Ft Wayne. Flying Pig reminded me a lot of Fort4Ftiness in the way the communities come out to support the runners and that made me even more excited about the upcoming Fort4Ftiness Marathon. I hope to see YOU in Ft Wayne on October 1st!

** Run Happy, All. Have Fun & Enjoy ALL the Races. ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Kentucky Derby Marathon – 2016

Posted on May 4, 2016 by tootallfritz

I headed to Louisville last weekend to run my 2nd Kentucky Derby Marathon. I love this race and it wasn’t difficult to talk me into a repeat visit. I’m a huge fan of races in small towns where we can park the car at the hotel, then walk to packet pickup, dinner & the race itself. Its good for the runners AND spectators.

The expo is a nice size. Not huge but a decent size compared to some of the smaller ones we have been to as of late. Quite a few vendors to cover whatever you may have forgotten or to grab something special to remember your trip. Packet pickup was quick and painless. The full marathoners walked away with a gender specific tee & a hat for race swag.

Race day was just as painless. The race started on Main Street about a block or two from our hotel. No gear check for us, so we just made our way to the corral and got in line. Race started at 7:30a and we left the hotel at 7:00a. Rain was on the forecast so we grabbed a selfie before we got wet. Smile Me, Katie & Julie M. We tried about 4 selfies. I look equally as goofy in each one. Yes, this is the best one. No, I have no idea what’s going on with my hair.

There are so many things I love about this race and I talked about a lot of them when I ran in 2014. See that post HERE. Race starts on Main Street and you run past all the local businesses, bars, restaurants, the huge YUM Stadium, the Louisville Slugger Museum and so much more. The first miles of the race really showcase a lot of what Louisville has to offer, including the University of Louisville. It weaves in and out of downtown. Constant crowd support. Neighborhood children out to cheer on the runners. Good community support.

But honestly, everyone is just waiting for mile 8 and to enter Churchill Downs. This was definitely a highlight for me last time and I was anxiously awaiting it once again. By the time we got to this point, it was steadily raining on us and had been for a while. So no pics from this round but I have some from 2014!

We run into the entrance of Churchill Downs, thru the area where all the tents are located and I envision various vendors for race weekend, then thru the tunnels, under the track and into the back lots. Pic below from 2014.

Even though it was raining, there were still several horses out practicing when we ran thru. It’s very cool. I’ve always wanted to go to the Derby and this renewed my interest to make that happen. Cool venue and I love running it.

Once we are out of the Downs, around mile 9, the half and full marathons split. Although, I always enjoy the company of the half runners, and find it way easier to keep a slow steady pace when all of them are around, I was ready for a bit of solitude and for the road to open up. The Derby Festival Marathon weekend is best known for it’s “mini” marathon (half marathon to anyone how doesn’t live in Indianapolis IN or Louisville KY). There were 10,434 half marathoners and a mere 1,811 full runners. So the road did in fact open up quite a bit as we said goodbye to the “mini” runners. But we weren’t alone. There were always people around and still a good number of spectators out, even for a rainy day.

Now we were headed for Iroquois Park. This is the hardest part of the race with lots of up & downhill sections but the scenery is spectacular. I must say, I found this section particularly hard last time (2014) but it really wasn’t that bad this year, thanks to all the ridiculously hilly races I’ve managed to run over the last couple years. There were some tough ups but I walked them. And I found a surprising number of downhill sections which I don’t remember from last time! The gentle rain made everything that much more beautiful and the road was wide open so that we could easily run the tangents up and down the hills and around the winding roads. Very nice.

After Iroquois Park, it was all downhill. Like seriously. I think we may have had 1 or 2 inclines after that but it was otherwise flat terrain. We ran past so many amazing churches and historical homes, back thru the University of Louisville campus and we were headed back to the downtown area.

The aid stations were fully stocked and staffed, even with the rain. They offered water, Gatorade & Cliff Shots in several spots. Lots of potties and medical stations, if you needed them. Plus spectators who came out even with the weather. By the time we hit mile 23, it was a full on downpour. I was happy to have a visor and just kept my head down and ran. It was then that the rain finally penetrated my shoes as we could no longer see dips in the pavement but rather just splashed thru. It didn’t dampen anyone spirits but there did seem to be a lot of people cramping and hurting in those last miles and I think it was a lot about the weather and the cool rain on their warm muscles. Julie & I stopped 2-3 times to dig Biofreeze out of our bags for people who needed some assistance. But alas the finish became visible and we put another marathon in the DONE column. We even saw our friend Erica at the finish. She killed her race and beat us by a few minutes (or more). Smile Julie, Random Dude, Erica & me.

The Kentucky Derby Marathon is an awesome race. Great spectator support. Great community support. Great course. Great police/safety. Great aid stations. And its fun without too many crazy hills. Put this one on your list if you haven’t already, it’s worth the trip to Louisville to run the Derby.

The Derby Marathon was the first marathon of the weekend. Yes, the second double marathon weekend of 2016. We finished, showered, and drove to Cincinnati OH for the Flying Pig Marathon. Come back tomorrow for that recap.

** Run the Derby Marathon ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

A Random Act of Kindness….. True Story

Posted on April 29, 2016 by tootallfritz

In a day & age where presidential candidates need to run on a platform like “Make America Great Again”, I think we sometimes forget that America IS great. Perfect, no. Great, yes. We have the freedom to do anything we want. To chase any dream or goal that we can conjure up, regardless of how silly it might be to others. We have choices. What will you choose to do with today? How will you behave? As you think about that, I want you to ponder the word kindness. Definition provided by Google.

Part of being an American, and having a certain amount of freedoms, means that many of us are working very, very hard. We are known for big business deals and getting results. In the workplace, results are what matter and we all know that kindness and sympathy take a backseat to results. Many believe that we can’t empathize with our employees, vendors & business adversaries or we lose the edge and with it, a margin of profit. Everything centers around the bottom line.

We as individuals have hectic lives as we try to work, provide the best life possible for our children, and give them everything they need and more. Soccer practices, play dates, movies, shopping, school, gymnastics, martial arts, mommy & me swim lessons. And don’t forget to try to squeeze YOUR workout in amongst the chauffeuring, cooking, cleaning & working. We run ourselves into the ground at work and at home. We are stressed. Our little angels are less than appreciative of our efforts. That makes us grumpy. Yes, grumpy. We walk thru life wondering what we did wrong. We aren’t that “nice” person we were in our youth. We are abrupt and discourteous to others. We have high expectations and anyone who doesn’t meet those expectations is immediately dismissed as unworthy of our attention.

Sound familiar? Maybe not you, but you know the person I’m describing, right?. I see it all the time. I’m embarrassed to admit that at times, I am that person. But generally I try to be kind, generous, and help others.

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If you ask my hubby, sometimes I’m kind to a fault, if there is such a thing. I’ve given food and $$ to homeless people all over the US. To be honest, if he actually knew what I’ve donated, or given away, over the 17 years of our marriage, he’d totally freak out but I guess the “cat is out of the bag” now. One example from our youth, we came out of a drinking establishment late at night. A women with children in the car approached us and needed $$. You know the story, she didn’t have gas, her boyfriend/hubby was abusive and she was trying to get to “Timbuktu” to make sure her children were safe. Yes, I gave the woman $20 for gas. Hubby says, “you know you just got scammed, right?”. Sure I knew. But I couldn’t go home in good conscious and go to bed knowing that those kids were being drug around in a car all night and “possibly” not safe. My response to hubby, “apparently she needs that $$ more than us”. Part of being kind is knowing that sometimes, people will take advantage. Sometimes you know and are willing to take the risk, other times you can be more savvy and go with your gut. But as a general rule of thumb, be kind. Give when you have money to give. Share food when you have food to share. Give a smile and be kind ALL THE TIME.

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Sometimes, it’s the smallest acts of kindness that mean the most to others. Holding a door. Smiling. Offering a kind word. Yesterday, I let an elderly gentlemen in a wheelchair in front of me at the local Wal-Mart. He had a newspaper. I had $300 worth of groceries in my cart. No brainer, right? Why should he wait to pay for a newspaper when it would obviously take me “forever” to purchase all of my items. So I told him to go ahead of me. He said, “Oh, no, I’m not in a hurry. I’ve already been here for an hour.” I said, “Go ahead, I’m not in a hurry either”. Of course, I was in a hurry. I’ve got red, white & blue pumping thru these veins AND I’m an Aries. I’m ALWAYS in a hurry. I don’t walk to the mailbox in anything but a brisk, hurried manner. It’s my nature. I’m always in a hurry with a million thoughts running thru this brain, every second of every day. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t respect my elders and take time to help when I can. Letting this gentleman in front of me at the supermarket was second nature. Its what everyone would do, right? Well, apparently not. It meant something to this man. Something big.

Of course, I wasn’t paying attention. The line was long. The lady in front of the older gentleman & myself had a lot of groceries too. I was scanning the headlines of all the gossip magazines. I’m dying to know what’s going on with the crazy celebrities but I refuse to spend my hard earned $$ on “those” magazines. So when I glanced up from my scanning, I noticed the older gentleman paying for his paper & I started putting all my items on the belt for the cashier. I heard her say, “Your paper is just $1.” Then she tried to give $$ back to him. But I was busy, right, not paying attention. I heard him say, “No, that’s for her, I want to pay for her groceries”. I didn’t glance up but had the feeling he was talking about me. I mean, I was busy putting my groceries on the belt. I said, over my shoulder, “My groceries? Don’t pay for my groceries!”. He said, “It’s a gift, you can’t return a gift”. Then he wheeled away. I’m still putting my groceries on the belt and the cashier was lamenting about what she was supposed to do if my groceries didn’t add up to the amount of $$ he gave her. That brought me out of my fog because I knew what to do, not that I was ever a cashier but I’ve frequently paid part cash, part debit and told her the same. She had the money sitting to the side so she would remember to take it off. I could see a 5 and thought the gentleman donated $5 toward my groceries. Unnecessary but super sweet. Then as I was helping the cashier, I realized that was not a $5 bill but rather a $50 bill. Wow. I stopped in my tracks. Finally focused & paying attention. $50. I said, “He gave me $50?”. She said, “Yes, $50”. I was blown away. I mean really blown away. I’m tearing up as I write this now. It still moves me beyond words. Who does that? I’ve heard of “paying if forward” and a zillion people paying for each others coffee in the line at $tarbuck$ but not this. $50 he gave toward my groceries. Now you tell me that America is NOT great.

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Thank you, kind sir. I know that you will never read this but I want you to know that I’m beyond appreciative of your kindness. I wish I knew what paper you purchased cuz I would write a letter to the editor. I still might write one to our local newspaper. I know you do not want to be thanked but please know that your kindness is an inspiration to all.

May we all be kind today and each day going forward. Being kind is contagious. Let’s go spread some kindness!

** Be Kind, Caring & Compassionate ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Garmin Marathon, Olathe KS

Posted on April 22, 2016 by tootallfritz

The Garmin Marathon in Kansas is in the DONE column. I’m slowly working my way thru the states. I have an ongoing, long term goal to run a marathon in every state. Slowly cuz well, I have a budget and a family. I have basically given up all other racing, other than marathons (and 70.3 triathlons), in order to put all my $$ toward this goal. As a result, I try to pick marathons in new states whenever possible. I’ve also become a frugal traveler to save money and make the quest a bit more manageable. We pile 3-4 people in the car/hotel room and don’t do much other than eat and run. Kansas was state #19 and Garmin was my 30th marathon. To be honest, this feels more like an adventure than a goal and each new state brings new friends and more stories for my golden years.

Kansas. What do you know about Kansas? I apparently knew nothing. I imagined vast areas of grasslands, farm fields and flat terrain. Like very flat where the wind would blow for days with nothing to stop it. I was wrong. As I was driving thru Missouri bound for the border town of Olathe, KS, all I could see were hills. Lots and lots of rolling hills. I must admit I was slightly distressed. I normally don’t have a predetermined goal time for marathons. I normally just run what we can manage. If we are all having a good day, we run comfortable. If not, we run, walk, jog at whatever pace we can manage. No big deal. We just roll with the punches. But this time, for the first time in a very long time, I had a goal in mind. One which honestly, should have been quite manageable. I was healthy (thanks to Dr. Goins at Optimum Performance in Ft Wayne IN). I was strong. I have shed some of the weight I gained almost 2 years ago with our massive move. Most of all, I was confident that I could hit the numbers. But the numbers would only compute if the terrain were flat. I am a poor hill runner. My body just struggles with the uphill & we have very few inclines in this area on which I can try to improve this weakness. In fact my Saturday run group has gone out of their way all winter to run up each and every incline we could find, sometimes twice. But it wasn’t enough. No PR for me in Kansas. But I tried and I walked away proud, knowing I didn’t give up before we even got started. I rolled with the plan, hit the numbers until I could not physically hit the numbers any more. So there you have it. No PR in Kansas.

The expo was easy and fast. A few cutouts of Wizard of Oz characters (See Tamyra, myself & Cindy with the Wicked Witch below). Several booths but mostly local businesses & events. The Gypsy Runner booth was definitely the busiest booth at the expo. I love her normal stuff but she printed a shirt specific to this Wizard of Oz themed race and it was awesome! The “Don’t Make me Drop a House on You” burnout tank was quite popular and I was lucky to snag one before they sold out. Me, Cindy & Julie in our tanks on race morning. (Available here at GypsyRunner.com).

The race shirt was also very popular. The shirt was gender specific and featured the image of the Wicked Witch with a quote saying “Never Surrender”. So appropriate, although I didn’t know it at the time.

The Embassy Suites was the host hotel and actually connected to the Olathe Convention Center where the expo was located. Super easy expo, hotel stay & race start/finish. In fact we didn’t even move our car to go to dinner but rather walked across the street to a nearby venue. It was a great decision because when we returned, we found that the finish line was already set up. Had to get a pic all together at the finish! Erica, Me, Tamyra, Judy, Elina, Cindy, Julie & Eric. So fun!!

Race morning came and the weather was comfortable, in the mid 50s at the start. Unlike most race mornings, this one was particularly easy because the start was about 50 feet out the front door of the host hotel. Nice. Now, let’s run! Tamyra, Judy, Me, Cindy, Random Dude & Julie waiting for the start.

The start was right on time. The hotel was a top a hill. Shocker. As we crossed the start line, the view was a sea of people and a hill in the distance. Photo credit: Gypsy Runner. She was probably shooting the hill ahead but she caught a glimpse of Judy (center in the black maniac tank/yellow visor), Julie is front right of Judy in the black tank & you can barely see my head in front of & above Judy & Julie’s head, I’m in a black tank too. Love it!

We were hoping to leave the hills behind as we ran away from the hotel but that wasn’t the case. There wasn’t the usual chatter. Some talk, but mostly just running. It was a head down kind of race for me. I tried to not look at the hills, which resulted in my head being low and on the ground in front of me most of the time. I was hoping if I didn’t “see” them, then I wouldn’t really process them. I was also hoping that if I didn’t acknowledge how quickly it was heating up, then that wouldn’t be happening either. I was in denial, right?

The aid stations were well stocked and spaced about 2 miles apart. Lots of water, Gatorade, GU & potties. I also saw several medial tents. The race was very well ran, lots of volunteers, police and even a lady riding a bike dressed as the Wicked Witch. Photo credit: Gypsy Runner.

The first half of the marathon course was on the streets of Olathe. The last half was an out and back on the Mill Creek Trail. Garmin boasted a new course this year due to the start/finish being moved to the hotel & convention center. See map below.

I had high hopes that once we hit the trial, the course would flatten out and cool off as we entered the woods. It didn’t. I was getting pretty close to hitting the wall at this point. I had ignored everything and was able to average between 9:18-9:41 thru the first 14 miles. Then I hit the wall. I wasn’t hurting, just didn’t have that pace left in my legs. I needed to start walking some of the hills. The Mill Creek Trail was pretty. We crossed several bridges & creeks and it was a nice area to run. I would have loved it and ran it frequently if I were a local. Photo credit: Gypsy Runner (pic 1) & Tamyra (pic 2).

The temps heated up to the mid 70s during the race but we did have some cloud cover and a breeze toward the end. Speaking of the end, I was kinda dreading the hill at mile 25. I knew it was coming because we had to run down it around mile 13. But I also knew as soon as I could get myself up that hill, I was in the home stretch. Photo credit: Gypsy Runner

Ah, the finish! Just follow the Yellow Brick Road! I’m on the left. The two other gentlemen, I had met the day before at the original Kansas City Joes while we waited in line for BBQ. They were on pace to pass me up before the finish but then took pity on me and ran me in since they were “in no hurry”. LOL! Photo credit: SeeKCRun who in conjunction with the Garmin Marathon allowed free photo downloads! Nice touch!

I was shooting for a 4:10. Ran a 4:33. I’m not sad. I did what I could. I didn’t give up until I didn’t have a choice. And I know that 4:10 will soon be mine. I’ll just have to wait til fall for it because the Garmin Marathon was my last chance for now.

Elevation chart showed 940 feet of climb. 930 of decent. Not crazy climbing for some but a lot for this Midwesterner.

Very cool medal. It’s huge and I love the Wicked Witch theme. There were 588 marathoners who earned this medal!

2037 half marathoners earned a Glenda, the Good Witch medal. 653 runners earned the Hot Air Balloon 10K medal. Overall, the Garmin Marathon did a great job. Stayed on theme. Great support and even a great course. There was an after party with free beer and several booths, lots of massage & chiro people to help stretch out the runners. And the best part, upon completion, I walked straight into the hotel for a hot shower and my recovery drink. Nice!

That’s a wrap for Kansas! Next up is a double marathon weekend with the Kentucky Derby Marathon on 4/30, then the Flying Pig Marathon on 5/1. THEN I move into a fun filled summer of Triathlon. I can’t wait!

Happy Running, whether its up hill or down, just keep smiling!

Amanda – TooTallFritz

Rock N Roll Marathon Series – New Orleans, LA – Race Review

Posted on March 1, 2016 by tootallfritz

Marathon #29, State #18 – Rock N Roll Marathon New Orleans – LA

I recently received word that I was accepted to the 2016 Rock N Blog team. I should have discount codes for all the Rock N Roll Marathon Series races for YOU sometime this week!! As a result, I hustled to get some RnR races on my calendar! RnR New Orleans has been on my “list” for years and it just so happened to fall on Leap Year weekend this year. Mom and I always travel Leap Year weekend (every 4 years). I didn’t know if she would be interested in a whirlwind trip to New Orleans but she was totally up for it, so away we went!!

The expo was at the New Orleans Convention Center which is centrally located to the Riverwalk, close to Harrah’s Casino & a short jaunt to the French Quarter. As with all Rock N Roll races, each participant is required to pick up their own packet. We zoomed thru the expo, which was a decent size. Grabbed my bib, the race tee & I bought a couple RnR items to rep my new team. Race tee below. Black. Gender specific. Brooks Running.

This was a fun trip for mom & I, not a run specific trip, so I wanted to spend as little time doing run things as possible. We stayed at the Hotel St Marie in the French Quarter. I fell in love with the photos of the hotel on the internet and felt like it was a great place to give Mom a feel of the real New Orleans. We loved it & the ladies at the front desk really took care of us and helped us with finding cool, local places for food and entertainment! It’s an older, historic New Orleans hotel. A mere half block away from the craziness of Bourbon Street but removed enough that we didn’t hear much of the hoopla. See my pic below, isn’t it a cute hotel?

I have to give mom credit. She was so adventurous. She walked and walked and walked. We ate EVERYTHING “New Orleans” that we could possibly consume: Fried & blackened alligator, seafood gumbo, crawfish po’boy, crab stuffed jalapeno poppers, beignets, café au lait, catfish, redfish, shrimp, fried green tomatoes, chicken tchoupitoulas, creole green beans, creole jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, and shrimp & grits….. to name a few. Smile See pic below from the Royal House Oyster Bar of my pre-marathon meal of shrimp & grits. So amazing. Light. Tasty. Tiny bit of spice but nothing overpowering.

We also toured the city. Cemeteries. Ghost tours. Parks.

And we had a few drinks: café au lait & cocktails …. including Mom’s very first hurricane (we could only drink one cuz they were so strong). I even tried a concoction called a “grenade”. Just one of those too. Gotta be careful with the cocktails in the Big Easy!!!

Then as icing on the cake, I got to run the Rock N Roll NOLA Marathon. Race started at 7:30 am but there were approximately 34 corrals. I believe there were just shy of 35,000 bibs sold/registered between the 10K, Half & Marathon. Approximately 2 minutes between corrals. No policing of corrals so some just started where they wanted verses where they were assigned. Then I heard complaints of a crowded course. I did NOT have an issue with the course being too crowded but I DID pass runners the entire way, right up to the finish. So I know that everyone wasn’t where they were supposed to be but I think it bothers me less than some because I just run my race and really don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. I wasn’t going for a specific time. I had my sore hamstring that I was babying, plus I knew the weather was going to heat up to 70+ degrees before the finish. Kinda warm for those of us who left a frozen tundra to head south for the weekend. Those 2 things made me acutely aware that I should neither run too fast nor stress too much about the race. I just tried to run relaxed but at a decent clip while my hamstring held and the temps were cool. I never pushed the pace. I had to stop a couple times to take motrin and add biofreeze to “hard to reach” muscles. I just ran. Happy to be running. Pleased with the amazing course that toured the Garden District, French Quarter, Decatur Street, Jackson Square, the French Market, City Park and looped over the levies for a rolling out and back next to Lake Pontchartrain. Most of the route was flat. A few rollers by the lake. Mostly shaded course. And I thought it was AMAZING. Every step. I was told it was “boring” the last 10 miles, but I didn’t think that was the case. I loved the breeze off the water by the lake after we left all those amazing shade trees behind. Honestly, I really loved it. And I think you would too. I finished. My fastest marathon of the year so far, 4 hrs 19 minutes. Hoping to improve on that in April but honestly, any day I get under 4:30 is a good day by me! Awesome medal & finisher jacket. I’ve never gotten a jacket as FREE finisher SWAG! So cool!!!

RnR races are known for the after party, band and beer garden but to be honest, I always hoof it back to my family. Everyone seemed to be having an awesome time. The beer was flowing and the finish area was set up well to take care of runners. Class act. I was very impressed with what New Orleans had to offer both to local tourists and to the RnR runners. New Orleans, you got an “A” for how much you have grown post Katrina. I’m so impressed that I can’t possibly put it into words. You have rebuilt. You are bigger and better. You are now, once again, an amazing city. I hope to be able to revisit soon & run your lovely streets again and again.

** Til We Meet Again, New Orleans ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

A Personal Investment ….

Posted on February 19, 2016 by tootallfritz

Bet on yourself. For life. And don’t be afraid to throw down a little cash to protect that investment. Buy new running tights. Keep your run shoes fresh. Pay for a gym membership. Register for a race. Get a nice juicer. Buy organic and locally grown produce. Spending money on your health, wellness, and making goals is not throwing away money, it’s investing in your personal wellbeing.

If you think you can’t afford to workout, run, or race, then think again. Can you afford Starbuck$? Can you afford to order out? Can you afford that fancy handbag that you’ve been eyeing? How about designer pumps, that you can’t even wear to the office because they hurt your feet so badly?

The excuses are endless. Stop. If you don’t take care of yourself, nobody else will either. Taking care of yourself is a sign of respect. A sign of intelligence. A sign that there is more to life than all the material things that so many focus upon. At the end, nobody is really going to care what kind of car you drove, whether you had an amazing designer wardrobe, or how much money you had in the bank. It’s time to really be honest with yourself and figure out what is important.

Too harsh? Maybe. Maybe not. So many people are struggling each and every day and just can’t commit to investing in the single most important thing, themselves. It’s time to educate ourselves. Exercise. Health. Nutrition. What different fruits & veggies can do for the body. How exercise effects not only your body but your life, and those around you. How can we feel good, each and every day? Everyone wants to feel good, right? Why don’t you feel good? Too much bad food making your feel bloated & sick? Too much stress leaving you an emotional mess? Too much alcohol to combat the stress? Too much sugar making you tired? How do you feel? I mean, how do you REALLY feel?

Now go grab a glass of water and figure out a plan. I want you to feel good, tomorrow. I want you to feel GREAT, next week. If you don’t feel great, and I mean REALLY great, then figure out why. Invest in yourself before its too late. Exercise and get the blood flowing. Eat foods that nourish the body and fight sickness and disease. You get to choose where to spend your money. Bet on YOU.

** I’m Betting & Investing on ME ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Feeling Flat ….. How Stress Effects the Body

Posted on February 18, 2016 by tootallfritz

There are so many ups and downs of a typical training cycle. Two weeks ago, I was flying high, hitting my numbers and ran the “easiest” 20 miler I’ve ever run. This week, I’m quite literally sinking in the pool. My butt is dragging.

I swam this morning and should currently be on the treadmill knocking out my tempo run. But I’m stalling. Trying to figure out if I should run or not. Of course, I’m going to run but should I try for the tempo pace? That is the question. I’m tired and well, I have an angry hamstring that popped up out of nowhere. Sad smile

To be honest, I expected to be fresh this week. I had 3 forced rest days (SAT, SUN & MON) because the little guy was in the hospital with pneumonia. He is doing much better now. Still weak but improving every day. His biggest complaint at this point is that his back hurts (from the hospital bed, or maybe the pneumonia?) and that he can’t run as fast as he used to before he got sick. Give it some time, Buddy. Just a little time. As for myself, I’m guessing that hanging out with the little guy in the hospital and being stressed/worried about him was probably more daunting on my mind and body than I realized. I’m back on schedule & trying to follow my plan. I expected to knock out one more killer week before pulling back next week to recharge for the Rock N Roll New Orleans Marathon on 2/28. But alas, I’m just tired. And my back hurts too! And one of my hamstrings is on strike. So I’m just slogging thru the week. Not pushing at all. I’m trying to focus on getting some extra rest, making sure I get extra nutrients, and hoping that I’ll bounce back next week while I’m “tapering” for RNRNOLA.

It’s important to realize that events in our lives effect our bodies. A stress reaction is real. Stress takes a toll on the mind and body. You might feel fatigued, get sick, have stomach issues or stress eat (that’s me!). Long term stress can do some serious damage if we are unable to manage it properly. Please see the awesome graphic below from Life Advantage. Go HERE to see the full article on how stress can effect the body.

Bottom line, give yourself a break when your body is rebelling. Look at what’s happened in life for the last couple weeks if something “new” has popped up. Don’t stress about not feeling great. Just focus on what you can do to improve the situation. Sleep and making sure you get lots of fruits & veggies to up the nutrients in your body is so important. Drink lots of water to flush all the toxins. Avoid caffeine & alcohol. Exercise. Don’t push hard on the workouts but get the blood flowing and you’ll be back to normal before you know it.

** Cheers – Amanda – TooTallFritz **

The Influence of Social Media on Fitness

Posted on February 3, 2016 by tootallfritz

The influence of social media on fitness is currently huge. I can’t log onto Facebook or Instagram without seeing sweaty gym selfies on my newsfeed. There is a constant barrage of posts about fitness, workouts and training. Sometimes the meaning of these fitness posts get lost on its audience and I want to take a minute to think about that. Oh, and here is my sweaty selfie from my morning ride on the trainer.

I see many who get annoyed and block or unfollow the posters of these sweaty selfies. The poster may be a friend, blogger, or an acquaintance. But some people like my husband have just had enough.

Other people are inspired and want to see more. It helps them get motivated in the mornings when they’d rather sleep in or just sit and drink coffee in their pajamas. How about you; how do you feel?

For me, it’s about motivation, inspiration and accountability. I don’t have a coach. I don’t really have anyone who cares whether I work out or not. I do it for me. Each workout. Each drop of sweat. Each time I get up and get moving when I just want to sleep, it’s for me. Those sweaty selfie posters, aren’t taking pics of themselves cuz they think they are awesome. They are doing it to hold themselves accountable. To document workouts over time. To watch their own progress. To motivate themselves to stick with it and keep pushing when nobody in their real world cares. If it motivates others, bonus. If not …..

So please keep posting those sweaty selfies. Keep giving me the details of your workouts. Keep working hard cuz that’s what this is all about. It’s not pretty. It’s certainly not sexy. It’s hard work and I’m proud to know so many people who are chasing their dreams and being a positive influence on social media. It’s not bragging, it’s the way that we hold ourselves accountable. It’s the way we connect with others who care about fitness. It’s who we are, day in and day out. If by chance, we possibly motivate even one person along the way, then it was worth it. So let’s see those sweaty selfies! Post yours to social media and tag @tootallfritz on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook!

** Cheers ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Small Gains = Big Motivation

Posted on February 2, 2016 by tootallfritz

Training thru the winter is very different for me than training in the spring, summer & fall. In the winter, I try to hone in on what isn’t right and fix my imbalances or bring back some training that got lost in the shuffle of the warmer months. I don’t spend so much time “free running” where I run the dog on the trails, just to spend time outside. Winter is different. It’s more focused. I try to get the most of our my workouts and keep them as efficient as possible. This year I have big goals and well, there isn’t much time for lollygagging, even if it is the middle of winter.

That’s what I want, to be better than I was yesterday. Better than last year. Better than I’ve been since I moved. I’ve finally checked my excuses at the door. Put my emotions on ice about the IL house and all the drama that surrounded that ordeal and the money lost. I’m ready to roll. I’m ready to work on me. I’m ready to get the most out of my workouts and see where it takes me. As a result, I’m already seeing small gains and that’s motivating me to stick with it and keep pushing.

One of the best things I’ve done so far this year is become more consistent. Over the last couple years, I’ve ran so many marathons that I was never actually training, just ramping up for one, then trying to recover on the fly for the next one. While this is fun and keeps things interesting, it also required that I kept things pretty low key. I never really pushed the pace on any of my runs. I was always in maintenance mode. I was trying to keep my body in check so I didn’t implode.

Last year, in the midst of my “marathon madness”, I tossed in a 70.3 triathlon to try to get my pre-move mojo back. I was instantly reminded why I love the triathlon so much. Its fun and requires more focus than just running. Last summer was disastrous for many reasons but I somehow ~~stumbled~~ made it to the start line, even with subpar TRI fitness. I started. I finished. And I loved every minute of it. So this year, I’m tossing in more triathlons and that requires consistency and commitment.

January was all about 1) hammering out a plan and sticking to it; and, 2) Getting my butt out of bed & into the pool when it opened. The first couple weeks were kinda messed up with the double marathon weekend Jan 9 &10th but I still managed to run 142 miles. That consists of one speed run, one tempo run, the WED night “fun run” at the Y & the Saturday long run at the Y. While, I’m still not hitting my speed & tempo numbers, I’m getting closer. My confidence is growing and I think I’m very close to being able to do the workouts, which I already softened up a bit for fear that my fitness wasn’t exactly where I had initially predicted. Smile It took a little bit to clear the fatigue from my legs and start hitting the numbers. I finally had a good session this morning after a hard look at recovery last week. Yay!!

I also added the bike back in this month. I bit the bullet and bought a new trainer since I lost mine in the flood last summer. Now I have a “smart trainer” and well, it’s way smarter than me and apparently also thinks my fitness is better than my reality. I managed 78 miles on the bike this month, which is low but getting the trainer dialed in was a bit of an issue. Plus so far, I’ve only been riding 2 days a week. I’m planning to add in a 3rd day of riding this week.

And the swim. Last but not least. I hate getting in the water. I don’t even swim for fun anymore. Plus we currently only have one pool at the Y and its used for training, lap swimming & therapy. Therapy takes precedence over everything else so the water is way too warm, usually between 82 & 84 degrees. Not ideal for a triathlete who has to swim in open water but that’s what I currently have available. I’m checking my excuses at the door. I’ve been showing up. I put in 5 swim sessions in January and I’m already noticing a slight improvement in my time per 100yds. Goal in this off season is 2 swims per week. I’ll get them all in this month!

All of these slow but small gains in January have motivated me to keep up the work, stay committed & do even better in February. I’m being consistent. Not moving around workouts. Not making excuses.

Monday – Off
Tuesday – Swim & Speed Run
Wednesday – Bike & Fun Run
Thursday – Swim & Tempo Run
Friday – Bike (skipped in January in lieu of a rest day)
Saturday – Long Run
Sunday – Long Bike

So far, so good. I’m committed to smashing my marathon PR at the Garmin Marathon & chasing my TRI goals this year. January down. Let’s see what February brings.

** Keep Chasing YOUR Goals ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Marathon Training IN THE WINTER …..

Posted on January 14, 2016 by tootallfritz

How hard is it for you to stay motivated thru the winter? If you have a spring marathon on the calendar like the Garmin Marathon or the Flying Pig Marathon, then you don’t have many options other than to keep yourself moving. But that doesn’t mean you have to pound out the same hard miles, in the same hard way that you would do in the spring and summer months. Maybe change it up a bit and try something new? Something that might get you out of the cold and onto the treadmill or indoor track when the wind chill slips below zero or the snow is flying so hard that those oncoming cars can’t even make out your reflective vest?

Don’t get me wrong, I love my snowy runs but I can’t run a quality workout when I have to worry about my footing. So I save my easy, fun, social runs for outdoors when the snow is flying. Then I take my hard, fast runs inside where it’s safer. I also shorten my training cycle and lower the number of days I run each week. I focus on power and speed and strength. This does a few things. 1) Helps me to avoid burnout. 2) Makes me FOCUS on the runs that I have on the schedule each week. 3) Allows me some free time for cross training and/or weight work. Winter workouts are important. This is the time to work on the areas of your fitness that need extra attention. Strength? I need more of this and it’s definitely something I’ll be focusing on this winter. My goal is 2 strength workouts each week.

Nutrition? How is this going for you? I was doing GREAT before the holidays. I had lost 12#s, then I got sick, did the holidays, ran a 50K & a couple marathons, now I’ve gained 5 of those lbs back and am facing down 16#s which I need to lose before I crush the Garmin Marathon in April. So part of my winter marathon training is focusing on my nutrition AND making sure I am getting adequate water intake each and every day. Lean proteins. Fruits & veggies. Healthy fats. Whole grains. Water.

Rest? You betcha! I’ll be honest; I’m tired. So freaking tired. I know I’ve ran a lot of miles lately but I’m also just a poor sleeper. And I’ve been sick. I’m definitely run down in more than one way. I’m good about getting my vitamin c and other vitamins that help strengthen my immune system but nothing makes up for sleep. Maybe the winter nights are longer for a reason? Take advantage of the darkness and get some extra shuteye. Sleep repairs your muscles, helps build your immune system and makes you feel better! Don’t skip the sleep or you’ll pay for it later. This week I’m dragging. Do I need to swim in the mornings? Yes. Do I need to rest more than I need to swim this week? Yes. So I’m sleeping in and I’ll worry about how fast (or slow) I swim next week. Priorities.

Marathon training is about so much more than the miles you log. As you age, you may also notice that your body just can’t take the pounding that was once the norm. That’s when you start to develop aches and pains that lead to injuries OR you can shuffle the deck and change the way you train. Change can be for the better. I’m mixing things up this winter. I’m going to step back on my miles a bit and focus more on quality. One long run, one tempo, one speed. I’ve mentioned it before but I use the FIRST Run Less Run Faster app on my iPhone to plan my workouts. It was a $2.99 download but I’ve used the program so many times that it’s paid for itself. This certainly won’t replace a coach if you can afford one but a coach isn’t in my budget, a $2.99 app I can justify. Smile I’m looking forward to picking up the pace this winter. It’s always hard for me when I start this plan. I can never hit the numbers initially but as I build strength, speed and confidence, I’m always amazed at where it can take me.