Some of you might remember that BJ bought me a Garmin 110w for Christmas. It’s probably one of the best and most practical gifts I have ever received. Plus, it’s pink & gray – I can’t think of a more perfect running watch {for me}.

Garmin #1 – love at first sight

Well, what I never told you is that Garmin #1 died on February 9, 2011 – less than 2 months after I got it. {with at least 35 unrecorded miles on it}

I took my watch back to Pacers {a local running store} and they replaced it. Yes, they asked me some questions and had me try it once more (at home) but ultimately, they gave me a new one. For free.

So, I started running with Garmin #2 as if nothing had happened. I ran hundreds of miles with Garmin #2, took it to New Zealand, ran my first marathon, a triathlon….

I ran until June 26, 2011 – until Garmin #2 decided to die. {with at least 25 unrecorded miles on it}

I took my watch back to Pacers {a local running store} and they replaced it. Yes, they asked me some questions and had me try it once more (at home) but ultimately, they gave me a new one. For free.

But this time, Pacers replaced my watch with a Garmin 210. Apparently Garmin is phasing the 110 out – shocker!. I know I should be happy about the (almost) free upgrade but part of me is sad. I’m sad because the 210 isn’t available in pink & gray. I’m sad because my new Garmin is ALL BLACK {and kind of boy-ish}

new watch, already rockin’ it with pink!

I’m also sad (and maybe a little mad) that I’m on my 3rd Garmin in 6 months, that I’ve “lost” dozens of runs and miles, that I’ve had to deal with this. {I’ve had my Timex for over 6 years – I’ve never had a problem and I’ve never had to replace the battery}

I am, however, happy that my 210 seems to be working fine. I’ll just have to wear plenty of pink while running {so I seem less boy-ish}

Pacers: thanks for being really cool and replacing my Garmin’s (plural) {now, that’s good customer service}

Garmin #3: seriously, don’t die on me – I’m not sure I can take it any more!

Garmin Lovers & Users – have you had problems with your watch before?
It can’t just be me, can it?!

Today is the last day to enter my CamelBak Groove Giveaway {HERE} 

When I signed up for the Crystal City Twilighter 5k two months ago, my goal was to run a 5k PR. I’m so close to breaking 20 minutes in a 5k, yet so far away.

2 months before the race: The plan was to add speed work back in to my routine and really focus on running a PR but with the diagnosis of Plantar Fascittus, I had to alter my training. I took time off from running, incorporated more swimming/biking into my routine and started (a pretty serious regiment of) ART, graston and acupuncture. Needless to say, this is not the recipe for running a PR.

1 week before the race:
a) ART, graston and acupuncture seem to be working. I’m able to run (virtually pain free) – but also have to take my foot into consideration while training. If I run consecutively for 2 days, I usually take the following 2 days off from running (I’m swimming & biking instead). While I’m extremely thankful that I am able to run, I’m aware that I have not properly trained to run a 5k PR.
b) The Washington D.C. area experienced record highs with temperatures in the high 90’s – 100’s (and “real feel” in the 120’s). It was HOT. Training may or may not have been affected due to heat.

Race Day: It was so hot on July 23, that Pacers offered deferments to the 2012 race for individuals who felt they could not safely compete.

I had to adjust my goals for the CTT 5k – and I was okay with that. Instead, I was excited to run a night race and hang out with BJ.

Thoughts:
The course was flat and fast. It seemed a little long (my Garmin said 3.26) but the course was mostly an out and back, so that always seems to make things “longer”.

Very well organized event with plenty of volunteers, water stations, and ice sponges. My only complaint would be that about 100m into the race, we ran around a short “U” {think apartment building round-about} that was sectioned off by cones. No one was expecting it and no one could see the cones until you were right on them – people were tripping, I had to catch a women from falling and people were yelling (they were pissed). The cones were there because we ran back through the round-about on the return lap, but there would have been plenty of time between the 1st runner/last runner to add the cones after the race had started.

Overall, I think the CTT 5k was a good race (albiet extremely HOT) and I’ll plan on running it again next year. While I didn’t run a PR (I was almost 1 minute off my current PR), I had a great time. BJ and I stayed after the race to talk, hang out and grab a beer. I also had a chance to meet some awesome bloggers that live and race in the area. It was a really fun night!

Stats

Time: 21:05
Overall: 125/1,605
Female: 21/838
AG: 13/292

Blogger Meet-Up: I’ve followed these blogs/ladies for a few months now and they rock. It was fun to finally meet Lauren, Katie and Amy in real life!

L-R: me, Katie, Lizzy, Amy and Lauren

Don’t forget out my CamelBak Groove Giveaway {HERE}

Being on Nuun’s Hood to Coast team definitely has it’s perks.

Look what came in the mail today….

Thanks Nuun! That’s one delicious and hydrating goodie box!

Don’t forget to enter my CamelBak Groove Giveaway {HERE}

Waterholic
–noun
a person addicted to water

Some Most would say that I am a waterholic. {I love water, am practically addicted to it} I drink well over the eight-8oz glasses of water per day and BJ might even argue that I drink too much water. I drink {a lot of} water because I actually like water, not because I have to.

My only beef with {tap} water is that it usually tastes funky. So much so that I have to load it up with a lot of ice to mask the taste. I like ice (are you surprised?) but I don’t want to always rely on ice when I drink water.

Most recently, the ice machine at my office broke. Imagine my panic when I had to drink {more than} eight-8oz glasses of tap water/day without ice. I was in full-on hysteria mode.

Enter my new {CamelBak Groove} water bottle.
freshly filtered water. anywhere.

Some of you may recall my pre-existing love for CamelBak, most specifically that BJ hid my engagement ring in a CamelBak on the night/run that we got engaged. If CamelBak is good enough for my engagement ring, it’s good enough for me.

The Groove is a portable filtration device that promotes a healthy and hydrated lifestyle (read: an awesome invention). It filters water as you sip, so you can hydrate on the go. {my kind of water bottle} Plus, hold your breath, tap water finally tastes good!

Like most water bottles, it’s easy to refill and use – but unlike other water bottles, the Groove features a filter built into the straw. The Groove helps eliminate waste from plastic water bottles (think Dasani & Aquafina) because it provides freshly filtered water – anywhere! Water has never tasted better.

Since water is so important {as runners, triathletes, bloggers, foodies we loose a lot of water throughout the day} CamelBak is hosting a {My Favorite Things} Groove Giveaway!

How many disposable bottles could you give up in a year by using one Groove?/
I probably buy/recycle close to 100 plastic water bottles/year (I’m sick just thinking about all of the waste)

To enter you have to follow of my blog.

To win (please leave a comment for each):

• “Like” CamelBak on Facebook – leave a comment
• “Like” {I RUN LIKE A GIRL} on Facebook (my “fan page”) – leave a comment
• Post this giveaway on your Facebook page – extra points if you link both {I RUN LIKE A GIRL} and CamelBak to the post – leave a comment
• Tweet this giveaway on Twitter – I just entered the @run4margaritas CamelBak Groove giveaway www.willrunformargaritas.com – leave a comment

{My Favorite Things} Giveaway will run until noon EST on Wednesday, July 27, at which time I will close the post for comments, choose 1 winner via Random.org and announce the winner with a (new) blog post.

I’m beyond excited to be running Hood to Coast with Team Nuun – but with my foot, I’ve been skeptical to log too many miles. This puts me in an interesting spot: resting my foot versus training for Hood to Coast. Thankfully between ART, graston, acupuncture and doctor’s orders (to run), I’m feeling confident that my foot will heal and can withstand the miles. 

After my ART appointment last week, my doctor ordered me to run – my 1st run in over  one week. It felt awesome! That run gave me the confidence to try my 1st Hood to Coast workout: 3 runs in 24 hours. I didn’t want to go overboard or stress my foot on my first attempt – but overall I felt really great.

Run #1: 5.5 miles at 7:40 pace
Run #2: 3.1 miles at 7:25 pace
Run #3: 3.3 miles at 7:20 pace, included crossfit style workout before the run
Total: 11.9 miles at 7:28 pace (average)

As my therapy continues and my foot starts to heal, I hope to log more miles at a faster pace. Until then, I’ll take whatever I can get.

{Now, I really can’t wait for Hood to Coast}

Since I am heading out of town tomorrow for a long/wedding weekend, I had to squeeze my Active Release Technique (ART) appointments into 3 days.

I just finished {Week 1} of ART and I’m feeling pretty good. I was able to run on Monday (doctor’s orders) – my 1st run in over a week. My foot hurt for the first 0.5 mile but after a couple of minutes, my foot loosened up and I was able to run for 30 minutes (Dr. B said no more than 35 minutes).

My treatment consists of 10-15 minutes of electrical stimulation (stem), followed by 10 minutes of ART. ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. It doesn’t always feel good, and sometimes it actually hurts, but I always walk out feeling better than when I went in. After each session, I have homework. This week I am working on bridges, with raised heels, and leg extensions. Can you picture that, if not – here you go (minus the ball in between my legs):

photo courtesy of www.fitsugar.com

The treatment is fairly intense (and expensive): I go 3/week for 2 weeks, 2/week for 2 weeks. 1/week for 2 weeks and then hopefully (fingers crossed) I’m feeling good enough to go on a maintenance-only basis. Based on my first week of treatment, I am confident that Dr. B will have me running pain free within the next month (to 2 months).

Dr. B – I hope you are reading this because I want to get better sooner rather than later! {wink}

Our team has been chosen and we officially have a team name! HTC 2011 is starting to feel “real” – and I’m {so excited}

Meet…

{drumroll, please}

After-NUUN Delight

(clever tagline) We do it morning, nuun, and night
{running, that is…}

After-NUUN Delight is a team of amazing women – runners, bloggers, mothers, entrepreneurs.  If you want to learn more about my {awesome} nuun-mates, check out their blogs:

Dorothy: www.mile-posts.com
Emily: www.sweatonceaday.com
Alanna: http://www.running42km.blogspot.com/
Mel: http://www.tallmomontherun.com/
Lauren: http://www.healthontherun.net/
Jocelyn: http://enthusiasticrunner.com/
Carrie: http://thismamamakesstuff.com/
Kelly: http://www.according-to-kelly.com/
Megan: http://www.justrunmego.blogspot.com/

This is my first relay (and the first for many of my teammates) so I’m not quite sure what to expect…

Please share your best tip or trick for running a relay!!

Lately, my runs have felt really slow.

And hard.

Not hard as in I’m running at a fast pace, long distance or hill repeats.

But, hard because my muscles hurt and I feel slow & sluggish.

Honestly, it sucks.

So, I thought about it… what aspect(s) of my life, training schedule, or environment are making my runs {slow & hard}?

1. It’s hot and humid in Northern Virginia
I don’t mind the heat. In fact, I actually like the sun and hot summer days (I’m from Florida – what do you expect). But the humidity? That’s what kills me. I walk in from a run feeling like I just jumped into a pool (of sweat). High humidity effects running – it’s plain and simple.
2. The PF Word
I have plantar fasciitus and it hurts (like a mother). I’ve cut back on running but no matter what, the 1st mile always hurts. Like, really hurts. Thankfully, I start acupuncture and Active Release Technique (ART) this week and hope/pray that I see results {soon}
3. Not enough time off
I haven’t told many people this…but I’m not sure I took enough time off after my marathon. Sure, my marathon was 2 months ago, but I was on such a post-race runner’s high after qualifying for Boston that I didn’t want to take any time off. I also did a triathlon 3 weeks after the marathon. I haven’t stopped since. It’s hard not to run, considering its one of my most favorite things to do. But, sometimes, I need to listen to my body.

Often times, “hard” runs are frustrating – and it’s easy to overlook what my body can do (versus what it can’t). Even though my runs feel slow and hard, I’m thankful that I’m able to run (bike & swim). And the even crazier part? My runs aren’t really that slow – they just feel really slow and hard.

I’ll take these slow, hard runs because they prepare me for future runs. When I was marathon training, I ran 17 miles in the freezing, cold rain. It rained the entire run and I was miserable for 17 miles – but that run prepared me for the pain of running a marathon. Had I not experienced the rain-run, I may not have been mentally prepared for my marathon.

I’m thankful for the reminder that {slow & hard} runs build mental toughness and prepare me for challenging runs.

What builds your mental toughness?

I’ll take {slow & hard} runs – as long I can still run!