13 Things You Should Know The 13.1

Last weekend I ran my first half marathon the Philly Rock n' Roll Half. I can't believe I waited this long to run a half. It's a great distance, something I encourage all of my dear readers to try or at least support someone who is.
So, I wanted to put together a running list of things that runners, wanna-try runners and interested parties can learn about running races in general and some things specific to this distance. One thing marathon running makes you forget is you could run half as far and feel just as great finishing. But, now that I've run a half, I realized some things about running races that are true across the board (and not just added torture to a marathon course).

Key Running Lessons From a 13.1:

1. You can always run two times as far as your furthest run. Trust your training. I'm a believer when it comes to races less than or equal to 13.1 miles, your training should carry you through the finish line. However if you have doubts because you've never run the full distance, just remember if you can run half of a half, you can push the rest of the way through (thank goodness for adrenaline and fans).
2. You will always end a race on an uphill. They say runners are the only people that think optimistically about hills because we know, what goes up must come down. Well now you can add this joy to your hill-loving, once you run uphill at then end, chances are the finish line is REALLY close. Why? You might ask, courses end on an uphill to force you to slow down slightly so your sprint finish doesn't result in injury.
3. You will always have fans cheering. The thing about a marathon is no one is going to wait around 4+ hours until you finish, finding you every 3 miles. But, in a half marathon there are fans throughout the course! This just means you have a constant pulse of motivation to push you along.
4. Bring your watch. The avid runner wouldn't even second-guess this, but what I didn't know is a corral system will sometimes result in a staggered start. This means each corral gets its own count down before the gun. Now, runners beware of stagger starts without a watch because it will leave you doing math the whole time to know what your time is. While it might keep your mind busy, it'll drive you nuts and you'll forget to focus on your plan for the race.
5. Don't stop to pee unless you really must. No matter what your planned time is, most half courses cut off at four hours, HOLD IT. You can make it. You'll thank me later when your time is 6 minutes faster.
6. Know what your body needs for hydration. I'm a strong believer in no artificial hydration (Gatorade, Gu, food etc) before mile 7. Studies show if you are properly hydrated your body doesn't need electrolyte restoration until after 1 hour of running. Every runner to each its own, but just know if your training didn't include you stopping for Gatorade at mile 3.2, you probably don't need it now (unless you weren't properly pre-hydrated).
7. Have a reward. Yes, you ran a half marathon you deserve something - anything you want. Even if it's disco fries, because you essentially burned 1300 calories, so go ahead, enjoy. But seriously, rewards help you see the end through tough spots in the race and can only make you go faster!
8. Don't look in the porta-potties. Self-explanatory. 
9. Don't do anything new on race day. This even means the amount of stretching you do, what you eat for breakfast, or tying your shoes a different way. DON'T DO IT.
10. Have a plan. For me, race plans are critical, you have to know when it's going to be okay to slow down and speed up, this is something you should practice in your training or be able to gauge from your tempo runs.
11. If you don't have a fan there, make a friend. At the end all you want to do is high-five someone, well if you didn't make a friend in the two or three hours you were running your runner's high will drop before it should. Besides, it's easy, you already have something in common :)
12. Have a go to mantra. Something that's sing-songy that you can repeat in your head to make it through "I hate my life" moments in the race. (This is where you can repeat to yourself "disco fries, disco fries")
13. Run for everyone who cannot.  You will become a part of a select group of individuals that finish a half marathon, but unfortunately there are people with the gumption, but not the ability to do what you are doing. So, run for them AND run for yourself.  If you let their hope guide you along, you'll never run out of inspiration.

AND FINALLY .1 There's just a little more once you hit the 13 mile marker (and yes they show you) before you're done, so don't slow down too soon!

Two Faces in the mirror

I know. I know. It's been a while since I've written you ... the thing is, I've been struggling to concentrate my thoughts into a coherent piece for you to read. There have been a few ripples in the pond these last few weeks (to say the least) and pretty much my mind has been completely saturated with thoughts the only thing I could viably say I was feeling was confused. 

And on top of everything, my Internet and cable was turned off for like a week (don't ask); I was restricted to watching episodes from Sex and the City. Does any one else wonder why Darren Star's portrayal of New York, lacks people of color? The closest thing they come to are cab drivers and they don't have sex in the city - they live in Brooklyn. Frankly, all popular TV shows are like that or the women of color are asexual. Grey's ... Dr. Bailey - you can't see her as sexy, Christina Yang, she's too angry and focused to be sexy. The thing is I think women of color are too sexy for TV. That's right, we have too much to offer and some writer from a top tier journalism school has yet to figure us out. 


OK, OK, so you tell me to watch Girlfriends? First the show was canceled by popular demand and second I refuse to believe that every black woman can be classified within the following stereotypes; too hood for prime time TV, successful and non-marriage material, the light skinned confused one that doesn't know what she wants so settles on not settling, and finally the pretty one that loves herself too much she realizes no one can match her.  Are these women the mirror TV show of Sex and the City "in living color"?? Or is the whole premises of female television founded in the underline fairy tale of happily ever after? I'm not going to even mention the abomination of Lifetime movies. *Although as a side note, I have been known to watch one or two on a hyper sensitive weekend...

 And if you for a minute  take this theory of women television to be true, wouldn't the male counterpart of Sex and the City be ... Entourage? In this television fantasy the men never marry, or commit to anything, except making themselves better. At the end of each fantasy the women get to be with their men and men fall deeper in love with themselves. I agree that as a form of vicarious living this is true.

 The female characters being a identification point for ourselves. However, I fall victim and witness to  women in our real lives letting them become saturated with men and the thought of men or dating or marriage or a combination of this list. Here's a real life example, I knew a girl in college who's boyfriend was in medical school her fourth year. Every Thursday night in preparation for his visit she would give herself a bikini wax, deep condition and a manicure/pedicure. On a day to day basis she was always drop dead gorgeous, but I couldn't help but wonder if one Thursday she would forget one of her primping details and he would notice...? Honestly, how truthful and substantial is a relationship if her week was built off growing enough hair to wax on Thursday...


I know as women we aren't all like my friend from college, nor do we embody the "Carrie, or Joan" from the characters on women television; but again, I point out that for both men and women the characters allow us to see the value in feeling accomplished in the eyes of another AND ourselves.

When you look in the mirror you have two faces looking back you (no you're not drunk) but you're seeing yourself as in your simplest form. This is the person that knows they pick their nose or purposefully slams dishes in the morning out of spite for their still sleeping roommates. The other face is you of course, but it's the person you want people to see. No one wants people to know that they have a checklist by the door of things to remember before leaving the house. Or the blemish that is harder to hide, when left uncovered would reveal why you hate mother's day or tell the story of why  your prayers never change because you still have hope for people in your life that have failed you.  The combination of these perceptions makes you your own, the sacrifice or giving into one of these parts loses the whole. Although you successfully hide these things from people it's all apart of one. I journey to say first see yourself in the simplest form stick with her (or him) for a while, before primping and putting makeup on the other.

Now, for a special note to my male readers: love your lady as much as you love yourself... who knows you might find someone that loves you even more than you do.

Write to you soon ...

A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butta…

Lists. I believe they are at the core of every good plan. You can control lists, by adding things to it and checking off completions. It’s all so liberating!

Despite my love of lists and organization, connecting the dots is not my forte. This is probably why I believed that an African man who called from a Maryland area code, but lived in Connecticut needed a $500 bed in Charlottesville, Virginia. Oh and let’s not forget, that this same African man called himself Caesar and asked me to send cash via a wire transfer – all from the Monopoly® money he sent in the mail.

Ok. Ok. Not the best idea, but you get the point. I like to think of this stupid decision in my life as the reason why I think things out and make lists!

Needless to say, I do well with list, not decision making in stressful situations. I had a checklist once when I was in high school, and it was a list of everything I wanted to do before I turned 25. I did a lot of them already 2 years to spare: I ran a marathon. I published an article. I learned a foreign language – and forgot it before I turned 25. I have a career. I learned I could have a relationship with God. I graduated college.I lost friends – and found a couple soul mates. This darn list went on and on…

And that’s when I decided get rid of the list (spontaneous, I know). I realized (and this wasn’t on the list) that I can’t plan every moment of my life, and I certainly can’t check off accomplishments and life’s lessons from a list I made when I was 16. I simply have to keep on truckin’. Life is the last thing that is planned, but this is why you have friends, and family, and a honnnneyyys to tell you they are proud when your plans succeed and you check things off the list.

AND that same list of love ones will tell you not to give money to Caesar because no matter what wiring money is not a good idea. (note to reader, this is never a good idea)

Seriously, these people are the ones to help you connect the dots, and if you’re a list person like me, you need people like that in your life.

To me lists help you remember, and love ones don’t let you forget.