Racing Heart

December 1st Jingle Bell Run; Des Moines;  register Sycamore 8 Trail Run; Johnston;  register December 2nd 14th Annual Tour de Lights 5k; Vinton;  register December 8th Christmas in LeClaire Ugly Christmas Sweater 5k Run/Walk; LeClaire;  register Jingle for a Cure; Newton;  register Jingle Bell Run; Davenport;  register The Hitchcock Experience 13.1, 50 mile, 100 mile; Honey Creek;  register December 15th # OpioidOptOut Run to Combat Opioid Addiction; West Des Moines;  register Ely Winterfest Fun Run; Ely;  register December 31st New Year's Eve Last Fun Run of the Year; Cedar Rapids;  register

September 1st Big Hill Mine 5k Adventure Run; St Lucas, IA; register 40th Annual Madrid Milers Labor Day Run; Madrid, IA; register Noah’s Ark Daycare 5K Cheetah Chase & 1 Mile Tortoise Trot Family Run/Walk; Sutherland, IA; register The Rock Run 5k; Steamboat Rock, IA; register Step Up Storm Lake Half Marathon & 5k; Storm Lake, IA; register September 2nd NewBo Run; Cedar Rapids, IA; register Kinderfest; Andover, IA; register September 3rd Run With Carl; Bettendorf, IA; register Oskaloosa Christian School Grace Race 2018 5k/1mile Run/Walk; Oskaloosa, IA; register Essex Labor Day SMC Fun Run; Essex, IA; register Muskie 5k; Muscatine, IA; register September 7th Watermelon Days 5k; Fayette, IA; register September 8th Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon and Half Marathon and Marathon Relay; Shenandoah, IA; register Pufferbilly 5K/10K; Boone, IA; register Lorimor Watermelon Days 5K Run/Walk; Lorimor, IA; register Cherokee Trail Run; Cherokee, IA; register Conno...

August 3rd Murray Rec 5k; Murray, IA; register Off the Rails Beer Mile and 5k; Bondurant, IA; register Panorama Days 5k; Panora, IA; register Atkins Watermelon Days Road Race; Atkins, IA; register August 4th Camanche Days 5K Run/Walk; Camanche, IA; register Cannonball Pump and Run; Winterset, IA; register Halo 5k; Bettendorf, IA; register Center Point-Urbana Foundation 5K Run,1.75 Fitness Walk & 1-Mile Fun Run & Kids Dash; Center Point, IA; register That Dam/Skunk Race; Humboldt, IA; register Operation T-Bone Run Fun Walk/5K/10K; Audubon, IA; register 24 Hours of Cumming Bike Race; Cumming, IA; register ShamRock N Run 5k Run/Walk; Waterloo, IA; register Tar Heel Run; Union, IA; register Weimarunner K9 5K – 2018; West Des Moines, IA; register Diva Dash 5k; Des Moines, IA; register MONROE 33rd ANNUAL MICRO MARATHON; Monroe, IA; register 2018 Amana Colonies Back Road Half Marathon and 5k; Amana, IA; register Town and Country Fun Fest Road Race; Epworth, IA; r...

Ahahaha did you see what I did there?!? For those that don't quite get the joke, I will explain further down the post, that I promise you. For those that get it, I am sure there will be a few more puns as we move along. Recently, as I have been scrolling through the pages on Facebook, I kept having this add pop up talking about these running sunglasses that look super awesome and are more cost-friendly than other brands. I had to find out more. As a recent college grad who has priorities, running sunglasses that cost an arm and a leg really aren't in the budget, and I find that most running sunglasses look a little goofy, but thats coming from someone who rocks the aviators most days. After clicking on their link, it took me to their page full of fun colored shades with ridiculous names such as Flamingos on a Booze Cruise, Doggles for My Hellhound, and Nessie's Midnight Orgy. The thing that took me by surprise was the cost. These sunglasses only cost $25....Thats all. I...

I have another for everyone! So yesterday was my last doctors appointment! (Well at least for my legs). If I haven't said it before, my doctor is someone who makes his appointments short, sweet, and to the point. Sometimes that is not a bad thing, but sometimes it sucks to drive a little over an hour to have a short, less than 5 minute meeting with him to discuss things. Well anyway, I get there and he takes a look at my scars, (which are a tad red from a sunburn), says they are healing well, checks my strength in my feet and ankles, says that the strength is good, then asks what I have been doing as far as activities. (Just to catch you up on things, I wasnt really supposed to do much until I went to this appointment...oops.) I was honest with him. I told him that I have been trying to walk a lot, taking it easy on days that I am more sore than others, and jogging a little, increasing the distance as things feel good. He told me that what I am doing is good, however I dont wan...

So I told you all that I would share a list of the races that I hope to do someday. I call it my race bucket list. I have a goal of running a half marathon in every state, however I do not know of all halves in every state, so I need some help. If you know of an awesome half that has a fun or interesting course, wonderful bling, or that you just really enjoyed, please let me know! I am going to keep updating this list as I find or hear about new races that I want to do in the future. January: The Big Beach Marathon - Gulf Shores, AL Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend (Dopey Challenge) - Orlando,FL February: Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend - Orlando, FL March: N/A April: Lincoln Presidential Half - Springfield, IL The Boston Marathon - Boston, MA Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon - Louisville, KY Garmin Marathon - Olathe, KY  May: 500 Festival Mini Marathon - Indianapolis, IN Valleyfair Half Marathon - Shakopee, MN Bay to Breakers - S...

Hello everyone! This is my 100th post! Woohoo! I have been working on this blog for a little over a year and a half now, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to those who read these stories or calendars that I share with you. Thank you to those who keep up with the updates and share their feedback. Thank you to you all. This blog falls right in line with the passion that I have for running and I love to share all that I can with as many people as I can. So an update to go along with everything. It has been a little over a month since I had my surgery on my legs. Things are progressing well and I have started to run (at an 8:30 pace too, keep in mind!!) about 100-300m every few walks. I try to get out every day and walk about 1.5 to 3 miles and am hoping to walk/run a 5k in July or August, (I have yet to pick a specific one yet). I recently set a goal to train and run (possibly walk some) the Rails to Trails half marathon in Norwalk, WI in November. I think that gives me plen...

By guest writer, Brittini. This watch is excellent for running. I've had it for about 2 weeks and have been using it to track my half marathon training. It has two different types of GPS, just a normal GPS and GPS+GLONASS. The GLONASS is just a GPS using a special type of satellite. I haven't used it yet because it takes more battery but it is supposed to be more accurate. The GPS works excellent. I run with my brother who tracks via the Nike Running App. The distances are usually only about 0.05 miles different. That being said, I've mostly run on bike trails in my subdivision with no tree cover or anything. I ran once in a forest preserve on a rainy day and the normal GPS was not working accurately at all, at some points saying that I was running at a 17min/mile pace. It also said I only ran 3 miles when I know I ran at least 4. I plan on trying again using the GPS+GLONASS feature. It is fairly easy to begin your run. You press the run button and press it again to start...

The progression of my legs. There is an order to this from 1, meaning most recent to 5 meaning oldest, (top right 1, bottom right 2, bottom left (3 images) 3, right center 4, and top left (2 images) 5) Hey everyone! Back for another update! So my wounds are healing up very nicely. They itch like none other though. There are some mornings that I wake up and it feels like I have a giant bug bite (or two) on each leg. They sting every so often as well, but that is manageable. My day now looks along the lines of this: Wake up, put neosporin (or the generic crap) on my incisions, elevate and ice, take ice packs off and walk a little, elevate, walk around some more, ice and elevation again, reapply neosporin, go for a mile long walk, ice and elevate, more elevating, pain pills, bed and elevation. June 3rd mile walk/run I have started to walk more and more. I mean, I am now hitting my garmin goals for the day, which makes me feel pretty good (I still haven't turned the lazi...

So since my last update a lot of things have happened. My legs are no longer super purple, more green/brownish, I have had my first post-op appointment, and I have somewhat of a plan of my next steps. My legs are feeling quite a bit better, I have taken off the steri-strips from my incisions, which makes my legs feel less constricted and less like something is pulling off my legs. I can walk easier, and a lot of the swelling has gone down. As you can see from the pictures, there is not much purple and pink remaining anymore, more brown and greens and yellows left around the wounds. I do love how the area around the cuts is white. So what happened at my post-op appointment? Well, I will first let you know that I have one of the most "straight-to-the-point" kind of doctors. My visit lasted a whopping 10 minutes, if even that. He walked in the room, asked to look at my legs, I told him to mind how hairy they are (as I am afraid to get too close to them/I dont have the best ...

I told you all that I would keep you updated on how my recovery is going. Let me tell you the truth. So the worst part of this whole thing is that I feel like I am growing into the couch. Being sedentary is not something that I enjoy to do. Yes, I can move around some, but the more I move around, the stiffer and more uncomfortable I tend to feel the next day. So, to combat this, I sit on the couch, watch some netflix, prop my legs and knees up, and make sure to ice for a half hour every hour. My days are typically the same. I do try to vary what chair or portion of the couch that I sit in, so I literally do not grow into the couch like this guy . So the first day back, or 7 hours, were pretty easy. This might have been because I was still coming off a pain-med & anesthesia high. I woke up after the hospital and was so nauseous...(keep in mind that next time I have to go under to ask for more meds...) so they pumped me full of other drugs to help, and I slept the whole way h...

So I just had my pre-op appointment this morning, and good news, I am cleared for surgery! Wooh! Wooh for being cleared to get my problems fixed, wooh for being able to run without pain (in like 3 months), wooh for being (somewhat) healthy. I am excited and nervous that I have a chance to solve my problems and be able to relieve the pain and numbness that I get when I run, walk, bike, and basically anything. I know, it will be a while before I am able to do another half, but honestly, I will wait. I just want to be tingling, pain, and discomfort free. I want to be able to put my new watch to the test. I just purchased the Garmin Forerunner 235, which I will be sharing my thoughts of it soon (or at least my opinions on the functions that I can use of it). I just want to use it for about a week before I give my opinions. I will say right now, it is pretty cool. So for now, I am counting down the days until May 10th, the day of my surgery. I will be updating everyone on my recovery, p...

So as you guys know, I am not running right now and I won't be until I heal from my surgery (cross my fingers for June 21st date! (that'd be 6 weeks, supposedly the fastest healing time)). But its tough. I have learned a few things from not being able to run. Let me share them to you. When you don't run, you gain weight. This sucks. Not running for over half a year, including the dreaded holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, makes you put on weight. Since I can't run, bike, elliptical, or even speed walk/walk for a long period of time, and if I swim, I sink to the bottom, doing any sort of cardio is tough and when I go to the gym, its hard to lift if I cant warm up or if I am stuck looking at the treadmills/bikes the whole time.  Beautiful days are the worst. Knowing that everyone is out running or enjoying the weather, sucks. Waking up to see my phone saying 50-60 degrees and sunny and knowing that the trails are packed with people, is rough. I can put my runnin...

So I have my surgery scheduled, woohoo! On May 10th, 2016, I will be going under the knife (endoscopically) to have my anterior fascias released in both legs. So whats the difference? Rather than a 6 inch incision on the outer portion of both legs, I will be left with a 2ish inch incision on the outside of both legs. Heres some images to best describe it (Heads up, the open fasciotomy picture is not very detailed, but I did that for a specific reason. Do not look up compartment syndrome fasciotomy on an empty stomach.) The open fasciotomy, again, I know its not very visual, but it gives you the right idea without being as gruesome as can be.  The endoscopic surgery. Much smaller incision.  So yeah, thats where I am at with my legs. I have to have one more appointment with a doctor to make sure I can deal with anesthetic but thats about it! Everyone heals at different paces with this, but my doctor said, typically, at worst, it might take 3 months, but some people h...

Hello Everyone. You may have noticed that I haven't made any race reviews in a while. I am here to tell you that I will not have another for a while. I, unfortunately, have been recently diagnosed with CECS or chronic exertional compartment syndrome (for short, I will be calling this CS). What is compartment syndrome? CS is a disorder that when you exercise, (for me, it occurs when I run, bike, walk, and elliptical), your muscles expand to a point where the compartment or fascia surrounding the muscle cannot take. When this occurs, the oxygen supply is cut off to the muscles and they fall asleep. The best way of thinking of this is to imagine a balloon in a waterbottle. The balloon is the muscle and the waterbottle is the surrounding fascia. When you inflate the balloon, this is showing the muscle expanding. The muscle can only expand so much. This is what is going on inside my legs. About a mile and a half in during a run, I lose feeling in my toes and feet and it works its w...

Something I hear very often is: "Oh, you know, I'm not a runner" or "I only run some times, I am not a runner." It makes me think. What really constitutes a runner versus not a runner? I made a list of some of the qualities that I think a runner has. A runner is someone who runs because it is what their gut is telling them to do. Yes, everyone who has ever went on a run, knows how much it sucks most of the time. But when you are able to get yourself off the couch and go for a run because in your head, you hear, "go for a run" or "you should run," you are a runner. Whether there be motivation, like getting in shape, or not, you just do it without questioning it. Yes, you may moan and groan and question "why the hell am I doing this to myself," but you still go and do it no matter the speed.  A runner is someone who realizes that beauty is not rule of the sport. Runners are people who will go out and run, whether that be the midd...

One of the biggest things that I cannot stress enough is supporting local communities. In running, this means running the local races and understanding that no matter the cost, the money stays local and benefits those around you. One of the best examples of this is a race I ran in 2013, the Party In Pink in Vinton, IA. I ran this race because it sounded like fun and I had a friend who lived there. Showing up to the race, during the announcements, they pointed out that all the proceeds were going to the breast cancer hospital in the town, pointing to the hospital right behind us. We literally ran next to this hospital. We knew where the money went. Thats what makes me so mad about these gimmicky races that are going around. The Color Run, The Glow Run, The Inflatable 5k, you name it (sometimes local races will copy these races and have the race as a fundraiser for their organization or another organization). The director or creator of these races will take the race to different cites,...

Hello everyone. This post is going to be different than my normal posts, as there has been something that has been on my mind since this weekend. With this month being the largest month for marathons in the USA, I was able to  witness my mother run her very first one during the TC Marathon in the Twin Cities. Being on the spectator side of a race for the first time in a long time, I keep thinking about how awesome our sport of running is. So many people did something that, to most people, is physically insane. I told my mom before her race that running for 5 hours is completely ridiculous as I could drive over 250 miles in that time period. Now keep in mind, I am a half marathon nut and anything longer scares me. But it was so awesome seeing all the people running this race though. I have not been on the cheering section side of a race in a long time, with the last one being a 5k. It was so amazing seeing people push one another and helping each other work towards a common goal...

So this weekend has been a busy one. With a few major races from this past weekend, I am sure people were busy! I know I was! Just a snidbit from this weekend, we had the Linn-Mar Growl Prowl, Y2Y, and The Hyvee Road Race At Drake. I competed in the Y2Y, and I had a lot of fun! You can see my review of it  here!  I mean the race did not go as well as I wanted for myself, as I severly strained my toe and could not put pressure on my foot. I finished the race, but was 10 mins slower than my predicted time. Oh what fun that was, but dont get me wrong! The race was a blast! I am excited for next year! As for this weekend's races, we have quite a few! Girls on the run 5k, Cornbelt Running Club 24 hr Run, Nacho Ordinary 5k, Cuba City Family Fun Run 5k, Prairie Du Chien Half Marathon & 5k, and the Red Shoe Run! I hope everyone takes advantage of these fun, local races! I may go down and try to run the 5k at the red shoe run! So maybe I will see y...

So I mentioned earlier in one of my updates that I am planning on doing a giveaway for my followers! Here I am to announce that the first giveaway is about to commence. The drawing will take place on May 31st, at noon, and the winner will be chosen from my followers list. "Now how do you go about becoming on the list?" See the box in the lefthand column that says: "Stay updated on my posts!"? All that you have to do is put your email address in the box and hit submit! You will get an email that confirms your subscription, and follow the steps there! Boom! You have been registered to earn a spot in the giveaway! "What will I be winning?" You will earn a gift of running supplies! A waterbottle, a pair of socks, body glide, and some nutritional supplies. Definately some things that any runner could use! And in total, around $40, worth of gear. So sign up! Encourage your friends to sign up as well, and I will share the winner on May 31st! The contest i...