Everyday Road to Healthy

  • Home
  • Healthy Eating
    • Recipes
  • Health & Fitness
    • Goal Trackers
    • Our Cancer Stories
  • Self Care
  • Home Care
  • ERTH Finds
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Copyright
    • Privacy Policy

June 11, 2011 ·

Bucket List: 1/2 Marathon…check!

Self Care

Last weekend was just a regular, run of the mill, weekend for me…oh, except for the fact that I ran 13.1 miles Saturday morning in the Inaugural Virginia Wine Country 1/2 Marathon!  I have never run that far in my life, but I have been training for months for this, so you can imagine my pride when I crossed that finished line (that’s me in the grey shirt). 

wine country crossing finish

I would purchase this picture, print it up and frame it for my wall, except that I’d have to give up my arm and leg to buy it, then how would I run again?  But don’t you love the wine barrels around the finish?? 

Anyway, the morning started off a little rocky when we got stuck in some major traffic trying to get to the vineyard where the start was located.  We were in some Loudoun County rural areas with tiny roads and one way in and one way out.  So as my carpool buddies and I sat in the car in traffic, only one thing was going through my mind….I need to hit the Don’s John!!! 

So we barely made it, hit the port-a-potties and crowded around the start in the appropriate grouping for our pace (which would be “slow”). 

wine country startPhoto courtesy of Ashley’s phone

The start was delayed about 30 minutes and then we were off.  We quickly broke off into groups based on pace.  By mile 2 I was by myself.  I had a group of friends in front of me and a group behind me, but once I got into a groove I didn’t want to stop.  I actually didn’t mind spending a couple hours by myself (um, I hardly ever get that!).  It was just me and my music and the occasional friendly words with other runners around me.  I’m a little on the dorky side (surprise, surprise), so I tend to make goofy comments to strangers to pass the time.  One guy had a shirt that said “where’s the finish?” and I said, “Let me know when you find it”…har,har, like he hadn’t heard that one before.  We also passed some beautiful homes, so I chatted up with a homeowner or two about how beautiful their home was.  Hmmm, maybe I was lonely after all!  Oh and the classic was the cute, girl in the cute Lululemon outfit that said, “um, excuse me, your skirt is riding up.”  Lovely.

My goals for this race were:

1. Finish – check!

2. Not be last – check!

3.  Run the whole time – check!

Oh and apparently not expose my rear to everyone around me!  Despite the crazy hills, and there were many of them, I did not stop to walk.  That race gave a whole new meaning to “rolling countryside”.  But I kept thinking to myself that I worked so hard to train for this race and I didn’t want to disappoint myself.  I felt I had made reasonable goals for myself and I knew if I put my mind to it, I could do it. 

wine country early miles

When did I hit a wall?  Oh, about mile 11….that was the precise moment my phone died on me.  Total silence for the last two miles except for the sounds of my breathing and my feet pounding (more like scraping along) on the pavement.  I look like I’m skating in this one because my feet were too heavy to pick up:

wine country running 4

So what got me through this race, especially those last couple miles?  This isn’t meant to sound all mushy, but it’s the honest truth.  I had 3 thoughts running through my mind the whole time….I thought about everything I have personally been through with breast cancer, I thought about my dear friend who has a beautiful 1 year old with a rare brain disorder, and I thought about my dear friend and blog partner, Deena and her 16 year old son who is undergoing treatment for cancer.  Then when I’d feel the pain in my legs and wanted to stop and walk, I thought how the pain was nothing compared to what I had already been through and what my dear friends were going through.  That’s how I encouraged myself to put one foot in front of the other until the end. 

That’s not to say I wasn’t suffering.  Can you see me in this one?  I think my body language says it all!

wine country relief after the finish with arrow 

At the end we all got cool medals that double as a wine stopper.

IMG_3312

The only complaint I have about the race is the lack of water at the end.  I picked up a dixie cup of water as I made my way through the recovery tent.  When I realized I passed up the free bottle of sports drink, I tried to go back into the recovery tent and a heartless man who was lucky I was too tired to drop kick him, would not let me back in to get the drink bottle!  Are you kidding me?  I just ran 13 miles, dude!

But all in all, it was an awesome experience and a huge accomplishment for me.  Running does not come easy for me despite my dad being a track superstar in his younger days. 

memphis track My dad is the handsome, skinny guy on the right  🙂

I definitely did not inherit the natural running gene.  But I worked hard for this goal and I’m very proud of myself for accomplishing it.  I have a wonderful family and great friends who supported me during my training and cheered me on via Facebook during the race.  I’m already trying to figure out the next race I’m going to run.  But I can promise you this…it will not be a full marathon.  You marathoner types are crazy!

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
0 Shares

Don’t miss out!

Previous Post: « Inch by Inch, Row by Row
Next Post: Meat Free Monday: Szechuan Black-Eyed Pea Salad »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. 100 What by When? — Everyday Road to Healthy says:
    August 30, 2011 at 6:02 pm

    […] ran (loafed through) the Wine Country Half Marathon in June.  I vowed I would keep up at least a five mile run throughout the summer.  Yeah, that […]

Footer

LET’S GET SOCIAL

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

everydayroadtohealthy

Good morning! My morning is fueled by: ☀️sunl Good morning! My morning is fueled by:

☀️sunlight
🌳fresh air
☕️coffee

#everydayroadtohealthy #healthylifestyle #goodmorning #pushing50 #healthandwellness #selfcare
Cheers! It’s my first pumpkin spice latte of the Cheers! It’s my first pumpkin spice latte of the season! 🧡 Here’s how I cut down on calories when ordering:

✴️ order a tall instead of a grande (-80 cal)
✴️ hold the whipped cream (-70 cal)
✴️ swap out regular milk for non-fat milk (-50 cal)
✴️ reduce the pumps of syrup…I’m not a sugar-free syrup girl and I don’t think 1 less pump changes the flavor (-30 cal per pump)

I only indulge once, maybe twice a week, but these customizations keep me on track! My tall pumpkin spice latte comes in at 150 calories vs. 300 calories! 🧡

#everydayroadtohealthy #psl #starbucks #healthyish #butfirstcoffee #lowercalorie
I don’t have time to spend on my makeup in the m I don’t have time to spend on my makeup in the morning so here’s my 5 minute clean makeup routine explained in under a minute! 🤗 Featuring:

•Beautycounter Skin Twin Foundation
•Beautycounter Lid Glow Cream Shadow
•Beautycounter Cheeky Clean Cream Blush
•Thrive Causemetics Infinity Waterproof Eyeliner
•Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara

Beautycounter.com/angelafuentes 

#cleanbeauty #beautycounter #thrivecausemetics #grwm #pushing50 #cleanmakeup #easymakeup
Laundry is a perpetual chore in my house. 🧺 Jus Laundry is a perpetual chore in my house. 🧺 Just when I think I'm finished with all the loads, more dirty clothes appear and it's time to start another load. Unfortunately my swap for today doesn't fix that 😆, but it does fix the need for a non-toxic, natural and affordable fabric softener. I'm no where near being 100% chemical-free in our house, but I've made swaps here and there that make me feel pretty good about the everyday changes I'm making to a healthier lifestyle. ⁠
⁠
Go to the link in our bio @everydayroadtohealthy to read more.⁠
⁠
#everydayroadtohealthy #healthylifestyle #cleanliving #nontoxicliving
Still don’t love my wrinkles ☺️, but when I Still don’t love my wrinkles ☺️, but when I saw this quote, I thought it was fitting to share on so many levels. It’s definitely optimistic and happy like how a lot of his music made us feel! 🏝️😄

#jimmybuffett #everydayroadtohealthy
For the month of September, I will be donating pro For the month of September, I will be donating proceeds from all my Beautycounter sales (plus a match by my company Ashburn Accounting) to MIB Agents, a pediatric osteosarcoma nonprofit, in memory of Deena’s son, Owen, who lost his cancer battle in 2012 at the age of 16. 

From 9/5-9/14, I will host a virtual pop-up on our ✨Clean Beauty by Erth✨ Facebook group page where I will do some concentrated posts about Beautycounter, as well as hold a raffle for free products. If you or someone you know has wanted to try clean skincare or learn more about Beautycounter, please join the page before Sep 5th by going to the link in our profile @everydayroadtohealthy or message me about joining. You can also just order directly from me through my personal link from 9/1/23-9/30/23 and any proceeds I make during the whole month of September will be donated.

Thanks for helping me give to something that means a lot to me!

#everydayroadtohealthy #cleanliving #cleanbeauty #cleanskincare #goldforseptember #childhoodcancer @mib.agents #mibagents #osteosarcoma
Hi 👋 I’m Angela. Welcome to my everyday road Hi 👋 I’m Angela. Welcome to my everyday road to a healthy-ish lifestyle! 😆 

I will be the big 5-0 next year 🎉 and I really want to be in better shape by the time I get there. Most days I *think* about exercising, but I’m constantly sabotaging my own efforts. My biggest problem is I don’t prioritize my exercise time. I tried adding it as a meeting on my calendar, but I know it’s a “flexible” meeting so I’m always cutting into that time, to the point where I tell myself I no longer have the time. 🤷🏻‍♀️ And if I sit down at my desk in the morning and start checking work emails, the probability that I’ll fit in a workout goes down exponentially.

Today I chose not to sit down at my desk right away. Instead, I saw my kid off to school then went straight to the gym. Everything else waited until I got home, and the rest of the day I was able to focus without feeling guilty that I had not worked out. 

Today was just one day. I don’t know if it will stick, but I hope it does. I feel better about this plan than any other I have tried. It feels sustainable. 💪🏼

How about you? How do you make sure you fit in time for your health? How do you motivate yourself?

#everydayroadtohealthy #healthyish #pushing50 #healthylifestyle #workingout #selfmotivation #healthandwellness #healthandfitness
I’m not getting any younger, and neither is my s I’m not getting any younger, and neither is my skin. The dry and spotty mature skin struggle is real. But I am convinced this PM routine that I do every other night, along with my daily AM vitamin C serum,  helped me with my melasma. 

Every other night I use:

✅Counter+ Lotus Glow Cleansing Balm
✅Reflect Effect Overnight Resurfacing Peel (the piece de resistance)
✅All Bright Brightening Facial Oil 

And don’t forget daily C Serum and sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. 

Beautycounter.com/angelafuentes

#everydayroadtohealthy #cleanbeauty #cleanskincare #beautycounter #raiseupbeauty #matureskin #pushing50 #grwm #skincareroutine
It’s Veggie Bag delivery day from South Mountain It’s Veggie Bag delivery day from South Mountain Creamery! I don’t usually go online to see what’s coming so it’s almost always a surprise. But I love it because once I see what I have, it really helps with planning for the next week.
@smcdairy #southmountaincreamery #veggiebagdeliveryday #homedelivery #smcreamery #everydayroadtohealthy #healthyfood #eatlocal #farmtotable #healthylifestyle #mealplanning
Load More... Follow on Instagram