26 and I'm back

I'm FINALLY back. Not too surprising that my last post was entitled "Slump" right? I can't believe it's been a month and a half since I last posted. Since then I have been working and running out but not as hard core as I would have liked. The last quarter of the year has been difficult for me as there have been a lot of changes in my life. These changes have for the most part been extremely positive and exciting, but have still required major adjustments -- moving to a new city, starting a new job with LONG hours, learning the ins and outs of co-habitation, getting engaged AND planning a wedding.

When I originally started this blog, I had the goal of losing 20+ lbs by my birthday. THAT didn't happen. I did lose 7 lbs, but still roughly 15 lbs. from my goal. I had also planned to run two more half marathons before the end of the year and that didn't happen either. The week before the third half marathon I signed up for, the Ruben Studdard half marathon, I got sick and had to make a trick quip to the hospital so I had to lay that to the side. Although I didn't run the half-marathons, I did manage to run three races (that I blogged about) that were not in my initial plans.

As the new year begins, I have a new set of resolutions and can still look back at 2011 as a PHENOMENAL year for me. I made a decision to run for my first half marathon and did it. I ran a second half marathon and finished a Rebel Race with three other friends and I began to at least solidify my interest in and commitment to working out, running and creating a better me in a legitimate way.

I'm happy and I can't wait to share my 2012 resolutions with you all.

Also, I'm back for real. I missed blogging and I do think it really helps me stay on track.

- Nash

Slump

Over the last two weeks, I've been in a bit of a slump (perfect timing as I have a half-marathon in a week and a half, right?). I'm not sure where this slump came from but it [felt like] it hit pretty hard. The first week, I worked out only once. The second week I was determined to do better but only managed to workout twice. As a person who strives to workout at least 5-6 times a week, this was a big deal for me. Not to mention that the more days I missed, the harder it was to motivate to workout again. The dread that built up inside of me before a planned workout was almost paralyzing and I lacked the mental gusto/"mind over a matter" push I normally have during my workouts once I did start the workout. As soon as the workout got a little comfortable, I was ready to stop. A 3 mile run felt like eternity. I felt like I lost some of my "juice" - that little bit of something that pushes you to work hard even when you don't want to.

I started a new job about a month and a half ago and I think one of the reasons for my slump is that I haven't yet established a comfortable schedule that allows me to work long hours, cook, workout and spend time with my fiance (I can't even imagine what life with a kid is like; working moms are truly superwomen.) Right now I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm going to have to get used to less sleep and that my week day workouts HAVE to take place in the morning or at lunch. Since day light savings time has occurred, it gets dark here around 4:00/4:30 pm and I don't run in the dark. I live in a pretty safe neighborhood but I'm just not comfortable with it. I tried once and turned around to head back home after one mile because all I could think about was (1) how I would protect myself if somebody jumped out and tried to steal me and (2) how mad my Momma would be if I ended up dying because I didn't have the sense not to run at night by myself. If I cant fit it in in the morning or at lunch, more and more of my workouts will be limited to the treadmill. Early on in my running, I loved the treadmill. Now, not so much.

In the past waking up early has been really difficult, but this week (my first week OUT of my slump) I've been doing a good job of waking up early and I'm actually finding that I enjoy it. I started putting my work blackberry in the kitchen and setting it for 5:15 am. The alarm on that things is WILDLY obnoxious but having to actually leave the bedroom and walk to the kitchen to turn it off, gets me out of bed. That's usually the hardest part for me. Once I'm out of the bed, I can usually talk myself into working out nowadays. Getting up at 5:15 also allows me to get to work early, usually sometime between 7:30 and 8:00am, which then gives me more time to ease into my work day, potentially bill more hours, and increases the likelihood I can get home at a decent time. The only problem with this early rise time is that by 9:00pm I'm exhausted and ready to go to bed. This does not bode well for quality time with my fiance and since I'm up and out long before he rises, it kind of sucks. I know that working out regularly/getting the body that I want/reaching new fitness goals requires sacrifice, so something has to give. I am hoping that after a month or so, I will get adjusted to this schedule, body will need less sleep and everything will fall into place. Although I hate people who tweet things like "rise and grind" and "money never sleeps" and other ridiculous slogans/cliches like that, I do envy people who have the ability to work without getting tired. That kind of discipline is inspiring, so hopefully I'll get some of that.

I am happy to say that this week has been going well for me so far. I haven't been able to follow my training plan to the T but I have been able to workout twice so far this week and feel like next weekend's half marathon should go well. I ran 10 miles two weeks ago and will run a 10 miler again this weekend. Monday, I started my day with a 3 mile run and then did an Insanity workout with my co-worker after work. Tuesday, I let my body rest because I was pretty sore and didn't want to also work myself too hard since I do have the half-marathon coming up. Yesterday, I hit the gym during my lunch break and did a run that totaled 4.15 miles (2 mile run + 2(2:00, 3:00) AIs + 1(4:00) AI. The training plan called for one more 4:00 (AI) + 2 more miles but I didn't have enough time to get all that done during my lunch break. I had hoped to workout again when I got home but I had work that had to get done so that took priority.

Today I'm shooting for either a simple 5 mile run OR a 5 mile run + 4(2:00)AIs + 6GPs. We'll see how I feel. One thing that I've decided to do coming out of this slump is to institute a new personal rule - Never go longer than two days without a workout. I have to accept the fact that there will be some days when it is impossible for me to fit in a workout. However, the longer I wait to workout, the harder it gets and I HATE that feeling. When I go longer than two days without working out, I start to feel "blah" and the process of starting to workout again becomes mentally difficult. So, 2 days. 2 days only [barring illness, of course].

Lastly, I picked a dress.

I love it but in order to do it justice, I need to have some amazing arms and a sculpted back. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be looking for a good upper body workout so if you have any suggestions, please send them my way.

- Nash

Food Obsession for the week

I'm going low carb. I know low carb has its pluses and minuses (losing mad weight vs. gaining mad weight as soon as you look at a french fry) but I have 7 months to get the best body I can imagine and I want a little kick start. I know doing low carb for 7 months seems insane and who knows if I'll be able to stick to it for that long but I figured I might as well start early so that even if i fall short, I have plenty of time to make up for it (Note: I am eating fruit it's not COMPLETELY low carb, no bread, pasta, rice, etc. tho).

One of the things about low carb diets is that it can get boring really quickly so I've constantly been on the prowl for yummy renditions of meat and veggie dishes. Thank God for Chrissy Teigen because I found one I love that is super easy. She has a
recipe for Korean BBQ ribs (or as she calls them "beef curtains") that is SUPER EASY and super yummy. I made them for the first time last week, fell in love, and made them again tonight. Here is the recipe:

Korean BBQ Ribs aka Beef Curtains Swag

We have a grill but I never use it and I dont have a griddle so I seared the ribs then broiled them for a couple minutes. I also added chili paste and a squirt of fresh lime juice.

Hope you enjoy.

-Nash

Half-Marathon Update: Thank You Velvet Teddybear

I was originally supposed to run the Outerbanks Half-Marathon on Nov. 12 but some changes in my schedule made this nearly impossible. Luckily, even though I already paid my registration fee, I hadn't bought my flight or hotel. In order to make sure my expenses stayed around the same amount, I decided to find a replacement race in driving distance.

Thank God for the internet y'all because I stumbled upon this gem.

This velvety teddy bear, Christopher Theodore Rubeh Studdard, has a half-marathon in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.

God answers when you call him, I tell ya.

The Ruben Studdard Half-Marathon is November 20th at 8:00am.

I'm not sure who or what this race supports but I'm in there and I'm excited about it.

After doing a little quick research on Ruben to stay informed, I learned that he recently lost 100lbs and is now a vegan. #trivia

This race is a week after the race I was supposed to run so I have 20 days left to finish training. This was a bad week for me running wise (confession: I ran ONCE) but last sunday I ran 10 miles at a pace of 10:20 so I feel like I'll be more than ready by race day.

Looking forward to 5-6 running days this week because I do miss it and I need to stay ready.

- Nash

Race Report: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k

I signed up for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure through my firm and was excited to run. I was already familiar with the Komen Foundation and its efforts to find a cure for breast cancer and was looking forward to supporting the cause. When I woke up Saturday morning, it was cold. Really cold. 35 degrees. Although I generally prefer running in cooler temperatures, 35 degrees is a little colder than I'd like. I dressed in long running leggings, my race for the cure t-shirt and my BlackGirlsRun! sweatshirt (my fave piece of running apparel). I got to the race around 7:20 am to take a group photo with co-workers and was amazed by the sea of pink around me. The half marathons I did in Miami and Chicago had pretty big crowds but nothing compared to this. Someone told me there were nearly 20,000 people. It was amazing to see and truly encouraging.

I should have readjusted my expectations when I saw the race was referred to as a "fun walk/race" but I did expect things to be more organized. When you signed up, you had the option of purchasing a regular registration or a timed one. I paid $5 extra to get a bib with a timing chip because I like to have official race times for the races I do but considering how the race went, I should have just paid the regular fee because with so many walkers and not quite as much organization as was needed, the timing chip did me no good.

In the racing materials, there was a note that said if you were a timed runner to make sure you go to the front. Unfortunately, this was nearly impossible because of the large number of people (and people of ALL ages). Once the race started and I was slowly moving to the front as the crowd moved, I saw a sign to the far left of the starting line that said "Start - Timed Runners." I got excited and moved to the left quickly thinking that this would ensure I had a better chance of getting through to the front to run and not have to worry about all of the walkers. This didn't pan out though because non-timed runners/walkers, paid this sign no mind. I spent most of mile one, walking and weaving through tons and tons of walkers, trying to get to a space where I could actually run. I saw people running/jumping over bushes along the race path and going far out of the way in hopes of getting past walkers so they could actually run. I feel bad complaining about this because it was truly amazing to see so many people outside supporting breast cancer but it was truly, truly frustrating because I really wanted to run and make a good time. I was particularly interested in what my 5k race time would be given my new half marathon training schedule. I crossed the finish line around 33:00 but I know a few minutes had passed before I actually crossed the start line and I didn't get a chance to really run until mile 2. I haven't found my chip time online yet but I'm interested to see what that says.

All in all, I felt truly inspired and touched every time I looked at the shirts of people running around me with "In remembrance of _______" and that made up for any frustrations I had with not actually being able to "race." It was also a good learning experience for me in terms of knowing what to expect with different types of races.

- Nash

Delicious Dinner

I cooked dinner tonight for the first time in a while.

It was DELICIOUS so I thought I'd share.

Lamb + Roasted Sweet Potato and Spinach Risotto

I was in the mood for lamb and asked the twitter world for recipe suggestions. The one I got was great. I've never actually written out a recipe so bear with me.

Lamb

Ingredients:

Lamb chops

Salt

Black pepper

Rosemary

Olive Oil

Garlic

Mushrooms

Craisins

Port

Directions:

Season the lamb chops with salt, pepper and rosemary. Sear the lamb for a couple minutes on both side, then remove. Sautee the mushrooms, and garlic in the juices in the pain. Pour in port and craisins. Put lamb back in the pan with wine, mushrooms, craisins and garlic and let cook on very low heat for 5 minutes.

***

That lovely side pictured above was the result of my indecision on whether I wanted risotto or sweet potatoes. Then I googled to see if there was such a thing as sweet potato risotto. Voila! Found something even better (I had a bag of spinach in the fridge that I really needed to do something with).

I'm not going to post the recipe for the risotto b/c it is available over at Two Peas and Their Pod. Risotto can feel like a tedious process but this recipe was really easy and honestly tasted so good. I will be taking this to lunch tomorrow with the left over lamb.

Now I know this blog is about exercise, weight loss etc. but I have no idea how many calories are in this meal. What I do know is that it was delicious and portion size is everything.

Try it out and tell me what you think.

OR if you want to figure out the calorie count for me, that'd be great as well.

- Nash

Speaking of Black Toenails...

I was watching Real Sports last night and one of the features was on obsessive runners.

Let me introduce you to THIS guy.

Marshal Ulrich, the godfather of long distance running.

For his birthday he ran 52 days straight, averaging 60 miles a day.

This dude ran 2 marathons DAILY for 52 days.

Lawd.

Anyway, he took his running so seriously that after getting 948793568349 black toenails...

HE HAD ALL OF HIS TOENAILS SURGICALLY REMOVED.

Not me. Not neva.

But then again, you'll never catch me running 60 miles in one day.

Just wanted to share. For those who plan on keeping their toenails, OPI's William Tell Me About It nail polish is a good color to get you through the fall and to cover that dreadful discoloration.

- Nash

Making Time

This morning I got up at 7:15 to get a short run in before work.

This was after skipping FOUR days of running.

I woke up each of those days intending to workout. Somehow, I never got to it. I'm adjusting to a new job that requires longer hours, doing some [very] preliminary wedding planning and still trying to enjoy being engaged. I'm sure those all played a part but even still, I'm a firm believer that you can always make time for working out.

Now when I say that, I'm not even talking about, "If something is really important to you, you'll make time for it." [Let's save that for heated conversations with delinquet mates]. What I mean is, it's simply easier to make time for working out than you think. This morning when I woke up for a run, it was 7:15 am. I had set my alarm for 5:15 but per usual had ignored it and continued to lay in bed. When my alarm went off at 7:15, I laid there thinking about how much time it was going to take me to work out (even though I had laid my workout clothes next to the bed the night before) and how I should just wait until later to run so I won't be late to work.

I can be a very lazy person. As a result, I've gotten really good at overestimating the time it takes to do things in an effort to convince myself that it shoudln't or can't get done. When it comes to working out and running in particular, I've found a way to think about things that nips that thought process in the bud:

I can run a mile without killing myself in 10:00.

Ten MEASLY minutes.

ELEVEN minutes if I want to take my time.

There is NEVER a day when I don't have 10 minutes to spare. Now I may need to add in another 20 minutes to dress/undress and shower but it's RARELY the shower/dressing part that convinces me I don't have enough time.

I know I'm not dropping bombs over here but reminding myself of what I can get done in 10 minutes makes working out not seem as daunting.

I failed at it last week but this week I'm going to make sure I make the time.

-Nash

#2 - My grandmother made me say B.M. instead of poop

B.M. stands for bowel movement.

My grandmother taught me that.

I wasn't allowed to say poop or "doo doo" around her. It was only B.M. or bowel movement. Sidebar: I remember one day we were riding in the car and she heard Lauryn Hill rap "and defecating on your microphone." She freaked out and told me my generation had problems. I didn't know what defecate meant.

Anyway, what does B.M., poop, doo-doo (i hyphenate b/c im fancy), defecation or bowel movements have to do with this blog?

It's the OTHER thing I wish someone had told me about before I started running.

**throws back vodka crystal light so I can over share about my intestinal problems**

**deep breaths**

Running can make you poop your pants like a first grader.

Yea, I said it.

One of my biggest fears when I go on runs longer than 3 miles is that I'm going to sh-t on myself.

I may or may not be exaggerating.

Anyway, when I first started running I noticed that when I ran for longer periods of time I had the strong urge to poop and sometimes...rarely...a couple of times...maybe...

there was a baby party in my pants.

(gross? get over it)

When this first started happening I took to Google to figure out if i had irritable bowel syndrome. I DON'T.

This is what I learned:

• Most importantly since I exposed myself to the blogosphere, the "poop" syndrome is COMMON. Google it and you'll find tons of discussion boards full of runners who talk about how to avoid the poop.
• Running is good for maintaining frequent bowels (shout out to all my constipated folks) because your intestines are constantly moving/bouncing up and down which loosens up your bowels.
• Suggestions include sipping coffee (laxative) so that you can relieve yourself prior to running and incorporating more fiber into your diet so your poop schedule becomes more normal/regular and you know the best times to run.

If any runners have any better suggestions on how to handle this problem. please let me know. It's one thing I think people don't talk about because they're embarrassed but its something new runners should know. I'm also sure there are more solutions out there.

Gross? Get over it.

- Nash

Pretty Little Things About Running - Black Toenails

This post may gross you guys out and I'm ok with that. Of all the things I wish I knew before I started running, this is one of the biggest. Running may make your toes fall off. Ok, not your toes but your toenails.

Yea, I said it.

I tweet about my workouts a lot (I'm sure a lot of people think it's extremely obnoxious and have me on mute but it helps me stay accountable) and a lot of people ask me advice on how to start running. So I think this is something we should talk about and anyone who starts running should know.

I used to have really pretty feet but as I sit here writing this, my sh-t is all messed up. I've lost two toenails since I started running last December and am getting ready to lose a 3rd. The first one was a small toenail and I lost it shortly after my first half marathon. That wasn't a huge deal because although it was kind of gross, the toe nail grew in as the old one was falling off. (gross? get over it). Now the second toenail I lost was a far bigger ordeal. I'm steal dealing with it. My second half marathon in Chicago was a hot, painful mess. A few miles into the race my big toe started hurting a lot and this continued after the race was done. I got a pedicure immediately after the race but little did I know that would be the last time I'd see my full big toe nail.

Let me tell you, toe nails take way longer to grow back than one would think.

I lost my big toenail (Rest in Peace) in early March. It's October now.

AND THIS IS ALL THE TOENAIL I HAVE!!!!!

Sorry. I had a moment.

**pours another vodka and crystal light**

(eh, 200 calories?)

I know my feet look horrible and I need a pedicure and you can still get a pedicure when you're toenails are falling off and maybe that's when you should be SURE to get a pedicure....but I'm being transparent so be appreciative.

You see that other toe that looks black? Next to the premie toe that's slowly growing into the toe God promised it could be? That's the 3rd victim. He'll be gone soon too.

So now, that I've laid that all out and you guys are either completely grossed out or extremely sympathetic for the life my fiance lives, let's talk about why this happens:

• Famed runner Jeff Galloway says getting a black toenail means you've moved your training to a higher level(that reminds me of the time I was getting a pedicure and the guy next to me saw my premie, little "toe" that could and asked if I was a runner. I sipped my mimosa, looked at his sparkly nail polish and smiled, "yes")
• Black toe nails result from pressure. Sustained pressure, step after step, produces friction between the toe nail and the tissue around it. When the tissue gets damaged, fluid accumulates. (I've come to know this fluid personally. Gross? Get over it, b.)
• When the pressure gets too great, the toenail will separate.
• You're more likely to get a black toenail in hot weather because your feet swells.
• You can best avoid black toenails by making sure your sure has enough space in the front - at least half an inch when you're standing.
• Best way to deal with black toe nails? Let them run their course.

I'm not a doctor or a running expert and I am not giving an expert opinion, just some friendly advice from a girl who hopes to one day wear sandals without shame.

- Nash

What I Ate and How I Moved - 10/12/11

Food:

Admittedly, I didn't eat as well as I should but I did manage to keep my caloric intake low and eat somewhat healthy (and by somewhat I mean, I didn't go "full fat girl")

Breakfast - Grande caramel frappucino + banana

Lunch - Fettuccine Alfredo Lean Cuisine (gross + a lot of sodium but easy)

Snack - Large Grapefruit

Dinner - Two Stuffed Peppers courtesy of Chrissy Teigen (sodelushious) and Paula Deen. (Now these stuffed peppers are not healthy at all but they are AMAZING and may be the only Paula Deen recipe that doesn't include butter.)

Oh and since I guess I shouldn't hide things from you all, one heavily poured vodka + crystal light pink lemonade.

Workout:

I sat my alarm last night for 5am in hopes of waking up early for a run/workout. My alarm went off and I heard it, but did I get up? Of course not. I wasn't even really tired but I didn't want to get up so I rolled over and decided to save my workout for after work. I did this entire workout on the treadmill and for some reason looked forward to it for the most of the day. That NEVER happens.

3 miles +

3x(2:00) aerobic intervals + 3x(2:30) aerobic intervals + 1x(1:00) aerobic interval +

6 gental pickups/sprints +

3 miles

I did the 3 miles at the beginning and end of the workout at about a 10:20 pace. I did my aerobic intervals at 6.9 on the treadmill and my sprints moving from 8-9.5. I may have been able to sprint faster on the treadmill but it was kind of hard of tell. The entire workout lasted for roughly 1hr and 30 min and in total I completed 8.8 miles.

I think this may have been one one of the hardest running workouts I've ever done because I'm not used to the aerobic intervals and sprints but at the same time it felt really good.

Tomorrow's workout: 8 miles + 4 gentle pickups/sprints. **crosses fingers**

If I can get this workout done in the morning before work, I'm going to try and get a second workout in after work. A friend of mine challenged me to attempt 300 squats. I did 100 squats after running 3 miles on Monday and am trying to work myself up to 300.

- Nash

How it all began...

This blog started as one of many procrastination methods while I was studying for the TN bar exam. Today I got my results.

I passed.

I'm taking my passage as a sign this blog was meant to be and having a celebratory glass of Malbec.

For the record, a glass of Malbec = 120 calories.

Now multiply that by...Nevermind.

I know I've been sporadic with updates but blogging is way harder than I thought. I'll get better.

I've had a damn good 2 weeks.

- Nash

Hot Body Friday

From ESPN's BODY issue:

Go 'head. Get you some.

25 year old, Olympic Gold Medalist Natasha Hastings.

Shit. I'm 25.

- Nash

It's 1:54 am aka. I'm so sore I think I have the flu

and I can't sleep so I figured I'd write a post about how sore my body is from working out. Have you ever been so sore you feel like you have the flu? Or had to ease yourself slowly down to the toilet when you want to use the bathroom? Or you think your abs are swollen?

No?

I've worked out 3 times this week - 7 miles on Tuesday (ahem. I'm behind on my running schedule but a girl has to celebrate!), 3 miles today and a Kinect UFC Personal Training workout on Wednesday. I'm not sure where all this soreness is coming from but my best guess is the Kinect UFC personal training workout. All day today I looked like a complete creepster walking around the office, barely lifting my legs with each step. When I walked down the steps in my house, I had to turn sideaways and take one step at a time (Has that ever happened to you?). For those of you who are unfamiliar, Kinect is a video game console similar to the Wii but with better technology. The biggest distinguishing factor is that there is no controller - YOU ARE THE CONTROLLER (Was that creepy? Sorry.). My fiance (woohoo. promise I won't be annoying with that) bought this personal training game for Kinect and we've been trying it out. There are different training and workout programs on the game but we both started with the 30 day cut weight program. The program guides you through different exercises, counts your reps and critiques your form. On Tuesday, I ended up doing squats, lunges, leg lifts, bicycle crunches, jumping jacks and a few other exercises and it was tough. A lot tougher than I expected. I've run 7 miles before and 3 miles is not a huge strain for me but my thighs especially are crazy sore. I haven't been to Crossfit in a long time and I think the squats, lunges and other exercises really worked me out.

Either way, I can't continue living like this. A friend of mine (she's a super athlete with an amazing body) suggested I use a foam roller and another friend suggested I try out glutamine. My fiance blamed it on me not taking the proper time to stretch before and after workouts (the Kinect game actually has a pretty substantial cool down stretching period. I admit I stood there during that time because after working out I didn't fill like following along with stretching).

I'm going to try more stretching, the foam roller AND glutamine and let you guys know what I think.

What do you all do for extreme soreness??

If I never needed a reason to get skinny before...

I have one now.

My wedding.

:)

Here's to toned arms, a great back, and hot collarbones.

Everything just got that much more real.

-Nash

Daily Mile

In addition to this blog, I post details on my daily workouts over at Daily Mile.

@NAshSatt

Add me!

Race Report: Sisters in Motion 5k

I wanted to write this race report while things were still fresh in my mind. I found out about this race through the Black Girls Run! Memphis Facebook page again (side note: The BGR! FB pages by city are a great resource to find out about different races/running events) and signed up. I was not familiar with Sisters in Motion prior to the race but SIMM is a group of African-American women with a shared interest in fitness and fellowship. They volunteer to serve during different races in the city and travel as a group to different half-marathons and marathons around the country. The proceeds from the race go to the Christ Community Health Services Centering Pregnancy Initiative chosen to help reduce the rate of infant mortality in Memphis. If you want to find out more about Sisters in Motion, you can check out their website - Here.

I really like their mission and would like to support the group so it pains me to write a less than stellar review of the race. The race/walk took place in Overton Park in Memphis. I couldn't find a specific location in the park for the starting point on the website but I assumed that it'd be easy to find once I got there. Both my boyfriend and I signed up for the race and arrived at Overton Park around 8:30 am (the race started at 9:00 am). There were a couple of signs that said Sisters in Motion and we saw people walking around with race bibs on but did not see a registration tent or a start line. We kept walking through the park and ran into some people who pointed us to where everything was located. Some signs with big arrows would have been really helpful.

When we finally got to the right place, the energy was GREAT. There was a big picnic pavilion set up with a DJ who was playing Kanye West and that perked me up a little. It was also wonderful to see so many Black women up early on a Saturday morning to run a race. There were also some Black men and women and men of other races.

When I picked up my bib, I noticed that there was no chip to keep my time so I made a mental note to remember to start my watch so that I could get my own result. We edged to the front of the line (not something I would normally do) because it was clear that some people would be running and a good number of people would be walking. I didn't want to waste too much time trying to run in between people to get to a clear place in the front.

My legs felt heavy pretty much from the beginning so I knew it was going to feel like a long 3 miles and decided to run at whatever pace felt comfortable instead of worrying about my exact time. My boyfriend and I kept a pretty steady pace of around 9:00 for the first mile but we both knew there was a problem when we saw the Mile 1 race marker way too early. My watch said we were around .7 at that point. I wasn't sure if my Garmin was messing up, if the marker was in the wrong place or if we had skipped a turn somewhere. We continued to run but hit the marker for mile 2 way too early as well. By the time, the race was "finished" my Garmin said we had only gone 2.5 miles.

This was probably the thing that disappointed and upset me the most about the race. Either the course wasn't marked as well as it should have been and we (along with almost everyone else) cut the course too short or the organizers marked the route short by .60 miles. That is a significant amount in most races but is ESPECIALLY significant when you're only running 3.1 miles. I heard someone say to one of their friends after the race, "You broke your personal record" and I wanted to scream, "You LIE!" but thought that would be inappropriate. For me there is no justification for a race course being over half a mile short. The race cost $25 and at the end of the race there was food, water and you did get a swag bag with a t shirt and a few other things. But the most important aspect of the race - the actual length - was wrong and that really, really bothers me. Also, at the end of the race volunteers were handing out note cards for you to write your name, age group and gender with your bib number. I didn't catch this but my boyfriend said that there were people at the finish line writing down bib #'s and times. I'm guessing they plan on compiling the race results by matching those times with the info on the notecards. I wouldn't have even filled out my card unless my boyfriend had said something to me because there was no indication when it was given to me what it was for. I also can't say I'll trust the results they post for the 2.5 race if that is the method they used to track it.

This is only the 2nd year that Sisters in Motion has hosted this race so I don't want to be too hard on them. I sincerely hope that they address the issues in the future because it definitely has a lot of potential. All of the workers and volunteers were extremely nice with amazing energy and I would like to see them have more success with this race in the future.

- Nash

Race Report: Cooper Young 4 Miler

I signed up for the Cooper Young 4 miler last Friday on a whim after seeing a post about it on the Black Girls Run! Memphis Facebook page. At the time I was following my old training plan and it fit in perfectly as I needed to run 4 miles that day anyway. The race also happened to be in walking distance from my house. Perfect. And since I'd never run a 4 mile race before it'd be an automatic PR (personal record).

I was a little nervous about the race because of the length. I'm not a very fast runner which is part of the reason the half marathon distance appeals to me. It's very hard for me to keep a really fast pace for a long time but I can definitely keep a moderate pace for a long period of time and feel good. I had no idea how to run this race but set a modest goal of finishing under 40 minutes. A 10:00 pace is pretty standard for me so I knew that it was a goal I could reach and hopefully surpass.

My boyfriend dropped me off at the start and I picked up my bib, t-shirt and swag bag. There were 3 waves and I got in the last wave simply because...actually, I don't know why I did, but I did. Before the race started I decided I would try to hit at least 10:00 for my first mile and then get faster each mile based on how I felt. The temps were cool and the race was at night (my first race at night actually). The race route was flat and would have been kind of boring but there were a lot of people cheering with signs throughout the race. Since the race was mostly through a residential area, a number of people were sitting on their front with beers and drinks kickin' it. Although the race was short, their support was great to have.

I was hoping to find someone during the race to pace myself with but never really found someone. The first two miles felt pretty great and easy so I continued to speed up. When I finished the race, I felt good and still had more in the tank. SInce this was my first four miler (race, not run), I feel food about it and am glad to have a benchmark for future races.

My splits were as follows:

Mile 1: 10:01

Mile 2: 9:56

Mile 3: 9:18

Mile 4: 8:25

Average Pace - 9:25

Race Time - 37:48

#80 out of 239 in my age group.

I actually thought I was running faster during Mile 2 but turned out I kept the same pace. The first couple miles for me can be difficult because it normally takes me about 2 miles to warm up and I didn't do any warmup before the race other than some basic stretching.

I'd definitely suggest the race to other people. It was $25 and I liked the crowd. There were young people, old people, people running with jogging strollers - an overall nice mix. Some people ran, some jogged - no pressure. I had a great time and look forward to doing it again next year

- Nash