All Aboard for Africa!!!

This Friday, I will be traveling from Cleveland to New York City, and then heading out on the trip of a lifetime! After a 14 and a half hour flight, my group and I will touch down in Johannesburg, South Africa. From there, we will travel to the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre - De Wildt where we will be working with cheetahs, wild dogs, and vultures for the next two weeks. We will be helping with the daily routine, as well as performing tasks that the center doesn't otherwise have enough hands to perform, such as putting up fencing and clearing brush. Afterwards, I will spend a weekend exploring . . . more to come on what I'll actually be doing. 

To learn more about the cheetah centre, click here. 

After more than 6 months of preparation, I am finally packing to set out on this trip. Many things have crossed my mind during this process including excitement, anxiety, disbelief, exhaustion, and now, all I have to do is leave on Friday. 

What I'm nervous about:

• The flight - I've flown for as long as I can remember, but last year I had a terrible experience on an airplane. Since then, even thinking about flying makes my stomach queasy. My anxiety is already going through the roof, but I know it'll all be worth it once I land in Joburg. (That's Africa slang for Johannesburg. :p See!? I'm practically a local!)
• The trip, in general - I'm a huge planner. I like everything scheduled out to a T, but inevitably, when you're traveling, something is bound to go wrong. I'm praying for a smooth trip, but you never know...and the whole not knowing part is KILLING ME!

What I'm excited about:

• EVERYTHING!!!! Animals, Africa, culture, food, I'm going to experience the works. This trip is combining so many of my passions, it's almost a little overwhelming, but I am thrilled to have this opportunity. I will try to post regularly and keep you updated on all the Africa gossip. 

  TOTSIENS! 

(Goodbye in Afrikaans, the main language in South Africa)

Impromptu Photo Shoot

This weekend, Gabbs and I are in Pennsylvania to celebrate my father's wedding. 

It's a nice little weekend vacay for us, filled with food, family, and relaxation, 

not to mention, I absolutely love PA. 

I may be a city girl at heart, but you can't deny the beauty of the Pennsylvania hillsides. 

Like on any proper trip, I brought my camera along for the ride, and I decided to do a couple of photo shoots, starting with the one below. 

Since getting my Canon T3i in November, I hadn't been able to take ANY photos of my beautiful best friend. 

So here are my favorites from the mini shoot we did today. 

Enjoy!

An Up-hill Battle

If you had asked me a year ago if I would be running a half-marathon in May 2014, I would've thought you were crazy. It'd always been an unrealistic fantasy in the back of my mind, but never something I actually thought I would act on. Then January 2014 came and my boss and friend, Erin, came to me with the idea to run a half. Originally, I think it was just purely that - an idea. However, once it was put into words, it seemed like a possibility. We researched races, training plans, and the best gear to wear. We decided on the Pittsburgh Half because it just happened to be the Sunday after spring semester finals week and I live close enough to Pittsburgh without having to drive a major distance. I made my goals early on, as to have a clear view of what I wanted out of this experience. I decided that finishing was as good a goal as any, and with a 3 and a half hour time limit, I set the goal to finish within that time.

I knew that training would be a difficult task, but the first few weeks were smooth sailing. I was running, as well as doing several different classes including yoga, Zumba, and ab workouts. However, as the semester went on, classes and assignments became more and more hectic and it seemed as though I had little-to-no time to train. It was a bumpy ride, but I did the best I could to keep up with my priorities, academics and organizations being first and foremost. I hate to say that the last 2-3 weeks of training were practically non-existent for me. With final papers, projects, and exams, as well as every end of the year event that you can think of, I hardly had time to stop and breath, let alone go for a run. Even so, I was determined to finish. Walking, running, or crawling, I was going to cross that finish line. 

 
So May 3 rolled around and it was a day until the race . . . AND I HAD FOOD POISONING! I was sicker than I've been in a LONG time and I couldn't believe this was happening the day before a major race. I slept and tried to control the nausea . . . not an easy task when you're that sick. By mid-afternoon, my mom and I were finally able to hit the road. We arrived in Pittsburgh, picked up my race packet, and ate a nice carb-filled dinner at Olive Garden, that I was, thankfully, able to keep down.

The convention center where we picked up my race packet.

The next morning, we were up bright and early at 5am, drove downtown, and got prepared for a 7am race start time. I met up with Erin in Corral D and we were finally given the go-ahead for our corral to start the race at 7:36am. The excitement and adrenaline was insane and Erin and I, along with 30,000 other runner/walkers, took off on the course. 

Erin and I at the start line!

Corral D at the start line!

Mile 3 - I was starting to feel the effects of the day before. My nausea was reminding me of my illness/food poisoning only a little over 24 hours previously. Erin and I split up at that point. I decided to find someone and pace myself to them, in order to finish the race in the 3 and a half hour time limit. I found two middle-aged women that were slightly ahead of me and for almost the entire race, I paced myself to them. 

Mile 5 - At mile 5, I looked down at my hands, because they had started to cramp. When I saw them, I had a mini-panic attack. They were swollen to close to 3 times their size, something I had never experienced during training. They were sore, but I wasn't going to let a little bit of swelling stop me. 
 
Mile 8 - I was more than halfway through the race. I was starting to feel the aches and pains, and my goals became get to the next water station, because I was feeling the thirst. I knew that if I could get to mile 10 before 10am, I could make my overall goal. I did the math, and I had to finish the race by 11:06am. Get to mile 10, get to mile 10. 

Mile 10 - Why isn't this over yet? Honestly, mile 10 until the end was the hardest part of the entire race. I had been in the race for over two hours. I was thirsty, my breathing was getting worse, and I really just wanted to sit down, but I knew that if I stopped, I wouldn't finish. 

Mile 11 - At this point I had lost my pacers. They had finally gone out of my sight. I found two more women who I actually befriended. Sue and Marcia were friendly Pittsburghers who were walking the half for their second year in a row. They were encouraging, supportive, and kept my mind off of the race itself. I can honestly say, I don't think I would've finished without them, so I'm very thankful for their help. This is also where the hills became unbearable. If you've never been to Pittsburgh, you don't realize how many hills were actually on this course. Practically the entire thing was comprised of hills.

*I must also mention that the bands playing and singing along the route were a nice touch. They kept the atmosphere alive, and it was a much-needed distraction.
 
Mile 13 - .1 to go! Heck yeah! I was running to finish in time and also to be done. It was a satisfying feeling. I was so close I could taste it!

My mom and I after the race!

Race-Day Gear: 

Asics Gel-Kayano 19 Running Shoes (found on many top 10 running shoes for half-marathon lists)

Nike Dry-fit Pink Half Zip Jacket

Pittsburgh Half-marathon shirt

VS Pink yoga leggings

Observation: My second toe is longer than my big toe, which means it got the brunt of the force from the race. In the end, I'm left with several blisters on my feet and a smile on my face, because I completed my goal!

Things I would do differently next time: 

• Wear actual running pants, not yoga pants. This is more or less a comfort thing. My yoga pants were fine for training, but they have a lot more friction against your legs than actual running pants would.

• Hydration. I later found out that the swelling of my hands was caused by dehydration. As much as I drank during the race, I definitely could've hydrated more in the week prior to the race.

• Vaseline on my feet. I got this tip from another runner during the race. Apparently, Vaseline prevents blisters on your feet, so I will certainly be trying this trick soon.

• Stick closer to my training. Last, but certainly not least, I had a hard time sticking to my training regimen. This was obviously influenced by school and work, but next time, I need to dedicate more permanent time to training. It shouldn't be an option, it should be a priority.

This race was one of the hardest, if not the hardest thing I've ever done mentally and physically. If you had asked me right after the race if I would do another half, I would've said a resounding NO, but lets be honest . . . I wasn't thinking straight after running for a little over 3 hours. Now, I know I can do it, so I may as well train harder for another one. Maybe Cleveland in the fall?