Racing It Off

Cowtown Half Marathon Race Recap

2012-03-01T21:04:00.001-08:00

I signed up for Cowtown knowing I would want to get back into the swing of things after the 50, but I also didn't have a clue where I would be in terms of recovery. I'm still not really sure where I am in terms of recovery. Some days everything works like clockwork, other days, I am way more fatigued than I should be for low levels of effort. So I signed up for the half marathon. I'm glad I didn't try to push it for the marathon or 50k. It was a wise move, for once.

The awesome Shannon agreed to pace me. I don't think she knew what she was in for.

Like your typical glutton for punishment, I decided I wanted to see what the body could do and try for a small PR... which, I thought, shouldn't be much of a stretch since my PR is a year old, and I feel like I've gained a bit of speed over the last year.

Mile 1 - 9:15
Mile 2 - 9:17
Mile 3 - 9:09

Believe it or not, I was actually feeling good at this pace. I knew it would be tough in the later miles, but I didn't feel like I was struggling at all.

Mile 4 - 9:17
Mile 5 - 9:18
Mile 6 - 9:19

Shannon is clearly faster than me and would pull ahead a bit, which actually worked at well, I just held back, got my head straight, and she'd slow down for me at just the right time. It worked out well for how I was feeling. By mile 6, I knew this pace would be really really tough to hold, but the legs were still feeling ok, so I continued to go with it.

(I absolutely LOVE this photo... this was the day... Shannon looking back to check on me, and me breaking a smile.) To be honest, I was already uncomfortable by this point - not miserable, but certainly not my normal playful self.

At this point I spot a someone up ahead that I'm sure is my old friend, Carl. You see, I haven't run Cowtown since 1998. And in 1998, I ran it as a casual 10k (before they put the 10k on a different day). Carl was one of the small clan I used to run with. We were co-workers at the time. I probably haven't seen him in 10 years. I was certain it was him, so I made the decision to push a little and catch up...

(Carl is at the front of this photo in red... I'm directly behind him in purple)

It was nice to catch up, but I realized that I was pushing my pace way too much and that I needed to pull back, so I said good-bye and let him speed along.

Mile 7 - 9:02

Mile 8 - 9:24

In mile 8, the largest hill of the race started. It starts very slight and then gets really steep right as you hit the 9 mile mark.

Mile 9 -9:39

Frankly, I'm shocked I held that pace even. I felt like I was literally crawling up that hill. I had a mental rope tied to Shannon's rear, and was using it to pull me along. By this point my body was telling me I was done. It was telling me to pack it up for the day. I was positively miserable. I had exerted all I had, and there was nothing left. I considered calling my coach, I considered leaping over the bridge. I sincerely felt that awful - and it was all respiratory. Don't get me wrong, the legs burned, but they were still functioning, but I just could not breathe. My chest was very constricted and painful. Shannon was really working to keep my head in the game. I even managed our signature "Sprinkler"...

And thus began "The Death March"

Mile 10 - 9:59

Mile 11 - 9:41

Mile 12 - 9:49

Disappointing... really disappointing. I felt terrible, my chest hurt so bad. My legs were burning, but it had nothing on my breathing. I was utterly miserable. If Shannon hadn't been there yelling at me to go, I think I might have just found a grassy knoll and cried myself to sleep - no kidding, I had tears streaming down my face. I had Shannon right in front of me, and I asked her to just stay there. I was doing best when I was just mentally connecting a rope to her rear and letting her drag me. I felt like I was crawling. I mean, looking now, my pace hadn't dropped off that much, but I felt like a snail. I was done. I'm honestly not sure I've ever quite been in that place during a half marathon - feeling so dead, but still continuing to push to my limit.

Mile 13 - 10:02 (my only mile > 10)

Last 0.3 - 9:57

Offical time: 2:06:03 (PR by 3:14)

(Had to take a picture with the cow at Cowtown - duh!)

They had Blue Bell Ice cream at the finish. All I wanted was to sit and eat my ice cream.

Here is the part where I tell you how I feel, and you tell me that I'm crazy. I know. I know my line of thinking isn't logical, but I was so incredibly disappointed in myself at this race. I saw friends after and they could see it in my face. I was unhappy. I said I wanted to run about a 2:05, I ran a 2:06. I PR'd by over 3 minutes. But I was just crushed mentally by the way I felt for the last 5 miles of the race. I always get upset with myself if I see a huge pace drop at the end. I start questioning my capability, my race strategy, etc. Yes, I know the hills on the second half were harder. Yes, I know there was a pretty stiff headwind up some of those hills. Yes, I know I'm only 3 weeks post 50-miler and not fully recovered. I know all of these things but couldn't shake the feeling. Part of it stems from the fact that this was not my key race. My key race was 4 weeks away. This was not my goal pace, I had hoped to go for 2:00 in 4 weeks. I thought I had a huge PR in me. In order for me to have the confidence in the race in 4 weeks, I really wanted to end this race thinking I had something left. But I didn't. There was nothing. I have no idea how Rock n Roll Dallas will go in 4 weeks, but this race definitely ate at my confidence. I know my line of thinking is illogical, and I do know I left everything I had on that course, and I did get a nice PR... so I will try my best to celebrate that.

Rocky Raccoon the Aftermath

2012-02-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

10 days... it's been 10 days since I last posted. I don't think I've ever gone that long without posting. I've had a tidal wave of lazy with regards to my blog the last 10 days. Post-ultra, I was emotionally spent. It took me days to get to a point where a commercial about dry-erase markers didn't make me cry. It was weird because I'm not a hyper-emotional person. I'm, for the most part, very logic-driven. After that came the wave of... "How do I get that feeling back?" which resulted in days and days of research. Researching what, you might ask? Apparently self-torture is actually more addictive than crack. But there's little I can do this year... I'm actually sad I have so many marathons scheduled that I can't stick in a few ultras. What is wrong with me? Apparently I have already forgotten the quite explicit text I sent to my brother upon finishing when he asked if it was epic. Yes, it was, but it HURT... a lot... everywhere. Sure, sign me up again!

Some things I learned about ultra-running during Rocky Raccoon:

- If someone tells you that it's an "easy" course for an ultra, feel free to ignore them. You absolutely never know what 50 miles+ will bring, and you certainly can't predict how much tougher mother nature can make it. It may not have the elevation and climbs of many other ultras, but that's ok... it's plenty hard! No such thing as easy at that distance.

- Volunteers and crews at ultras are quite literally the nicest people ever. They are there to help you. Let them. It's not like a marathon where you run by and grab a cup. They sincerely greet each person, ask you what you need and do whatever they could to fulfill that need. If they didn't have a food you were craving, and could find it, they would have it prepared for you by time you came back around. They will pop your blisters, change your socks, hold your hair back while you puke. No kidding.

- Don't ever say "oh, those aid stations are close enough". The furthest between stations for this race was 4.4 miles. I thought that was no big deal, but when you're hurting and it's pitch black dark, that can be a long long time. You need to be prepared to take care of yourself as well.

- Ultra-runners are the most supportive people ever. No one cares about your pace. Everyone is a rock star for even being out there... and all of them truly appreciate that. Other runners genuinely cared how you were doing. And despite being a back-of-the-packer... I never once felt like anyone out there gave a hoot about my time.

So what does that leave me with??? Well you know I can't just leave my schedule as is... I think the ultra got a piece of my heart. I was asked if I thought that I would turn into ultra-chick and leave the roads behind... I sincerely don't think so. I still love my road marathons. I still love White Rock Lake. But for now, ultras are like a new boyfriend where you're excited to explore all the new possibilities... but I know that the charm might wear off soon enough, so I'm riding the wave while it excites me.

The plan for this year is 3 additions to my schedule...
- In May, I will be going to the Zion 100 in Utah with my friend Suann. No, I'm not running 100 miles... yet. But *she* is. It'll be her first 100. And I'm honored that she asked me to pace her... so I'm going for it. Not sure how far yet... probably anywhere from the last 25-34 miles depending on which aid station she wants me to meet her at. Those miles will probably be during the darkest hours of night down the back side of a canyon. Should be exhilarating. I cannot wait.

Palo Duro Canyon

- In July, I'll be doing a 50K starting at midnight on a 3.1 mile loop in Fort Worth. The race is called El Scorcho, although I've heard it referred to as El Stupido (seriously, 10 loops at midnight in mid-July in Texas heat... BRILLIANT). I have 2 partners-in-crime. IronTexasMommy (Shannon) and Jason's (Cook Train Eat Race) wife (Karen).
- In October, I plan to do another 50 miler in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas. It's supposed to be a gorgeous race, and I'm hoping another partner-in-crime is gonna meet me there.

Along with that, I'm obviously still planning to stick with the other marathons I have planned, but I expect to be cutting back a lot on the quantity of races and sticking to the stuff that really makes me happy. I've already planned out my 6 major races for 2013. Yes, I'm that much of a planner. Crazy, I know.

Do you plan ahead? What distance has your heart?

Rocky Raccoon 50-miler Race Recap

2012-02-06T11:35:00.000-08:00

...otherwise known as longest race report ever (but it seems appropriate since it was my longest race ever).

My emotions are still raw from yesterday. It was the most intense day of my life. There's no way I can do the whole experience justice...

I left midday on Friday, and I headed straight to the hotel in Huntsville. Total coincidence, my room was right next door to Suann, who was also running the 50. I hopped a ride with her and Kai to the trail briefing just minutes after getting there. I was a little nervous since this was my first ever trail race.

The trail briefing was interesting... everything that was in the race document, but with that special "trail" spin to it. And we had seen (and been told about) the sign...

But when the race director tells you which bridges to make sure you go over instead of around because there are gator-nests underneath, that's when I make an insanely shocked face and think (out loud, apparently), "What did I get myself into?"

Fiona, Greg, Dat, Suann, Melissa, Kai, and Me

Trail Brief!

As we were leaving the trail brief, I spotted Ian Sharman (course record holder with a 12:44 for 100 miles. Do the math, then be impressed.), ... and in typical blogger fashion, I had to get a photo. I felt a little odd asking him for a pic, but he was seriously the nicest guy ever. He asked all about my race - which distance, had I done an ultra before, etc. And then we got into a discussion about the alligators. He didn't look too happy about possibly being alligator lunch either. (This discussion led to one of my tweeps nicknaming me #trailbait . Still cracks me up. Classic.)

We went out for dinner after this (fajitas!) and then back to the hotel for bed. We had to decided to get to the race start super early to avoid the parking nightmare. I hardly slept at all... no surprise. I couldn't believe this was it... the day I had trained so many hours for.

We woke up to sheets of rain.

100 mile start photo by DryMax

It was unbelievable. I don't think any of us were really concerned with getting wet, as it was warm enough to not be a huge issue, but the trail conditions were a major concern... and we were right to be concerned.

Before the start!

Suann, Dat, Greg, Jeremy, and Me

Suann and I cheered the 100-milers off, and then went back for another potty break and to double-check our gear before dropping our bags. Then it was time. As we all huddled under the tent to catch just a few more minutes of dry, I felt crazy nervous. This is it. I trained my rear off and mother nature was not going to cooperate. Guess what? I'd just have to work twice as hard. So be it. Bring. It. On.

Loop 1 - We started in the dark at 7am... not too long before sunrise. I had no idea what to expect. There were some clear areas, and some mud puddles, but by mile 3, we were going through patches with ankle deep mud that had been kicked up already by the 100-milers in front of us. There was no way around it. Since the trails there are sand, the small grains would creep right into your shoes and start to form hard globs in any crevice it could find. For me, it was the line between the ball of the foot and the toe pad. It felt like a giant stick in my shoe, and there was nothing to do about it. There were other spots where it would glob too, and I immediately knew this was going to be a long long day.

I was constantly playing games of trying to stay just behind a group of people and letting them drag me... walk the uphills when they walked, run when they ran. It seemed to work. But still, by 8 miles in, I felt tired. Pulling heavy shoes out of suction-cup mud and leaping roots, was already taking it's toll. Trying to stabilize myself while going uphill on slick red clay was no picnic either. I pushed through the rest of the loop almost completely alone. Sometimes I couldn't even see another person. There were brief moments when a friend would pass... I finished the first 16.67 mile loop in 3:40ish, and I knew I was on track for the kind of time I wanted, but I also knew that the added effort of the mud was elevating my heart rate way above where it should be. I was also already emotionally drained from going through that level of intensity alone.

As I ended the first loop, Corina and Fiona were right there asking what I needed. I was already emotionally raw and all I remember is squeaking out "I need a hug, I feel so alone out there." Most of you know what a social runner I am, so that was really hard for me. They obliged my hugging needs and drug me over to the tent, where Erik and Michelle were also waiting to help out. Lesson of the day... when Corina tells you to sit down, hush, and let her help - do it... she knows what she's talking about. Shoes off, socks off, feet wet wiped and dried, feet re-lubed, new socks, mud scrapped out from the insides of the shoes, and Fiona trying to make me eat anything she could. Angels, I tell you!!! It's amazing how much I did *not* want to eat. I had to force myself. I also dropped the hydration pack after loop 1. I couldn't handle any more weight with the added mud on the shoes, so I grabbed my handheld.

After loop 1

Loop 2 - I probably spent 10-15 minutes there, but really at this point, I knew the day would be about toughing out the conditions. Complete change of plan. I came up behind a runner early in the loop, and she moved over for me to pass, but I told her I wasn't going to pass. Then I realized, she was a mutual friend, so I introduced myself and fortunately, she was desiring company as much as I was. People > Pace any day of the week. I was already sore and tired, and I just wanted to not be utterly alone for another 33 miles. Ali and I took on the loop in small chunks - just get to the aid station, just get to the halfway at mile 25. And we spent a little too much time playing "who can get through the giant mud pit with the least amount of damage"... a game which usually by the end of the pit, we had both lost with mud flung up to our knees. We passed a guy who looked up at us and said "Good morning ladies, no wait, afternoon?" That pretty much summed up the day. We were just out there a long time and it was all running together.

I can't remember where Ali and I were on this loop, but all of a sudden we heard a huge cracking sound, and we looked up ahead and saw a giant tree fall. We were maybe 200m back, so we couldn't tell if it was on the side of the course or over the course. Well, soon enough we realized it had fallen over the course. Thank God no one had gotten hurt. And by the way, even though it was maybe only 2 or 2 1/2 ft in diameter, pulling sore and tired legs over that thing was not welcome.

By this point my feet were killing me. They were on fire. Because of the constant water and mud, the shoes were heavy, the sand in the shoes was like walking on rocks, and the cushioning in the waterlogged shoes was useless, so there was no support. Ali and I saw a few smiling faces on this loop as well, that brightened the day for a moment. When we finally came around the corner for the start/finish/turnaround chute, it was like the heaven's opened and angels started to sing. I could see Ian Sharman turning in his chip to the race director. My heart sank... oh no, what is going on out there today? (Turns out he strained a muscle while dealing with the muddy conditions. Let's not mention the fact that he was dropping at mile 60 and I was at mile 33 - dude is FAST.)

After loop 2

Awesome volunteers immediately ran up asking what I needed... I just made a direct line toward Corina and Fiona. After the first loop, I had tried to do stuff on my own despite Corina's direction, but lesson-learned, this time I let her work the magic. Fiona brought me any food she could find while Corina did the whole foot process again - shoes and socks off, feet cleaned, dried, re-lubed, insides of shoes scraped down, socks and shoes back on, water bottle refilled, etc. They went through the checklist as I insisted I had to go before I lost my will to get out there again. Got up and headed over to Ali's area to wait for her to finish up with her feet, and then we were off. This stop was at least 15 minutes.

Loop 3 - Renewed, I was ready to attack it and get it over with. I think Ali could see that I was ready to go, as she gave me the "if you want to go ahead, you won't offend me". But there was no way I was giving up having a companion... especially knowing that I was about to embark on navigating mud pits and mud slides as well as ridiculous roots in the dark of night. Our goal was to get past the steep downhill that had the slick clay on it while it was still light outside. Not far in, I saw Tony. I shouted his name and gave him a big hug (seriously, not sure what my hugging issue was during this race, but I was really that much of a crazy needy emotional mess).

We were going to take this one aid station at a time. Note to self - never say that it's "only 4 miles" between aid stations when it's a trail race... 4 miles on trails, especially in poor conditions, can be well over an hour. But we did eventually hit that first Nature Center aid station. My feet had started to cramp badly, so the volunteers asked me to take some endurolytes, so I listened. As with all the aid stations before, I forced myself to eat. I think Ali and I both grabbed a quesadilla, and I may have grabbed a couple oreos before heading out. I was spending so much focus on my feet and where they were going that I wasn't drinking nearly enough, so I definitely took advantage of the aid station stops to replenish fluids as well too.

My feet hurt so bad. My muscles were screaming at me, but nothing I couldn't overcome... but the feet... oh, I just wanted to sit down and put them up so badly. I kept eyeballing logs and even the occasional park bench with the thought "just 5 minutes", but I didn't do it. After a tough haul, we hit aid the DamNation aid station. These people are angels, I tell ya. Ali and I were both shoving down what we could stomach and appreciating the brief break before we knew we had to move on. I saw my friend Dave at this stop, he was on his way back in for the finish, and I was still on my way out. He asked me how I was, and I think I said "I want to die." At the time, I'm pretty sure that would've been the less painful option. I know he could tell I really felt like it too. We were around mile 39.

Now it was one mile at a time. We soon got over that dam area with the steep slick clay slope I was worried about having to do with the dark, and that was one less thing on my mind. Ali and I had fallen into a routine of walking every uphill (even slight ones) and trying to push out as much of a run as we could on everything downhill or flat, except where there was heavy mud since we had to be a bit more careful. I should mention that my core was also on fire. Those stabilizer muscles got quite the workout from trying not to fall. There were times where we thought we were in the clear and we'd start running to find a huge section of mud only 10 seconds later. Deflating.

Finally, we hit DamNation on the way back in and we knew it was 8 miles. This time we didn't linger nearly as long knowing that the further we got in the light, the better, and we didn't have much light left. With around 6.5 miles left, we both had to turn on our lights... and so it began. I have never ever run trails in the dark before. Hint: I don't suggest you leave your first nighttime trail run to miles 43-50. My dexterity was already compromised, and now add lack of light. I will say that the majority of the miles in the dark, we walked. Every time I tried to pick up the pace, we'd hit a long stretch of mud or a section of heavy roots which seemed to be a lot more difficult to traverse in the dark. It seemed like it took forever to get to the Park Road Aid station, but finally there was a huge row of glow sticks and people everywhere cheering, and I almost had a breakdown from happiness. Ali needed a pit stop, so I stood around at the station while she was in the porta-potty, and I tried so hard to force myself to eat, but I couldn't stand anything... one bite of brownie, nope... a chip, nope. They were offering me everything from PBJ to potato soup to apple pie... it all sounded terrible, but I didn't care because there were people there smiling... and *that's* what I needed.

Ali finished up and we were on our way for the last 4.4. At some point, a guy (who I honestly only ever heard his voice since it was pitch black) tagged onto us and asked if he could stay with us. He was on his 4th 20-mile loop for his 100-miler and his light had gone dim. He didn't seem to care that we were clearly WAY slower than he was. This dude turned out to be an angel, because at one point I couldn't see the signs in the dark, and I hear him shout "WAIT, STOP... I know there was a left here." Oh my goodness, if I had gotten lost that late in the race, I might still be out there crying. Thank you, whoever you were! I had a lot of trouble at this point discerning where the path was, so I was looking forward to just making it to the portion that was out and back so that the oncoming runners would let me know I was going the right way. It felt like forever, but we finally did hit that out and back patch and the miles clicked down so incredibly slowly. It was all we could do, though, to stay upright. Right as we clicked to mile 49, my emotions went crazy. Really? Is this it? Are we really about to finish? I wanted it to end so badly. I needed a hug and a good cry and a bath and a blanket!!! (And in that order.)

When we got into the last quarter mile, I hear a voice behind me shouting my name. I asked "Is that Jeremy?" It was (he was finishing up mile 60 of his 100). He ran up right next to me and told me to go. He wanted me to finish strong. As we hit the final straight away, he started shouting to the crowd "This is her first 50!" The crews and family at the start/finish were AMAZING. They went wild. As I crossed the finish, the lady asked me "What's your number?" (They manually record everyone as a double check.) I shouted back "I don't know." I couldn't remember anymore. Jeremy had to look over and read my number to tell the lady. Still makes me laugh. What a disaster I was. I grabbed my medal quickly so I could run out of the "runner only" area... and there were Corina and Fiona waiting for me. I think I almost collapsed in Corina's arms. I was so incredibly happy to see them and to be done. I was all emotion at this point. I don't think I could've possibly talked to anyone without breaking down. All finished in 13 hours and 23 minutes. That is a long long time for relentless forward progress.

Thank you Suann for being my go-to person all weekend! Thank you to all the smiling faces on the course, especially Greg, who stopped each time to make sure I was feeling ok. Thank you to all the familiar faces helping crew, but especially angels Corina and Fiona - I wouldn't have made it without your hugs and care. Thank you to Ali for being my companion for 33 miles! And thank you Jeremy for making the finish that much better. It was an honor to have you next to me for the end.

Congratulations to Suann, Dave, and Ali on your 50-mile finishes!

And to the beasts that attacked 100 miles... I think you are amazing for even attempting it. Over 40% of the 100 mile field dropped during the race, which just tells you what rough conditions it was out there... with the top male and top female contender both dropping as well for injuries (slick mud is no joke!). Huge congratulations for Greg, Fawn, Matt, Kai, and Jeremy on their amazing 100 mile finishes. You guys (and gal) inspire me!

(Thank you Corina, Fiona, and Suann for the photos!)

3M Half Marathon Race Recap

2012-02-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time in a land far far away (ok, back in June), Tricia (Endurance Isn't Only Physical) and I decided we would run the Austin 3M Half Marathon together. It was supposed to be flat and fast, and we had discussed with Coach Adam (yes, he coaches both of us... pity him) about pushing each other to a 2-hr half marathon at that race. But then life happened... Tricia's went and injured herself, and I, of course, signed up for this itty bitty race for the very next weekend. Of course, 13.1 was still a suitable taper run for 50, but the thought of PR'ing it had completely vanished - priorities!

So this past Saturday, I headed down to Austin to Tricia's place. We almost immediately headed out for the "expo". The expo was super small, but very efficient. Well, of course it was efficient, Teal & Beth were there volunteering and got us our packets, shirts, and bibs.

Love the amount of 3M loot. Really did NOT like the shirt, though... you can probably guess why. Not something I plan to wear around town as it could be easily misinterpreted.

We also got the chance to have a quick "Tweet-up" at packet pick-up.

@melissalicia512 , @triciarunning , me @racingitoff , and @cisforcourtney

(Thanks Courtney for the photo!!!)

Not only did we tweet-up, but Courtney made some divine s'mores cupcakes... and SHARED!

After the brief expo visit, we headed back to Tricia's for a relaxed evening of beer, pizza, and chick flicks.

This is how you prep for a race that you plan to run for FUN.

After a short night of sleep (race start was 6:45am), it was go time. And Texas weather bowed to our wishes and it was chilly just like we hoped. Brrrrrrrr...

Did I mention that we didn't really fill our handhelds the conventional way...

For the record, shaking up a beer while you run is not recommended. It gets very foamy, and makes you feel very bloated. Anyhow, with Tricia's injury, we knew the second half of the race might be a bit more relaxed. We ran the first 7, and then started instituting walk breaks. This is where it was kind of nice to relax for a minute, take a sip of carbs, and just generally chit-chat and enjoy the day. There was still way more running that walking, and I was super proud of Tricia for toughing it out despite being only trained up to 6 miles post-injury.

And ultimately, we finished smiling...

Road to Rocky Raccoon

2012-02-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

In late August, Ninja (aka Greg) and Drum (aka Michelle) ran the Lean Horse 50-miler in South Dakota. One night, mere days after they returned when Ninja was still on his "high", he started talking about the 100-miler at Rocky Raccoon... and somewhere along the way of that late night Twitter conversation among a few of us, he convinced me that running a 50-miler at Rocky Raccoon was a good idea.

Now, let's be clear about why that commitment was a little out of the blue for me:
- I've never run a race on trails... at all.
- I've never run a race longer than a marathon. No 50Ks yet.
- I'd only even ran on trails maybe 3 times.
- I had a super crazy marathon schedule still left to take care of.

With all of that said, once I commit to something, I stay committed. In the last 5 months of training, I have run 960 miles. My training peaked in January with 245 miles. Also, in that 5 months, I ran 8 runs over 20 miles - including 3 marathons and 1 30-miler. Several of those long runs were also back-to-back with other double digit runs.

I do not question if I've put in the miles. I know I have. I've also been as open as I can to advice and input from people with a lot more trail experience than me (and I feel very indebted to them). But I still know that I have never raced on trails. And I know that I've never raced further than a marathon. And lastly, I know that I have very few hours on trails - not because I didn't want to train on trails, but because I have an atypical situation that results in lack of childcare most of the time... which actually means 80% of my runs are spent on a treadmill - which isn't exactly a good simulation for trails.

I know I will go into this race with a lot of shortcomings... but I'm OK with that. I have the miles on my legs. I have been uninjured the entire time. I feel mentally prepared. And no matter who you are, there's always something you could have done better in your training. I had to train the best I could with my circumstances, which really aren't conducive to hours of outdoor training, especially on trails - despite my desires.

And despite this lovely forecast:

I plan to get there and give my best effort to claw my way to the finish, no matter how long it takes. Although it would be swell if I could finish my 50-miler before Ian Sharman finishes 100-miles (a 7:30 pace for 100 miles is just not right).

Heading out tomorrow at noon so I can make it to Huntsville in time for the trail briefing. Excited!!! And freaked out!!!

Is Taper a Bad Word?

2012-02-01T12:58:00.000-08:00

Taper is the period of training where you reduce your miles prior to a race. The goal of taper is to rest your muscles and maximize your fuel stores.

Some people flourish during taper - enjoying the rest, catching up on the giant pile of laundry that's been growing since you've been busy training, and getting the right fluids and fuel into the body.

~~Others~~ I go crazy -
1. I replace my time spent running consuming this...

and this...

2. I go broke buying this...

and this...

Oh, yes, I did. Can you say 20 hr battery life and 4 screens of data for an anal-retentive engineering-type.

3. Every minor twinge of minor discomfort sends me into an injury rundown -

Did you hear that click in my knee? Runner's knee.
Is that a small ache in my foot? Plantar fasciitis.
Oh my hip's off... Stress fracture.
Cramp in my shin? Shin splints.
Spasm? ITBS.

I think the next step is that I'll just get leprosy and one (or both) legs will just fall off before Saturday.

This is my brain...

This is my brain on taper...

Any questions?

New Years Double - Race Recap!!!

2012-01-31T21:19:00.000-08:00

I have stewed and stewed over this race recap, and I figured there is just no way I can explain to you the experience, so I'll just give you the best overview I can. The New Years Double was thought up, developed, and directed by a friend of mine, Libby Jones (no we're not related!). Two races - New Years Eve and New Years Day. Four distances - 5k, 2-person Half Marathon Relay, Half Marathon, and Marathon. You could do any combination of the available distances on the available days.

I chose to do a half marathon on New Years Eve and a full marathon on New Years Day. The course was a quarter-marathon out and back loop. This meant that you got to see and pass frunners All. Day. Long. It was amazing. I, of course, did my best to convince the Racing It Off team that Libby always puts on a good event and that it was the place to be. Despite it causing most of them to miss an evening of New Years celebration, most of the team was on board. It was a party!

Day 1: New Years Eve

The weather was perfectly cool. The team was ready to go.

Holly C, Denya, Monica, Christina, Samantha, Me, Sabrina, Christie, and Emily

The goal for day 1 was to run a nice easy 13.1 for two reasons - first, this double was a training run for the ultra and I didn't want to shred my legs, and secondly, I needed to pace Denya for her first full on New Years and wanted to be physically feeling good so that I could focus on supporting her.

The plan was to keep Emily company, but she had a nagging hamstring issue, so we agree to play the day by ear. I ran with my camera, which led to me snapping a lot of frunner pics on course...

Michelle K

Amanda, Dana, and Marcie

Greg (aka "Ninja")

I enjoyed the day, enjoyed the beautiful weather, enjoyed seeing great friends on the looped course. I spent the first 8 or 9 miles with Emily feeling good and telling stories... but I knew her hamstring was really bothering her. She made the wise decision to preserve her body and take it easy the rest of the way in, so as another Racing It Off runner, Monica, caught up to us, I headed out with Monica to run with her for the rest of her half. Monica was having tummy troubles, so I'm glad I got to distract her a little for the remainder of the miles. And she finished strong! We all knew we had another day of running ahead, so we all tried to be pretty conservative on the pacing.

Libby, the amazing race director (in blue), with her sister, Elaine

Back - Heidi, Fiona, Me, Monica, Jenn, Emily

Front - Corina, Elaine

That evening, Libby had arranged a free viewing at the local theater of Spirit of the Marathon! Really cool perk to the race. I had a blast at the movie, then continued out to dinner with a big group of friends and then home to get some sleep. Yes, this is how a runner parties on New Years Eve.

Day 2 - New Years Day

New Years was a big day for many reasons. First and foremost... I was pacing Denya to her first marathon. She's the first person I have coached to a full marathon. I was more nervous than I was for my first marathon because I wanted to make sure I was present for her and ready to be supportive. Secondly, it was the last 26 miles of my highest mileage week ever. So I wanted to get through well to know that I could handle the miles in the upcoming ultra.

The team was PUMPED and ready to go. The mission of the day was Team Denya - get her to the finish line!

Holly C, Christina, Samantha, Me, Denya, Monica, and Sabrina

I have to start by saying that the awesome Shannon of IronTexasMommy was my partner-in-crime for the day. Shannon was on day 2 of back-to-back marathons and ready to slow her roll and help me pace Denya to her first marathon. I can't say enough about what she added to the day... we had SO much fun together and kept each other motivated which helped us keep our spirits up for Denya. And it was nice to let her be the motivator for Denya at the moments where I know Denya wanted to wring my neck!!!

Note to self - self-photography is rarely flattering.

Denya was excited and ready to keep the day steady at 12:00 min/mile. Again, I was crazy with the photos of frunners.

Super-fast Sombrero Paul

Samantha and Christina joking around to make Denya laugh!

Holly C and Monica!

Denya and Me

Denya was amazing. She kept it steady through mile 20 or so, and then the exhaustion of the day definitely hit her (haven't we ALL been there?). Shannon and I were being completely whacked out and dancing on the course - the sprinkler, roping cattle, doing the wave, attempting the running man while running... whatever we could think of. By the 4th loop, we would do a dance for almost every runner who passed to try to get a smile!

The last 6+ miles were a little bit of struggle, but Denya has the most amazing determination... and she pushed through strong. I am SO proud of this lady. She is inspiring! Congratulations on your first marathon, Denya!!!

And check out the double-day bling:

All of the Racing It Off girls accomplished amazing goals. Frunners finished inspiring distances. But I can't resist calling out this one special finish... Elaine, who had planned back-to-back halves, decided New Years Day morning to go for the full... and knocked it out of the park... literally... with a massive PR!!!

For me, this marathon symbolized a great accomplishment as a coach - getting Denya healthy and happy across the finish line (and fyi, she was texting me about marathon 2 before she even got home)... it was also the finish to a 71 mile week, and my legs felt GREAT, which really made me feel like I was on track for this ultra. And lastly, this marathon qualified me for Marathon Maniacs - #4850.

All-in-all... a great race, a fantastic experience, and I will be back next year... but for the back-to-back fulls!

Setting Mileage Goals

2012-01-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

I'm probably a little late on this post since we're almost at the end of January... but oh well.

Mileage goals seem to be a big deal in the world of runners. Most runners pick some random number of miles that they think he/she is capable of, and then wait and see how the year pans out. In truth, I'm not a huge fan of mileage goals. Yes, I succumb to peer pressure and love to see the mileage rack up as much as the next runner, but mileage goals are never my priority.

So here's my love and hate about mileage goals:
Love - Goals are a positive thing and keep you motivated.
Hate - It doesn't allow for injuries and "life happens" times throughout the year.
Love - It forces you into good, consistent running.
Hate - It encourages quantity over quality.
Love - It makes for a great sense of accomplishment when you hit the milestone.
Hate - Sometimes it forces people into massive over-training during the last months to "catch up".

The question then becomes, how do you set a mileage goal but avoid the pitfalls.

First - Pick an easily attainable goal based on your training schedule for the year. Did you run 600+ miles last year and have a schedule full of half marathons this year? 1000 miles might be a good goal. But maybe you live on the surface of the sun (i.e. Texas, Arizona, etc) and don't run much in the summers, you need to consider that. Maybe you hit 1000 last year and have marathons on your outlook this year and 1500 would be an attainable goal. Whatever it is, don't go too outlandish... just like you ramp up slowly on weekly mileage, don't force yourself into a 2000 mile year when you just finished an 800 mile year.

Next - Plan it out. You don't want to be stuck with 300 miles left to run in December when you're thinking about Santa Claus and egg nog. Write out your year with your races and planned mileage. The best way to hit your goal is to make sure you are on track at least monthly. And remember, there will probably be higher months around marathons and lower months after in recovery or in the hot summer. What you don't want is to end up running "junk" miles just to boost your numbers when those excess miles could potentially be a detriment to your training.

Finally - Don't be stupid. Seems easy, right? Well, when you want to hit that mileage goal and have some nagging shin pain, it's easy to just go ahead and push through and hit the goal. You have to be smart enough to draw the line. Think about the goals that are most important to you - a new distance, a new PR, or whatever... and focus on being healthy and properly trained for that. Ultimately, mileage is just a number and that number is relative to the person running it.

Be consistent. Consistency is the key to having a good mileage year.

Make interim goals. Monthly and quarterly will help make sure you stay on track.

Be aware. If your body is telling you that you need a break, don't run just to hit a mileage goal. In goals like this, it is important to be smart enough to let go of it when it's the right decision for your body.

Team Gab and a Day on the Trails

2012-01-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

If you don't know about Giraffy's awesome virtual race for Team Gabby, you much go CHECK IT OUT. If you don't know, Gabby (Giraffy's youngest kiddo) was diagnosed with leukemia a year ago.

I was honored to help support Team Gabby!!! I decided to run the half marathon since I'm in taper for Rocky Raccoon 50-miler. I was afraid Coach Adam might kill me if I ran a marathon during taper - although you all know I was tempted.

The plan today was to hit the trails!!! I was really excited to go to a trail that is right down the street from me that I'm always too afraid to go on alone - fear of getting lost. The Rowlett Creek Trails are a series of 14 small loops. After a crazy busy morning, I met a great crew of frunners at around 8:30am (Libby, Alicia, Catherine, Lisa, Kristi, and Mahima). I am so thankful that there are really great people willing to meet me for this run that I felt I needed before Rocky Raccoon in 2 weeks.

We headed out on several small loops... first loop was 1.65 because we missed a turnoff... oops! I guess that's better than getting lost 10 miles from the parking lot! The second loop we finished just past 6 miles. Loop 3, we got to explore one of the slightly more difficult loops, and I really enjoyed it despite the ginormous hill that we wasted 5 minutes staring over wondering who was gonna go first. There was some squealing during the decent, and we all felt better when we saw a dude on his bike sitting at the top of the incline with the exact same look on his face as we had a few minutes before. That loop finished at 9 miles.

By the last loop, it was just me and Libby. I was fatigued from 8 miles of speedwork on Friday (which was the goal... to have to run this on fatigued legs) and Libby is coming back after surgery and had an intense workout with her trainer yesterday. There might have been some moaning and whining from both parties in those last miles, but we hit the car at 13.9 miles and called it a day. 3 hrs and 24 minutes on the trails was plenty of time on feet for this girl!!! No falls, no major issues, lots of time on trails... and now the taper gets serious!

Now, it's your turn!!! Go sign up for Giraffy's Virtual Race and run *your* race!

Never Say Never

2012-01-17T19:55:00.000-08:00

No, I am *not* going to break into a Justin Bieber song. Did I even spell Bieber right?

Let's take a short trip down memory lane.

Once upon a time, in a small town in Virginia... there was this girl (with a really bad perm-gone-wrong):

This girl claimed she was not athletic and a total clutz (she was right). She lived in nerd-ville and liked it. Her mom's boss ran marathons... she thought he was totally out of his mind. She hated even 40 minutes of gym class.

Then came college. This girl was a little different:

She put on weight fast in the first year of college, so by year 2, she took up running. Don't ask how far or how fast... she didn't know... she just ran in the early mornings - rain or shine. But I'd guess it was no more than 2-3 miles, ever. She lost the freshman weight and got healthy...

Finally graduation came, and it was time to get a big girl job. This girl continued to run, but again - no clue how far or how fast. Probably only a couple miles. And then a co-worker convinced her to race... 5ks, 10k, then a marathon relay... (most the races were in 1998 and 1999...)

Then somewhere after that... she fell off the wagon. Job, then marriage, then this:

Then #2:

Then leaving the big girl job, which also added some stress weight. Then #3:

About 50 lbs more than before she had kids... it was time for a change. She committed to a half marathon...

She said she would NEVER do a marathon, but she did...

She said she'd NEVER do another marathon, but she did...

Also, finally down the 50 lbs she gained during those child-bearing years...

Pretty sure she also said she'd NEVER do an ultra, but she *WILL*...

And at this point, there's only one thing she'll NEVER do... she will NEVER promise not to go further or faster or harder in her running.

I don't know what lies ahead, but I have learned that limitations are only self-imposed.

What would you NEVER do?

Going Long...

2012-01-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that currently my head is wrapped around my first ultra - Rocky Raccoon 50-miler. I am determined to go into this race prepared. I am crossing my t's and dotting my i's the best way I know how. When I first started training, the plans varied greatly between what I thought was too little and plans that made me nauseous even thinking about them. I made my own plan that was somewhere down the middle of the road... enough miles to know my legs can carry me and that my mind is ready, but not so much that my body hits overload and breakdown.

My coach, Adam, is pretty much awesomesauce, and when I come up with a hair-brained idea, he's usually all behind it (or else he tells me I'm insane, but knows that I'll do it anyway). I'm pretty stubborn, and I like to convince him that my ideas were his ideas all along. Seriously, he couldn't charge enough to have to deal with me.

So my big training run was the New Years Double. Conservative pace, back-to-back half marathon with full marathon. Perfect 50-miler training - which involves a lot of back-to-back long runs. The week after that I used for "recovery"... which in Lesley-world is a little different... but we pulled the miles significantly back from my 71 mile week to a 43 mile week - which ended with an 8-14 as my back-to-back long runs. I have been feeling exceptionally good and this week had been planned as another peak mileage week with long runs of 14-22. Buuuuuuuut, I felt so great on New Years, that I was really craving the mental boost that a super long run would give me... more so than back-to-backs.

I did discuss my plan with Adam. He knew better than to say no when I have a plan for epicness. Mind you, he knows I care about this race too much to blow it by being stupid. He knows that I'm aware of my body and if I feel something alarmingly off, I'll stop before I screw something up... but I presented my idea to him. 14+22 = 36 miles... so how about I only run 6 on Friday and go for 30 on Saturday? This was it... this was what I would need to just give me that extra mental edge.

I won't lie, I was a little scared of the thought. I knew if I had a horrid 30-miler, I would be destroyed mentally for Rocky Raccoon... but I knew that if I could just pull out a good day, somehow, some way, I would have a great advantage on race day.

I planned the day, and my friends did not disappoint offering to pace me on my various loops. The plan was 3 loops - 12 miles, 9 miles, and 9 miles. The plan was to also imitate race day as much as possible - hydration pack on, PB&J and coke at the end of each loop like that ultra aid-stations, GU in-between, NUUN in the pack, clothing changes just in case. We even started in the dark, and I got to try out my Knuckle Lights (review coming - I loved them). I had picked a comfortably easy pace so that I kept everything in check and could pull the whole run off.

Loop 1 - 12 miles - Christina, Samantha, and Robin D joined me. This was the longest of the loops and things were feeling nice and easy. The 30 degree temps actually felt nice - like having my hips and knees iced while we ran. We stayed right on pace. At the end of the loop, I took a quick break at the car for food and to change to a lighter top.

Loop 2 - 9 miles - Robin D stayed with me. Woman is a rock of support. I run way slower than her, but she has run by my side many times when I needed someone. The temps were warming to about the mid 40s and things felt nice, BUT a race was starting right as we started this loop... so you know we got caught up in that, and I pushed a few miles at a pace a bit faster than planned, but things were still fine. We took a few walk breaks this loop, much like I will in the ultra - particularly on wobbly bridges and any hills.

Loop 3 - 9 miles - Elaine joined me after busting butt teaching class at the gym. So we were both in the stage of jello legs, but my mental game was ON. I felt great, I was still smiling, and I was pumped to conquer this. She surprised me with Race Bibs that she made for us... the CSI 30-miler!

She was worried that I might not wear it, but no way, it went right on! (She also brought me a peppermint GU which was yum!) Believe it or not, I felt pretty good and happy the whole loop. We walked the hills and bridges... and I did have to take one slightly longer walk when my hip felt a bit off... but all was well, and we even ended the loop with a sprint to our cars!

30 miles DONE in a little over 6 hours... right on planned pace. I feel good... really good... surprisingly good. I was fine mentally. I was glad to be done, but honestly, could've gone further if I had to. I am sore, but nothing major... just minor post-long-run stuff - a little in the left hip and really minor in the knees.

I'm really glad that I decided to take the leap and do this run... I feel confident and ready. I'm coming for you Rocky Raccoon!!!

I love...

2012-01-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

I love that my 3-year-old tells me she's busy texting her coach when I ask her to do something.

I love that when I come home from running, my kids ask me if I got a medal.

I love that if I take my 7-year old out for a run, she asks "are we running 5k?" And if I follow up with "What's a 5k?" She immediately answers with "3.1 miles."

I love that after I take my 2 older kids to school, the first thing out of my 3-year-old's mouth is "Are we going to the gym?"

I love that if I need it, my kids know the 3 possible locations for my Garmin.

I love that after a race or long weekend run, my kids know to bring a movie and crawl into bed with me so I can chillax for awhile.

I love that if my kids witness me eating something new, they ask if it's good "fuel" for a runner.

Our kids are watching us. The best way to teach them that exercise is fun and healthy and positive is to show them through our actions.

Yes, I'm a Goal-Maker - 2012 Here I Come!!!

2012-01-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

Love it or hate it, I'm a goal setter with my running... I focused better if I have something written down and keep my eye on the running ball! So here's my list for 2012...

Health:
Eat more fruits and veggies - This is non-specific, but that's ok... I just want to eat a little cleaner than last year without putting hard restrictions on myself that I can't follow!

Knowledge:
Read the Stack of Running Books on my Night Stand - So much good info and inspiration, and I need to carve out the time to actually read them.

Fitness:
Become an ultra-runner - Scheduled for February 4th. 50 miles or bust!!!

Qualify for Marathon Maniacs - DONE! - Accomplished 1/1/12!!! Maniac #4850

Run at least 12 races. - This seems silly for a race-aholic, but I hope to do a lot more marathons this year which means I'm going to have to give up some of the other races so that I can get in the right miles. I think last year, I ran almost every weekend in January and February and I'm giving that up so I can focus on the ultra.

Run at least 2 races of each type (5k, 10k, 15k, Half, and Marathon). - Keeping this one because it reminds me to get some variety in my schedule.

Stay injury-free

2000 miles - I usually don't like mileage goals because sometimes it tempts me to run "junk" miles... going for quantity and thus dumping quality, but I think considering all the marathons I have planned, this goal should be attainable if I stay trained and consistent.

Time Goals:
5k - 24:XX
10k - sub-9 pace per mile.
15K - sub-9 pace per mile.
Half Marathon - 2:00
Full Marathon - 4:20

You ready to rock this year? I just signed up for 2 more races this morning... so this is what my calendar is looking like so far for this year:
1/1/12 New Years Day Marathon - DONE!
1/29/12 Austin 3M Half Marathon
2/4/12 Rocky Raccoon 50-miler
2/26/12 Cowtown Half Marathon
3/25/12 Rock n Roll Dallas Half
3/30-4/1/12 Texas Independence Relay
4/15/12 Big D Marathon
4/29/12 Oklahoma City Marathon
5/28/12 The Patriot Half Marathon
6/25/12 Rock n Roll Seattle Marathon
9/22/12 Rock n Roll Denver Marathon
11/18/12 Route 66 Marathon
12/4/12 White Rock Marathon
12/31/12 New Years Eve Marathon

(HINT: Today is the last day -1/5 - but you can use code RESOLVE to take $15 off any Rock n Roll race.)

This is the year of the full!!! Please legs, don't fail me now!

2011 - An Epic Year

2012-01-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

I think this is a required post at the end of each year, and I'm a little behind!

I set out some goals at the beginning of this year, and it's time to see how I stacked up:

Health:

Cut processed sugar. - Major FAIL.
Reduce fast food to no more than once per week. - Success for the most part.
Lose 18 lbs. - Done, Gone, Never coming back.

Knowledge:
Complete RRCA Coaching Certification. - Complete and one of the best decisions I ever made.

Fitness:
Run at least 12 races. - Was this really a question? I ran 27 races this year.
Run at least 2 races of each type (5k, 10k, 15k, Half, and Marathon). - Done (3 5ks, 4 10ks, 3 15ks, 13 Halfs, 1 20-miler, and 3 Marathons)
Stay injury-free. - Done. Woo-hoo!
Incorporate weekly speedwork. - Done, for the most part...
Incorporate weekly cross-training and/or strengthening. - Yeah, giant FAIL.
2011km (1250 miles) - I'm going for quality over quantity this year! - Done.

Time Goals:

5k - sub-26 - Done!!! - 25:14

10k - sub-1:00 - Done!!! - 56:10

15K - sub-1:30 - Done!!! - 1:26:52

Half Marathon - 2:05 - Fail - Think this is definitely in my capability, but with all the marathons, I didn't have many opportunities to race a half hard... I spent most halves pacing someone and conserving my body for all the fulls. My PR is 2:09 set this past March.

Full Marathon - 4:30 - Fail - White Rock was my shot at this, and the day just didn't pull together as planned, but it was a great PR day nonetheless, and I will take my 4:44 and be happy!

2011 was a fantastic year of running for me. It was the first year I was completely consistent. I felt like I stayed on track all year.

Monthly miles 2011 (vs 2010)
January - 82 (vs. 77)
February - 81 (vs. 52)
March - 146 (vs. 79)
April - 169 (vs. 134)
May - 207 (vs. 63)
June - 116 (vs. 37)
July - 133 (vs. 77)
August - 186 (vs. 81)
September - 186 (vs. 150)
October - 174 (vs. 145)
November - 154 (vs. 124)
December - 201 (vs. 64)

Total mileage: 1837 (vs. 1135)

I closed out the year with my highest mileage week ever - 71! I did have the help of the New Years Double... race report coming soon!!!

But none of those numbers made as big of a difference as the number 20! That was the number of members on the Racing It Off team at the end of the year. They provide me more motivation, inspiration, laughs, tears, etc than I deserve, and I love each of them dearly for it!

Jingle Bell 5k

2011-12-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

I guess it's been awhile since my last post... haven't been much in the mood for blogging, but I have been laying down my usual miles. My last post was the day before my PR attempt at the Jingle Bell 5k in Downtown Dallas. I ran it last year, and I knew that it was dead flat and had a not-so-bad after party... not to mention, I kind of enjoy seeing all the costumes.

Pre-race - EW, Dana, Elaine, and Me

Pre-race with Buzz Lightyear, duh!!!

Pre-race with Cassie, Me, Elaine (who decided to just spectate), and Sharon

A lot of "fun-runners" at this event, so if you intend to PR, you have to inch your way to the very front, elite-style. Sharon was looking to PR too, so we pushed through the crowds to make our way to the frontlines. Let's do this.

Adam's goal for me was 8:15s which would put me at 25:35ish for a 5k course. My PR, set just last month was 26:10. My secret, but insane goal, was to eek out a 24:59, but realism told me I wasn't quite ready for that.

First mile in, I realize it's too dark to see my Garmin. Ugh. I don't have enough energy to be pressing buttons, so I just settle in and GO! Didn't have much choice, but I went out a little fast and by mile 2, I was hurting. Mile 2 was pure misery. It hurt, my stomach hurt, my lungs hurt... and I wasn't even halfway there. But I just kept moving the legs. Mile 2 was a definite slow down, so when I hit the last mile, I tried to pick it up some, but just couldn't pick it up much. I do a little better in mile 3 because I can count down to when it'll be over and the pain will end!!! I see the finish, and I try to kick it up, but there isn't much kick left. But I push through that finish line, stop my Garmin, and, per my usual post puke-pace-5k, I lie down on the grass to catch my breath and cough up a lung! I actually recovered surprisingly fast this time...

Here's what Elaine caught of me sprinting towards the finish line... I'm the bright reflection in the middle of the photo... it's perfectly clear, right??? Ha ha ha. Action shots at night are a little tough.

Finish time: 25:14 - Average pace 8:08. I immediately texted Coach Adam and said "Holy smokes that hurt!!!!!!!" I don't think I've ever run that hard, and I'm not really sure how I kept my gargantuan legs underneath me. I'll take that 56 second PR less than a month after I set the last PR. Yes, please. I'll take it... I was pretty proud of myself for once. I'm one of those that will nitpick my performance and how I could do better, but I can honestly say, I had nothing more to give that day, no matter how I would've run it.

See? I told you the post-race party at this one is fun... I mean, how often do you get to pose for pictures with some dude's crazy shorts? The really funny part is I don't even think we asked, I just squatted down and said cheese!

Fa La La La La

2011-12-20T19:01:00.000-08:00

Five days until Christmas, and I wish not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Things aren't too hectic, actually... but all 3 kids home, 24-7... it's like a daily tornado, and mommy needs to decompress. Except kids home from school means I'm only left with one option to decompress... the home treadmill. Don't get me wrong, I'm a treadmill girl. It's not necessarily preferred, but I don't mind it, and I probably train 80% of the time on one out of necessity... but I strongly prefer the treadmill at the gym. Not because of the treadmill itself, because mine rocks (Sole F85)... and I like having my medals to my side, and watching a nice flick (today: the end of "Secretariat" and the beginning of "The Guardian"), but because the one at the gym usually includes friends to chat with, people to watch (and there is some G-O-O-D people watching at my gym... two guys, in particular, who have a crazy workout regime that is highly entertaining... and did I mention the fire department comes in and hits the treadmill too?), and most importantly, I get to compete, like I posted about HERE. I like seeing how many rounds of people I can go through next to me before I get off. The other thing is schedule... when I'm taking the kids to school, I drop them off and I go straight to the gym (except that one day that I forgot to take them to school and didn't realize it until I got to the gym!!! but we don't need to talk about that). When I'm just home, it's so much easier to procrastinate the run. With all 3 home, the run works better after I have the little one down for a nap post-lunch and have the other 2 quietly watching a movie... but my body and stomach doesn't always like mid-afternoon runs. (FYI: The photo is one of my son's creations from awhile back... he made one for EMZ too!)

I'm excited tomorrow that I get out of the house to run... fresh air. I'm sad that it'll only be for 26 minutes... or 25 if my legs allow me to do what I hope. My shoes really do need to sprout wings. Tomorrow night is the Jingle Bell Run in Dallas. Super excited. It is a great PR course... totally flat. Seriously. I checked my Garmin from last year and the elevation gain was 0. The hard part is with it being a holiday run, obviously, a lot of people are out there just to enjoy themselves. This means I have to wear my big girl pants and despite not being a super fast runner, I have to line up in the first couple of rows if I intend to PR. Last year I lined up only 3 lines of people back from the start, and I *still* had a couple in front of me ready to go in their jeans with backpacks on. But once I get out of the chute and around the people that start way too fast, I hope to settle in, repeat to myself 8-million times that if I can run marathons, I can surely suffer for 26 minutes, and kick 5k rear. Super excited. Not to mention the post-race party is nice and toasty indoors at a ritzy hotel. And since I have to pay a babysitter anyhow, I might as well enjoy some adult time, right??? Yep, I think so, too!

Didn't I Just Do This?

2011-12-17T18:31:00.000-08:00

Guess what time it is? Taper time. Didn't I just taper? Two weeks post-marathon, I got out and ran a 20-miler. Well, in all honesty, I ran 19 miles, and walked the last mile to shake out the legs. I ran the course loop for the New Years Double, my next big race. I plan to run a half marathon on New Years Eve (my 20th) and a full marathon on New Years Day (my 5th and my 3rd in 63 days). Pretty sure I have gone off the deep end. Marathon, recovery weekend, long run weekend, taper weekend, marathon. This sounds like a bright idea to all of you, too, doesn't it? The good thing is that my body seems to be holding up. Sure, I'm occasionally tired, and today, my right quad had a full blown hissy fit for 7 miles (each one of which I vowed to quit the run, but didn't). But now, on the evening of that run, the quad is sore but not angry enough to be concerning at all.

While the marathon schedule seems insane, really these are all just training runs leading up to February's 50-miler. With every week that I continue without injury, I get more and more confident that my body has adapted to the mileage and is ready for the long haul. I'm ready for you Rocky Raccoon!!!

Really??? 6 Days?

2011-12-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

My poor neglected BLOG. It's been 6 days since my last posting. I guess this happens a lot around this time of year... busy with Christmas Concert, gift wrapping, parties, and well, Peppermint Bark eating. I have a peppermint problem... and a cookie problem... and, let's just leave it alone there.

So White Rock has passed, and despite the craptacular weather we had that day, I'm ready to be back. I'm ready to be out there again. And I'm really ready for it to be New Years for my back-to-back Half Marathon/Full Marathon adventure. I can't believe I'm not burnt out. I can't believe my body isn't staging a revolution. But other than the fact that I literally cannot eat enough with my current mileage, my body still has all systems ready to go.

So what's happened since? I was at the gym Monday through Wednesday right after White Rock. I only walked on day 1, but put in 5 and 6 milers on day 2 and 3 post-marathon. I felt generally good, but a little more sluggish than usual. I took Thursday off, but Friday, I headed out with my friend Robin, and we checked off 16 miles at just under 11 min/mile (which means I was at my normal long run pace for 16 miles less than 5 days post-marathon).

This all seems good, except that it really bothered me quite a bit. I didn't like how good I felt after a race that was supposed to be my key, all-out effort. I know I had more gas in the tank and if I hadn't spent 6 miles with that worrisome nagging hip pain, I could've pushed out a lot more. Disappointing. But that's ok, right? Another day, another race.

Last Saturday, I ran the Santa Run 5k. Hi-LARIOUS! Check us out:

Yeah, my suit was a little small and the felt pants were stretching thin. I thought putting my Marine Corps Marathon jacket underneath added a certain special touch, don't you think? By the way, Lily was saying "Ho, Ho, Ho", not yawning!

The Santa Posse (Me with Patrick and Lily, Sabrina, and Holly with Indyanna)

The mission for the day was to get Sabrina to the finish line of her first 5k! And we did just that, but not without laughing at a lot of silliness...

Sea of Santas

Pretty sure she stuffed her Santa Suit. Funny.

Lily and Indyanna crossing their first 5k finish!

And despite the sea of red... I managed to find a ton of frunners there!!!

This week has been right on track with the miles, but I still don't have my speedy legs back. I went for an ART session today and despite thinking I was fine, I actually had a couple of loud shrieks during the session. I think I stunned Dr. Magic Hands because I'm usually pretty quiet, I'm fairly pain tolerant, but I just wasn't having it today. Owwwwie!!!

White Rock Marathon - The Important Things

2011-12-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

The day after writing my race report for White Rock Marathon... I realized there were some tidbits I left out that I wanted to share - about the things I couldn't have made it through Sunday without. Of course, as I'm writing this, I'm watching Deadliest Catch, and I'm thinking that gear would've done me some good on Sunday. OK, it might have been a little much to run in, I mean we are in Texas, not the Bering Sea.

I have to give a couple of major kudos...

First to iFitness - my race belt of choice. I ran probably 20 miles of the marathon with my race belt outside of my jacket. I had my phone in there the entire time (and no, not in a plastic baggie). Turned out to be a blessing to have my phone with me, as I was headed back to wait for some friends but was able to find out that they had done the half instead. My phone was completely dry despite the consistent rain - touch screen and everything worked just fine. And I never would've gotten to my GU if it hadn't been out and easily accessible on that belt (more on that in a minute).

Second huge kudo goes to Mission Athletecare. All my frunners know that I love this stuff... so much that when a friend saw some at the expo, she immediately thought of me. Yes, I like it that much. Their anti-chafe cream is the best. stuff. ever. As long as I don't have a brain fart, and remember to apply it to the right spot, I don't chafe. We saw some pretty bad chafing on one chick near the finish... water plus friction makes for some nasty chafing. I also, for the first time, lubed up my feet. I was worried that once they were soaked, they would be rubbing a lot of blisters. No chafing, no blisters... nothing. I stand by my claim that this stuff is the bomb. I know people who used other brands that didn't hold up so well after the first 3 hours.

Also, want to thank Virawear for the awesome shirt that I wore. Super cute, no chafing, and comfy. Did I mention, super cute? Oh, I did. I was just sad that I didn't get pics with it because it was covered with a rain jacket the whole time. Review coming soon...

I thanked my pacer, Derek, in the last post... but I failed to fully explain some of the reasons he was instrumental in my survival. First, there was only maybe 1 or 2 bands of the 20 planned. Hard to stay pepped up when all the course entertainment is rained out. Bless the amazing spectators that endured the weather to cheer even though the bands didn't (totally understandable). Second, guessing because there were less volunteers than there might have been in good conditions, the water stops were pretty slow going... but he ran ahead and grabbed a gatorade or water for me in the later miles. The time I tried to grab my own, my hands were so frozen that I dumped the entire cup of gatorade on myself. And third, by mile 18, I tried to grab a GU and literally could not pull it out of my belt. I tried over and over and couldn't pull it. I couldn't feel my fingers. I was hopeless, ha ha ha. At that point, Derek had to yank the GU out of my belt for me and open it. Seriously, I was higher maintenance than a 5-year-old child. I probably should've been wearing a bib.

Now we're on Day 4 (wait, there's that 4 again) post marathon and after hitting the gym Monday through Wednesday, I decided that I should probably take a day off. But I'm feeling pretty great and ready to go. Good thing I have a race this weekend... ok, so not really a "race" the way I think of it. It's the Great North Texas Santa Run. I have to run in a felt Santa Suit - pants, jacket, belt, hat, and beard. Should be, well, chafing!

White Rock Marathon Race Report

2011-12-07T14:56:00.000-08:00

When we started out it was mid-40s, breezy, and misting outside. The temp felt much colder because of all the moisture, so I decided to leave the ear warmers, gloves, and jacket all on... things I had planned on ditching before the race.

Not sure what happened with the wave start... it took awhile to move and when we did, we all just walked across the line, which means, the course was uber-crowded. I'm actually a big fan of the wave start, as long as I know what kind of duration to expect. When executed properly, it spaces the participants just enough that you don't have to do a tremendous amount of weaving. This was not what happened... there was a lot of weaving, even more jumping over puddles... a lot of fast/slow accordian stuff... and muscles that never would warm up because of the cold moist air.

The goal was to start off with 10:30s and pull back to 10:10-10:15 after I warmed up. Derek had offered to pace me and my friend, Shanda, was going to run with us as well. Both are significantly faster than me... but I had to depend solely on them for pacing because my Garmin 405 does not like moisture and newsflash - we were wet, wet, wet.

(Me, Shanda, Derek)

Mile 1 - 10:28
Mile 2 - 10:34

By mile 3, we had hit our grove, but the course was still REALLY crowded, then SPLASH... our first soaking wet puddle splash. Shoes turned into sponges. Greatness... 23.2 more miles to carry around water jugs on my feet.

Mile 3 - 10:14
Mile 4 - 10:08
Mile 5 - 9:55

I think it was somewhere around here that we saw Derek's brother, Don, who comes to all his races. Don and his bright orange jacket would come to be the bright spot I would look for along the course.

(No, I'm not pregnant, my race belt is under my jacket.)

Miles 6-9 is the long uphill section...
Mile 6 - 10:31

We saw Operation Sunshine for the first time somewhere around here. Always a happy time to see Corina, Marci, and Cassandra.

Mile 7 - 10:07
Mile 8 - 10:14
And by mile 9, I was feeling the uphill A LOT and asked Derek and Shanda to pull back for a minute.
Mile 9 - 10:47

Not long after this, both Derek and Shanda needed to head off to the porta-potty. I tried to convince both of them that with all the wetness and puddles that no one would know if they just went, but I guess they both have Shy Bladder Syndrome. We spotted a potty with no line, and I sent them off and kept going (knowing they could easily catch me). I got to see Ultra Queen, Michelle B, all bundled up and cheering briefly, then plowed on!

I had forgotten that I wasn't looking at my Garmin, it was under my jacket, so I had nothing to go off of until my pace buddies caught up. I saw some pace team balloons just in front of me, so I just stayed steadily behind them.

Mile 10 - 10:12
Mile 11 - 9:45
Derek and Shanda caught back up and boy was I ready to see them. At this point, we were soaked. The rain had been light but steady, the puddles had been plentiful, and when we hit that lake, the wind cut right through and was bone chilling. Brrrrrrr. Don't get me wrong, I normally love running in 40 degree weather... I don't know why the wind and moisture made it feel so much colder, but it did.

I saw the awesome Pat somewhere around here cheering... and it was the perfect moment that I needed a familiar face. But almost right after that, I finally spotted my friends, Jenn and Robin D, for the first time on the course!!! Yeah!!! So excited and at that point, still smiling and right on pace.

Mile 12 - 10:10
Mile 13 - 10:08

I would've handed over a big wad of cash for a pair of dry gloves. My gloves were completely soaked, but when Shanda took her wet gloves off, she said it was worse, so I just left them on.

Almost immediately after the half, I felt my body pull back, but just a little. The wind was just really cutting through and making me cold and then the downpour came. Lovely. As if we weren't wet enough...

Mile 14 - 10:24
Mile 15 - 10:22
Mile 16 - 10:31

Somewhere around 16, my hip gave out from under me, but luckily not bad enough to face plant. I was not going to listen to my hip, so I just kept running through it, but it was clearly slowing me down.

Mile 17 - 10:44

Mile 18 - 10:51

Then the hip pain hit HARD. I saw Jenn and Robin D again and they both noticed I was visibly mad at that point... because all other systems were a go. I knew Shanda was miserable out there in the freezing cold, so I told her to go on. She has the capability to go much faster, and I was slowing drastically. I'm not sure what was up with my hip. It was an odd pain, but it was pretty intense. It felt like at any moment, it was just going to totally give out, and I was moritifed of doing a face plant. I pulled it back, but continued to run through it. It seemed to scream more on hills. At this point, we started walking through water stops, but only for 30-45 seconds.

Mile 19 - 11:37
Mile 20 - 11:46

And then my favorite part (do you sense the sarcasm)... the Dolly Parton hills. Doesn't everyone like a couple of long steep hills at mile 20 of a marathon? The hip was having no part in the hills... and finally, I had to take a couple of very short walk breaks on the steepest parts. I was being very good, though, about keeping the breaks extremely short. I would guess I walked less than 1/2 mile over the entire duration of the marathon.

Mile 21 - 11:57
Mile 22 - 12:29
Mile 23 -12:21

Still smiling - are you proud, Jason?

I don't know how many times I told Derek he could leave me, but he refused. Probably equivalent to the number of times he responded to a spectator that shouted "Looking good" with the response "Feeling good" which was equivalent to the number of times I considered punching him in the gut. Actually, I'm totally kidding. Besides my wonky hip, the rest of me was actually feeling fine. Yes, I was freezing and soaked, and that made things miserable... but other than that hip, my body was still fully functioning and I was still enjoying my time out there.

I knew my 4:30 goal was out the window but that a slight PR was still a possibility... and when we finally crested the last hill for the final 3-mile downhill finish, my hip pain subsided, as did the cramps I was having on my inner thighs. I was able to pick up the pace a tad.

Mile 24- 11:21
Mile 25 - 11:38
Mile 26 - 11:13
last 0.4 at 9:50

I was elated to be across that finish line and turned around to look for Derek. I cannot express how important his presence was in getting me across that line in the amount of time I did. One of the most supportive and encouraging frunners there is. Thank you, Derek.

PR Finish time: 4:44 for my 4th marathon on December 4th... and 4 weeks until my next marathon.

(And yes, for those that know EMZ and her love for the number 4, I texted her to let her know that I was having a very EMZ kind of day.)

Afterwards, I changed clothes and bagged my wet ones and was stunned by how much they weighed. A couple of friends felt the weight and couldn't believe what we just ran 26.2 with on our bodies. And for the first time ever, I wasn't hungry at the finish. I just didn't want anything, but forced myself to eat half a bagel. The only thing that warmed me up (because the dry clothes actually didn't help at all) was seeing the afterglow of many friends that were touting first finishes or huge PRs. It was worth it to be there and celebrate with them. And the medal, I EARNED this baby...

Strangely, by Monday, I was missing being out there, and ready to do it again.

Next up... The New Years Double - I'll be running a half marathon on New Years Eve, and pacing my awesome friend and Racing It Off Runner, Denya, to her first full marathon finish on New Years Day.

Catching Up - Birthday, Winners, and Pre-White Rock

2011-12-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

Things have been just a smidge crazy. You know... I had a birthday, I ran a marathon. All stuff I haven't blogged about yet. Oops. So let's play a little catch up.

We last left off with my 5k PR. Woo-hoo!

Birthday Party Time

I had a lovely taper, interrupted by my own birthday party. I had zero plans for my birthday, so I made my own plans. My awesome coach Adam flew from Arizona ~~just to be there for my birthday~~ for work... total coincidence. So I planned an evening at the Melting Pot with some of my fav people - Emily, Libby, and Adam. (Yes, we are planning on hiring the hostess as a professional photographer in the near future.)

Adam was trying to make us moms look bad by looking all dressy while we were in jeans. He did offer to change into jeans but only in the middle of the parking lot, and I really didn't want that image burned in my head.

Look who was a giant piggy? Apparently he forgot who's birthday it was... that's right, mine! It was a really really fun night with lots of laughs with people I genuinely enjoy being around.

Last 4 Fundraiser Giveaway Winners

I am thrilled to report that I surpassed my goal and with the help of friends, family, and even strangers, raised $2550 for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. I cannot put into words what this means to me and how special this hospital is. Without them, my sweet Paige wouldn't be able to walk.

The last four giveaway winners are
1. Jill - Run for the Hills
2. Laura - Absolute(ly) Fit
3. Tricia - Endurance Isn't Only Physical
4. Christina

Prizes 4, 6, 11, and 16 are still left... e-mail me your choices!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Finally got the tree completely finished after Paige made me purchase 4 boxes of candy canes and decorate the tree with them. I actually have pretty much everything already bought, and everything I have is wrapped and under the tree. That's what taper does!!!

White Rock Marathon Expo!

I snuck out this past Friday to get my bib for the White Rock Marathon. Bib #2424. The only thing better than that bib is the one I get to wear for the New Years Double, which I got to put my sticky fingers on at the expo!

Yes, that's a 1 on New Years Eve and 2001 on New Years Day. I was a little, uh, eager to register for Libby's race. My happy trigger finger got me the first bib.

My expo visit was really about visiting a few friends, like Hailey of iFitness, and Frances of Virawear, and Barrett of Rockwall Running Center. And a quick stop by to grab an extension bar from SportHooks, even though the awesome Marcey was busy at the Vegas expo.

The Night Before

The outfit was picked:

The pizza was eaten:

in the awesome company of June, Karyn, and Angie and Talia. (And yes, I ate a piece before I got a photo... I was hungry.)

Then back to June's swanky hotel (the Omni) to crash.

A TV in the mirror in the bathroom. Really? Swanky. Us taking a photo of it... truly classy!!!

We tried, tried, tried to ignore the thunder and pouring rain outside that was foreshadowing the next day's weather.

Race Day

Got all ready to go and way more bundled than I had thought in the swanky hotel.

Karyn, Me, June

I drove us to the start. We almost got killed on the road there because we were avoiding the traffic and someone in the traffic jam pulled out of traffic about an inch from my car. Well if our intestines weren't cleaned out before, they were then. But we managed to avoid the traffic and got into the parking lot super easy and headed to the warm coliseum to meet all our frunners!

Frunners: Derek, Me, Elaine, Shanda, Fiona, Susan, Shannon

I know it's dark and blurry, but these yellow tutu'd ladies were Operation Sunshine... and that's exactly what they are! Corina and Marci are the best cheerleaders EVER. Seriously dedicated frunners.

Derek, my awesome pacer for the day.

At this point, we knew it was cold and drizzly outside and that it had rained all night, but we really had no idea what the day would really hold weather-wise.

Sachse Turkey Trot 5k

2011-12-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I left you hanging about the Sachse Turkey Trot 5k. I know you've been sitting on the edge of your seat for the last 3 days waiting, right? Ok, maybe not.

So, I had been sick... massive head cold, body aches, and all sorts of just general blah feelings. Wednesday, I was finally able to get back to my scheduled mileage, but I still felt my breathing was a bit labored. It became a debate whether or not I would take the 5k easy (I had planned to race it hard and use it as the week's speedwork). Coach Adam voted I take it easy. The only people that voted I race it hard were the two Racing It Off girls who were racing there that *I* had told to race hard. Buuuuuut all of you who know me know that I have a racing problem... if I'm not pacing someone, controlling myself is slightly out of the question. Fortunately, my coach knows this and sent me a text that said "8:15". Yep, coach, that's the pace I planned. He knew I would race it despite his initial advice, because that's what I do. I can be a bad student on occasion, what can I say?

I met up with Robin W, Amanda, and Katie at Amanda's house... they had ran a few pre-race miles. Since I was in taper, I skipped those miles, but did jog the 0.7 miles from her house to the race as a little pre-race warm-up.

(Robin W, Amanda, Me)

I knew 8:15s would be hard, especially with my breathing still a little labored from the bad cold, but I was going to go for it anyhow.

And we were off...

I actually had to slow myself down mile 1. Sloooooow it down. 8:15... come on. Mind you that I have run this area several times, but it's always pitch black... where did all these inclines come from? Nothing super steep, but it was steady inclines.

Mile 1 - 8:13 - Right on track (and by the way, the fastest mile I've ever officially clocked).

I was still feeling good in Mile 2. It was burning, but I expected that. The inclines were throwing me off a bit, but I continued to watch my Garmin like a hawk and try to maintain, but towards the end of mile 2, I started to fall off pace.

Mile 2 - 8:19 - Second fastest mile I've ever officially clocked, right on the heels of my fastest.

Now I was hurting, I tried to press, but the legs were heavy and wouldn't push forward. I sounded like I was hyperventilating. I'm sure those around me thought I was about to pass out... but that's the way 5ks go. I held the best I could, but the 8:15 pace wasn't happening anymore.

Mile 3 - 8:37 - Ugh... I'm never happy with positive splits, but I knew it was still PR time.

Last 0.1 - 7:44 pace - I tried to pick up that finish line sprint, but I had very little left.

Final - Distance 3.14. Time 26:10. PR by 44 seconds.

Was really hoping to come in with a 25:XX, but considering I was fresh off an illness, I'll take the PR and walk away happy.

Yeah, I know... panting through the finish line is NOT a good look for me. Friends Robin W and Amanda both also walked away with a PR, and Racing It Off runners Samantha and Christina both kicked rear with a sub-30 minute 5k for their first 5k (they had both run further before, but had never raced the 5k distance). Great round of PRs for all!!!

Three Dozen Years

2011-11-29T14:12:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's my BIRTHDAY! And that is how crazy-old I am. It's been a fantastic day so far!!!

My birthday wish??? To meet my fundraising goal for my marathon this Sunday. I'm raising money for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. My youngest child wouldn't be able to run if it weren't for them! You can donate HERE. And I still have a few great prizes left in my giveaway HERE.

My other birthday wish??? To ROCK IT at my marathon this Sunday at White Rock. It's time to put the pedal to the metal and see what I've got in the tank!!! Not thrilled with the freezing rain predictions, but I'm gonna run hard regardless... I figure the faster I run, the warmer I will be and the quicker I will finish!

Wanna see what my dad did for my birthday???

Cool, isn't it? It's framed and headed for my little treadmill corner of the room!!! I think he should make a business of race collages!

In other news... I'm way behind in updating on my running... I finally uploaded my race report from the Fort Worth 20-miler on Monday, the 13th. I felt fantastic after that 20-miler. Absolutely zero soreness, so I went right back into a week of great runs - everything right on pace.

Until Saturday (the 19th)... I had 18 miles on the schedule. I'm sure you're all thinking - what about taper - but Adam and I talked and really minimized taper until the last 2 weeks because I *do* have this short little run in February that I have to do, and I wanted to keep my training for the 50-miler going. The 18-miler... AWFUL... not sort of awful, completely awful. I couldn't keep even a 12 min/mile pace. I kept needing to walk. My ENTIRE body hurt... and bad. Which of course sends me into the crazy "I'm going to die at the marathon" thoughts. I get home after, and I just couldn't recover. I couldn't get myself out of bed, my head was pounding, and my whole body hurt. I guzzled the water and sports drink - no help. Then it hit me... I was sick. Massive head cold. Lots of flu-like symptoms, like the bodyaches, but I never really had much of an elevated fever. Fortunately Sunday was already a rest day and being 2 weeks out from the marathon, I wasn't nervous yet about not getting better in time.

I tried to run Monday, and couldn't breath right, so I stopped... Tuesday, just rested. Wednesday, my breathing was still a little more labored than usual but I was back on my game. I had registered for a small local Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, but only being 1 day back on my game, I was questioning my plan to race it all out and count it as the week's speedwork. My coach told me to just take it easy... do you think I listened??? You'll have to wait to find out... I'll be posting the race report tomorrow!!! ;-) Yeah, I know, such a cliffhanger... I'm sure you'll be up all night wondering... did she race or relax?

Ft Worth Marathon 20-miler

2011-11-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

I am way, way behind on race reports! Hopefully amidst the crazy holiday hub-bub, I will manage to catch up before my key race this Sunday.

This was my second time attending the Fort Worth Marathon. The event occurs exactly 3 weeks prior to White Rock Marathon, the biggest marathon in the area. A brilliant marketing move, the race director has a 20-mile option for the race - perfect for your last long run if your chosen race is White Rock. So, you can run the full, the 20-mile, or the half.

I'm not going to lie, this course is pretty, but also pretty boring. The scenery is pleasant, but it's the exact same pleasant the entire way. It's also a very small event, so if you're out there alone, you might very well spend the majority of the race by yourself. But the bonus is the timing and the fact that the course is as flat as you can get for a marathon. There are 2 hills the entire way... a very small hill to get from the stadium up onto the trail, and another around mile 9 to get across the dam. Other than that... pancake flat.

I headed over to the race with Elaine and Robin W followed behind. As soon as we got there, we met up with the speedy Michelle. Me, Robin W, and Michelle were all running the 20-miler in preparation for White Rock. Elaine was sticking to the half since she planned to run Tulsa the following weekend. My friend, Robin D, was also there and running the full marathon. As was Angie, who I got to see a couple times on the course.

Like our matching bright orange shirts??? We were all volunteer walking billboards for Libby's New Years Double. I'd say it was a success, because we got asked about our shirts a lot!

My plan for the day was to hold to around an 11 min/mile pace. That isn't a race pace for me, but a nice strong long-run pace. My goal was to get through it and feel good, thus knowing I'd have more in me come marathon day. Something that was unexpected, though, was the weather - it was really hot that day. It got into the low 80s and the wind was pretty heavy as well. Ugh... not optimal weather for a run that long on what is mostly an unshaded course.

I don't really have a lot of uber details on this one, there weren't a ton of ups and downs, and since this wasn't a goal race, it was just another day at the office. There was a special surprise around mile 6.5... Corina, Marci, and Stacey came to cheer!!! Glitter posters and photos!!! Thanks ladies!

Robin W and I were running together. We held right around 11 min/mile just as planned until about mile 8. The water stops were spaced sometimes 3 miles apart, and on an 80 degree day, that wasn't good news. I was carrying a water bottle, but Robin W wasn't. She was starting not to feel well. We pulled through miles 8-12 a little slower than before, but Robin W made the wise decision to preserve her body which wasn't dealing well with the heat and lack of water and fell back.

I continued on. I picked up the pace a bit, but now it was just me and the long boring path. It gets quiet and lonely really quickly at that race. But I held to a good pace and made up some time. Miles 12-18 felt fantastic. By mile 18, I was regretting pumping the speed up a bit, but I just kept moving my legs. I managed to finish in 3:38:27, 10:55 min/mile... right on target, and a solid 13 minutes faster than last year's race.

As always, the medal is awesome and can be removed from the ribbon and used as a belt buckle...

Round 3 - Fundraiser Giveaway Winners

2011-11-26T13:15:00.000-08:00

Have you checked out my fundraiser for White Rock Marathon and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children??? I have one more week of giveaways going on, and even with 12 winners already, I have at least 4 more to go!!! I'll be the last 4 winners next Friday. Please please please (yes, I'm begging) consider donating to my fundraiser, I'm still a long way from my goal.

This fundraiser is really important to me as a way to give back for the amazing job the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital did with my youngest daughter, Paige. Every time I see her run, I think of the doctors and therapists that gave her this gift. (And yes, you get to hear me repeat myself for another week. I only do it once a year, and it's a really great cause.)

The third week's winners are...

1. Julie S.

2. Jill - Run for the Hills

3. Giraffy

4. Monica M.

Ladies, please EMAIL ME with your first and second choice prize. The prizes are in the original post HERE.

Please consider making a donation HERE. And if you'd like to be entered for some prizes, just leave me a comment ON THIS POST letting me know you donated!!! It's that easy. I still have a long way to go to reach my goal, so I appreciate each and every donation.

Lessons Learned from Secretariat

2011-11-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

While running Monday and today, I was watching Secretariat. Usually I can finish a movie in one run, but breathing through this head cold has been a struggle. I have seen the movie before, but sometimes it takes a certain need to hear something to really listen. Besides the sheer beauty of the horse - lean muscle and an elongated stride, there were some amazing quotes in this movie.

Near the beginning, Penny Chenery goes back to the farm where she grew up. She is in the barn and has a memory of a moment with her father. She's a little girl in the scene and her father says to her -

"It's not whether they think we won. It's whether we think we won. Run your race."

Wow. Do you hear that? It's so true. I know those that surround us often don't understand running races we'll never get first place in, or getting medals "just" for crossing the finish line... but this is our own personal battle, and we each have our own goals. It is your race, and you win it in your own personal way - whether that be a certain time goal or a distance goal or just to finish.

Later in the movie when things are down, Penny says something else that I really just loved -

"This is not about going back. This is about life being ahead of you and you run at it! Because you never know how far you can run unless you run."

This is for those of you who are considering running or considering a new distance but questioning if you have it in you. It all goes back to the old saying - you never know unless you try. And let me tell you, the "trying" is so worth it.

There was one part when Lucien, the trainer, is talking about Secretariat and he says, "He only does exactly what he wants to do, when he wants to do it." This quote made me giggle, because it flashed me back to Bill Bowerman speaking of Prefontaine in Without Limits. Kind of says something doesn't it? I think you can get all the advice in the world, from the best in the world, and it might not apply to you and how you achieve your absolute best performance.

And I have to close with a little begging. I am still a LONG way from my fundraising goal, and as many of you know, I only fundraise once a year because it is important to me to give back to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. After all, my little Paige would never be able to run if they hadn't provided their services, free of charge, for the first 2 years of her life. Please please consider making a donation of any amount HERE and if you'd like to be entered in the giveaway that goes along with it to win some great prizes, just head over to THIS POST and leave me a comment letting me know you donated. Please spread the word for me... blogs, twitter, facebook. I would really love to reach my goal, and I have a long way to go in the next 10 days!!!

Surviving Thanksgiving and Glitzbandz Winner

2011-11-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

As I mailed schedules to each of my runners this week, for the most part, it didn't even occur to me that it was a holiday week and people might not want to run! So it really got me thinking about running and the holidays...

My top 3 tips to surviving Thanksgiving...

1. Don't give up the run. I understand that many people travel and holidays are busy and meant to be spent with family, and I still think family is the #1 priority, but getting in a quick run can clear your head, reduce your stress, and make you a much more productive (and friendly) person for that day! There are definitely days I wake up and think "I just have too much to do", but if I force myself to get that run in anyhow, even if it's just 20-30 minutes, I always feel a lot more energized through the day. I never regret a run, only regret ones I miss. Besides it's nice to have a smidge less guilt when the holiday meal comes around.

2. Indulge. Now don't just read that one word without reading my entire thought. But there's nothing wrong with a little indulgence on the holidays. My best pointer is to pick your 2 or 3 favorite holiday items and then pass on others. For instance, I cannot wait for cornbread stuffing and pumpkin pie. Those will be my indulgences... thus I'll probably pass on things like creamy mashed potatoes and the other cakes/cookies/pies... and I'll limit my intake of rolls and gravy. So pick your favorite items and let yourself indulge a little. Enjoy the holiday. Enjoy your family.

3. Drink up and Sleep! Don't forget that you still have to keep your body intact for training. So make sure you are still staying adequately hydrated (with water, folks) and getting plenty of sleep so that your body can recover from the holidays and you can be right back on track!!!

This year, I am most thankful that I took the leap to get certified as a coach and start accepting clients. The 16 people that currently make up the Racing It Off team have been inspiring, encouraging, accepting, and supportive. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay them for all they have given me over the course of this year. I have been honored to be a part of their journey!

And finally... I owe you a giveaway winner:

The winner of the Glitzbandz, per random.org, was comment 60:

Jamie of From Couch to Ironwoman

E-mail me so I can mail you the prize!!!

Shannon Update 2!!!

2011-11-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

If you've been around at least a couple months, you know that I am WAY overdue for a Shannon update. Sorry about that. We were both a little off the ball on this one. If you recently started following and want to catch up, be sure to read Shannon's Introduction and the First Update.

First, I had to swipe this awesome photo of Shannon and her sister, Helen (who's an awesome runner herself)... absolutely love this pic.

(Photo by Sapphyre Photography)

And here's the next update:

So, I'm a little late getting this to Lesley to post. I kept trying to write something, and just never came up with anything. Mostly, I guess I've had a good month. I've lost 52 lbs total since I started working on losing weight back in June, probably around 20 lbs of that since I started working with Lesley to add exercise to my routine. I had a follow-up appointment with my oncologist a few weeks ago, and found out I'm still cancer-free (more than four years now!), and he was really impressed with my weight loss. He's been telling me to exercise and lose weight for a few years now. You'd think that having an oncologist say, "the best way to keep this cancer from coming back is to exercise and be healthy" would have been motivation to do this a long time ago, but at least I'm doing it now. And today, finally, I managed to walk more than a 5k in distance. It took 90 minutes, but I did it.

Next month, Lesley is going to have me start adding some running into my workouts. That's sort of exciting, but also very, very scary. I have this image of me stuck on the treadmill like George Jetson, or flying off the back of it because I can't keep up. I know she's not going to ask me to run super fast, but I'm still a little worried. I've always felt a bit clumsy, even though really there's no particular reason for me to feel that way. I've fallen a few times in my life, and when I have fallen, some of those falls have been pretty spectacular, but I don't think I'm any clumsier than the average person. I've never broken a bone or anything. So why am I so convinced that I'm too clumsy to try to run? Sometimes I think this would be easier if there were a way to shut my mind off, and just have my body do the stuff it needs to do without all the doubt and fear and worries and all the other stuff my head seems to be filled with. So, you know, if anyone figures out a way to do that, please let me know.

I don't think Shannon has any idea how inspiring she is!!! Congratulations, Shannon, on your journey so far. I'm amazed and proud of how far you've come. You have already reduced your mile time by 8 minutes. Progress is one-day-at-a-time.

Round 2 - Fundraiser Giveaway Winners

2011-11-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

Have you checked out my fundraiser for White Rock Marathon and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children??? I have a HUGE GIVEAWAY going on, and even with 8 winners already, I have at least 8 more to go!!! I'll be picking FOUR winners every Friday until I'm out of prizes.

This fundraiser is really important to me as a way to give back for the amazing job the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital did with my youngest daughter, Paige. Every time I see her run, I think of the doctors and therapists that gave her this gift. (And yes, you get to hear me repeat myself and gush about it for 2 1/2 more weeks. I only do it once a year, and it's a really great cause.)
The second week's winners are...

1. Suz and Allen

2. Jen - From Fat to Finish Line

3. Samantha G.

4. Jenn Baker

Ladies, please EMAIL ME with your first and second choice prize. The prizes are in the original post HERE.

Please consider making a donation HERE. And if you'd like to be entered for some prizes, just leave me a comment ON THIS POST letting me know you donated!!! It's that easy. I still have a long way to go to reach my goal, so I appreciate each and every donation.

Three Things Thursday

2011-11-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

1. Today I ran probably one of the hardest interval workouts that I have ever run. I've done Yasso 800s before, and because of the distance they entail, they are an incredibly hard workout. But today I had 4x1200m intervals, which sounds pretty standard and nothing too exciting and way easier than 10x800s. But my coach thinks I'm faster than I think I am, and he had me run those 4 intervals at a pace faster than my fastest recorded mile. I've never run a mile faster than 8:33 (FYI, I've also never officially done a magic mile, that record was set at the beginning of a 10k). But today, I needed to go 8:15 for 1200m (0.75mi) and repeat that 4x. I thought I was going to die. But I didn't. So of course now Adam has his chest all puffed with his "I told you so" grin. When will I learn?

2. Tomorrow... the big kiddos both have Thanksgiving meals at school, and then a week off. The term "off" is subjective. They might be "off" from school, but it is definitely not a week "off" for me. I guarantee they are still full throttle by 6:30am every. single. day.

3. I have two giveaways going on, what are you waiting for... first I have a Glitzbandz Giveaway and secondly, I have my HUGE fundraiser for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital that helped my baby girl. Without them, she wouldn't be able to walk or run. Tons of great prizes, and I pick 4 more winners tomorrow... and every Friday after until the prizes are gone. Please consider donating!!!

GlitzBandz Review and Giveaway

2011-11-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

I love this lady. Yes, I'm biased. She has spent hours upon hours next to me on the treadmill... not only training for her half marathon greatness, but she's also walked countless miles while I pushed through long mid-week runs during marathon training. Emily is an amazing support, so when she started her GlitzBandz business, I was excited for her new venture. She's been making bands for awhile now (and I've been wearing them since the day she started making them), but she finally took the leap to make it an official business. (Yes, we're both wearing Glitzbandz in the photo above.)

Oh look, another Glitzbandz (clearly, I like the sparkly ones).

Racing It Off Runner, Christina, wearing her sparkly Glitzbandz.

Love her bands. I'd show you my whole collection, but it would be embarrassing! Love her bands. They are super cute, they hold my crazy hair out of my face, and they do not slip off my head - despite my tiny little pinhead that nothing ever wants to stay on. Yes, I admitted I have a pinhead. It's true. I have a tiny head on a 5'11" body. I have not only worn these bands to hold back wispies when my hair is in a ponytail, but also to hold all my hair out of my face... like here...

My daughters also wear them for track. Emily has also made bands for soccer teams and cheerleading squads.

She sells them for an extremely reasonable $10 each or 3 for $25. And if you want a color or style she doesn't have, you just have to ask!

Wanna win this awesome pack of two Glitzbandz?

Super easy...

1. Mandatory - Be a follower of my blog (click follow over there in the right sidebar). Leave me a comment.

2. Mandatory - Like Glitzbandz on Facebook. Leave me a comment.

3. +1 Entry - Go to Glitzbandz.com and tell me what you love or what you'd like to see!

4. +1 Entry each - Spread the word about the giveaway on Facebook, your Blog, or Twitter (tag me @RacingItOff). Leave me a comment for each one.

5. BONUS - +2 entries - Participate in my fundraiser HERE. Leave me two comments!!!

That's it! Winner will be announced Monday, November 21st!

DRC Half Race Recap

2011-11-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

A week ago (Sunday, November 6th), one week after Marine Corps Marathon, I ran the DRC Half Marathon. I think everyone knows that I have a serious race addiction, and well, when I deal came through for this half, I registered immediately... it was almost a month later that I realized it was only one week post-marathon. OOPS! Hey, I've made worse mistakes in life, so I just went with it. The good news is that I ran Marine Corps nice and easy, so I was feeling great, but I still knew it would be dumb to push my pace at this half. Many of the awesome ladies I coach were going to run this one, so for me, this day was about THEM. I couldn't wait to celebrate the day with them.

Denya, Holly F, Holly C, Me, Monica, Christina, Deanna

Deanna and Christina would be running their FIRST half marathon. Holly F and Holly C would be running their 3rd half marathon. Denya, running her 5th half, would be doing the awesome job of keeping Christina company on the course. And Monica was going to be running her 4th half, and we felt like it was time for a fresh PR, so I decided to run with her. I knew the PR would be difficult, but totally possible!

I also got to see some awesome frunners before the race start... EW, then Michelle...

Then I saw Shannon (IronTexasMommy)...

Then caught up briefly with Jason and his wife Karen in front of the porta potties (hey, you take what you can get pre-race)!

Race Start

DRC Half is pretty hilly for the first 7 miles or so, then relatively flat for the last 6. The goal for Monica and I was to start out around 12:30s and to push near 12:15s as we got warmed up and just hold it steady. I was excited for the day.

Mile 1 - 12:19
Mile 2 - 12:20
Mile 3 - 12:17

Monica and me looking very distorted. Phone camera doesn't like action shots!

Everything super smooth... then we hit the hills. They aren't pretty, but we hold pace up the hills each and every time.

Mile 4 - 12:19
Mile 5 - 12:12
Mile 6 - 12:27

I'm sure by this point with all the hills and Monica focusing on her breathing and me talking incessantly (I know, you're shocked, right?) that Monica was regretting the decision to let me pace her. I posted a photo of her on course to facebook saying that I thought she still liked me... to which a good friend responded "Just give her time." Bwahahahahaha! I'm a nice coach/pacer... aren't I?

Mile 7 - 11:42
Mile 8 - 11:52

Can you say yeah for a lot of downhill during 7 and 8? I think we did a great job of taking advantage of the downhill without going out of control. Woo-hoo!

Mile 9 - 12:16

It was right about here that Monica wasn't feeling great. Let's face it, pretty much any half marathon you're trying to PR, you start to really feel the effects at mile 9 or 10. So we started taking on a walk break strategy. Every water stop or mile marker, we would walk for 30 seconds. Now ya know, 30 seconds isn't long... just enough to catch your breath. And even when we walked, we kept the pace brisk.

Mile 10 - 12:10
Mile 11 - 12:27

A little slow down at mile 11, but still below PR pace and trucking along. Now I start my long monologue to try encourage Monica, but I know at this point she just wants to focus on one foot in front of the other, but she's entirely too nice to tell me to be quiet. She was doing awesome. So we did what everyone does when you're really hurting at the end of a half marathon, we sped up.

Mile 12 - 12:03
Mile 13 - 11:52

Yes, yes, yes. I know Monica was hurting, but she hung on. Head down, one foot in front of the other. Seriously, I was stoked... there's no other word for it. It was even more amazing because I knew this was a tough pace, and I knew she wanted to stop, but she kept going every single step... every moment. Then we see the finish, and you all know how I roll... finish STRONG... every time. I told her to go for it, and no kidding, I could barely keep up with her...

Last .23 - 9:19

Superstar performance! Seriously. Awesomesauce. Major PR. 2:40:21 A PR by 4 minutes 35 seconds.

And at the finish line... Christina and Deanna who felt great after their first half - PRs! (Yes, you can totally claim a PR win on your first half, that's the best part about a new distance.) Denya, who was a superstar pacer and true friend for them was waiting there too. Holly F had also finished with a PR, but had to jet.

Denya and Deanna

I went back out to run Holly C in, and the dude at the finish (who was a photographer) told me I wasn't allowed back on the course. Huh? This isn't some big 30,000 person race. You can't stop me from running on the lake. Ugh. I pulled off my timing chip, and went through the grass to get back a different way. Holly was less than a mile from the finish and trucking along just fine. She looked well, and happy. We ran it in, and I cheered as she sprinted the finish (why do I get so much satisfaction from sprinting finishes?). And Holly C grabbed a PR too. Not only did she get a PR, but she clearly felt a ton better than at her other halves. I know she's got a lot more in her. Such an awesome journey.

Super proud of this group. They work their tails off, and deserved a great day, and they all had one.

And bonus, on the way out, I finally got to meet Teal and Beth of Life is a Run!

Now onto the little side note... what I skipped in this whole report was that somewhere around mile 10, I noticed an excruciating pain near my left hip. It hit pretty suddenly, and I've never felt anything like it. I wasn't tired, my muscles weren't sore, it was like a shock that radiated up into my back and down into my ankle. It felt like my leg would collapse at any second. Bad news: Intense pain. Good news: It didn't feel any better when I walked, and I had to get back to the car anyhow. Pacing Monica was nice and distracting to keep me moving. But man, I had never felt anything like that. For the record, it turned out that it was my sciatic which was entrapped in a tight glute. I was sitting on ice for 2 days, then I finally got into the sports chiro (Premier Sports Chiropractic), and he dug into that glute, and I'm happy to say that after another day of being really sore and sitting on more ice, I was right back in business. Woo-hoo for A.R.T.

Round 1 - Fundraiser Giveaway Winners

2011-11-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Have you checked out my fundraiser for White Rock Marathon and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children??? I have a HUGE GIVEAWAY going on, and right now, your chances of getting a prize are pretty spectacular. I'll be picking FOUR winners every Friday (yes, I know it's Saturday, I'm a smidge delayed cause I had to pick up the hubs from the airport).

This fundraiser is really important to me as a way to give back for the amazing job the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital did with my youngest daughter, Paige. Every time I see her run, I think of the doctors and therapists that gave her this gift.

The first week's winners are...
1. Precious
2. Amanda Thompson
3. Emily T
4. Linz from itsprettyawkward.com

Ladies, please EMAIL ME with your prize choice (other than Precious, please e-mail me a second choice as well just in case your first choice is taken). The prizes are in the original post HERE.

Please consider making a donation HERE. And if you'd like to be entered for some prizes, just leave me a comment ON THIS POST letting me know you donated!!! It's that easy.

You Thought I Was Done???

2011-11-10T19:07:00.000-08:00

Noooooo... I'm sure you thought I was done with MCM, but I need to share the official photos because, well, they rock. And I actually look semi-human in most of them - one of the perks of running a race for fun - you feel semi-normal, so you actually look semi-normal. Although "normal" is so subjective!

And yes, for the first time ever, I shelled out the money for all the photos... worth it!

Please consider supporting me in my fundraising for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Go donate and enter the raffle - HERE. Loads of great prizes and first 4 winners will be chosen on Friday!!!

Marine Corps Marathon - The Rest!

2011-11-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

(Sorry this post was so delayed... I left you hanging... but my sciatic nerve is being very naughty, and sitting in front of a computer is not my favorite thing right now.)

If you missed part 1, you can find it HERE. As I mentioned in my last post, a good part of this recap is going to just be photos. I don't have any stories of pain or angst ... I was pretty much happy and comfortable the whole time since I was running at a relaxed pace to keep my body intact for my key race in a few weeks.

As soon as we hit the start 7 minutes after the gun, we were off... the crowd was thick, but people had lined up surprisingly well because I don't recall doing much weaving, just stuck with the crowd.

While this looks lovely, the entire first 3 or 4 miles of MCM is uphill. Even though I'm one of those that doesn't feel warmed up until mile 5, it didn't bother me much because of the excitment of it all and the huge crowds.

I'm not sure if you can read the sign in this photo... but I had to take it for Adam and Beth... it says "Crap your pants if you have to, I've done it before."

Not long after this I just couldn't wait, and I had to stop for a potty break. The line was ridiculous and people were so slow... it was kind of insane, but I'm so glad I stopped early instead of waiting. I missed the potty at the start because I didn't want to go through all the mud. Anyhow... it held me up almost 10 minutes and Joe had continued pressing forward, so I had to catch up. It was actually fun catching up, I was able to push for a bit at a nice clip and pass hoards of people. I'm sure they wondered what I was doing and why I was back there if I was zipping through. Ha. But it was nice, and made the legs feel good. I want to say it took me well over a mile to catch up.

Loved running through Georgetown. The crowd support was amazing... and of course, here we are still shoulder-to-shoulder. There were moments where a string of 5 in front of us would stop to walk, so we would stop to walk because there was no getting around them. Fortunately, we didn't care much on this day, because we were in this for the pure enjoyment of it... no care for the clock (although Joe caught me looking at my watch too many times... the funny part is half the time I couldn't even tell you what the watch said because I was just glancing quickly out of habit). The miles were flying by.

Loved running past the monuments, and I was so distracted that I spent the majority of the race not having a clue what mile we were at.

I had to run ahead and turn around to take a picture of the sheer mass quantity of cups on the ground at water stops. Did I mentioned that every water stop was manned with uniformed Marines? It was amazing... inspiring... loved every second of it.

This was the only time we stopped. I asked Joe if he'd let me stop to get a photo in front of the Capitol. He was more than happy to stop for a quick bit. We asked a spectator to take the photo. Of course once we did, others saw us and then they stopped, and I'm pretty sure that poor lady was stuck there awhile taking photos!!!

*The* bridge. This is the big cut-off that everyone tries to beat... thus all the "Beat the Bridge" signs.

Another photo for Adam and Beth...

My first live spotting of a joggler! Fortunately he was behind me! I may have been depressed if he joggled faster than I was going.

Had to grab a photo of the Pentagon.

Yes, even running the final stretch up the hill to the finish, I still had the camera out!

My mom was in the grand stands. I grew up just south of DC, and mom still lives there... this was the first time she's ever gotten to see me run. The photo above was her view from the grand stands... on the big screen? All the tweets that tagged #36thMCM

It's pretty, isn't it? The back is all silver but engraved with "Finisher", "The People's Marathon", and "Arlington, VA". On the center was Iwo Jima... and yes, the center part spun around. VERY cool medal.

I wish I could tell you more about this marathon... about the people I saw - soldiers in full gear - boots and packs, amputees in handcycles, amputees running, Marines pushing jogging strollers with men who couldn't run themselves, National monuments, 9-11 memorial at the Pentagon, running down the mall in front of our Capitol. Amazing. Inspiring. I cannot explain it completely, but if you have a bucket list, you need to get it out now and add this marathon!

Marine Corps Marathon - Before the Race

2011-11-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

FYI, most of this recap will be in photos. Because I ran it at a comfortable pace, there are no tales of cramps or aches or much of anything. I just spent the day sharing stories, taking photos, and oh yeah, running 26.2 miles.

FRIDAY -

Got to the airport and had my first blogger meet-up! I happened to be on the same airplane as That Pink Girl. We got a little time to hang at the airport, but not much.

I scored with an empty row on the airplane, but last minute, a guy came from his crowded row in the back and sat with me. I'm not much of a chatter on the airplane (I know, shocking), but somehow, we got into a discussion... the man's name was Dana Bowman. This guy is amazing... he's currently retired from the Army Special Forces and their elite parachute team. In 1994, during training, he had a mid-air collision severing both of his legs. Nine months after the accident, he was back to jumping out of perfectly good airplanes! Dana was headed to the Marine Corps Marathon, as well. He and his teammates were jumping another double amputee into the start of the event. Amazing story!

(from DanaBowman.com)

After landing, I went straight to the expo... I literally threw my bag into my mom's trunk and then headed straight to metro. The expo was like a well oiled machine...

Getting your packet from a uniformed Marine wasn't such a bad thing...

My expo loot!!! Well, my sideways expo loot!

Friday night, I relaxed at home with mom and my oldest (in terms of years we've known each other) friend, Erin came over to hang out. We got quite the ab workout from all the laughter.

SATURDAY -

There may have been a smidge of sleeping in, but I was out of bed by 8am (which was really only 7 on my internal clock). I mostly relaxed, chugged water, and made countless bathroom trips until it was time to head to lunch. I had a hot date for lunch, you might recognize her...

Tonia from Racing with Babes. She's as awesomesauce as you might imagine, and she's going to rock a PR tomorrow in NYC. And can I just say, although she might kill me, that I've never been so comfortable shoving my face full of food, because she cleaned her plate just as fast. As if sharing a meal together wasn't enough, she also came bearing gifts... pumpkin muffins with cinnamon chips. Must. Have. Recipe. Little clouds of heaven. YUM.

And because I know the way to Tonia's heart, after lunch, I had already scouted the location of the nearest cupcake bakery. And look at these little mini's...

Pretty sure they are so small that the calories don't even count, right? I was back and forth on which two I was going to get until Tonia reminded me I was running 26.2 miles the next day, so yes, I got all 3 flavors I wanted (in all seriousness though, 3 of them was still less than a normal-sized cupcake).

Did I mention yet that it was freezing cold on Saturday? It was raining most of the day, and we even saw some snow in the afternoon. Not exactly the weather I was expecting for an October race... so I had to do a little change to my outfit since I am a super wimp in cold weather.

All ready to go.

SUNDAY -

Race day and of course, I couldn't sleep. Not really a surprise. I was up at 3am or so and scurrying about. So was my mom. Apparently she was just as affected by the race day lack-of-sleep issue! It was her first time as a spectator. By 4am, I was texting other MCM'rs - my friend, Brandi, who I went to high school with, and Steph who I was super excited for since this was her first marathon! By 5am we were in the car and headed toward Arlington, VA. The traffic:

Yeah, there wasn't any. It was all clear the whole way. We stopped about midway there to meet up with Joe (my race buddy for the day) and his friend George and follow them to our parking location. We were safely parked by about 6:30am, but it was bitterly cold outside, especially with the wind, so other than a quick run to the potty, we sat in the car until 7:15am.

At 7:15am, we said bye to my mom, and headed towards the start... it was a lot longer walk than I thought. And I wasn't happy about frozen bridges that we skated across:

You can't tell, but all up on the sides of the walk was thick mud. I should've gone to the bathroom again, but I didn't, because I didn't want to walk through the mud and speed the race with wet muddy shoes.

Ah the sweet site of the starting line!!!

Right after we walked through this, we saw Drew Carey, who waved at us because Joe had on the same flourescent orange jacket as him. His race report is worth a read, HERE.

We found our way among the 30,000 runners. But Joe had to run to find the drop bag location. I stayed put and waited.

I threw off my sweatshirt, but kept the gloves, and we prepared to head out. It would only take us 7 minutes from gun time to get across the start. I expected it to take much longer!

And we're OFF!!!

To be continued... (trust me, I wanted to put it in one post, but I think the pictures would overload the server!!!)

White Rock - Running with a Purpose + Giveaway!

2011-11-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Tons of buddies will be heading to Rock n Roll Vegas this year, but not me. I refuse to give up Dallas White Rock Marathon. In 1999, I ran the marathon as part of a 5-person relay team. In 2009, I came back to run it as my first half marathon, and in 2010, I ran it as my first full marathon. It would appear I had covered the distance every way possible, what more could I want from this race?

In April of 2008, I gave birth to my third child, Paige. I've recounted the story here before, but my first comment when she was born was "What's wrong with her foot?" Everyone assured me it was nothing, but alas, it wasn't nothing. Paige was born with what is commonly known as clubfoot on her left side.

There's a more detailed version of the story HERE, but long story short - Paige received full treatment at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children at no cost. We went with a less traditional method of correction using massage therapy techniques, which eventually I performed mostly on my own 8-10 times a day. Within 5 weeks (yes, you read that right), she was fully corrected without any surgery. But the therapy continued for the entire first 2 years of her life.

Now...

This amazing little girl runs like lightening, and regularly puts in 0.5 mile runs on the treadmill or the track at age 3. That would not be possible without Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.

For those of you not local, I'm sure you're wondering how this relates to White Rock Marathon. Well, in 2009, I commited to run the half marathon as a means to fundraise for TSRHC. Yes, I was already running, but had never even considered a half marathon. Running was more of a cardio-fitness of choice to help me lose/maintain my weight. Obviously what happened after that half marathon was more than I bargained for. But once a year, every year, it is important to me to return to my distance running roots and to remember that without TSRHC, Paige would not be able to run. It is my honor and privelege to run in an effort to help raise money for them.

I think you know where all this is going, right? Yes, I want you to understand how important this hospital is to me. Yes, I want you to open your heart and your wallet, and consider making a donation of any amount to MY FUNDRAISING for TSRHC. And this year, I've had some very awesome companies throw their support towards my fundraising efforts (and some of these things I just happened to have in my box of goodies). So this year, I'm delighted to share a raffle with my blog followers.

Here are the rules - super simple:

- Make a donation HERE.

- For every $5 you donate - you receive ONE entry.

- If you donate $25 or more - you will receive FIVE bonus entries. (5 for each $5 + 5 bonus = 10)

- If you donate $50 or more - you will receive TEN bonus entries. (10 for each $5 + 10 bonus = 20)

- Donations made before I started the raffle do count!

- Please leave me ONE comment saying you donated.

- Make sure I can figure out who you are when I look at the donation page.

- I will announce 4 winners every Friday, and they can pick a prize in the order chosen. You must contact ME when you are chosen before the next week, or I will chose a new winner. (Make sure you are a follower so you'll see the post!)

The awesome prizes:

1. ~~Black~~ ~~CEP Compression~~ ~~Socks - Women's Size III~~ - WON! Jenn B

2. ~~Running Chics~~ ~~Hoodie - Your choice of size/color~~ - WON! Amanda T

3. ~~Black~~ ~~CEP Compression~~ ~~Shorts - Women's Size III~~ - WON! Precious C

4. "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald

5. ~~iFitness~~ ~~Ultimate I Race Belt (Purple)~~ - WON! Jen R

6. iFitness Single Pouch Race Belt (Yellow)

7. ~~Drymax Socks~~ ~~- Size Small (Women's 5-7, Men's 3.5-5.5)~~ - WON! Julie S.

8. ~~Brooks~~ ~~Equilibrium Shorts - Women's Medium~~ - WON! Samantha G.

9. ~~Bondi Band~~ ~~- Run Like a Mother~~ - WON! Jill

10. ~~GoLite~~ ~~Running Tights/Pants - Women's Medium~~ - WON! Suz W

11. Hydrapak Gel-Bot and Road ID Visor

12. ~~Road ID~~ ~~of choice and a Road ID Hat~~ - WON! Giraffy

13. GU ~~Sampler Pack~~ - WON! Monica

14. ~~$100 Gift Card to Mary Kay !!!~~ - WON! Emily T.

15. ~~One Free Month of~~ ~~Racing It Off Coaching~~ - WON! Linz

16. Racing It Off Shirt - Limited size choices - White Tank in L or XL (they run a size big) OR Pink Tee in L or XL (run pretty true to size)

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Three Things Thursday

2011-11-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

I'm hopping on the three things Thursday blogger train today.

1. Biggest Loser Marathon - Everyone else is talking about it, so it's my turn. I'm not going to argue whether it's right or wrong. There's a whole slew of opinions on that. Actually what bothers me about the Biggest Loser Marathon is that the winner makes it into the finals. Sounds odd that it would bother me... but as a girl who trains her rear off and still finds herself struggling to be in the middle-of-the-pack... it bothers me that just because someone can run the marathon faster, they get into the finale. This bothers me because while a marathon is an awesome test of endurance, speed is not necessarily an indicator of fitness. I know plenty of people that have run sub-4 marathons injured or under-trained... and likewise, I know people who have worked their rear off and struggle to hit a 6 hr. marathon. We all know that while you can improve your pace, a good portion of it is just good genes (not to mention most men naturally run faster). It just bothers me to use a marathon as a competition for the finale.

2. Treadmill Games - So today I was at the gym with a light 5 mile run on the schedule. None of my buddies were there - Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to be lonely. I dare say I was even a little bored, so I decided to play my favorite treadmill game - Outrun Everyone. I assessed how many people were on the treadmill, and I was off! Only a couple miles in, I had lost a few competitors. When I hit about 4 miles, I was down to 6 people. I was bordering my needed 5 miles and these people weren't giving up easily. When I hit the goal 5 miles, I still had 4 people left. One of them was a young girl on the phone while running, and across the way were 3 dudes - 2 walking, 1 at a steady-paced run. Around 5.5, the girl was off the tread and headed downstairs. And at mile 6, the runner dude was done. So here I am, already a mile over my plan, and I'm pitted against two dudes that look like they could walk all day long. But soon after, one stops, towels off, and heads downstairs. Score, one left... but that dude was on a steep incline, and I thought he was gonna walk all day. Finally he gave in at mile 7.5. Shew. I finished out the 8 miles and called it a day. And that's how I ended up running 3 extra miles. Competition is quite distracting!

3. Shout-outs - Danger, danger... I have a lot of shout-outs to give, but I know I'll forget someone, so please please forgive me in advance!!!

Rock 'n Roll Savannah Marathon - My fav coach Adam, one of my good long-run buddies Shannon, the amazing Lucy (one of the Racing It Off runners) who has been working her rear off, SkinnyRunner (the first running blog I ever read), and Wifey!

NYC Marathon - The awesome Tonia and Katye running for Team Grassroots Soccer, the huge team going from Rockwall Running Club, the unbelievable Erin, and SkinnyRunner (yes, she's doing Savannah on Saturday and NYC on Sunday - crazy!)

Rocky Raccoon 50k - Some of my favorite frunners - Libby, Alicia, Fiona, and Corina

Rex Healthcare Half Marathon in Raleigh - My buddy, Elaine (whom I will miss sharing a ride with to the DRC Half!)
DRC Half - Tons of people doing this one... Jason, Karen, Shannon P, Michelle, and then a huge group of Racing It Off runners - Holly C, Holly F, Monica (who I'll be pacing to a new PR!), Denya, Deanna (first half marathon!!!!!!), and Christina (first half marathon!!!!!!).

Wishing a great race for everyone! Trust your training, and go get it!!!

And one last shout out to my awesome race buddy, Sherry!!! She finally welcomed her first child, Aubrey Sue on Nov 2, 2011. Congratulations Sherry, I'm so excited for your new family!

What You Don't Know About MCM...

2011-11-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

No, this post isn't about what you think. I don't have any secret insider scoop on the Marine Corps Marathon. Sorry, folks, you'll have to look elsewhere for any juicy gossip.

But what you may not know is that I made a commitment back in August to train for an event in February. With a slew of other events on the race calendar, I decided that Marine Corps Marathon would serve two purposes. Now, don't get me wrong. I signed up for MCM because it was absolutely on my bucket list - for the phenomenal course scenery and course support. I also really wanted to run a marathon near where I grew up. A marathon where my mom had a chance to be at the finish line.

But part of being a raceaholic is making your race schedule work within the grand plan. So, on a more basic level, I also wanted it to serve two purposes.

First, I wanted it to serve as a long training run for White Rock Marathon - my goal marathon in 5 weeks. The bonus of this was that if I ran MCM at a comfortable pace, I'd really get to enjoy my surroundings and everything happening instead of solely being focused on the pain and misery of a body pushed to its limits. I even ran with a camera and snapped over 99 shots. I definitely would not be able to do that at goal pace! It was a great day. (Yes, I know, I will write a race report.)

Second, I wanted to know whether or not I could run 26.2 at a comfortable pace and truly feel ok at the end of it. I mean regardless of pace, 26.2 is a long way to run and can be a real beating on the body. There's a reason I needed to know this about myself...

You see, what I commited to back in August, and have revealed to a couple of close friends and runners, but not announced to the world, is a 50-mile race at Rocky Raccoon on February 4th, 2012. I needed to know that if I pulled back the pace, I was fit enough to keep going after 26.2. Well, I'm happy to say, that I felt amazing after my 26.2 on Sunday. No cramping, only minor aching, and I'm really not sore at all. I only had some minor inflammation on my left ankle that is already long gone.

So after feeling great running this:

And reading this on the flight home:

I pulled the trigger and officially registered, even though I already felt 100% commited:

Somehow everything is coming into focus now. Let's do this!!!

I'm Home

2011-10-31T15:43:00.001-07:00

...and I brought a little bling with me!!! Report soon, but I have some family stuff to attend to tomorrow and didn't want to be absent too long.

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What I'm Taking With Me...

2011-10-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

My boarding pass is printed. My alarm is set for 3am. Ready to head out for marathon 3 - Marine Corps Marathon. No goals this time around -- fun, supported training run on my way to my goal race in 5 weeks.

So I bet you want to know what I'm taking with me...

These amazing faces:

(yes, she got all her hair cut off so she could be like sissy and mommy)

The Racing It Off Team:

They are my inspiration... so I'll be wearing my Racing It Off shirt and thinking of them each step.

My frunners:

My favorite bloggers:

Not only was the awesome Tricia on the pages of Women's Health this month, but she was wearing a camo skirt/capri from RunningSkirts (yes, they changed it to black in the published magazine, but it *is* a camo skirt). That exact skirt will be on my rear this Sunday. Tricia will be running this with me in spirit. And yes, I plan to wash it before I send it back to her!

I also have plans to see Katye at the expo Friday, meet TMB for lunch Saturday, and hopefully see Steph on Sunday. Also hoping to see a couple more bloggers along the course.

And *you* - my readers, who have left so many great, motivating comments. Thank you!

You ready to go 26.2? I am!

Racing It Through the New Year

2011-10-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

I have been racing a lot. In fact, starting September 25... I started what will end up a streak of racing 7 out of 8 weekends. I know, I'm a crazy runner... not quite as crazy as this guy:

But still crazy. Despite the craziness, though, I actually *do* have a plan. And I do make sure that the races fit into the grand scheme. If it means that I run a long run mid-week, and count the race as my speedwork, then that's what I do. Between me and Adam, we make sure that my schedule still works with all the races. The one week I didn't race, I actually could have, but decided not when there was no good way to combine a 5k with a needed 21-miler. And still... all of this is fit neatly into a grand plan. It's not always easy to wrap all my racing up with a neat bow so that the training stays reasonable and doesn't throw me over the edge... but I'm pretty dead set on making it work because racing makes me happy.
So I haven't really talked much about my crazy racing plan for the rest of the year.

This weekend is Marine Corps Marathon! Crazy excited about it. I grew up in the area, and I'm really looking forward to running not only in Virginia, but with my original marathoning inspiration - Joe. This will be his 77th marathon, his 30th consecutive Marine Corps Marathon (I confirmed facts this morning!). A little history... he used to be my mother's boss when I was in high school, and I even briefly dated his son... and I always thought he was insane for beating up his body with marathons. (Turns out that he *is* insane, but so am I... who knew?) I'm thrilled to run with him. Our goal - to appreciate the day, laugh a lot, take some great photos, and enjoy 26.2 miles of supported training! There is no time goal... both of us have other marathons before the end of the year... and he has an angry quad to take care of.

The very next week after MCM, I have the DRC Half Marathon. In all honesty, it was a mistake - I didn't pay attention to the date when I signed up. However, MCM is a "training" run, so I need to be back at it pretty quick, so 13 is actually the perfect pull-back long run. A lot of the Racing It Off girls will be running, so I'll likely run with some of them, depending on what my body can handle that day.

Then is the Fort Worth Marathon 20-miler. I love that they have a 20-mile option and put it 3 weeks prior to White Rock - the major marathon in the Dallas area. This will be it for me... the last race of the 7 in 8 weeks and my last long run before taper.

Three weeks after the Fort Worth 20-miler is my key marathon - White Rock Marathon. In 2009, it was my first half marathon. In 2010, it was my first full marathon. In 2011, it will be my 4th full marathon and I'll have 19 half marathons in the books. I plan to push hard at this race... and yes, I have a buddy, because you all know I don't like running alone. Junie has agreed to run with me... although after 4 1/2 hours of my jaws flapping, she might be ready to hurt me. This race will always be special to me... it re-ignited my desire to run because I wanted to run it for my youngest, Paige, who spent 2 years in therapy at Scottish Rite Hospital for Children - the beneficiary of the race.

After White Rock, I'm hoping to repeat my 5k PR run from last year - Jingle Bell Run. I haven't made a 5k PR attempt since then. Can't believe I haven't run but one 5k this year - and I was pacing someone for her first race.

And to finish off the year right - the New Years Double!!! The plan is 13.1 on New Years Eve and 26.2 on New Years Day (yes, that makes 3 marathons in 64 days). I will be taking the miles very slow and easy on New Years... because, I'm sure this is shocking, it's all just good training for something else in the grand plan early next year!

With all this talk of race after race, between which I have to be very careful to not burnout or injure myself, it reminds me of part of my conversation with Joe today. We had briefly discussed some of the past deaths that have occured at the Marine Corps Marathon. And I jokingly told him that he needed to pick a different day to die, cause I didn't want to have to live with that. But then in all seriousness, I said, "ya know, if I'm in my later years and still racing, and collapsed during a race... well, I think it would be the way to go." He totally agreed.

ACO Fall Fest Race Report

2011-10-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

So after I wrote THIS, I figured I had better post on how the race went. First of all, it's a very small race (about 200 people running both the 5k and 10k) put on by the Allen Community Outreach. My friend, Robin D's husband helps organize it. I was glad to not only go out to show my support, but to also get 2 Racing It Off runners to head out also - Samantha was running the 10k as her first race EVER and Christina would be running her 2nd 10k and pacing Samantha. And bonus - Libby was there running the fun run with her daughter and then joining in for the 10k.

Samantha, Me, Christina

(for the record, Robin D ran and hid so that she would miss the photo)

The plan for the day - PR. Here's where I should say that 10k is my LEAST favorite distance. 5ks are downright painful at puke pace, but they are over in less than 30 minutes. Half marathons are at a pace that is hard, but comfortably sustainable over a distance. A 10k... the pace is puke-a-rific *and* you have to maintain it for almost a full hour. No thank you. But regardless, I still signed up for the 10k. Also important to note that I *just* PR'd at the 10k distance a month and a half ago with a 57:12 - down over 2 minutes from my January time.

Anyhow, it was time to endure the pain, so we lined up at the start, and we were off. It was a small race, so I expected to stay somewhat towards the upper-middle portion of the pack... but noooooo... the second the gun went off, people BLAZED past me. I looked at my Garmin and saw 7s and thought "no way". I reminded myself that I'd pick them off when they all passed out at mile 2.

Mile 1 - 8:31

For the record, my fastest mile clocked EVER. (No, I've never done a magic mile. My fastest mile was during a 5k and clocked in at 8:34.) So two things go through my head at this point "oh my goodness, that felt great, can I hold this?" and "oh crap!!! I just started way too fast." I wasn't sure which one was the truth at this point.

Mile 2 - 8:49

There's my answer... the second one was the truth... I started way too fast. Oops. So far the course has been relatively flat, and the temperature has felt awesome. But then we start to enter some hills.

Mile 3 - 8:59

Oh dear, I'm losing it already. My pace is slipping... I want to puke. I see Robin zip by - the second female. I want to walk... And then what is THAT? The hill of death right before the turn around (which was at 3.8)... I couldn't breath. My lungs were burning. Ugh... After the turn around, I see Christina and Samantha. I can't even tell you if they looked strong or not because I was literally on the verge of hallucinations! Then I see Libby. Again I wave, but all I can think about was how my lungs hurt and how heavy my legs are. Usually my lungs give out before my legs, but this time it was both.

Mile 4 - 9:03
Mile 5 - 9:18

There goes my goal of keeping it under 9 for every mile. And to see consistently positive splits was not a good thing. Really unhappy with my race day execution... I shouldn't have started so fast. I can usually pull something out of the hat on mile 6, but I had nothing in the tank. There were people in front of me that I was so close to and I wanted to push past, and I just couldn't move any faster.

Mile 6 - 9:22

Ugh. Fail on race execution.

Last 0.26 - 8:24 pace ... barely faster than my first mile. I had no sprint left. I can usually pull that last little bit out no matter what, but my legs said NO.

Finish 56:10 - a 1:02 PR. 11th overall female. 2nd in my age group (it was a small race, but there were 15 people in my age group, so I was excited to place).

Really proud of my time. I know 10ks are a hard distance for me... and when I looked back on the course elevation, I was less bothered by the consistently positive splits because the first 2 miles were mostly downhill... hilly sections during 3 and 4, and steady uphill for 5 and 6. So the splits make sense, even though I wish I could've pushed at the end and had my traditional strong finish. I knew I left everything I had out there.

After a few minutes of rest, I walked out to the 6 mile marker to wait for Samantha and Christina. I ran in the last 0.2 with them. I could tell that Samantha really pushed for this one. She had left everything out there on the course. So proud of her. I told her she could temporarily hate me, but I wanted her to use her long legs (yes, a kindred leg-zilla) and sprint the finish. She pulled it out and finished in 1:11:21 for her first race ever. I think that was uber-impressive. Go Samantha Go!!! Christina was an awesome friend and pacer!

Robin D grabbed a 4 minute PR with a 48:57 (seriously? that's ridiculously fast) and pulling off 2nd overall, 1st in her age group. Since her husband did a lot of the organizing, he did the announcements for the awards, and he may have just been a tad proud to announce his wife's name!!!

Also a shout-out to my awesome friend, Emily, who ran her 5th half marathon this past weekend and did great! So proud of her!!!

Note to Self...

2011-10-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Self:

You may have run 9 miles including Yasso 800s on Friday, then 21 miles on Saturday, but on Monday when you ran that 10 miles, you knew something was "off". You were a good girl and headed to your A.R.T. appointment. Dr. Magic Hands worked you over, and it HURT. Do you hear your body *now*? Yes? Good.

Thank you for taking 3 days off from running. I know you wanted to run badly, but you listened to me, and you took Tuesday-Thursday off.

Despite your concerns...
- You did not die without running.
- You did not lose all capability to crank out the miles.
- You did not gain any weight.
- Your body *did* heal, it was not a waste of time.
- Your head is still on straight.
- The road and the treadmill are right where you left them 3 days ago.

Thank you for listening to your body and doing the right thing. Your reward was an awesome, effortless 5 mile run today to let you know that I have given you the "all clear" to race your rear off at tomorrow's 10k. Go get 'em.

Love,
Me

If I Knew Then...

2011-10-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

If I knew then, what I know now...

I would laugh so hard that I'd have trouble pulling myself off the ground!

Let me describe some things about myself "back then":

- I was a nerd. I liked math. I liked science. I did really well at them.

- I was in the band. Concert band - tenor saxophone. Marching Band - captain of the colorguard.

- The only time I used the word "Athletic" was when I was spelling it in the spelling bee.

- I did not like children. Rarely babysat, and when I did, I usually put them to bed way before bedtime so I didn't have to deal with it. Had zero desire to ever have a family.

If you would've taken the words I use to describe myself today... There is no way I would've believed you. Not even remotely.

- Wife

- Mother

- Marathoner

- Coach

First, the thought that I would ever give up a great career to not only have children, but to be with them 24-7, would've definitely astonished me. In fact, I recall fighting with Peter about the whole concept of being a stay-at-home mom back when we were dating.

Secondly, to believe that I would ever do anything more athletic than spend some time at the gym to keep my weight in check would be ludicrous. I was always a klutz. I didn't like to sweat or get dirty. Athletics were not my thing.

Lastly, to not only be athletic, but to actually get to a point where I'm certified to coach others to become distance runners... wow.

Honestly, never would have imagined. And there are times when I sit here... and I see my children and then I exchange e-mails with the girls I coach, and I'm just bursting with excitement for them and their accomplishments, and I just think - how could I have not known? How could I have spent so much time doing other things when clearly this is what I am meant to do? Maybe it was so that I could really appreciate it... I don't know. Whatever the plan, I'm glad that I am here now.

Pearl Izumi SyncroFuel Road II Review

2011-10-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

What runner doesn't like this site:

Oh yes, I love when the mailman delivers new running shoes. I was anxious to crack open the box.

Ah, lovely Pearl Izumi SyncroFuel Road II shoes. The first thing I did, believe it or not, was run straight to the Pearl Izumi website to check out the details on the shoe.

Directly from the website:

This responsive, lightweight trainer is designed for one thing—going fast! The syncroFuel™ provides mild pronation control and excellent cushioning for the runner training for their next race.

•Seamless Race Upper with hybrid mesh combination: recycled mid-foot mesh and breathable forefoot mesh

•Half-length medial side syncro Stability Frame

•NEW 1:1 Energy Foam cushions the foot upon impact and then returns energy back to the runner

•SKYDEX® heel crash pad

•Full blown rubber outsole with carbon rubber heel crash pad

•Forefoot Flex Grooves for a smooth, efficient ride

•NEW Ortholite® sockliner for amazing step-in comfort and long-lasting cushioning

•360° degree reflectivity

•Heel/Toe offset: 23.0mm/13.0mm

The SynchoFuel is listed as a Neutral Plus shoe.

I'm going to get the "bad" out of the way, since it's about personal preferences. First, I've moved to a slightly less-cushioned shoe for some of my training and all of my racing, so it felt a little weird at first to be back in a shoe with heavier cushioning. Definitely a personal preference. If you love the cushioned shoes - I know when I first started, I preferred it - then this is a great shoe. The second thing is that I ordered a size 10. I wear a 9 in regular shoes, and consistently order a size 10 in running shoes, but this shoe definitely ran small. I didn't have my preferred inch of space between the end of my toe and the shoe. I would've ordered at least another 1/2 size up. Unfortunately, this limited me to testing this shoe on mostly shorter runs.

I wore the shoes on 11 runs for 58 miles total. The longest run I used the shoes for was 8 miles. I actually find it hard to describe the shoes, which for me, is a positive thing... because as soon as the run started, I totally forgot about the shoes. They were well-cushioned, comfortable, responsive. I noticed no difference in performance between these shoes and my usual shoes (and I rotate between a couple brands).

Before trying these shoes out, I honestly thought of Pearl Izumi as a cycling company, but they have branched more into running in recent years, and I think their shoes deserve some honest attention. I know I was impressed, and being one of "those" people that is in love with the shoes I wear day-to-day, to give up those shoes over and over and wear the Pearl Izumi's, not just for a couple of test runs, but for some real mileage, means a lot. I intend to keep using these shoes for my shorter runs until they've hit their mileage limit! I only wish they were a little bigger so I could put some real mileage on them!!!

Note: These shoes were provided to me for review. I was not otherwise compensated and was not obligated to provide a positive review.

Running Budget 101

2011-10-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

So you've just started running, and everything is new and exciting. You want to run out and buy all the latest gadgets and gizmos. But what do you need and why? If I could rewind to the start of running... here's the first ten places my money would have gone:

(Note that I'm not saying you *can't* run without these things. Many of these items are luxuries, but I'm saying that if you have the money and are wanting to spend it on running gear, this is where I'd personally focus - I'm sure you could ask 10 runners and get 10 different answers, though.)

1. Shoes - Period. Hands down. No question. This is not the place to skimp. Go to a running specialty store, have them watch your gait, and get a good pair of running shoes. Heck, if you can afford it, get two different styles of running shoes so that you can alternate them (I love this because different shoes will activate your muscles differently and have different pressure points - varying that can reduce some potential for over-use injuries... plus it allows shoes plenty of time to decompress before you use them again). Popular brands: Brooks, Asics, Nike, Saucony, Mizuno, and New Balance. But there are also other brands out there, like K-Swiss, Adidas, Pearl Izumi, and Etonic that might work for you. I happen to be a huge fan of Brooks, but it really is about what works for you.

2. Race - I know, most people would put this down the list a bit, but you have seen the title of this blog, right? A race is a goal, a tangible day and distance set to accomplish. For me, this is what keeps my running on track. Even if the race is a long time off. Pick one, sign up, and write it in stone as your goal! Racing a lot can be very expensive - so plan ahead, sign up early for lower fees, and shop around for one that works for you in terms of cost, location, etc.

3. Moisture-Wicking Clothing - I see it all the time... runner shows up for his/her first race and receives a cotton t-shirt in the race packet, and then promptly puts it on and runs in it. Moisture-wicking clothing is important for many reasons - when it's hot, you need to move the moisture away from your body so it can evaporate and your body can continue to sweat in order to cool itself down; when it's cold, you want it to pull the moisture away from your body so you can stay dry and warm; lastly wet cotton will chafe your skin, badly, it's not pretty. And go ahead and add socks into this one too...

4. ID - Safety, safety, safety. I personally use Road ID, and recommend them highly, but there are a few other companies who make IDs for your wrist, ankle, or shoe. These are uber-important in the case of a medical emergency. Don't chance it, spend the cash and get some proper identification!

5. Sports Bra - Alright guys, you can skip this one, but supporting the girls properly is worth the price tag. Personally, I love Moving Comfort - great support, and I get to still have TWO instead of an uni-boob. Find what works for you, but do not be afraid to spend a few more dollars on something that will really work and last (besides, if you have to double-up on cheap bras, it ends up being just as expensive as one good bra!).

6. Garmin - Yes, you can live without the super-sleek watch that tracks your pace and distance using GPS, but it can also be an amazing tool. Especially cause one of the things that plagues beginning runners, in my opinion, is pushing too fast and not pacing properly so that he/she can go the distance. The good news is that you can find some pretty good deals on older versions of the Garmin.

7. Hydration - I prefer the Nathan Handheld water bottle, but some prefer hydration belts (iFitness has a great one), and others prefer hydration packs like Camelbak. Find what works for you, and give it several runs - it takes some getting used to, but it's important to keep hydrated, even in the cooler weather.

8. Anti-chafe Cream - There are several brands of this, but I cannot live without Mission Athletecare's Anti-chafe cream. I don't care what size you are - things rub when you run. And when you start pulling double digit distances, parts attempt to start fires. Don't be a chafed runner, lube up and get out there! (And while you are there, pick up some sweatproof sunblock and some muscle rub.)

9. Nutrition - GU gel, GU chomps, Sports Beans, Clif Gels, Clif Shotbloks, Powergel, Honey Stingers... the types are endless. You won't need these likely until you hit about 8 miles or more, but it's worth getting a few types and trying them out and figuring out what works best for you and your body BEFORE your first big event. I'm personally a huge fan of Chocolate GU - hello brownie batter!

10. Running/Race Belt - When you are alone or racing, you often need to carry your phone, your key, your nutrition, etc. A comfortable belt that holds these items without bouncing around is a huge help. I can't say enough great things about iFitness belts. I love their ultimate race belt. Holds my GU, keeps my phone safe in a water resistent pouch, holds my race number (I hate pinning!), and doesn't bounce around.

11. Compression Socks - OK, yes, I said that I would give you my top 10, but I can't leave out my beloved compression socks. I am a big believer in compression, especially for recovery... I'm a huge fan of CEP socks - I think they are the most compressive of the brands out there, and my calves love me for wearing them, but they aren't cheap... definitely a luxury!

What would YOU add to the list???

Grump-tastic

2011-10-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

You know how when you're in college (ok, this won't apply to the men)... and everyone's cycle syncs up? OK, for men, when your wife was pregnant... maybe you had sympathy pains?

Well, my awesome friend Tricia is having some issues with her very grumpy IT Band... which, by the way, has a history of being grumpy.

I, on the other hand, am not injury-prone. Other than your standard over-use twinge of pain that you take a couple days off for and then feel 100% better. Really, even those occassions don't happen often. But after talking to Tricia on Saturday, I felt that twinge in my IT Band. No worries... just the power of suggestion, right?

So, I hit the gym Monday and run my 10 miles and things just feel "off". It's a bit tender all through the right IT, down the right shin, and across the top of my right foot... What in the world? But no worries, because I have an appointment with Dr. Magic Hands... for the A.R.T. pain. And I get there, and he gets to work, and Oh. My. Goodness. I sounded like I was in labor. I was borderline in tears. I think he was trying to kill me with his thumb. He confirmed that my right leg was completely out of whack. As I was leaving, I did something I've never done before... I made another appointment for the same week. I never go twice in the same week.

Fortunately, I listened to myself. I knew that if I was making another appointment, that it was more painful than I was letting on. So I woke up Tuesday morning and the following texts happened:

Lesley: No running today.
Adam: Hey Lesley - I think someone stole your phone and is sending messages about not running

Yeah, my coach knows me. He knows I don't typically blow off runs. So today was no running. And I treated my leg like a Princess... I spent some time with the foam roller:

(This lady has way better technique than me. I look like an awkward flamingo.)

And I spent some time with the ice packs:

OK, yeah, I didn't look like that dude. (And WHAT is he thinking?) But I did ice my leg several times today.

I'm supposed to run my longer run tomorrow because we front-loaded my week so I could race a 10k on Saturday. But I have a bad feeling that the run is out. Ultimately, I have no choice... I'm 12 days out from a marathon, and even though it's not a goal race, I still have to get through 26.2 miles.

Honestly, I'm not super concerned... it hurts, it's tender... I'm taking time off until it feels better. I think it'll be a couple days. In the meantime, I tossed the shoes I was wearing... it was their time anyhow. Besides, we know they are just sympathy pains, right?

Buuuuuuuuut, despite that knowledge... I've been pulled off running for a couple days, so I'm struggling to keep grumpy Lesley at bay.

2011 ACO Fall Fest

2011-10-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Are you in the DFW area? Join me at the Allen Community Outreach Fall Fest this Saturday, October 22nd. 1 Mile Fun Run, 5k, or 10k distances are available. Free childcare available (pre-registration required). And some fun family-friendly activities afterwards (including bounce houses). The Purple Cow will also open early and provide a $10 breakfast buffet... eat before or eat after! Need more information? Want to come run with me? Read HERE. (I know I sound like an ad, but this is a good cause, and it's only the 2nd year for this race, so I wanted to help spread the word. My good running buddy, Robin D, ran it last year, and so we'll both be heading up there this year.)

(Sorry I've been so absent... the weekend was insanely busy and today was spent playing catch-up and nursing my poor leg that seems to be telling me that I need a break... not now leg, I don't have time for a break!!!)

Turtle vs. Hare

2011-10-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

The turtle and the hare discussion comes up quite a bit in running. Are you a front-of-the-pack runner? middle-of-the-pack? back-of-the-pack? You may have heard the phrase "slow and steady" wins the race. Well, I'm pretty sure the steady part is accurate - did you see Patrick Makau's splits when he set the world record in Berlin??? 1:01:44 first half and 1:01:54 second half. But as has been proven time and time again - fast and steady wins the race.

It never fails that if you mention you ran a race, someone will ask you how fast. I remember after my first marathon, which I finished in 5:12, having someone the next week say "oh, you ran a marathon? what does that take, like 3 or 4 hours?"

I started out as a back-of-the-pack runner and have slowly crawled up to a middle-of-the-pack runner. I am fairly confident that I did not hit the genetic lottery with regards to speed, and seriously don't even have thoughts of every becoming a front-of-the-pack runner. Not even sure what I'd do up there!

But here we are all living in the blog world together - super speedies winning races and age group awards, middle-of-the-pack constantly striving for their PR, and back-of-the-pack looking for the strong finish. I'm thrilled when I see someone Boston Qualify, even though that's something that really isn't even on the radar for me. I'm just as excited to hear of someone struggle through every step of a 7 hour marathon and finish with their head held high.

The point here is... we all have our own trophies! Whether those trophies be an award, a PR, or just the pride of finishing - we're all out there striving for something better. It's so easy to get caught up in this person or that person's pace. And I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't happen to me too. I won't lie and say I'm not a bit jealous when I see a new runner right out of the blocks hit a 9:00 min/mile that I've struggled for 2 years to hit and can still only hold for probably 4 miles. And yes, occassionally it'll hit a chord when I work my rear off training, and see someone that didn't put in nearly as many miles, just naturally push through much faster than me. But with all that said, I know my competition is ME. I know that I'm here to impress no one but myself.

Ask those who know me, I am extremely competitive... Running is a funny sport, though. It allows us to be really competitive without minimizing anything else others are doing. Sure, I've picked out random people during races and tried to keep up with them or maybe pass them at the end, but at the end of the day, there's no one that would upset me if they finished before me. The only thing I judge the day on is whether or not I performed to the best of my abilities.

In the blog-world where capabilities are so varying, it's sometimes easy to forget when Speedy-McSpeedy-Pants says they had an awful run where he/she only posted 8 min/mile that it in no way diminishes your excellent run where you managed to get 12 min/miles. It's important to remember that people's triumphs and disappointments are with their own performances. I don't know how many runners have mentioned tanking a run and their time was still much faster than mine on a good day. Remember to take the lessons, celebrate in their triumphs, share in their disappointments, but remember that your race is your own!

(And yes, I purposely slipped in an MCM finish photo... since I somehow keep forgetting that I have another marathon in just 17 days.)

My New Tagline

2011-10-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

I have to share this, because it cracked me up...

It's no secret, I like to race...

Not only do I like to race... but I like to have as many friend (frunners) with me as possible.

If you ask the girls I coach, I never say "no" if they want to put a race on the schedule... I just find a smart way to help them safely use it towards their goals.

Especially when I travel, I like to convince others to come with me.

My recent adventures have included convincing people to come to this area for the New Years Double, to travel across the country with me to Rock n Roll Seattle next June, to road trip with me to Route 66 in Tulsa next November, and another race which I'm keeping under wraps for now. Not to mention the long list of smaller races that I beg people to join me for. What can I say. I love the vibe of a race, and it's even more thrilling with other peeps around to enjoy it with.

Anyhow... my "bad" influence was being discussed on Twitter. Tricia (@TriciaRunning) mentioned my bad influence, and Libby (@LibbyRuns) jumped in that my bad influence was also counteracted by my ability to give a swift kick in the rear on occassion as well. Pretty sure @UnlikelyRunners jumped in on the action here too. (See what you're missing if you aren't on Twitter.)

How it all ended up was Tricia summing me up into one thought:

"Terrible for the wallet, Wonderful for the booty!"

Libby declared it my new tagline. I think it just might stick. I was quite literally curled over laughing at this.

(Hop on over and congratulate Libby on reaching Marathon Maniac status - she ran her first 3 marathons in a 70 day period!!!)

Tyler Rose Half Marathon Race Report

2011-10-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

I got up uber early to an unfamiliar sound - pouring rain! My good friend Emily met me at 4:30am, and we started the 90 minute drive to Tyler, Texas. We probably could've left a good bit later, but when traveling that far to a race, I didn't want to leave anything up to chance. We arrived and got a space literally 3 parking spots from the building with the check-in/after-party and quite literally, steps from the starting line. Wow... We got our bibs and shirts and then hung out in the car for a bit.

The plan for the day was to take it easy, enjoy it, and run with Emily. I had invited two others people to run with us too, so that we could have an on-course party - Corina and Holly F (who was doing her second half only 2 weeks after her first half). And we also kind of paced with Elaine, though in a more indirect way... she wanted to push, and she knew to do that, she'd need to stay out in front of us (which she did)!

(Holly F, Elaine, Corina, Me, and Emily)

The full marathon started at 7:30am, so we headed to watch Robin D get started... She was running this event in place of her 22 mile training run so was planning to take it easy and run/walk the last 4 in.

(Robin on the right in her signature pink hat and just in front of her in orange is reader/fellow NTX Runner Shawna)

One more group pic before go time:

EW, Corina, Dana, Al, Marcie, Elaine, Robin W, Me, and Emily

Finally it was nearing 8am, and we were ready to go with only one goal in mind... beat the man in the silly outfit (purple spandex, cropped tee, faux lei, and duck hat complete with feathery tail):

Actually, our only goal was to enjoy the day and all get to the finish line!

And we're off...

I don't know how to describe the day to you other than there was a lot of this uneven brick (not exactly a cushioned surface) and when there wasn't brick, there was this uneven pebble-style asphalt. The entire course was neverending hills. I am certain we went up more than down, but somehow ended up in the same spot. I don't think there was ever a flat spot on the course. Up, up, up, down, up, up, up, down. I had originally told Emily and Holly F that we would walk the uphills, knowing there were supposed to be a lot of hills... but I didn't realize 8 miles of the course would be uphill.

Look, we found Woody! (Sitting on the wheel well.)

(Holly F, Me, and Emily)

And we just kept plodding on...

(Emily, Holly F, and Me - this is at a weird angle... I'm not *that* tall.)

I may or may not have tweeted The Unlikely Runner a photo of her butt while running behind her:

And at mile 11, I might have taken and uploaded this photo to facebook to wish Emily's daughter a happy 11th birthday!

And pretty much the whole way, I was checking Libby's tweets from the Chicago Marathon. I actually had another runner ask me how Libby was doing at Chicago. I had no idea who she was or how she knew I was tracking Libby! (If you're reading this, say hi so I know your name!!!) I'm only guessing that maybe she overheard me reading the tweets to Corina.

Lots and lots of uphills, but we did eventually com into the finish...

Time for a quick group photo:

(Corina, Holly F, Emily, and Me)

And then I headed straight back out to find Holly C (also running her 2nd half marathon just 2 weeks after her first). I didn't get very far... around 0.35, and I already found her... she was trucking along nice and steady. Despite being very tired, she hadn't stopped to walk at all. She ran up all those monstrous hills. Woo-hoo. So I headed in the last little bit with her and was telling her how far and where the finish was. The finish line was odd because you couldn't see it at all... you saw a crowd of people and no finish line... what you couldn't see is that when you came to the crowd, you took a sharp right and veered across a grass field to finish.

It was so funny because Holly was yelling at me ... "WHERE is it? WHERE?" She wanted to pick up the pace but didn't want to do it too soon.

And what feels better after a tough hill workout??? How about some ice cold water on the legs... oh yeah!

(Holly C, Holly F, Elaine, Emily, Me, Erik, Michelle, and Corina)

This is possibly my favorite post-race photo EVER. Love it... and that freezing water felt so good. Just jealous only 1/4th of my legs were underwater and some people had water up to their thighs... REALLY?

Just after getting out of the water, a lady came by and said "Would you like some free frozen yogurt?" Um, is that even a valid question? YES.

And then a quick pic of the Racing It Off team:

Then I ran in to pick up my SECOND medal because the company putting this race on, Mellew, had a challenge of completing all four of their half marathons (Texas Half - Winter, Big D - Spring, Hottest Half - Summer, and Tyler Rose - Fall). This was my last half of the Four Seasons Challenge!

After shoving down a piece of free pizza, I had to run back out to watch Robin D finish her marathon. She did awesome and was right on target for her "easy" training run (which still beat the pants off anything I could do on my best day!).

Great day all around!!! I had so much fun. And I'm so glad that Corina helped document all the fun times. This is a tough course, but we took it slow and just enjoyed every second of it! Running with friends is never dull.

After the long drive home, I put my medals on my SportHook and quickly realized it might be time for an add-on bar... I clearly have a bling addiction.

Congrats to all the runners who ran the Chicago Marathon yesterday!

Random Weekend Tidbits

2011-10-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

I decided my hair was slowing me down... the ponytail just had way too much wind resistance. (OK, truth is, I was sick of losing chunks of hair from keeping my hair in a ponytail all.the.time. because I'm way too lazy to wash it and fix it after a run.)

So on Friday, I had about 8-10" of hair whacked off...

Then today after I shopped for my veggie co-op...

(Go ahead and drool... pumpkin, zucchini, kale, apples, oranges, kiwi, limes, carrots, potatoes, and green beans... all fresh from the farmer's market.)

The girls decided that my new haircut wasn't cute enough and wanted me to have an up-do... and so I was subjected to this:

Oh dear...

As for tomorrow... HUGE race day.

The amazing Tricia will be at See Jane Run.

Awesome friends Libby, Amandax2, and Dana, along with blogger-friends Angie (first full!!!), Junie, Wifey, and Cely (first full!!!) will be out there smoking the Chicago Marathon.

And *I* will be at the Tyler Rose Marathon/Half pacing one of my favorite people, Emily, along with Corina (who am I kidding, "pacing" is just an excuse to spend more time with these people). And I should be seeing a slew of awesome friends on the course - Robin D (doing the full!!! cause she's awesome like that), Robin W, Elaine, EW, Dana, Michelle, Erik, Al, Marcie, and Mary. And then Racing It Off runners Holly F and Holly C will be out there chillin' their way through half marathon #2... only 2 weeks after their first half... because that's how these girls roll!

I'm 100% positive I have forgotten someone... I should know better than to list names... but I can't wait to cheer all these peeps on!!!

Family Fan Club Giveaway Winner

2011-10-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Erin from Michigan for winning the Family Fan Club giveaway. I didn't see any way to contact you, so please E-MAIL ME so I can get you in touch with Paul & Kim to claim your prize.

Still want a Racing It Off shirt or something else from Family Fan Club?

You can enjoy $10 off your next purchase of $50 or more. Coupon Code: racingitoff10 Valid throught the end of TODAY only.

Shannon's Update 1

2011-10-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

If you missed meeting Shannon and reading her inspiring story, go back HERE and read every word! I promise it'll get you pumped. As I told you then, Shannon is going to post an update toward the beginning of each month. I'm so glad Shannon is willing to openly talk about her journey because I bet a lot of people can identify with her struggles and her triumphs. If her posts inspire even one person that thinks they can't... it'll be totally worth it. Withour further ado, here's Shannon's first update:

First, I want to thank you all for your encouragement and support. I really appreciate it. I have to admit, it was a little overwhelming to realize how many people are reading about me. I had a couple of days where I panicked, just thinking about how many people will see me if I fail now. I know that's not how I should think of it, it's just the way my brain seems to work. The whole "that's the way my brain seems to work" thing is something I really need to work on. For instance, Lesley said something in an email to me about me being active. That's a totally new concept for me, me as an active person. Even several years ago, when I would exercise several days a week, I never considered myself active. I guess I just thought of myself as a sedentary person who happened to exercise. Thinking about it now, that sounds kind of nuts, but it's just that the concept of active was never one that I thought applied to me, and I still have a little trouble with it.

Anyway. I've had some good days in this last month. I've gotten to where I can walk a mile in 25 minutes, down from the 30 minutes it took just a month ago. I've continued to lose weight, and am down to 291.7 lbs now. I've worn some clothes from the back of my closet that I haven't been able to wear in over a year. And in general, I feel better, physically and emotionally, than I have in a long time.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing, though. I had a week where I just didn't want to do anything, I just wanted to stay in bed and sleep all the time. I'm still not sure what that was about, if it was physical exhaustion from the combination of exercising and a low calorie diet, or if it was a bit of depression, or what. My best guess is, maybe a little of both. I am feeling better now, and enjoying a cut-back week with lighter workouts, so hopefully next week I'll be well-rested and able to just jump back into the longer, more difficult workouts with no problems.

I do still struggle every day (well, the five days a week I exercise) with having to force myself to exercise. Once I get started, I'm usually okay, but I will do anything to put off getting started. I don't know why, I know I feel better if I just go ahead and get it done and over with for the day rather than continuing to have it hanging over my head as something I'm going to have to do at some point, but still, I put it off. I really hope that part gets easier at some point.

Overall, I guess I'd say I'm doing okay, I just have to keep reminding myself why I'm doing this, so that I have a long and healthy life to look forward to, and that even after I lose the weight, I'm going to have to keep exercising, so I might as well just get used to it now.

Now get out there folks and get moving!!!

(Last day to enter my Family Fan Club giveaway!!!)

The Loop 15k Race Recap

2011-10-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

So on Friday, I posted about the predicted lovely weather for Saturday... and wondered if it would be perfect race conditions. And then I left you hangin'!!!

First, it's important to look back on my recently tanked half marathon. I had that 9:20 pace target stuck in my head. And despite, in all honesty, feeling bad by mile 2, I kept trying to push for that pace... which, as we know, eventually led to a complete collapse of the race plan. Looking back, I know I should've backed off the pace immediately. Because if I couldn't get my breathing under control at mile 2, I should've known that 11 miles more would be a disaster. I think if I had listened to my body and backed off a little, I could've PR'd... I wouldn't have met my lofty goals, but I probably would've pulled off a lot better overall performance.

With all that said, the number 9:20 was still floating around in my head. I wanted to prove to myself that I *am* capable of holding that pace. But something was different... I was now convinced that I couldn't hold that pace, and I released the pressure on myself. My 15k PR was nothing to write home about since it was a slower overall pace than my current half marathon PR... and obviously, I *should* be able to go faster for a 15k. Anything sub-10:00 would be a PR. Anything sub-9:40 (a 90 minute 15k) would make me happy. And as far as I was concerned, if by some miracle I could hit 9:20s, I would be willing to throw a parade... i.e. I was pretty convinced that wasn't on the agenda. The real goal for this 15k - push, but not so hard that I forget to enjoy the race.

Robin D picked me up early Saturday morning, and we headed to the race. This was sort of a weird one for me, because there were very few familiar faces. But both Robin and I were hoping for a PR. The weather - was perfect. Could not have asked for a better day. The route - a loop around White Rock Lake... a path I know and love well... which means I knew what to expect and when.

We went straight in and got our bibs... mine:

Which immediately made me think of EMZ, who, as we all know, has a minor obsession with the number 4. I took it as a good sign since EMZ is a super motivator and uber speedy!

One more stop at the potty and down to the start... I'm standing pretty far forward in the pack with Robin D (who is MUCH faster than me), and I look back and spot Mary. Sweet Mary is faster than me, but she has kept me company at two other races, so I decided to slither back and see what her plan was.

Me: How fast are you hoping to go?
Mary: I don't know. I was thinking about taking it easy.
Me: What's taking it easy?
Mary: Around 9:40s probably. (Clearly we have a different definition of easy, as my definition is 11:00 min/mile)
Me: Hmmmmm.
Mary: Why? What were you hoping for?
Me: (Not wanting to commit.) Weeeell. 9:20s would be amazing, 9:40s would be great, 10:00s would be good. We'll see how I feel.
Mary: I like that plan. I don't mind pushing a bit.

Sweet!!!!! Instant race partner. I cannot express to you what a blessing this was.

Off we go...
Mile 1 - 9:25 ... hmmm... ok, not bad, but how long will this feel ok.
Mile 2 - 9:21 ... right on pace again, please don't tank, please don't tank.
Mile 3 - 9:26 .... ok, still maintaining... can I hold this?
Mile 4 - 9:20 ... wow, still on pace, and I'm breathing right, I'm talking to Mary, I'm enjoying the run.
Mile 5 - 9:17 ... was that angels singing? we're over halfway, and what's this? yes, I feel good. no really.
Mile 6 - 9:07 ... no? we're speeding up... woah Nelly... let's slow down Mary... can't tank!
Mile 7 - 9:22 ... that's more like it... I've got this... I can pull anything out for 2 miles, right? RIGHT?
Mile 8 - 9:15 ... okie dokie, now I'm spent. I'm tired, but I know I have another good mile in me.
Mile 9 - 9:02 ... yes, Lesley, that's the way to finish strong... what is going on here?
Last 0.41 - 8:08 pace ... what??? what did I just do? gasp. joy. REDEMPTION.

9.41 miles, average pace 9:14.
Official 15k time - 1:26:52 (which for 9.3 miles averages to exactly 9:20 min/mile)

I'm claiming the 9:14 pace because it is impossible to run the tangents at the lake... we were on the outer side of the loop plus avoiding other runners and bikes, I know I ran that extra 0.11 mile. Huge 6.5 minute PR. How do you spell redemption again? Oh yes... R-E-D-E-M-P-T-I-O-N.

I could *not* have done it without having Mary by my side that whole race. Thank you Mary!

(Yes, I look like a grape... Paige picked my outfit.)

And it was awesome to have Robin D at the finish line cheering me in knowing that I had done exactly what I set out to do that day. And *she* had the exact same type of race, except at her much faster pace... setting an awesome PR at 1:13 (7:46 min/mile pace) and taking 3rd overall Masters. She *is* going to qualify for Boston, I just know it. This is her year.

Don't forget my awesome Family Fan Club Giveaway *and* the discount code. Only two more days to enter and use that discount!!!

Fair Day!

2011-10-03T15:59:00.001-07:00

Ok, I'll admit it... We didn't really spend Fair Day at the fair. Here in the Dallas area, the kids get a day off and a student ticket to attend the State Fair of Texas. Today was that day. First, I enjoyed sleeping until just past 7, a rare luxury. I'll admit it, I'm not a huge fan of the fair. None of the fried salsa, fried butter, fried snickers, fried fritos pie, etc appeals to me - at all. And trying to keep track of 3 kids in the enormous mass of people usually just leaves me frustrated, not smiling.

So instead, despite the kids begging, I opted to take the kids to the park.

Yeah! They were plenty happy with that decision, and we spent two hours just enjoying a nice healthy dose of Vitamin D with some exercise... Which may or may not have been all erased by a root beer float stop on the way home!!!

After arriving home, Paige asked to take a nap with me... Who can turn that down? Yeah for relaxed, restful days.