5k at Night

Today the plan was to run at the beach, but since my husband woke me up at 5:00am to do so (while he went fishing), I said forget it. Instead, I spent the morning on the boat, relaxing and playing with my new iPhone. I think I'm in love with it. I may have to get divorced and marry it. I'll keep you posted. On my Facebook account. Or my Twitter.

Right before dinner, I went out for a 5k. It was raining, so I took my rain jacket. Turns out the rain stopped and I got hot, so I took the jacket off at mile 1 and tied it around my waist. My goal was to run fast enough to stay under 11:30 minute miles. It was very tough. I did good in the middle, but the last mile, it was all I could do to keep running. I was SO out of breath. I was panting pretty heavily. I'm sure the neighbors in their yards appreciated that.

I did pretty good! My time was 35:08. I have a 5k race on the 18th, and I'd love to be in the 33 minute range. I'm hoping for a couple more faster 5k's before that, to increase my pace so I can get there.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Time: 35:08
Pace: 11:19

One Mile Monday

I wanted to get out early and do a slow 5k. Instead I went out late and did one mile! Have I ever mentioned how I'm not a fan of the heat? It's true.

I decided that one mile of running would be good to work out the soreness in my legs. I feel good now. Plans for the week are 5k tomorrow, 5k Wednesday and maybe a 10k over the weekend.

On my way down the street, I met a dog! She was laying on her front porch and wagged her tail at me. She wanted to come see me, but didn't. She had a big cone on her head and a bandage and bag on one foot. I wondered why she was in the front yard with no leash or owner. She seemed like she was safe there, though, as she wasn't leaving the yard, so I went past.

Coming home, she ran up to me and jumped on me. I talked to her for a little while and looked down her driveway... that's what happened! The gate to her backyard was cracked open. I brought her down to the gate and put her in. She didn't want to go. Finally I got her in and shut the gate, but she kept pushing on it and opening it again!! I shut it on her three times, and told her "no" gently when she'd push. I think her owner must have come outside because she took off towards the house after that. Either that or she's super sensitive!

When I got to the house, I noticed the peonies that face my neighbors were blooming. I snapped some pics.

Distance: 1 mile
Time: 11:50

Oak Apple Run 10k

This morning I did the Oak Apple Run 10k. This was my third year running it. I think it was my worst time out of the three, but the official times are not yet in.

I slept ok last night and woke up bright and early at 4:45am. I woke up before my alarm clock. Not cool. Anyway, I laid in bed for a little while and then quickly got ready, put my oatmeal in a mug to "drink" on the way, put my Garmin watch on and went to meet my friend. We got there quite early and there was plenty of parking. We had time for a Starbucks potty break, which is always nice.

The best part of my race outfit was my hair clips:

I decided to treat myself to some Vera Bradley hair clips to wear during races. Are they not adorable? Moving on...

My friend and I started the race running together, and then each went at our own pace. She ended up passing the finish line about 200 meters before I did.

At the one mile mark, a guy in front of me did the old snotteroo... put a finger on one nostril and blew out the other. Repeat on the other side. I watched the whole thing in horror. Then I gagged. Twice. I tried hard not to think about it, and had to calm myself so I wouldn't keep gagging. I have a very weak stomach in the morning. I wanted to yell at him how gross it was, but I guess, when you're doing a race, you do what you gotta do.

A little while later, I saw an old woman in a muumuu holding her screen door open, yelling, "Great job! You guys look great!" Funny stuff!!

I ran until about 1.5 miles, then I walked for a while. I walked and ran off and on the rest of the race. My legs hurt really bad... like I'd pulled my quads. That, coupled with the fact that this was my longest run since the half marathon on April 2nd, made this a very difficult race.

During one walk break, I was the only one in about a block. I must have looked pretty bad because a race official asked me if I was ok. Then I teared up a little, thinking about how slow I was going, and how I was not running the race I wanted to. Thankfully, I had sunglasses on.

People say this is a flat race, and I guess technically it is, but I personally find it a little hilly. Like, soft, rolling hills. Nothing like the Brooksie Way Half Marathon, but still. I think, for me, if the grade of the road increases at all, I consider that a hill. I may have a great aversion to hills, and they seem to affect me a lot.

When I was at about mile 2, the runners in the lead were heading back to the finish. I saw a handful of men and then a woman. I yelled out like last year, "FIRST WOMAN!! LOOKIN' GOOD!!" She smiled big and took off.

After the race they had orange juice that had been frozen, so it was nice and slushy, just like last year. Loved it. They also had a drawing for a bike, but I didn't win.

I enjoyed this race, but it's always a lot harder than I anticipate. I'll have to try to remember that for next year. And hopefully, next year I'll PR.

On The Road Again... Literally

I've missed blogging! I've also missed running.

I haven't run consistently since September/October, and it shows. Mostly in my stomach. And in my pace. And also my thighs. I quit my job at the end of April, and it's been wonderful. It has also been difficult to get back into running. I have the motivation - the pounds have crept back and the races have been registered for. But still, after running once a week or less for the last six months, it's hard to pick up where I left off.

Because of this, I've been very discouraged with my running for the past few weeks. Yesterday, I had a great conversation with my sister and my friend, and woke up excited to continue my running journey.

I want to be a runner, and runners run. My first 10k race of the year is this Saturday. Earlier in the year, I'd hoped that I would PR at this race, but now I'm hoping to beat my time from my first race there (1:16ish). Last year's time was 1:05:03, and I will definitely not beat that. I'm ok with that; I'm looking forward to the race!

I had a great run today. 5k, no walking. I feel good with my pace - it's the best pace I've had all year! I'm really looking forward to gaining the mileage back and getting faster again. I have a bunch of ten mile runs just itching to come out.

Distance: 3.1 Miles
Time: 35:39
Pace: 11:29

The Trifecta of Pie

I love pumpkin pie. I've loved it for years and enjoyed eating many a pie. Sometimes I like it with whipped cream, but usually I prefer it without. I also prefer it room temperature.


A dear friend of mine was making pies for our annual Ladies' Ministry Pie Sale. She so thoughtfully made me three mini pies, so I could enjoy the fruits of her labor! You know someone loves you when they do that!


Here are the wonderful pies I was given (in a real Tupperware container). One was made with canned pumpkin, one with fresh pumpkin and one is a sweet potato pie:






We got home from church quite late last night, and I wanted to take the time to really enjoy each pie, so I didn't try them. They taunted me from the kitchen table, but I managed to wait until tonight to taste the goodness!


After dinner, I got a cup of milk and sat down to enjoy:

I started with the old favorite, the canned pumpkin pie:

It was delicious! Good consistency; firm, cinnamony, delicious! Loved it!!

Then I tried the fresh pumpkin pie:

I have never had a fresh pumpkin pie before! It had a more subtle color than the canned, and it was less firm. It was SO much more flavorful, and tasted much more REAL. It was very, very good.

Then there was the sweet potato pie:

The most colorful and the most pleasing to the eye, in my opinion. It was very sweet, and very good! I don't think I've ever had sweet potato pie before, but I did enjoy it. It was a different texture than the pumpkin for sure, but good just the same.



If I had to choose, I'd have to give the award to the fresh pumpkin pie. SO good! They were all delicious, and I did manage to save a bite or two for my husband. :)

I love Judie. ♥

Monday Run

I thought all day about whether or not to run tonight. I was feeling pretty good, but ended up staying at work two hours more than I thought, so that's a good excuse not to. ;)

I chose to try a 5k. I wanted to take it easy because of being sick. No need damaging myself!

As soon as I stepped outside, it started raining. Figures. Cold, Fall rain. I was looking forward to warming up so went for it. I ran the 5k, and felt great. My lungs hurt for the first 2k or so, but I kept taking deep breaths when I'd feel like that, and it helped. My legs felt great!

Here's hoping I can do a long run on Wednesday!

Distance: 3.17
Time: 35:27
Pace: 11:10

Get Down With the Sickness

I haven't run since the 18th. My legs are yelling at me, and my training schedule is demanding I run, but I can't. I am ill. I was supposed to do a 12 mile long run this week, but this flu/cold/nastiness has kept me off the roads.

I'm a little nervous about the half marathon now. I'm really hoping I can do it in less than 2:30. I'm also nervous about packet pick up the day before. My husband will not be home that day so I will have to go by myself to get it. I'm trying to look at this as an opportunity to enjoy the Expo without him saying he's bored and wants to go home. Maybe I can find a fun running shirt or something while I'm there.

I have decided what I'm going to wear, for the most part. A black shirt that my mom got me for Christmas last year. It has thumb holes and swirls on it. It's pretty much amazing. It also has a pocket in the back for my cell phone, which I'll want to carry with me. I'm not sure if I'll wear black shorts or capris. For some reason I think shorts with a long sleeved shirt look cute on runners. I'll try them both and see how I like them. I'm not sure if I'll wear sunglasses or go without. I can't find my visors, but I bought a new greyish white one that I could wear.

I'm also nervous about driving down there the day of the race. Who knows where to park? Not this girl. I think I figured out that I have to get up around 4-4:30 am on race day in order to get there in time. Yikes. The good news is that I don't usually sleep well the night before a race anyway, so...

I am very much looking forward to the race. It cross the border twice, so that will be exciting. I've done two races in Canada, but it will be fun to run in the Motherland again.

I'm hoping I'll feel well enough to do a long run on Wednesday. I guess, worst case scenario, I'll just be walking more than I wanted to during the half. I can live with that!

Perhaps Fall races aren't the best idea for me! Oh, I found a race in November I might do. A 10k near my house. Sounds cold. And fun.

Ten Miles

I debated running at the beach or the creek or the hood, and the hood won out! I called a friend on the phone before I was going to leave for the beach, and we ended up talking longer than we thought, which was awesome. I then decided not to bother wasting an hour of just driving time, so I just went out the front door. That's the good thing about running - you don't have to go to a trail, though sometimes it's easier, mentally.

I realized today that when I run in my subdivision, I tend to get bored. When I get bored, I walk. I don't push. Running in my neighborhood can be quite boring. I made myself look at it as a long run... a ten mile run. No excuses, finish the run.

I took a bunch of different loops this time, which helped it go by faster. There were a couple of loops I did three times. I think that's my limit for a loop! Any more would probably cause me to "accidentally" trip, fall into someone's yard, and nap.

I felt good tonight, though my shins were sore for the first couple of miles, and then my calves were screaming by about eight miles. At nine miles, I decided to stop... my legs started to slow, and I quickly chose to push through. I ran the whole ten miles. To quote Diego Sanchez, "YES!"

The second half of the run was much slower than the first. That's something I need to work on. I found a pace calculator online and determined that, if I run the entire half marathon with the pace I ran tonight, I will finish at about 2:27. That is exciting, considering last year's half marathon time was 2:41! I'm hoping I might be able to do it even a little faster, what with the energy of the day. I always run faster during races.

I have three more long runs until the half. I need to push through and keep running the entire distance. I want the last few miles to be strong and not significantly slower. I don't want to crawl over the finish line, I want to RUN over the finish line.

Distance: 10:01
Time: 1:52:20
Pace: 11:13

Happy birthday to my sister! Love you, Sissy! ♥

Skippy McSkipperton

I've been fighting off an illness for the past week or two, so I've taken it easy. It was a nice break, even though my legs started to scream at me about 5 days into it.

Rough run tonight. Rough rest of the week, but I'm hoping to get another couple of runs in. I'll rest in November?

Distance: 3.12
Time: 35:37
Pace: 11:24

Romeo Peach Festival 5k

What a day I had! I was bitten by a spider after getting out of the shower this morning. Then, at work, someone ran into the gas meter, and we had to evacuate the building. I almost got hit by a van on my way home from work. On my way to the race, I realized I'd forgotten my iPod, so I had to turn around to get it so I could track it on Nike+.

Then, when I get to Romeo, my Maps App gives me the wrong directions. I turn around twice, and try to find it, only for it to have me stop in the middle of a field. I stopped at a gas station and asked a man where the high school was. He sipped his coffee, and answered, "Honey, I don't even know where *I* am." Ok, then. He flagged down a police vehicle and they gave me directions.

I finally got there and picked up my race packet. This is the best race t-shirt I've ever gotten:


















Running a race by myself is never as much fun as running it with someone else. I kind of just stand around and watch people before the start, and then grab some water, a banana and leave afterwards. It was a quick run, and I'd probably do it again. The humidity was at about 500%, which made for a very sweaty, exhausting run. It was VERY hilly, which I did not know before hand. It's probably just as well.... I might not have wanted to do it if I'd known. A lot of it was on dirt roads, which was kind of nice. I really should have run on Monday or Tuesday to keep my legs loose - my calves and shins were screaming during the first mile or so.

I took two walk breaks on hills. One for 10 seconds and one for 25 seconds. I would like to know which genius decided the course though... the finish line was about a mile away from the start line, and nearly everyone parked at the start line. So, I had to walk about a mile after running 3.1 miles. Dumb. If that had been my first 5k race, that would have been really painful. I bet some people were pretty sore by the time they got to their cars!

I took this pic afterwards to show the Red Faced Awesomeness. I did not intentionally open my eyes wider than normal, but I do apologize if any of you are scared by it.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Time: 31:59
Pace: 10:18

I came in 351st out of 455.

Run The Crim

On Saturday I ran the Crim 10 mile. This is my second time running it. It's the same age as me, so at least I'll never forget my age!

I had to wake up pretty early to make the drive to Flint. My friend, Susan and I had a good trip up and got to catch up with each other. We found the perfect spot to park, and had plenty of time to get our t-shirts and race bibs, stop at the bathroom, head back to the car and have breakfast (oatmeal) and sit and relax for a few minutes. We went to the start line only to realize we were 30 minutes early, so we took that opportunity to use the facilities again. There's a university food court type building right next to the start line, so we went in there. For some ridiculous reason, they closed (and locked) the bathrooms upstairs, so we were only allowed to use the downstairs ones. I don't understand why. I'm sure the stores and restaurants that were open sold a lot of drinks and food and other items to the runners. At any rate, we made it out to the start line in the middle of the national anthem.

This years' Crim had a record breaking 10,000 runners. It took us about 5 minutes to get over the start line. Susan and I ran together for a while, and then we each went at our own pace. It was an incredible race. I was moved to tears multiple times. The people of Flint love the Crim. Thousands of people sit on their curbs and cheer on strangers. It's surreal. My first favorite person was the man who said he was selling maps of shortcuts for $5. He also said that shortcut would make you faster than the Kenyans!

The Salvation Army had a band playing at another spot. Beautiful music. The postal workers were outside the post office clapping and cheering us on. There was a man standing in his front lawn, with a microphone and a speaker singing Golden Oldies. He just happened to be singing "Dawn (Go Away)" by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons as I ran past him. That was one of my favorites. Then there was "St. Elmo's Fire" playing. There were a few churches represented there. Some were handing out water with "Jesus Cares" shirts (with big smilie faces on them), others were singing hymns, and others were playing hard Christian rock. From the hymns to the metal, they all were wonderful!

You see a lot of tattoos while running a race. There's the girl with the obligatory tribal sun on her ankle; you see the man with the crazy hair and the prison tat of a spiders' web on his elbow... then you see some unusual ones like the woman who had a butterfly tattooed on her ENTIRE back. It was actually quite beautiful. And then some everywhere and in between.

Then there's the water. I poured about 3 or 4 cups of water down my back and neck. It was great. Some people handed out ice cubes, which was fantastic! One group handed out water in plastic cups, and as you ran past, you heard the popping of the cups as people trampled over them. It was rhythmic. Other people were holding hoses and aiming them into the air, creating a sprinkler for those that ran under. I ran under nearly all of these.

This is the best race I've ever run. I'm still a newbie of a racer, I think, but this is such a great race. The people that cheer you on are wonderful... it's like seeing the best of mankind. The people of Flint are so nice, so friendly.

I beat my time last year by 2 minutes and 21 seconds. I did take 3 or 4 walk breaks. I ran until about mile 7, then took the walk breaks after that. While I'm happy with my time, I think I could have gone a little faster and pushed a little harder. There were so many time clocks in the second half of the race, and I would calculate how fast I'd have to run the rest of the race in order to beat last years' time. I would figure out that I had time for a walk break. Or four. Next year, I'm going to try not to pay attention to the time and just listen to my body. If I need a walk break, I'll take it, but I'm going to try to push harder and do even better!

I love this race, and I think anyone who runs, or is thinking of running, should go to Flint and run the Crim. This race does not disappoint!



Distance: 10:00
Time: 1:54:29
Pace: 11:27

Run Run

I went for a run after dinner tonight. I'd love to say it was really easy, but it wasn't. At this point, I should be running fartleks and tempo runs, but I'm still working on running the entire distance. I did it today, and it definitely wasn't an easy run. It had great moments, though, and it was nice to get out. I'm happy with my pace too!

As soon as I came home from work, I changed out of my work clothes and into my running clothes. I sat down on the couch and my husband asks me, "Didn't you just run the other day?" HA! That made me laugh. Funny guy.

I found a race to run next week, a September race, that starts at 7pm. That should be fun. I'd love to PR there, but it's not likely. I'm still going to hope for 32 minutes or under. I'm excited to have run a race every month from April through October. Maybe I can find a good one in November, too!

I found a couple of shirts at an outlet mall near here yesterday. I wore one tonight to test it out, and it fit well and was comfortable. My stomach's not nearly as flat as I'd like it to be, but that's ok, I guess! The only thing wrong with the shirt is that it shows the sweat a little. I had a darker circle on my stomach, and I'm sure that is super attractive. I might just wear the other shirt anyway (which I'm sure will have the same problem) and then dump water on me before pics so that you can't tell what is sweat and what is water. Mwahaha! Or, I might try to find some time on Friday night to go look at another store. Kinda irritating!

Distance: 5.6 miles
Time: 1:01:43
Pace: 11:01

Race Day Outfit

For some reason, I'm having a hard time finding a race outfit for this upcoming race! I think it's because I was so disappointed in the pictures from this race last year. Yes, it may sound vain, but I'd like to look as good as possible in my race photos.

I have one super cute pink shirt that I may wear... it looked better before I gained 5 lbs, and I'll bet it would look even cuter if I lost 10 lbs. So, it's not as cute as it could be. I might have to take a trip to the store this week to see if I can find something that fits me now, and looks cute now. Because, ultimately, that's why I run - to be cute. Ok, not really, but I like when that happens!

I ran a 5k tonight. I have not been sleeping well this week, so I slept in today instead of running before work. By "slept in" I mean, "got woken up an hour early by my husband saying, a little too loudly, 'I guess you're not running this morning!'" I responded with, "NO! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP IN! SHHH!!!!!!" I later sent a text message to him apologizing for my response. You'd think after 15 years of marriage he'd know not to bother me before 9:00 am. I digress.

I ran this evening instead of this morning, and I ran on empty. I was so tired, but I needed to run, so I went and did it. Not the best pace, and I took two walk breaks, but I did it, and I'm glad.

Distance: 3.11
Time: 35:21
Pace: 11:21

Wonderful

My run was wonderful today. After deciding to run the half marathon instead of the full, I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I was dreading my long runs, and that's no good!

I wasn't sure how long I was going to run today. I have a 10 mile race on the 28th, and want to do better than I did last year. The longest I've run straight this summer (without walk breaks) has been just under 7 miles. I decided to set my iPod for 10 miles, and see if I could run for at least 8 of those before walking. I figured I could stop at 8 if I wanted to.

At about 5 miles, my knees and hips started to hurt, but I kept going. I managed to run the whole 10 miles. I haven't done that since March! Looking at my Nike+ it shows my pace slowing after 7 miles; about 25 seconds slower per mile. I can handle that! I'm a little sore now, but very happy that I was able to do it! I'm feeling good about the race now. I really hope I can beat my time.

Have I mentioned how I love the 10-mile distance?

Distance: 10:01
Time: 1:52:16
Pace: 11:12

Reevaluating

Horrible, no good run today. While there was an Air Quality Alert today (and now my mouth tastes like exhaust), that's not the real reason the run was bad. It was bad because my training is not going the way it's supposed to.

My buddy Bart Yasso says if you do 90% of your training runs, you should be good for your race. I think have skipped one run every week since marathon training began. When you are only running 3 times a week, that's a lot. So I've only been doing 66%, roughly? Eeps.

My run today was supposed to be 14 miles. Well, actually, I should have run that on Wednesday, and today was supposed to be 7 miles of speedwork. I chose not to run on Wednesday. Today I ran 4 miles. I started walking after 2.

I am really considering doing the half marathon in October, and then doing a full marathon in either April or May. There's the Martian Marathon in April, and the Flying Pig Marathon in May. Either would be good choices - I'll have to do some research on them.

Last year, when I ran the half marathon, I had such a hard time running in the summer, and therefore, my race time was slower than I'd hoped and I felt awful physically during the race. I remember skipping a lot of runs last summer because of the heat. Guess what? Training schedules have runs on them for a reason. They don't expect you to skip every other one and still accomplish your goal.

My nutrition hasn't been the best either. I keep reading over and over how important nutrition is for runners. If I go to the half, and then do the full in the Spring, I need to commit to eating the right foods, and really nourishing myself.

In a lot of ways, I'm really excited about the possibility of going down to the half. I'd love to take last year's time and blast it out of the water. I'd love to run the whole thing, and do well. I'd feel like I conquered the half marathon, and ran a good race. Last year was not a good race. If I do the full, the way I've been training, I think it would not be a good race either.

I came home from my run and cried to my husband about how horrible my training has been. At first he tried to encourage me to keep going and that I could run the marathon this October, but when you look at it all, it might not even be wise. Poor nutrition + poor training = poor racing.

If I do the half, my hubby is going to help me shed a few pounds this fall/winter and get stronger. He says this is at least 25% his fault, because there have been times where he's encouraged me to sleep in instead of run, or he's made me unhealthy food, or encouraged junk food eating. I don't think his percentage is accurate, but it is encouraging that he wants to help! If I do the full in the Spring instead, I'm glad we know what I need to change, and I'm glad he knows how he can help. That is encouraging.

I have until October 1 to change my race. I might go try and do the 14 miles tomorrow morning - we'll see. Depending on how I feel after that, I'll likely make my decision.

Distance: 4.0
Time: 47:23
Pace: 11:50

Maintenance Week Continued

Another 10k tonight. A little bit slower, but still above training schedule pace. It felt more comfortable tonight than two days ago, except for the stitch I got in my side about half way through. Slow, deep breaths helped. My thighs hurt during the first 10 minutes or so, so I had to go a little slower at the beginning to work them out.

You know what's scary? During the marathon, after I've run what I ran tonight, I will have to run 20 MORE miles! That is scary. The marathon is 4-10ks and another mile and a half. It seems more doable than one 10k, and two 10-milers. So, I'd just have to do what I did tonight THREE more times and add another 1.5 on the end. I'll work on it! :)

I had to concentrate tonight on this run, and not the next few weeks of runs. I had to remind myself mutliple times, since I was starting to worry. "How am I going to do a 7-mile tempo run on Monday morning? Should I do it Sunday night? Will I be able to do it without walking?" "What about the 14 mile run? Wednesday or Thursday? How hot is it going to be?" "How am I going to do that 18 mile run in 2 weeks when I'm scheduled to work every day, all day during the week, and I have a 10 mile race on Saturday? I can't skip my 18 mile run!! It's an important one! Will I have to get up at 2:30am to have enough time??"

I will figure that all out. For tonight, I ran 10k, and felt good.

Distance: 6.23
Time: 1:09:33
Pace: 11:09

Side note: They finally posted the race results from the 10k I ran last week. Last year, I was second last of my age group - 16th out of 17. I noticed when I was waiting for the race to start this year, that it seemed like there were about half the amount of people there this year. I wonder why. It is a hard race, but you'd think people would want a challenging course. Anyway, this year I came in last in my age group, even though I beat my time by two and a half minutes. There were only 7 women in my age group. I came in 4th last in the race, which seems weird. I am always in the slower end, but I still think my time wasn't bad. I realize this race is more for elite runners (and really felt that a lot last year, moreso than this year), but it is still a race, and should bring local runners of all skill levels. Kind of disappointing. I wonder if it's worth it to run next year if it's only for the elite?

Maintenance Week

No long run for me this week, just maintenance runs at an easy pace. That does mean I have to actually get out and run, though. Ahem.

I took four days off since the race. My run today was supposed to be at a 12:04 pace. I decided to go out and just run easy, and hopefully stay under that pace. Sometimes when I take a few days off, that next run is really hard mentally. I start running and question whether or not my body was meant to run. It doesn't feel natural - walking feels natural. I wanted to walk quite a few times, but I kept remembering what my husband tells me. I always complain to him when I have a rough run, or walk more than I wanted, and he always tells me the same thing. He says that I could push myself a lot harder than I do. I find it encouraging that he thinks I'm better than I really am. So, tonight I pushed myself. Not to run faster, but to just run. I ran the whole 10k. And it felt good. There were parts that were hard, but for the most part, it was just good.

Distance: 6.23
Time: 1:08:03
Pace: 10:55

Heart of the HIlls 10k

I had a good time at the race this morning. I got a personal record for the course. Not a personal record for a 10k, but they tell you on their website that you probably won't PR there. Confidence inspiring, I tell you!

I was remembering this race last year... and I couldn't remember it being super hilly. I remember there were a few hills, but nothing crazy. I remember I was pretty much a wuss for this race last year, and walked a lot more than I should, and could, have.

Let me tell myself something. Self, it IS hilly. VERY hilly. It is a really rough course. Last year's time was 1:10:57. I wanted to beat that time; anything shorter than that would be great.

I ran until about mile 2, and then took a couple of very short walk breaks. The funniest part was at mile 3. I was slowly running along, and heard very loud, hard footsteps behind me. Thinking it was probably a 30-40 year old, 6 foot tall or more man, I was ok with being passed. Instead, it was a 100 pound, 5'4", 70ish year old man. He did great, and he sure passed me! At about mile 4, I said something to another runner, and then he and I ran the rest of the race together. We talked about all the races we've done, and he told me how he'd run the Detroit marathon a few times. Running with him pushed me through the last of the race, and a couple of times, I started to walk on a couple of hills, and he said, "shorten your steps!" It really did help.

I beat last year's time by exactly two minutes and thirty seconds. I am very happy with that. I enjoyed the race (even though I'll probably be sore in the morning), and look forward to beating my time next year. Maybe next year I'll be able to do the whole thing without any walk breaks. We shall see.

Distance: 6.2

Time: 1:08:27

Pace: 11:01

I had a hard time getting pics. I wanted Frieda to pose with me, but she is not very good at sitting still:

Look What I Got!

I went to the beach today to do my long run. It was tough, but I did it! Failure was not an option. I ran straight until 6.9 miles, and then took a walk break about each mile afterwards. Getting better!



My calves and feet started to hurt after 10 miles. As soon as I finished and stopped my iPod, an older man on a bicycle zoomed past me and yelled, "Looking good! You can do it! Keep up the good work!" I thought that was nice. Older people tend to be nicer out on the path than younger people.



I used to allow myself to have a chocolate milk after a 5 mile or longer run. Because I'm trying to lose another 5-10 lbs, I'm changing that to 10 miles. I had one waiting for me in the car today, and boy, was it tasty!



About today's title: I received my training t-shirt for the Detroit Marathon today in the mail! I also ordered a sweater, which they did not have in stock. They called and asked if it was ok to substitute with another sweater, which I said was fine. They sent a Detroit Marathon magnet and a Camelbak water bottle for the "trouble." Score! :)



Here's the shirt. I think I'm going to wear it at the race this Saturday. I'm not sure how I feel about the race. I did not enjoy myself last year whatsoever. I wasn't going to do it again, but felt like I should try to do better. It is a very hilly race, and they say you probably won't PR here. I'd like to get a course PR, though! Last year's time was 1:10:57. I was the second slowest woman in my age group. I'd love to get 1:08!




P.S. - Is it just me, or is this shirt intimidating? I tired it on and showed my hubby, and he responded with, "Eep! 26.2 miles!" :)

Distance: 12.01

Time: 2:21:05

Pace: 11:45

Saturday Run

Yesterday, I attempted 5 miles on the treadmill. At 2 miles, I gave up. I didn't want to post a blog entry yesterday because I was hoping I could redeem myself this morning.

I had a good run this morning. Not the best, but still good. My pace is improving and I think I'm slowly getting back to where I was. I want to get back into the 10:15-10:59/mile range and I'm hoping that can still happen in this humidity.

I'm going to keep running as I have been, with walk breaks, and hope that I can take fewer breaks as time goes on. If I keep on with the mileage, even with walking, my hope is that, once the humidity goes away, in say, September, my pace will naturally quicken, since I'll be able to breathe easier. We'll see what happens.

Friday:
Distance: 2.02
Time: 23:22
Pace: 11:32

Saturday:
Distance: 5.01
Time: 56:26
Pace: 11:16