Wednesday, November 29, 2017

September - November

Oh dear! It's been so long since I have posted anything on this blog. It's not because I am NOT running it's because I am so busy. I thought after both of my kids went off to school I'd have more time to write and do things, but I've been busy being the PTA mom (the one that I thought I'd NEVER be) doing various things at the school. And I have a "job", I put them in quotation marks because it's only 2 days a week for an hour at lunch time. I literally spend an hour opening packages and getting seconds (sometimes thirds) for the kids. I have found a few favorite kids that I love seeing at lunch, there's one 1st grader that gives me a hug and high fives every time I pass her. She totally has my heart, even if she may get in trouble daily! I have also gotten into reading a lot, Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty have become my favorite authors. It's been so nice that I have also be going on hikes before I pick up the kids from school.

Anyways, this is a running blog, so I will highlight some of the races that I have run in the last few months.

September 16, Hocking Hills Indian Run 20K

I decided to go down to Southeast Ohio with a bunch of my favorite running friends. We rented a nice cabin for the weekend and never took an advantage of the hot tub! The Indian Run took place in Hocking Hills State Park, more specifically it ran around the upper and some of the lower loop around Old Man's Cave. There were many different distances 60K, 40k, 20k, 10k, and 5k. What made it interesting is that there were all different start times and you just went to the start line when you were ready to run, tell someone who wrote the time you started, and then you just took off. Several of my friends were also running the 20k and I was going to run with them but I felt good at the beginning so I just went with it. This race was described to me as a trail race but the first 4 to 5 miles were on the roads, but they were anything but flat! Another runner ran past and I asked him if this was actually a road race? He laughed at me and told me not to worry that we'd be in the woods soon enough. I remember having to walk up this huge hill right after turning into the woods and was so happy to see an aide station at the top of the hill. I ate a fig newton (something that you'd never see in a road race) and kept on a decent pace as the wooded sections were mostly run-able. I wished I had some better shoes though as I slipped through a muddy section but managed to stay on my feet the whole time. There was a section of the trail that had a lot of roots that I ended up walking more than I would have liked but finished strong with a time of 2:16 (12.4 miles)

 A group picture before the run

This was a unique medal from the race. The students at a local school made them

September 23, Akron Marathon Relay Leg #2, 6.2 miles

I love being a part of this race. I have participated in this race 10 times (I missed one year after giving birth to Ella) in various ways: 1 full marathon, 5 half marathon, 4 relay teams. This year one of Ella's friends mother asked me if I would like to join their team. They were running it for fun so there was no expectations. I wanted to run the second leg since it was running through Firestone Park and the kids and Matt could easily see me along the course. The day turned out to be a warm day but I didn't have a problem since my leg started around 8 am. I'm so glad that I decided to run the relay this year because of the heat, since I thought about running the half (which also would have been a bad idea after running the week before). I didn't know my relay runners at all and was surprised that I managed to see the first leg runner at the start of the race which made the transition better when he handed off me. My leg started in the downtown area and ran up Brown St to N. Firestone Blvd. That was probably the "hardest" section as you ran up a slight incline the whole time but since I knew that Firestone Blvd would be a nice downhill and seeing my friend, Amanda, and my little family was a nice half way surprise (well not really a surprise but you know). Running back through Main St. I got a little tired but before things went too south, I reached the 3rd exchange point. My part of the relay was done in 53:45 (5 seconds slower than my PR, lol!) and our team ended up 4:47, it got really hot as the morning went on!



November 12, Made in America Half Marathon

After running the Akron half marathon a few years ago I decided to "retire" from the distance and work on shorter distances. Last year I PRed at the 5k, 10k, and 15k and since this spring I ran a marathon I felt that I maybe I could run a half again. I put no expectations on this race since I wasn't training much. When I say I wasn't training much is that I had a solid base from training for the full marathon and over the summer I had continued to run 6-10 miles most Saturdays. There were also a couple of Saturdays that I ran the 13.1 distance just for fun. So I signed up for this race on October 3rd and on the Saturdays in October ran 10, 12, 12, and a 10 miles. The first 12 miler I ran was terrible. I ran on the towpath out 6 miles and when I turned around I don't know what happened but I felt sick and thought I was never gonna make it back to the car. In fact, I was hoping to see someone out at the trailheads to hitch a ride back to my car. So the next week, I brought some vanilla GU and took it at the turnaround which may have helped. All of my Saturday runs went okay but I wasn't sure what to expect from race day, I usually go out too fast and then crash and burn. So on Sunday race day, while I was driving down to the race I told myself I'd be happy with anything under 2:15 even though I knew I had what it takes to make it under 2:10 (which would be a post baby PR) but I honestly was trying not to get myself too excited about the race. This was a small race that started on the roads (nice rolling hills) and at mile 4 we jumped on the towpath. I glanced down at my watch after the first mile completely surprised that I ran it in 9 minutes! I mentally started asking myself is this too fast? Should I slow down? I could PR! I was very surprised that I was feeling really great so I decided to just go with it and kept on trucking. I got to 5 miles in a little over 45 minutes and asked myself the same questions and got the same answer. I got to 6.5 miles in just under an hour and I was shocked! I realized there was a chance I could run this race under 2 hours (a goal I have had since my second half marathon which I ran in 2:05 in 2008) but again I tried not to think too much about this. I ate a GU around 7 miles (I didn't really need it but it was just in case) and went on my merry way (seriously I was having so much fun!) Then at mile 10, I started to feel a little tired and began to slow down a little, I had to walk through a water station but was able to keep a good pace. The last 3 miles were 9:35, 9:58 (oops, but hey it was under 10 minutes!), and 9:16. I saw the finish line and sprinted. I crossed the finish line with a new PR (NOT JUST A POST BABY PR) on 2:02:32 (3 minutes faster, WHAT!!!!??!??!)

My favorite picture from one of my Saturday long runs on Sand Run



November 23, Miamisburg 5 Mile Turkey Trot

Again no expectations, other than trying to run it under 45 minutes since I signed up to run in that corral. The first mile is the hardest, due to the crowds and the nice hill for about half a mile, first mile just over 9 minutes. The second mile is all downhill so it's easy to make up time, 2 mile was 8:02. Then the course flattens out and the crowds thin out so you can just settle in a good pace. I hit the 3rd mile in 8:28 and felt strong. I didn't even realize I was running faster until I got to mile 4 in 8:16 (!) but again I was feeling great so I went with it and ended up running the last mile in 8 minutes. I finished 37 out of 300+ runners in my age group with a time of 41:39. This might be at PR but I can't remember, all I know is that the last time I ran this exact course a few years ago I ran it 5 minutes faster, so it was definitely a course PR!

So I learned a few things from these races. 1. I am way stronger than I think! 2. Music, loud so I can't hear my breathing (I have never been able to NOT sound like I am dying which might make me think I am struggling when in reality I am not) has really helped me during races 3. My running buddy, Amanda, has pushed me a lot over the last year. She is someone who can't stop and walk during our runs, that I have learned that I don't need to stop and walk anymore 4. Even though the actual marathon race didn't go as planned that all my training really helped me this year. 5. Even though it's nice to have goals, it's also really nice not to have expectations in a race, so that way if it doesn't go the way you hoped you won't be disappointed.

Total mileage for the year as of November 2017: 1627

Saturday, September 2, 2017

August

We went back to Geneva on the Lake for a full week with Matt's family at the beginning of August. I was able to run 5 out of the 6 days we were there, one day it thunderstormed all day, but I got at least 10,000 steps everyday! It was fun to explore the little town on foot, even if there were a few spots that kind of freaked me out. There were a few dead end streets that the farther and farther down the road I went, the scary music got louder in my head. I had my phone with me so I wasn't that concerned and I had to find my mileage (4-5 miles each day). Somehow we ate donuts for breakfast 3 days that week too, oops!

Other than that, I just plugged away at running. I need to listen better to my body though. There is no reason for me to be running 6-7 miles everyday which I have been doing recently. Some of my body parts are telling me that I have been overusing them and it's time to scale back. I enjoy running in the fall way too much for me to be sidelined with an injury. I did run 201 miles for the month though. That includes 2 50+ mile weeks and I am not even training for anything.  Well I am trying to stay in shape to run a 12 mile trail run with my buddies on Sept 16 but really I should running maybe 10-12 miles on the weekends and 3-4 miles during the week (and try to have a rest day in there). During the week I ran 7 miles usually on Monday and then 5 or 6 miles the rest of the week.

My new favorite workout on the treadmill is this:

10-15 minute warm up
4 minutes hard/3 minutes easy
4 minutes hard/3 minutes easy
2 minutes hard/2 minutes easy
2 minutes hard/2 minutes easy
2 minutes hard/2 minutes easy
1 minute hard/1 minute easy
1 minute hard/1 minute easy
1 minute hard/1 minute easy
1 minute hard/1 minute easy
5-10 minute cool down

I wasn't able to join my friends on Monday hill training (vacation, Ella's birthday, family pictures) except for one night. I had totally forgotten about it and had run 7 miles that morning but I was missing those folks so I joined them and ran a total of 5 miles and lots of hill repeats! My weekend running had me running 13 miles two weeks in a row, no other reason other than everyone else was! I did run the blue line, I wanted to see the second leg (since it's going to through Firestone Park again) and I knew a lot of runners so I ran 12.5 that time.

Resting has never been easy and maybe the solution is to go for a hike or something instead of running as a "rest" day. I know that hiking is cross training and doesn't count as a rest day but I have also learned that my body just doesn't like it (ask my kids or husband!) I am planning on getting back to yoga and kettlebell (even though it's Monday nights same night as hill training but soon it will be too dark for that) now that the kids are back in school.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

July

Well, July came and went. I really  don't have much to say at all. I didn't run in any races but I managed to continue to run most days. We spent a weekend in Hocking Hills with my family in this nice house with lots of property to run around in. Plus this massive hill (seriously it was at least half a mile long) that I attempted to run up everyday but never made it up to the top!

I continued showing up on Monday nights for hill training with the Green YMCA running club. Surprisingly each week seem easier and easier; it didn't help that on Mondays the weather was almost always nice and cool! I've made a few friends from the group and we like to tease each other as we are "competing against each" to see who can finish the 10 rounds the quickest.

I was able to keep up one long run a week between 8-10 miles on the weekends. Once with the Green YMCA running group but mostly on my own. Which has always been good (and bad). I love knowing that I am motivated enough to keep running despite wanting to quit sometimes but I wish I had someone to keep me from walking. Don't get me wrong there is NOTHING wrong with walking but I know that I am better than that and walk far too much by myself. Oh, I just remembered one of my runs was with Beth. She was going to run 5 but I convinced her to run 6 and was hoping that she might just keep going. The morning looked like it was gonna rain (and most likely thunderstorm) so we started out at 7 hoping to miss most of the rain. It started to rain at mile 4 and by 6 miles Beth was done. I thought about quitting but I was already soaked so really what was the point of stopping so I continued on hoping that the thunderstorms would hold off. And they did almost, the last quarter mile was the fastest I have run in awhile!

I also had another PR month and ran 180 miles (994 miles for the year, had I known I would have probably would have tried to run 6 more)! Plus a 20 mile bike ride to the Lizard with my husband.

Friday, June 30, 2017

June

So I totally stopped blogging BUT I definitely haven't stopped running. In fact after a few days off running the Cleveland marathon I started a running streak (Oops!) and ran everyday in June. I am not going to try to continue this streak as I really don't like running daily (even if I hate rest days) and plan on trying to ride my bike more. So in the month of June I ran 164.38 miles and 32 cycling miles.
Yearly running miles: 792.80!

I kind of joined the Green YMCA running club and meet them at the metro park by my house for hill training. We've been meeting on Mondays at 6 pm and run a big loop around the park including the huge a$$ sledding hill. You can either run up and down once or if you feel like it turn around run up and down again....I have yet made it completely up and down twice (so far 1.5 times) and back to the start for a 2 mile warm up. Then we go to the smaller hill and do some exercises at the bottom of the hill and run up and either do more exercises or run back down for one rounds. We end up doing about 10 rounds of various exercises including: squats, lunges, sit ups, push ups, planks, mountain climbers, high knees, butt kicks, running up the hill backwards, burpees, leg swings, etc. And then we take a lap around turtle pond for a mile cool down. We run between 4 and 5 miles each week. I seriously about died the first week due to the heat, but the last two weeks the weather has been much nicer and I feel good, spent but spent in a good way. I even got my buddy Shelley to join me this past week!

I also run two races this month. Shelley and I ran our 3rd annual Shawshank Hustle. It's a 4.6 mile race but there is a dumb hill in the middle of the race and a major incline to the finish of the race (I call this the death march). For some reason this race is always about a million degrees and full sun! There is no shade and I seriously question why we do it to ourselves each year! And Shelley has informed me that she already signed up for next year since we have to make it to year 5. And I feel like if we don't sign up one year it's going to be cloudy and 60 degrees just to piss me off more! HAHA! Plus in 2019 it's the 25th anniversary of "The Shawshank Redemption" and  there is talk that Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman might come! So I guess the tradition will continue for a few more years, next year we may just walk the whole dumb course though.


Before the race with the reformatory behind us


At least the medals are cool :)

Along with the normal race swag of a t-shirt and medal the runners get a "free" ticket to tour the prison. Each year I have hopes in taking the tour but each year Shelley and I are too hot and hungry to stay and go, but this year we decided why not. It really made the whole race worth it. It was everything that I hoped it would be and probably a little more. Here are a few (okay a lot of pictures of the prison)


I found Andy!


And Red!


Shelley and I with Andy 


Heywood! (William Sadler)


My buddy Brooks! (I didn't find Jake though)


Warden Henricksen?


The safe in the warden's office



Tight quarters! And I am not claustrophobic  


I think this was one of the solitary confinement cells. You had to stand there for 8 hours a day in the dark in 90 degrees...yikes!


6 rows of cells! And two prisoners in each...lots and lots of prisoners!


I didn't do it!


The tunnel that Andy escaped out of


A week later I ended up running the first race of the Akron marathon series, the Interstate 8k, for Shelley. She had gotten a free entry from work but was unable to run due to her daughters softball tournament. I was happy that the summer temperatures had broken and it was a nice 65 degree morning! I surprised myself by running all sub 9 minute miles and finished strong. On the results page there was a column that showed how many people you passed or how many people passed you in last last quarter mile. I passed 6 people and didn't get passed by anyone.


Megan, Wendy and I before the Interstate 8k




Thursday, May 25, 2017

Redemption Run: Cleveland Marathon Recap

I am sure I am going to be leaving some stuff out, but here it goes my recap

4 am came too quickly....after tossing and turning most of the night I was up. I guess I did sleep a little as I had a terrible dream that not only was I running a marathon but at every mile the only way you could continue was spell a word correctly, a spelling bee and a marathon? I am a terrible speller and so thankful that it was only a dream. I got up and dressed in my capri pants (nothing worse than getting chaffed in between legs!) and my "Dream Team" t-shirt from last year’s Akron marathon. I ate my pre-race breakfast of a bagel, peanut butter, and string cheese.

I drove to my friend, Shelley's, house and jumped in her car to drive up to Fairlawn to get Megan and LaShell. Megan drove us up to Cleveland and Shelley got us some rockstar parking (and NO traffic) right in between the start and the finish line at tower city. We were able to use real bathrooms, no real wait either time thank goodness, and stay warm while waiting for the race. I was also able to collect myself and reorganize things. After Canton I realized that even though you can attach/secure the GU's to the sides of the belt (so you don't have to reach around and fumble to get them), I had trouble with them hitting my arms while running and after grabbing one they all got loose and I had to carry them for the rest of the race. So I decided to have a second (!) belt just for the GUs that I could just reach right in front of me and grab them one at a time and not have to worry about anything, which ended up working out really well! I also had killed Matt's iPod, and was counting on music. My iPhone wouldn't let me download iTunes from my computer so Amanda thankfully let me borrow hers and I was able to download my playlist. I had to figure out how to waterproof it and attach it to me somehow. I really felt like a nerd with my running watch and iPod with a sandwich bag around it on my right arm wrist and my fitbit on my left!



We all got ready and unfortunately wasn't able to meet with Amanda who was running the half with her brother and got to our corrals by the Q. I nervously looked around trying to meet someone else who was running the full to maybe make a friend and run with. Everyone around me was either running the 10K or the half. Oh well, the National Anthem played and the race began with the song "Cleveland Rocks" and it took several (maybe 5 minutes) to actually cross the start line and start running. The first few miles were a blur, I wish I knew Cleveland better as I really had no idea where I was most of the time, other than running by the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame and the Browns stadium. There was one huge incline/hill/bridge that I think threw everyone for a loop but I really enjoyed getting to run through the downtown area.

This may seem weird, but the hardest thing about this race for me was when the 10Kers and the half marathoners turned and went separate ways. Don't get me wrong I loved having more space to run but I got really confused. The 10Kers left at around 4.5 miles and for some reason I thought I had already run 6 miles! I was soo disappointed to see that only 4.5 miles had passed. It took probably a half mile for me to realize it actually. Same thing happened at the 11th mile went the half marathoners left. I think that time it took 3 miles before I started to "remember" that I still had lots more miles to run. However, there was NEVER a time that I felt like there was no way that I was going to finish the race. From mile 12 – 23ish there was a long section of an out and back. I had looked at the map but didn’t know when we turned around and asked a few people and was “disappointed” to learn that it was like at mile 17.5ish. Again, it was just a mental thing for me but actually it was fun to see all the quicker runners on the way out and see people (“Hi Jen!”) on the way back. Another distraction came around mile 14 when it started to rain. The crowd support through this section (even in the rain) was GREAT, I remember seeing at someone house a table set up with beer and bacon, yes bacon which I almost ate but decided that wasn’t the best idea. Others were providing extra water tables and watermelon. It was also fun to see the same volunteers at actual water stations as apparently I looked better on the way back then on the way out…um thanks! It may have helped at one point a police officer who told me after the turn around it was “all downhill from here”…which it was in two ways, I only had 9 miles left and I hadn’t realized that I had been running up a slight incline the whole way out. Around mile 19 I met some “friends”, they were a young married couple running their first marathon together. We ended up running the next 6 miles together often taking turns pacing us and I did my best to encourage them as they told me their longest run had been 18 miles. I wish I had gotten their names but I was able see them at the end and took their picture.

Hydration wise I took GU even 5 miles and water and blue Powerade at every water stop. I would drink the Powerade and then take a few sips of water and dumped the rest on my head (even when it was raining) and towards the end I almost ended up dumping the Powerade on my head. I ended up taking on more GU at mile 24 which was a mistake. I had some stomach issues and I was forced to walk more than I wanted to at the end. But really it was okay, and I got super excited at mile 25 and knew I was going to make it under 5 hours, the 4:55 pacer person passed me but I realized that his group was ahead of schedule but I made sure that I didn't lose them and ended up passing the pacer right at the end. My friends, Megan and Shelley who ran the half, were cheering me on at the end and got some good pictures of me.






Overall, even though I am pretty sure that I am capable of running a faster marathon, I am super proud of myself! I started something and I kept at it until I crossed the finish line even if it took two attempts. And I learned something, well maybe not learned but it was reaffirmed, I do NOT do well in heat! And that’s okay! I just know that signing up for summer races I should stick to shorter distances and not really race them but do them more for fun and not to be disappointed. 


Tuesday, May 23, 2017

The Week before attempt #2

I've been slacking writing but I want to make sure that I have a log of all my training still, so you'll have to wait until the next post to read if I got my revenge on Canton (okay, I know most people who read this also have facebook so you know I totally did :D)

Week of May 13-20

Saturday I met up with Amanda at her house and ran around Ellet and the Goodyear half blue line. It was nice to have a change of scenery and actually I would consider running the Goodyear half but I won't it's in August and I know that I don't do well in the heat/humidity and that's okay! We ran 6 miles before we got off the blue line to make it an even 8 miles. We ran through a neighborhood that Amanda didn't know existed, there were some really cute houses back there. And we were "chased" by a dog for like a quarter mile and it might have to ran further if we didn't notice it. And then the last mile we ran up and down (I was mad at this point having to run up those hills after 7 miles) but I think we had our fastest mile and ended the 8 miles with an average pace under 10 minute miles. (Also this would have been another great day to run a marathon.

Sunday was Mother's Day and Matt and the kids got me a new fitbit, this time the Charge 2 which I am loving. I like having the heart rate monitor and having new challenges like trying to walk more stairs. Again another good marathon day, actually my father-in-law said maybe instead of signing up for a race we should just declare the best weather running day the day that Lyndsey runs a marathon! We enjoyed going to my nephew's dedication and cookout at my in-laws house. We came home and I decided I wanted to run a few miles to see how the fitbit works. It was interesting to see how "high" my heart rate went and how fast it went back to normal. I am apparently in "very good" shape (lol!).

Monday, I went to yoga and took the day off from running.

Tuesday I met up with Amanda on the towpath for 3.1 miles. I started the run not feeling good, allergies I think, and it seemed really hard. I also had forgotten my watch but with my fitbit you can track runs with gps so I used that. It's not as good as a running watch as I didn't know my overall pace but like I said I thought this run with really tough and I was struggling. Or so I thought. We ended up running the first mile in 9;26 and then we really picked it up 9:07 for the second and 8:50 for the last mile. Average pace was 9:08 so even if I thought I was struggling I was but it wasn't due to allergies, it was going a little too quick. Oh well,

Wednesday I was suppose to run 2, but ended up running 3.1 again. It was really warm that day and since I started to realize that Sunday was going to be like that I needed to try to get as many miles as I could to try to get used to the weather. Seriously it was like 80 by 11 am!!

Thursday, was going to be a rest day, and I didn't do anything. But I went to kettlebell (10 lb bell, no kickboxing) and ran a mile before to warm up and then I ended up running another mile to cool down and then I walked for a bit.

Friday, another rest day...but not! I was in a mood all day and by the time Matt got home from work he took one look at me and told me to go for a walk, he gets me. I meant to walk but I ended up running/walking for an hour at the Y on the treadmill. I made it 5 miles so even though I didn't have a rest day I didn't over due anything.

Saturday, I woke up and ran 2 shake out miles on the towpath. That afternoon I drove up to Cleveland to pick up my packet, shirt (which I love, and have worn everyday and will continue for most of the week I am sure) and walked around the expo. I bought myself some more GUs (I decided to stick to the vanilla and strawberry/banana ones since I was used to them and have never tried the stingers that they were going to be offering on the course) and a magnet that is in the shape of Ohio with the word "run". I came home and Matt had been outside all day mulching all the flower beds and didn't feel like thinking about dinner and told me we should go out. However, I couldn't think of even one place that I wanted to go to. So we ended up eating whatever was in the house, I had gone grocery shopping but we had leftovers from the week. I made the kids mac and cheese, I had some too, and a leftover piece of BBQ chicken. The kids were dirty from playing outside all day and from soccer so we gave them a bath and put them to bed soon after dinner. Matt and I watched a few shows on Netflix before I decided it was time to try to sleep. I set my alarm for 4 am (!!!!) and tried to sleep at 9:30...

Friday, May 12, 2017

Random stuff

I never did the month of April breakdown...I don't really have much to say other than I ran 139.21 miles and I attempted to run the Canton marathon but due to heat I had to DNF at mile 17 and will try again on May 21st. That makes the grand total of the year to 507.99 (and now on May 11 it's 550.99...43 miles this month).

I ran 12 miles on the towpath starting at Lock 29 and headed north last Sunday. The weather was PERFECT (seriously why couldn't that been the week before...okay I am done now...actually since the marathon the weather has been close to perfect, and guess what on May 21 it suppose to be 75...please please change, it's got 10 days right?!?!?!) I had met friends but it ended up being just me and my music which was actually kind of nice. Around the 5 mile mark I saw a deer that really didn't care that I was running (there were so many people out) that it didn't move but we stared at each other as I passed and I actually thought it might chase me. After I turned around at mile 6 I wondered if the deer would be there again at 7. Sure enough there it was and I really thought it would start running with me. It actually made a move but I guess it was just moving to another spot to find food. Other than that it was uneventful but a really really really nice run. I ran 12 miles in just over 2 hours.

The weather was sunny for the first half of the week. I got to run on the towpath everyday! Tuesday I ran 4 miles and on Wednesday I ran mostly by feel and surprised myself by running a fast 3 miler. I met up with Amanda on Thursday and we mostly dodged the rain, other than the last halfish mile when we got SOAKED!

Today is a rest day and tomorrow I will run 8 miles with Amanda most likely the Goodyear half blue line.

10 days until attempt 2!

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

The marathon that wasn't

All week leading up the Canton marathon the weather said it was going to thunderstorm all morning and be HOT! I prayed and prayed that the weather was gonna be wrong. I am TERRIFIED of thunderstorms (even though I may have run faster ask Amanda or Joseph) and I am NOT a runner that likes the heat. And I hadn't trained AT ALL in the heat so I was really worried. By Thursday I think the thunderstorms had disappeared and it looked like it was going to be in the low 70s by noon which to me seemed perfect. And then on Saturday it rained all day and was chilly, mid 50s, and I secretly hoped the weather forecast was going to stay like that, boy was I wrong!

I ate well the days leading up the race and for once had a great night of sleep (going to bed around 9 and sleeping until 415). I took a shower just to calm myself down and ate my pre-race breakfast of a bagel with peanut butter and string cheese. My friend Beth purchased VIP parking and picked me up at 515. We got to the race with no problems and started walking to the start  of the race. That is when I noticed that my running watch had FROZEN! I quickly googled it and found out that to unfreeze it you have to plug it in. What the WHAT?!?!? I texted Cathy since she was the one who gave me the watch and she found the same info. But at about the same time I found out that if you hold both of buttons on the right for several seconds it will unfreeze! Thank goodness!!!! We then found out that due to an accident on 77S there was going to be a 15 minute delay...GREAT! We took pictures and wished each other good luck and I step into my pace group of 4.5 hours (a 10:17 pace). Apparently the National Anthem was played (I only heard the last line) and we were off with the temperature around 60 I think. The first few miles were a blur but I know that my pace was just under 10 for the first mile and hovered around 10:05-10:17 for the first 9 miles. I was feeling great, but I could feel the temperature rising. I LOVED seeing my friends at miles 4 and 8.


The best cowbell brigade ever!!!





By mile 10.5 I knew that my 10:17 pace wasn't going to be happening the whole race as the sun just beat down on us. I was taking water and gatorade at all the water stops and an extra water to dump on my head. I took my GUs at every 5 miles. I was doing everything perfect. I got to the half way part just over my original goal of 2:15 (I was around 2:20 at this point). I saw my friends and I think my friend Cathy asked how I was and I just shook my head "no" or maybe I just waved them in a way that she knew I was in trouble. She hopped in and tried with all these encouraging things and telling me how well I was doing. Asking me if I was drinking enough and if I had my taking the GUs, yes and yes. She MADE me try to do this walk for 2 minutes and walk a minute. I think I yelled bad things at her around this time and at mile 15 she said, "okay, I'll see you at mile 19, you're doing great!" After she left me I knew that I was never gonna make it. I don't know what road we had turned onto but I knew that there was NO shade! I tried for about a mile to keep up with my run 2 minutes and walk a minute but that was getting to be too much for me.SIDE NOTE: I may have hallucinated this, but at one of the last water stops I swear I saw a volunteer nursing her baby!!!

So at mile 16.5 I called Matt and told him I was done and started to cry. Matt told me that he was at mile 17 with the kids that they would start walking towards me but I had to keep walking myself. I cried lots of angry and frustrated tears the whole way to my family. I cried even harder seeing the signs they had made me.
LOL!!!!!



I walked with my head down back to  the finish line and got a half marathon finisher medal and more water. The best part of a DNF is that I got to see my buddy Amanda cross the line, which was so funny. I was screaming at her and when she saw me, she had this look of why in the world are you here..she actually almost stopped. I had to yell at her to keep going and that I would explain when she crossed the finish line. I also got to see another buddy, Beth, cross the finish line which seriously was AWESOME! I know that I made the right decision to stop running, but it took lots of encouraging words from friends. My favorite one was that I had done all the hard work (the 18 week training schedule) and that the race was just the icing on the cake. That if the weather had be better that I would have been able to keep going and that I would have finished due to all my hard work. I also knew that I wasn't gonna let the stupid weather get the best of me. We all went out to lunch afterwards which is always fun. And Randy, who walked the half marathon with his 73 year old mom!, came and brought us donuts!!!



I started thinking about a fall marathon since I knew the weather wouldn't such a factor. I mean it could still be hot in October but I had decided that I was going to run the Towpath Marathon which is flat and mostly shady. By Monday though I had told myself why should I "waste" all my training and started to think about what if I ran Cleveland. I ran the half in 2013 and it was extremely hot that day too. But last years marathon it was like sleeting on everyone. So I kind of restarted thinking about Cleveland, it was $120 to sign up too and I just can't control the weather. Tuesday came around and I was still sort of going back and forth about Cleveland when I decided if I could find someone who wasn't going to use their bib if I could buy it off them for a discounted price then I would run, I mean it was like meant to be! This morning I saw a post on FB stating the person was injured and was unable to run anymore. I messaged her how much was she looking for her bib. Long story short I am running the Cleveland marathon for $70!!! So I am "back" in training mode, I ran 5 miles yesterday and 4 miles today. Tomorrow I will run 5 miles and on Sunday 12 miles. I can't believe this, all I ask now is that it's 50 degrees on May 21. Is that too much to ask? It really can't be 1000000 degrees twice can it?


Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Running shoes

So far I'm on a terrible start on writing daily this week.

In the past I was a lover of Sauconys and Brooks, then in 2010 I went to Second Sole a specialty running store in Akron and I was told that I should try a Nike shoe. I have always thought that I wouldn't like them but I tried a pair of Lunarglides and have never looked back.

2010

2012

2013

2014

2016

2016

2017

I think I am missing a few pairs as I tend to get two pairs a year,  well at least 2 other pairs. I think I had ones that were between the first and second pair. Oh well, if I was really smart I would just buy two or three pairs of the current one since I got them for a deal of 50% off. I also think I need to set a reminder on my phone so I don't go too long before buying a new pair. I usually wait until my knees (or something else) starts to hurt. Seriously though, I love the current pair and can't believe I waited so long before getting them, it's like running on clouds.

Saturday, April 22, 2017

One week away!

Can you believe it? Next Sunday is marathon day! Easter weekend happened and I totally forgot to post anything. So here's a quick recap of the last two weeks of running.

April 9-16

Monday I did an hour of yoga.
Tuesday I ran 5 miles
Wednesday I ran 4 miles
Thursday I ran 5 miles before kettlebell, which I learned was a terrible mistake. But I was unable to get out any earlier and that's just what happens sometimes.
Friday was a rest day but because Matt had the day off I spent the day helping me re-work part of the pergola and mowed the grass. Another thing I learned that was a terrible mistake!
Saturday Amanda, Megan, and me went down to Canton to see part of the course and 12 miles. Amanda told me that she was going to run at a 9 minute pace which is too fast for me when going more than 6-7 miles but I thought I was going to be okay since this was going to be a group run. Only 15 (maybe less) people showed up and all quicker that I had to run faster than planned. I died around 8 miles and made it to 11 miles. But walked the rest. Oops! I do know now that I can't run anyone else's race except my own.

April 17-22
Monday I had a little bit of time and since I bonked on Saturday I decided to run 3 quick miles. Then since we were kid-less (thanks mom and dad), Matt and I rode our bikes on the towpath from big bend to lock 29 (a stop for the Winking Lizard) and back. It was a lovely bike ride and dinner date!
Tuesday I met up with Amanda and we ran 4 miles. I also got new shoes! I always wait way too long for shoes but since I get the same shoes over and over (just different generations but same shoe) I can run in them without worrying too much. In fact last year I ran a 9 mile race the day after I got shoes and a 3.5 mile race the day before I got another pair!)
Wednesday I ran 3 miles on the treadmill, it was like running on clouds with the new shoes! (kids were home again!)
Thursday 4 more miles on the treadmill.
Friday I took a true rest day
Saturday I met up with one of my very favorite buddies, Cathy, and we had the most pleasant 8 mile run.

I am going to try to post every day this week random thoughts about running/training/reflections.

Seriously there is only ONE week until the Football Hall of Fame Marathon!

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

3 (well now less...18 days actually....)

Last weeks training was good again.

Monday, Charlie had the day off school and we were so busy that I forgot about going to yoga! Tuesday I met my buddy, Amanda, at her house and we ran around Ellet. I also went to the GNC by my house and the guy there had never heard of GU (haha! I found it later at the GNC by Target on Friday). Wednesday I ran on the towpath 5 miles and on Thursday I ran again on the towpath with Amanda 6 miles. I also had kettlebell/kickboxing on Thursday night and before I ran an extra 2 miles since I had some time and I like to warm up a little before class. Friday I rested and laughed at the snow on the ground, knowing by Sunday it was going to be 73 degrees.

I think I decided what I am going to eat the night before the race, and it's not pasta! The two times that I did my 20 milers I had steak and chicken with veggies. I eat a lot of carbs through the week and I know that carb loading the night before is kinda silly (I'll have spaghetti Thursday night instead...LOL!). Seriously all that protein has helped for the long runs so why do something different, right? RIGHT?!?!!?

Saturday morning I met up with Amanda who was going to run the first 13 miles with me and then I was going solo for the rest. I got two vanilla GUs on Friday and Amanda gave me a strawberry/banana to try. I am still struggling to figure out when it have them. I took one vanilla at mile 7 and then again at 14 but at mile 17 I needed the strawberry/banana. Hmmm, should I take one at every 5 miles? Every mile? (haha kidding about the last one...) Overall the run went great, I even cut 15 minutes off from two weeks ago. I felt good and was happy. However, by 3 or 4 in the afternoon my legs felt bad and I had a headache, I don't think I was dehydrated (I usually weigh myself once before a long run and then again after and I was only one pound lighter) and I drank enough throughout the day. Maybe running a little quicker did that to me? Who know, I crashed in bed by 9 and slept soundly until 8 Sunday morning. I had an hour of cross training to do so I jumped on my bicycle and rode from my house to the towpath for 13 miles.

This weekend, Amanda and I will be running 12 miles which doesn't seem that ridiculous anymore and then we just got to stay healthy until April 30th. We do have a few scheduled runs but all under 8 miles. Holy cow I can't believe it's almost go time.

Monday, April 3, 2017

4 weeks to GO and a March wrap up!

This past week of training was just that, training. Nothing exciting but nothing bad at all. I ran all my distances at mostly the right paces. I ran 5 miles in the mist and wished I had long sleeves on Tuesday, to a crappy 5 miler on the treadmill (probably dehydration) on Wednesday, and 6 miles through thunder and lightning on Thursday. And then I realized I had mixed up weeks and should have run 8 miles on Wednesday. So I ran a quick 2 miler on the treadmill before kettlebell/kickboxing Thursday night so I could rest on Friday. Rest days are soo hard for me, I get grumpy and stir crazy. It didn't help that it was rainy all day too. I had a headache and was ready  to go to bed when Matt got home at 530, HAHA. I ended up in bed by 10 to wake up at 6 so I could run 12 miles with Amanda and Brittany! I did the same loop that I did the week before, a little faster and less walking breaks, and flew down the hill on Portage Path by Sand Run. My last two miles were around a 9 min pace. I sent Brittany and Amanda off to run 10 more miles. I did my usual cross training on Sunday and feel ready for this coming week 3-5 milers and a 20ish miler on Saturday.

Which brings me to a question...what is your favorite flavor of GU? Or what is your favorite type of fuel for long runs? I had been using shot blocks but they're too chewy (okay I will admit the ones I have been using are like 5 years old!) and take FOREVER to eat and they get stuck in my teeth! I have used GU in the past with goodish results but taking the top off of the package made me gag once. It was during a half marathon and I had a dry mouth to begin and the "metal" of the package got on one of my fillings in the back of my teeth and made me gag (I hope that made sense) and I stopped using them. I know at the marathon the tops will already be ripped off so I don't have to worry about that.

March Review

I ran a grand total of 147 miles! I definitely credit that to running 18, 20, 13, and 12 milers on the weekends. Also the plan had me running 8 miles every Wednesday. I have been doing well with strength/crossing training and added going back to yoga. Yoga kicks my butt every Monday but I'm beginning to feel more flexible again. I can almost touch my toes again, darn running and tight hamstrings! I am glad that I stopped "stressing" over eating right now. Since I need to be eating a few more calories than I had while trying to lose weight and be able to have enough energy for longer distances. I AM proud to say that I haven't gained any weight either though! Most of my running friends who have ran marathons say they usually gain like 5 pounds. I was wearing a shirt on Saturday and Matt commented that I looked leaner and I've noticed that my jeans aren't as snug. Maybe I've lost a few inches, I last measured myself in December, so it's probably time to remeasure. Overall I am happy about all my efforts for this marathon and am excited that in 28 days I will be able to say that I have run two marathons, even though this is the first that I feel truly ready for.

ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER!!!!!

Sunday, March 26, 2017

5 Weeks to GO!!!

So remember my pity party last week? How I was ready to slip on ice and break a leg or something to get out of running a marathon? Well, I think talking/typing it all out really refreshed my soul and made me feel a lot better. Seriously, I think everyone should write down their thoughts and feelings, it's a great way to either make something clearer to you or just somewhere to have a pity party (since Matt was totally tired of me whining and complaining) and lay it all out.

Monday

I went to yoga again on my rest day. We did a lot of vinyasas and added some side planks. Holy cow my sides were so sore the next day. I totally gotta work on my core again!

Tuesday

I met up with Amanda for a planned 5 mile run. It was nice out and when we got to 5, Amanda was going to run 1 more and since I was feeling great I decided to run with her. We were running at 9:45 pace and for the last mile it was 8:50!

Wednesday

I had to run an 8 mile paced (9ish min mile). It had snowed and it was cold :( I did really think about running outside but since I had to try to keep a certain pace I stayed inside at the gym.

Thursday

I just have to share this funny dream I had. I tend to get this before any race, mostly oversleeping and missing the start of the race or not being able to find the start to name a few. I dreamt that the marathon had turned into an obstacle course marathon. I knew it was a dream which never happens, but it wasn't the obstacle course that got me though. At the start I looked at the person next to me  and said "I know this is a dream because I haven't had my 20 mile training run yet!"

Amanda had a doctors appointment so it was just me for 5 miles. I brought my headphones (something I have been doing more of) and just went with the pace. It was suppose to be slow but I ended up with average 9:15 pace. Oops, but really I just ran by feel and surprised myself.

I had talked to my friend Megan about running some of my miles (19) with me on Saturday, since Amanda had to work, and had planned out a routine that would let Megan run 11-12 miles with me and I would continue on to make 19. The weather on Friday was so nice and I was getting excited to run with Megan and tackle 19 miles. She messaged me early in the day and told me that her little guy was sick and they had not being sleeping so running Saturday morning was not going to happen. I quickly sent out a post on FB looking for some buddies, everyone was running but not on the roads which I needed. So I spent most of Friday giving myself pep talks about just going solo and seeing what happens. 

Saturday

I woke up at 6:15 completely not feeling it at all. I didn't sleep well and it had been stuffy in our bedroom so I felt hot. I didn't have time for that so I just got dressed ate my bagel and peanut butter and headed off. My friend Cathy gave me a routine that included a big loop going from Sand Run to the Summit mall, down W. Market St to Portage Path back to Sand Run which was 11 miles. On Friday I purchased some new songs from my iPod and it really helped me. I felt good running through Sand Run and I kinda knew the rest of the loop was mostly flat. Matt had old shot blocks and I used those as fuel. However, to eat one of them it took almost a mile. It literally took 5 minutes before I could even start chewing the things and then they got stuck in my teeth. But really it was okay, I think it's time just to either buy new ones or give GU a try again. I ate one around mile 8 and one more at mile 16. After I made it back to Sand Run and the car I refilled my water bottles and took off again on the towpath. Knowing that if I started at "Big Indian" I should travel north since it is kind of uphill the whole way and it would give me 6 miles once I got back to start. I also knew that I might see some people I knew. I ran to Memorial Parkway and headed back and ran into my friend Rick from the Green YMCA. Rick heads up the Green YMCA running club (they were starting at 8 am or I would have joined them) and is just a nice guy. Even though he isn't running a marathon or probably should be running more than 12 miles (he's recovering from an injury) he turned around and ran about 2 miles with me. He told me that there was Gatorade at the first picnic table at Sand Run and told me to help myself and that I was looking great. I left him at 17 miles. I headed the other direction and decided what's one more mile ended up running 20 miles. When I turned around at 18.5 miles I started to cry. Not because anything hurt BUT because I had just realized that I was going to be running 20 miles by myself (okay not quite but pretty much) and that there was never a thought that I wasn't going to. All my pep talks and me repeating (sometimes out loud) "Just keep putting one foot in front of the other!" I also had this goofy grin on my face for the last 2 miles! I may have walked more than I should (or even needed to) but marathon training miles and marathon training miles! It's all about time on your feet!

I finally feel like I am going to be able to run this marathon. 10 years ago when I ran my first and only marathon I don't think I ever got to 15 miles in training. I didn't know any of my running buddies yet and was running all by myself. It was also during the summer and I had trouble staying cool enough for the runs. I feel way more prepared this time and I starting to get that mental toughness and attitude of I can do anything. This coming week is a "break" week and I have to run 5 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with a 12 mile run on Saturday. I am ready for a little break, that was also part of my talking to myself on the long run, after this you get a "break" from long distances.

YAY for a confidence boosting week!!

Monday, March 20, 2017

Weekly Update

This week (well last week) I started having doubts that I really wanted to run this marathon. Like, I had trouble getting out the door and running. Maybe it was the snow we got and the two snow days that my kids had. But I seriously was dragging ALL week.

March 13-19
Monday

It was a rest day but I decided that it was time to get back into yoga. I had previously really enjoyed it but last fall when my back acted up I had trouble with doing vinyasas and just overall aches with a lot of the poses I just quit going. But I think I am going to start going again as it felt good and on Tuesday I woke up feeling a good ache across my chest and shoulders.

Tuesday

Snow day for the kids meant not getting to meet up with Amanda for a slow 5 miler, not that we would have met with all the snow (even though at this point I was okay with attempting to run outside because that might have made me fall and break something so I could get out of running this marathon!) I waited to run until the afternoon before the kids swimming lesson at the Y. Got there with about 1.5 hours to kill and set out to run 5 easy miles. Which somehow quickly turned into 8 miles of intervals. Which also turned out to be wayyyyy too fast. My intervals were between 7:35-8:00 for half a mile and then the "recovery" runs (quarter mile) were around 8:45. I seriously thought I was gonna barf when I was done. I also don't think I was well hydrated and just felt bad.

Wednesday

Snow day again! I did get out the door in the morning to attempt this run. Maybe it was because I ran so hard the afternoon before and didn't give myself a long enough period of rest but I struggled big time on this run. I walked a lot and too it very very easy for 5 miles which is so hard to do on the treadmill (for me at least).

Thursday

Kids had school! But I wimped out on Amanda because I was so cold and I couldn't make myself go out since I was nervous about running 5 miles again (after Wednesday's run). I felt better on the treadmill and kept a moderate pace the whole time. It felt good and then I was mad that I wimped out on Amanda. Later, I went to kettlebell/kickboxing which is always fun. We did a pyramid workout which is hard and easy all at once. Starting at 21 reps I always use a lower weight and once we got down to 3 reps I was using a 20 pounder which was a first. A little while ago, I tried 20 pounds and every time I swung the bell it would make me take a step back (which I don't think is suppose to happen!)

Friday

It wasn't cold but it wasn't even warm but I felt that I needed to run outside for some fresh air in the morning. It was suppose to be a rest day so I just ran 2 miles. I am glad I did as it made me feel much better and thinking about running a marathon didn't make me feel sick to my stomach.

Saturday

My buddy, Amanda, had to run 19 miles. My training plan stated for me to run 13. I had told Amanda on Friday night that it would be "fun" to run the shamrock course (9 miles) and hit the road for my last 4. And then she would "only" have to run 6 miles on the towpath. Amanda wasn't that happy with the idea but I told her that we ran her pace and take the hills nice and slow. Well the weather had other plans. It turned out to be rather foggy and where we'd have to run on the roads isn't really smart. I think Amanda was happy to learn this. So I made a new suggestion of running 7 miles on the towpath, 6 on the road and then she could do 6 more on the towpath to mix it up. It had snowed the day before but it was packed down however still not easy and Amanda decided that we should just run roads the whole time. We ran up and down Akron-Peninsula Rd. We ran from Hunt farm and ran North to The Winking Lizard (it felt more hillier this way) and then headed South about half a mile past Steel Corner Rd. This wasn't an overly hard run for me but I hadn't slept well the night before and still fighting the mental struggle of putting one foot in front of the other, I did keep telling myself at least I wasn't running 19 miles (or 20 since Amanda decided to add a mile, ROCKSTAR). I also listened to tunes for the first time (at least running with a partner) and I was happy about this especially since Amanda ran a little ahead of me the whole time. I was totally cool with Amanda running at her own pace and me behind this week. I just kept the pace very even (around 10:20 for each split surprisingly with a few quicker ones at the beginning and end) and ended up with an average pace of 10:16. I left Amanda to continue on and stretched before heading home. Came home took a shower and ran a few errands. Then I laid down in bed and continuing reading "A Man Callled Ove". When I got up to go out to dinner, my legs seriously felt like lead. I was confused since I had been running all my long runs (and I had completed longer runs up to 18 miles without this feeling) and knew it was gonna be a rough evening. I think last time I wrote I felt that my restless legs thing had stopped I guess I shouldn't have said that. Good thing Matt slept on the couch, I think I would have kicked him off the bed! I thrashed around for hours (!), okay maybe a few hours and couldn't get comfy at all.. Sigh!

Sunday

Woke up tired but had to take Charlie to a birthday party (his 4th or 5th of the winter) and legs felt better. So when we got home I went over to the gym and did an hour of the elliptical to get the rest soreness out. Came home and finished my book, Ma tt made homeade pizzas, and watched an okay movie "The Hollars". Only reason I said it was just okay is because it was not a comedy (which I thought it was based on the trailer we watched) and the book had made me sad as well.

**Also this was night 3 of nothing sleeping well. I sure hope to see better tonight (Monday that is)  and get my head wrapped around the fact that I am running 19 (!) miles on either Saturday or Sunday morning.**

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Last Two weeks

I'm falling behind in this whole blogging thing oops

February 26 - March 5
Sunday

I had cross training and did an hour of elliptical (6.2 miles)

Monday

It should have been a rest day but I needed to run (ever have one of those days) and ended up running 2 slow miles in the morning...which all I was gonna do...but by the evening I really needed to run so I ran a quick 5K to see where my fitness was. It was around 26 minutes which I was quite proud of.

Tuesday

It was nice out and I met up with Amanda for an easy 3 miler. I totally enjoy these runs with Amanda and it's nice not to worry about speed or how many miles we need.

Wednesday

My training plan was calling for 8 miles now. 7 seemed like a great number and to be completely honest 8 just seems like SO much more (yea I don't get it either!) That morning there were tornado warnings and it was raining and I just didn't want to run outside in the rain and wind (and more tornadoes?!) I ran on the treadmill and I attempted a tempo run. In reality I started at marathon pace (6.4) for the first mile and then after that increased the speed to 6.7 and every mile increased it again to .1 to ended up at 7.3 and then back to 6.4 for the last mile. It hurt but I was pretty proud of this.

Thursday

Amanda suggested running at her house and we made a loop around Ellet which ended up being 3,25 miles. It was fun running somewhere where I had no idea we were going and just following Amanda.

Saturday

I met up with a several friends at 6:15 am (!!!) to run around Akron. My friend Cathy gave me her old garmin (I just had to buy a new charging cord) and attempted to run with it. However, it's very "touchy" and I had trouble with figuring out how to work it. The first 12 miles of this run were all part of the old and new Akron course and fun. There were 7 of us and it made it "enjoyable" and a pace that I could run for awhile (10:30ish pace). We stopped at 12 and parted with everyone except Amanda. We also stopped long enough to get water and fuel (which I wish I had something at this point but didn't have anything). And went back out along the towpath from downtown and south. These miles were NOT fun and I actually walked like a mile of this part. My mind got all negative and I cried for the last 1.5 miles. Thankful Amanda pretty much told me to suck it up and we weren't going to stop until we got back to the cars. We ended up back at the cars with 18 miles in about 3 hours and 25 minutes. I can't believe that I would have still had to run 8 miles after that! And what would you do after running 18 miles, well you'd go to SkyZone and jump around trampolines with your kids and go to lunch. My legs felt surprisingly well after all that and my legs have stopped with the whole restlessness I was getting after long runs.

Sunday

I didn't feel like doing anything but I knew I had an hour of cross training to do. I decided to do half an hour of elliptical (3 miles) and then I rode a bike for the other half an hour (8 miles). I then took some time stretching after the whole 18 miles.

March 6-12
Monday

I knew I had a race on Sunday so I thought I should still try to get all the miles in (I was scheduled to run 17 miles over the weekend) so I ran 4 miles. After that I did talk to a friend and she told me that she thought that didn't sound like a good idea if I really wanted to try to PR so I decided the rest of the week I was going to run all my weekly runs but take off both Friday and Saturday.

Tuesday

I ran on the treadmill with the incline at 2% for 3.1 miles. It's suppose to be an easy day so I have to run with an incline or I have trouble running slow. But with the incline I wonder how "easy" it really is and if I am still not really doing it right.

Wednesday

The weather was perfect for running outside. The was a wind advisory but it didn't start until like 10 so I knew I had time to get my 8 mile run outside. I had spent Tuesday evening trying to figure out the watch and had it all set up to run. However, I wasn't really excited about this run. I had convinced myself I would run out two miles on the towpath and turn around get some water and then run two miles out the other direction for the 8 miles. And then when I got to 2 miles I convinced myself that i could get to 3 miles and only have to run 1 mile out and back after. Then I got to 3.5 miles and and finally got to 4 miles. Maybe it was the wind (it was windy BUT nothing like it was in the afternoon) but boy those 4 miles I had to work hard for them. When I turned around it was "easier" and I actually had a negative split run and had an average pace of 9:18. It was a good marathon pace run (even though I still have trouble believing that I could run this pace for 26.2 miles!)

In the evening a bunch of my running buddies were meeting at Sand Run to run and my buddy Joseph was gonna walk, I decided I would be fun to meet up with them and bring the kids and walk with Joseph.

Charlie really didn't want to be the picture 

Thursday

I convinced Amanda to come to my hood and run around. It was another "easy" 3 miler and I took her on my favorite loop. However for some reason my brain wasn't working and every time I told her to turn right I actually meant left and vise versa (it definitely made for entertaining run!)

Friday and Saturday were rest days. By Friday evening I really wished I had done something but I woke up on Saturday feeling bad. I'd been battling allergies all week and Saturday morning I woke up to not being able to hear much (other than my pulse) and was glad to rest. I did end up at the minute clinic for some help getting my ears unclogged.

Today was my first race of 2017. My favorite (no seriously!) race, the Shamrock 15K, which says it's the hilliest 15K in NEOhio (or so the organizers say!) My friend Cathy was running the 5K and Megan, Brittany, and me were going to tackle the hills. This is the 5th start for me on the 15K (previously I had a 6 or 7 year run of the 5K) and I had hopes of a PR (1:23:XX). But due to the whole allergy thing, it was freezing, and windy it just wasn't my day. I did well over the first 5K, it was all downhill. I think the first mile was 7:45 which is just to darn quick but I totally took advantage of the downhills and got done in 25:48. The 4 mile is on a small flat section and had another sub 9 mile. And then the HILLS, HILLS, and more HILLS. The first incline I always just walk up and trying to gather myself for the rest of the hills. But because all I could hear was my horrible breathing (which may or may not have been as bad but it sounded bad to me) I struggled the rest of the time. I totally walked more than I want to say. However, by mile 7 I got a "second" wind and told myself to be under 1:30 and ended up with 1:28:46. Obviously not a PR but it was the second fastest time I have had on the course.


Before the start, we're happy!


So glad to be done!


Cookies and soup for the win after race.