Hangover Classic and 2013 Goals

Oh man are my legs tired. I can (probably still) run 6 miles with no problems, but "racing" 2 5ks within 12 hours of each other and I'm wiped.

It was cold and sunny for the Hangover Classic today. It cracks me up how many people show up in old-school sweatpants (tucked into their tube socks, of course) and full-outfit pjs for this race. There was even someone running in a robe (like, terry cloth bath robe) this year! Midnight Special might be littered with sparkles, glow lights, and cheesy hats, but the Hangover Classic outfits live up to the race's name. The male and female winners get outhouse bobbleheads and the rest of us sit through the raffle of "leftover race crap". Despite how SLOW I was, I was pretty pleased with my performance today. I didn't walk at all and if I didn't finish exactly on the 33-minute mark, it's because the chick RIGHT in front of me decided to WALK into the finish chute. Gah. I ended up with a cheapy plastic photo frame alarm clock from the raffle (they were Glass City Marathon Relay Winner awards from last year). Hey, why not? I could use a clock in the bathroom or on my dresser ... I guess. Haha. Maybe I'll stick an inspirational quote in the photo frame.

I spent some time during the HC today thinking about my 2013 goals. Here's what I've got so far:

1) Run 2 Half Marathons.
2) Run at least 700 miles.
3) Bike at least 500 miles.
4) GRADUATE!!!
5) Take a vacation.
6) Be creative EVERY DAY. I don't care if it's blogging about my running, ranting in my journal, or spending 10 minutes doodling while I'm on the phone. For me, the best way to practice expressing myself is to JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN.

I'm sure I'll add to the list as I think about other aspects of my life, but these were the first ones that popped into my head (and made sense) today.

Midnight Special 5k

Apparently, the fast girls in my age division were either out drinking or home in bed. In case you can't read the picture ...

#183 overall

3/6 in my age group ... which means I got an award

75/101 in the women's division

Chip time of 32:06, which is an average pace of 10:20

I'm happy with this. Considering I've run 3 times in the last month and a half and the trail was a bit slick with fresh snow, I'm more than happy, I'm ecstatic.

My first mile was a 10:50. I blame this partly on my hesitation and mostly on the number of people I had to dodge to be able to run at a comfortable pace. It wasn't until around the first mile marker that I could really stretch my legs. Mile 2 was at 10:31. Better, but still felt like I was holding back and being cautious with the sloppy trail. Right at the 2 mile marker, the couple I was shadowing took off and I went with them ... 9:42 (which felt amazing, by the way). As soon as I saw the turn in for the finish line, I started hauling and sprinted across the mat.

So ... awesome start to the 2013. Now to get some sleep before part 2 of the New Years hat trick :)

It's Official!

I'm officially registered for my second half marathon! Training starts this week. I'm super excited!

It's tomorrow!

I've probably started 20-30 different posts over the last 3ish weeks but never found the time or patience to sit down and finish one. Oh well.

In less than 18 hours, I'll be running my first half marathon. My emotions are all over the place right now. I'm nervous, excited, and everything in-between. I've been watching the weather forecasts like a hawk for the past week, but nobody can agree on what's going to happen because of the remnants of Isaac ... jerk. And it changes every 3 or 4 hours. I'm still not 100% sure what I'm going to wear, either. I'll probably change my mind at least a dozen times between now and when I leave for BG in the morning.

And after the race, I'll come home and shower quick, watch the beginning of the Ohio State football game (GO BUCKS), and finish packing. Then I get to drive 2ish hours to Ft Wayne, IN to celebrate a good friend's wedding! I can't wait to see S! I'm not COMPLETELY crazy, though. I already have a  hotel room reserved where the reception is for Saturday night. After the party, I'm going upstairs and collapsing on the king-size bed and hopefully sleeping better than I have in a long time. I may even have a friend coming down to stay with me for the night and hang out. I haven't seen them in a long time so it'd be nice to catch up ... especially in these swanky hotel rooms! :)

Maybe I'll even be making an extra stop somewhere in IN on my way home? Visit a friend or 2? We shall see.

Next post will probably be a ton of pictures ... and maybe an August wrap up ... and hopefully some jumping up and down excited-ness was well. Send some positive and encouraging thoughts my way, please! :)

GDP 5k & Apparently I'm Crazy

Today was one of those days where you just wonder what you're doing next because YOU don't even know. And, fair warning, I had this post written out oh so eloquently in my head during my 2nd run, but you know how that goes ... Maybe I should start running with a digital recorder too? lol.

Let's start with Global Distance Project 5k, shall we? I was obnoxiously nervous for this. My cousin C and I have been talking trash all week over who was going to beat who. It was his first 5k race so I thought that gave me an advantage. It was raining when I woke up so I was hoping the clouds would either stick around for a little while or it would at least hold the temperature down until we could get through the race. Problem #1. A big fat NO on both counts. It was sunny and the temperature was already nearly 85* and climbing when I pulled into the church parking lot. I was dripping sweat within 5 minutes. I went to find C and his wife, L, right away. I was expecting all kinds of smack talk, but there wasn't any. We actually had a calm and interesting conversation about how things were going to work (since I was the only one who'd raced before) and what we personally wanted to get out of the race. I think L was surprised we were able to have that conversation without acting like a couple of kids. lol. C and I grew up pretty close (we even had most of the same classes when he transferred to AW for our Sr year of high school) and we tend to act more like bickering siblings than adult cousins. *innocent grin*

From our conversation, I knew C wanted to sub-30, which was fine with me since that was my basement goal as well. We kind of made an unspoken promise to run together, but about a half mile into it, I knew that wasn't going to happen. He took off ahead of me and never looked back. Problem #2. It was around the time that he pulled ahead that I finally looked down at my Garmin and realized something was wrong. It was bouncing back and forth between "searching for satellites" and working normally. When I crossed the 1 mile mark, it was only showing 0.47 miles. Crap. I THOUGHT I hit the "lap" button so I would at least be able to check my splits for the rest of the race. The race was an out-and-back [crossing over a highway overpass TWICE ... UGH] so they set up a water station on either side of the road between 1-1.25 mile mark, which was a much-appreciated idea. When I was making the decision if I should walk through the water station, I looked down at my Garmin again and realized I must have pushed "start/stop" instead of "lap" ... so it hadn't been recording anything! Double Crap! I just made a split-second decision and just shut it off. If I ran great, awesome. If not, it's a training run and a learning experience. To make that part of the race EVEN BETTER, Problem #3, there were only 2 women working the 2nd water station and they never got a rhythm down or pre-filled cups, so I GOT MISSED! I wasn't about to stop dead and wait for them to fill up another cup, so I just kept going. Thank goodness I train with the idea that I will only get 1 sip of water during a 5k and I was able to suck down the ENTIRE cup at the first station.

By the time I reached the overpass for the 2nd time, I was feeling the heat and my nervous-ness at being without my Garmin. I gave up a little since I didn't know my time and walked up the incline. Once I got going again, there was about three quarters of a mile left and I just pushed myself. Once I made the last turn into the driveway and saw the clock click over to 0:29:xx, I just started sprinting.

C says the clock was 0:28:xx when he crossed, but we'll wait and see. The major difference, as I see it, is that he pretty much vegged out after finishing where I got a quick drink and then went back out to the 0.5-miles to go (I think) and cheered for/ ran L in. Gotta work on that endurance, C. ;)

So ... I am currently at the mercy of the Toledo RoadRunners' webmaster to find out my official time. I may have PRed, maybe not. If I didn't, it was darn close ... and it was a gun start/ popsicle stick finish so I don't put as much stock in it as I do in chip-timed races. But, looking back, I'm a little disappointed in myself because I KNOW I would have had sub-29 if I hadn't walked up the overpass the 2nd time. *pouts*

All that being said, I'm still extremely happy. I got to spend quality time with one of my favorite cousins (and his awesome wife). Pace-wise, I know I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone without the help of my little electronic friend. I ran a smart race for all my "issues" and I learned from those things I didn't do right. Seriously, just think about what I could have done today if the weather had been cooler and I didn't have to struggle with the overpasses! An instant PR, I'm sure. And it was a GORGEOUS day, despite the oppressive heat and humidity. :D

Once I got home, I started thinking (dangerous, I know). I'm at the end of the 3rd week of my half marathon training and I've already bumped 2 long runs in favor of racing 5ks. I know it shouldn't make much of a difference this early in training, especially with upping my mileage during the week, but I still wonder about it.

Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I just went into it to see where it would take me, but I decided to get on "Roadie" and go for a ride. Once I got going, I started thinking about how GOOD it felt and I found myself going the LONG way to Oak Openings ...

6.5 miles

 Once at Oak Openings, I decided I wanted to get in a run. To make a dent in that whole racing-instead-of-doing-long-runs thing. I started off with a 2 min. run: 2 min. walk ratio since it was supposed to be a "recovery" run, but after 2 miles, I got tired of this and switched it to 2:1.

2.91 miles

... And then rode home again. The short way.

3.46 miles

And now?

I'm sitting here, smelling the steaks cooking on the grill, drying off after spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the pool ...

... and trying not to do anything else crazy today. Trying ;)


Keep cool everyone! June recap and what July has in store for me coming (probably) tomorrow ...

Friday Five

(1) ONE (1)

It's going to be a low mileage week. I ran the minimum mileage for my #RWRunStreak on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday, I took my new tank top for a a 3.16 mile testdrive at Farnsworth in the gorgeous sunshine. I also got some fun pictures of myself. They aren't the greatest quality (and I'm no model), but let's see you do better with a fuzzy post-run brain and a sketchy self-timer on your camera. lol. I wanted to place the camera another foot or 2 to the right to get more of the old utilities bridge, but there was poison ivy. Dangit.

(2) TWO (2)

Wednesday was my first time back on the Ridge (Silver) Trail at Oak Openings since the tornado. It's been closed for a while so the damage could be cleaned up. Ever since the new park map came out earlier this year, I've been excited to get over there and check out the new re-routes. I knew about the one where the bridge had been taken out by a tree during the tornado (I made a quick trip right after the storm to check out the damage, but couldn't get too far into that part of the park). This sounds lame, and I say it at the beginning of every summer, but running in that part of the park felt like coming home. The Ridge Trail goes through one of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE parts of the park ... the OLD pine stand. I need to get pictures sometime. The abrupt change is shocking and awesome. After finishing off the Ridge Trail, I finished up my run with a quick loop of Horseshoe Lake.

After 4+ miles on the trail, I decided to get my road bike out for the first time this summer and take it for a spin (I've been giving all my love to my brother's mountain bike). My ex was giving me crap the other night because I call it "Roadie". lol. I had just planned on taking a couple laps of the neighborhood, but it felt great one I got out there and I ended up going over 7.5 miles. Believe me, my backside (caboose, behind, derierre, BUTT) is STILL paying for it. Stupid butt bone. lol

(3) THREEE (3)

The heat around here has been INTENSE this week. I begrudgingly acknowledged that my parents were in the right with turning on the a/c even though it makes my sinuses all kinds of horrible. No joke, my nose will run and my head will hurt and I'll be just plain miserable. Then, I go outside and I'm fine in 5 minutes. It's obnoxious.

Anyway, I've been continuing my runs in the heat. I just saw it as another experience to "toughen me up". I take precautions, though; I make sure I'm well hydrated and I carry water AND gatorade, I try to run in as much shade as possible, and I let myself go as slow as I need. That being said, I knew group run last night was going to be BAD, but I didn't know just HOW BAD. Even with being hydrated and carrying water with me, I had to bail out halfway. After being in the a/c all day, running in that heat (around 100*, even at 7pm) with even more heat radiating off the pavement, it was making me sick. In less than 2 miles, I felt as bad as I normally to after 7-8 miles. I DO have to give a round of applause to Second Sole, the store who sponsors and hosts our group runs. They set up a water table at the halfway point AND rigged up a sprinkler system on the sidewalk out in front of the store for after the run. We had fun with THAT. You can always tell when a running store is run by people who run themselves (ha!). :D

(4) FOUR (4)

Today was just plain nifty. One of our neighbors I "babysit" for occasionally called me early to see if her 7yo and 13yo could hang out with me for the afternoon. They normally spend the summer days with their grandmother, but she's been having some health problems and couldn't take them today. I love these kids, I call them "my munchkins" (much to their continued ire [evil smile]). To them, I'm like a big sister who takes them to do things their parents don't have time for. And really, we don't do anything special. Today, they drove around with me to a couple different metroparks to find codewords and we had a complete blast. I let them be in charge of my camera and they didn't do too bad of a job. I wasn't surprised in the least when I uploaded all the pictures and discovered they were fascinated with taking pictures of the "obvious" wildlife, just like me: deer, ducks, geese, squirrels, chipmunks, robins, rabbits, and random plants. Since I promised their mom a long time ago that I'd never post their pictures online, you'll just have to marvel at a sampling of their photography skills:

(5) FIVE (5)

Tomorrow is the Global Distance Project 5k. I have 2 goals. Well, technically 3. (1) Don't die. Run responsibly. (2) But still push myself. If I PRed on a trail race, what can I do on a good paved course? Too bad this won't be chip-timed. (3) And beat my cousin. This last goal has gotten a little shakier since he told me he wants to finish sub-30. Hrm. I guess all I can do now is be smart and run my race.

10 Days ...

... Since I last posted. How have I not made time to write this before now? Sheesh. And it's not like I've been super busy ... time just got away from me. Oh well. Let me esplain. No, let me sum up! (Name that movie!) I'll include some pictures to make up for all the text I'm about to blast you with.

Ready to go!

Last Saturday was pretty awesome. I ROCKED Happy Trails 5k. M decided to run it WITH me since he was in town for the weekend without the wifey (he hurt his hamstring so he's pouting about running "slow" while it heals). His wife probably isn't going to like this statement (sorry, E!), but I love that boy to death. He was one of the people who pushed me towards running when I was dealing with all that crap in my life and continues to be one of my biggest supporters. He knows EXACTLY how to push my buttons to make me run faster. He knew pointing out those teenage girls at the start line who talked through the National Anthem would tick me off and make me start faster to get ahead of them [proud granddaughter, niece, and friend of veterans and I've been raised to respect all symbols of our country: anthem, flag, etc.]. He knew telling me I couldn't do something would make me push that much harder to do it, even if it meant keeping me ticked off for all 3.1 miles. So thanks, M ... I think. lol. The best part? I beat my "old" 5k PR ... which was set on a relatively straight road course. ON TRAILS! I really think all the trail running paid off. I just FELT strong. You transition from pavement to sand/ dirt just past halfway and while others faded a bit, I pushed forward and felt "in my element." Is it weird that even though I felt like I was pushing my hardest during the race and almost threw up at the finish line (seriously, I was dry-heaving over a trash can next to a vendor booth), I walked away thinking "I could have run that even faster"? I haven't seen any pictures yet, but I'm sure I was grinning like a crazy person as I sprinted through the finish line. I'm pretty sure M and I scared the crap out of the people in the car next to us on the highway heading home because we were getting our dance party on, blasting LMFAO and whatever other crazy songs we could find on my iPod. :)

I hadn't been home more than an hour when I got a phone call saying I had won a door prize from one of the race's sponsors ... 3 canisters of Reliv's innergize (2 lemon and 1 orange). I'd never heard of it before, but I'm slowly learning. Maybe I'll do a review of it someday, but you can check out the link I provided for the product's website for details now. And, really, this little win came at an interesting time for me. Money is a little tight around here, so I've fallen back to my old friend Gatorade instead of spending the money on nuun or Zipfizz. Don't get me wrong, I love nuun and Zipfizz, but they just don't fit in my budget right now. I'm not particularly fond of how much sugar there is in Gatorade (especially with my family history of diabetes and my attempt to cut some sugar OUT of my diet lately), but it's worked for me for years. Our local Sam's stocks the big 76.5 ounce canisters of the Frost Glacier Freeze (the blue kind), my favorite, so I'm good to go for a little while (thanks mommy!). After a conversation with the Reliv product rep when I picked up my prize and a good friend who's a nurse and nutrition student, I decided to take my 8 oz serving of the innergize an hour or 2 before any runs or workouts (up to 2 a day) and rely on my gatorade to get me through the exercise. I've been doing this for a week now and everything seems to be going ok. We've had some obnoxiously hot days and I've done some seriously crazy runs in that heat (which I'll talk about more later), but I haven't gotten any dehydration headaches or muscle cramps. So, something seems to be working.

I had planned on Happy Trails being my last race before my September half marathon, but my cousin's wife messaged me about a 5k they they're going to be running this coming weekend for the church they both work for, the Global Distance Project 5k. My first inclination was to just go watch the hilarity of my cousin running a 5k, but his wife talked me into running it with them. So, one more.

We had 2 days of crazy thunderstorms at the beginning of last week, which of course I loved. Besides loving storms, I really enjoy getting out and seeing how rain water flows through our environment. It's the envrio science nerd in me, what can I say. :) I was out driving around when one of the biggest waves of storms came through so I headed to the nearest metropark, Side Cut. Boy, did I get a surprise!

Bench under water, broken pavement (already broken before storm, but had been
eroded and damaged even more), and  "bridge" about to go under water.

What I'm not showing you is that right above all this are 3 old canal locks. Normally, water barely trickles through them. That day, it was rushing. Somewhere up-run, there was a system that just wasn't able to keep up with the amount of water that was flowing. While I knew this wasn't a good thing, I was absolutely fascinated. I probably spent a half hour wandering up and down the walkways along the locks trying to take pictures from under my umbrella.

The ungodly hot and humid day after all the storms, I went for my normal run at Oak Openings. I should have known I'd find a tree down across my planned trail. *rolls eyes* And, because I was too stubborn to re-route my run, I decided to go THROUGH it (there was no going around it - the ferns were too thick). There was a fork in the branches that I knew I'd fit through, so I went for it. Stupid me. The branches scratched up my right thigh and ankle pretty good (which was really uncomfortable as my legs got sweaty later on the run), but it wasn't until the next morning that I noticed I had HUGE BRUISES striping my thigh as well. This really was the trail run from hell. Once I completed the Sand Dunes loop, I switched over to the Ferns and Lakes loop, which was an even bigger mistake. I really should have just called it a day and gone home. Besides almost stepping on a squirrel AND a snake (only the 2nd time I've EVER seen a snake ON a trail over there), the heat and humidity trapped in the woods just drained me and I had to abort the loop and run back to the car on the paved portion of the all-purpose trail. It ended up being about the same mileage as I would have done, but a LOT less stress and effort.

And, of course, this was also the day we couldn't get any relief from the heat at home either. We found out the a/c was broken when we went to turn it on (house actually got 5* HOTTER), and the chlorinator in the pool malfunctioned and the chlorine got so high your eyes burned just going NEAR it! We completely detached the chlorinator and it's JUST getting down to the level where swimming is comfortable again. As for the a/c? There was a wire broken on the compressor (we suspect dad did it when he decided to power-wash that side of the house 2 weeks ago). It took the repair guy 5 minutes to find and replace it. $85. Ugh. Let's just say everyone in our house was a little testy for a couple days. I pretty much holed up in my bedroom with my 3 fans, cups of ice, and movies when I wasn't freezing my butt off in my basement lab on campus. If I wasn't already intimately aware of the creepy crawlies and odd late-night sounds down there, I may have just brought an air mattress to campus and spent the nights down in the lab. The last time I bothered to look at the thermostat in there (it reads the temp but doesn't actually control anything ... how crappy is that?!), which was Thursday afternoon, it read 62*. I was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve tee all day.

Saturday is, of course, long run day for me. Since I had a 5k last weekend and another this coming weekend, I NEEDED to do a long run THIS weekend. I hadn't really explored the towpath trail between Bend View and Providence so I figured I'd run down to Providence and back, and maybe down to the Bend View shelter house and back depending on how I felt. According to the sign, it was 3.2 miles to Providence from the Bend View parking lot. To keep me from constantly watching my Garmin, I turned it on my wrist. The run TO Providence was pretty nice, actually. Even with the oppressive heat, I was in the shade and catching the breeze off the river for most of the way. Once I reached the dam, I looked at my Garmin. Almost 5 miles. Crap. This was already turning out to be a longer run than I had wanted. Since one of my fuel belt bottles was already dry, I tried to find a drinking fountain around the mill to refill it. No luck. I tried the water from the sink in the bathroom, but it was just plain nasty. I would have thrown up if I tried to drink that on a run. So, long story made WAY short: ran out of water around 7 miles. Walk intervals got longer and more frequent until I decided I couldn't run any more. Inhaled an entire bottle of Gatorade once I stumbled back to my car. My legs felt completely trashed all day yesterday and they're still a little tired today. I need to get better with my hydration and nutrition. Quick. But at least my first 9.5-miler is in the books :)

... And now I need to go because I'm getting trash talk texts about Saturday's 5k. I love that boy, but I'm going to kick his butt! I love my family :)

Fun Stuff Friday

I finally have a chance to sit down at the table and write (despite the pool calling my name oh so invitingly), so this is going to be a long one. But don't worry, there are plenty of pictures too. lol. This week has just been a barrel full of monkeys [No, not the evil little ones that fling poo!]. I hadn't planned to, but I'm going to over-lap my last post a little bit since I didn't talk about everything.

Last friday night was a MUCH needed night out with friends. Whitehouse's Cherry Fest was Thurs/ Fri/ Sat so we took advantage of all the fair food and the beer tent.  We may have over-indulged just a little bit on all the fried goodness and alcohol [the more I drink, the better corn dogs taste], but we were enjoying ourselves. Sarah's husband's siblings were there too, which was kind of fun since I haven't really talked to Eric since high school [we graduated together]. Plus Eric's gf is a riot after a single long island ice tea. :)

Saturday was a little crazy. I had planned on waking up early and getting in my long(er) run before making the 2.5 hour drive to Columbus for my friend's baby shower, but the beer tent the night before caught up to me and I put it off for Sunday. Plus, another friend was out of town for the night and asked me to stop over and take care of her horses and that couldn't be put off. Lyd - You're lucky I love you. Who else would willingly clean out 4 stalls, feed and water, brush, and lunge/ ride your crazy gelding at 7am on a Saturday ... hungover (besides you)? lol.

I got back from Columbus with plenty of time to change clothes and RUN back into town for the Cherry Fest fireworks. Yes, I ran. It's about a mile from my house to the park. I was a little nervous [beer tent, it's dark, lots of people, etc.], but it was fun.

I love when I get packages. Don't tell my dad (he proudly drives semis for UPS and gets annoyed when something comes thru anyone but UPS or the postal service), but I was kind of loving our Fed Ex driver earlier this week. I won Morning Runner's ProFoot giveaway a while back (btw - great job on the marathon J!) and my goodies came! I've already stuck the Miracle insoles in my every-day shoes and OH MAN do they feel nice. I think I'll put the Plantar Fasciitis heel cups in my trail shoes next week and see how those feel. My dad was giving me strange looks because I was impatient to try them out so I was walking around the kitchen with them rubber banded to my feet. Hehe. I haven't had a chance to use the moleskine yet, but I'm sure I will. If not, my dad or brother will. The last couple summers, we've gone through the stuff like paper.

I've found 3 more Great Park Search Codewords ... Side Cut, Botanical Gardens, and Wildwood. I wasn't joking when I said this is helping me with my #RWRunStreak. On days I don't have training mileage planned, I find a clue for a codeword and will run a loop or out-and-back that takes me past the location in just over a mile. Whatever works, I guess. I didn't win Week 1's prize, but there are still 8 more weeks plus the awesome grand prize at the end. *crosses fingers*

I spent a little extra time wandering around and taking pictures too ...

I got lucky and he grabbed a fish just as I was taking the picture :)

I had another reason to spend some time at Wildwood this week too ... Packet pick up for Saturday's Happy Trails 5k! I'm more excited than I can express. This was my first 5k a year ago and basically marks 1 year since I got serious about running. Plus I get to benefit one of my favorite things, my metroparks. :) On a serious note, though - If they keep buying unisex Brooks tech tees, I need to start getting a size small! Or, I know a nice part of these tech shirts are the minimal seams, but I could always tailor/ alter the darn things so they're more comfortable for me. The sleeves are WAY long (like, down to my elbows) and the trunk could do with a couple inches less fabric too. lol

Last night's group run was more fun than expected. Suzy Favor Hamilton is in town for a race tomorrow so she came out to run with us and sign autographs! If you don't know who she is, seriously, go click on the link. Besides being a 3-time Olympian, she's a pretty big deal around here in Big 10 country ... even if she attended Wisconsin. Hehe. The Big Ten Network just picked her as the #19 athlete and the #1 female athlete in the history of the Big Ten Conference. And she really is a sweetheart! I was SERIOUSLY geeking out talking to her.

me and Suzy

And I got another fun surprise in the mail today ... My Target Style Summer Beauty Bag! I THINK you can still request one on Target Style's facebook page. The ADORABLE little bag is packed with fun samples and coupons to use in-store. I have one from spring too and it was just as awesome.

Ok, I'm tired of having my back to the pool and watching the reflected light dance on the wall in front of me. Time to go relax in the cool water and think about my play list for tomorrow morning ... until everyone gets home and chaos breaks out again. Haha. Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Streaking and Upcoming Races

Are you participating in Runner's World's running streak? You run at least 1 mile EVERY DAY between Memorial Day and July 4. Just 38 days. You can check out the action on twitter using #RWRunStreak. It may be a bad idea for me, but I'm going for it. I like challenging myself.

I got in Day #1 of my run streak last night at Oak Openings. Holy cow was it warm and humid, even back in the dunes! I giggled a little bit because there were SO many people around Mallard Lake but I didn't pass ANYONE out on the trail. It's like people think Mallard Lake IS the ENTIRE park (and they're SO wrong!). Despite the oppressive humidity, I still enjoyed myself. My music was turned down enough that I could still hear the birds and wildlife around me. And I almost tripped over a squirrel who didn't move out of the way until the very last second. Oh, and I ran the loop the opposite direction I normally do. Bad idea. I hate running UP the dune face and then DOWN the stairs. :-P

As (some of) you know, I hit my goal of a sub-30 minute 5k race a couple weeks ago, more than 2 months before I had planned on. I'd been saying for the past year that I had to hit that before I'd consider a longer race (I'm not counting my St Patrick's Day 7k, lol). Even though I'm really proud of myself, it left me with a decision to make ... do I now set myself a quicker goal and go for it again or do I start looking towards longer races ... maybe even a half marathon?

I'm already registered for one more 5k, Happy Trails. It holds a special place in my memory because it was my first 5k last year and it reminded me why I enjoyed being competitive and racing in any form. My "training" for Happy Trails last year was just finishing Couch to 5k and seeing how long I could run without walking. And no real trail/ off-road running. This year, I'm taking a slightly different approach. Since about half the course is unpaved trail, I'm putting my trail shoes to good use and running AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK on the metropark trails. I haven't been running at the actual park where the race is, but I'm very familiar with it (I used to live right around the corner from there) and I think the trails I've been running are more difficult. Plus, the race avoids the dunes and major hills and the trails I've been running out at Oak Openings don't. I go to group run every Thursday night and I'll use those as my speed workouts (since I was doing that already anyway. lol). The race course will be marked a couple days ahead of time, so I'll probably put in 1 or 2 practice runs the week of, though I heard the course is the same as last year.

As for the future ... I haven't signed up for anything yet since I could end up on the other side of the country by the end of the summer but, yes, I'm looking at a half marathon for September 1. The Boy Scout Council my dad and brother are a part of put on the "Soaring Eagle Runs" every year in Bowling Green, Ohio. Course can be viewed HERE. There is the "Boy Scout Half Marathon", the "Tenderfoot 5k", and the "Tiger Cub Half-Mile Run". They are "dedicated to recognize and support our youth and the Scouting traditions and values, from Tiger Cubs to Eagle Scouts." These races are an amazing value too. If you register online by the end of June, the half is only $28, $33 if you register before August 21, and $40 if you wait until the day of. All early registrations will get a wicking race shirt. It sounds like is great support along the course as well (but you can read more about that on the website if you're interested).

Since it IS my first time running a half marathon, I've been spending A LOT of time pouring over all the different training plans and I THINK I may have found one that works for me (well, at least better than the other ones I've found). I'm using Hal Higdon's Novice 2 Half Marathon Training Plan ... with a few tweaks:

That purple star on the 21st? My 26th birthday! :)

Cross training will probably be a combination of mountain biking, swimming, and hiking.

I'm planning to use Tuesday as my trail run days since they're only 3 miles. Trail running will make me stronger, plus I like running in the shady woods in the middle of summer. :)

Thursdays will continue to be my speed workouts at group run. It works out well, distance-wise, and I enjoy the opportunity to test myself against some faster runners since I usually run alone.

The major change I made to the plan was with the weekend long run. Higdon's plan has the distance increasing pretty much 1 mile per week, but I need something more gradual. Running this much (and often) every week is going to be enough of a challenge. My plan is to do my longer runs on the canal trail or a loop of the paved roads and trails at Oak Openings (if I can get up early enough that it won't be blazing hot - very little shade on this route).

My concerns:
- How will my body (especially my shins and ankles) take to running this often and this many miles? I'll need to pay close attention to aches and pains.
- I need to figure out a nutrition/ refueling strategy. I've never used GU or anything like that before. I guess it's time to start experimenting. Any suggestions or tips?
- I'm going to need new running shoes soon? I'm saving up the money now, but I know the bottom is going to drop out of my checking account very soon, so I'm nervous. How late is too late to introduce new shoes before a race?

What do you think? Any suggestions? Tips? Holy-crap-are-you-crazys?

Power House 5k :D

Holy crap, you guys! Yesterday was just plain awesome.

Yesterday morning was the Power House 5k here in my little town. Last year, I was a little disappointed when I FINALLY heard about this race because I knew I wouldn't be ready to run it yet. So, this year, I was determined.

All proceeds from Power House go to the Whitehouse Parents' Club at Whitehouse Primary (my old elementary school) and I don't think there's a better organization in our community for it. WPC is SUCH an important piece of the puzzle for our elementary students. WPC paid for the new playground equipment a couple years ago, field trips, summer reading programs, printers, ink, and supplies for every classroom. Also, they run Secret Santa, author visits (we had Rick Sowash and Frank ... when I was there, among others), book fairs, track and field day, and so much more. Our community and education system really couldn't be as awesome as it is (our district is constantly rated one of the top in the state) without these parents' associations. That being said, I was glad to find a way to give back to my community while doing something for myself.

I had been tracking yesterday's weather for the last week, grumbling every time the weathermen disagreed over when the snow showers were going to set in. By Thursday, they were saying it would hold off until at least the end of our race,t hank goodness. It was still a damp chilly morning, but the rain holding off made choosing my outfit a WHOLE bunch easier. lol

If we're friends on dailymile and you stalk your friends' goals like I do, you know I've been working towards a sub-30-minute 5k before my 26th birthday in July. Honestly, I didn't know if I'd be capable of it before then.

So, I planned on just focusing on a 5k PR and holding myself around a 10 minute/mile pace since that is a range I KNOW I have push myself into without dying after a mile. Really, I just wanted to enjoy the race and the morning and spend some time with friends/ cohorts from UT who were running too. When the starting gun went off, it took about a quarter mile for everyone to get sorted out (about as long as it took us to get through downtown and onto the Wabash-Cannonball trail). Instead of incessantly checking my Garmin for my pace, I found a woman and her son who were running at a pace just fast enough that I felt like I was being pushed but not fast enough that I was going to keel over in the next half mile.

I really didn't know what the course was going to be (and trust me, I scoured websites and past race reports), so I was pleasantly surprised when I realized it was going to be a fast, flat out and back on my favorite little piece of the W-C Trail between downtown and our high school/ jr high/ middle school campus.

As soon as I was on the trail, I felt myself slip into a calm I don't remember ever feeling during a race before. My music was just right, I was focusing on the "white rabbits" in front of me, my breathing was steady, and my legs felt strong. Keeping with the woman and her son, I was able to pass a number of people who went out too quick and slowed down, including a girl I went to school with (I have pictures of Jamie and I in Brownie Girl Scouts together at that same elementary school). I knew she and I were in the same age group, but I didn't know how many others or who they were.

I finally looked down at my Garmin after I passed Jamie and I almost tripped I was so shocked. I was running sub-10 minute miles! And I still felt good! Holy crap! Even with seeing my mile times for the first 2 miles, it didn't click in my head until we were back off the trail and I could SEE the finish up the road that I could finish in UNDER 30 MINUTES! As soon as I saw the 0:29:xx on the clock, I started sprinting, passing the woman with her son and 2 other women (neither of whom looked happy I was passing them that close to the finish).

My Garmin time was 29:19, but I think the official time will be a couple seconds different (it was another non-chip timed race). While the volunteers were sorting out the 5k race times, we got to watch the 1k kid's run (which was HILARIOUS). In the end, my group of friends and cohorts did pretty darn good. Kyle won the 5k and his age group. Kirk placed 2nd in the 5k and won his age group. Colleen got 2nd in her age group. Janet won her age group. And ... I WON MY AGE GROUP!

To be fair to all of us, I'm well aware there weren't a bunch of super speedy people running yesterday. Glass City Marathon was just last weekend and there were at least 3 other 5ks at the same time, 2 also sponsored/ run by Dave's. I COULD let that "lack of competition" dampen my happiness, but I'm not. Yes, I'm over-the-moon happy about winning my age group (and beating Jamie), but I'm estatic over my personal accomplishments. I BEAT MY 5K PR AND I SMASHED MY GOAL! I will now HAPPILY sit down and decide on that next goal I'm going to bust my butt working towards. I have a couple more 5ks I'm tentatively planning on running before my birthday, but maybe completing a half marathon after that? :D

Catching Up

Woah ... What the heck happened to Blogger? Not sure if I like this "update" or not. Hrm.

Anyway ... Last Thursday was my last day of Boot Camp for me. Honestly, I already miss it. I was finally getting used to waking up early and functioning through longer days. I planned to spend some time this weekend going through my notes from the last 4 weeks and figuring out how I can replicate some of the exercises using what equipment I already have (no money = no new toys), but it just didn't happen.

I chose to be lazy Saturday since the weather was crappy in the morning and I had a new book. But, Sunday felt like a perfect day for a run. It was cool and breezy and lovely. Trying to ignore the last several weeks' long(er) runs, I went out without any expectations other than to finish a loop I planned out. I pulled my sleeve down over my Garmin so I couldn't look at my pace and just ran by how I felt. I had a pretty good idea of the mileage up to a certain point so I resisted temptation until I had to decide if I was going to take a short cut and stay on the road for the rest of the way home or if I was going to add in about a mile of actual trail. I had made it 5 miles on pavement with a consistent pace around 11:30 and still felt great so I went for the trail. Oh man. I could have possibly done 7-8 miles if I had stayed on the road, but that 1 mile of trail kicked my backside and I had to cut off my run at 6 miles. I figure I sped up or something coming up out of the flood plain and my body didn't like it. At first, I grumbled about still having to walk the rest of the way home, but I had a thought about a half mile into the walk that I was GLAD for that time. I COULD have called someone to come pick me up, but it was under 2 miles and I really took the opportunity to think about things I didn't have the concentration for while I was running. Positive thinking is a wonderful thing.

I'm stressing out like never before over this paper. I literally have 2 weeks to get it through committee and defense. And I can't start work on my defense until the paper clears my head advisor. And that's all I'm going to say because I'm TRYING desperately to stay calm and productive (on something, anything) this evening.

Since my future is up in the air after graduation (if it happens, grumble grumble) and I know I'll lose my parents' health insurance in July, I decided it was best to go in for a physical and one last check with my dr to make sure I'll be ok to go without a yearly (or more often) visit until I can get on my feet with a job and all that jazz. Well, what should have been a half hour visit yesterday turned into 2 hours, a round of shots, and 2 more appointments. Lovely. I'm going back tomorrow afternoon for a procedure to remove a mole (we think) on my back that is a bit larger than the dr is comfortable with. I've had this mole as long as I can remember, but I've never noticed anything weird about it. It's large, yes, but it's symmetrical and the color is normal. But, with my family's predisposition for skin issues, the dr wants to get it off. This is where it gets a little complicated. It's raised, so he thinks it can just be scraped off and cauterized. BUT. If it's deeper than he thinks, the lab says there's something fishy about the sample, or he just can't close up the skin without making a bigger mess of it, I'll have to go to a plastic surgeon to have more skin removed (and hopefully a smaller, nicer scar). Oh, and I have to have a (hopefully) final round of blood work done. *shudders* At least I was able to put off the blood work for 3 weeks so I can get through this semester and (hopefully) graduation.

Since I'm going to be a bit tender tomorrow, I got in a nice 4.32 mile run this evening. It was warm enough outside I was able to run in my new nike tempo shorts (holy crap I need to remember to use body glide when I wear those ... not used to running in "short" shorts. darn chub rub!) and a tee shirt. Even though I was taking it easy and focusing on form, I was able to pull out a negative-split run (11:23, 11:19, 11:10, 10:49, and 10:31 for the partial mile). I'm pretty happy with it. It felt great to get my sweat on and have some time to myself to think. Now I'm just hoping I'll be ok after tomorrow so I can get my last speed workout in on Thursday. I HAD planned on running at group, but Sarah and Steph are jonesing for Buffalo Wild Wings boneless night and I have a jonesing for some girly chat time. Wings and beer are acceptable when prepping for a 5k, right? lol. Anyway, I want to get my run in early in the day so I can enjoy some time with my friends.

Power House 5k is Saturday. I'm still contemplating my goals. I know I want to PR (and probably will be able to), but do I want to bust serious a$$ and gun for that sub-30-minute at the risk of pushing myself too hard? I've got to think about it.

Finally Friday Five

1. I cut my hair. 7-8" and the last of my old highlights, gone. I scared the crap out of my friend Ted by posting that on facebook. He spazzed, "I said Penny (from Big Bang Theory), not Ellen (DeGeneres)!" I just laughed. Ted hasn't seen me in a couple months so I had to explain to him that there really WAS that much hair there to get cut off and then texted him a picture to prove it. So far, the reaction has been positive. Either way, I like it. My head feels lighter and I swear my shower/ bathroom routine this morning was at least 5 minutes faster. lol.

2. I think I had a breakthrough last night at group run. I ran the 3 miles in 30 minutes and 3 seconds. That's a faster pace than my 5k PR, and only 0.1 miles shorter. The funny thing is, I spent the entire run thinking how hot I was and how hard the pace was after starting a little too quick (9:48 for the first mile). I didn't look at my Garmin until I got back to the store and hit the "stop" button. But when I did, I smiled. Its runs like that which make me think a sub-30 minute 5k before my 26th birthday in July IS possible.

3. I'm running aimlessly right now without a race to train for. If I'm still in the area, I know I want to run the Metroparks 5k again this year (it was my first race ever last June). There are a couple half marathons I'm looking at this summer, but they're all either too far away, too expensive, too soon, or I can't find any information on them. I guess I'll keep looking. I seriously stalk the stack of race papers at Second Sole every week after the group run ... and the Toledo Roadrunners website (though they aren't very helpful).

4. I finally caved and redeemed my livingsocial deal for BCOR Bootcamp. I start next Saturday morning. The gym owner/ instructor emailed me right away with my release paperwork, a weekly schedule of their classes, and some tips for next week. I'm nervous and excited at the same time.

5. We had a WICKED storm cell move through the area last night. There were confirmed tornados to the north of us, but we just got spurts of crazy-heavy rain and a spectacular thunder and lightning show. Any time I wasn't raining in, I had the back door open and was sitting by it with a book. I know we had a house in the next town over lose its roof to a lightning strike the night before, but I'm absolutely fascinated by nature's fury and I love watching it whenever I can.

Super Sunday: Wearin' of the Green 7k and Wonderful Weather

Yesterday was the day I've been training for since January. Wearin' of the Green 7k at Maumee Bay State Park. I was nervous for several reasons. I posted HERE about the weather warning from the "head leprechaun". Basically, this race is NOTORIOUS among local runners for its crap-tastic weather. Luckily, we dodged that bullet. It was already in the low 50s when the race started and was almost 60 by the time I headed home. The gorgeous weather brought out a significantly larger number of people than expected. According to a conversation I heard the day of, they had at least 30% more people pre-registered. I know there were at least 230 people (mainly because I saw someone with that stick). The more people, the less competitive I can be with other people. I realized this quickly and had to force myself to focus on my own race.

Despite the increase in people, the registration table and shirt pick-up went amazingly smooth. This COULD be because I went up to the lodge almost an hour before the race, but they had a great system that would have easily dealt with a bigger crowd. Once again, we were given numbered bibs that don't really mean anything. We just wear them so Toledo Roadrunners knows there are no bandits running the race. It's a gun start and as you run through the shoot at the end, you're handed a numbered stick and a computer system is clicked. You go back to the registration table and turn in your numbered stick, which is then coordinated to the number in the computer system (after the last person has crossed the finish line). A printout of stick numbers and times is taken up to the registration table and everything is filled in by hand. Inefficient, yes, but it works for our smaller local races. Anyway, the shirts were pretty awesome. Neon green Brooks tech shirt. One thing, though ... it's BIG. I wear medium shirts in just about every brand, but this shirt isn't just big around the middle, the arms are long too. Oh well. It's another tech shirt. If I really want to, it isn't a big deal to make alterations. I'm pretty nifty with a sewing machine.

The race itself wasn't bad. I started out faster than I wanted to, but it worked out. Instead of focusing on my mile times, I just focused on the next person in front of me and picking them off. My first three miles were run at 10:33, 10:39 (when I decided I ran the first mile too fast), and 10:19 (when I decided I wanted to run faster anyway). Mile 4 was a bit of a grind; I ran it at a 9:51, but I thought I was going to throw up for the majority of it. I had to focus on my form, the scenery, ANYTHING but how I was getting THAT feeling. When I saw the marker for "1/4 mile to go" and realized how close I was (remember, I know this park and it's trails pretty darn well from my masters field research), I said screw it and just pushed myself. I figured if I was going to puke, I was going to do it after the finish line. The last 0.37 miles was run at a 9:02/mile pace, according to my garmin. So, by garmin time, I ran 4.37 miles in 44:46, which is a 10:14/mile pace. Not too shabby for my first attempt at racing something longer than a 5k. :) I'm sure the official results will be up within a day or two and then I'll get into the nitty gritty of the stats.

After getting the results (didn't place in my age category), I decided to enjoy the gorgeous day. I had purposely packed extra clothes and food, so I changed out of my sweaty clothes and drove over to the beach. There's just something so calming, so centering about sitting on the rock and log break wall and staring out at Maumee Bay and Lake Erie. It was so clear I could see 3 power plants and the water intake for the City of Toledo. Oh, and my favorite little lake island ...

Taken June 2008

I had a bit of an epiphany while I was sitting there too ... I've been trying to figure out how to get in some hill repeats without running along some seriously dangerous roads (narrow, blind corners, distracted drivers), and I may have come up with an answer ...

Known as the "big hill" in the park, it's actually just the material that was dug out to create the inland lake [of course, found out after spending 2 days of trying to get ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistance images of the darn thing for my masters thesis]. There is a trail that goes up and over it, along with a bench and binocular station at the top. Those black dots on the right side, above the tree and bush? Those are people. I realize this isn't the best option, being as steep as it is, but it's something. There's another hill about the same size on the other side of the inland lake and a paved trail along the beach between them. I could easily log a couple miles just going back and forth. Along with the dune trail out at Oak Openings and the smaller hills of the canal towpath, I have something to work on.

When I got home, I didn't really feel like doing anything. One of the neighbor kids was laying out on the driveway reading, so I got the idea to take my old yoga mat out on the back deck and relax. I didn't want to go all the way out into the yard because the ants are already going crazy and I know there are at least 3 or 4 sand burr plants out in the yard that I haven't found yet. Every time I walk out to the pool or the back garage, I end up with a burr or two on my shoe, but I can't figure out where the heck I'm picking them up. Anyway, It was blissful sitting out there in the sunshine, relaxing, listening to the neighborhood kids running around playing tag. One of the older girls saw me out there and came over to talk to me. She's working on a photography project for a class (their current lesson is on perspective) and wanted to ask if she could take some pictures that *might* have me in them. I told her sure, as long as she sent me any that she took of me. :)

Jelly Beans, GFC, and Happy Birthday Dr Seuss!

A short(ish) one today ...

Jess of Run With Jess fame is at it again! Early registration for The 2nd Annual Jelly Bean Virtual Race is open! One of the VERY cool things about this race is that you can CHOOSE your distance! You can do any or all of the 5k, 10k, half-marathon, and full marathon distances (I'll be doing the 5k and 10k)! Go HERE for more information.

Unless you've been playing ostrich the last couple weeks, you know Google Friend Connect is ending (or already HAS ended, for those of you not using Blogger). I find this a little disappointing since it made following other blogs SO easy. I've been using G Reader for a while now, so it isn't SUCH a big deal for me, but I can see how it would be a royal pain in the backside. To make it a little easier for some of you (I know I don't have very many readers, so I like to take care of the ones I DO have), I've joined Linky and Networked Blogs. Those seemed to be the big 2 (besides G Reader) I've "heard" talked about lately as alternatives for GFC. The widgets for both of these can be found on the right side of my blog.

Also, a HUGE HaPpY BiRtHdAy to one of my favorite authors, Theodor Geisel. If that name doesn't ring a bell, you may know him as DR SEUSS! I have SO MANY Seuss books from my childhood, and I'm always trying to collect the ones I don't already own. A friend even bought me Thing 1 and Thing 2 stuffed animals back in high school (to go along with our costumes for Seuss day during Spirit Week). My dad's confusion over my love of Disney movies was to my Grandmother's confusion over anything Dr Seuss. They just didn't make sense to her (which she was VERY vocal about), which made story time all the more entertaining for us grandkids. One Fish. Two Fish. Red Fish. Blue Fish. :D

Tomorrow's run is my 2nd attempt at a 8-miler. My confidence SHOULD be much higher after last weekend, but I just saw the weather report for tomorrow. Gusting wind. Well, crap. I guess I'd better put together a rocking playlist to help me stay focused. I'll probably run the same route as last weekend just to make it a little easier on myself. I guess this will be good practice for my 7k next weekend. No joke, this is directly off the entry form for the race ...

Warning from the race director and head leprechaun: Let's be honest about this race for a moment. This race has the absolutely worst weather of any outdoor event not only in the Midwest, but perhaps in the entire US (of course I have not done that Ultra marathon in Death Valley, so I could be wrong). Due to the time of year and the unique positioning of Maumee Bay State Park right on the shore of Lake Erie, the running conditions border on being suicidal! Expect gale-force winds, snow, sleet, rain, freezing temperatures, icy and snow-covered roads, swarms of locusts, and the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, all in the same 4.34 mile course. This race makes running a marathon look really easy!! If you had a brain in your head, you would run screaming from this entry form, but as I know you will not, don't come complaining to me on race day about the weather. Oh, and by the way, the 4 horsemen don't get scored in the age groups, so that is at least one positive thing. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Don't even think that I will cancel this race for any of the above conditions, just get your snow shoes and survival gear ready and pay up the insurance before you come! Now, back to the entry form ...

Yea, yikes. This Bay and Park are actually my Masters research site, so I KNOW they aren't kidding. This is going to be "FUN".

February Wrap Up and then some.

Well, I guess it's time to wrap up February since it's officially March now. I started writing this post last night, but I was just too darn tired after watching Ghost Hunters International and Face Off to finish it and post. Oh well. Here we go ...

Did everyone enjoy Leap Day? Did you do anything special? I was a little nostalgic in the morning because I realized it was the first Leap Day without my grandmother (mom's mom). It would have been her 19th birthday. Yes, she was a leap day baby. All the grandkids LOVED needling her over surpassing her in both age and height (she was also a SHORT woman). The joke in our family was that you were officially allowed to sit at the "big kid table" (none of us act like adults) once you were taller than Grandma. lol. My dad and I were pulling for my cousin's baby to be born yesterday just to spite K, but no luck.

Last night, I got sucked into another race, The Quantum Leap 2.9 Miler. It was put on by the Toledo and Fremont running clubs and the store where I've been going to group runs, Second Sole. I hadn't really trained specifically for it, but I figured yesterday was a speed workout anyway (I'll make up the extra mile tonight at group) and a new distance meant an automatic PR. *grin* There was a threat of thunderstorms, but we got lucky. Actually, we got doubly lucky because the temperature was in the low 50s! Sheesh! If it hadn't been so breezy, I would have worn a tee shirt with my capris. There were actually quite a few people there in shorts and tees! In February! *shakes head* It was a really fun race, though. I got there, signed in (relatively quick for the number of people there), and started my warm up before I realized who was standing less than 10 feet from me. My friend Mike and his wife (yes, Liz, the one I ran with the night I won my Saucony Nomad jacket at group!). He made a big deal out of how surprised he was to see me and I just raised my eyebrow and laughed at him. Another friend, also Mike, from dailymile, was there too, but we didn't get to talk much until after the race since he got there so close to the start. Unoffficially, my finish time was 29:43. That's a 10:10/mi average pace. Not too shabby. I'm sure the official time will be a little different since it was a gun start and I was a little ways back in the pack. I thought I started out a little too quick, but I was able to maintain my pace pretty easily as long as I didn't over-think it. I THINK the photographer got a picture of 2 with me in it, but we'll see when they're posted on facebook. I'll be sure to update here if/when. I'll go crazy pouring over the age groups once the results are posted too, so no worries.

Some of you know I've been experimenting with my nutrition and hydration lately. Some of it has to do with knowing I need to find a better (read - healthier) system as I increase my mileage and part of it is trying to avoid the migraine-like headaches I get from being dehydrated and electrolytes being out of whack. No joke, I used to get them after EVERY run, no matter how much water or gatorade I drank before, during, and after. The only thing I could do was take painkillers and crawl in bed for a couple hours, hopefully to sleep off the prain. It was horrible. Anyway, my latest thing to try out finally came in the mail yesterday ... nuun. A smaller shop that sells through amazon had a pretty great deal on a pack of 4 tubes plus 4 individuals, so I used some of my amazon credits. So far, I like it! I have tubes of tri-berry, citrus fruit, lemon-lime and orange. The individuals are grape and fruit punch (NOT my favorite flavor, but I'll try just about anything once). I tried out the orange before the race last night and lemon-lime later. I like that the flavor isn't overpowering. More to come as I try out the other flavors and work them into my regular life.

Wheeeeee! Fizzies! Yes, I'm mature. lol :D

Since it IS the end of February, I sat down with my weekly mileage tracker (woo, more excel spreadsheets!) and figured out my monthly totals. This month, I had 9.15 miles walked (warm ups and cool downs, mostly) and 62.68 miles run (in 11:55:14). Not bad. My miles walked is down from January (mainly because I've been better at planning and mapping my runs) but my miles run is up (53.64 in January). There hasn't been a whole lot of change in my pace, but my endurance is much better. My longest run in February was my 8-miler last Saturday where my longest in January was 5.1 miles (twice). I can feel the difference in my body, but I'll address that in another post (I swear. I'm writing it bit by bit every day).

The end of February also means the end of Fab Ab February and Amanda @ RunToTheFinish's Appreciation Challenge. These were both eye-opening for me. FAF really showed me that I need to take more time to work on my core. Since I quit #plankaday (I got annoyed at being bitched at over twitter for not getting online and sharing every damn day. You don't like that my first instinct ISN'T to run online and tell you every time I do something? Too damn bad.), I need to come up with a plan of my own and stick to it. I'm working on it. The Appreciation Challenge really opened my eyes to appreciating the little things about myself and those around me. I'm really enjoying going back and re-reading some of the journal entries and thinking about WHY I was appreciating certain things and people each day. I realize how much the "little things" impact the rest of my day and my longer-term mood. I think this is another thing that I need to work on more frequently.

Alright. Lunch break over. With the University being on Spring Break next week, all the professors who do field work trips on the "week off" are in a tizzy over getting all their equipment ready to go. Which means the basement is pretty loud (even after our department chair got the construction crew to shut up during class hours) and I have to concentrate even harder to get anything done here on campus.

Saturday and Sherry

I was SO excited when it started snowing Friday night. If you don't believe me, ask my dad. He was making fun of me because I decided to act like a kid and ran outside to get the mail in jeans and a sweatshirt "so I could play in the snow". Yea. I don't think I was this excited about snow when I WAS a kid. Anyway ... It really isn't Winterfest without snow (and some of the activities/ contests are a little more challenging without the white stuff), so I was happy. Plus, I wanted to run in the snow, dangit!

My knee felt fine (thank goodness that seems to be over ... for now), but my stomach wasn't happy as I was getting ready to head into town for the 5k. I wasn't nervous, really, and I ate the normal stuff, so I wasn't sure what to attribute it to. And I knew it was going to be cold, but I wasn't prepared for HOW cold when I ran between my car and Cyclewerks to sign in for the race. Yikes. I knew I was a little under-dressed for the weather, but I also knew my upper body would still over-heat and my legs would still go numb no matter HOW much clothing I wore. Plus, if I threw on another layer, it would cover up Sherry's bib. I spent some time Thursday night gluing the bib to a bright sheet of paper and then "laminating" it with packaging tape so it would stand up to the weather and stand OUT against my gray vest. There were a couple other women there who were wearing their bibs too and we took a minute before the race to talk and think about Sherry, her family, friends, and how this all affected our world. After the race, a couple other runners who had seen our bibs came up and were asking me about it. One of the guys told me he wished he had heard about it sooner so he could have worn one too. He mentioned his recover run for today with friends so I suggested he check out SUAR's blog and print off a bib and wear it then, if he wanted.

My age group award.
Like I need ANOTHER coffee
mug. lol.

I tried for almost 20 minutes earlier this week to figure out what route they would have us run. BOY was I wrong. We started in the park, ran west past Cyclewerks, flipped around and got on the W-C trail (basically doubling back what we had JUST run), went up to Cemetery Rd, did a loop in a neighborhood, and came back down W-C, finishing right in the park right next to Generals Ice Cream. [If I can get my Garmin to upload later, maybe I'll post a map of the route. I had it running so I could watch my pace, but I forgot to hit "stop" at the end so the numbers are a little funky.] I wouldn't have had any problems with the course, and probably could have PRed except for one thing .... ICE! The whole trail except for the 1/4 mile "in town" was solid ice so we had to run IN THE SNOW on the uneven ground on the side of the trail. AND, the road wasn't plowed, so it was a mix of ice, slush, and packed snow. Sheesh. It's amazing nobody slipped and got hurt. I guess that's why they make us sign those silly waivers. Had I known about the trail conditions, I would have worn my Adidas trail shoes instead of my Sauconys! Ugh. I was a whole mix of emotions when I got to the last stretch of the race and I could SEE the numbers ticking on the clock. I started sprinting when I saw my PR time (31:16) go by, but I still ended up with an unofficial time of 32:14. 2nd in my age group. The official results will be up online in a couple days and I can scrutinize my stats then. Not bad considering the conditions. I should have gone back today to get a picture to show you just how bad the trail really was, but I'm quite comfortable in my nice warm house, thank you. And the parents are out of town until tonight so I've been on a cleaning frenzy since I woke up.

I had contemplated going out for another 3-miler after the race since my training plan called for 6 miles yesterday, but when I got home and finally thawed out, I decided it would be better to just jump on the treadmill. I didn't want to go back out in sweaty clothes when it was that cold and I JUST did laundry so I didn't want to get another set of warm clothes dirty. I figured I wouldn't do the whole 3 miles and I'd run at a pace even slower than my already-slow training pace, but I just wanted to burn some more calories and enjoy the quiet of the house. Since I was already getting hungry again (anyone else eat right after a run and then get seriously hungry AGAIN 2-3 hours later?), I decided I was just going to do a half hour. Coincidently, that's how much of "The Ugly Truth" was left on Lifetime (I adore Gerard Butler). lol.

I actually spent a lot of time thinking about Sherry while on the treadmill. I never knew her, just through SUAR, but she seemed like an amazing woman. I don't know how to say anything that hasn't been said over and over again since this happened. All I can do is offer my thoughts and prayers. Remember Sherry for the wonderful woman she was - wife, mother, teacher, runner - and not for the tragic and horrific way her life ended. I truly believe that is the BEST way to honor her. May she be at peace and her body be returned to her loved ones soon.

What I looked at while on the treadmill.

Since I didn't get one from Winterfest.
That paper border is actually BRIGHT yellow, so it REALLY stood out.

When I got off the treadmill, I went into Maumee and indulged myself:

Taco Bell. Dinner of champions. Oh, how I love Baja Blast Mountain Dew.

Ok, make that indulgence 2 or 3-fold ...

Dessert. Vanilla fudge and my FAVORITE wine.

 Oh, and I made an addition to my gnome collection while I was at the store tonight [reference my Christmas post if you don't understand the joke]:

I'm going to leave him in the corner by the front door for when the parents get home and see how long it takes them to notice him and for dad to realize this is the one he DIDN'T buy lil bro and I for Christmas. :)

So, a very thoughtful Saturday. Not bad. Not especially good. Thoughtful. And thankful.

- - -
I'm appreciative of my health and safety and the health and safety of my loves ones, wherever they may be.

PS - I'm still in awe of how many people are finding my post of fab ab february from a google search. Really, people, that calendar is EVERYWHERE. Also, I want to meet whoever it was that found me by googling "Holy sore muscles batman" ... especially since I've only said that (on this blog. I say it in my head all the time) a couple times. LMAO!