Run Down Memory Lane –

Sunday, the day after Nicole, Heather and I ran the Ho Ho Ho Virtual half, I decided to do a 10 mile run around Channahon.  I started off in our neighborhood and as I ran around the outside loop I tried to name everyone that lived there while growing up.  I did our neighborhood and then ran down the hill and made it to Route 6 (main road in town).  I was wearing the same outfit I wore for the Ho Ho Ho Virtual half.  People were definitely noticing me.  I ran down route 6 one way, turned around and back the other way.  At one point I ended up by my old school – where I went to pre-school and middle school.  It is also the school that has the old softball fields where I played Jr High softball.  That made me think of state softball, then came state basketball.  It is weird how some things have completely changed.  The big green building is no longer green – it’s brown.  Then there are other things that haven’t changed at all.

 Christmas running outfit - Runnin Elf

Overall it was a good run.  A quicker pace (8:42 pace) than I intended, but it didn’t feel taxing.  I could have kept going.  I think this is as good as it is going to get for Goofy training.  I did several back-to-back runs (15Ks/half marathons).  Several long runs of 16, 18, & 20 miles.  And I have my NYE Double half marathon yet to come.  Now all I have to do is some major shopping for Goofy outfits!

Ho Ho Ho (Virtual) half marathon –

Saturday morning before Christmas Nicole and I planned to run a virtual half marathon together to practice running together for Goofy.  Our friend Heather decided join, so we ran at Waterfall Glen.  I had never been there before, but it is a nice running path.  It is a 9.5 mile loop that is the crushed gravel path.  There are some pretty hilly parts, but thankfully we ran down Big Bertha.  I was a bit nervous to run with Nicole and Heather, because I tried to at Thanksgiving and they tried to kill me.  Both are stronger runners than me and I just couldn’t hang.  This time Nicole promised me they would take it easy.  We wanted to be around a 9 minute pace.

As we started off, it was a cold day, but the sun was out and there was no wind, so it was pretty good running conditions.  Nicole did a great job of keeping Heather in check and keeping the pace easy.  We did one loop around and then ran an out and back portion.  We ended up running 13.22 miles.  The .22 miles was in honor of it being the 22^nd.  I ended with a time of 1:57:53 (8:55 pace).  Dang near perfect!  Majority of the miles were between 8:50 – 9:10.  Only 2 miles were faster than that, and one of them was the last mile where it was OK to pick it up a bit. 

The starburst looking loop!

Several people commented on the fact that we were wearing race bibs and was wondering what was going on.  We had to explain it was a ‘virtual’ half and could be run anywhere. Then we would ‘race’ to be in the lead.  I am happy to report that I took 3^rd place at this race.  Yes, out of the 3 of us J.

Jingle Bell 5K – Dallas

This was a Wednesday night run in downtown Dallas.  I was flying out bright-n-early Thursday morning and figured this would be a good race to run right before leaving and see some of the running friends.  I got lucky and one of my friends knew a promo code, so this race was completely free.  Score!  I didn’t know how popular it was, they have an untimed  and a timed option.  The weather was crazy warm for a Jingle Bell run.  It was in the upper 70s and humid. 

It took placed in the Hilton Anatole which was all decked out for the holidays.  There were tons of families, strollers and dogs.  Parking was a bit of a hassle so I was glad I got down there pretty early.  It gave me plenty of time to check out the decorations and wander around the start to find friends. 

My main focus for the past few months has been building up the longer runs and back-to-back running.  I have only ran 1 5K in the past 6+ months, so needless to say I had no expectations.  I was hoping to keep an 8 minute pace.  Started off too fast (as always) and quickly settled down.  They had clocks at each mile point and the first 2 miles went pretty well.  The third mile was a bit of a struggle.  I kept thinking I had covered more ground than I had.  At one point I looked at my watch and I was only at 2.3 miles and I could have sworn I was at least past the 2.6 mile mark.  I just kept pushing and finished with a 23:37.  A whole 2 second PR.  I was pretty shocked because I didn’t expect to be close a PR.

I ran a 7:28, 7:40 & 7:42 with a 7:24 pace to finish.  Relatively consistent for me at a short race.  Good enough for 7^th place in my age group out of 70 people.  I will take it!  It is a flat course and I had fun running at night.  However it is kind of a mess at the start.  I think they should start the untimed participants a few minutes later to avoid some of the congestion. 

Afterwards you can hang out in the ballroom for free pizza, beer, and other treats!  They have music and fun.  Then it was home to finish packing and head to Illinois in the morning.

Motivation Monday

Make it happen – that has been a saying of mine pretty recently.  You can’t just wait for things to happen you have to do something about.  Someone (not sure who) said – ‘The harder I work, the luckier I get.’  I fully believe in that statement.

The past week, I made my running happen.  Some of them may not have been my fastest miles, may not have been the easiest, but I did them!  Less than 1 month until Goofy so now is the time to take it easy and not stress the legs!  With 12 on Wednesday and an extremely easy 10 on Saturday I feel better.

Another big thing that happened over the weekend is I reach 1,000 MILES for the year!  Go me!  Go me!

I also did a lot of eating out, but tried to keep it as healthy as I could.  Still ate way too much in general.  We had our work Christmas party Friday afternoon, then Friday night I went to the Macaroni Grill – there mac-n-cheese bites are AWESOME!  Saturday I had Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, Chuy’s (Mexican) for lunch and Blue Fish (Sushi) for dinner.  I ordered the basic California roll and everyone else let me try some of theirs.  I am proud of all the different sushi I ate, and now I got a better idea of what I like

I am packed and ready to go home.  Volleyball Tuesday and a 5K on Wednesday – fly out Thursday morning!

Three Things Thursday

1.      One month from today, I will have completed the Goofy Challenge!  We have been talking about it for so long and now it is here.  The next two weekends are the biggest training weekends.  After that it is taper time!  This weekend I am going for a 10ish mile run with my friend Megan on Saturday.  Sunday I will have to motivate myself to go for a long run.  Next weekend I will be running a virtual half with Nicole in Illinois and hopefully able to get in some more miles even with all the family fun time

2.      Yesterday was 12-12-12:  How did I celebrate, like many others, going for a 12 mile run.  It was not a pretty run, but I did it and right now I am just focused on getting the miles done.  I did 8.5 miles in the morning, went shopping and then went back out for 3.5 that afternoon.  I am 5.5 miles away from hitting 1,000 miles for the year!  Those will be done on Saturday.

3.      Tonight is gym night – I have my bag packed.  I am planning on a 1.0 mile jog to warm up, lifting my arms, and a 1.0 mile cool down.  I am really enjoying being back in the gym and really hope that I can keep it up.

Dallas (White Rock) Marathon weekend –

Marathon atmospheres are the best.  Everyone is so supportive and encouraging to each other.  I had a great time cheering on runners and jumping in for a few miles around the lake.  While I was waiting for Megan to show up I was cheering on all the runners and one guy asked why I wasn’t out there running.  He said I was too fit not to be running it.  Score 1 for my self-esteem!

I parked my car at Winfrey Point which was between mile 16 and 17 and the plan was to run to mile 13 and wait for Megan, get in 3 miles beforehand.  I probably should have looked at the map a bit closer to see that mile 13 wasn’t right on the lake, so I took a detour.  Finally got it all figured out, and ended up doing 5 miles, but got to the right spot.  Jumped in with Megan and ran to mile 18.  She was doing great and I didn’t feel like I was helping her out all that much because she didn’t need it.  (She finished at 4:07, well below her target time).  I did 10.5 miles out there.  Came home and got some food, then went back out for another 5.5 miles.  Total for the day: 16 miles.

If I can get in two more long runs the next 2 weekends I will feel confident for Goofy. 

I am also 24.5 miles away from hitting 1,000 miles on the year.  Although this is the first time I have ever really tracked my miles for the full year, I am confident that this is the first time I have it the 1,000 mile mark.  Go me!!!

5 for Friday –

1.      Workouts – This week my workouts have been spot on.  I ran everyday Monday – Thursday and was at the gym on Thursday and did some lifting.  Although I am not lifting a lot, it is making me feel better.  I LOVE the soreness in my shoulders and arms.  A tip one of my trainer friends gave me is to keep a small notebook in my gym bag to write down my settings and weights so I remember for next time and can track improvement.  With only going to the gym once a week, I tend to forget where exactly I was the week before.  Handy little tip – not rocket science.

2.      Darts – I subbed in on a dart team at Yucatan last night for a bit.  And I actually wasn’t that bad.  Pretty impressed with myself.  I think it was all beginners luck, but by the end, I was actually aiming.  I might even have to play next week.  It feels good to be back at Yucatan and see everyone.  Typical Thursday.

3.      White Rock Marathon – This Sunday I will be running miles 13-20 of the White Rock Marathon with my friend Megan.  I am really excited to be helping her out and to be in the marathon atmosphere.  All of what I am running is around the lake, which is very familiar ground for both of us.

4.      Eating – I barely ate out at all this week – Score!!!  On Tuesday I had some chips and queso at the bar before volleyball, but that was expected.  Other than that, I have been pretty good about not eating out and limiting my holiday goodies.

5.      2013 – 2012 has flown and I cannot believe it is already December, so much has happened.  That being said – I can’t believe everything I have planned for 2013.  The first couple months are going to start off huge and then hopefully things will taper down a bit.  Always striving for more!

Nutrition is the key to everything –

It seems like as soon as I ‘fall off the workout wagon’ even for a day or two, my eating goes right along with it.  I have felt like blah the last 2 weeks and guess what?  I ate a lot of crap food during those two weeks.  Saturday and Monday I did some major cooking and made all my lunches and snacks for the entire week.  Eating better has already turned around how my body feels.  I have done 3 miles both Monday and Tuesday, I feel good and it has been fun.

When I eat like crap, I feel like crap!  When I eat good, I feel good!

It is also holiday season – meaning tons of goodies and gift baskets.  Must keep the moderation!  I know I am not going to stay away from the treats all together, but I am trying to make as few trips as possible to the break room (where all the treats are), so I am not as tempted.

Volleyball went well last night.  We lost most of our games, but I felt I played well.  On regular I had a couple of really good digs when the guys were hitting and then on reverse I remembered where I was supposed to be and got my hands on many balls when blocking.  Next I will work on reaching over the net.  Didn’t really hit or serve remarkably well, but every week I am getting a different aspect of my game back and hopefully soon, they will all be clicking together!

Tonight’s workout will hopefully consist of a 5-7 mile run and some push-ups and sit-ups.  Then a relaxing night on the couch.

Where did my mojo go?

I think I have been so focused on Goofy for so long, that I have now lost interest.  I have had no motivation to run.  I was doing so well for a while and now I have just flopped.  I started a run on Saturday and quit about a mile into it.  Then I just all together skipped Sunday.  At least I have already done an 18 and a 20 mile run, so I got the necessary long ones in.  Time to get my head back in the right spot.  No more lazyiness or excuses.

Yesterday, I think I got some of my mojo back.  I ran 3 miles, cooked all my lunches, made all my snacks for the rest of the week and even threw in some push-ups (50) and sit-ups (100) for good measure.  I have no excuses not to run this week.  Everything is done that needs to be done and I am ready.  The weather is still gorgeous and I plan on getting in another good run after work and before volleyball.

This weekend I think I am going to go watch the Dallas (White Rock) Marathon.  I might even run part of it with my friend.  Hopefully the energy and the environment will get me going again!

Gym Rat –

I finally got back to the gym yesterday and it felt GREAT!!!  I missed that place.  As much as running on the treadmill isn’t really my favorite, I still missed it.  I always went there after work and plugged in my head phones and watched ESPN.  I caught up on all my sports highlights and upcoming events. 

Workout consisted of:

·        3 miles on the treadmill

·        3 arm machines (should press, pull downs, chest press) 3 sets of 10 each – the dip machine was broken.

·        Stair step machine – 15 minutes

I don’t know what had gotten into me yesterday – I was ultra productive at work, hit the gym for a great first workout back, and then went home and did some of the winter cleaning.  Whew! 

Needless to say – I slept good last night. 

December –

I think I need to get back to posting monthly goals.  When you write them down and put them out there for people to see, you are more likely to follow through.  Also, with volleyball dropping down to 1 day a week I really want to get back into the gym!  I am going to get my arms and abs back!

December Goals –

·        Miles: 115

·        Gym: 1-2 times a week

·        Sit-ups: 1,500

·        Push-ups: 750

·        CPCU 510 – Vocab for all chapters typed

My running has been going well, but I feel like I have lost most of my strength and I want to change that.  I will get back to the gym this month.  I think now I have realized what works best for my running.  When not training for a marathon, around 75-85 miles a month is good for my body.  When training I can get to the 100 mile range, but 150 is unrealistic.  That does not work for me.  December will be my most important Goofy training month so yes I do need to push the mileage a bit. 

Volleyball went really well last night.  We only had one game playing reverse and I hit and served extremely well.  I also layed out for a ball and am feeling it today.  The hard courts don’t give as much as the sand J.  Indoor came back to me pretty fast.

Thanksgiving Gobble Gobble –

This was probably one of the best trips home I have had in awhile.  I was so excited and saw more family and friends than I ever imagined I would.  I will try and keep this short and sweet – There are so many cute pictures from this trip I will have to post some later!

Wednesday – Flew home (bright) and early.  Not really bright as I was up at 4:30 for my flight.  There was heavy fog in Chicago and I am lucky I made it in on time – many flights got cancelled.  I spent the whole first day at my sister’s house playing with my rug rats!  And managed a 3 hour nap.

Thursday – 4 mile Poultry Predictor run in Joliet.  Kyla cried when I left the house.  I ran most of the race with Nicole and finished with a 32:06 (8:01 pace).  Faster than last year and a PR.  It wasn’t an easy run for me, but it wasn’t too hard either.  I felt like I was working for that time.  Then it was Thanksgiving at the parent’s house.  It is generally mom’s side of the family, but Aunt Cheryl and gang came up from St. Louis/Texas and joined in the festivities.  Brad’s pit Drago was a bit hit.  I was staying at the parent’s house that night and of course my sidekick wanted to stay too.  She passed out at 8:00 on my arm watching a movie.

Friday – Thanksgiving with my dad’s side of the family.  It was absolutely FANTASTIC that the entire side of the family got together.  We could not remember the last time all 6 cousins were together.  It was well over 7 years ago.  Everyone enjoyed hanging out and just having a good time.  Met up with Stacey to have a drink or two and catch up on life. 

Saturday – Schaumburg Turkey Trot Half Marathon.  IT WAS FREEZING.  Nicole takes her job of keeping me dressed warm very seriously and I do have to say I was properly attired!  However, it was cold out.  I started the race with Nicole and Heather and they kept pushing the pace.  I knew by mile 4 I was in trouble.  Most of the time I looked down at my watch the pace started with a 7.  Yeah – umm no.  I don’t think so.  Nicole dropped back a bit, but by mile 8 I was toast.  I told her to take off and that I was truly dropping the pace a lot.  She asked if I was OK, and I was, I just could do that pace anymore.  I took some time to catch my breath and re-group.  Then I finished the last couple miles at a more comfortable pace.  I finished with a 1:51:53 which is still a top 5 time for me and I was very happy with it.  After the race we went out for some beers.  Saturday night we went to a little pizza place pub in Channahon.  My goal that night was to see Mata and Megan.  Both of them came out, and Mata’s girlfriend, and Stacey and Andrew.  So I got to see everyone I wanted.  We were all pretty tired and mellow, but I am so glad I got to see them.  Hopefully I can see them over Christmas too!

Sunday – Mom took Amy and I shopping (and Kyla and Brent).  I actually have things I want for Christmas this year.  I did pretty good at Old Navy and New York and Co.  After that it was dinner with Russ and Donna who were home from Arizona.  I haven’t seen them in 2-3 years either.  We went to Cookies for dinner and back to the house to hang out.  I always love hanging out with them.

Monday – I had both kids to myself for a bit.  Aaron was home sleeping, but I kept them alive and in one piece all by myself!  Then it was over to grandma/pas B’s house for lunch.  By Monday night I was ready to be back in Texas.  I needed my quiet house with my cats.  They were very happy to see me J!

Homeward Bound

I am super excited to be heading home tomorrow.  It has been 5 months and the longest I have ever gone without being home.  That being said…

Last night I did a 3 mile run/walk.  I jogged most of it, but did walk up the hills.  The legs were definitely tired and fatigued, but I wanted to get them going.  I’m glad I did because they feel much better today.  After that I went home and finally cooked the sweet potato and egg casserole.  It is quick and easy and tastes pretty good.  I took out the mushrooms and added green and red peppers.  The vanilla almond milk gives it a little bit of sweetness which is really good.
http://nataliehodson.com/healthyrecipes/sweet-potato-and-egg-breakfast-casserole/

Tonight is the first night of indoor volleyball and I am terrified.  It doesn’t help that we are starting off against one of the tougher teams.  Couldn’t they give me an easy team to start with?  I’m sure I will get the hang of it soon enough, but some of these guys hit hard enough out of the sand.  Give them a hard surface to jump off of and I don’t even want to know what they can do.

Everyone on facebook has jumped on the posting everyday what they are thankful for.  I know it is that time of year and everyone has a lot to be thankful for, but I find them annoying.  Then I got on fb last night and see that a girl I have known most of my life is in very critical condition in ICU, battling a very rare leg infection, 3 surgeries in the past 30 hours, transported to the Loyola Burn Unit.  We were in all the same classes in high school, played sports with and against each other from grade school through high school but were never really close, probably because we were so much alike.  She is very into running and has run several marathons.  Seeing what she is going through made me stop and think.  Being young, healthy, active, etc doesn’t make you invincible.  Things like this can still happen and you should be thankful EVERY DAY for everything you have and everything you are able to do.  Praying she kicks this infection fast!

Weekend Recap - BAM!

I didn’t have much to report last week.  Work events took up my Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday so I was actually quite lazy with my eating and exercise.  Friday I voluntarily took off because I knew I had a crazy busy weekend.  So this is a long one!  Big weekend for me.

Saturday – MY FIRST BIKE RALLY – so I was a bit nervous not knowing what to expect.  We pull into the parking lot and everyone is wearing their crazy bike outfits and getting their bikes set.  Get my bike out of the car and get it all put together.  Pechie tells me my tires are soft and need more air.  One thing I do have to say about bikers is they all look out for each other and are some of the most helpful people I have ever met.  More can go (mechanically) wrong biking than running and everyone looks out for everyone.  There were several different courses you could do ranging from 8 miles to 68 miles.  We had all signed up for the 29 mile course.  I was worried because the longest ride I had done on my bike was 15 – 18 miles.  Cardio wise I knew I was fine, but you use your leg muscles differently and I was worried about them. Pretty much an out and back course with a few decent hills.  At the water/rest stops, you actually get off your bike and rest – have some water, have a banana, some cookies, chit-chat, then get on your bike a go on your merry little way.  Most of the route was smooth roads with beautiful views, however part was on packed rock/pebbles, and made for a bumpy ride.  I did really well clipping into the pedals and shifting gears.  I dominated on the hills!  My legs are getting stronger.  One of Pechie’s friends did most of the ride with us and her and her husband are big time riders.  So I was asking her about proper biking etiquette.  She taught me the right way to take the corners – cornering – because I was doing it wrong.  I had the wrong foot down.  It was much more a ride with friends than a race.  Perfect weather, beautiful scenery and a good ride.  Very enjoyable first experience on the bike.

Sunday – Big D 30K (plus 1.4 miles) = 20 run.  BAM!  Sunday morning I get up bright and early to head down to White Rock for the Big D 30K – 18.6 miles.  Basically it was 2 loops around the lake.  You ran around it one way, turned around, and went back around it the other way.  My running buddy Megan was doing this race as well.  We are a pretty even match for each other.  She is a bit stronger of a runner than me, but it makes me push myself.  I figured I would stay with her the first loop and as much as I could the second loop.  My goal was under 3 hours (under a 9:30 pace), she was going for 2:50 (9:09 pace).  First loop was nice and easy – at the turn around point, I shed the long sleeve shirt and got prepared for the second loop.  Most of the course is pretty flat with a few slopes.  Nothing that was a make or break it hill.  I was letting Megan set the pace.  Her garmin wasn’t working so she had no idea that we were running an 8:30/8:40 pace most of the second loop.  I did and knew I was going to have to work.  I was still feeling good at 15.  My 16 I started to feel it, mile 17 I was struggling.  Megan still looked strong.  I told her she could just go, but she said she would stay with me.  I asked her to stay with me to 18 and I could manage the 0.6 without her.  Again, she refused.  We were both well under our goal times (again – she had no idea how much she had pushed the pace).  Going down the finishing stretch I held back a step.  We knew we were in the top few girls, but we didn’t know the age of the girls ahead of us.  I didn’t want it to come down to 3^rd and 4^th in the age group and me somehow getting a better time.  She would have easily beat me, but was nice enough to help me finish.  I wanted to make sure she got the award if it came down to it.  We finished the run and then did a 1.4 mile cool down so I hit 20 miles on the day.

20 miles in under 3 hours!

18.86 miles in 2:43 and change.  (8:40 pace) Splits are as follows: 8:55, 8:56, 8:47, 8:49, 8:56, 8:45, 8:40, 8:39, 8:31, 8:32, 8:37, 8:41, 8:27, 8:20, 8:44, 8:27, 8:33,. 8:44, and finished with an 8:42 pace.

1.4 mile cool down at a 10:30 pace.

We hung around for the awards because we knew there was a good chance of one or both of us getting an age group award.  Had a few beers.  I figured I had earned them this weekend.  When the guy was announcing our age group awards he announced ours down to the hundredth of a second because we were so close.  She took 2^nd (rightfully so) and I took 3^rd.  I was super happy with my run that day and am feeling more and more confident for Goofy.  Solid 18 a few weeks ago and 20 milers in the book this week.

Now I have 6 weeks to build up the back to back runs and then 2 weeks to taper.  I think I am on track for being in shape enough to run good and ENJOY Goofy without struggling too much!

Five for Friday

1.      Running – the weather has been absolutely perfect for being outside.  I have been doing tons of running and biking.  After this week fall is officially here and the temps are only supposed to be in the mid 60s.  That means I need to get in as much as possible this weekend.  I am hoping to do an 18-20 mile run on Saturday and some biking on Sunday.  It is supposed to be extremely windy, so I might wimp out.

2.      Eating – I found a new recipe that I am excited to try.  Sweet potato and egg casserole.  I am going to sub out the mushrooms for some green and red bell peppers.  Some people also add (turkey) sausage.  I think the first one will be straight veggies and we’ll see how that goes before I start experimenting. From Natalie Hodson’s website:

http://nataliehodson.com/healthyrecipes/sweet-potato-and-egg-breakfast-casserole/

3.      Home – 12 days, but who’s counting?  ME!!!  I am ready, ever since St. Louis I have been having a hard time not seeing Kyla and Brent.  Brent is already walking and I haven’t even seen him crawl yet.  Grrr.  The only good thing is I have stuff every single day until then.  I will definitely be kept busy.

4.      Work – In the past 6 weeks, this is only the second Friday that I have worked.  My weekend is going to feel a lot shorter than normal.  Getting ready to head to Houston next week.  I’m really not all that excited for the work trip, marketing is one of the parts of the job that I don’t like.  I am glad that my boss is coming with for some of the bigger brokers.

                                                                                                              

5.      Life – Everything is going good.  Livin life with no sense of time…

             

Tangent Tuesday –

Being healthy is a lifestyle.  And man did my lifestyle go out the window for a few weeks.  I wasn’t feeling the running, I was eating way too unhealthy, staying out too late, and drinking too much.  It is a vicious circle that is hard to break.  But I am happy to report that I have.  Been to the grocery store several times and got my eating back on track, been getting more sleep and (not so) shockingly I am back at my running and feeling good!

Yesterday I decided to do an easy 3 miles just to get the legs going again.  I was pretty sure they would be sore from the 18 miler.  Boy was I wrong.  I started running and the legs loosened up right away.  I was just cruising along and was happily surprised with my times.  3 miles in 25 minutes flat.  With an 8:40, 8:22 and a sub 8 to finish.  I felt great, and if I didn’t have volleyball I would have kept going for a few more miles.

Honestly it all starts with a healthy diet.  I can tell a HUGE difference if I fall off the wagon with my eating.  When I eat unhealthy it affects every aspect of my life.  I am much happier person when I am eating right and exercising.

Eat less CRAP, Eat more FOOD.

Wonderful Weekending –

This weekend was fantastic.  I had Friday off work because I am burning vacation days.  I spent most of the day lounging around.  Did some cleaning and 3.6 miles.  That being said, I get most of the house and adult stuff out of the way Friday and have ALL weekend to do weekend type stuff.  The weather was absolutely perfect!  Low 70s with blue skies and a light breeze.

Saturday I got up and did 2.4 miles to finish up Friday’s run.  Then I jumped on my bike for 11 miles.  About 3 miles in I ran into my friend Michael so we did a couple of laps on Spinks Rd.  He said he could see my bike from a mile away. J.  I am still pretty good at clipping in the pedals and getting better at the gears on the hills.  It was a good ride and had to remind myself not to do too much, but it was so pretty outside I just wanted to keep going.

Sunday was Sunday Funday to the max.  Starting off with the DRC half marathon.  I was using these 13.1 miles as the start of my 17 mile run. My goal was to hang back with the 2 hour group for most of it and then run an extra 4 miles.  I tried to hang back as much as possible, but I am a much stronger runner than I give myself credit for.  There were some good hills through the middle of the course and I still just could not slow down to a 9 minute pace.  I decided to let myself go to about an 8:45 pace most of it.  Official time 1:53:55.  I believe that is a top 5 half marathon time for me. 

After I was done, grabbed a water, had another energy gel and took back off.  Got 1.5 miles in and saw my friend who was cheering on runners.  Stopped to say hi and since I was feeling good, I went out another mile and turned around to head back.  2.5 miles out and 2.5 miles back.  I did not care one bit about my time on this one.  I just wanted to get the miles on the legs.  Obviously I was tired, but I still felt pretty good.  18 mile run = I am happy J.

32 miles on the week.

After that I went home and relaxed, then it was out to Sneaky Pete’s to watch some volleyball and drink some beer.  I did end up playing a small amount, but wasn’t moving too well.  That whole squatting and getting back up wasn’t working out for me.  After that was over to friends to watch the Cowboys get beat by the Falcons.  I only stayed for the first half then it was home and straight to bed.  I think I have been in bed before 10 more these past two weeks than I had in the past 6 months.  Not complaining at all, it just means I am constantly going during the day!

Ready for a good week!

Sometimes you just need a break – and a heater.

So I had hit the point where I just didn’t want to run anymore so I didn’t.  I took the 4 or 5 days before RNR – STL off and the entire week after.  I truly do enjoy running and when it becomes a chore I know I have hit my wall.  I had also gotten a stupid head cold from St. Louis so that didn’t help anything.  I have gotten in great shape the past 2 months and I wanted to give myself plenty of time for Goofy, but sometimes you just need a break.  It was too much.  Plus the cold weather that has moved through isn’t helping my motivation any.  You know you have been working when you take almost 2 weeks off running and still will break 100 miles for the month.

What did help my motivation were the two new pairs of running shoes that arrived on Friday.  I gotta start breaking them in for Goofy.  Saturday I did an easy 3 miles and didn’t lose a step.  Same type of time I had been running before.  And Sunday I did 5 miles trying for a 9 minute pace and it felt super easy.  Got a great 5 mile loop that I really like.  Going to run try and do that loop again tonight.

Thankfully it is supposed to be back in the 80s by the end of this week and sand volleyball is coming to an end.  I really enjoyed volleyball the last few months and I’m sad to see it end, but I will be happy to get back a few nights a week to run.  I need to make a better effort to see volleyball peeps over the winter.

The next 3 weekends my goal is to build up to a 20 mile run.  Going for 17 this weekend.

Oh Happy Running Day –

So last week I wasn’t really feeling running.  I had so much going on and so much to do, that generally I put other things on the back burner and prioritize my running.  Every once in awhile I do put running on the back burner.  That being said I don’t think I ran Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday.  Yikes!  Oh well, because it paid off on Sunday.  Having down weeks every once in awhile won’t kills your running!

This weekend was Rock N Roll – St Louis and one of my favorite running weekends.  My first half marathon was in St. Louis in April 2010.  And it is great to get my dad’s side of the family together around a run.  The only thing that would have made it better would have been Amy, Kyla and Brent.  Amy and Kyla have been at every St. Louis race and you could tell there was something missing this time.  The flight was uneventful.  I did meet a girl in the DFW terminal who asked if I was going to run.  She worked for MicUltra and was heading down there to work.  Only reason I mentioned it was she found me after the race and we talked for a bit.  After my dad and uncle picked me up from the airport we went to the expo.  Only problem was we went to the WRONG expo location.  We went to the Go St Louis packet pickup.  Opps – that was pretty funny.  Got that all straightened out and got to the right expo with perfect time to meet up with Nicole and Uncle Bob.    That afternoon the whole family went out to a winery for some wine/beer and live music.

Sunday morning was the race – and it was cold.  Yes, I am a whiny wimp.  And yes, I started off in a fleece jacket over my long sleeve shirt. 

Nicole had said she would run the whole race with me and I told her if she ever wanted to go, just go.  My goal was below 1:56; which would be a St Louis PR and I would be ecstatic if I could break 1:50 on this tough course.  Nicole said we could and for some reason she always has more faith in my running than I do.  We were both feeling pretty strong in the start of the race and she kept reminding us to slow it down.  Our first mile was slow because of the congestion and our second mile was fast because we finally got free from everyone.  We were just cruising up and down all the hills and loving all the fall colors.  Somewhere around mile 6 she asked if I was feeling strong and I was.  She told me I could leave her at anytime because she was already fighting and she was feeling the marathon.  No way was I leaving her.  We pushed on, and by 9 or 10 she made the comment again and stated that if I stayed with her we might now break 1:50.  Told her I was over it and that there were still 6 additional minutes to spare for me to hit my goal.  I was able to power up all the hills and felt really strong.  Where we caught our second wind: there was a sign that said PBR 1 mile.  Of course we had to make sure we grabbed a beer.  And for some reason that is where we started picking up the pace.  We were close to the end, had some beer and just took off.  At 12.6 miles Nicole made the comment that if we could do the last half mile in 4 minutes (8 minute pace) we would be under 1:50.  I said don’t even worry about the time, let’s just run.  For some reason we got faster and faster.  We ran the last mile in 7:48 with the last 0.1 in a 7:12 pace.

Final time: 1:49:45 (plenty of time to spare J).

Look at how together we were!

Then we were trapped in the parking lot so we went to the Hard Rock Café and had some food and drinks.  Back to Aunt Cheryl’s for a nap and some football and baseball.  Another fantastic weekend in St. Louis. 

 Today I signed up for the Thanksgiving half marathon, RNR – Chicago, and bought 2 new pairs of running shoes!  Love fall running season.

Yogurt –

So I normally buy the plain Greek Yogurt and add frozen blue berries to it to take away a bit of the bitterness.  The other day I accidently grabbed the wrong container of yogurt and didn’t notice.  When taking the first bite of my mid-afternoon snack I almost spit it out because of how sweet it was.  Yup – accidently grabbed the vanilla flavored greek yogurt.  HOLY SWEETNESS!  Went back and looked at the amount of sugar in it – 27g.  Geez-o-petes; might as well have a can of pop.

NEVER BUY FLAVORED YOGURT.  Buy plain yogurt and add your own berries.

I was trying to hold off grocery shopping until after St. Louis, but I am desperately running out of food to eat, so I might have to make an emergency trip.  Either that or eat out the rest of the week.