Monster Dash Half Marathon

I won! As my dad always says - I had the most fun so I was the winner! If they gave a prize for that. But unfortunately the only thing that seems to get measured is your time. And why shouldn't it. It's a race after all. I'm beginning to see why people don't race, just to race. Why they only like to do it when they can do their best. But I still had fun today, so this was still a good race.


The Monster Dash is a bit of a challenging course. It's much hillier than I anticipated. I tried doing the whole "slow down so my perceived effort is constant" approach, but there were many rolling hills and towards the end I just didn't have it in me. My hip was giving me problems again, but not until about mile 9 or so, which is better than Des Moines. My knee felt great, but I think it's going to be tight for a few days. I learned that when my left quad worked itself to the brink, my tendons above my knee took over and absorbed all the impact so that it why I've been having pain. I need to strengthen my quad. I think that is why my hip is sore too. What's with you quad? You're big and bad and supposed to be a menacing force, yet you are punking out time and time again? Ok - so I have asked a lot from you lately. Right quad, maybe you can talk some sense.

Anyway, my main goal for this race was to not injure myself beyond recognition. I knew this race would be a set back in my recovery, but this was it, so I thought if I just took it easy enough the damage wouldn't be too great. Um yeah. I took it easy enough. 2:47:50 easy. Whew. That's hard to swallow. It's weird. I don't feel bad about that time like I'm ashamed or anything. I still ran 13.1 miles and I did the best I could do today, but I don't like it to be written down. In the books. I didn't want it to 'count'. Well then, I should have run it. But I think I'm gonna use my daylight savings hour 'fall-back hour' for this race, so my actual time was only 1:48. I didn't invent that joke. Allison's boyfriend did. It's such a good one though, I had to use it as my own - but I added this footnote so it's legal.


I've been talking a lot about the run aspect, but not so much on the fun aspect. The reason why I had a great day anyway. I had a friend who ran a 2:15 for her debut half. Debut running really, she's done a few 5ks but then came out and totally rocked. Plus she won the costume contest. So that was fun to be a part of her day.


My friend Allison (Ally as bloggers know her) and I were Chippendale dancers. I was skeptical at first, but it totally rocked! We looked fabulous! I'll post some pictures later. I think I've got to get this post published already. But I had a great time running. I stopped to linger at the water stops. Ate my gel, walked on. Ran on, waved to the locals. It was so leisurely. As my time shows. But I enjoyed the whole dang thing. So maybe while the time is hard to swallow, it's one of those things where I just enjoyed the race. Contrary to what I was just talking about in the first few paragraphs. Am I running for fun or for performance? Pick one and then stick to it. I had fun, that was the point. No need to get all worked up about performance. A week later, I've let it go.

I fully recommend this race. Two very enthusiastic thumbs UP!

Holding Back

This weekend I was registered for two races. The Blubber Run 5K on Saturday and the City of the Lakes 25K on Sunday. Here's why:

1. We ALWAYS do the Blubber Run. It's only for fun; people dress in costume and there is a beer stop at the 1/2 way point. And lunch afterwards and then prizes for the costumes.
2. I signed up for the 25K way before I knew I wanted to run a marathon and it was supposed to be my long distance run this year.

Here were two races that I was registered for that I knew I would not be "racing". What I didn't know was how much that would SUCK. It's totally mental I know, but it is soooooo HARD to be walking something that you KNOW you could run and have all sorts of people pass you.

My plan for the 5K was to run super-de-duper easy for the 1st half and then walk the second. I was planning 20 miles on Saturday and I just wanted to be out there for fun, not to run. I started out with a light jog, but the next thing I knew my heart rate was up and I was passing people. Realizing this, I stopped and walked. And then the WORLD passed me. But, but...but...I can run with you! I just can't today :( Sad. Maybe people could tell by my super athletic physique that I was probably a true competitor, but was maybe injured or something. Maybe. Then I met my husband at the 1/2 mark, we had some root beer and then he walked the rest of the way with me. That helped. Because 2 people walking means they are enjoying the day, but 1 person walking a race means......absolutly nothing, I'm just paranoid.

I wasn't actually "racing" the 25K the next day either. This was my last long run of marathon training. The race is 15.5 miles so the plan was to run 4.5 before the race and then use then take advantage of the water stops during the race. Except again, I found it hard not to want to attempt to compete.

First off, I miscalculated my pre-race run and ended up doing 5.5 instead of 4.5. As I approached the start line I could hear them announcing 8 minutes to race time. Shoot! Then 4 minutes, and I started to pick up the pace. So NOT what you want to be doing when you have 15+ miles ahead of you. I got to the start line with enough time to eat a gel, drink 2 glasses of water and take off. While everyone else was excited and took off on mile 1 I stayed the ever-so-slow pace and was working on mile 6.

My mile times for the first 10 miles were 11:12-11:30. And it got hot fast. And it was lonely. I've run every long run this season with my group. I missed them. It wasn't long before I was amongst the last runners. But I forbade myself to look back, repeating over and over that this is not a race. It's not your race. By mile 18 (mile 12.5 for the racers) I'd had it. I didn't think I would make it around Lake Harriet one more time. But what else are you gonna do? My average pace slowed way down for the second 10 miles. Backwards from what I wanted to do. A 72 year old lady beat me. Total Tortoise and the Hare situation here. I would pass her, then walk and she would pass me again. Next thing I knew she was out of sight and I was strugging to go a half mile at a time.

So I finished. 21 miles in 4:11. 5 to go for the marathon and I have mixed feelings about that. It's weird. Of course I'll make it. No doubt there, but will I like it? Does it get easier after your first marathon? Like maybe knowing what's in store helps a little? Or you become a better runner or something? Or maybe 1/2 marathons are in fact "where it's at".

Only time will tell. But in the meantime....bring on the taper!

Gopher to Badger 1/2 Marathon

I'll get to the good stuff right away and then explain in detail how it all went down.

• Personal Best time for a 1/2 marathon!
• Rainy and overcast > sunny and humid
• Cool t-shirt and medal
• Nice route
• Overall feeling of confidence and still has some gas to burn at the end

Here's how it all went down. Conversations about this race I found typically go like this:

ME: I'm running the Gopher to Badger Half"

OTHER PERSON: "Have you ever run that one before?"

ME: "No. But it's on my birthday so I signed up"

OTHER PERSON: "Ooooh. It's a hot one. Good luck. Be prepared for the heat. It's just cornfields and a highway and you. But have fun!"

Even the weather man predicted 94 degrees and 99.9999999% humidity. So I was prepared. I wore a hat and my lightest colored outfit which happened to be my MDRA race singlet to represent. I had elecrolyte tablets and I kept telling myself that it would be hot but I would be ready.

Race day: Overcast. Lightning. Cool. I mean how can you be so WRONG? It wasn't even CLOSE to hot and humid. But that was all good because everyone knows that rainy and cool > hot and humid any day. It ended up raining the first 2 miles and then just being a regular overcast cool day. Besides from running with wet shoes it was great! It was a route with a lot of highway running, but I liked it. I ran with some girls from my group. We stuck together up to about mile 8 and then we started to fan out.I ran this race just right. It was exactly what I needed. When you do the right thing in training and then can run a race like this where it just feels so good your confidence skyrockets and you just want to keep working at it the way you have been. Maybe even a little more. I'm going to be so well prepared for this marathon it's not even going to be funny. So if you thought you were going to laugh at my preparations - sorry folks - it just won't be funny :)

We ran up the hills because we've been training for hills. I kept on passing people miles 9-12. Just look at my splits between those miles. Crazy how good I felt.

Mile 1: 10:49

Mile 2: 11:16

Mile 3: 10:51

Mile 4: 11:24

Mile 5: 11:20

Mile 6: 11:11

Mile 7: 11:18

Mile 8: 11:52 (stopped for a bite to eat and water)

Mile 9: 10:52

Mile 10: 10:19 (WOAH NELLY! Rock star mentality! I was jumpin into crowds just to see if they would carry me!)

Mile 11: 10:48

Mile 12: 10:21

Mile 13: 11:27 (includes the .1)

Mile 12-13 I had to talk myself into keeping it up. I did slow down but for the most part I had a great 2nd half. I ended up doing a gel at mile11 which I think helped for the last push. And I also took an Aleve before the run to help with the knee pain.

One of the girls I was running with left us about mile 8 and just kept on truckin! She finished about 5-6 minutes before us. I tried catching the second girl I was with; got close, but then she must have dropped the hammer because she sped up and I never caught her. She finished about 30 seconds before me. My official time was 2:24:14, but given that we were behind the start line and it wasn't chip timed, my watch time put me at 2:23:57. Not a big difference, but at a quick glance you only notice the 24 and the 23. Either way, it was an awesome PR - from 2:29 in the Vegas 1/2 and I feel well on my way to breaking the 2:20 marker.

All smiles!

The Lifetime Triathlon - once again a great day! Last year, I swam a little, biked a lot and did the usual running. This year I swam a lot, biked almost none, and ran the usual. The results then, are a little confusing.

I was 8 seconds slower in my swim time. Kind of irked about that. I swam 10 times the distance in preparation this year than I did last year. I thought I was getting better. I can't explain it. I thought in the swim this year I wasn't as worn out, I swam more of it, but yet, the results were the same!?!? Baffling. Let's move on.

The bike was 6 seconds slower. Which begs the question, why did I train at all last year?? After about 5 minutes of biking, my legs were shaking. After 5 miles, I would stand to go up the hills and there were times that my legs almost collapsed from under me while standing because the just didn't have the muscle to support me. I didn't know how the run was going to go because I was pushing so hard on the bike just to keep it going. And after 15 miles of biking. I WAS DONE. Really, the sprint triathlon is really where it's at. I love this distance. Just enough variation in activity to keep it interesting, but not long that you have to put in the many, many hours of training.

The run. I'm a runner. I like running the best. I kept thinking, ok just get to the run. You'll fly in the run. You're good at the run. Relatively speaking of course. I took off running and it was super weird. I tried going slow, but I don't know how fast I was going. I don't even know how my legs were moving, but I told myself just 5 minutes then you can break. At 5 minutes, I though I could do 10 and at 10 I knew I could do the first water stop. I walked the 2 water stops, probably 30 seconds in total, and just ran. And it felt GREAT! I shaved about 2 minutes off my run from last year. In fact if it would have been a full 5k instead of just 3 miles, I would have PRd. 9:54 minute miles!! Holy cow! How the heck does that work? I run my fasted 5k EVER, AFTER swimming and biking??. I also cut 1.5 minutes from my total transition time so overall, I was 3.5 minutes faster this year. All because of running a changing clothes. I know where my priorities are.

And I feel completely redeemed after Grandma's. Hey, some days just aren't your days. But many, many of them ARE my days.

Tomorrow Grandma's is officially history!

I found some photos from marathonphoto of Grandmas. The first one is me around 6 miles. Notice how I still have good form and my pinkies are extended out with proper etiquette and everything?

I like to call this next one "Tenacity". I love that word. I think this was on the way up the bridge hill around mile 9. I was thinking - NO CHANCE I am walking this thing. You can walk at the top. Absolutely no other option. Or I was thinking "Ew gross, don't step on that dead bird".

And finally, the finish. That confused look on my face is me wondering what the hell just happened. The words 'hit by a truck' come to mind. I was already trying to forget the race and seek out my Great Harvest race rolls - which they didn't have.

Tomorrow for the Triathlon there will be nothing but smiles. All I'm demanding tomorrow is everything I've got. Nothing more. I don't want to give more than I've got; the results of doing that...well we all know how that ends. I'm going to write my times from last year on my hand so I know what I have to do. Who know how I will be able to perform, but I've already visualized the results and in my mind, I'm happy. And Grandma's will be but a distant memory of a day that opened the door for my glorious comeback.

Grandma's 1/2 Marathon

The best way to talk about this run is by posting the splits like I did in the previous post. That way I can talk about all the complaints, er, less than positive thoughts I had.

Here was my race plan. Phase 1 - 5k go easy. Walk breaks every 5 minutes, leisurely pace. Easy.
Mile 1: 11:15
Mile 2: 10:54
Mile 3: 11:06

Perfect. Except I did 1 minute of walking every 10 minutes. I was excited. I couldn't stop. I had the optimistic outlook that it was never going to get any harder than this. (ooooohhhhh foreshadowing!)

Phase II - 10K Race time! Game on. I wanted to run at race pace (10:45) for the next 6 miles and then see where I was. It's hard though to tell what pace you need to go when I was walking for 1 minute every 10 minutes. That means running slightly below race pace to compensate for the walking. So, 60 seconds in one minute, if I run 9 minutes at 5.8 mph, and there is a train leaving Boston at noon, and there are 17 people and only 2 lifeboats.....yeah, I had no clue.

Mile 4: 10:15 (remember the walk breaks? This was way to fast for 1 mile)
Mile 5: 10:15 (if only this type of consistency was a good thing at this point)
Mile 6: 10:41 (PERFECTION. Now just hold steady......)
Mile 7: 11:17
Mile 8: 12:47
Mile 9: 11:03 (one last futile attempt to reclaim this race)

Leading up to mile 8 was tough. I thought I was going to throw up. Did I need more water? Less food? Or was I hungry and over hydrated?? I had no idea except that I was hot and uncomfortable and nauseated. Here's me at mile 7. I think I started walking immediately after this picture was taken.

Pause in the story for some factual information. My 6.9 mile time was 1:15. That left me 1:05 to run the final 6 miles. Reasonable. My 10k split time was about a minute above my 10k race time. For those keeping track at home that adds up to way to fast. You don't run 7 more miles at a 10k clip. Normal people have slower paces on longer races. And when you go out to fast.....well, stay tuned.

Phase III - 1 mile freestyle. I wanted to run what I felt. Maybe downshift and save up for Phase IV.

Mile 10: 13:12 (That is some serious downshifting. Did I drop the tranny??)

Seriously, I should have been an actress because look how happy I look. Lies. All lies. See that little bit of shade I am going through. Little did I know that it would be the last bit of shade I would stand in for the next 7 hours. Hey, Duluth, have you heard of Arbor Day? Plant a tree, will ya? On a hot sunny day the last few miles of Grandma's can DESTROY those with anything less than an iron will.

Phase IV - at this point I can't believe I'm even tracking phases but this was a race plan so I am publishing what was supposed to happen. Phase IV was supposed to be the last 5k. The final kick. Walk as needed, but throw your heart on the pavement and leave on the course type finish. I did revise this phase to accommodate though. All good runners have to learn to recalculate based on the situations they are running in. I renamed Phase IV to "Screw It".

Mile 11: 11:55 (this would be known as my last 'speed' lap - hahaha)
Mile 12: 12:10
Mile 13: 13:02

There were a few positive thoughts during this last 3 miles. At one water stop this kid - maybe 10 years old, short, wearing and over sized volunteer t-shirt that hung to his knees and an adult baseball cap that was tightened in the back to the smallest notch but still didn't quit fit. You know the look. Any way, I was going in for some water and he walked out to me a little ways out of line, handed me the water, looking in my eyes and said "You can do it" in a serious tone. Not like he was saying it to everybody, but he was saying it to me. Because I needed to hear that. I turned around as I passed and he was still watching me run away. I gave a nod. Thanks kid. Yes I can. And I thought of my cousin James who told me just the other day when I said "We'll never win" he said, "If you say that then you never will win". He's 6. It all brought tears to my eyes until I realized that when I get emotional when I run I can't breathe (and I get emotional a lot running). I chose running. I'll cry later. (like now thinking of it).

I finished in 2:32:07 or something, which, now that I have a calculator I can tell you is 11:32 minute miles. Absolutely devastating. And I think it's because I really was running the best that I could. It was really really hard towards the end. I lost a little hope with this race. If I try this hard and I don't make it, what does that mean? Where does that leave me?

They still give you a medal even if you cried, even if you lost your hope, even if you felt you didn't deserve it. Just for being a finisher. It's not easy. And it's not all happy, look what I accomplished, yay me. You have to experience those losses and then go out again because that's when you really win. You think you can't go on, and you've lost all hope in your ability, but if you keep going, you look back and see that despite all that adversity, YOU KEPT GOING. I think when you go through the rough spots and don't quit it, makes the victory so much sweeter.

This race was humbling. Not because I'm such an elite athlete, but because I put a challenge out there for myself - a real challenge and I failed. I didn't accomplish it. I wanted it, and in my mind I could do it, but I couldn't. Not this time. But you know what? There are 55 days until the Badger to Gopher 1/2 Marathon. There will come a time when I can no longer run. Today is not that day.

A Happy Place

Part of the reason why I wanted to run 10 minute miles is because the McMillan calculator told me I could...or should...or whatever. You plug in what you ran a certain distance at and it tells you what your pace should/could be at other distances. It even gives you the pace you should do your speed work out, tempos and long runs. Since I ran my mile at 8:50, and that seemed pretty official, that is the benchmark I used. Here is what I should/could run (theoretically):


In case that is difficult to read, it says 10K - 10:13 pace. I also wanted run 10 min miles because I feel like that is sort of an industry average. Like average runners can just do that pace.

I signed up for a 10K while on vacation this weekend because I really really wanted to make sure I followed my training plan and I knew it wouldn't happen unless I did something like this. Luckily, I found a nice little race for a great cause not far from our hotel. Awesome, awesome weather. About 53 and sunny. Absolutely perfect. I felt good - no pizza and beer pre-race meal in my belly - just the standard simple carbohydrate and coffee breakfast. My goal was to just run and run. Until I couldn't run anymore. I kept telling myself "your good for 7 and you only have to go 6.2". Secretly though I had to run at least a half mile to the start of the race because I was late and didn't quite know where I was going - so it was close. I just kept plugging away - step by step.

It was pretty flat, but there were 2-3 minor uphill areas. Enough to notice. I like to take pride in the fact that I am good at hills. I don't know if this is factual or not, but I always tell myself that I don't have to walk because if I have one thing, I have strong legs and I can always run up a hill. This thinking usually, propels me past runners as I charge on - at a slower pace mind you but I keep going. I don't know how I became so adamant about this fact; maybe it was from the TC 10-mile and that hilly course. I wish I was that sure about other aspects of running. Like I said, whether or not it is true - deep down I believe it is, I don't doubt. I can tell myself other positive things but if I don't deep down believe it, it's only encouragement. Maybe encouragement is the beginning of believing.

My plugging along paid off. In a BIG way. I ran the race in 1:03:11! Somewhere in my blog history I recorded that I ran an unofficial 10k (training) in 1:04 something and I could hardly believe that. Did I really do that? Well now it doesn't matter because the truth is (documented) that I ran 6.2 in 1:03! A pace of 10:11. I was so ecstatic!

Maybe I am finally coming into my own with running.

Mississippi 10 Mile

Well, as predicted, this was a bit of a challenge for me. Seeing as how my weekly distance has been about 10 miles, I just decided this week, I'd put it all in one day. Whew! This is actually a pretty nice little race. The price is right - $8-$10 w/o T-shirt I think. It's out and back along the Mississippi River path. It was a perfect morning, and the path was shaded enough to keep you from overheating in the sun. All in all, I recommend it. If your looking for the thrill of victory and all the glory of medals and crowd rah-rahs, this is not your race. But if you want to get out there in more of a low key setting, maybe a training race, this is great. I'm for it.

That being said, a mile 5 I was keeping pace with the back of the pack. I did a run 5, walk 1 through the first half. I kept thinking that if I felt good, I would pick it up to at least 10 minutes of running on the way back. What was really interesting to me is that I wasn't even winded by mile 3. I felt like I was doing the run/walk intervals more for my poor legs that didn't know what was in store for them yet. I can only credit the swimming I have been doing for my easy breathing during this run. Swimming must be helping with the cardio side of running.

So I stayed the course even though it is SUPER-D-DUPER painful to not want to keep up with the cool crowd. It was me and 5 other people bringing up the rear for the first half. I did feel ok, so I started running for at least 10 minute intervals and was able to improve my position a little. Mostly I felt good because I didn't go out to strong and I still had fuel at the end. And at the end I mean until about mile 8.72 I had fuel. Then I was not a happy camper. I had to lie to my legs and tell them we were almost done. Yeah. Right. Almost is .10 of a mile. not 1.10 miles. They felt betrayed, but luckily they didn't walk out on me.

In the end, I am so glad that I have that behind me as a milestone. My legs are pretty sore, but they'll recover. It more of a mental thing to know that I did 10 and that building up the miles is within reach again. I'm doing a cutback week next weekend, and then ramping up for Grandma's Half. And I am vowing that I am going to follow my training plan that I came up with to the letter. No more, 10 mile weekly totals. I need about 16+ miles per week. I don't want to have to have a painful 1/2.

Vegas 1/2 Marathon

This race is SO FUN! Yes, after you turn off the strip the only people left clapping are the homeless people who slept there the night before. Heck, even on the strip there aren't many people in Vegas up at 6AM. But who cares!?! There is so much dazzle to look at!

The race started a 6AM Sunday morning. I guess the story starts before that though. I quit training for this race November 2nd. That is the day I ran 9 miles and until December 7th I hadn't run more than 5 miles per week. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty, but I was past the point of caring how the race would turn out. I would enjoy it. I would get a medal. I would gorge myself at the buffet. I had my best girls there; no matter what I was just happy to be there with them.

Well, the race started at 6AM at Mandalay Bay. It's still dark at 6AM. There was the full Vegas strip in all it's excessive glory laid out before me.

Elvi, Santa's and veils were all around. Robin Leech was commentating. Yes. The Robin Leech. My plan: run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute, enjoy, repeat (about 1000 times). The gun went off. Nay, not the gun. The fireworks.

SPECTACULAR.

I cried. I was directly underneath the spot where they were lighting them off when the finale happened. What an overwhelming feeling. Amazing. Absolutely amazing to count myself amongst all these athletes. What an amazing blessing. I could be out there. I could run. God gave me that day, and I was going to enjoy it. It still makes me tingle and get a little emotional thinking about it.

So for the rest of the 4 mile or so Strip, I putzed around. I pulled over to take pictures. Several in some spots if they didn't turn out. What did I care. I wasn't in a hurry. I was in it for the long haul.

Saw the girls at about mile 3 and I lept into the air and proclaimed "Fresh as a daisy!" And surprisingly, I was. Ok. Well, things were going so well I decided to run my usual 10 minutes and walk 1.

I passed the run through wedding chapel where a bunch of Elvi were clapping for the newlyweds.

The next water stop featured wedding cake so I partook. Miles 5-8 or so were solid. Flat course. Kept on going. Was feeling ok. Around mile 9 though I started to think that maybe a little endurance training might have done me some good. My legs were getting tired. Starting to run again after the walks were getting really hard. But I was still passing people. Huh. Saw my girls again at mile ten. I puffed "Fresh........as..................................a daisy" and barely kicked a heal in the air. They screamed and clapped and cheered, so I sped away with a some renewed energy. My legs were shaking by that point though, so I started walking about every 1/2 mile instead.

Mile 11 I realized, I only had 2 miles left. Which meant if I kept it up, at the MOST 25 minutes. That would mean UNDER a 2:30 1/2!?!? Wha??? My April 1/2 was 2:40 something, maybe 2:45. No way. No way.

Mile 12. The marathoners passed me. Why didn't I get a picture of that? Oh yeah, because I was concentrating on trying to feel my legs. But the 1st and 2nd finishers in the marathon blew past us all. It was way cool. They? Looked fresh as daisies.

FINALLY. The finish. Nice medal. Hugs all around. I ran as fast as I could for the last .10 - which seemed like a long way. My face was all contorted with pain and lack of oxygen. 2:29:09. I never would have believed it if the chip didn't record it. I had more fun though that any race.

These girls are rock solid.

A pretty good story - Chapter 1

TC 10 Mile - Sunday, October 5th

Sunday morning started out a little cool and overcast as my boyfriend and I headed downtown for our races. For him, the TC Marathon, for me, the TC 10. Was I ever ready for this race. I was just so excited because I new it would be great and I'm sure the endorphins carried me through the first 30 minutes.

Mile 1 - people are going to the bathroom already!?! Cripes people, it's only 10 miles. Didn't your mothers ever teach you to go before you leave? I didn't get it.

Mile 3 - Wow, that went really fast. Over the river and through the snow....well, over the river anyway. The new I-35 bridge was sparkling new.

Mile 5 - Seriously! Mile 5. I just powered up some hills. I hauled on the downhills. I'm running by at least 50-75 people per mile. Or maybe 5-10. But doing great. What's that I see Summit Ave already? This race is flying by. I even ran down a few squirrels. Granted they were already dead but I did accidentally step on one. Standing there in the crowd as I ran on Summit was 3/5 of my circle of friends called the Fab 5. 1/5 lives in another state and 1/5 of us was running (that was me). High fives all around and a big smile carried me on.

Mile 6 - PowerShot time. Cafe Latte with 2X the caffeine for that extra boot up the hills. I think it worked. I swear I was speeding along and felt really strong. I couldn't believe it had been 6 miles already. Oh look! There's Allison! She was having a great hair day!

Mile 8 - The last two miles was more of the same. But then. It started to sprinkle. By 8.5 it was raining and by 9 it was a downpour. I lost a little of my optimism. Instantly, the race was hard. My legs were tired, I was done. I was cold despite my really cut outfit and matching leg warming socks.

The Last Quarter Mile - I couldn't feel my legs and was starting the downhill part toward the finish. I just wanted to be done so I was running as fast as my legs would move back and forth. I was worried I would stumble and roll into the finish. But I didn't. Finished with a 1:42 and change - 13 minutes faster than last year (and about 13 pounds lighter - maybe that helped). The Fab 5 minus 1 was there at the finish to hold an umbrella and get me some coffee. It was really nice to have them there. It's always a huge bonus to finish and not feel alone, I think.

I was never more uncomfortable all day than after finishing. It was freezing and raining. My body was in good shape though. In fact I felt like I had just run a 5K instead of 10 miles. The next day though....yeah - my legs reminded me how far I ran. Youch!

Blubber Run 5K

Best way to recap is with photos:

My team. Double Dare contestants. Clearly, we took the physical challange!

A human fly swatter.....

Who swatted at passing flys.
A beer bottle. I think he had friends. Like 5 of them.

And the US Women's Gymnastics team. The cop was real though.

This is not your ordinary 5k. People dress up and have fun. It's sponsored by a brewery so there is a beer stop at the 1/2 way point instead of water. Well, the did have water. Fun times last weekend though!

Torchlight 5K and beyond

Last night was the Torchlight 5k downtown. It's a great run down Hennepin and across the river. Stacks of people in sometimes unbelievable heat and humidity, although last night was quite pleasant. The race itself I loved. I ran a pretty fast first mile (my friend said 9:40 something??) and then we parted ways. I had a side cramp from running faster than usual and that is normal for her so she kept going. I don't know how far or fast I ran because my garmin was off on the mileage. All I know is that I ran a "5K" in 33:40, but according to many other sources it was probably more like 3.4 or 3.5 miles. I logged it as 3.25 and called it good. Which means I ran a not bad race. I liked it anyway. The after race party is a whole other story. I dislike this portion of the race so much that I might just take my cousins to the parade instead next year and watch the runners go by. 5,000 people are crammed into a ridiculously small area all trying to get to water. Not fun. It was a positive experience though.

The beyond part is that my friend and I have for the past two weeks been doing Jillian workouts at 6AM M-Th. (If you've never heard me RAVE about Jillian - LOVE her workouts. Tough, but fair) By Thursday every part of my body aches and I am oh so tired. You can trust that! Last week (Week 1) it took me 3 full days to recover and even on the 3rd day I wasn't 100% ache free. I wouldn't say that I've been feeling exhilarated about doing this, but I feel like I am achieving something. I'm usually left pretty spent by 9PM. I was hoping that by the end of the 2nd week I would be getting into some sort of routine. Actually, I do wake up easier at 5:30 now, but I'm still run through a million excuses as to why I can't go this morning, or how I will make it up later. When will I accept that there is no out. This is what I am doing? Do I need 2 more weeks? Three maybe? I hope to continue running in the mornings when the weight lifting is over so I hope I ditch the excuses because I'll be on my own then; no friend to rely on to make me get going.

Training for the TC 10 begins again next week. I'm pretty excited for it.

I Tri-ed!

I Tri-ed and I liked!

I can't tell you how nervous I was before the race and I can't even say why. Maybe it was because the books were talking about placing your shoes in this exact location, and your socks precisely here, and do this just so. And then the announcer lady in the transition area mentioned how much the triathletes have to think about this morning like putting their bike in the gear they want to start in. You've got to be kidding me right??? I skipped that little bit of advice.

We got to the race area about 5:30. This is what Minneapolis looks like at 5:30. A bueat huh?

This is my swim. Out to that buoy way out there between the other buoys.

Not so bad I thought comparing it to the Olympic distance. And speaking of the Olympics, I saw Olympiads racing!! How cool is that! I saw Sarah Haskins and some guy representing Canada, but I won't be cheering for him for obvious reasons. It's going to be mighty fun watching them in Beijing in August.

Right up to the swim I kept thinking "I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe it." In fact until I was up to my neck in water and started to swim I was thinking that. But then, it all went so fast.


The swim left room for much improvement. Mostly I could have swam better, longer but there were so many times where I had to putz around and plan a strategy of how I would get around other swimmers. Plus I could improve my swimming over all. For my next (yes, I said next) I will be working on swimming the most.

The bike was great. I passed a lot of people and was feeling really strong. In fact, my placement in the swim was probably like 79th percentile and for the bike it was like 52nd percentile (or something like that) so I feel confident in that area.

On the run, I told myself to just run for 10 minutes like in training and if you still feel weird, just walk. I made it way past 10 minutes. I walked through the 2nd water stop which was about 1.25 miles in, and then blew through the last one. I ran 10:31 minute miles after all that! I figure that means that I am totally NOT reaching my potential when I run just regular. Sad. I figure I should never be over 11 minute miles unless it is extra hot or I am coming off a particularly grueling run.

It was so much fun, and the thing is I was right. I think I was in relatively good shape to do this so training was not exceptionally hard. The short course was a great distance too. I didn't get in over my head on my first time out. For as good as I felt doing the .4 swim, 15 mile bike and 3.1 mile run, I was glad to not be doing anymore. I think there are a few more short course tris in my future. Maybe an Olympic distance farther down the line, but I would like to stick to this one again because now that I have the experience I know I could do better. And better is not a slam on this event. I did great. I gave it my all and I didn't give in. I'm very pleased with the outcome.
They said in the morning "You came to this race today as a cross trainer. By the end of the day you will be a triathlete." So there you have it folks. I'm a triathlete.

More pics to come.

My Smokin' Mile

Tonight I ran my smokin' mile. It felt like I was smoking. Like for 15 years and I just quit yesterday. I can't remember when my lungs hurt so badly. I mean, a mile is too short of a distance to go tempo and to long of a distance to be just a sprint. Apparently, it might be worth training for the next time I want to beat my fastest mile. All I wanted to do was run in less than 10 minutes. I was pretty sure I could do that. So then I thought, ok - let's try for 9:30. I think I might be able to do that. But ok - let's not tell anyone in case you can't, but really, secretly it would be awesome to do it in 9. Less than nine? I can't even imagine my elation!

I ran the first 1/2 in 4:13. That's an 8:30 pace!!! Crazy! Well, everyone was going by me so fast that I wanted to run fast too. Also, I signed up with my age group and I'm glad I did. Even though 90% of my age group can run faster than me (it should be noted that included in the 29 and younger was 16 yo track stars and 21 yo cross country athletes - I'm 29, the oldest in the group. Tough competition) I was glad I signed up for the age wave. The general wave was packed and I think that would have slowed me down.

There were tons of people clapping which I was really surprised to see. Another good thing about being at the back in my age group was that I was running solo. The next person back was maybe 15-20 feet. So literally, the cheering, cowbell ringing, encouragement shouting was just for me. And the people after me, but at that moment they only had me to look at and cheer for. It was so cool!

A mile is tough. Did I mention that? I thought my lungs were going to explode. I was coughing and couldn't breathe well and just felt sick. I mean you are basically giving all you have for 10 minutes (or 4 depending on your ability). When I saw the finish line clock at the end it said 8:52. And I thought "Oh HEEEELLLLL NO!!!" I did not just bust my butt and risk a possible lung transplant to miss my 9 minute mile by only a few seconds. So I tore on. When I crossed I think the clock might have said 9:02, but wait for the chip time.....if I was just a few seconds off from the gun time I might just get it! Maybe even hit 8:59.

I think it was just startling to me how different 1 mile is than say, 13. I'd like to get better at the 1 mile someday. Distance running is not all that you need to do to run a fast 1 mile. Just because I can run 5 at 11 minutes/mile does not mean I can run 1 in 5 minutes!

This was fun. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!! I'll re-post when I get my official time.

Weekend Pick-up Race

I decided late Thursday night that if I was going to go out and support my boyfriend for his 10K (one which I had already declined to participate in when he asked) and if I was going to be running 6 miles anyway that weekend, I might as well get a t-shirt out of the deal so I hastily signed up for the race. The t-shirt is the ugliest one I have ever gotten.

The weather was the worst I have ran in. I think. Unless I have blocked worse from my memory. It was gusty and snowing!! And of course cold because gusty and snow never come alone. Cold race days are tough because how do you dress warm enough for the pre-race period, what do you do with your stuff you aren't wearing during the race, and most importantly, how do you get warm after the race?

Even with bad conditions, I ended up with at 6.2 mile record. I was pleased with my 10:45min/mile average pace. Yet, I can't ditch this nagging feeling I had that I had in fact run a faster 10K at some point. I could have sworn it was in 1:04 and change, but how could that be? That would mean about 10:20min/miles. Impossible right? Nope. I checked my garmin and it said that in fact I had run 6.21 miles September 9, 2007 in 1:04:09. Bummer dude! But that was not really a race, nor on a certified course, but I bet I was hauling that day because I don't think the time and distance are that far off. You know what.....now that I think about it, I think even blogged about it! Let's check the records.

Yup. Sure enough: http://livinglists.blogspot.com/2007/09/mental-illness-part-ii.html

I'm all confuzzled. In this post on 9/21 I claim it as my fastest at 1:04:41, yet my garmin has a faster time the week prior. Whatever. I felt great about the race. Feel like it was a fast time for me. Still froze to death (nearly) on the way home.

Back to the race real quick, there was this girl that I seemed to be pacing with well so I thought maybe I would just follow her the whole way. I took a liking to her especially because she was wearing dang near the exact outfit I wore in the 1/2 last weekend. I called her Mini-E. She was thinner, taller and had a cleaner stride than me. So I thought if I can keep up life, will be good. Just before the half way point I thought "I wonder if Mini-E is holding me back?" So I passed her and never looked back. As far as I know I finished before her, but it was a busy race. Along the wayI thought this was somehow symbolic. Maybe on some deep (deep) level there is a mini-e inside of me holding me back because she is safe and I need to pass her and keep running.

Let's not think to deeply on this one, huh?

Tri Report:
Week 1 and I'm already backed up! Today I need to swim and bike and do some strength training. Completely doable except I didn't get in my minimum 15 miles running this week and that's going to bum me out, but I don't think I want to run today with the other stuff on the menu. We'll see, but don't expect much.

Earth Day 1/2 Marathon

Wow! Wow. Fantastic, difficult, fun. Lots of great descriptor words for this race. Man, it was hard. If you can run 3 miles and you jump up to 5 one weekend, it's a challenge, doable. If you go from 8 to 10 again tough, but you can do it. I was not expecting the jump from 11 miles to 13 to be so difficult. Oh man, the last .5 miles was brutal.

The course was basically flat but there were a few uphill parts. I know I have strong legs because I may not have been as fast as most people, but when runners started dropping like flies going uphill, I powered on and made it to the top. It was nice to know I had the endurance. They say that the excitement of race day will keep you going until the end even if this is the first time you are going that distance. What race day did for me is make me excited and my pace a little faster than I wanted. But that's ok - I did great for the first 7 miles. I felt really good. And my pace was about 15 seconds faster than my goal. I mainly had a goal to keep me moving along. Really it was just a guideline that I wanted to stick by. And if you consider that I took walk breaks at 2, 4, a shorty at 5 and then 6 all 1 minute each, then that means I was running faster than just 15 seconds faster than my goal pace. I'm proud of this. Miles 8-10 were tough, but I got through them at closer to my actual race pace. Between miles 9 and 10 the time seemed to fly by. So that was nice. Getting to 11, then 12 and finally 13 was a whole other story!

My Forerunner showed a drastic change in pace, and not a positive one. All miles were over 12 min/mile! After mile 12 before getting to 13 I must have walked every quarter of a mile. I told you it was brutal. Three to four of us started introducing ourselves and shouting encouragements as we passed each other between walking. We just kept going back and forth. By mile 12 I could hear them announcing names at the finish line which was like a false bottom. I felt a lot closer than I actually was.

My last walk break was about 1 block long. This lady I had been running back and forth with asked how long I was going to walk and I said "Just to this last corner because then people are watching!" We got to the corner and both of us just bolted. Well as fast as one can bolt after running 13 miles. The last effort lasted about .15 miles and I worried that I spoke too soon and didn't have it in me to finish. But I did. We crossed the finish line at the same time. I didn't even cry I was just so happy. I didn't cry. Until I was sitting by my aunt and she hugged me and I collapsed on her shoulder and said "That was SO HARD!" because I finally didn't have to do it on my own anymore; she could hold me up.
Let me go back to the beginning for a minute. I left out the part how there were almost 1800 people in the race and I was closer to the back of the pack that was lined up at the starting line. When the gun went off and we headed toward the first corner, I am not kidding, there were like 5 people behind me. Total. I was so disheartened, but I kept thinking, run your own race. You know how long this is going to be and you know what you can do. Just keep doing your own thing. Sure enough, shortly after the first mile I started passing slower people and walkers. The longer the race went on the better my position became. I still only finished about 80 people ahead of the last person, but eh. Whatever. It was a small race and I think the level of runners was higher that usual. I mean people don't just sign up for a 1/2 Marathon a few weeks before and wing it (if you're a newbie I mean) so I think people were pretty prepared.

Something very disappointing is that my finish time on the results page is like 2:37 something! First of all, my Forerunner said I did 13.36 miles in 2:36 so something stinks in suburbia. Also, I was a good two minutes behind the gun when I crossed the start line and I think the official time is based on the official start. The better have a chip time at some point otherwise I'll have to tell people that I was pacing 12 minute miles. And I didn't! But I believe you have to go by what the results say when people ask. It's too much to explain (except to your closest friends and your blog) that the results say this, but your forerunner said that and really if you take into consideration the winds speed.......blah, blah, blah - you have to take what the clock says.

I feel great! Each day I feel better and better about the race. Nothing but good feelings about it. I might even sign up for a 10 mile race in June. There is also another 1/2 then, but I think I am good with 10.

It's going to be a good week!

Hello Triathlon training!!!