50 Half Marathons in 50 States - Because Being Ordinary Is Boring

Three Things Thursday (Change)

2013-05-23T09:10:00.001-06:00

1. I imagine I will be on this running hiatus thing for a while longer. My heart does not "ache" for running and I can't say that I miss it. Yet? I guess I hope I WILL miss this. Otherwise....

With that said, I did actually go to run club last night. There were tons of vendors there and since I'm not running this weekend I figured I probably SHOULD get some cardio in. Lucky for me, the one girl willing to run snail's pace was there and we ran together. Just under 4 miles at a slowish (yet felt hard by the end) pace for me. No pain. I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it, so I guess there's that. Plus, there was BEER.

SmartWool was one of the vendors and I got a free pair of socks, as long as I wore them for the group run. I did actually LOVE them and now that I know they are probably worth the cost, I will be buying more (if I keep running).

One of the selling points? You can wear 3-4 times before having to wash and they won't smell? I won't be partaking in THAT experiment

2. Yet ANOTHER person is leaving my law firm. She is the veteran of the support staff, having been here five years. We have lost 5 employees since I started last April. A pretty large number of people considering there are currently only 17 employees (16 after she leaves) and another that is going on maternity leave soon.

I wonder how long it will be before the firm starts taking a close look at WHY people are leaving. Part of it may be that my review is now 6 (or 7) weeks overdue and I'm making less money than when I started...

3. I haven't been vocal about it on any of the social media or the blog. J and I are history... We were together about 4 years, lived together about 2. The last year has really been a struggle for us and we just could not seem to find a way to work things out. It's been awkward because he is still living at my house (in the spare room). He is officially (finally) packing up his things and is starting the move out process.

A is taking it well for now, but I feel like the biggest jerk for having this whole situation even happen. I mean, her dad moved out of state and she hardly hears from him and now the guy that has been there the last 4 years is going to. Granted, he isn't going out of state, but I certainly can't imagine she'll see him again.

Anyway. That's what's been going on with me lately.

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday

2013-05-22T08:34:00.000-06:00

Voodoo Doughnuts is coming to DENVER!!!!

#NotEatingAllTheThings (Week 3)

2013-05-21T15:20:00.000-06:00

Week 1 Recap - Here
Week 2 Recap - Here

I feel like this particular week cannot even fall under the #noteatallthethings category. It really should be more of a #eatallthethings for three days with a few days of eating normal. Anyway, I know that birthdays and holidays can be the downfall of many peoples "diets" and I was curious how MY birthday would affect things since I had NO intentions of limiting my food intake.

Two things were therefore working against me this for this week's weigh in.

I had ZERO plans of doing any real running or cardio during the week.

Tuesday-Friday exercise: 1 hour Yoga, 1 hour Turbo Kickboxing
Saturday-Sunday: 2 half marathons (Recaps here and here)
Monday: 1 hour chaos

IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY. I tried to keep up to date texting Heather descriptions and/or pictures of all my food that I consumed over the weekend. To keep things short, practically none of it had any real nutritional value, although it was ALL DELICIOUS. I also had mucho beer. The collage below is just SOME of what I consumed over the weekend. Good thing I actually did some running?

The real question is... what happens when you don't really run and you eat ALL of the high calorie and fattening deliciousness?

Weight gain - 0.4 lbs.

This was highly unexpected. I really expected it to be more. I plan on buckling down again since I am probably taking this week off from running as well. Food is back in check, and in fact, I think I gorged enough that I might even be cheesecake-d out for a bit.

What.

Colfax Half Marathon (Race Recap)

2013-05-21T07:05:00.000-06:00

Sunday, May 19
Denver, CO
Half Marathon #83
Colorado Half #23
Weather - Overcast, perfect

I have never been in town for the Colfax half marathon since it always falls on my birthday weekend. Since I was actually in Colorado this year, I figured I'd better run it. For as large of a race as it is, there was a shockingly small amount of information on the website of suggestions of where to park. It just said there was no official lot, but to arrive early. Greeeeat. Thanks so much for the help.

Packet pick-up at Sports Authority Field was a CLUSTER. Honestly, pretty much the worst venue I've ever been in EVER for pick up. It was confusing, crowded, we had to take an ELEVATOR to get to it. No stairs, no escalator. AN ELEVATOR. Shirt in one direction, bibs in another and VERY VERY VERY NARROW. NOT a fun experience.

We were supposed to be parked by 5:45 am for our 7 am start. We had planned on leaving our house at 5:00, but then a babysitting snafu didn't have us dropping the kids off at my parents house until 5 after, which is further away than our house. We hadn't expected Colorado Blvd. to be closed so far north, but luckily we got parked on 26th, just on the other side of the golf course, and it was less than a 10 minute walk to the start. We sat in the car for about a half hour, fueling on donut holes.

Then we walked across the golf course, where I shot this nifty shot of downtown:

It wasn't super cold, but I had a throw-away sweater on and felt comfortable. We went through the bathroom lines and then met up for a Half Fanatic picture, where we also found my new running buddy, Hope. We still had over 20 minutes to the start, so we cycled through the bathroom lines one more time before heading over to the corrals. While waiting, I got a picture of this guy who had his headphones SCOTCH TAPED into his ears. At some point, I think I'd find a different type of headphone. No?

I bet I had even LOWER expectations for this race than I did yesterday. Unlike previous races, Hope and I actually planned to run together. L ran up to start a few corrals ahead of us, and we started in the back of H corral. We both thought that we had started out too fast the day before and decided to go for a slow and steady day. Right off the bat, Hope was saying her legs felt very tired. For some reason, I was feeling pretty good.

At first, my goal was... what IF I can make it all the way to the first aid station without walking? My calves got pretty tight in the first mile, but we were going slow and they eventually loosened up. Got to the first aid station right around mile 2, and I had gotten there WITHOUT walking. HURRAY!! The aid station was up a gradual hill, but we jogged up the top (a pretty big accomplishment for me lately since I have pretty much been walking ALL hills). We turned the corner and got to run through the zoo. THAT was neat. A lot of the animals were out, and my favorite was the rhino that was running along the side of his enclosure "with" us. So cute. The volunteers in the zoo had the best signs, like "have a zoo-pendous day!" Loved!!

The zoo was also the only section of the course that felt "hilly" and the only really narrow section of the course. We hit mile 3 in the zoo and STILL, no walking. It's been months since I ran over 3 miles without walking.

Obviously, my next goal was to get to the NEXT aid station without walking. I was feeling GREAT. Not good, but GREAT. We ran through Park Hill and I saw someone that looked like one of the attorneys I work for (I asked Monday, and it WAS him) and shouted his name but he didn't hear me. Park Hill was a really beautiful neighborhood and I still felt great when we walked through the next aid station. I took my GU and off we went. Miles 4-6 were all through some neighborhoods. Nothing felt hilly and I was still feeling good. We hit the mile 6ish aid station and the halfway timing mat and I still hadn't walked.

What.

We were surprised with an aid station at mile 7.2ish (when they say aid stations every 2 miles, I feel like they mean every two miles). And then we got to run through a fire station! They opened the bay doors and we ran through to blasting music and under an American and Colorado flag to the exit.

Then we FINALLY headed toward Colfax. The sun came out and it was feeling pretty warm. With the weird aid station at mile 7, we assumed the next aid station would be around mile 9. However, NO AID STATION at all until we hit mile 10. That was really too long! Hope was struggling, but we ran all of the 2.5 mile stretch of Colfax WITHOUT WALKING.

We entertained ourselves by pointing out all the sketchy hotels, car dealerships, dispensaries, liquor stores and pawn shops. I was surprised by the number of shops called "hair braiding." I really didn't know there was enough of a market for that to warrant an entire shop, much less more than one.

We finally got off Colfax and back into some nicer neighborhoods. Somewhere between mile 11 and 12, I was treated to one of the most amazing photo opportunities I have ever come across in a race:

I might have embarrassed myself by telling them (more than once) how beautiful they were.

That really set up the end of my race. I still felt great and now I had this great memory of sexy and shirtless firemen to get me through the last few miles. We hit the last aid station around mile 12 and the goal was to just keep at it! We saw the park and knew we were almost there. Hope was still struggling and I kept apologizing for how happy I was and how good I was feeling. Sometimes you just have a bad day and I know it can be frustrating to hear someone else feeling awesome when you are not. But she was such a good sport! I saw the arches for the finish and I didn't want to take off without Hope since we had already run together this long. I saw L on the other side of the barricades and waved like crazy at her. She got, for the second time in ONE weekend, another picture of me smiling and enjoying running.

This, my friends, is what I have missed about running

Bib #4554
Official Time - 2:33:57
Official Half - 1:14:57
Overall Place - 3945/5164
Gender Place - 2453/3412
Division Place - 934/1237
MMR Time -2:33:59
MMR Pace - 11:39
MMR Distance - 13.22
Mile 1 - 11:17
Mile 2 - 11:05
Mile 3 - 11:37
Mile 4 - 11:16
Mile 5 - 12:17
Mile 6 - 12:10
Mile 7 - 11:21
Mile 8 - 11:46
Mile 9 - 11:23
Mile 10 - 11:31
Mile 11 - 12:20
Mile 12 - 11:43
Mile 13 - 11:17
Mile 13.1 - 10:03

We collected our medals and then were herded through a long line of "stuff" before we exited the finish area and were finally able to head to the beer garden and to get our free bbq. The finish area was crazy crowded. We all picked at our bbq (which was delicious, but I wasn't very hungry) and I drank my free beer.

We stayed long enough that before we knew it we were a bit late going to pick up the kids. We headed back to the car, daring to cross the golf course even though people were golfing. I *almost* got hit by a golf ball. We sort of misplaced the car - we knew the right street but I had not properly gauged how FAR down we had parked and sort of wandered aimlessly for about 15 minutes.

We hadn't really eaten properly for my birthday celebration, so post race food was at the Cheesecake Factory:

Baked Mac n' Cheese, grilled cheese (sharp & jack), sweet potato fries

Kahlua cheesecake!

Thoughts:

This race, overall, was better than I expected. I haven't been looking at courses before running, so even though I knew we were running through the zoo, I figured a bulk of the race was on Colfax. Pleasant surprise that it WASN'T, because that was the worst part of the race for me.
The half naked firemen were a real treat.
Running through the zoo was fun! Also something I haven't done in a race!
I loved the medal (and removable charm) and the shirt is pretty nice too (women's cut!!)
The expo was a giant cluster, crowded disaster.
Seemed REALLY complicated to have three separate courses, but it was nice that even with over 5,000 runners, the half never seemed congested. Starting comfortably mid to back of the pack probably helped with that though.
The post-race festivities were CROWDED. I did get my free beer with little effort.
More info about where to park for both runners and spectators would have been REALLY helpful and would have alleviated some of the stress on race-day.
I did NOT hate running. I felt AWESOME the entire race. I probably could have pushed more during the race and finished a few minutes faster, but I really enjoyed running with Hope again and she thanked me for sticking with her because she would have otherwise been walking.

I will likely take a few more days off from running, maybe a short run Thursday or Friday.

Carbon Valley Half Marathon (Race Recap)

2013-05-20T09:16:00.000-06:00

Saturday, May 18
Firestone, CO
Half Marathon #82
Colorado Half #22
Weather - Sunny and Warm

When my other birthday plans fell through, it only seemed appropriate to run the inaugural Carbon Valley half marathon. We didn't know much about the race and hoped that arriving about 40 minutes in advance would be enough time to pick up our stuff. Luckily, everything was easy to find and we were in and out of pack pick-up at the library (with indoor bathrooms) in just a few minutes. We were joined again by our new running buddy, Hope. We stood around at the start line chatting with her and her family. In a very short amount of time, I managed to get a few DOZEN mosquito bites. THAT was annoying.

And then we started, about five minutes late.

I had ZERO expectations going into the race. I had not run one step since Sunday. I had been out the night before having birthday beers with my sister. I had cake. I had candy. I fueled with donut holes.

We started off on a weird soft gravel section. I was feeling ok, but my calves (shockingly) were tight. Again. I did manage to run the entire first mile without walking. I was worried, again, that I would need to be stopping a lot to let my legs loosen up. I took a few pictures while walking.

Turns out, this was pretty much the best looking part of the course

I caught up with Hope just after mile 2. We would end up running (and walking) together for the remainder of the race. There is just not much to say. There were aid stations about every two miles. They had Gatorade (variety) at three aid stations and just water at the rest. Friendly volunteers. BORING BORING BORING course. It was a gradual uphill most of the course and it was hot. We walked quite a bit.

I also had to mess with my iFitness belt A HUNDRED BILLION TIMES. I really haven't raced with it much, but since it was hot, I wanted to carry water on me. It would NOT stay put. It either rode up, or if I wore it too low, my hip bone was somehow managing to put enough pressure on the bottle that it was shooting Nuun on me. MOST ANNOYING THING EVER. I will never ever ever run with this thing ever again. I would rather faint from dehydration.

We were looking forward to the only section of the course that promised to be visually stimulating, a mile-ish jaunt around a small lake. There were gnats everywhere, which was NOT pleasant, although we did see this giant bird:

So yeah. The course was boring. It was hillier than we thought and we just wanted to be done. But, I had a pretty good time overall, even with tired legs. L managed to catch a picture of me GENUINELY smiling. Hurray!

Bib #204
Official Time - 2:42:57
Overall Place - 139/164
Gender Place - 74/97
Division Place - 34/42
MMR Time - 2:43:07
MMR Pace - 11:27
MMR Distance - 13.41 miles
Mile 1 - 10:37
Mile 2 - 11:54
Mile 3 - 11:18
Mile 4 - 12:58
Mile 5 - 12:39
Mile 6 - 12:57
Mile 7 - 12:56
Mile 8 - 10:35
Mile 9 - 11:40
Mile 10 - 13:35
Mile 11 - 12:56
Mile 12 - 11:37
Mile 13 - 11:43
Mile 13.41 - 11:27

Not sure this captures the "barren-ness" of Firestone

There was some food at the finish line. I missed out on the Chic-Fil-A, but I did get MORE donut holes. I swear, they melted in my mouth and were DELICIOUS. I wanted a beer (mainly because I was thirsty). I quickly slammed a not-so-great Miller 64 OUT OF A CAN.

Thoughts:

Pretty good for an inaugural although there was not much information on their website about race day information. Also, I really had to search to find race results, there was no link from their website.
No gels available on the course, BYOG! Well stocked with fluids though - 3 of the 7 aid stations had Gatorade.
The map showed where the aid stations were, but not in relation to the miles, so that was a bit annoying.
Pretty nice shirt, I may or may not wear again, but at least it was a women's cut!
Pretty awesome medal!
Boring boring boring boring boring boring course. And practically zero crowd support.

Other thoughts:

DID NOT HATE RUNNING WHEN I WAS DONE!!! Major success! Sure, it was slow. Sure, I didn't feel amazing the entire time. But nothing really hurt and I was not miserable when I crossed the line. I call that a win!

The Running Hiatus

2013-05-17T09:26:00.000-06:00

Even as I am typing it, it seems ridiculous to be "impressed" that I haven't run all week. Even with minor injuries, I still have always sneaked in a few short runs. You know, just in case I "forget" how to run. So the 5 solid days of not running are probably a record for me.

Instead:

Monday - Monday Night Chaos. This class never disappoints. It is a mix of circuit training, crossfit, strength and cardio. I spend the next few days wondering how I've never worked out certain muscle groups. Every week is different. I go almost every single week, and it is a always a challenge.
Tuesday - Nada. Epsom salt bath.
Wednesday - Yoga.
Thursday - Epsom salt bath and back to turbo kickboxing at the gym. Hrm. Things have changed since I went last. Apparently there is a new instructor, which doesn't really matter other than she wasn't the greatest at shouting instructions so I was LOST. I haven't been to class in 7 or 8 months and it was AWKWARD. I was dazed and confused.
Friday (today) - NADA. I plan on having pizza for dinner and a couple of beers with my older sister.

There were some questions/comments on my whiny blog post about hating running right now:

Back in February I finally went to the doctor to address my fatigue, lack of energy, general soreness, etc. I had blood work done (thyroid, iron, electrolyte and other stuff) and EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. So, apparently, there is absolutely no medical reason for this? Which is VERY frustrating.
Am I actually injured? Dunno. My knee has been achy since the trail race I did last week. Not the IT band, but sorta under my knee cap. That's new. Also, my ankle has been tender on/off for a long time. Calf cramping still a HUGE issue. So pretty much the same things that have been plaguing me for years.
I have the P90X DVDs. I had done them a few years ago (not sure if I had any success or not). I am hesitant to start doing this again because it is pretty time consuming and it has to be done at home. I've lost so much motivation that the thought of getting out from under my heated blanket to exercise is... well, probably not going to happen. But, that IS an option.
I'm pretty limited to the classes I can take at the gym, and I had forgotten about the kickboxing. Pretty fun cardio, if I can at all remember the sequences of the moves so I don't look like a weirdo.
When do I plan on running again? Well, I am running double half marathons for my birthday this weekend!!! I know, seems risky since I hate running right now, but I am determined to make the best of it. I most likely will take all of next week off from running as well. Not sure if the physical rest will improve anything, but the mental break seems to be helping?

Wordless Wednesday (Field Day)

2013-05-15T14:12:00.001-06:00

#NotEatingAllTheThings (Week 2)

2013-05-14T08:16:00.001-06:00

If you missed the premise and the Week 1 Recap - you can read all about it HERE.

Well, I'll admit that I'm a bit disappointed with the progress this week.

Weight loss - .8 pounds

That's lame. I was on track with all food logging and exercise. Mother's Day dinner/dessert was my only splurge (I refuse to turn down Strawberry Shortcake!).

According to Daily Mile, I ran over 35 miles last week. I also did an hour on the crossramp/elliptical, did my circuit/cross fit/weights class for an hour, and an hour of yoga. So all my activity was there as well.

And yet, barely a loss at all. Blah. I know that weeks have ups and downs, but it seems pointless to turn away cupcakes and chocolate if I'm not seeing results.

Not looking forward to my next weigh in as I'm taking the week (mostly) off from exercise. I'm tired.

I did indulge in half a "Big Kid" grilled cheese sandwich from Panera. Yum

Westminster Women's Classic Ten Miler (Race Recap)

2013-05-13T17:00:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day
Sunday, May 12
Weather - Sunny and HOT (ok, 60ish, but FELT hot)

I was hoping to "run" the entire Women's Classic. I was hoping to repeat the half marathon I did on New Year's Day. Slow but not walking anything but the water stations.

I'll save you reading the recap to find out. I WALKED A HUNDRED BILLION TIMES.

I registered... I don't know why. It wasn't that much money and there was a kid's race before ours. The kids had a great time:

Sorry for the poor quality of the top left picture, I took that as a still from a video I took of the race. A ended up about 6th kid overall. Both kids finished with smiles on their faces!

The 10 mile race didn't start until 8:30 and it was already getting really warm. We had hoped to cycle through the bathroom line again, but there were way too many people in front of us (there was also a 10k and 5k that started after us). Five port-o-potties was probably not enough, especially for an all-women's event!

I started in the back. The course was on the Big Dry Creek Trail, the same trail where we ran the Redline at Westminster last month. I have run this a billion times, so didn't take any pictures, except for the flooded underpass we had to run through. Well, you were SUPPOSED to run through, but about half of the women turned around when they saw the water and ran up the embankment and across the street. CHEATER CHEATER PUMPKIN EATERS.

Anyway, I have NEVER seen the trail flooded like this:

Once you started moving, the water easily sloshed over your knees. What. I didn't mind, it was like an ultra experience in a 10 miler. River crossing? CHECK. Plus, it was already feeling really warm.

I forgot, like is typical of me, that there is ZERO shade on this course. FOR REAL, ZERO SHADE. It is mostly paved bike path, but there are some small areas of dirt and gravel. I know the temperature was in the low to mid 60's by the time I was done, but it felt MUCH MUCH hotter.

Anyway, I walked. A lot. My legs were crampy. Achy. Tired. I was NOT having a good time. I just didn't want to come in last. I ran a little, but probably never more than 3-4 minutes at a time

The course does a 180 at the end, A ran down the hill so she could run me in. Other than the river crossing, this was the only good part of the run.

At least ONE of us looks happy

L, Hope and Me (LOVE this picture!!)

Time - 1:57:58
Place - 119/143
Mile 1 - 10:50
Mile 2 - 11:58
Mile 3 - 11:04
Mile 4 - 12:02
Mile 5 - 11:18
Mile 6 - 12:15
Mile 7 - 12:02
Mile 8 - 11:52
Mile 9 - 11:03
Mile 10 - 10:27
Mile 10.24 - 11:11

I *guess* considering I walked a BILLION times, my splits aren't that terrible. While I obviously DO NOT love being slow, what I like even less is all of a sudden feeling like I CAN'T. I did not run one consecutive mile without walking. I am not even sure I ran an entire HALF mile without walking.

Thoughts about the race:

There were 6 aid stations for the 10 mile. That barely felt like enough. I was so hot and thirsty and with no shade it was like running through the desert. They had FRS instead of Gatorade, which was actually pretty decent.
There was "food" at the end. All pastry type stuff. Didn't really feel like junk food, so I didn't have anything. The kids really enjoyed it.
Could have started at least an hour earlier, although spring in Colorado is so sketchy, you really never know what the weather is going to do. REALLY hot when I was done!
Cute medal!

Running Thoughts:

At the risk of being whiny, I am SO SICK AND TIRED OF RUNNING. Nothing about running on the treadmill or road feels good. Just about every step I have taken has been exhausting and painful. I don't think I'm actually injured. If you want to call it over-training or burnout, then do. I don't think it is "over-training" - I run 3-4 days a week, as I have for YEARS.
Even though the doctor's seems to think there is nothing physically wrong, I disagree. I am always tired. Even after a few days of NOTHING, I don't ever feel energized or "fresh." When I get done with a workout, I have an overwhelming sense of THANK GOD THAT IS DONE. I hate feeling this way. Running is supposed to be fun. I'm not saying it is supposed to be easy, but when it becomes the worst part of my day and every day seems harder than the day before, then it is time to take a break.
I have no plans on any DNF's right now. This weekend is my birthday and I have back to back half marathons. I do not plan to run between now and then. And after this weekend I just might taken another week off.
I do not plan on registering for anything else right now. Which means I feel like a total jerk for bailing on the other B and our Colorado race. Luckily, I've talked to her already and she is really understanding and we will do something else while she is here and I will try to spectate her race up in Steamboat.
I hate hate hate being so negative. But I also feel that this blog (even if no one but me really reads it) needs to be honest. So, here it is. I'm being honest. I hate running right now.
Suggestions for cardio appreciated. I'm pretty limited on what I can do since I need the daycare at the gym. Or should I skip cardio and concentrate on something else? Strength?

Anyway, overall, I had a pretty good Mother's Day.

Fear the Deer Half Marathon (Race Recap)

2013-05-13T09:26:00.000-06:00

Saturday, May 11
Littleton, CO
Half Marathon #81
Colorado Half #20
Weather - Sunny and Warm

The Fear the Deer was the one half that I was half dreading and half looking forward to. Whenever I get in a running slump, a trail race or crazy running adventure usually helps fix my perspective. However, the race is also deemed the "toughest trail 1/2 on the front range." THAT would turn out to be an accurate assessment.

The race didn't start until 8, but looking at the information a few days before showed that we would need to drive about 40 minutes, pick up our packets and then take a shuttle up part of the mountain to get to the start area. Pick up was a breeze and we were on the first bus to the park. The view from the trail head was pretty nice:

Kim always reminds me that hot air balloons are good luck

We chatted with a few guys at a picnic table waiting for the race to start. We hit the bathrooms a few times and it was disappointing that one of the two toilets didn't flush. That was awkward. The race was capped at 175 runners, and it did sell out. This is the start area about 10 minutes before we started.

As soon as the last bus arrived, we started, a few minutes late. We had no idea if there were any bathrooms on the course, but we decided not to take a chance, and we stopped, 100 yards(ish) after starting the race and used them one last time. By then, we were already playing a game of catch up to the last runner. Immediately, the hills were pretty intense, this is probably a quarter of a mile in:

I will admit, I was pretty excited about FOR REAL trails. Once we got going, it was pretty nice with a bunch of GREEN trees and some shade (how on earth it already felt so hot, I don't know):

The sign says One Mileish (LOL)

I struggled pretty early on going up the inclines.

Once we got up one the longest hill in the world, we noticed there were some cute signs taped to trees:

The up just kept going.... and going.... and going....

And then FINALLY, there was some single track that we could actually run. That was FANTASTIC.

The views from the top were pretty impressive:

All the turnarounds were unmanned - but clearly marked. Not sure where I would go, except to go back the way I came...

We had one of the volunteers take a picture of us at one of the scenic view summits:

My vest felt "off" all day. No wonder, the chest strap is all wonky

And some pictures of me on the course:

Unexpected "medal"

Official Time - 3:16:55
Overall Place - 146/155
Unofficial time - 3:17:29 (Forgot to stop MMR)
Distance - 13.47 (according to MMR)
Mile 1- 14:57
Mile 2 - 19:59
Mile 3 - 16:33
Mile 4 - 13:15
Mile 5 - 16:04
Mile 6 - 10:59 (must have been the single track!)
Mile 7 - 13:36
Mile 8 - 13:53
Mile 9 - 19:37
Mile 10 - 12:40
Mile 11 - 14:22
Mile 12 - 13:03
Mile 13 - 11:58
Mile 13.4 - 12:05

So. Thoughts:

This shit was hard. But the type of hard I actually enjoy. The "ups" were crazy hard, I had to stop quite a bit to catch my breath. The single track was really nice, I love running "rolling" hills. The downhills were mostly ok, but there was a lot of loose rocks, I landed weird quite a few times. Biggest success was NO falling.
There was one aid station on the course that we hit twice - once around mile 1.7 and again at mile 8.5. I do not understand the people that didn't carry water!! I wore my vest, and had it filled with 50-60 oz of Nuun and I drank THE ENTIRE THING. Plus I took water both times I hit the aid station. I took two gels and had 2 red vines. And I was STARVING by the time we were done. L drank maybe one tiny water bottle (12 oz??) and NO GU. What.
L is so much faster and stronger than me I wish she wouldn't "run" with me. By "run with me" she is always about 20 strides ahead of me and I am always chasing her. Whenever I get within hearing distance, I get the "hurry up." Blah.
Pretty, pretty, PRETTY course.
Awesome volunteers. We had to take a "shuttle" back to the car, and one of the volunteers actually drove us down in her personal vehicle. That was really nice.
The post race food was PHENOMENAL. So happy they had food AND beer left when we were done (there were only maybe 10 people that finished after us).
Maybe, if I was in better shape, I would run this again. For the most part, I had a good time. Trails still make me pretty happy.

#NotEatingAllTheThings (Week 1)

2013-05-07T09:40:00.000-06:00

If you follow me on Twitter, I've always been a HUGE fan of the hashtag #eatallthethings

However, it became glaringly obvious to me after the Weekend of Amazing in Eugene that I'm getting chubbier than I'd like. The group shot at the start of the race was a wake up call for me. (Isn't that how it always starts? With a picture of yourself?)

Anyway, after all the beer and donuts were gone, Heather and I have joined forces with a (super un-fun) plan to NOT eat all the things. For pretty much the first time EVER, I am actually watching calories (NOT FUN) and am keeping myself accountable by texting Heather pictures of my meals. (You're welcome by not overloading Twitter/Instagram/Facebook with my super boring pictures of salads).

To be honest, there has only been a few times where I started to get hangry (hungry/angry) and annoyed that I couldn't/shouldn't be eating anything. I still carb loaded before my race at Chili's (but made sure to watch my Chips & salsa intake), still had free beer Friday, and still celebrated post-race with Smashburger (Colorado burger and sweet potato fries).

The results? Down 5.4 pounds.

Now don't get too concerned, 3.6 of those pounds were in the first 24 hours, so it's obviously water/beer weight from the "Growler Challenge" I failed at last Monday. Taking THOSE pounds out of the equation, looks like I'm responsibly on the way to dropping those 10-15 pounds I've added in the last year.

My birthday is coming up in a few weeks, I'll just have to settle with ONE piece of cake instead of ALL the cake.

Hey, maybe I'll post ONE food picture:

Louisville Trail Half Marathon (Race Recap)

2013-05-06T09:15:00.003-06:00

Sunday, May 5
Louisville, CO
Half Marathon #80
Colorado Half #19
Weather - Overcast and chilly

In our quest to run all the half marathons in Colorado, the Louisville "trail" half marathon was the choice for the weekend because it was close and less than half the cost of the "bigger" half of the weekend, the Colorado half marathon in Ft. Collins. Trail is in quotes because this is NOT trail. It is paved bike path and crushed gravel. No trail shoes necessary. So an urban trail? I dunno.

Anyway, the race started at 8, and we have run races put on by this group before and they aren't too big, so we dropped the kids off at 6:45, made the 20 minute drive to Louisville and parked a few blocks from the starting area. We hit the bathrooms and then went back to the car. We heard an announcement saying the race was starting in 20 minutes, and we weren't paying attention and realized we only had about 10 minutes for the race to start and we wanted to use the bathrooms again. There was also a 10K that was starting 10 minutes later and only one woman in line let us cut so that we wouldn't miss the start.

Well, we missed the start anyway, and I was the last one across the line. L is back on her kick where she wants to run fast, which is fine, she is clearly WAY faster than I am, and she took off. I tried to run just fast enough to keep people in sight so that I wouldn't get lost.

I have run part of this section of "trails" before (most recently the St. Patrick's Day 5K that A and I ran). Everything still looks dead and brown thanks to our 7+ months of winter:

Remember last week, in Eugene, where everything was green and lush??

I caught up to the last of the runners within the first half mile. And shortly after that was when I started walking. Early on, I was walking because my calves were tight. By the end of the race I was walking because I was tired and cranky.

This tiny section of single track was the only part I'd even remotely consider "trail"

I spent miles 6-9ish talking with a fellow Half Fanatic, Hope, which helped make the miles go by a bit quicker.

Really have to figure out why my upper body is so STIFF

But I wasn't enjoying my day. I felt off and the weather was gloomy and the course was blah.

View from the peak of the one (GIANT) hill

I had talked my co-worker into running this and I spotted her on both out and back sections. She didn't enjoy herself much either.

I really didn't want to walk the end of the race. But I did. I walked more in this race than I probably have EVER. EVERY single mile, I walked. I bet I never ran more than a half mile before I walked. WTF, me.

L, who had been done a half hour, got shots of me heading into the finish. At least I looked cute?

Favorite course pictures and my finisher pic

Bib #2180

Official Time - 2:33:04

Official Pace - 11:41

Overall Place - 210/231

Gender Place - 127/142

Division Place - 44/47

MMR Time - 2:33:08 (slowest half in months)

MMR Distance - 13.24 miles

MMR Pace - 11:33

Mile 1 - 10:08

Mile 2 - 12:07

Mile 3 - 11:32

Mile 4 - 10:44

Mile 5 - 10:52

Mile 6 - 10:48

Mile 7 - 12:24

Mile 8 - 11:15

Mile 9 - 10:50

Mile 10 - 12:11

Mile 11 - 12:54

Mile 12 - 12:56

Mile 13 - 11:10

Mile 13.24 - 10:47

Thoughts on the race:

Pretty well organized, but a bit confusing with two distances starting in two different directions
Not really enough bathrooms at the start
Generic unisex shirt = bad. Even the XS is giant on me. Waste of a shirt, I will never wear it. I swear, there were more women than men here - GENDER SPECIFIC PLEASE.
I got a great deal on race registration through ZOZI (like living social) - $35!! So I guess I can't complain too much
Nice medal
Well stocked aid stations. They all had water and some type of electrolyte drink I had never heard of, but it tasted fine. Most also had little Lara bars and Honey Stinger gels, chews and waffles.
Course was pretty well marked, mile markers at every mile, but with the multiple distances, the markers were a bit confusing.
I like the figure 8 course, I got to see people on a couple out and backs - and reassuring that I was NOT last.
Lots of food at the finish area. Rumor is there was beer but I was cold and cranky and we had to get the kids so I didn't even look for it. Finish area also set up with vendors like an expo, so there was stuff for sale at the end.

Thoughts on running:

I am definitely in a funk. I hate running a lot right now.
Calves are STILL tight and apparently NOTHING I do will fix it, they apparently will randomly flare up, and there is apparently NO cause for this. ANNOYING.
Ankle and IT band both got a bit angry - but not too terrible. So happy I was only doing a half.
I know speed is not everything. However, I'm tired of being slow. I'm tired of a jog feeling so hard. I've been to the doctor and there is no medical reason why I am so tired and sloggy all the time.

Anyway, the end. I've been complaining for the last 24 hours and even that is getting old. Anyway, L really liked this race and said she would do it again.

Raffle Winners!!

2013-05-02T09:08:00.001-06:00

Thank you SO much to everyone that donated during my raffle! I am a bit more than halfway to my fundraising goal, and of course, if you can, donations will be accepted HERE.

Random.org picked the winners:

Pro Compression socks -Suzanne Westenhofer
Pro Compression socks - Heather Gonzalez
Nuun (2 tubes) - Suzanne Westenhofer
$25 INKnBURN Gift Card - Renee Taylor
Black Newton Visor - Alex Dietrich
Yellow Newton Visor - Sarah Jordan
$25 INKnBURN Gift Card - Lisa Jameson

Email me ASAP with your name, mailing address and phone number to squirrelgirl44 (at) hotmail (dot) com and I will get your prizes sent out.

Again, thank you so much to everyone, especially Pro Compression and Newton that donated the goods for my raffle.

(Speaking of Pro Compression, the "sock of the month" is YELLOW - which is AWESOME, and you can pick them up for 40% off using the code SOM5).

April Rewind

2013-05-01T08:54:00.002-06:00

Well, I managed to eek out just over 100 miles for the month (108ish overall).

52 miles of that was racing (2 half marathons and 1 marathon)
20ish miles of that was a single training run - my greatest accomplishment!
I only ran 9 days the whole month. And yesterday barely even counts since I only did 2 miles total - really just to test out my ankle/calves.

Current aches/pains

Apparently, the ball on the inner part of my right ankle. It's been known to flare up on runs 10-12+ miles. Usually if I tape it, it is ok, but it hurt pretty bad during Eugene.
Calves, like usual.

The lofty goal

NOT eating all the things. I had a free for all weekend in Eugene, and literally ate EVERYTHING. Donuts, pizza, burgers, fries and a LOT of beer. If I don't want to be a giant fat ass, I'm really going to have to change this. Sigh. So... the land of the un-fun started yesterday, and I will diligently pay attention to what I'm eating and (sort of) count calories. Sigh.

Running goals

Still try to rebuild my base - that should help with 4(?) half marathons I am running this month...
Not sold on doing speed work right now. My pace is so stupidly slow right now and I need to figure out why, before I try to push even more.
If it ever EVER stops snowing (seriously), I'd like to start going to run club again on Wednesday nights. That will NOT be tonight:

My backyard at 6:45 am. We should have 4-8" by tonight

Eugene Marathon (Race Recap)

2013-04-30T15:54:00.002-06:00

Sunday, April 28
Eugene, OR
Marathon #21
State #21
Weather - Perfect. Overcast, cool. A bit humid.

Rumor has it that there is MAGIC in Eugene. Last year, there were a TON of bloggers I follow that had amazing races in Eugene and set PR's left and right. Needless to say, I wanted BADLY to run the Eugene Marathon. I booked airfare (again, CRAZY cheap - round trip into Portland for $106!) in December. I waited a bit to register after having months of slow and painful running. Kim assured me that if I at all was considering the full that I should just register for it and the drop down to the 1/2 was simple if I had to do it.

I convinced my BFF Heather to join me in a "redemption" marathon, as L has decided no more marathons, the end. We managed to settle on a matchy matchy outfit, and off to Oregon we went...

Saturday

Our flight out of Denver was just after 8:00, so we had to leave by about 6. Not to much earlier than I would get up for work, so that was nice. Spent the 2 1/2 hour flight to Portland watching a marathon of Teen Mom 2. (I know, I know). Arrived in Oregon around 9:45, and only ended up having to wait about a half hour for Heather to arrive. Picked up our rental car, and then we started our weekend. First two goals were to hit up Voodoo Doughnuts and Lululemon. (Did you know that Oregon has no sales tax???) We got a bit turned around trying to find the glorious donuts, but when we DID find them, they were GLORIOUS.

I shared the voodoo guy (raspberry filled) with L and also had a maple bacon bar. Man. Those things are good. Genius. We walked through a pretty sketchy part of town to Lululemon where L was overjoyed to find the Pinkalicious pace setter in her tall size. Then we decided that we had been screwing around long enough and decided to start the drive to Eugene so we didn't miss the expo.

Shortly after leaving the city, L spotted a sign advertising a place called "Pizza Schmizza" - aka, LUNCH.

L drove, thankfully, and it was the prettiest drive EVER. Oregon is so green and lush compared to brown, dead Colorado.

We got to the expo with about 1.5 hours to spare. Of course, my line for bib pick-up was the longest. It was crowded and chaotic. We took this fun shot though:

Um yeah. I seem to have lost all ability to make a normal face for a picture. With no plans other than 6:00 dinner near the hotel, we decided to hit up Voodoo in Eugene. You know, for some pre-race fuel.

You can TOTALLY get married at Voodoo! Starting at only $200??? My possible future spouse will be so thrilled to know that I absolutely WOULD get married at Voodoo.

I'm saying "RAAAAAAAWR"

I sure love me some donuts

We checked in to our hotel and managed to walk right past Kim's room. We chatted for a few minutes and then we settled into our room until it was time to go to dinner. We ate at Amici's at the other Holiday Inn across the lot. There were a lot of complaints about service and food. I was thrilled with the no sales tax and my sausage and pepper Panini and fries were pretty tasty. We went to the bar/tap house near our hotel. Service was bad, but my vanilla porter was so good I had a second one.

Lights out early, around 10.

Sunday

Up around 5:30, with plans of leaving between 5:45 and 6:00 to drive over to the start. I thought that was a bit too late and I was really worried about parking, especially since we didn't know the area and there was no parking at the start.

Luckily, Kim coached us pretty well, and without even meaning to, we managed to all park in the same lot, only a few blocks from the start.

The start was a giant cluster of chaos. We only cycled through the bathroom line once and then took a pre-race picture:

Not my favorite - I look super chunky (Left to right - Heather, L, Alma, Kim, Sally, Me, Jess)

And then it was time to line up. The picture I took at the start is for reals the only picture I took of the entire course.

I had put my ID and credit card in the same pocket with my phone, and it seemed like too much of an ordeal to pull it out. Heather took BILLIONS of pictures (as she should have, it was the most beautiful course EVER. I will "borrow" one or two from her blog here:

Thank you, Heather, for taking the time to capture the beautiful-ness of Eugene.

Going into the race, we really wanted to not die and finish within the time limit, which was 7 hours. L gave us a time limit of 6:40 so that we would have time to shower (thanks to the SUPER awesome check out time we were given of 2:30!!)

A quieter goal was to get Heather a PR (sub 5:10 and a super loftybutmaybepossible goal of sub 5 was discussed. I did not want to wear a watch, so Heather was in charge of monitoring pace.

We started in the back of Corral C and honestly, the first few miles went by pretty quick. The course never seemed to crowded to me, and there were a lot of spectators. Sadly, the race honestly started going to shit for me around mile 3. It felt like a gradual uphill. I had no idea what pace we were running, but it SEEMED HARD. I already felt like I had to use the bathroom, which is no bueno this early in the race. I was trying to let Heather take charge of the pace and do my best to keep up with her, as long as I wasn't physically hurting.

At the turnaround, it finally felt downhill and I felt a LOT better. The next few miles went well, except for the aid station at mile 6 running out of cups. Not water or Gatorade, just cups. Volunteers were suggesting I cup my hands for a drink. Um. No thanks. I used a port-o-potty an hour ago. Bleh.

The hill at mile 8 seemed pretty small from the base. We ran up the first half... then walked the rest. Nice downhill at the backside and then we ran by the start/finish area. There were already speedy half marathoners finishing. Jealous.

We hoped to see someone we knew heading in, but we didn't. We ran by our car just before mile 10 and since there wasn't a wait, used the bathrooms. I felt better for a bit. I think our pace slowed a little, but I felt decent through the halfway point, which is about where the 5 hour pace group caught us.

I knew that Heather wanted to stay in front of them. I wanted to as well. The pacer had the loudest and most high pitched voice ever. I really wanted to outrun them. My ankle started to ache (I promise this is not made up) and somewhere around 14-15 miles in is when I gave the race away. I tried to get Heather to go on without me. I felt like a total jerk for screwing up ANOTHER RACE.

But... she didn't, and we had a great time. The weather stayed on our side, and the sun came out only briefly for a few miles. The aid stations were spaced pretty well apart and again, THE COURSE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EVER.

At mile 23.69 there were guys handing out beer on the course. I may have told one of them that he was my favorite person on the planet. And I meant it. Beer during a race is The Best. We walked quite a bit the last 10k. Heather was saying that her right leg was hurting pretty bad, so I didn't feel AS bad about taking so many breaks.

We came around the corner and recognized the lot where we had parked and realized we were close! We were discussing a walk break when we saw Alma and Kim!! I think I'm screaming - HIIIIIIIII!

And clearly we were getting pretty darn excited for the upcoming finish. WAHOOO, look how smiley we are:

I really wanted to sprint into Hayward. I really did. My stupid crappy dumb legs were done. It was all I could do to NOT walk across the finish line.

Bib #4207
Official Time - 5:17:31
Overall Place - 2369/2561
Gender Place - 1109/1222
Division Place - 209/223
5K - 34:58 (11:16 pace)
10K - 1:10:21 (11:20 pace)
Half - 2:32:41 (11:40 pace)
20 Mile - 3:54:39 (11:44 pace)

We took a quick finisher pic and grabbed some water and then met L right outside the gates and walked to the car. We hurried to the hotel and took quick showers so that we would have time to get LUNCH AND BEER.

We went to Roadhouse and had a delicious burger and fries and I had a GIANT BEER.

It seemed silly to only go to two of the three Voodoo Doughnuts, so obviously, our only other plan was to go to the third location when we got back to Portland. I apparently fell asleep in the car, and we stopped long enough to go to another Lululemon (in hopes of L getting Aquamarine in tall, which they did not have) and some froyo from Yogurtland. Quick-ish stop at the last Voodoo:

Then we headed to Kim's house, where her and S were graciously going to host AND entertain us. We ordered some food:

And then we watched Pitch Perfect. If you haven' t seen it yet, you should. It is HILARIOUS. Early to bed again. Our flight left early Monday morning, so quick donuts for breakfast with some coffee and some chatting with Kim and then we had to be on our way.

Thoughts:

Running a marathon is hard. And I don't think I want to do it anymore. I have said this before, but if I'm left with that feeling even AFTER being on the prettiest course ever, I think it's time the marathon and I break up for a bit.
We got TONS of comments on our outfits. (Sorry, L, it appears Heather and I are twins!)
The course is great great great. I can see why people come here to BQ. A year or two ago, this race would have gone much differently.
Plenty of aid stations. I didn't wear a fuel belt and I was fine. 2 Clif gel stations and there were 2 stations with bananas (there should have been 3, but I think one ran out before we got there).
Did I mention this course is beautiful?
I really like Oregon. I might have to come back sometime.
Annoyed I didn't take any pictures myself. I should have.
I got the worst chafing EVER on my inner right thigh - serves me right for not body gliding. Two days later it STILL hurts.

Wordless Wednesday

2013-04-24T11:30:00.002-06:00

They make it sound like I am already in. I'm not. This is lottery attempt number 3!

Albuquerque Half Marathon (Race Recap)

2013-04-22T16:45:00.000-06:00

Saturday, April 20
Albuquerque, NM
Half Marathon #79
New Mexico half #2
Weather - sunny and warm

New Mexico was the ONLY state I didn't have a medal from. It was one of the first 10 states I did, but only people that PLACED at the other half I did got a medal. I did NOT get a medal, instead, I got a salsa dish for participating. So... when L suggested the Albuquerque half marathon - an inexpensive race WITH a medal, I jumped on the opportunity. It did NOT hurt that she also found the most insanely inexpensive airfare in the history of flying - $46.04 AFTER TAX, ROUND TRIP. What. Couple that with sharing a room and a rental car, and my total travel expenses INCLUDING the race entry, were about $140. (You know, about the cost of a Rock 'n' Roll event).

Kim flew out of Portland and we met up with her in Denver for the one hour flight to Albuquerque. We picked up our rental car and immediately went to packet pick up at Fleet Feet. Cotton shirt, personalized bib and a timing chip. We got zero paper in our bags, not even a map. Kim got an excellent shot of me "studying" the confusing route:

The next goal, obviously, was carb loading. We stopped at a Chili's down the street where I indulged in a giant (and delicious beer) and some tasty Cajun pasta.

Checked in at our hotel that was also nearby and lights were out pretty early, before 10:00.

Race Day

The race started at 8, but there was not any parking on site. We hoped to leave by 7:00 to park in the "close" lot, which was supposed to be .45 miles from the start/finish area. (Spoiler: it was actually about twice that far - good thing we had picked up our bibs the day before).

Even though it was supposed to have been a chilly 36 degrees at the start, the sun was shining and it felt HOT. While waiting in line for the bathroom, the race director delayed the start by 10 minutes, giving us enough time to check our arm sleeves.

Pre-race - W, L, Kim, Me

The race start was a giant cluster. By the time we walked to the start and lined up, there was a "moment for Boston" and then we were off. Well. Sort of. The race started on a fairly narrow dirt path and did a u-turn around a canal to really start off. It was congested and crowded and it was slow moving, even for me.

It was already hotter than hot. The first mile of the course (which, mile 1 hit right by where we parked) was on packed dirt along farming area:

W and L took off early, but I manged to keep Kim in my sights until at least mile 1.5. We exited off the dirt path and went into a residential area. The aid stations were well stocked with small cups of both Gatorade and water.

The 10k race had started 15 minutes after the half, and I didn't get passed until about 3 miles in. YAY!!! 3 miles in and we are running by the start/finish area, and that is where the race really begins. I hadn't done any research on the course, but Kim assured me it was "flat." Which was just the boost I needed after 8 months of crappy racing.

My calves got a bit tight around mile 3.5 and I walked a decent amount. I took an Island Nectar GU at the mile 4 aid station and seriously, it was like I was a new person. I won't say that the walking stopped, most miles I walked for at least 30 seconds, and I still walked all the aid stations, but I felt better than I have in ages.

I was actually PASSING PEOPLE. What. I haven't passed people in a race in ages. I felt like I was flying (well, sort of) and by mile 6 I was still feeling good. I haven't been wearing my watch so I had no idea what pace I was running. I sneaked a look around mile 7.5 and was SO HAPPY to see how I was doing.

There was a weird section at the "turn around" where we were running on a major road (one lane was coned off one lane plus the bike lane). There were ZERO police or volunteers at any of the intersections. I took this right before the mile 8 aid station:

We got back into some residential areas and the most "exciting" part of the race was seeing a half dozen bike police harassing a homeless person by the railroad tracks. I had my headphones in so I couldn't tell what he was saying, but it looked like he was ranting.

Kept passing people, kept passing people. Starting to get tired so I took another GU around mile 9. Once again, it was like I was a new person. The course felt flat for sure (maybe even gradually downhill - maybe because of the "hard" treadmills I have been using for the last few weeks at the gym).

I sprinted in to the finish and was super happy to see my time on the clock when I ran in. Fastest time since last August!!!

Official Time - 2:23:34
Official Pace - 10:58
Overall Place - 468/615
Division Place - 528/80
Mile 1 - 10:51
Mile 2 - 10:42
Mile 3 - 10:58
Mile 4 - 11:09
Mile 5 - 10:42
Mile 6 - 10:31
Mile 7 - 10:52
Mile 8 - 10:47
Mile 9 - 10:48
Mile 10 - 11:07
Mile 11 - 10:57
Mile 12 - 10:25
Mile 13 - 10:56
Mile 13.1 - 9:40

The other girls were ready to go by the time I was done, so after grabbing some goodies for the road, we meandered the .8 (or whatever it REALLY was) back to the car. We had gotten late checkout, so we made a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts on the way back to the hotel, where I picked up this DELICIOUS maple bacon donut:

Kim and L were kind enough to humor W and I through a tasty and satisfying flight of beer at the Marble brewing company:

We had lunch at the Frontier Restaurant. It was DELICIOUS. I had a satisfying combination of a cheese enchilada, french fries and a tasty cinnamon roll.

By then, the trip was already over and we had to head to the airport. W and I had another flight of beer:

The flight back was uneventful and we landed on time in Denver.

Fun Fun FUN girls weekend. So happy I get to see Kim again ON SATURDAY in Eugene!

Three Things Thursday

2013-04-18T14:13:00.001-06:00

1. I have my "redemption" race this weekend. The only state I do not have bling from is New Mexico! I leave tomorrow afternoon to run the Albuquerque half marathon with BOTH of my sisters AND Kim. Should be fun. Well, as fun as New Mexico can be.

Challenge - pack everything I need for the weekend in the above bag.

2. I've been really crappy about updating on my raffle (that is ALMOST over). We are now at the $300+ tier, and I think we are very close to being at the $400+ tier (which means LOTS of prizes for those of you that can donate). Also, I'm only $19 away from hitting $500 total raised, so kick in a buck or two if you can!

Edit: I have been pushed over $500! I have updated all the information on the raffle - thank so you so much to everyone that has donated. Two weeks left!!

3. It has been snowing here ALL WEEK. Which means, even though I quit the treadmill... I've had to run on it. Even less productive than walking pace running? Walking pace cautious "running" on ice.

SPRING SPRING SPRING, WHERE ARE YOU???

Last Few Days

2013-04-16T09:01:00.000-06:00

Wow.

Chronological order:

Friday after work I took A to a birthday party. It took over a half an hour to get there (between how far away it was and Friday rush hour). A had a lot of fun and I lived up to my promise of not eating crap and snacked on a vegetable platter (mostly peppers).
I also selected the winner of my most recent flash giveaway - the winner is Heather!! (let me know what you want):

Saturday I got up early and did my long run. A SOLO LONG RUN OUTSIDE. I did 10 miles out and back. Did I mention I was alone?? It was pretty chilly in the morning, low 30's. I kept my jacket on the first 11 miles and still kept my gloves on until I was about 15 miles in. By the time I was done it was the low to mid 50's and felt much warmer. SLOW, but OH so pleased I got this done.

After my run we picked up my mom and went to the Butterfly Pavilion with the kids.

Then we tried to drop my mom off at home, only to discover that their neighbor (a Denver Deputy) was dead (still not sure if it was murder or suicide or what). Their entire block was closed for over 4 hours and my car was trapped in their driveway until 8:00 at night.

Sunday, I took both kids to yoga at Lululemon, then we went to brunch at Sweet Tomatoes. Yum.
That afternoon I had a deep tissue massage. IT HURT SO BAD. The worst areas were my upper back/neck and my right thigh. Two days later and it feels like someone repeatedly beat me with a bat. Ouchie.
NINE years ago yesterday (April 15, 2004), I joined the gym for the first time. Then, my goal was to lose weight. I had NO idea my life would turn out like this.
It snowed an INSANE amount here yesterday. Isn't it spring?

And my inevitable comments about what happened at the Boston marathon. While I've never dreamed of running, I knew SO many people that WERE running. It is never easy watching something like that pan out. I had been off social media most of the morning and checked in to see how everyone was doing. I was horrified by the posts about bombing and spent the rest of the afternoon getting as much information as possible.

Basically, I don't understand. I don't understand what happens to anyone that would make them want to do that. I am so very sad for everyone that was affected. I'm sad for those that were injured or killed. I'm sad for everyone that trained so hard to run the race and for it to have been ruined. I'm sad for everyone that spent their morning cheering and supporting friends, family and strangers during the marathon. And I'm angry.

However, I just LOVE the running community, and it is awesome to see how everyone is coming together, offering whatever help/support they can.

Today, I'm wearing blue (and will be wearing my 2010 Boston half marathon shirt when I'm off work). Instead of signing up for another race to show my support, I have signed myself and A up to volunteer again. We will be helping out at the ultra marathon "Run for Aurora" - a race where 100% of proceeds of this event go to the Colorado Office for Victims Assistance to benefit the victims of the Aurora Theater Shooting. Now is a perfect time to give back - volunteer if you can. You won't regret it.

A Few on Friday

2013-04-12T09:43:00.002-06:00

I got A a "graduation" present. She wants to go camping/hiking over Memorial Day weekend (back to MOAB!) She will love these. (WITH shipping, I got both of these for about $40. What. (PS - go to campsaver.com - GREAT deals over there!)

I am undecided about what to do for my "long" run this weekend. 20 alone tomorrow in decent weather, or pay $20 and do a "timed training run" with some other folks in probably rainy/cold. What would you do? Chances of me actually doing 20 miles alone? Slim. I know me, I'll probably quit at half that... Bah. I'm just OVER running right now.
I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE the new treadmills at the gym. If I wasn't already struggling with my fatigued legs and general unknown cause of my weakness / being tired / fitness decline, the new treadmills are TERRIBLE. I feel like I am running up Mt. Everest, even on "0%" incline. This week I attempted two runs and both were FAILURES. I am quitting the treadmill. If it means I don't run anymore, so be it. These runs cannot be productive. THE END.
Related to above two bullets - WHAT IS THE POINT OF RUNNING IF I AM NOT ENJOYING IT???
Yesterday was my one year work-a-versary. I finally asked about a review/raise. Apparently the shareholders do "reviews & raise analysis" for EVERYONE at the same time. When? Any time now. WTF.
I am pretty surprised that there hasn't been more action on my latest FLASH GIVEAWAY. So far only one person is entered, so chances are good if you donate now! Remember, no minimum, so even $1 puts you in the running!! (Ends today at 5:00 pm MST)
Believe it or not, I have finally decided to shed the 10-15 pounds I have gained in the last year. Since nothing else is working, maybe THAT is why I am suddenly a slow and fatigued SLUG. There. I said it. I haven't actually "tried" to lose weight since A was born, so let's see how I do with no cupcakes.

Flash Giveaway #3!!! (Again?!!)

2013-04-10T14:18:00.001-06:00

You do NOT want to miss this one!!

From now until... 5:00 pm MST on FRIDAY, April 12 (just over 48 hours)

Anyone that donates is automatically entered to win. There is NO minimum donation requirement, and you get ONE entry into the FLASH giveaway for every dollar donated. (Remember, to also be entered in my RAFFLE, a minimum $10 donation is required).

The giveaway this time???

I'm not giving away my sweet medals, but I am giving away a medal rack from ALLIED MEDAL!!

If somehow you have never heard of them or seen their awesome product line, PLEASE go to their website and see what they have to offer.

GIVEAWAY IS FOR ONE MEDAL RACK

(anything that is not "custom" can be chosen!)

Information on the raffle is HERE

You can donate HERE

Redline 13.1 at Westminster (Race Recap)

2013-04-09T08:54:00.003-06:00

Saturday, April 6
Westminster, CO
Half Marathon #78
Colorado Half #18
Weather - Overcast for first half, sunny. Ideal temperatures.

As part of our goal to run all the half marathons in the state, we of course added Redline 13.1 at Westminster to our schedule. The course is on Big Dry Creek, which is probably where I have run most of my outdoor runs over the last few years. L had run it last year and wanted to run it with me again.

The race started at 8:00, and the start was only about 10-15 minutes from our house. We didn't expect a big turnout, and dropped off the kids around 7:00 at my parents house. We ate our pre-race fuel (donut holes of course) and had the car parked by about 7:15. We managed to get a spot just feet from the 5 port-o-potties. There were less than 100 runners participating in the half marathon, although there was also a 5k option that didn't start until 9:00.

We hit the bathroom a few times and headed to the start area with 10 minutes until it was supposed to start.

You can tell I've added some chub to my waistline!

I told L right from the beginning that I knew I was going to have a slow day and that she was more than welcome to run without me. (Spoiler Alert! - Glad I told her to run without me, she ran a 1:58 for her fastest time in over a year!)

I started in the very VERY back. Well, about as far back as one can get in a race that only has about 75 runners. I kept L in my sights for maybe the first mile, and then she was gone. The first aid station was about 1.5 miles in and I never saw her again. My stomach was feeling off AGAIN and I had to stop and use the bathroom that was at mile 2.5. I got passed by a few people around that point and never caught back up. I looked behind me and DID NOT SEE A SINGLE PERSON. There was a separate "walker" division that had started at 7:00, but it looked like I seriously was going to be the last runner. WTF.

The course is nice, but nothing special, I've run it a billion times. What I hadn't run was the section that split off after the aid station at mile 4. So there were a few miles in the middle of the course that were on sections of trail that I had not run before.

The course is partly paved bike path and partly dirt "trail." It is NOT at all technical and one of the most popular trails for dog walkers, runners, walkers, bike riders, etc. One of the issues I had was with how dry it has been, the dirt sections were REALLY packed down and it was hard to run on some sections that were grooved from bike tires and strollers.

I have not been wearing my garmin, and although I use mapmyrun on my phone, I do not look at it during races. My stomach was feeling off and my legs were extremely fatigued. I wasn't having any pain, I was just really REALLY tired. So I walked. A lot. It was very discouraging being so far in the back and I just stopped caring. The mountains looked so pretty but it's hard to capture it with an iPhone:

There were tons of volunteers on the course, so even though I was completely alone, I never felt like I could get lost. Not that I really COULD get lost, I know the area, even if I don't know the specific path that I am on. I saw the leaders coming back when I was just past mile 5. I saw L right before I hit the mile 6 marker, so she was well over a mile ahead of me at that point.

When the sun came out, so did the bugs. There were swarms of gnats EVERYWHERE. It was so disgusting. I spent the second half of the course waving my arms around like a crazy person trying to keep them off my face. GROSS!!!

I probably walked even MORE the second half. I finally DID see ONE person behind me. ONE. I was about a half mile ahead of her, so my only goal was to not come in last :-/

I had to stop and use the bathroom again around mile 7.5. I was starting to see more people on the trail... although they were people just out enjoying their Saturday morning.

The rest of the "race" was uneventful. I never saw anyone else in front of me, and the one runner that was behind me never caught up.

Top: INKnBURN, Skirt: Lululemon, Socks: Running Skirts, Shoes: Newton

I pulled my phone out when I saw the finish area and when I stopped the timer I was shocked that I came in just under 2.5 hours. Considering how deserted the course was, I honestly thought that I was looking at a 3 hour race.

Official Time 2:29:32
Gender Place - 58/59
Division Place - 17/17
Time - 2:29:24
Pace - 11:28
Distance - 13.03 miles
Mile 1 - 9:57
Mile 2 - 12:00
Mile 3 - 12:05
Mile 4 - 11:11
Mile 5 - 11:14
Mile 6 - 11:06
Mile 7 - 11:31
Mile 8 - 13:23
Mile 9 - 11:34
Mile 10 - 11:29
Mile 11 - 11:39
Mile 12 - 10:52
Mile 13 - 10:37
Mile 13.1 - 8:50

What, if anything did I learn from this race?

I'm NO faster if I "run" the whole race. Other than the first mile, I walked IN EVERY SINGLE MILE. And this is pretty much the average time I have been running over the last 6-8 months or so. And actually, although by seconds, this was my fastest time since last August.
It really REALLY sucks to be in the back of a race. I don't care what anyone says, it SUCKS. Yes, I know I finished and yes, I know I finished with an average time for my running, but it still SUCKS.

Thoughts on the race itself:

This is the third (?) race I have run put on by Redline and it was by far the best / most organized.
There was Cytomax (normally I would say ew, but the flavor they had was ok) and water at every aid station. There were gels at the turnaround - both GU and the Clif for a total of 4 flavors to chose from.
The shirt is nice - gender specific tech tee in a fun "orange-y" color.
Nice medal
Good post-race items. They had a bakery "Nothing Bundt Cakes" that was giving out samples, a restaurant that had samples of chips, salsa and guacamole and flat bread. They also had bananas, chips and boxes of cereal. Plus they had little Lara bars. The volunteers gave me about 40 bars, so that alone paid for my race entry :D
Only "complaint" was that there were supposed to be 6 aid stations and there were only 5. Didn't make that big of a difference to me though since it wasn't super hot out and I wasn't really over-exerting myself.
I guess a secondary "complaint" was all the bugs. No way to get around that, and certainly not the fault of the race, but still, SO GROSS.
The awards and raffle weren't being done until 11:00. That is a LONG time for the fasties to have to sit around and wait... I mean, for crying out loud, I am 100% aware I am not getting an award, it is perfectly fine to start that earlier. We didn't have time to stick around for the raffle because we had to pick up the kids.
Overall, this was a good race and I would probably run it again.

Three Things Thursday (FLASH GIVEAWAY!)

2013-04-04T20:24:00.000-06:00

1. FLASH giveaway time again!!

Anyone that donates between NOW and NOON (mst) TOMORROW is automatically entered to win. There is NO minimum donation requirement, and you get ONE entry into the FLASH giveaway for every dollar donated.

Prizes are - 3 people will win a Newton visor, 1 person will win an ultimate direction running/race belt.

*IF* $100 is raised between now and NOON tomorrow, I will ADD a pair of INKnBURN arm sleeves to the prize list.

Keep in mind if you donate $10, you will also be entered in my raffle which will continue for another month - GREAT prizes.

Information on raffle is HERE.

You can donate HERE.

2. I ran this morning before work. It was pretty chilly and DARK (who knew, at 5:00 am, that it would be DARK). The first half was completely miserable. Tired and tight legs and stomach issues. Bathroom at the halfway point and then I was a new person.

What.

3. I would LOVE to find a running partner/friend for early morning Saturday or Sundays. Or maybe even during the week. North Denver metro? If you are someone, or know someone, send them my way. Someone slow like me - 11:00ish pace for an overall average...

March Recap

2013-04-03T09:23:00.000-06:00

Well, to be honest, March didn't really go quite as planned. I had this overly ambitious plan of "rebuilding my base" back to what it was when I was beginning training for Moab 2012. I know that I am not fast, and honestly, I am ok with that. However, it seems that the "bigger my base," the more consistent I run, and I typically am able to maintain a bit faster pace for longer. Well, I did get more "longish" runs in, but I am still nowhere near at the fitness level that I would like to be. While I don't care that I am slow, it takes MUCH longer to get the miles in. I have been going to the gym in the mornings in an attempt to get more miles in without compromising time with A, but I gotta say, it SUCKS to get up 4:00-4:30 and only have time to get in 7 or so miles before I need to get ready for work. Anyway. Doing what I can.

Miles run - 142.44 (About half of this is from racing, which is pretty normal for me)
Races run - Lucky Louisville 5k, Little Rock Marathon (26.2) and 24 Hours of Moab (48.33)
Accomplishments - Training runs of 7+ miles? 5!! That is a LOT better. Also, finally volunteered again!
Current aches - Left calf seems way worse than usual. Right one has (knock on wood) been a lot better of late. Right IT band is a bit achy.

No real goals right now, but L and I are headed into a pretty serious race schedule. Coming up in April I have 2 half marathons and 1 marathon. REALLY excited to see some of my out of state friends in Eugene!!

With that said... I am considering some more ~~idiotic~~ longer distance races. Not sure if I want to announce it yet or if I want to be talked out of it. Curious to see how my base rebuilding goes.

As seen on my 8 mile run Easter morning

Giving Back - Volunteering at the Spring Fling Half Marathon

2013-04-02T10:14:00.003-06:00

L was supposed to be running the Spring Fling half marathon the day I was in Moab. However, due to a foot of snow, the race was postponed. The organizers put out a frantic request on Facebook for volunteers. Due to the rescheduling, spring break AND Easter weekend, they were experiencing a major shortage in help. For a brief moment, I thought about racing. Then changed my mind and signed A and I up to help out instead.

My dad and H decided to join us, and the four of us added to the giant total of 22 volunteers for the race. We arrived at 7:30 and were greeted with donuts and coffee. My dad and H were assigned to the first aid station and A and I were helping with packet pick-up. There were three distances available - 5k, 10k and half marathon. And they all started at different times. Luckily, this eased the congestion of handing out packets.

Due to the shortage of volunteers, it was a bit frustrating when we came across "problems" and there was no one of authority to help. People who say they registered online but they were not on my list was an issue for a few runners. Also, this race required a photo ID to pick up, and probably half the people didn't have one. Then there were all the people that wanted to change distances or use someone else's bib. All issues I have never really thought about when I race. No one got too upset, and everything went pretty smoothly.

Due to the lack of volunteers, there were multiple cautions given to the runners about following the course markings as there were not enough volunteers to be at every possible location - only at places where runner safety might be in jeopardy. Remember, only 22 volunteers, and most of them were at the aid stations or the start/finish line.

The half marathon started at 9:00, the 10K at 9:30 and the 5K at 9:45. This staggered start I'm sure eased congestion on the course, and had people pretty much finishing at the same time.

I was GLAD I had decided not to run. It was the WINDIEST ever. A lot of time was spent trying to make sure things didn't blow away. However, a lot of the canopies had to be taken down because even sand bags zip tied to the legs wouldn't keep them from blowing away. Even the finish line blew down a few times before they finally gave up putting it back up.

We had about 20 minutes of prep time before the runners started finishing. A and I were also in charge of handing out finisher medals:

All runners would get a medal, regardless of the distance they were running. This was a smaller race, and for most of the runners, they did special announcements (I'm assuming there was a section for "about me" information during the registration process). For many, this was their first race. Awesome to see so many "first timers."

A few runners claimed they "didn't know it was the finish line." Well, I know the finish line sign blew down, but the neon green chute and canopy at the end should have been a hint.

Most runners do NOT want you to put the medal around your neck. Probably helpful to A since she is so small. Also, runners are sweaty, sweaty, sweaty. Further amazement at the Disney characters that ACTUALLY TOUCH RUNNERS. ON PURPOSE. Ew.

A few runners refused their medal. Adamantly. Interesting.

And, a few runners were MAD. I got screamed at by a decent number of half marathoners that got lost on the course and ended up running extra distances. I know I was the first person they saw across the line, but it was frustrating for me. By this time, I had already been out there for HOURS. Gives a whole new appreciation to runners, especially those at the bigger events that deal with WAY more runners. So, just try to be nice to volunteers, remember, they are doing this for FREE.

Overall, I had a pretty fun day, and I will of course volunteer again when I have the opportunity. If you haven't had a chance to do so yet, please do, most runners are very appreciative of the efforts you put in! I enjoyed my free burritos, coffee, donuts AND, thanks to the postponement, all bananas from the prior week became the most delicious banana bread EVER.

(This race offered FREE race pictures, which is how I have so many of me and A to share. There are probably 30 more of us that I'm not posting. Running Guru is the BEST!!)