the other way around

I was wrong in my last post. I am not the one who is inspiring...you are!! All of you who have decided to make a change in lifestyle to include getting active and participating in challenges and setting goals...you are MY inspiration!

I thought of this last night as I was getting through my mid-week 7miler (which will be a staple run throughout marathon training). I was around mile 4 when I realized how I'd gotten it wrong. When I feel as though I can run another step, I'll think of one of my friends who's taken up the sport. Who will push themselves to accomplish their first 5K, 10K or half marathon. I see the runner coming towards me on the path and think, okay, I'll just get past this person...then I'll see another person that I don't want to quit in front of. I get to the last mile and push it as hard as I can while thinking about Lauren pushing me through the half marathon (because I wouldn't have done so well if she hadn't been right there behind me!).

And that is what gets me through the tough runs. I don't want to let you down! If you can do it, certainly I can too!

Of course this revelation led to 3 miles of the song by Chicago, not the whole thing, just the two or three lines from the chorus. It was a long 3 miles. :)

YOU'RE THE INSPIRATION (Chicago)

You should know, everywhere I go
You're always on my mind,
in my heart In my soul

You're the meaning in my life
You're the inspiration
You bring feeling to my life
You're the inspiration
Wanna have you near me
I wanna have you hear me sayin'
No one needs you more than I need you

Thank you, dear friends, fellow runners and readers, for being MY inspiration.

inspired

This whole running thing seems to be inspiring! People seem to be thinking, "if she can do it, I can do it." I'm speaking of a few good friends who have now decided that running is the thing for them! And I must say, it makes me very happy to have had the smallest part in that. Here's a short list of who is now a "runner":

Lauren: I spoke of her most recently as she ran the Hyannis Half Marathon with me. Her very first race was my birthday 5K and that was just the beginning. We began encouraging her to do the half and though she was nervous about it, she totally rocked it! Currently, Lauren is thinking about a Tri and maybe a marathon is in her future...

Meghan: This dear friend also did the birthday 5K (do you sense a theme?). She was nervous about being able to complete the distance so she did not register. However, she's been running more and more and even registered for a 5mile race on Palm Sunday, 3/28. I'll be there with her, as will her husband (also a runner). Hosanna!

Jayme: With two small children it's hard to find time to run...luckily, Jayme has a treadmill. She was not one to run outside until just last year. I got her to log some miles with me last summer and in October (just one day after my marathon), Jayme completed her first 10K! This spring, we are talking about doing a half together!! June 27th is the inaugural Boston 13.1. And even though it starts at 6:13am...we will be there at the starting line. I've just got to get her outside for more runs...

Ben: My brother who told me less than 2 years ago that he would NEVER run more than a 5K is now training for a 10K, a 10miler and the previously mentioned Kentucky Derby Half Marathon. I am so excited to see him getting excited for these races and distances.

Now, to clarify, I'm not saying I have inspired these friends. What I'm trying to say is that I am excited to see them enjoying something that I so greatly enjoy. It is exciting and FUN to be able to race and run with so many more people. There is a lot to look forward to this spring...

Training-wise, this past week was a bit of a wash (and I mean that quite literally). I got two good days in, 11miles...and then the rains came and my ambition went away. I don't feel bad about not running for a few days...sometimes, you just need to take a few days off. However, I am very excited that Daylight Savings Time is here, it will stay lighter longer, and the weather is getting nice. I will be able to get outside more after work as opposed to heading to the gym. Hooray!

the post of good news

Be advised: this is not The Good News, but simply, good news. :)

In the week since my last post, life has been busy. What else is new? Good news is that it hasn't been so busy that I've had to forgo my workouts! Hooray for minor victories in life.

Last week, just after the half marathon, I did a couple of days of slooooooow jogging/walking due to a sore right knee. That was Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday I took the day off. Thurs, got 4 good ones in. Friday was another day off (hit up a dinner party and indulged in homemade cheesecake, yum!). Saturday was a glorious day - nearly 60deg, sunny and breezy. I had gone to breakfast with some friends then shopping with another and by the time I got home I was positively itching to get my shoes laced up and out the door. Clocked in a 6.65miler in exactly 1hr! That is exactly 2 minutes faster than my previous attempt at that same loop just 2 weeks earlier. Needless to say I was pumped!!

This week has been another good week for running outside. My knee is slowly but surely getting better. Just a bit of tightness as I hit mile 2 then loosens up and I'm able to get the rest of the run in.

My favorite moment this week was the realization that the sun sets late enough for me to get a run in on the Minuteman Bike Path after work! Monday I was able to get 5miles in!! Yesterday was 6!!! And it will be even better next week as we spring forward and it stays lighter, longer. I can hardly stand it! I'm just hopeful this weather (50s, sunny) sticks around.

One more bit of news: My brother has become a runner. I couldn't be prouder. He called my this past Saturday to let me know he'd just gotten a PR in a 5K. In two weeks he'll complete a 10K, two weeks after that he'll complete a 10miler. And three weeks after that he'll complete a....HALF MARATHON!! I remember when he told me I was positively nuts for running that far and he would "never run a half marathon." Alas, he will. He has registered. There is no going back. And what kind of a sister would I be if I weren't there to run it with him?! So yesterday, I booked my flights to Louisville and registered for the Derby Festival Mini Marathon. If you check out the course you'll see that a mile of it takes place in Churchill Downs (not on the dirt, on a track inside, but still!)! Exciting times ahead, friends!

And this concludes my post of good news.

hyannis half

This past Sunday was the Hyannis Half Marathon. 13.1 miles of rolling hills, views of the ocean and lots and lots of people! A couple of good friends tackled the race with me; Kirsten ran a sweet race finishing in 1:38. Lauren and I stuck together and finished in 2:08:48. A new PR for me!! The weather was better than what we dared hope for! I obsessively checked the weather every day the previous week and it looked like there was going to be some sort of cold precipitation. However, race day turned out to be 40deg with cloudy skies, a good breeze and NO precip!!!! Prayers answered!

We arrived to the location with about 45min to spare before the start. Got a good half mile warm up in, did some stretching (while I went to get safety pins...) and then tried to find the shortest line possible for bathrooms. There wasn't one. Each of the three lines were at least 50 people long...we just didn't have that kind of time. Desperate times call for desperate measures, my friends. That's all I'm gonna say...

We made our way to the start corral, bid farewell and good luck to Kirsten and jumped into the crowd. There was about 3000 people doing the half marathon, another 400 doing the full marathon and another 600 doing the 10k. All crowded in at the start! The gun went off shortly after 10am and we were on our way! It's hard to contain excitement as you first take off but also in a distance race to remember to stay slow for the first few miles. We wanted to go faster but kept our pace between 10:00-10:15's for the first 4-5miles. We slowly started to gain speed as we progressed through the miles.

At mile 6 we got to see our friends who were waiting there for us. It is no small thing to get some encouragement along the way and I was SO excited to see them! We ran over and got some high-fives and continued along the way.

The course was very scenic and not too hilly...just enough to keep it interesting. The downhills are always the worst for me. I love powering up a hill but coming back down just hurts... And I noticed this particularly in my right knee. Around mile 8ish, it started to feel a bit sore. With only 5miles to go, I knew it would be okay but would hurt at the end (and for the next couple of days).

At mile 8.5 we consumed the Gu we brought along. It wouldn't seem like a gel substance with only 100 calories would do much for you...but honestly, it makes a huge difference and gives you the energy to make push through the final miles. Lauren even pushed the pace after taking her Gu and our mile 9 was completed in about 9:10!!

Mile 11 brought the biggest up-hill on the course. I learned that leaning into the hill just a bit will help in getting up while maintaining speed. So that's what I did. Passing people left and right. That is always a good feeling! I stayed focused on maintaining a good pace, at this point we were doing about 9:30's, and Lauren stayed focused on my pink shirt, she was just behind me.

At 12.5, we saw the father-son team, the Hoyts. What an inspiration they are! Dick Hoyt pushes his son, Rick-a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy- in a specially designed wheelchair. They have done many, many Boston Marathons, Triathlons and a great number of other races. Their story is very inspiring...it was awesome to see them at this race and give them a fist pump as we passed. They finished just behind us...no doubt this was simply a training run for them as Boston is coming up soon.

Finally we saw mile marker 13...which means it's time to kick it into high gear. I began sprinting towards the finish line and was excited to see Lauren right next to me. We crossed the finish line together! It was AWESOME! I've never had a consistent running partner and to have one for the entire half was so encouraging. I knew that not only did I not want to let myself down, I didn't want to let Lauren down. So, with that pushing me, I ran my way to a new PR. And I am pretty darn proud of that.

Here are some pics of race day:

envisioning a great race!

huge crowd at the starting line

there we are just after crossing the starting line

mile 6, getting our high-fives - this was a highlight!

medals!!!!!!!!!

the three runners: me, Kirsten and Lauren

we are so tough...