a plethora of race photos

The following collection of photos are from three races: The Maine Half Marathon, Tufts 10K for Women, and 5K for Life. Enjoy!

Kirsten and I are ready to go!

Almost halfway done!

A new PR - 2:08:08!!!!

I had supporters at the finish line...BEST!

Kirsten finishing strong

The runners and the fan club :)

The finishers

Hardware - note: the little is for the half, the big is for the full

Tufts 10K Finish line. I was happy to see people I knew...but I was exhausted!

to the finish!

The runners - me, Jayme and Ingrid

5K for Life finish line on my way to a new PR - 26:35

This was Erika and Karyn's first race ever! Soooo proud of them.

The End.

not fast; fastER

I know I have promised you pictures...and they will come. Just not yet...

For now I have to share with you my run from Wednesday night. I am staying with one of my HS girls while her parents are away, just one town over from where I live. It's a neighborhood that I'm familiar with but not so much that I know all the back roads.

I had to kinda talk myself into even getting out of the door that night, knowing that it would be dark soon, I felt tired...so many excuses! But since my girl had a ton of homework and studying I figured I might as well go out for a run before we have dinner together. I told her I'd just be going out for a short 3miler or so and I'd be back in about half an hour.

I took off towards the area where the schools are and instead of turning up a road that would lead back to their network of streets, I decided to keep going and explore a bit. I came to Main St and knew where I was. I'd been thinking about running up this street for a while (maybe a year?) since I have some friends who live off of it...I'd imagined running to and from their house... Anyway, I turned up the street and plugged along knowing that I was pushing the pace a bit, but it was enjoyable. I told myself I'd turn around at the ice cream place on the corner just over this hill...ok, over the next rise...er, maybe it's over this next rise?!

Finally there it was and I took a left onto another road that I vaguely knew. I just didn't realize how long it was... I kept thinking, I'll run into the main road soon. Soon. SOON! About 3 miles later, I did. It was starting to get pretty dark and I didn't have my reflective gear on (stupid!) so I was getting a bit nervous as there wasn't a sidewalk for a bit. Just as I was coming to the start of the sidewalk, I saw a guy headed my way from a side street. He was going along at a pretty good clip and I was just ahead of him. My pride got the better of me at this point... I did NOT want him to pass me! So I kicked it into high gear until I reached my turn off.

So I made it back to the house after a bit more time than I had anticipated, excited to see just how far I'd gone. Turns out, the total distance was 4.82miles. My time was 42:43. Readers, this is the fastest pace I've ever gone... 8:51min/mi. I am pleased. By no means am I fast...but I am getting faster.

Yesterday was a day off. Today will be a quick one (maybe 4miles?) in the Nor'easter (windy and rainy...but not too cold). And tomorrow will be a long one: perhaps 7miles or so.

two races, two recaps

It has been an interesting two weeks! I'll start at the beginning...

Saturday, Oct 2nd, my friends and I packed up the minivan and headed for Maine. We got to the expo for the Maine Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay around 4pm. Honestly, the expo left a little to be desired (no GU for sale!), but the swag bag more than made up for it!

We received numerous snacks and sample products as well as a $500 "gift card" from a company called Red Star World Wear...not sure yet how this works or if it's some sort of scam. We also picked up our bibs and shirts. The bibs had our names on them! That was the first time I've received my number with my name on it. It was pretty cool. The shirts are long sleeve tech shirts...but they'd run out of my size so I'm waiting for them to mail me one. It's really nice and I can't wait to get it. Also, the bag itself was awesome! It's a drawstring knapsack that is lime green with reflective material on it. It has become my new gym bag. I love it.

We made it to our residence for the night...my friend's brother and sister-in-law happily put us up for the evening after feeding us a delightful dinner of spaghetti and (turkey) meatballs, garlic bread and salad. Bedtime was 9pm.

The alarm went off bright and early at 445am. Kirsten had a bagel and coffee waiting for me when I woke up. She's such a dear friend. :) We were off to Portland by 6am...the sun was just starting to poke up over the trees, the sky was clear and it was cold!

By the time we got to Portland, the temp had warmed up to about 45 or so and the sky was still a crystal clear blue. Perfect running weather! The start was at 7:45am so after a brief warm up, Kirsten and I took our places in the starting corral. She was at the front, I was at the back.

The course was absolutely beautiful and challenging enough to be interesting...but not too tough. We ran along the cove at the beginning and end, which was nice...but breezy. The course took the half marathoners up to Falmouth and back while the marathoners kept going up to Yarmouth. Kirsten said the hills around mile 16 were pretty brutal. Thankfully, I was spared that, but the hills that were on my course were enough for me. I knew that I probably would not have been able to do the full marathon...so maybe it was a good thing that I backed off with my injury and only did the half.

I checked my time around mile 8 or so and decided that I would not be able to make a PR (personal record) this time around. However, when I got to mile 12, I realized I may actually be able to pull it off! I picked up the pace a bit and pushed myself hard till the very end...and ended up with a time of 2:08:08, nearly a full minute faster than my previous PR!!!! Needless to say, I was very happy at the end of the race and very satisfied with my time.

I was able to get a shower and cleaned up before heading back out to catch Kirsten coming across the finish line of her third marathon. She came in at 3:31:something. Absolutely amazing! It was a rough course, but she did great!

We were both pretty wiped out, but met up with her parents for lunch at Panera (a well deserved bread bowl of black bean soup...yum!) before heading to JM's parent's house for a birthday celebration. By the time I got home, I crashed into bed and slept for 12 hours!

The next day, I felt great. The day after that, I felt even better...and went for a run! I didn't run too much that week since work was busy and we had two retreats we were planning for. One of them I attended, getting just about 5hrs of sleep on Friday and Saturday nights. Thankfully, I was home on Sunday night and slept for 12hrs before getting up for yet another race!

Monday, Oct 11th, was the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women. Thankfully, it didn't begin until 12pm. It was in the city, starting and finishing on the Common. Picture this: 10,000 people - the majority of them women - crammed together on the Parade grounds of the Common. Lotta people, less than a lotta space. Anyway, it was just a bit too crowded for my taste. I must admit, the weather was really nice. High 60's partly cloudy. Who woulda thought I'd be wearing a tank top and shorts in October?!

I picked up my number (also had my name on it!) and my shirt. No swag bag...which was very disappointing. There were a lot of vendors, but I didn't feel like wandering around, fighting the crowds so after hitting up the portopotties (there were plenty, unusual!), I camped out and waiting for my friend to arrive.

We made our way over to the starting line (CROWDed!) and began the slow walk toward the starting line. There were so many people in front of us that it took 10min to get to the start! Once we got going it was interesting. 7500 people ran this race...and it was only 10K...which means it never really thinned out. I was bobbing and weaving people the entire way.

The course was really nice and one I'd run a number of times before so I knew the elevation changes and zipped up the inclines (I love the uphills!). I was feeling pretty wiped out after the half then the retreat so I pushed myself but knew it wouldn't translate to a PR. I crossed the finish line in 1:01:28 (9:54min/mi). I'm satisfied with the time and was proud of my friend who came in about 30sec behind me. She was hoping for 10-10:30min/mi and she did exactly 10min/mi!! Great job!

Where this race lacked in a swag bag, it made up for in the food at the end. There was TONS of it. Bananas. Bagels. Crasins. Larabars. Granola bars. Powerade. People were getting boxes and just loading up. It was crazy! I grabbed a bagel and a banana along with some liquids and got outta there to a place with a little less people. After hanging with some friends for a bit I headed home on the T and vegged out the rest of the day. It was awesome.

Well, there you have it. Probably more info than you may have wanted about each race...but hey, isn't that why you read this blog?! :) I'll have pictures from each race soon.

with a little help from my friends

The past couple of weeks, training-wise, have been good...but difficult too. I'm at the stage where I know I'm ready for this half, but sometimes my doubts get the better of me. Just last Saturday I did a 6.6mi training run, a run I have done countless times before, and it felt incredibly tough. I felt like I couldn't finish...and it was only 6mi (remember, distance is relative).

There's a bit more to that run: it was 80deg, it was super humid, and the sun was blazing down. Um, it's September...I'm looking for 60deg, not so humid, and partly cloudy. It felt like a June/July day. Also, I've been trying to drop a few pounds and I hadn't been eating as well (or as much) as I needed to be. All that combined has made for some tough couple of weeks.

Fastforward to the other (Weds) night. I drove into the city (well, I crawled into the city...traffic was beastly), met my friend near Fenway and we headed out for a nice 5-6mi along the Charles River. It was a loop that she and I, along with our friend Jodi, had done when training for our very first half marathon way back in May '07. There were a few things going on in my head: 1. holy smokes, we're truckin'! 2. I really miss Jodi. 3. This is the best I've felt in a long time. 4. I remember this loop being toooough last time, now it's a breeze. 5. dang, are we still plugging along this fast?!

We made it back to the car in 51:13 after doing 5.7mi. Folks, that's 8:59min/mi. Chyeah. The best part, I was able to talk the entire time. Poor Kirsten had to listen to me rambling on about my life and how God's working in it...she loved it. ;) Towards the end she did most of the talking but I was still able to get some words and full sentences in...which let's me know I'm doing this whole training thing/running thing right.

We've been talking a lot at church, in Gravity especially, about community. And it dawned on me recently that I've developed a running community! Mostly, I like to run along...but I've started to run with other people. Some are faster than me and I have to strain to keep up (see above story), some are a bit slower and I need to check my pace. Either way, I've found that it is a joy to run with other people. It's fun to encourage one another. It's fun to share life together while we focus on taking care of the bodies God gave us. A group of friends who hold each other accountable to doing the very best we can, to reaching goals and having fun! In this community we spur one another on to get through just one more mile or to push the pace just that much faster.

I couldn't help seeing the similarities between my running community and my Gravity community; my small group. In our group we have all different personalities, likes, dislikes, and interests. In the same way my running buddies will spur one another on, my small group can do the very same thing in a different way. We can encourage one another as we go into school each day and face pressures and stress. We can encourage one another to love our families better. We can encourage one another when we find hobbies or activities that interest us. And it is a JOY to do so!

The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approching." Heb 10:24-25

Let us not give up meeting together as a small group of girls so that we may continue to spur one another on to love others and do good deeds in Christ's name until He comes again! And let us not give up running together so we may spur one another on to honor God by taking care of the bodies He has given us.

Run on. With a little help from my friends.

ellipti-GO!

I've heard of this but never seen one in person...until last night! The Ellipti-GO machine is an elliptical machine on wheels! No more need to go to the gym or to stay inside to get an elliptical workout, just get an Ellipti-go!

For the record, I'm not interested in getting one and I only use the elliptical machine at the gym when I'm injured and can't run. I hate the elliptical. It makes my feet go numb...weird, I know.

Just one more week till Portland! I cannot wait to get on this course...the leaves are changing at a rapid pace and I'm thinking it will be absolutely gorgeous the day we're racing through the country side just outside the city.

Also, I decided to add another race to my list this fall (since I'm only doing a half next week), I signed up to do the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women. I've heard a lot about this race for years, saw so many women wearing the tshirts...and figured now was as good a time as any. One wrinkle: It's the day after our high school fall retreat. If last winter's retreat is any indication, I will be utterly exhausted. Hey, just another challenge, right?!

So, if you've got the day off on Columbus Day (10.11.10) and you're in the Boston area, c'mon down to the city and cheer on the thousands of women running this race!

Nothing new to report in the training dept. The IT Band is still sensitive but getting better. I can run many miles with no pain (just last night my friend and I did 5). I'm shooting for 10 tomorrow and we'll see how it goes.

a random recap

Just a post to keep you updated: I got a long run in this weekend, 9.5mi. I was going to try for 12 but knew I didn't have it in me after a rough week. So I decided to scale back to 10. Once I did my lake loop (6mi) I thought, "Hmmm, it'd be fun to mix it up and tack my hill loop on to this!" So that's what I did. Saving two giant hills for 2/3s into my run.

For the most part, it was great! I had some moments of discomfort around the normal times (1.5mi, 4mi) then at about 7, I was in some serious pain...about a mile from home and not sure if I could (or should!) continue! I pressed on since I was on a downhill and that's when the pain typically comes in full force. Sure enough once I was back on the uphill, the pain went away. Although, I have to admit, I was nearly spent and did walk a short portion of the uphill...

I made it home with not too much more pain (mostly just discomfort) and lived to run another day. Which turned out to be yesterday.

UUUUUUGH. That pretty much sums up yesterday's run. For some reason I was feeling...off...yesterday. Not sure why I felt like this, but I knew that I wanted to get a run in. Did my 6.6mi loop (minus .3mi). Now, tell me this....how does a 20mph wind blow at me when I'm running in different directions?! Not only was the wind out of control, I also felt like I was either going to die or throw up at mile 3. Thankfully I did neither, but pressed on. I finished, but it was ugly. Still under 10min/mile so I suppose it wasn't too horrible.

Today is officially the last day of summer: I will celebrate with a run with two friends along the Charles River. DEEEEE-lightful.

marathon: halved

Well, readers, a decision has been made. I believe it is the right one for me...although it's not the one I wanted. I will be running the Maine Half Marathon, not the Maine Marathon.

The decision comes on the heels of my final attempt at a 20miler. My last attempt ended in a very painful 8 miles that left me limping just a bit for the next day. That was 2 weeks ago. I knew what the problem was and what the solution could be and so I worked hard at that: Run slower. Strengthening exercises. Ibuprofen. Icing. Foam Roller.

Good news, all that worked and helped me get stronger and able to run without pain for short distances (7mi or so). So it was with hesitation and expectation that I set out on Saturday for my final long run. It was a beautiful day, 65deg, sunny, breezy. The first 9 miles felt great! I ran a familiar route for about 4miles then decided to switch it up and head up a street I didn't know so well.

I planned it so that at mile 9 I would be at a water fountain (the fateful water fountain that foiled a 12mile run not too long ago...my first face plant). There I had a packet of GU and still felt pretty fresh. My leg wasn't hurting quite yet, but I could feel the pain beginning to formulate.

I ran thru my town over to the lake. Being a Saturday in early fall, and a gorgeous day at that, the lake loop was pretty busy...but that makes for great people watching. :) It was at about mile 13 or so that the pain was getting a bit more pronounced, and by mile 14 it was making itself known for real. Instead of looping the lake again (which would have given me over 17miles) I decided to call it a day. It was another .5mi home from the lake and that proved to be the most painful part of the run.

Once home, I went thru the stretching, strengthening, Ibu-ing and icing routine and haven't felt pain since. Of course, I haven't been on a run since...

So, it is a wise decision for me to concede this marathon in the hopes that I will be strong, ready and healthy for the Kalamazoo Marathon on Mothers Day (May 8th). I am still excited to do the half, thankful that I'm not missing out completely on the excitement of the day. And this time I'll beat my super speedy friend...by running half the distance she is. Ha! :)

Here's to getting stronger every day and to making wise choices, even when you don't want to.