Will hopefully be replaced with the big 26.2 in 39 DAYS!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Race Results - Heart Half Marathon
Toddler Charlie made his running debut on Saturday afternoon at the Heart Mini Marathon Kids Fun Run. It was super cute, and he was SO excited to be racing.
Approaching the starting line - how cool is it that he got his own bib number and everything??
Toddler mayhem! This was before he looked back to check out the field of competition and took a nose dive on the track.
Showing off his hard-earned medal. He always wants to have it with him.
After Charlie's race, we went home for our big carb dinner - pasta with chicken. Then it was up bring and early to make it to the starting line for my own race - my first half marathon. The anxiety was running high, thanks to the reputation of the course - the 15K is infamous for the constant elevation change, and the half marathon they added this year included all of that course and more - two trips across the Cincinnati river. Those bridges are killer, and I know that thanks to my Pig training.
I decided to run with the 9:45 pace group, which would give me a finishing time of about 2:07, a few minutes under my 2:10 goal. It felt slow, but I forced myself to stick with them because I just knew that the course was going to be a killer and I didn't want to start out too strong and then falter at the end. I lost them somewhere around mile 6 - just kept running and didn't look back. And it felt good. I ended up finishing in 2:02 (9:20/mile) - two minutes slower than my super unrealistic "someday it would be nice" goal of sub-2 hours. I feel like I could have done better - if I hadn't started out so slow, I could have made up those two minutes somewhere along the way. There's always next year!
Post Heart Half Marathon. Don't I just look thrilled to be standing out in the rain?
The runners posing with their medals.
26.2 up next - bring on the Flying Pig!
Approaching the starting line - how cool is it that he got his own bib number and everything??
Toddler mayhem! This was before he looked back to check out the field of competition and took a nose dive on the track.
Showing off his hard-earned medal. He always wants to have it with him.
After Charlie's race, we went home for our big carb dinner - pasta with chicken. Then it was up bring and early to make it to the starting line for my own race - my first half marathon. The anxiety was running high, thanks to the reputation of the course - the 15K is infamous for the constant elevation change, and the half marathon they added this year included all of that course and more - two trips across the Cincinnati river. Those bridges are killer, and I know that thanks to my Pig training.
I decided to run with the 9:45 pace group, which would give me a finishing time of about 2:07, a few minutes under my 2:10 goal. It felt slow, but I forced myself to stick with them because I just knew that the course was going to be a killer and I didn't want to start out too strong and then falter at the end. I lost them somewhere around mile 6 - just kept running and didn't look back. And it felt good. I ended up finishing in 2:02 (9:20/mile) - two minutes slower than my super unrealistic "someday it would be nice" goal of sub-2 hours. I feel like I could have done better - if I hadn't started out so slow, I could have made up those two minutes somewhere along the way. There's always next year!
Post Heart Half Marathon. Don't I just look thrilled to be standing out in the rain?
The runners posing with their medals.
26.2 up next - bring on the Flying Pig!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Running Randoms
I'm running my first Half Marathon on Sunday! It's for the American Heart Association. I'm not so worried about the distance, since I've already run 13.1+ miles on four separate occasions. I'm more worried about the hills - there isn't a flat spot on the course.
Toddler Charlie will also be making his running debut this weekend - he's going to do the Kids Fun Run tomorrow afternoon. He's very excited about "racing like mom" :)
HUGE, HUGE THANKS to everyone who has supported Team Rachel - I'm 2/3 of the way to my goal. Poor girl can't catch a break - she's on day 6 of chemo and her grandfather just passed away over the weekend. Please keep her in your thoughts.
44 days until the Flying Pig Marathon! I'm super excited, but I'm also sad because my running buddy is no longer able to train with me due to an injury. I know she's disappointed by the way things are turning out, but she's managing to keep a shockingly bright disposition about it. Miss you!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Run for Rachel
A few weeks back I mentioned that I was going to turn my marathon effort into a benefit for one of my son's teachers, who was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Her treatment is leaving her unable to work for at least the next month, so we've created Team Rachel to help her pay for her medical bills and costs of living.
If you want to learn more about how you can help, visit my fund-raising page.
For all of the details on Rachel's story, visit the official website of Team Rachel.
If you want to learn more about how you can help, visit my fund-raising page.
For all of the details on Rachel's story, visit the official website of Team Rachel.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Race Results - Food on the Run 10K
I went into Saturday's 10K with three progressive goals:
1. To finish in under an hour
2. To run as fast as I ran in my awesome practice run last Monday (57:28)
3. To beat my practice run (I considered this a long shot since the practice run was my best run ever and I wasn't really feeling 100% thanks to sinus issues and rain)
The race started out with the giant Gilbert Hill. I hate that hill, but I've run it a few times already, thanks to the training group. I knew that if I could just pace myself and keep it slow and steady up that hill, then the rest of the race would be simple. I tucked in with the 9:15/mile pace group, the gun sounded, and we were off. The hill was every bit as crappy as I expected it to be, and we ran that first mile in 9:21. Made it up to the top, completed the turnaround, and then proceeded to have the best 5.3 mile run ever, finishing with an average pace of 8:38/mile.
I finished the race in 54:28. I smashed all three of my goals, and beat my practice run by a whole three minutes. My time was good enough to place me 17th in my age group. Granted, it was a very small race, so it was 17 out of 116, but still kind of neat to exceed my own expectations. (I was 59th out of 387 women, overall)
The really cool thing is that I feel like I could have gone even faster. I can't wait for the next one.
My running buddy is suffering with shin splints, but she still showed and ran a great race. Now that's some dedication! It was really nice to cheer each other on when we passed on the hill. We're already planning out our next 10K, but first I have to make it through the Half Marathon in 14 days!
1. To finish in under an hour
2. To run as fast as I ran in my awesome practice run last Monday (57:28)
3. To beat my practice run (I considered this a long shot since the practice run was my best run ever and I wasn't really feeling 100% thanks to sinus issues and rain)
The race started out with the giant Gilbert Hill. I hate that hill, but I've run it a few times already, thanks to the training group. I knew that if I could just pace myself and keep it slow and steady up that hill, then the rest of the race would be simple. I tucked in with the 9:15/mile pace group, the gun sounded, and we were off. The hill was every bit as crappy as I expected it to be, and we ran that first mile in 9:21. Made it up to the top, completed the turnaround, and then proceeded to have the best 5.3 mile run ever, finishing with an average pace of 8:38/mile.
I finished the race in 54:28. I smashed all three of my goals, and beat my practice run by a whole three minutes. My time was good enough to place me 17th in my age group. Granted, it was a very small race, so it was 17 out of 116, but still kind of neat to exceed my own expectations. (I was 59th out of 387 women, overall)
The really cool thing is that I feel like I could have gone even faster. I can't wait for the next one.
My running buddy is suffering with shin splints, but she still showed and ran a great race. Now that's some dedication! It was really nice to cheer each other on when we passed on the hill. We're already planning out our next 10K, but first I have to make it through the Half Marathon in 14 days!
Friday, March 4, 2011
My First Race - A Preview
My first race EVER - a 10K - is tomorrow. Of course it's going to rain. Of course I got an odd number on my running bib. Of course it isn't just any odd number, it's a PRIME number. Ew.
I had horrible dreams about it all night last night. Dreamed that I missed my start time, dreamed that it was some awful obstacle course and I got stuck in the tires we had to crawl through, dreamed that I pinned my tag on backwards and then my time didn't count. Think I overthink things too much?
I had horrible dreams about it all night last night. Dreamed that I missed my start time, dreamed that it was some awful obstacle course and I got stuck in the tires we had to crawl through, dreamed that I pinned my tag on backwards and then my time didn't count. Think I overthink things too much?
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