Run Report (Snowy Edition)

Yes, I did it! The. Snow. Came. Down...and I did it anyway. Here is the shocking part...there were TONS of people out there! TONS!

We drove out to a winter park in the burbs. I am telling you, the place was like a ski resort for runners. It was crazy! The parking lot was packed. Everyone in our group was doing different distances. I am waaay out of shape, so I did the both four mile loops and called it a day.
I don't know what I was thinking doing 8 miles coming off of not running for 2 months? Dummy:P The first 4 miles felt pretty good. I was keeping a good pace, it was icey, but I was navigating it pretty well. The second loop was brutal:P It was steep hills, and really slippery. Not fun:(

Worse than that, I always push my running shoes too far. These are the ones I trained and ran St. George in. They are done. For those of you who don't know. If your shoes are done, you really feel it in your joints (knees especially). My knees were killing me by the end! Bottom line, I gotta buy new shoes. I hate doing that! When did running shoes become more than a $100 a pop! Gah!

Here is my plan. Since we have the bib for The Big Sur Marathon, I am going to train for it. It is April 26, so I have a little time to train. I am not going for any qualifying..just going to train. If I like how I feel...I'm gonna run it. That's it...sound good?

16

Gettin' Away...

It is official...I am a Mombot, homebody. Why, you ask? Good question...I am going to Vail on Wednesday with The Bro for SIX DAYS! Husband will be watching the kiddoodles for SIX DAYS!

I am freaking out about it. I am freaking out about it! Husband says "go kick up your heels." I spend all my days with the babies...ALL my days. I have never been away from them for this long, and I'm having a hard time with it. Don't get me wrong, I love to ski, and I will enjoy myself...it's just that six days seems like a really long time to be away. I am trying not to freak out about it...Trying...Not...To...Freak.

Am I nuts (I should have called this blog "am I nuts" seems I ask that quesiton a lot) Do you all freak when you have the opportunity to get away?


On a completely unrelated note...Husband took Miss Peach to The Art Institute this weekend. We have a children's book about Georgia O'Keeffe, and Miss Peach loves it. She and Husband took the bus downtown to look at some of her paintings...

When she got home, she said "Mommy, I really liked the Mooseseum...but Georgia wasn't there...she was painting. I think she will be there next time." So cute!

(oh, I owe you a Run Report...tom., I promise...tom.)

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Imaginary Golden Globes...

I might just be an uber goober, but as long as I can remember, I have designed a dress for "what I would wear to the...". You have to cut me a little slack here. I did get my first Bachelors degree with a fashion design focus. Designing clothes is what actually brought me to The Big City.

Yes, I will be watching the Golden Globes tonight, and yes I will be DVR'ing 24 (hi Kiefer). No, I will not be wearing a dress to watch...but if I were there...here is what I'd be wearing...

I am so not a red dress gal, but I'm feeling it in my imaginary world. I also love the idea of a halter with the "V" back. I nice clingy deep red fabric, with a pop of sparkle at the neck and shoulders. Oh, and don't forget some sexy leg showing...I would have to add a really expensive, dripping with diamond cuff (why wouldn't I) Now if I could just get the wind to blow my hair just right;)

(come back tom. for a Run Report...yes, I did it!)

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Getaway, Run Report

Greetings from sunny (but cold) San Diego! Husband had a conference, so I tagged along and we made a long weekend of it. It has been so nice to get away...but I miss my babies (I know Miss Peach and The Little Man aren't babies anymore, they're still my babies!)

Poor Miss Peach was so sad on the phone...."Come home Mommy...come home now." 

Oh Miss Peach..."I am coming home tomorrow...Mommy will be home by dinner:)"

Oh, I forgot to mention on the last post. Husband's doctor said he could/can run. Since the Big Sur Marathon is in April, we decided that might be pushing it for him to get in shape for it. He's going to start slow and see how he feels about running another marathon.

I on the other hand am thinking about taking his bib, and running the Big Sur. He's already signed up, so why not? I hear it's a tough marathon...I have a hard time thinking it could be harder than my St George Nightmare:P I'm thinking about it...I'll let you know.

"You stay classy San Diego;)"

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Run Report...or not?

It's cold, it's icy, it's snowy...and I don't feel like running in it:P The guilt is killing me. I have been staying in shape. I swim two days a week and play tennis. I just totally fell out of the running regime after my marathon.

My coach has been sending emails. "Hey Warden, we're all meeting (here) at 7:15 for an 80 minute run!" Do you know how hard it is to pry myself from my bed when it's cold outside? Really hard! I know now is the time to get tough. Do I want to get tough? You tell me...'cause I'm not sure what I'm going to do:P

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Run Report

I got a phone call from my running coach. He discussed my yucky marathon with me. "I should be proud of my accomplishment...If I hadn't trained so much, I probably wouldn't have finished at all...I know that you have gotten faster, you know you have gotten faster, your time just didn't prove it..." Blah, blah, blah...
He was being a good coach, yes I was glad to talk about it with him. Then we got around to the future. What am I doing next? Well...I think I'm actually going to train with Coach's group over the winter. Now, the group was hard core to begin with...but this is going to a whole new level.
You see, none of the folks I trained with qualified for Boston...and they were fast! The winter group, all the folks who have qualified for Boston join up. So if summer was the fast folks, winter is the uber-fast!
Not to mention the fact that training for a marathon in The Big City, in the winter...brutal, cold, wind, yuckity, yuck, yuck, yuck:P
The way I look at it...Mother Nature kicked my a** all over the place this summer. Bring it on b*tch...I'm only gonna get tougher. If training for a marathon makes you a machine, training in the winter makes you a bad a**! I did it once when I trained for the LA Marathon...so hard!
Now, I am probably not going to run a spring marathon. I am going to get faster on shorter distances first. I will be concentrating on a ten miler, a half marathon, and a few 5k's and 10k's in between. So, that's my plan...Long story short...you get to hear me moan about winter training.
Yay, more Run Reports!

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THE Run Report

Where to start...where to start? Shall I start by saying that Mother Nature is a wicked b*tch, who obviously hates me? How about by saying the Racing Gods are evil rat b*stards who have it in for me? I'm at this point thinking both...
I'm just going to tell you my story, you just aren't going to believe the day I had. I get on the bus to take me up the mountain at 4am. I went to bed at 7:00 to get a full eight hours of sleep. I'm up, doing good:) I kid you not...I stepped off the bus, and the RAIN. CAME. DOWN! This was a brutal cold rain blowing right in my face. We were going to be running in the cold rain against the wind. "You can't be serious!?!" Yeah, I'm serious. First, I had to stand around in it for two hours...then, I got to run in it. Lucky me.
I was standing at the start, packed around my fellow runners, in the horrible weather, and everyone was hanging their heads and saying out loud "no personal best for me today". Way to bum me out:( I still went out intending to do the best I could...that's all I can do right?
Now, imagine yourself packed in a gymnasium with a ton of other folks. Turn on the sprinkler system, and a huge fan. Now, turn off the lights, and run. That is what the start was like...frightening! I couldn't see in front of me. I couldn't see my feet, or the road! Thank God I didn't hit any potholes!
The darkness lasted about 5 miles. The wind and rain in my face lasted the entire race! You see, if you are running a point to point marathon, and the wind is in your face at the start, you never turn. It never changes. Sadly, the wind actually picked up on the last 10 miles. Oh, did I mention it was so cold that I could see my breath? It was!
Any momentum I would have hoped to get by running the downhills was completely negated by the wind. Plus, it made the uphills downright torturous:( I kid you not, people were dropping around me. They were actually air lifting folks in a chopper to ambulances. Folks were going down around me. I felt like I was running in a war zone!
I saw Husband at mile 16. He said everyone looked like the "walking wounded". That was certainly how I felt. Wait...it gets worse...
Around mile 19, I couldn't feel my legs anymore. It was like running on an epidural (I could no longer control them). They were freezing. At mile 22, I started to feel like someone had put a belt around my chest and was tightening it. Something was definitely wrong. At mile 24, my breathing started to constrict. It felt like my throat was closing. Truth be told, I started to get scared...my body was shutting down:o
I ran/hobble/shuffled through the finish line. I passed a woman asking runners if they were OK. I took two steps and turned around and said "Excuse me...I think something is wrong...I can't breathe." She lead me to the medical tent. They hooked me up to machines to take my vitals, and a doctor asked for my symptoms. She then told me I was in the early stages of hypothermia! Holy crazy Batman, hypothermia! Then, someone dropped at the finish line and anther helper screamed "we need a medic and a gurney". The doctor ran off, and a kind nurse tended to me.
She put heating pads on my legs and my neck and wrapped me in a blanket. Soon, my body started shaking uncontrollably. I was a bit scared, and the doctor ran by me to tend to the unconscious man. She looked at me and said "this is normal...your body is trying to heat itself up...this is good".
Another poor girl was dragged into the medic tent...completely out of it. What a crazy scene! About twenty minutes later, I got up and hobbled out of the tent to find Husband. It took me forever to find him and I was still shivering out of control. I did finally find him, and he whisked me to the hotel and warmed me up...Yay Husband! I spent the afternoon in bed with McNuggets, Coke, and watching the Illini kick Michigan's a**. I would say that was the best part of my day:)
I don't even want to discuss my time...it sucked:( I heard the elite runners were about 20 minutes off their pace...that's HUGE! Husband, Dad and Mom all say I should be proud for finishing at all (Husband was so scared when he couldn't find me at the finish). I told Husband I am starting to wonder if Boston is ever going to happen for me. He says "it's good to have goals". He also says "don't make any decisions about the future of your running right now". I think that is good advice...'cause I crossed that finish line and vowed never to run again!
I'm really not sure what to learn from this? I did everything right. I trained like crazy! I am in crazy shape! No matter how much training you do, you can't control the weather on race day. Here's what I'm thinking for next time (what, there will be a next time?)...Next time, if I get to the start, and the weather sucks...I'm not going to run. I will hit the internet and find another marathon to run. Then, I am not wasting my shot on a race where there is no hope for a Boston qualifier. I can just extend my training for the next race. That's really all I can figure...Seriously, this was the single worst running experience I have ever had! I think I'll leave you with what Sissy said..."at least they can't take away your awesome abs...that makes it all worth it, right?" You know what Sissy...you're right;)

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OK, Here's the Deal...(Run Report)

My marathon is on Saturday....gaaaahhh! I'm anxious:P I fly into Utah on Thursday. I need to figure out what to bring. I need to get it together...I'll admit, I'm feeling a bit scatter brained. Here's the low down on the course...That is the elevation chart for the run. They bus us up the mountain starting at 4am (projected temp. at the start is 51 degrees). Gun goes off at 6:45 am. We run down, down, down until mile 8. At mile 8, there is a one mile uphill (I need to figure out how much that mile will slow me down). Then we have a rolling 2 mile uphill (again, I need to figure this into my time). Then, it is balls out downhill for 13 miles. This is hard on the legs (I have heard runners compare it to shoving glass shards in your knees...good times). So I need to average the uphill estimates into my time and figure the speed I need on the downhills...and that's that.
In order to qualify for Boston, I need to run under 3 hours and 50 minutes. Up to now, my personal best is a 4:04. I am chasing 14 minutes. I can do this...I just need to run strong and steady...strong and steady...strong and steady...

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Run Report

First, let me say...I hope these run reports don't bore you to tears:P It is just such a huge part of my life right now, and I write about it. I am so exhausted that it hurts. We just had the hardest speed workout ever!
There is this half mile loop downtown, with a killer hill right in the middle of it. We did six reps of as fast as you can, then recover run. My split times were 4:04, 4:11, 4:04, 4:04, 4:12, 4:04. Technically, the goal was to get faster with each rep. Well I just held steady. It was windy, the hill was brutal, and I swear I thought I was gonna puke when I was done:P Just. So. Hard!
I don't know what else I can say about it other than I ran my arse off tonight! This weekend is my 20 miler:0 Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't rain. Now I am off to stretch, but I'm so tired I might just fall asleep doing it...

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Not Deep

Dah, dah, dah, dah...dah, dah, dah, dah! Yes, I watched the new 90210. Not only did I watch it, I had to work to watch it. The show got bumped by the Cub game, so I had to find a replay and DVR it. I'm not proud, I know it's complete garbage, but so is cotton candy...yummy, yummy garbage:PHere's the thing...I don't care about Aunt Becky (I don't know her character's name on the show). I loved seeing Kyle from Melrose, just make him Kyle from Melrose. I was all over Kelly Taylor (who is her little boy's Dad, I'm thinking Dillon). Oh, the Peach Pit has come a long way. I loved hanging out and having a latte with Nat:) Just give me what I want CW.
Bring back the whole cast, and let's just get rolling with The Same Old 90210. This whole high school new kiddo thing, don't need it. Andrea Zuckerman's daughter...don't care what she's doing in high school. Look at that bunch up there, they need jobs, bring the old show back, 'cause I'm totally in.
I just feel like they are giving my generation just enough of the old cast to make me watch, while playing to a younger demographic with the whole high school angle. Pick a side CW. Who do you want, them or me? Pick me, pick me, pick me!!!

Run Report
I ran 16 miles on Saturday through some major hills in the suburbs. I was pretty happy with it (9:36 mile pace). I need to be much faster than that on race day, but there won't be any hills like the ones I was running. Unfortunately, it is a good 40 min. drive from The Big City. I didn't get my stretch or cold soak in for a good hour after the run. The result...my legs are sore:P So, I'm off to do some resistance stretching right now. I gotta work out this soreness!

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Run Report

This is what my coach wrote to me in an email today...."This is the KEY month. What you do this month will in great part determine your performance on race day." Ummm...no pressure there:P So, here is what I've been doing leading into the most important month of Marathon training...
Saturdays are my long run. The last three weeks I have done two 16 milers and a 19 miler (this Sat. is a cutback to 16). Sunday is my day off (I just do sit-ups and stretch). Monday, I swim in the morning and go for an easy run. Tuesdays, I run. Wed. I run with the fast group (unless I cheat and run with the other fast group) oh, I also play tennis. Thursdays, I swim. Fridays, a light run. Saturday, and we are right back to a long run. Before and after each run, I do Meridian Stretching. I try to do weight training every other day, and sit-ups every day.
It's a lot, I know. I was talking to the girl with the target on her back (she has become a friend), she said "if you are going to run a 3:50 marathon, you have to want it, and own it". I get what she is saying there. I have to have the confidence to set a fast pace from the gun, and keep it up for 26.2 miles. I am working my butt off...I know I want it. This month is about owning it!

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Run Report

First...can you believe I actually took a 36 hour break from my computer? I did...now I am twitching just trying to catch up! What happened in 36 hours? Well, I did my 16 mile run. It went pretty well. I averaged about a 9:45 pace, which was OK, considering it wasn't a race...just a training run. So, I'll take it:)
This is going to sound crazy but I am going to let you in on my secret for recovering from the long runs. I know a few of you are distance runners so use this. Now, it sounds miserable...but it works. I got home from my run, and I had about a 5 minute cold soak in the tub. Yes, a cold soak sounds awful, but in the long run it makes you feel so much better. It has to do with getting the lactic acid out of your muscles faster. Then I do about 20 min. of Resistance stretching. No soreness today...all I'm saying is, it works for me:)

Did you see the women's marathon last night? AWESOME! Dita pulled ahead of the pack fairly early on and rocked it in! Way to go girl! How crazy was it when she ran into the stadium...the whole place went nuts...too cool. I am so OD'ing on Olympics...

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Run Report (The Agony of Defeat)

I spent Friday night with cold sweats, the shakes, and a sore throat. Saturday, my fever broke, but I still had the throat problems and no energy at all. I wish I could have rested more, but Husband had obligations, so I had to watch the babies (which is so hard when you're sick). All that aside, I got up at 4:30 in the morning and headed downtown for my race (half marathon).
Seriously, I am standing at the bus stop at 5am, and some bar rats actually hit on me! You know it's early when you go out at the same time the night crawlers are heading home...just crazy! Anyway, I made the starting line (with 12,000 other runners), and tried to be OK. I was OK for the first 7 miles. I was hitting my 9 minute pace like clockwork. Bam, bam, bam like a machine...then...we came to the turnaround. WHEELS. WAGON. OFF.
At mile 7, we turned and headed back towards the city. If any of you are familiar with Chicago, you know the wind comes out of nowhere. If you are running into it, especially on the lake front, it completely blows your time out of the water. I knew the second I turned, I wasn't going to be able to keep my pace for the next 6 miles into the wind:P
I finished, I didn't stop, but I did not get the time I wanted. What can I say? I am bummed out. I don't even know what to take away from this run? Even as I sit here now, my throat still hurts, I am still not over whatever it is I came down with. I just wish I knew how to process this and use it as a learning experience, as a stepping stone for my marathon...I just don't know how? Everyone says I'm being too hard on myself...maybe so. I'm just p*ssed off!
There was no way I wasn't going to run this morning. Sick or not, I was going to make the start. I hate having excuses "I was sick" or "the wind sucked" I hate that, that was the defining factors to my disappointing time! Ugh...I just haven't processed this yet...Here's my medal...right now it's in the back of my closet. Perhaps I should be proud of myself for doing the best that I could considering my conditions...but right now, I'm not...Right now, I'm just disappointed.
Tomorrow is a swim day. Just keep on trucking.

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Run Report...& Winners!

Well, it was a tough run Saturday. We did 12 miles in a place called "The Hills". Guess what, it was hilly! I ran up hill, after hill, after hill. It was hot, and humid, which I hate. I was chased by two dogs, which I hate. I almost beat the girl with the target on her back, but I didn't. My coach did say he thought I was getting faster, which is good.
Here's the problem...I can feel it in my bones...I am not doing enough. I am doing a lot, but I just don't think it's enough. I need to run a 3 hour and 50 min. marathon in order to qualify for Boston. Anything over that, and it's no Boston Marathon for you, try again next year...thank you for playing.
I have a half marathon to run next Sunday (13.1 miles). I need to break 2 hours in this race. The course is flat, and the run starts at 6:30 in the morning. No hills, no heat. I need to run under 2 hours to build my confidence. I need to know I can run this fast. It breaks down to a 9 minute mile pace.
The thing about it is, you need to hit that start line knowing you can do it. If you don't know in your bones that you have this one, your mind will give your body permission to fail. You start making deals with yourself during the race (I'll slow down for one mile, then kick in on the next mile...). It never happens, once you start bargaining with yourself, the game is off.
I am running 4 days a week, and swimming 2 days a week. I need to add weights into the mix, twice a week. So, I am going to ask my coach what weights I need to do for running (I'll keep you posted on it). Right now, it's just not enough...but we'll see how I do next Sunday. That will tell me if I'm on the right track...(keep your fingers crossed)

Totally unrelated front...WINNERS!
The $50 gift certificate to Good for the Kids is...
ShaunJoy from Tales from O'Toole

The two EZ School Pack winners are...
Ohmommy from Classy Chaos and
SweetPeas from Broad Horizons

Thanks everyone for participating, I hope to have more giveaways in the future...Free stuff = good!

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Run Report

This weekend was a "cutback" week. That means only 10 miles, that's the good news. The bad news was that my ten miler was a race at the Twilight Zone uphill loop:P I was nervous about this race...the course is really tough. I hate running uphill!
I kid you not, this was a race for runners in the know. We drove 40 minutes out of the city to the forest preserve, and it was like a Dead Show for runners. There were runners everywhere, and these folks looked fast! At one point, I was in line at the port-o-let and two guys were talking, it went like this...
Guy#1: "Wanna do a warm up?"
Guy#2: "Sure, what'cha thinking...1 or 2 miles?"
Guy#1: "I'm thinking 2 miles?"
Guy#2: "What's your race strategy?"
Guy#1: "I'm gonna go out slow, maybe a 6 min. pace and then kick it up at about the halfway point..."
Holy moly, that guy thinks a 6 minute mile is going out slow!!!
The race start was broken down into 4 starts, fastest to slowest heats. I, of course, was in the slowest heat. The bib color was how you knew your heat (white-elite runners, red-really fast, yellow-normal, blue-me).
I kid you not, there was four minutes between each start and when my group went, the announcer actually said "this is all the big girls, right? There are no guys in this heat?" like it was some big funny joke! What an a**! But, I kept my cool.
I went out at a sub 9 min. pace and held on. I ran up every hill that course threw at me. In the last 3 miles, I started passing some yellow bibs, then I started passing red bibs! The red bib folks had an 8 minute head start on me! I passed them! I was so psyched by this:)
It was a tough race, on a hot day, and I held my own. I came in at the front of the blue pack and ahead of many of the yellow, and even some of the reds. I'm OK with how it went...The down side, my shoes didn't make it...I'm off to buy new shoes this week. Can you believe I blew out my shoes?!?

Oh, don't forget to check out my giveaway!

20

Stuff n Nonsense (and a Run Report)

While the cool kids were in S.F. partying it up at BlogHer, I was back home torturing myself. I got up Sat. morning at 5:25 and was greeted by pouring down rain. You gotta be kidding me, another long run in the rain...c'mon! So, we (coach, Dr. Woman and I) drive out to the forest preserve for our 14 mile death march run. I kid you not...it never stopped raining...never!
I ran 14 miles in driving, pounding rain:P I saw 10 deer while I was running, at one point I heard horse hooves, and I believe I saw the Blair Witch! Let me just say, it is really (I'm talking really) creepy running alone in the forest preserve in a rainstorm! The fast folks cut out at the 12 mile mark. What did I do? You got it...I ran the whole 14 miles (at a 9:27 pace)...yay me! Soooo, since I am the only one who actually finished the assignment, I'm gonna count that as a win:)
Now, if your like me...you are at home, reading about all the fun Blogher was, and seeing all the pics of the beautiful people sharing the linky love, and just feeling pretty well left out:( Soooo, here's the only way my little brain can think to spread some link love around. Yes my dears, it's the "I wasn't at Blogher, blogroll update!", woo-hoo! Just comment, and tell me what you did this weekend, or tell me I'm not nuts for running 14 miles in the rain, or tell me how cool my Green Screen Challenge entry is (I know, I'm a dork), or even tell me how awesome Blogher was and I'll add you to the blogroll....aaaannnnndddd "go"!

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Run Report

Well, last night was tough. First off, it was brutally hot. Second, we did a 15 min warm up, followed by 6, 2 minute at 80 percent 3 minute at 50 percent, then a 15 min run back to base. I hate these! It is so hard to go all out for two minutes:P Especially when I am battling it out just to not be last. I just don't get how these people are soooo fast?
To top it off, there was a new girl in the group. Get this story...She met her husband in Hawaii, flew from Australia to the States to visit him, them married him after knowing him for two weeks! Crazy, right? Good for her for jumping in with both feet (for the record, Husband and I dated for 8 years before we got married). Oh, and yes...she was faster than me:P Don't get me wrong, I am not having a pity party for myself...I just don't get what is up with these folks? They are insanely fast!
In case you were wondering...Saturday is a 14 miler in the forest preserve. There are some hills, but nowhere near as bad as last week. How do you know I am a city cat? Whenever I run through the forest preserve my mind wanders into "isn't this where they always find the body on Law & Order and CSI?". I know...I am a nutter:) Think of me Sat morning when you are snug in your bed...I will be on the 14 mile march!
Who needs BlogHer when you can run the forest preserve;)

14

Run Report

Am I doing enough? I just don't know? Am I doing all that I can? I think so. This new run group is like having a tiger by the tail! Saturday runs are totally new territory for me. In the past, I have been with really large groups of mediocre runners. This really didn't push me very much.
Now, I am in a small group of fast runners. Last weekend, we did 10 miles. I was in the middle of a pack of about eight runners. This weekend, another 10 miles. I was the last in a pack of about six runners. Crazy thing is, I passed a ton of runners from my former running group (from three years ago). This got me to thinking...basically, the conclusion I have come to is...I'd rather be the slowest of the fast group of runners, than the fastest of the slow group of runners.
I don't know if that makes sense? I do think I am getting faster I just hope it's enough to qualify for Boston...I still have a long road ahead of me:P

8

Run Report

Alright...by now you know that the evil forces at my healthclub canceled my running program:P So I have now found a new guy/coach. This guy runs a 2:30 marathon (which is insane!), he has competed in 29 consecutive Boston Marathons (which is also insane!), and he coaches about 12 runners. I am going to try a trial run with his group next Thursday and see how it goes. I just feel like maybe this is the guy to push me to my goal, but I'll know more when I run with him (I'll keep you posted).
I have been running on my own (which is hard). I ran today with the team in the stroller, I'm telling you they and stroller weigh 80lbs, ouch! It was kinda funny because whenever we passed someone (which was few and far between) Miss Peach would yell out "see you later, tater!". I suppose you could say she's Mommy's little cheerleader!

15

You Betta Work!

First...Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Second...I'm freakin' out! Remember when I told you that I had decided on the marathon I wanted to run, but that it was a lottery to get in? Well guess what...I got in:o Now I am wiggin' out. I didn't think for a moment that I would, now I am looking at 20 weeks of hard training. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing, but holy gonna be a ton of work Batman! This will be my third attempt at qualifying for Boston. I won't say that if I don't make it, it's a failure, because I think anyone who runs a marathon, at any pace, is a winner. I just hope third time's a charm:) Now I gotta go for a run...

OK, I just got back from my run...I did a really easy 5K. I am happy to report, all the parts still work. I know I am going to sound crazy, but I felt a bit like a gladiator dusting off their armor as I dug out my running gear:P Here's the thing with me, when I wanted to get pregnant with Miss Peach, it was very hard. Long story short, I was told by doctors that I had to stop running. It was hard for me to go from Marathon shape to absolutely no running at all. Well, two babies and three years later, I'm starting over. The run felt OK. I was huffin' and puffin' at the end. Here's the thing, running a marathon is about putting in the work. It's a long 20 weeks of training. I am not looking forward to 5:30am 20 mile training runs (trying to beat the heat). However, I do love being in Marathon shape:) It's gonna take a while to get there, but today, I took my first step. Yes, I will blog from start to finish (warning: you might hear a lot of b*tching along the way;)

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