Suck it Up Buttercup! Race Recap

We chose to take our picture post-race. Our traditional post-race meal at Cracker Barrel! YUM! And onto the recap. . .

Well, this is how it went down. I got a text from my running buddy, Bobbie. It said something like this, "I signed you up for another virtual race. It has to be done by the 31st. Hope you don't mind." And of course, I didn't. I'm always up for a race, especially if she is running beside me.

So, we ran Sunday morning. The kicker??? We had an 8 mile run planned for our marathon training. So, we ran an easy 5 out on Bluegrass Pike to get in some hills because we are under the impression that if we are running The Flying Pig, we better train on hills. Then, we ran another 5K at our usual 5K race pace.

Both runs were pretty pleasant, considering this weekend was the first time we've had temperatures above freezing in the new year. At least it seems that way! This was also the first run I've done in the last month where there wasn't snow, slush, or something on the roads. It was a very pleasant run!

After we finished our 5, we stopped at the car and made some changes to our apparel and gear and got a sip of water. And, we were off! We ran from the Wellness Center into downtown Danville and back. It was a fabulous run for the both of us. We felt great and we both had great times for our runs, considering we've been making a conscious effort to slow down in order to train for our marathon. My ending time was 27 minutes and 48 seconds! Woo hoo! I'm glad we had a fabulous day to run! Thank you so much for hosting the race!

Snow, Snow, GO AWAY!

Although today's snow is very beautiful, it's starting to really wear on my nerves. Why?

1. I'm a teacher. I do not want to be in school in June!

2. My husband commutes 45 minutes to work everyday. I don't like the idea of him out there driving when the conditions are this bad.

3. The heat in my house runs all day when it's this cold outside, which makes for a not so cheap electric bill.

4. It makes me lazy. I just want to climb in the bed and pull the covers up to my chin!

5. And, of course...it's messing with my marathon training! BOO!

I will say one thing. Today was the second day of boot camp. We did a 3 mile run (29:04) and 100 squats out in the pouring snow and slushy roads. At 5:30, I loved every minute of it. I'm definitely a morning runner!

Stay safe! Enjoy your runs!

Boot Camp - DAY ONE

At the McDowell Wellness Center, where my husband and I workout, they have a program called Boot Camp. It is taught by a pretty tough woman named Ann. I can honestly say I've never seen abs on a woman like she has, but that's beside the point.

Anyhow, I've always wanted to participate in her boot camp, but I have always been scared out of my teeth that I would make a fool of myself when it came time to do pushups and situps. But, now that I have a duathlon and two half marathons under my belt, I thought I would give it a try. Upon talking to others I know that have participated, they assured me that I would be fine.

Today was DAY ONE. 4:00 this morning came pretty early. I strolled out the door at 5 to head to the gym. When we started at 5:30, I quickly found out that Mondays would consist of about 2 miles of running, with pit stops along the way. This is what the morning consisted of:

1/2 mile in - 100 pushups and 50 squats

1 mile in - uphill bear crawls, uphill lunges, and uphill sprints (SPEEDWORK!)

1.5 miles in - lunges, high knee running; 50 pushups

1.75 miles in - side squats (several reps)

2 miles - finished for the morning

What part of me hurts the worst you ask? My arms are pretty sore. I had to take a knee several time during the pushups. I still did every single one though! And...my butt hurts from all the squats! OUCH!

My motivation? Having a stronger core can only make you a better runner!

Have a great week! Look for an ACOUSTIBUD giveaway coming soon!

Marathon Training Update

Well, so far so good! Last week, Bobbie and I did 4, 4, 4, and 6 mile runs for our second week of marathon training. We did all of our runs together, except for one. This particular run was done on the treadmill at the gym for me. And I have to say, I loathe the treadmill. I would rather bundle up and head outside, but my schedule wouldn't let me last Thursday. So, I hopped on the treadmill while Jeremiah hopped on the bike.

I think my mindset of the treadmill causes me to feel like I'm running so much faster than I feel outside. A 10 minute mile on the treadmill feels like an 8 minute mile outside for me. I don't know why. Any ideas? I would love to hear them. :)

But, I had a breakthrough on the treadmill last Thursday. I ran my first 4 miles on the treadmill in under 40 minutes. For some reason, I'm stuck on a 10 minute mile on the mill, when I run about a 9:35 outside. Well, on Thursday, I finished 4 miles in 38:31. It literally took all I had to not jump up and down on the treadmill. Wouldn't want people to think I'm crazy! (Wink, wink.)

Our six mile run was FABULOUS! We ran it in about 58:18 and didn't feel like we were running nearly as fast as we were. I think maybe the Pineapple Roctane GU at mile 3 may have helped us along!

Tonight was my first training run for this week. We didn't run yesterday. We went skiing and snow tubing instead! :)

I ran on the treadmill tonight and finished my 4 miles in 37:47!!! I think I will use the treadmill for speed work from now on!

The picture is from our trip to Perfect North yesterday! Thanks for following my journey!

First Week of Marathon Training FINISHED!

A picture after completing our first training run!

We have completed our first week and we feel good about it!

Now, it is only the first week, but we both talked about being mentally ready while we were running our 5 today. We both decided that mentally, we are ready to do this. When I first brought it up to Bobbie, I can honestly say I wasn't so sure myself. But, now that my mind has had time to adjust to the idea and we have registered, I am 11o% ready to do this! And so is Bobbie!

Our first week of running consisted of 4, 4, 4, and 5. Our first and second 4's were okay runs, but we had some technical difficulties along the way on both runs. I'm sworn to secrecy about what happened while out on the road, but you are welcome to try and figure it out.

Our third 4 miler was in bitter cold with wind blowing what felt like 60 miles an hour. There were times we were running with the wind, and times we were running into the wind. NOT FUN! We were very glad to be finished with that run!

Our 5 miler today was supposed to be yesterday, but due to weather conditions, we put it off until today. There were still some icy and snowy patches, but overall, a good run. At about 4.75 miles, I was freezing, but my body felt like I could run another 6.

Our plans for this week include 4, 4, 4, and 6. As of now, we are supposed to be in for a winter storm this week, so we'll see how well we are able to stick to a schedule.

2011 Goals!

Well, goodbye 2010, HELLO 2011!

When thinking about the running goals accomplished this year, I am very proud. There were countless 5K's, a 10K, a 15K, a duathlon (run/bike), and two mini marathons. The first mini, I trained for partly on my own and partly with Twila. I hurt my foot and was out for 6 weeks, right in the middle of training. But, I got right back up and continued training when I was able. I finished in 2:30:06! Not bad for a first time!

The second one was on my 30th birthday and I trained for it with my running buddy, Bobbie. Bobbie and I have seen each other at local races for some time, but didn't start running together until this past June. And now, I can't stand to run by myself! :) Not only is she a running buddy, but a friend also. We do so much more together than just running. Our husbands have become friends too!

On my 30th birthday, we had an 'A' goal of 2:15:00. I finished in 2:06:06! A 24 minute improvement from the first mini!

Now...on to goals for 2011! First and foremost, Bobbie and I have singed up for our first full marathon. We will be running the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati on May 1, 2011! We have until April to decide to do the half instead, but I think we can do it!

We have also signed up for the Run the Bluegrass mini marathon on April 3, 2011 in Lexington, KY. My hope for that one is to finish in under 2 hours. But, we'll see. I also have in my plans to still do all the local 5, 10, and 15K races. I love the local races because I get to see all the friends that I've made through my running experience. I also plan on doing the RJ Corman Duathlon again this year, if it's still on the calendar.

One more biggie...the Bourbon Chase! The Bourbon Chase is a 200 mile relay race across the entire state of Kentucky. There are 12 runners on our team. ALL WOMEN! Girl power! There are several legs to the race that equal up to 200 miles of running. We start on a Friday afternoon and run through the night into Saturday afternoon. I can't wait!

So, lots on the running plate next year. All I can do is pray for God to be with us as we go into all of these ventures as a running pair. Thank you all for following my journey!