Obsess Anyone?

Ok so yeah, I admit it. I'm a bit obsessive. And more than a little bit goal driven. Running is perfect for an obsessive freak such as myself -- there is always faster & farther, always a new goal.

Recently my newest obsession is this pretty, little (I emphasize little) pair of Miss Me jeans that stare at me each morning while I'm getting ready for work. They are sparkly and beautiful and calling my name. See, I bought these jeans a while back knowing full well I could *never* wear them in public the way they were that day in the dressing room. But I loved them so much...and they didn't have the next size up...so I bought them.

Here is my public declaration that these little pretties will be on my tushie (and zipped!) by NEW YEAR'S eve. 3 weeks. Think I can do it?!?!

Winter Runderland 10K

Today was the 3rd Annual Winter Runderland 10K, put on by our local running store Manhattan Running Company. I am so glad to have local races and I so appreciate the work that goes into planning an event like this. I used to be an event planner, so that probably makes me appreciate this a little more, but getting this together is no small task. So hats off to my friends at MRC for making this a great day!

I ran this race last year - in the freezing rain! No rain in the forecast today (thank goodness, that was awful, but we did get badass status for running it in my book) When I woke up at 8am today it was 13 degrees. BRRRRRRR. Luckily the race start was 3:00 this afternoon so it had a chance to warm up to a balmy 34!

I was hoping to get a big group of us together for the race today, but everyone seemed to have other things going on today. There is one friend who is always good for a race....yep, Russ :) Russ started running last summer and has already run two 1/2 marathons, several 5Ks and today we embarked on his second 10K. Russ has an amazing story of he and his super cute little wife Jaime finding a way to change their lives by health, wellness, exercise & weight loss. Read all about Russ's Thanksgiving reflection on his blog Thunder Road Racing. It's an awesome post. I wish Russ would post some pics of he & Jaime's transformation - it's incredible. (hint, Russ, post the pics!)

Ok on to raceday. After fussing about my clothing choice....Russ & I headed to the start. We stayed in the car as long as we could messing around with our ipods, race bibs, shoe laces, gloves, etc. Noone would ever put this much thought into a normal 6 miler - raceday is just crazy. Well, I mean it makes us crazy. My shoe laces aren't tight enough. Uh, now they are too tight. Should I wear these gloves or these gloves? How many layers should I wear? Does my hair look stupid in these piggytails? Ugh. I spent pretty much the whole day obsessing.

Our goal today was 60 min or under.

We started out strong with mile 1 at 9:40. But I was really uncomfortable (like I always am at mile 1....but my freaking ipod got paused somehow, and it was buried under too many dang layers to get it going again. Crap. No music. I had my playlist picked *just* right to bring me strong into the finish. I knew messing with it would screw up my pace, so, gonna have to go without it.

Mile 2, lookin' good. Mile 3, yep, right on target. Mile 4, good. Here we are finishing up mile 4 with a thumbs up :) Mile 5 we slowed down a bit - our second trip up the hill. We lost some time there and hit the mile 5 marker at 50:45. Dang it. We had 9 minutes to get the last 1.2 in. I knew I could do this - just yesterday I ran a 9:00 & an 8:30 1/2 mile on the treadmill at the end of my 5 miler. But I knew we'd be cutting it really close. I knew mile 6 had a few small hills at the front, but the finish is all downhill and should be enough to bring us in.

At the finish we had to come across a busy street, and police were stopping traffic. When we were approaching the intersection I saw the cop waving some cars through - I said to Russ 'that dude better stop those cars, cause I'm NOT stopping!' I was going for it. Yeah, I don't think he heard me because he probably had Miley Cyrus blaring in his headphones by this point. LOL And yes, I was jealous since I had nothing but my wheezing to listen to.

We hit the mile 6 marker.....and then hit 1:00 on my watch. DANG IT. We didn't make it. SO FREAKING CLOSE. I will tell you this though, I am pretty proud of that last mile being a 9:15. We finished up with a 1:01:01. I will obsess about that 1 minute for a long time I'm sure. What we could have done different....could we have kicked in faster somewhere....if my new favorite Pink song was playing my ears could I have run faster....if I hadn't ran a hard treadmill workout yesterday could I have made it....blah, it's starting already.

But here are the good things about that 1:01:01:

**Seeing Russ's family there to support him was awesome. Having my hubs and kiddo driving around the course yelling at us was awesome. Such troopers coming out in the fa-reezing cold to support our insane habit. How would we do this day after day, race after race without family & friends supporting us?

**My race time last year for this race was 59:03. So much has happened this past year. Surgery, rehab, getting back, etc. When I started back to running in August I was at 11 min miles on a good day. Running 6.2 at a 9:50 average and being only 2 minutes off from where I was last year? Yep, I'll take that.

**This was a 6 1/2 minute PR for Russ from his 10K in August! 6 minute PR in a 10K is huge and awesome and awesomely huge. That's a whole minute faster per mile. Holy crap!

**I didn't hurl like I *almost* *kinda* did last year.

**I took home a sa-weet 2nd place age group medal! I hope I never get ho-hum about getting a raceday medal. I know some people have so many of them that they aren't that big of a deal to them anymore, but I love, love, LOVE bringing home a race day medal. If I could wear it to work tomorrow without everyone talking about how crazy I was, I totally would.

Man, I LOVE race day. No sleep the night before, obsessing about every little detail, running with my friends, having our families there, working hard and being proud....the whole thing.

What a great way to end the 2010 racing year!

21 Habits of Happy People

I read this list today and thought it was worth sharing with my bloggy friends :)

“Happiness is a habit – cultivate it.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

Happiness is one aspiration all people share. No one wants to be sad and depressed. We’ve all seen people who are always happy – even amidst agonizing life trials. I’m not saying happy people don’t feel grief, sorrow or sadness; they just don’t let it overtake their life. The following are 21 things happy people make a habit of doing:

1. Appreciate Life
Be thankful that you woke up alive each morning. Develop a childlike sense of wonder towards life. Focus on the beauty of every living thing. Make the most of each day. Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

2. Choose Friends Wisely
Surround yourself with happy, positive people who share your values and goals. Friends that have the same ethics as you will encourage you to achieve your dreams. They help you to feel good about yourself. They are there to lend a helping hand when needed.

3. Be Considerate
Accept others for who they are as well as where they are in life. Respect them for who they are. Touch them with a kind and generous spirit. Help when you are able, without trying to change the other person. Try to brighten the day of everyone you come into contact with.

4. Learn Continuously
Keep up to date with the latest news regarding your career and hobbies. Try new and daring things that has sparked your interest – such as dancing, skiing, surfing or sky-diving.

5. Creative Problem Solving
Don’t wallow in self-pity. As soon as you face a challenge get busy finding a solution. Don’t let the set backs affect your mood, instead see each new obstacle you face as an opportunity to make a positive change. Learn to trust your gut instincts – it’s almost always right.

6. Do What They Love
Some statistics show that 80% of people dislike their jobs! No wonder there’s so many unhappy people running around. We spend a great deal of our life working. Choose a career that you enjoy – the extra money of a job you detest isn’t worth it. Make time to enjoy your hobbies and pursue special interests.

7. Enjoy Life
Take the time to see the beauty around you. There’s more to life than work. Take time to smell the roses, watch a sunset or sunrise with a loved one, take a walk along the seashore, hike in the woods etc. Learn to live in the present moment and cherish it. Don’t live in the past or the future.

8. Laugh
Don’t take yourself – or life to seriously. You can find humor in just about any situation. Laugh at yourself – no one’s perfect. When appropriate laugh and make light of the circumstances. (Naturally there are times that you should be serious as it would be improper to laugh.)

9. Forgive
Holding a grudge will hurt no one but you. Forgive others for your own peace of mind. When you make a mistake – own up to it – learn from it – and FORGIVE yourself.

10. Gratitude
Develop an attitude of gratitude. Count your blessings; All of them – even the things that seem trivial. Be grateful for your home, your work and most importantly your family and friends. Take the time to tell them that you are happy they are in your life.

11. Invest in Relationships
Always make sure your loved ones know you love them even in times of conflict. Nurture and grow your relationships with your family and friends by making the time to spend with them. Don’t break your promises to them. Be supportive.

12. Keep Their Word
Honesty is the best policy. Every action and decision you make should be based on honesty. Be honest with yourself and with your loved ones.

13. Meditate
Meditation gives your very active brain a rest. When it’s rested you will have more energy and function at a higher level. Types of meditation include yoga, hypnosis, relaxation tapes, affirmations, visualization or just sitting in complete silence. Find something you enjoy and make the time to practice daily.

14. Mind Their Own Business
Concentrate on creating your life the way you want it. Take care of you and your family. Don’t get overly concerned with what other people are doing or saying. Don’t get caught up with gossip or name calling. Don’t judge. Everyone has a right to live their own life the way they want to – including you.

15. Optimism
See the glass as half full. Find the positive side of any given situation. It’s there – even though it may be hard to find. Know that everything happens for a reason, even though you may never know what the reason is. Steer clear of negative thoughts. If a negative thought creeps in – replace it with a positive thought.

16. Love Unconditionally
Accept others for who they are. You don’t put limitations on your love. Even though you may not always like the actions of your loved ones – you continue to love them.

17. Persistence
Never give up. Face each new challenge with the attitude that it will bring you one step closer to your goal. You will never fail, as long as you never give up. Focus on what you want, learn the required skills, make a plan to succeed and take action. We are always happiest while pursuing something of value to us.

18. Be Proactive
Accept what can not be changed. Happy people don’t waste energy on circumstances beyond their control. Accept your limitations as a human being. Determine how you can take control by creating the outcome you desire – rather than waiting to respond.

19. Self Care
Take care of your mind, body and health. Get regular medical check ups. Eat healthy and work out. Get plenty of rest. Drink lots of water. Exercise your mind by continually energizing it with interesting and exciting challenges.

20. Self Confidence
Don’t try to be someone that you’re not. After all no one likes a phony. Determine who you are in the inside – your own personal likes and dislikes. Be confident in who you are. Do the best you can and don’t second guess yourself.

21. Take Responsibility
Happy people know and understand that they are 100% responsible for their life. They take responsibility for their moods, attitude, thoughts, feelings, actions and words. They are the first to admit when they’ve made a mistake.

Begin today by taking responsibility for your happiness. Work on developing these habits as you own. The more you incorporate the above habits into your daily lifestyle – the happier you will be!

Gobbler Grind 1/2 Marathon

Gobbler Grind 1/2 today!

Couldn't have asked for better weather today, 60 degrees! I instantly regretted my clothing choice - I was hot by mile 1.

Ran w/ Russ, Scott & Jaime from Thunder Road Racing today & that was fun. :)

We all ran together for the first few miles, Jaime went on her own to finish up her 5K & the guys & I pressed on. We had a pace plan & a 2:20 goal...but apparently none of us can add b/c @ mile 8 we thought we were 10 minutes behind our goal. I think we should all buy each other Garmins for Christmas or go back to gradeschool for math.

I think my words were "Well, f-ing A, we gotta GO!" LoL So we did. :) We split at this point & Scott went some place outside of body & blew the 2:20 goal away w/ a 2:07!

I was feeling really good at mile 9 & decided to take advantage of the long downhill to catch up on the mystery minutes we were behind - mile 9 for me was an 8:30 pace! Yeah, I've never done that before. Awesome.

But...I would regret that around mile 11 when I felt like I could walk it in. I was tired, & needed to GU at mile 9 - I didn't - so I guess I got what I deserved there. Finished up with a 2:23 w/ Russ right on my tail.

I ran this race last year in 2:14 - so I'm no where near where I was last year. But I'm super proud of today, I gave it all I had. 7 minutes faster than the 1/2 I ran a few weeks ago, so I'll take it!

A sad site today - Around mile 10-11 I came around the corner to see an ambulance & a crowd of people - I looked to see a man on the ground. They were doing chest compressions & he was looking really bad. Really scary. I don't think I will ever forget seeing this happening. I have no idea what happened to that runner, but I'm thinking of him & hoping he went home today. Sure puts the pace I didn't make into perspective huh?

California Run

I went to La Jolla last week for work and lucky me this was my Saturday running route. Sunrise on the beach :) Beautiful! It was quite a trek getting to the beach, but only about 3 miles from our hotel. Getting back was another story....this hill was just one of many.... DANG! This was at about mile 9. Not what you want to see on mile 9!

But I kicked out a 12 miler before most people even had their breakfast muffin. Yeah, I think that's cool.

Oh and we ate some of this.... and some of this.... Race day THIS WEEKEND! 13.1 here I come!

Giveaway Winner!

Sometimes I have no idea where the days go, time just slips away from me! My giveaway ended LAST Friday....I know....BAD BLOGGER! No excuses....except I was in sunny California this past week for work with no time to do much of anything except work....well and some beach....and some good times with old & new friends. So yeah, no time to blog but I guess I had plenty of time to do lots of other things :)

So without further adieu.....the winner was selected by random.org, out of 156 entries.
#21 is the winner and that is Jen!

Jen's 5 favorite things about running are below. I don't know which I like best, they are all awesome. But I think I have to go with #2. Run on my friend!

5. I am starting to see the slightest hint of a waist! I haven't had a waist for 10 years! :)
4. My shoes. I love my shoes.
3. The extra energy I have now that I have started running.
2. The sense of personal accomplishment!

And the number one thing about running:
1. The look in my husband's eyes - I can tell he is super proud of me. :)

Giveaway Friday

I think Friday calls for a giveaway! :) Weeeeeee!

I want to do a full review on everything on the list, and will do that later....but for now, you can win a grab bag of a few things I think are awesome!

First, my favorite socks, Injinji toe socks. I started wearing Injinji because I was developing blisters in between my toes. Never, ever another blister after switching to Injinji. Yeah, they come in white but you'll win these:Just because they are way more fun!

Second, RockTape. I have lots to say about RockTape, and it truly deserves it's very own review. This stuff is amazing and made it possible for me to run again after knee surgery. Seriously! To this day if I run without the tape it hurts and I'm swollen after. With the tape = ZERO pain during or after and no swelling. Really! I have no idea how it works and I really don't care ;) It just does! You will win a sample of tape cause I'm not giving you my full roll! I love, love, love it. And it comes in pink. BONUS!
Third, a jar of PB2. Yeah, this stuff is good. My friend sent me my first jar and I love it in a smoothie :) 85% less fat calories than regular peanut butter. A little scary at first because it's, well, powdered peanut butter, but trust me, it's good! The website has lots of recipes too.
Fourth, a Somnio Tshirt. It's white and says "I have issues" on the front. Yeah, don't we all!? This shirt is a size L but it's mini size, so unless you're truly a small you may have to give it to your tiny little friend. But it's still cool.

Last but surely not least, I will throw in a "Will Run for Cupcakes" magnet for your fridge from Race Day Memories. These are super cute and I should know cause I make them :)
Ok that's it for today!

Do any/all below, leave a separate comments for each letting me know you did it! Random pick on Friday Nov 5. You'll have at least 7 chances to win!

1. Like Race Day Memories on FB here
2. Follow this blog
3. Shout it out on your blog, FB, etc. Separate comment for each :)
4. Follow Race Day Memories blog here
5. Give me a list of 5 of your very favorite running related things
6. Follow my friend's blog Thunder Road Racing just because they are awesome.
7. Like them on FB too here

Easy peasy right? Happy Friday!

K-State Homecoming 5K

A few weeks ago my friend Jen said she was going to run the K-State Homecoming 5K last Sunday. It was a week after the KC 1/2, so I decided to tag along with her. Any chance to run a race with friends, I'm in!

Jen is just getting into running and has run one 5K about a month ago. I really wanted to try to help get her into the finish with a time she would be super proud of. But ugh, I got sick and was home from work for a few days....so I didn't really know if I'd even be up to it.

I made it on Sunday morning, Penny joined in, Jen had her friend Shannon with us, and our other running friend Kathy joined us as well! Here we are pre-race:We were quite the team!
I still wasn't 100% - had a cough like I smoke 3 packs a day and knew there would be some heinous spitting involved.

Penny was starting to get sick too with some congestion coming on, so she wasn't quite her normal self.

Kathy was having some back issues, so she wasn't feeling her best.

Jen felt as though she could hurl at any second from being nervous.

Shannon's the only one who didn't have anything going on .... or at least she didn't say so. But you know, I just met her so she probably didn't want to come right on out with it (as if she could get a word in between all of us chit,chit, chittering) I'm a talker anyway - but throw in excitement and nerves - good luck shutting me up.

But it turned into a whole group of us excited to run on a beautiful Sunday morning, and none of our 'issues' carried over after the gun went off.

I love race day. I mean really, really alot. All the excitement & nervousness - ahhhhh .... you can just smell it in the air. I was nervous. It's a 5K - done that many of times. But I *kinda* promised we could get Jen into the finish at 35 minutes and I wanted her to do it without walking. At all. I had no doubt that we could do the 35 minutes. But I'm pretty famous for going out way too fast. We were sticking together and I really didn't want to do that the group.

Yeah, I did that to the group. Well not just me, but we all started out a bit too fast. Got to mile 1 and we were at 10 minutes. Ooops. I was suppose to go 11 minute miles. Dang it. Slooooooow down. Geez. Sorry girls!

The upside to that is Jen has never run a 10 minute mile before and I'm not sure she thought she could run that fast. But yep, she did :)

Mile 2 we could take it nice and easy, calm down some since we had some extra time in the bank. After about 2.5 .... gravy. Downhill all the way to the finish, coming into the stadium for the finish chute. Kicked it in at the end and came in at 34:27ish. Coolio.

Here we are bringin' it on homeIn the end it all worked out, Jen did a fantastic job as did the rest of our ladies! Had a great morning with only a small exception - this race didn't have age group placings darn it! It was mostly college students so our group having several of us that are *uh hum* a tiny bit older than that - we thought we might actually take home some age group awards. Eh, oh well. We had a great time and that's what really counts. :)No races for me on the schedule until Gobbler Grind 1/2 in November. Time to kick up the training this week, then taper town again!

My Legs Say GO!

But my cough says NO. Darn it. After a pretty tough race last weekend, I was actually really surprised that by Monday most of the soreness was gone and by Tuesday I felt like I could run again. The only thing that was still sore was my right quad - which is the knee surgery leg - hmmm that's interesting. That quad must just be super weak still, but the knee held up great!

Anyway, I recovered from the race much better than I expected :) *except* I started to have some nasty congestion on Monday, and by Tuesday it was worse....by Wednesday...full on nastiness. Here it is Friday night and I haven't run since the race, and I'm itchin'!

I have a 5K planned for Sunday, so I'm hoping to run a mile or two tomorrow and get ready to run my friend Jeni G. into the finish of her 2nd 5K. She's shooting for a 35 minute finish time, and we're gonna get her there! :) See you Sunday Jen!

Just a little title...

So I have to say, I'm surprised that a blog title really means much. It's just my little running blog that I started to log my runs back when I couldn't even run a mile....so I could look back and see how I felt, what I did right, what I did wrong, etc.

My blog used to be called Countdown to 13.1, because at the time I started this blog the 1/2 marathon was my ultimate goal. I never in a gazillion years thought I would ever want to go farther than that.

Two 1/2 marathons later, I started wondering .... hmmm .... what now? Do I dare even *think* about a full? It's twice as far. Come on, it's twice as far! Reading the training schedule itself is enough to send me to bed exhausted. In the middle of the KC 1/2 last weekend a full was going through my mind....I believe it was followed with a HELL NO. NEVER.

But a friend and I decided that we would do it together, Chicago 2011. Seemed like a great 'do it before I'm 40' goal. So at that time I changed my blog name to Countdown to 26.2. I saw that as my new ultimate goal - even though I knew it would be a whole year until I reached it. But now Chicago 2011 is no longer in my plans.

I honestly never thought another person would ever even read this blog when I started it. But I have gotten a few comments about the title - because I have never taken on the 26.2. It's not like I was trying to fool anyone by naming my blog Countdown to 26.2. At this point I don't know if I ever will run a full marathon. That doesn't make my 13.1 any less awesome.

So, I decided to change the title, because for now, I'm 'Happy with 13.1'.

Kansas City 1/2 Marathon

Before I go on rambling and forget, this pic is post race with the Thunder Road Racing and Team Cameron crew. Check out both sites, they are awesome.

Let's start with Friday. After a bazillion bathroom stops, I arrived at the hotel, got all checked in and headed to the expo. I wanted to have plenty of time to chill out & shop. The race director was speaking that afternoon and I thought it would be fun to catch that. He took us through each mile, telling us about the hills, etc. He made them sound gradual and somewhat joyous. Later on you will read my true feelings about those joyous, gradual hills.

The expo was a bit disappointing compared to others I've been to. Not a whole lot of shopping opportunities (darn!). Lots of vendors there that I can't imagine why they would be exhibiting at a race, but eh, whatever. Overall disappointment, but no biggie, I'll just save my money.

We went down to the Plaza and ate this
and this!at Buca di Beppo. Yummy.

Back to the hotel to get settled for an early turn in. I got all my stuff ready to go, feeling nervous at this point, but not terribly, just excited.

5:15 am wake up call, sprung right out of bed and got the coffee going. Yeah, getting nervous now. I know you have to eat before a race, but man, I had to choke down that banana. I felt like I could hurl at any second. Why so nervous about a distance I've ran many times? The hills. I was terrified of all the hills. I was thinking if I expected the worst maybe they wouldn't be so bad? I was wrong. Oh lordy.

As we walked to the start the nerves just kept building and building, but seeing all the people, the start line, the loud music....I remembered why we do this. SO fun. Here we are at the start, blurry because I was probably shaking in fear, but it kinda makes the picture even funnier!
and off we go! I had decided I was going to try to run with the 2:20 pacer. I found her before I hit the mile 1 marker and joined in. Such a cute, fun girl, chatty Cathy the whole way. I was thinking 'yeah, I'm gonna like this. If she keeps chatting, we'll be done before I know it!'. I kept with her until mile 8, right on pace.

Then the hill of my death.

I had to walk it. DANG it. Her little sign kept going and I stopped. I thought I could probably still catch her, maybe on the downhill. I sped up and caught her at the next water stop, but then another hill. Lost her again. Gave up trying to catch her and watched my 2:20 goal get farther and farther away. :(

So. I think I kinda lost my way after this. I felt like I couldn't get a rhythm going, tried my music but that didn't really work. Tried no music, but that didn't work either. I tried just staring at the road instead of seeing the pace sign WAY up in front of me - taunting me - but that didn't really work either. I have never run with a pacer before, and even though it was so great for the first 8, not being able to stay with her felt like an overall defeat.

All of a sudden my water belt started pissing me off, the water belt I had worn every single run for the last 4 months and was fine all those times....I just wanted to pull my time chip off and walk. I lost all desire to keep trying. What a bad attitude I had.

Then I looked over....and there is Scott and Russ! Wild. 12,000+ runners and we randomly run into each other. That was totally what I needed right at that point in the race. It's amazing what friends can do to pull you up. Then I started to think of my hubs and kiddo. I started to think about what I would tell my daughter right now if she was running this race. We would be proud of her no matter what, and this is what I needed to give myself.

I ditched the water belt, got over myself about the time goal and ran in the last 3 with my friends. Russ was singing & Scott was encouraging us (because I did still whine a *little* about wanting to walk). That last mile was pretty hard, but it was really just a blur. We turned the corner to the finish line and WHAT?! Uphill?!?! Whoever decided to play the cruel joke of making the finish line uphill, well, I'd like to meet you in a dark alley sometime after a few shots of tequilla. It was rough.

Russ broke ahead and kicked ass on that last stretch. The three of us finished arms up in the air at the finish line a tad before 2:30. I was so proud of these guys. Their first 1/2 was the hardest one I've ever ran and they did AWESOME. Whew. That was freaking hard. But hey, if it wasn't hard it wouldn't be worth a sweet medal. I spent a little time with the guys for post race pics then headed out to find my girlies. Penny and Gina did AWESOME with 2:15, 2:13. I'm so proud of both of them! We went up to get beer and wait for the awards. Penny is so badass that she won an age group trophy. Check that motha out.

The Taper Be Damned!

Any runner/racer knows just what I mean. The taper. Ugh.

So many things running through my head this week.
1) Why do I do this to myself? This is a choice, and I've chosen this?!
2) I'm not ready. I should have run more. I should have run more hills. I should have done more speedwork.
3) I think I'm getting a cold. I have a horrible headache.

And then there is the pace group question....

Which pace group should I run with? My 1/2 pr is 2:14. I'm not there right now. I don't think. But maybe I could? Should I run with a 2:15 pacer but risk not being able, then become road kill at mile 8?

Should I go 2:20? I think that pace would push me but not too much. But isn't raceday about pushing yourself as far as you can go?

Should I go 2:25? This race is hilly. If I go 2:25 I'll enjoy myself MUCH more. But then stew about it after because at 2:25 I'll feel like I didn't try my hardest.

But....this is a comeback race after an injury & surgery. So maybe it *should* be about having fun and not worry so much about pace?

Ugh. I'm crazy.

A new racer in the house?

Last weekend, J ran in her first race :) I worked the finish line and hubs coached the kids at the start. 890 kids showed up to race! WoW!
Here's J coming into the finish! I think those long legs are made for running! *fingers crossed* Maybe a new racer is in the house? I hope so :)When I asked her how it was right at the finish, she said AWFUL! This smile afterward with her medal says something totally different :)

A super nasty run, a comeback and a taper

Sorry no pics on this one, just a long rambling mess!

What a crazy few weeks I've had! I think I've had just about every emotion possible when it comes to training. I had a super awful 12 mile run a few weeks back. I mean, wow man, it was horrible.

If it wasn't for my girlies pushing me along and the fact that we were way out of town....I would have packed it in at mile 6. I honestly don't remember ever having a run that bad. It was 97% humidity - which probably had something to do with it - but it was mostly awful because I had a bad work week, was super stressed, ate horribly and had an overall bad attitude. So bad in fact that even a run couldn't cure that one! WoW. Now that's bad!

After that horrific run, I took a week off. Yep. A whole 7 days without running. 4 weeks out from 1/2 marathon and just like that - I took a whole week off.

I was questioning my endurance, questioning why I wanted to do this in the first place, sick of spending so much time running, sick of getting up at 4:15 am in order to fit my run into my day, sick of spending every Saturday limping down the stairs, sick of using the whole day Sunday to recoop.....yep, overall sick of everything!

As the days ticked by, I kept getting more and more worried about the miles I was missing by completely skipping week 8 of training. But not worried enough to make myself run. It was weird - I've never, ever had such a bad attitude about running. I mean, I voluntarily went through knee surgery & 12 weeks of rehab just so I could do this!

So. It was approaching the weekend and I knew what I had to do. It was my last chance to run long before it was time to taper. I don't know a ton about training, but I do know that trying to make up miles when you're in your tapering weeks is a big NO NO.

My hubs took me out for pasta Thursday night, and I took Friday morning off from work to fit my last long run in. Oh did I mention it would be my longest run ever? And I was goin' it alone. It was time to suck it up, get my head on straight and figure out once and for all if I was going to finish out this training or quit.

After no running for a week, I planned a 14 miler - by myself. I just couldn't let that awful 12 miler be my final long run before the race. It was in my head - BAD - and I knew I had to give it one more shot or it would mess with my race day.

Well, my body must have been telling me it needed rest. My longest run ever was probably my very best training run this whole season!

I set out on a beautiful fall morning, stashed water at the 7 mile mark, and off I went. Friends are awesome to run with and a great distraction, but it's amazing how in tune I was to how I was feeling when I wasn't chattin' it up the whole run! I remembered to eat shots before I needed to & I remembered to stretch my knee out....things I usually don't remember to do.

I felt awesome all the way until about mile 13. I was ready to be done....my quads were talking (loudly!) and I was still a mile from home. I wanted to walk it. But who walks the LAST mile?! Couldn't do that. Thank goodness for Bon Jovi singing me home.

15 minute ice bath and off to work for the rest of the day. I was tired....very tired that afternoon, but somehow I made it without falling asleep at my desk!

And now....it's a one way ticket on the taper train. Oh yeah! Kansas City here I come! I'm ready :) You'll have to wait for my next post to hear me obsess about what pace group I should run with. Oh brother, that's a whole 'nother story.

Long Run with Some Old Friends

Bloggity blog, I'm sorry I have been neglecting you! I am in the biggest weeks of my 1/2 marathon training, very busy at work and just haven't had time to write.

Let me catch up.

Last weekend we planned on an 11 miler. My friend from high school was in town and he joined us. He's training for his first 1/2 marathon after just starting to run this summer! Awesome.
Then we asked another friend from high school to join us too! Four of us would go the full 11, then Jen would meet us to bring us in for the last 1 1/2 miles. Really great run, went by super fast! Here is a big daddy hill that we ran...whew. It's short, but it's a killer.
We were late meeting Jen, but she waited patiently, joined us and ran her farthest without stopping :) She will run her very first race next weekend! Good Luck Jen!Russ's post run chow...We have a few more weeks of training and then it's taper time! I am ready! Giveaway coming Monday =)

Stop Spitting on People!

Today is a rest day for me. Ahhhhh. Rest days, I love you. Funny though how I seem to be more tired on my rest days. hmmm.

Anyway, yesterday I went out super early for a 4 miler. I've kinda been freaking out about running before 6:30am because it's still dark out (hello fall!). But I've got 5 weeks until my race - it's time to GO!

I got up Thursday morning 5:00am, got all ready to go, stepped outside.....raining. Dang it. Go? Don't go? Considering a few Saturdays ago I still ran after barfing (I know, TMI), I'm thinking a little rain shouldn't keep me inside. I did decide that my ipod should stay home though.

The run was actually great considering the following events....

It was so dark out, and with no ipod I have no choice but to stare at the ground, spacing out to try to ignore that I really just wanted to walk. Yeah, that's when it happened.

I had to spit....it's 5:30 in the morning, noone around, so I just spit. OMG I totally spit RIGHT at the feet of a girl passing me. It was like slow motion spit. I saw her but the spit was already leaving....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh nooooooo! Luckily I didn't hit her (I don't think, but come on, it's pitch black and raining, so who knows). I said I was sorry, she chuckled because I'm sure I looked like she scared the #(%& out of me. I honestly did not see her coming until she was literally RIGHT THERE.

Karma's a bitch you know....less than 5 minutes later I stepped in dog poo in my brand new, now soaking wet and smelling like poo Saucony's. :( poo. I love dogs, but seriously people, pick up their sh... don't leave it on the sidewalk.

Have a good weekend runners! Heading out early tomorrow for an 11 miler with my regulars and some new running friends too :) Yippee!

Weekend Wrap Up

Yes, I know, it's Tuesday. But since it was Labor Day weekend, it feels like a weekend wrap up Monday!

Much to update, I have been neglecting my blog. This training thing is getting in the way of my blogging!

11 mile run on Saturday, NO KNEE PAIN at ALL! I think I'm fixed! It feels great to say that. Every other piece of me was hurting Sunday morning (I felt about 100 years old getting out of bed!), but the knee was great. :) The run was really pretty good overall. We worked in a big daddy hill just for fun (our idea of fun? sick isn't it?!). The last mile I was out of gas, but a few stories from the ladies later, we were done!

The weather was AWESOME! You can't beat this!
The view was AWESOME! All foggy & mysterious like.
New shoes were AWESOME!
My first long run in my brand spankin' new Saucony's. 11 miles in new shoes is risky. I was worried - but they were great! No blisters, no problems at all. Saucony's seem to have a wider toe box, which I love cause my piggies need some room. But this makes them feel loose compared to my Mizuno's so I tied them pretty tight.

I think I may have tied them too tight cause my toes were feeling a little tingly. Loosened them up a bit and all was gooooooooooood. 11 miles later my feet were tired & a bit sore, but hey, it's 11 miles. I *heart* my new shoes! (I still secretly wish they were pink though) Penny showed up for our run on Saturday with the exact same pair! No, she didn't know I bought them. So now we are twinkies! Great minds think alike :)

Check out my friend's new running blog. He is smack in the middle of his first 13.1 training schedule! Thunder Road Racing

And just for a smile, I stole this from Shelly's blog:Giveaway coming soon! :) Have a great week!

New Kicks!

First impressions are positive, I think we may have a wonderful life together - my lovely Saucony's and I. We will get to know each other well on an easy 11 miler tomorrow :) Happy 3 day weekend everyone!

Weekend Run and My New Business!

I'm super excited for this post! But let me get down to running business first.

Our training schedule called for a 90 minute run on Saturday (we've been training in 'time' instead of mileage). Well, I'm a slow poke runner. So I started feeling a little worried that I wasn't getting the mileage base I needed for an October 1/2. When I trained last time, by this stage in the game I was already doing a 10 miler. Um, yeah, I can't do 10 miles in 90 minutes.

So, we decided maybe we should focus a little more on mileage this weekend. 10.75 miles on the log for Saturday :) Whoop! I felt like it was a really good run - although we took a few unscheduled breaks - but not because we needed it.

Do any of you pick up pennies along your route? We do. Saturday we hit the motherload! So with our picking up pennies stop and a bathroom stop, it took us quite a long time to get that 10.75 done. But, a few months ago I couldn't have DREAMED of 10 miles, so I'm gonna take it and be proud that we did it!

NOW. On to other things!

What you may not know about me is that I have a few obsessions. One of them is running (duh, of course) and the other is making cute little things for my friends. I'm a scrapbooker. My name is Suzy and I'm addicted to glitter. There I said it.

All this running we do got me to thinking. After a few races I ended up with some pretty fun pictures of me and my running friends at the race. After training with a few girls last year I decided I wanted to do something for them as a memory of our training and our hard work.

A scrapbook maybe? Nah, I didn't have enough pictures to do that for them. So, I took one of the pictures I had, made a mini-page, put a magnet on the back and wa-la! A fun, thoughtful gift for my friends was born.Then the next race, I made them for all the girls in our big group picture. Then this summer I made some more. And some more! Hmmm, everyone seems to think these are so cute, why not make them for everyone!

So that's it! Race Day Memories is my new side business! Let me make you and your friends fun momentums from race day or group runs! Magnets & mini books! Sure, you could probably do it yourself. If you only had the time .... Let me do it for you!

Interested? See more here!
Race Day Memories on Facebook
and here:
Race Day Memories blog

Craptastic Run & Choose You Giveaway Winner!

Ugh. I'm fighting a sinus cold/headache right now. Doesn't that cold know I have training to do?!?! I had to skip my run that was planned last night, I just wasn't feeling well. Today I tried a lunch hour run .... ugh. Just not good. But, I had 3 on the schedule, so 3 I did. Going to get some rest tonight, I don't have time to be sick! I have a 10 miler on Saturday!

Ok, enough whining, on to the winner of my Choose You giveaway!

I used random.org to pick a winner, it chose #1! Erika of Chasing My Monkeys 1 Mile at a Time! Congrats Erika!
Email me at
racedaymemories@yahoo.com
with your address and I'll get this box of awesome Choose You goodies on the way. I wore the shirt today to work, it's super cute! You'll of course get one that I didn't wear though. :)

MCM Mama Virtual Race

The race that started with a barf.

Ugh. Woke up Saturday morning all ready to run the MCM Mama Virtual race! Started out as a regular Saturday. Coffee, feed the dogs, start getting ready....uh oh. Feeling kinda weird. Oh no. Tummy is not good. Whew. I'm hot and sweaty. Barf.

Now any logical person would call her friends, tell her she's sick and can't make it. But we all know sometimes a runner's logic goes right out the window. My mind instantly goes where I know many of my runner friend's minds would go .... "I wonder if I should still run? I'm probably fine - that was just a baby barf. No big deal. Probably just a fluke. Oh no, I'm going to be late!" Then I run out the door.

I had to eat something in the car - I can't run 8 miles without eating a little something first. I was really nervous about my tummy, but figured I'd just give it a try. If I felt bad, I could just pack it in.

The run was ok! Spent most of the time ranting about some work stress to my good friends who are so kind to listen, and support. My hubs probably doesn't realize how much he doesn't have to endure because my running friends have such good listening ears!

I usually have a few shot blocks around 4 miles, but I was afraid to do that in case my tummy was upset. Had one, which clearly wasn't enough. Had a tough last 2 miles. Looking back at this pic, I'm really not looking so great!But! The 'race' was done, and we celebrated with coffee after (our Saturday tradition) Happy Birthday MCM Mama! Hope you had a great experience as race director!

Weekend Wrap Up

Ah, Monday. I don't really like you. I always wish I had just *one* more day then I would be caught up with all of my laundry, run many more miles, have the whole week's menu planned and my house would be spotless. HA! But it would be nice to have just one more day off.

This weekend I had a long run with the girls on Saturday, more details on that run later today - this was MCM Mama's virtual race. This morning I ran with Little Apple Roadrunners, at 5am. *yawn* My view this morning was the full moon!

More later bloggy friends! Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Andale! Andale! Arriba! Arriba! Yii-hah!

Speed work Thursday!

The last time we did speed work, we were way too fast according to Hal's training program. We are suppose to do our 400's at 10K race pace. Last time we did 2:05 on average. Um, hello, my 10K race pace is 9:45 - 10 min miles if I'm lucky. Yeah, that was too fast.

Today we tried to slow it down a little, but the weather was so awesome (72 degrees this morning!), that we didn't do much better today! 5:30 am, 8 x 400, average of about 2:13 per. That's a bit better, but I think I need to get it to 2:30 average to go along with 'the plan'.

I'm a little confused about speed work. Isn't the whole point to go as fast as you can? Seems like I shouldn't be telling myself to slow down if it's suppose to be about getting faster. Hmmm. Any advice out there?

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Giveaway Wednesday

Training has been going well this week, as Kansas temps have really given us a break. 70 degree days so far this week are spoiling me rotten! Tomorrow is 5:45 am speedwork ... heaven help me.

Review and super cute giveaway coming soon. Stay tuned! :) Weeeeeee!

Weekend Wrap Up

Friday we had a big nasty storm (90+mph winds!) so we were unsure what our Saturday morning run would be like - cooler because of the rain, or one big sweaty hot mess? The weather for us was actually much better than it has been the past few runs. But running through town this morning after the big storm - was just sad :( The damage was awful, full trees down, many people still without power after losing it Friday afternoon.

Here's a pic from campusOn the plus side, we had a good run today. We all forgot to take GU (well, not me, sorry GU makers, I just can't eat that stuff). P & G forgot to take their GU, I forgot my shot blocks .... so I was crashing a bit, but by the time we realized it, we were almost done. The best part was the deeeelish mocha latte afterward and having time to sit with the girls for coffee :) Kathy joined us today for coffee and if peer pressure works on her she will soon be joining us for running :)

Have a great week everyone!

Hill Repeats, I Hate You

Today my tiny little boot camp trainer (aka my friend Penny) kept us right on schedule - hill repeat Thursday. We met a little earlier today (5:45 am) to be sure we had enough time to get it all in. I pull up to see Penny there, but no Gina. Hmmm, well, Gina is always a few minutes behind us so we didn't think much of it - until she was 5 minutes late. She's never that late. Penny called her .... and she was sitting waiting for the COP to give her a ticket. ooops. Gina likes to go fast .... and not just running :)

Welp, 6 times up and down that sucker. It was hard and I hated just about every part of it. Except going down of course. One of the best things about having friends to run with is the accountability. I would NEVER do this kind of training without the girls holding me to it. Hill repeats, speed work at the track - yeah, I would never do those things.

Each time up, we put one of these one the sidewalk to remind ourselves how many times we tortured ourselves today!Oh and we saw a little snake. eeeek!

On a non-running note, I enrolled my kiddo today for school. Where did our summer go? I look forward to school starting, but I'm always just a bit sad to see the pools close. I feel the need to fit one more thing in before school starts. What's something fun we should do?!

A cool thing - I have a giveaway coming soon! Yippee!

Race Reports!

My High School friend told me she registered for Race for the Cure in Kansas City. It was her first race ever, so I really wanted to go to support her, but I also knew there was a 10K being held by our local running store, Manhattan Running Company, the same weekend.

Hmmm....could I do both? I probably shouldn't .... afterall I am suppose to be following a training plan, and I am suppose to be easing back into running .... but .... I would run a long run on Saturday anyhow. If I treat both races as training runs (in other words, don't push it) I could fit them both into the weekend schedule.

Ok, let's do it. Slow and easy, just like a regular training run. Yeah.

Saturday morningBrew 2 Shoe 10K pre-race pics with the girlies.

This was the 2nd annual, organized by Manhattan Running Company. About 300 runners (even a few dogs!). Great weather (considering Kansas has been STEAMY hot). I knew lots of people running this race, so that was super fun.

A friend from High School who is just starting to run came to run his very first 10K! He brought his friend who was running his very first race ever! They are both training for a fall 1/2 marathon. So exciting! Here we are after the race .... But here's how we got there. I started way too fast (negative splits? yeah, I don't know how to do those). Saw my friends Penny & Gina at mile 4 water stop (thanks girls for coming out!) I'm pretty sure if this had been a 5K race I would have hit a PR no problem .... which means by the killer hill at mile 4.5, I was toast! I had a friend running with me until the hill, she kept going, I walked it. At the peak of the hill the rest of the race is downhill, about 1 mile. At the top of the hill was my friend Kathy waiting to cheer me on. (NICE!) That gave me a little boost to kick it in at the end. It was tough though, I was done. Totally out of gas. I didn't wear my ipod because I had thought I would have people around to chat with. All downhill yes, but nothing to distract me from feeling like I was about to die!

Um, training run? Not anymore! Our long training runs are nice, slow, easy runs - about 11 min miles. This race, mile 1 was a 9:30 pace, mile 2 10:00, etc. ooops. Race day gets me again! End time was 1:06. No PR for me, but I said I would be happy with 1:10. So I'm happy! :) Really happy to be running races again! SO FUN.

Got home, showered and ran out the door to head to Kansas City to shop with my girlfriends, and get up bright and early Sunday to run Race for the Cure 5K with my friend Jen (her very first race!)

Jen was a cross country runner in High School, but is picking up running again 20 years later. She told me she would be happy to run the whole thing without walking, but wasn't sure if that was possible. This was a major part of my decision to run 2 races in the same weekend - I thought we'd run a few miles and walk a bit, then maybe run to the finish. Here we are before the race. Um, let's just say her being 'unsure' if she could run the whole thing .... she sandbagged me! We started out uphill .... turned the corner to go uphill again .... turned the corner to go uphill again .... OMG really?! and again .... The first 2 miles were completely uphill.

This race was really hard! Probably for several reasons:
1. 5 am wake up on Saturday, ran the 10K, jetted out to KC, shopped, drank wine, ate too much, not great sleep.
2. 5 am wake up on Sunday, after all of that in #1
3. The first 2 miles of any run is the hardest for me. Add uphill to those first 2 miles? Whew.

Ok enough whining, no excuses. I kept telling Jen that we could walk if she needed to (HA HA), but she was having none of that! That girl has race blood in her, no doubt! Cool rock bands along the course, pink everywhere (awesome), and let's not forget the real reason for the race. So inspirational to see all those people coming together for one cause.

Fast forward to the finish, I was so proud to see Jen sprinting to the finish! Her first 5K, 33 minutes with zero walking. I LOVE THAT!! I predict many future races for us :)