River Run 1/2 Marathon Race Report

When I was looking for a 1/2 marathon to run in September, my thoughts immediately went to the River Run 1/2 Marathon.  I ran this 1/2 in 2010 with Jenn and paced her to quite a 1/2 marathon PR.  I knew the course well as we run in these metroparks most weekends and I also knew the scenery would be great.  With all of that information, I put it out there to see if anyone else planned to run it and I was happy to find out that many of my running buddies were planning to do so.  In addition, Amanda and Susan would be coming in from Chicago for the race.  It was going to be a great running weekend.

Saturday night we all met at Peppers for some necesssary carbo loading!  The food was great and the company was even better.  We never ran out of things to talk about.  Of course what's dinner without a picture!!

Ready for some carb loading

After we finished dinner, we all headed home to get some much needed rest.  Once I got home I set out my clothes for the race and called it a night.  I was quite alarmed when I woke up to a torrential downpour.  In fact, I commented about it on Facebook and my running friends assured me it wasn't raining near the race location.  We all made it to the high school to take the shuttle to the start of the race.  Of course the rain decided to make an appearance the minute we stepped off the shuttle.  Fortunately the restroom lines were undercover so we were able to stay dry and take pictures while we waited.

Ready to run 13.1

When the race started my plan was to stay with Missi and Kim.  I lost them on the course for a few minutes but I did run into Amanda and we talked for a few minutes and then I went on my way.  Fortunately I was able to find Missi and Kim on the course again.  Missi was looking really strong so my goal was to stay as close to her as possible.  At some point Missi got out ahead of me and I just kept her in sight and tried to catch up to her, which never actually happened.  I was pretty tired and was continually saying to myself "seriously Jodi, suck it up".  It worked to keep me moving forward so that was a plus.  I was pretty confident that I would achieve sub-2 for most of the race so needless to say I was very happy when I crossed the line in 1:58:45.  Definitely not too shabby with minimal training.  Once at the finish line I found out there were lots of PR's in our group.  I was so happy for each and everyone of them.

Lots of PR's for my running buddies

The metroparks backdrop never gets old

After we took some pictures and found out our results we headed our separate ways.  Amanda and Susan had to check out of their hotel before the race so they headed back to my house to shower.  After the three of us got cleaned up we headed out for a much needed lunch.  It was great getting to know the girls better over a delicious meal.  So what's next you ask?  My October 1/2 marathon of course!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and  you inspire me!!

August in Review

Another month has come and gone and now we are headed into fall.  This could only mean one thing, it is time for another month in review.

August 2012 stats
32.32-- running miles
0-- bike miles
0-- pool workout
0-- core fitness workouts
32.32-- total miles
157-- weight as August 31, 2012
Current 2012 stats
552.29-- running miles
18.7-- bike miles
3-- pool workouts
56-- core fitness workouts
570.99-- total miles
157-- current weight

2012 "to do list" August check-in
2012 Running Goals
1. My number one running goal is to run a sub-1:50 half marathon
-Still havent attacked this goal.  I need to be more serious about my running/training to even consider being successful in this area.2. Secondary to the goal of a sub-1:50, I would like to attempt to run another marathon PR (sub-4:10:11) with a stretch goal of running a sub-4:00:00
-I have come to the decision that I am not going to run a full marathon this year. With a goal of running a 1/2 marathon every month this year, I think it would be a bad idea to train for a full at the risk of getting injured.

2012 Mini Running Challenges
1. Run 100 miles per month
-32.32 miles run in August- Definitely a far cry from 100.  As I said in my sub-1:50 half marathon goal above, I need to be more serious about running/training to even come close to 100 miles in a month.2. Run a half marathon each month

-Minnesota 1/2 Marathon (2:14:26)- My August 1/2 marathon knocked another state off the list of 50!
2012 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Increase the amount of cross-training/strength training I do on a monthly basis
-0 cross training/strength training workouts done in August.  Once again I have no excuse for this, I just didn't do it.
2. Focus on choosing and cooking healthier foods
-7 well-balanced meals prepared in August- Same number of meals made in August as were made in July however I did make better choices as can be seen in my 1.4 pound weight loss.
3. Drink more water
-I continue to have success in this area.
4. I promised a certain someone that if they ran a marathon with me I would learn to swim so I intend to make good on that promise this year.
-I was attempting to "swim laps" in our development pool and my daughter said:  "You said you couldn't swim, but you are swimming".  I said not properly though.  I don't put my head under water.  I really need to take care of this mini challenge.

August wasn't my best month but I still managed to get up and move a few times so I have to consider it a success.  I started out September strong with a 10 mile run yesterday.  Let's see if I can keep it going for the next 27 days!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!