January and February in Review

Since I haven't come up with any missions for 2016 and I'm just "going with the flow", my month in reviews will be a little different than in the past.  The truth of the matter is I wasn't very motivated to run or workout in January or February.  It was too easy to choose sleep over the 4:45AM alarm.  It also didn't help that I was incredibly sick at the end of January and a few weeks into February.  I was hit hard with a sinus infection and I cough that wouldn't stop which made running quite difficult! 

January 2016 Stats
37 running miles
17.01 walking miles
54.01 total miles

February 2016 Stats
19.01 running miles
.63 walking miles
19.64 total miles

Current 2016 Stats
56.01 running miles
17.64 walking miles
73.65 total miles

The only reason for the high walking mileage in January was a family trip to Disney World!  We had a great time but boy were my feet sore from all of that walking!! 

My February mileage was even lower than January but I feel that I should count dancing as a workout since my cousin got married in February and I was on the dance floor with my cousins and friends the entire evening!

I am hoping the fact that my cousins want me to run the Cleveland 1/2 Marathon with them in May and the fact that Deb, Nikki, and I signed up for state #17 in May as well will be my motivation to get back on track with my running.  I also need to find the desire to incorporate other workouts (core, strength, etc) into my routine!

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

October in Review

My 7 mile "Time of Day Tuesday" run brought my October running to a close.  I was originally going to run today but the neighbors I was planning to meet decided to cancel this morning due to the weather which I was perfectly fine with. There's always tomorrow!

The October Details

October 2013 stats
122.92-- running miles
0-- spin miles
0-- jump rope fitness workouts
0-- core fitness workout
0-- Pure Barre classes
0-- Fitness App workout
0-- walking miles
122.92-- total miles

Current 2013 stats
1188.11-- running miles
67-- spin miles (3 classes)
19-- jump rope fitness workouts
1-- core fitness workout
12-- Pure Barre classes
1-- Fitness App workout
9.69-- walking miles
1,264.80-- total miles

2013 "to do list" check-in

2013 Running Goals
1. First and foremost 26.2 under 4 hours--enough said
-The best laid plans....a rough race and a finish time of 4:52....fail.....




2. Achieve a second sub 1:50 half marathon so I can remove the asterick from my current sub 1:50 PR
-I did run the RNR Cleveland 1/2 this month but sub 1:50 wasn't achieved there.  I am not sure that the opportunity to achieve this goal will present itself before the end of the year but I'm not counting it out just yet...




2013 Mini Running Challenges
1. Run 100 miles per month
-122.92 miles run in October.  Mission accomplished!
2. Run 1300 miles for the year
-111.89 miles to go to complete this challenge.

2013 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Cross-train at least twice a week
-Partial success and partial fail.  I did successfully complete the 30 day wall sit challenge this month.  In total I spent approximately 46 minutes "sitting on the wall" in October.  I didn't do any other cross-training during the month though.

2. Complete a jump rope workout every day
-Not a single jump rope workout completed. And...the trend continues...
3. Drink 50 ounces of water per day (based on my current weight, this is my daily water intake need)
-Done and done well.
4. Take my vitamins daily
-Vitamin taken every single day in October.
5. Continue to choose and cook healthier foods
-16 meals made in October.  I am very pleased with this one!
6. Learn to swim...better luck this year
-Ummmm.......yeah.......ummmm
October was great overall.  I enjoyed "time of day Tuesday", running for the "love of the run" and mixing in hills during my Sunday morning runs with the girls (and sometimes boys).

Amazing sunrise at the top of one of the hills during  my last long run for the month of October

Hill running with the girls (and boys)

The beauty that is the Metroparks

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

Cleveland 1/2 Marathon Race Report

If you follow me on Facebook, you probably saw the following status on my page this past Tuesday.

It is going to be a little weird to not be running an event at the CLE marathon on Sunday. I have run either the 1/2 or full marathon every year since 2009...

See the reason I didn't sign up for the race this year is because Kaelynn was competing in a figure skating competition in Michigan so we would be out of town.  Unfortunately the schedule of events isn't posted until about one week out from the competition.  I didn't want to pay the money to enter on the off chance that she would be skating on Sunday.  As it turned out, both of her events were on Saturday and we would be home Saturday evening.  One of my running buddies, Missi, didn't sign up for the race either so we made a plan to meet at the Metroparks and run our own 13.1 on Sunday morning.  Fast forward to Friday afternoon and I receive a fowarded email from Missi indicating that Team VW had free entries for Sunday's CLE marathon.  The only thing Missi typed in the body of the email was...interested???  I immediately texted Joe and asked him if it would be okay if I took the entry and used it as a training run.  He was okay with that so I emailed my release form and photo ID to my friend Patty so she could pick up my packet at the expo on Friday since I was headed out of town and just like that I was running the 2013 CLE half.  After taking care of the details, Kaelynn and I made our way to Michigan where we enjoyed a lovely dinner with my awesome cousin, Tiffany.  While we were at dinner, I received a text from Patty verifying that I was in fact going to be running on Sunday morning.

Thanks for getting us the free entry Patty

Kaelynn's first event was to start at 8am on Saturday which required us to be at the rink by 7:00am.  It was very early and neither of us had slept well.  It was not one of her best skates but she got out there and did it and learned from her mistakes.  Apparently, she took it to heart because she had an awesome practice ice session for her 4:11pm event.  She was determined to retire her Can Can music on the podium.  She skated her heart out and did everything her coach asked her to.

2nd place out of 10 girls.  Kaelynn by far was the youngest in her group!

After everything was said and done, it was time for the 2+ hour drive home.  We planned to stop on the way home to grab dinner.  As luck would have it, the rest stop we chose had pasta available and I was able to get some good carb loading in.  It took a little longer to get our food than we would have liked but it was worth the wait.  We finished up our dinner and then headed back to the car for the rest of our trip.  Kaelynn was promptly sound asleep within 2 minutes of me leaving the rest stop!  It was a long day for both of us!  I ended up pulling into my garage close to 10pm.  By the time we unloaded the car and I got everything out and ready for the morning, it was after 10:30pm.  I called it a night and hoped I would sleep well since my alarm was going off at 4:00am.  I managed to sleep pretty well and only hit the snooze button one time.  I got dressed and made my way downstairs to get my coffee and peanut butter toast to eat in the car on my way to Missi's house.  I arrived at Missi's house right on time at 5:30am and then we car pooled with our friend Bick to the race start.  In the car there was discussion of goal times and running plans.  I made it clear that Joe had told me to run it at my training pace for the first 11-12 miles and then I was welcome to see what I had left for the last mile or so.  Missi and I run very similar training run paces so we planned to stay together for as long as we both felt good.  We arrived at the stadium, used the restrooms, and then stopped for some pictures.

Becky, Bick, Seth, Missi, me, and Kim inside Brown's stadium

With our photo session complete we headed to the start line and wished each other well.  We crossed the start line about 5 minutes after the clock started.  Not too bad.  Missi and I, as well as Kim, stayed right together and tried to navigate our way through the masses.  It was incredibly crowded at the beginning.  We did the best we could and hit mile 1 with a 9:27.  This was definitely slower than our training pace.  We continued to do our best within the crowd of people.  It thinned out some and we did really well during miles 2-6 with splits of 8:40, 8:46, 8:56, 9:02, and 9:09.  The funniest part of these miles was seeing a picture of Missi and I on Facebook later in the afternoon.  I guess I was concentrating on sticking to the plan.

Missi is all happy while I am running  next to her and not even noticing the camera! HA!

Shortly after this photo, I unintentionally lost Missi in the crowd.  I just focused on my plan and went with it.  I continued to run by feel while not pushing the pace too much.  I was quite pleased with miles 7-12 with splits of 9:05, 8:52, 8:56, 8:52, 8:53, and 8:45.  Once I saw mile 12, I hit the gas pedal and gave it my all with a 7:47 for mile 13.  I was still feeling great.  Dare I say the pace almost felt easy?  I gave it one final push and clocked a 7:12 pace for the final tenth and crossed the line in 1:57:17.  The best part was I felt like I could have kept running so that has to be a good sign!  A few minutes later Missi came through the shoot with a smile on her face.  She had also run a sub 2.  I am very pleased that I was able to run the race according to the plan and not try and go for a PR.  The end goal of this training cycle will come to light on September 15, 2013 in Erie, PA!  While this wasn't a 1/2 marathon PR it was a huge course PR.  I have never finished the CLE 1/2 in under 2 hours!

Great day for a tour of Cleveland on foot!

I am so thankful that I had the chance to run CLE again this year.  Thanks again to Patty and Team VW for hooking us up with the free entry.

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

April in Review

A nice, easy four mile run yesterday brought my April training to a close.

The April Details

April 2013 stats
89.55-- running miles
0-- spin miles
0-- jump rope fitness workouts
0-- core fitness workout
4-- Pure Barre classes
0-- Fitness App workout
89.55-- total miles

Current 2013 stats
336.56-- running miles
67-- spin miles (3 classes)
19-- jump rope fitness workouts
1-- core fitness workout
12-- Pure Barre classes
1-- Fitness App workout
403.56-- total miles

2013 "to do list" check-in

2013 Running Goals
1. First and foremost 26.2 under 4 hours--enough said
-As of April 30, I have determined that this will occur in the fall.

2. Achieve a second sub 1:50 so I can remove the asterick from my current sub 1:50 PR
-I didn't run any 1/2 marathons this month so the opportunity to break 1:50 didn't present itself.  There are more 1/2 marathons to come though so I will have my game face on.

2013 Mini Running Challenges
1. Run 100 miles per month
-89.55 miles run in April.  I came much closer this month.  I spent a mommy and me weekend with my daughter for her first out of state figure skating competition which resulted in me not running a single step this past weekend.  I would sacrifice 100 miles again just to see her doing what she loves.  I would also sacrifice 100 miles to watch my son in Kung Fu as that is his passion.

Kaelynn placed 4th out of a group of 8 strong competitors

Grant setting up for a round house kick

2. Run 1300 miles for the year

-963.44 miles to go to complete this challenge.

2013 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Cross-train at least twice a week
-I can't say I did great in this area this month.  However, I did do 4 Pure Barre classes which is more than I did last month.
2. Complete a jump rope workout every day
-Not a single jump rope workout completed.  This seems to be a trend...
3. Drink 50 ounces of water per day (based on my current weight, this is my daily water intake need)
-I'm good with this one for the most part.  I may have missed my mark a little this past weekend when I was out of town.  I am back on track though.
4. Take my vitamins daily
-Somehow I managed to forget to take my vitamin twice in April.  I am still pleased with my consistency in this area because in the past I would have forgotten ever other day!
5. Continue to choose and cook healthier foods
-14 meals made in April.  I am happy with this.
6. Learn to swim...better luck this year
-Once again, second verse same as the first. We all know this one is a thorn in my side. I have done extensive research in regards to swim lessons. I just need to figure out what will fit my schedule and make the commitment.

Overall I am happy with my April.  I also can't believe tomorrow is May 1.  Where does the time go?

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

December in Review

I have to say I was much better about blogging in December than in previous months.  With that, I give you my stats for December.

December 2012 stats
108-- running miles
0-- walking miles
0-- bike miles
0-- pool workouts
1-- core fitness/strength training workouts
0-- P90x plyo workouts
108-- total miles
No idea-- weight as of December 31, 2012 (my scale battery died today)

Current 2012 stats
863.02-- running miles
13.1-- walking miles
18.7-- bike miles
3-- pool workouts
58-- core fitness/strength training workouts
1-- P90x plyo workouts
894.82-- total miles
No idea-- current weight (my scale battery died)

2012 "to do list" December check-in
2012 Running Goals
1. My number one running goal is to run a sub-1:50 half marathon
-I decided to give it a shot at my final 1/2 marathon of 2012 and I finished in 1:49:16.  I keep an asterick next to this time though as I don't know the exact course measurement.  Just means I have to run another sub-1:50.
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
- 108 miles in December!  I am happy to finish on a high note.  This is also my highest running mileage in a month in 2012.
2. Run a half marathon each month
-Santa Hustle Cedar Point 1/2 marathon (1:49:16).  12 halfs in 2012 done!



2012 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Increase the amount of cross-training/strength training I do on a monthly basis
-1 strength training workout which only happened as a result of the snow storm.  90 minutes of snow shoveling.
2. Focus on choosing and cooking healthier foods
-9 well-balanced meals prepared in December with all of the holiday activities we attended.
3. Drink more water
-Success!
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.
-Sadly I did not have success in this area in December either.

I have to say I am happy with how December turned out.  Today I am thinking about my goals and mini challenges for 2013 and will be back tomorrow with a review of 2012 as well as my plans for 2013.

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

November in Review

Once again I only managed to blog one other time in November.  I swear  I need to get refocused on this.  Perhaps a goal to consider for 2013.

Here's a look at how November stacked up.

November 2012 stats
90-- running miles
13.1-- walking miles
0-- bike miles
0-- pool workouts
1-- core fitness/strength training workouts
0-- P90x plyo workouts
103.1-- total miles
158-- weight as of November 30, 2012

Current 2012 stats
755.02-- running miles
13.1-- walking miles
18.7-- bike miles
3-- pool workouts
57-- core fitness/strength training workouts
1-- P90x plyo workouts
786.82-- total miles
158-- current weight

2012 "to do list" September check-in
2012 Running Goals
1. My number one running goal is to run a sub-1:50 half marathon
-I will not be attempting this goal until 2013 and I have come to terms with it.
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
- 90 miles run in November.  In addition I walked 13.1 miles so that puts me at 103.1 for the month.  I will consider that a success.
2. Run a half marathon each month
-Savannah Rock N' Roll 1/2 Marathon (3:47)--I made the decision to walk the 13.1 with my best friend, Deb.  I wouldn't change this decision for the world!  It was awesome to spend that time catching up with her since she now lives in Chicago.  Completing this half also knocked another state off our list of half marathons in all 50 states.

Deb, Nikki, and I at the start line

 

2012 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Increase the amount of cross-training/strength training I do on a monthly basis
-1 strength training workout-  one is better than none I suppose.
2. Focus on choosing and cooking healthier foods
-6 well-balanced meals prepared in November- not bad, we also had a few meals at my mom's house when we were there for Thanksgiving.
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.
-Umm...yeah....ummm....I only have 31 days left.......

I definitely increased my mileage in November and I am quite happy about that.  Of course the fact that I started training for my next goal race this month helped in this area. 

Up next is the Reindeer Run 5K.  Pretty sure the last time I did a 5K was back in June!!  It should be fun!!

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!!

May in Review

May seemed to come and go in the flash of an eye.  It seemed to be an incredibly busy month with the kids' activities and the implementation of a new system at work.  I did find some time to workout but not as much as I would have liked.
May 2012 stats
49.49-- running miles
0-- bike miles
0-- pool workout
0-- core fitness workouts
49.49-- total miles
154.4-- weight as of May 31, 2012 (yes, I gained a bit this month)
Current 2012 stats
403.09-- running miles
6-- bike miles
1-- pool workout
56-- core fitness workouts
409.09-- total miles
154.4-- current weight

2012 "to do list" May check-in
2012 Running Goals
1. My number one running goal is to run a sub-1:50 half marathon
-I seriously considered attempting this at the Cleveland 1/2 but I didn't even attempt it when it was already 71 degrees at the start line.
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 thought a little bit about this one this month.  I need to figure out where and when we are running our next 1/2 so I can see if a marathon will fit into my schedule this year.
2012 Mini Running Challenges
1. Run 100 miles per month
-49.49 miles run in May- a far cry from 100.  It was a very busy month that ended with a cold that has had me sidelined this entire week.  There's always next month.
2. Run a half marathon each month
-Rite Aid Cleveland 1/2 Marathon (2:06:17)-  This is the first 1/2 that I didn't break two hours at this year.  I ran a smart race and I own every single second of that time with pride.  The added bonus is that I finally conquered my Cleveland demons!!
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 May- huge fail on my part.  Just like last month, I really have no excuse, I just simply didn't do it.
2. Focus on choosing and cooking healthier foods
-7 well-balanced meals prepared in May- not too bad considering May was one crazy busy month!
3. Drink more water
-I am happy to report I was right on track with this in May.
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 did think about when I could fit in swim lessons.  I just need to follow through and make a phone call and set them up!

Even though May was a crazy busy month, I am still happy that I ran 49.49 miles and finally conquered my Cleveland demons.  Afterall, 49.49 miles are better than 0!!  Let's see what June has in store!!
Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Rock CF Rivers 1/2 Marathon Race Report

In keeping with my 2012 mini running challenge of running a half marathon each month, I headed to Gross Ile, Michigan last weekend with some of my Sunday morning running partners so we could participate in the Rock CF rivers 1/2 Marathon.  Once we arrived in Michigan on Saturday we checked into our hotel, freshened up and then headed to packet pick up.  After we had everything we needed from there we made our way to the restaurant where we would be eating dinner.  We ended up arriving early so we spent some time walking around and taking some fun pictures by the water.

After Missi, Kim, Jenn and I finished taking pictures and checking things out we headed back to the restaurant to meet up with the rest of our party.  Kim grew up in Michigan so we planned to meet up with some of her friends for dinner.  The food and the company were absolutely fantastic which made for a great evening!  I have to say the hot fudge ice cream puff I had for dessert was divine and definitely worth every last calorie!

Once dinner was over, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel to get some rest before our 4:45 AM alarms.

The alarm went off all to early on Sunday and I pressed snooze I few times but eventually got up and made coffee, had my usual breakfast, and got dressed for the race.  The plan was to meet in the lobby of the hotel at 6:00 AM.  We made it on time and headed out to the car when I realized I had forgotten my gels in the room so I had to quickly run back in and grab them.  At least it wasn't my Garmin that I forgot this time.  I tend to have a habit of doing that more often than I would like to admit.  I finally made it back to the car and we headed to the airport so we could take the shuttle to the race start.  The shuttle ran very quickly and efficiently and we were to the start before we knew it.  We spent some time using the restroom and taking pictures before we headed to the start line of the race.  We met numerous others during this time and every single one of them was just wonderful.  There's just something about the bond between runners that never gets old!  It often seems like you have been friends for years with the people you meet!

The race started right on time and my goal was to run a sub-2 again so I could make it 3 for 3 sub-2 for 2012.  We all started out together and after a few miles we were all running our own races.  It was a beautiful course with wonderful course support and great cheerleaders.  Everyone on the course was very kind and willing to chat for a few minutes during the run.  Around mile 11 or so I asked a guy that was running next to me if we were almost done.  He assured me that I was looking great and then we chatted about marathons and such and then it came up that I was in town from Cleveland and he mentioned that his friends Dave and Nell had some friends in from Cleveland.  It was a bit comical when we realized that I was one of the people that had come in to town and had dinner with Dave and Nell.  At this point we introduced ourselves to one another and I learned that his name was Jeff.  He was pretty much my running angel at that point as he basically ran the rest of the race with me!  Thanks again Jeff for pushing me to that finish line in a very respectable time of 1:53:15!!  Once I received my medal and caught my breath, Dave and I headed back out on the course to find our friends.  Before I knew it Missi was approaching and she was on pace for one heck of a PR.  I don't think she was real happy to see my at first but when she saw that she ran a 2:00:59 (over a 6 minute PR) she was very happy!!  Shortly after Missi finished Kim came flying by on the track and ran a 2:05:10 and earned herself a PR as well!!  I asked Missi if she wanted to head back out and get Jenn and she said no thanks.  I completely understood and set out to find Jenn.  It wasn't too long before I found her and I ran her the rest of the way in.  She ran a very respectable race and was quite happy to finish right in the middle of her goal time.  We took the obligatory post-race pictures of course and then headed back to the hotel to clean up and head home.

Overall, it was a great quick weekend with the Sunday morning long run girls.  We were all very impressed with the organization of the event and we will return! 


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

Rock N' Roll Arizona 1/2 Marathon Race Weekend

Last Friday I was obsessively checking the airline website to make sure that my flight was still on time and in fact going to be leaving Cleveland for Phoenix.  I was pleasantly surprised to board the plane right on time.  We did spend quite a bit of time on the runway while our plane was de-iced.  In the end it was a pretty uneventful flight and we arrived in Phoenix right on time.  Once to the airport I headed to grab my rental car and then headed to Chandler to find Nikki's sister's house.  Nikki's sister was kind enough to let us stay at her house as to not have to worry about hotel costs.  I found her development with no problem which is impressive for me as I have a horrible sense of direction (there's a reason Deb always drives when we go places) however I was having a hard time seeing the addresses on the houses so I had to get out of the car and walk on the sidewalk to make sure I was in fact at the right place.  I can't even imagine walking up to the wrong house and trying to open the door with the key.  Shortly after getting settled in I decided to call it a night.  Of course with the time change I woke up at 4:40 AM on Saturday morning but I managed to convince myself to try and go back to sleep and fortunately I was able to.  Once I woke up for good I noticed how nice it was outside and knew I had to go out for a nice, slow run to take in the scenery.

My view during my 3 mile run

The entrance to Nikki's sister's development



After my run I got ready and headed out to grab some coffee, something to eat, and some food for race morning.  Fortunately there was a Starbucks and a really good deli in the grocery store so I was able to take care of everything with one stop.  With all of my purchases made I headed back to the house to wait for Nikki and her family to arrive.  I decided to sit outside, in January, and read!

Poolside reading

Nikki and her family eventually made it to the house and then Nikki and I headed out to the expo to pick up our race packets.  Several times during the drive to the expo we talked about the race and how weird it was not to have Deb with us.  We certainly missed her!!  I had emailed RNR Arizona and asked if I would be able to at least get Deb's shirt for her and they were more than happy to help me out so Deb at least has a part of the race now.  I really like Deb's I-fitness belt that she runs with so I decided to go ahead and buy one at the expo.  I am very happy that I did.  It worked perfectly!  Nikki and I grabbed a map before we left the expo so we could figure out parking for race morning and then headed back to the house to grab her family so we could go out to dinner.  We grabbed dinner at Oregano's and then headed back to the house to get some much needed rest for the race.  Sunday morning Nikki and I were up bright and early getting our race gear ready and getting on the road to Phoenix since we had a 30 minute drive.  Nikki took care of the directions while I did the driving.  Of course the exit we were supposed to take was backed up at least four miles so Nikki had me go to the next exit and we didn't run into any traffic at all and decided to make a pit stop at McDonald's as to not have to use the porta potties once we arrived at the race.  The parking was perfect as it was right next to the finish line and it was free.  We parked the car and made the walk to the start line.

Nikki and I at the start line

Once we were at the start line there was an announcement that the start would be delayed by ten minutes as some people were stuck in the traffic that Nikki and I managed to avoid.  Of course I found it really funny that after they finally started the race, there were two more delays for "train crossing".  Seriously?  Who starts a race by running over train tracks?  It definitely made for a good laugh!  Our corral finally started the race at 8:00 AM.  I really didn't have a plan going into the race and I mentioned to Nikki that I would be happy with a 2:07.  My plan was to just run by feel and whatever happened I would be okay with.  I saw all kinds of fun people during the 1/2 marathon.

-Around the 2 1/2 mile mark I came across Dan Evans from The Biggest Loser sporting an orange tutu to support the Kids Fit Foundation that he runs for.

- Just after the 5K mark I came across Dan's brother who was also running the race.

-At mile 6 I came across a lady wearing the same exact shirt that I had on.  We joked that we must be on the same team.

-At mile 7 I came across a brother and sister running together who had run the Tough Mudder in Mesa on Saturday.

-Just before mile 9 I came across papa smurf and his smurf family complete with blue faces.

-At the 9 1/2 mile mark I passed the PF Chang's dragon.  One of the people holding up the dragon tried to get me to hold it for awhile but I told her I was good. 

-Just prior to mile 10 I came across a group of girls with shirts that said "running from the snow" on the back and I was almost positive I knew what the front of the shirts were going to say.  Sure enough I was right...CHICAGO!

-After seeing the Chicago girls I saw the most beautiful scenery ever....mountains and catci all along the course!

-At mile 10 I saw my watch, yes you are reading that right.  I looked down at my watch and saw my time (1:30) and realized that I had 30 minutes to run a sub-2 race so I kicked it up a notch and ran my fastest 5K of the entire race.

-At mile 12 I came across a group of girls wearing aqua leggings and rainbow knee socks.  According to their shirts they "belonged to a drinking club with a running problem".  Great shirts!!

-At mile 13.1 I saw the finish line and a fellow runner with some awesome socks!

Love these socks

I was very pleased to see my finish time of 1:57:43. 

My race results...pretty consistent

After I made it through the maze that was the finish line I was able to get my Desert Double Down medal for running Vegas and Phoenix 6 weeks apart.  After grabbing my medal I people watched while I waited for Nikki during which time I saw the three little pigs.  It was quite comical to see 3 grown men in head to toe pink pig outfits.  Once Nikki made her way to me we headed back to her sisters and decided to sit in the hot tub for a bit and it definitely helped with the leg muscles and I actually woke with zero leg pain on Monday morning.  After we sat in the hot tub we all went out to grab a bite to eat and then I packed everything up in preparation for my return flight home on Monday morning. 

Aside from the fact that we missed Deb, it was a good weekend. 

With state #8 complete, we were planning to run DC in March but we realized it was sold out so Deb did some research and our next race will be in Louisville, Kentucky at the Kentucky Derby Festival 1/2 Marathon in April!  Looking forward to another amazing trip with Deb and Nikki and anyone else that would like to join us!!

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

Here Comes The Sun....

I can't get this song out of my head ever since I watched my daughter take her ballet class on Wendesday and I found out it was the song for her classes' portion of the recital in June.  As annoying as it is to have it stuck in my head, it is very approriate as I am heading to Phoenix tomorrow where I hope to find that sun!  Of course I won't arrive until after sunset so I guess I will have to get my first dose of the sun on Saturday morning!

This weekend I will be running the Rock N' Roll Arizona 1/2 Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona.

State #8

While I am looking forward to running a 1/2 marathon in warmer weather and knocking out my 1/2 marathon for January I am very bummed because my best friend , Deb, won't be there with me.  She called me last week and asked me to come and help her out with her kids because she was in severe pain.  Long story short, she is sick and may need to have her gallbladder removed.  She is having a test done tomorrow morning that will determine the next step in her journey to being fully recovered and back to "normal."  Sadly, she is unable to fly or run 13.1 miles which means Arizona is no longer an option for her.  I will miss her dearly but I will run the best race I can in her honor.

Deb and I in Vegas before seeing Garth Brooks

If you remember back to Rock N' Roll Vegas, Nikki was unable to join us and we decided we would have to go back to Vegas with her next year so she could check Nevada off the list in our quest to run a 1/2 marathon in all 50 states.  Nikki will in fact be in Phoenix this weekend to tackle her next state.  Of course when I talked with Deb we decided that we would have to do both Vegas and Phoenix again next year so Nikki can make up Nevada and Deb can make up Arizona.  The other reason we have to do both again next year is so Deb and Nikki can qualify for the Desert Double Down Medal.  After I cross the finish line on Sunday I will receive my Desert Double Down Medal but don't think for a minute that I won't be with both Deb and Nikki next year at both races!!  

Double Down Medal

Deb, Nikki, and I at Rock N' Roll Philly

I don't really have any time goals for Sunday as I plan to play it by ear.  I guess we will see what happens!

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

1,000 Miles and a 1/2 Marathon

I knew going into Sunday's long run that I would in fact run my 1,000th mile in 2011.  The plan was to meet Deb and Missi at 5:45AM so I could join them for the first 12 miles of their 19 mile run.  I wasn't feeling it on Saturday so I decided to take a second rest day in the hopes that my calf muscle would benefit from a little extra rest.  I pressed snooze I few times Sunday morning but felt pretty good overall when I woke up and fortunately the calf seemed to be happy with the extra rest.  I met up with Deb and Missi and we headed out on our run.  We ended up running on the road on the way out because the sun hadn't come up yet and the trail was very dark.  Around mile three we were having a serious conversation and I said: "on a much lighter note I just ran my 1,000th mile in 2011."  There was no fan fare, balloons, or parties.  A simple good job and yeah from Deb and Missi and we kept on running!  It was nice to be running with others when I hit the 1,000 milestone!

We eventually moved to the trail when the sun came up.  Once we hit six miles we turned around so that Deb and Missi could drop me off after my 12 miles and they could head back out for their final 7 miles.  I believe it was around mile 8 on my watch that I started questioning how far I would actually be running as I noticed we were by the golf course that is approximately 5 miles away from where we park.  As we continued on and hit Hogsback hill (my hill repeat hill) I knew I would be running 13 miles.  I told the girls I wasn't complaining but I would be running 13 miles.  Missi mentioned that she had figured that out as well.  Once we got back to the parking lot I was in fact at 13 miles.  If your going to run 13 miles why not add the .1!  So as I say what's another 1.1 miles in the grand scheme of things?!  So I ran an unintentional 1/2 marathon on Sunday and felt great!!

With Sunday's long run complete we are one step closer to the Columbus Marathon!!

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

Nashville Country Music 1/2 Marathon

Saturday was my final double digit long run before I seek revenge with a little thing I like to call 26.2 miles aka The Cleveland Marathon.  Shortly before last year's Cleveland Marathon my friend Deb came up with the crazy goal of running a 1/2 marathon in all 50 states.  Since we all know that distance runners can be a little crazy sometimes, I loved her goal and immediately agreed to working towards it!  The Country Music 1/2 was our 5th state.  The other states we have completed so far include Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Texas.  This weekend's 1/2 fit perfectly into my training schedule and I got to spend a long weekend with my best friend so it was a win-win situation!  Normally my goal in a 1/2 marathon is to finish in under 2 hours however Nashville was going to be played out differently.  In talking with my friend Dave, he suggested I run marathon pace, enjoy the scenery, the music, and the spectators along the course.  In other words, soak it all in and remember the course as opposed to just being focused on the clock.  We flew into Nashville Thursday evening and headed out for some dinner, came back to our hotel, and decided we would do a little shopping Friday morning and then head to the expo a bit later as Kara Goucher would be there at 3.  I was very excited about this as I just purchased her book and I was looking forward to meeting her and having my book signed.

Kara Goucher

Getting my book signed

Deb getting her book signed

Signed copy!!

We did a little bit of shopping at the expo, met Kara and had our books signed and then headed to Amerigo for dinner.  We had some yummy pasta and a drink and headed back to the hotel to get ready everything ready for the morning.  As I pinned my back bib,which I purchased from races2remember, to my tank top I thought about the fact that I was also running my 13.1 miles for my "Uncle" Joe.  He was recently diagnosed with esphogeal cancer and is currently receiving chemo.

http://www.races2remember.com/

Fast forward to Saturday morning and we are up at 5:30 AM to get ready to head to the start.  Nikki made it into town Friday night and her family would be giving us a ride to the start line.  It worked out perfectly because we didn't have to take the shuttles and get up really early!!  Little extra sleep is always nice!!  As we are in the truck heading to the start line, I realize I had forgotten my Garmin in the hotel...FAIL...pace blind running here I come.  I had told Nikki that I planned to run marathon pace so I would probably be by her for a lot of the race but if it bothered her I would run elsewhere.  Since Nikki had put her finish time down as 2:15, we all started in her corral.  While waiting for the race to start we talked to a few people and got a quick picture taken and we were off.

Before the race

After about a quarter of a mile or so I asked another runner what pace her Garmin had us at.  She mentioned we were running 10:27 pace and then told me to feel free to ask her anytime throughout the run.  I settled us into a pace and then we relied on Nikki's I-phone and the clocks on the course for timing.  We held pretty steady at 10:00 minute mile pace for a vast majority of the race.  As the heat increased and the hills greeted us, our pace slowed ever so slightly to just over 10:00 minute miles.  Nikki did a great job and mentioned that she enjoyed running with me because it felt more like a training run than a race.  I had told my cousin I would text her when we got to mile 12.  As I got my phone out to send her a text, she sent me one asking how we were doing.  I let her know where I was and mentioned that I would be done in a little over ten minutes.  I figured out where she and "Uncle" Joe and Dalton were and moved to that side to finish.  As I ran towards the finish line I had my eyes peeled for them.  I didn't see them and I crossed the finish in 2:12:45.  Right after I got my medal my cousin called my name and I walked over to them and immediately hugged "Uncle" Joe and couldn't stop crying.  He told me I shouldn't be crying and that I should be walking.  Through the tears we took some great pictures!  All 13.1 of those miles were for "Uncle" Joe! 

Trinity and I

Dalton and I

"Uncle" Joe and I.  I couldn't hold back the tears.

Happy to be done

13.1 for you "Uncle" Joe

Nikki finished less than a minute behind me and was able to find me right away.  After talking with my family for a few more minutes they headed home and Nikki and I headed back to the fnish line to watch for Deb.  At this point I realized I still had my armband on and quickly took it off but it was too late...I have a nice tan line there.  I also realized my sunscreen fail by the end of the race because I had some nice red shoulders which could have been avoided had I remembered my sunscreen but of course it was back in the hotel with my Garmin! 

State number 5 complete

We headed back to the hotel and showered and headed to The Cheesecake Factory for Lunch with Nikki and her family.  After lunch Deb and I went back to our room and took a nice long nap.  Saturday evening we met my cousin for dinner at The Capitol Grille.  It was delicious!  We finished up the evening by stopping at Coyote Ugly...all I can say is wow....it was quite an experience....definitely good people watching!!

Sunday morning we packed everything up and headed to breakfast at the Pancake Factory where we waited in line for an hour for a table.  It was totally worth the wait.  The pancakes were delicious and the hashbrowns were to die for!!

Yummy chocolate chip pancakes

We arrived back in Cleveland last night and I am ready to finish up my training.  I have a date with a starting line in less than 2 weeks!  Bring it on Cleveland....

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