Snoball Run 5K Recap

Considering I work for the school that hosted the run, I figured I should support our athletic teams and use this race as my training run for the day.  I would have run Saturday morning anyway so why not run with almost 600 of my closest friends.  Since there were close to 600 people registered to run the event, I knew parking would be a bit challenging.  I went ahead and parked at one of my employees houses and walked to the race with her.  The best part about racing where I work was the fact that I had access to my office and to the line-free restrooms just down the hall from my office.  It was nice to be able to leave my goodie bag, etc in my office during the race.  One other perk to working at the race location was the fact that the athletic director was kind enough to pick up my race packet as well as those of my two employees that walked the race.  We didn't have to wait in line at packet pickup and our numbers and goodie bags were in my office when we arrived.  Normally I run a pace run on Saturday mornings so my plan for the race was to finish in 25 minutes as that would put me within 20 seconds of my usual Saturday morning pace.  The race started and I fell into a nice groove pretty quickly.  I looked down at my watch and noticed I was holding 7:45 pace.  I was quite happy with this as I didn't feel like I was pushing hard to maintain it.  Mile one came and went in 7:45.  Just after mile one I caught up to some of the male high school swim team members and decided to run the rest of the race with them.  They were quite entertaining as they would ask how far into the race we were.  When I told them we were at 1.85 miles they mentioned that I was awesome because I knew the mileage so well.  I had to admit to them that it was only because I was wearing a Garmin.  We managed to get to the two mile mark with a 7:38 pace.  We continued on and the swimmers were discussing their plans to kick it in the last half mile.  Once we got to that part of the race, I did let them know the mileage.  I managed to stay with the swimmers through mile three which we hit at a 7:42 pace.  Now you would think at this point the swimmers would run it into the finish with me but of course in true high school student fashion they made a point to out kick me in the end.  I tried to stay with them but alas I just couldn't.  I finished a few strides behind them with a time of 23:35.  I was incredibly happy with my time considering it was much faster than 25:00 and I never felt like I had to push hard to maintain the pace.  After a few minutes, I headed back to my office to grab my things and then ran the one mile cool down back to my employees house to get my car.  I could have left my goodie bag in my office until I came into work on Monday but I really wanted to wear the shirt this weekend so I carried the bag for my cool down.

See how cute!!

Saturday's 5K was the first running of this event.  I am truly hoping it becomes a yearly occurence.  It was nice to be able to run a race so close to home.  Sunday morning I met up with my friends Missi and Kim for a long run.  The run was great and very scenic.  I had to work hard for the miles as my legs were still feeling Saturday's 5k but it was definitely worth it.

The beauty that is in our backyard

I think I was most impressed by our 1:30 finish time (9:00/mile) considering we didn't start out at that fast of a pace.  Here's a look at the splits:  9:34, 9:23, 9:02, 9:24 (the hill we love to hate), 8:45, 9:25 (the hill we love to hate take two), 8:42, 8:53, 8:41, and 8:23.

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

Reindeer Run 5K Race Report

The original plan for this weekend was to run my December 1/2 marathon in Ashland where I went to college.  Since arriving at this plan, I have started a new training plan for a 2013 goal race so my December 1/2 would fit better if I were to run the Santa Hustle 1/2 in Sandusky on December 16th.  No problem, there was also a 5K option at Ashland so I could still visit my alma mater.  Fast forward and I ran into both childcare and financial conflict so I had to seek out a 5K closer to home and that is how I ended up signing up for the Reindeer Run today.  I have run this 5K two other times.  One year I ran with my best friend Deb and my neighbor Brenda.  The following year I ran/walked it with my daughter.  Yesterday after work, I stopped and picked up my packet along with Kim and Jean's as we were all running the race today.


Race number and jingle bells for the shoes

I had talked with Kim and the plan was for us to meet at her house and she would drive as parking is always a challenge.  Once I got to Kim's we picked up Jean and then made our way to the race.  We had to walk a short distance from where we parked to the start as the parking lot was full already.  As we were walking, I saw Jessica and told her that I read her blog and she said "oh, hi!'  We continued walking and we saw our friend, Michelle, and said hello.  Once to the start line, I ran into my coworker, Danielle, and I talked with her for a few minutes before heading to use the restroom one last time before the start of the race.  I went back into the building to get warm and Kim was talking with a young girl who was running her first 5K and we realized she didn't have her race number yet so I went ahead and grabbed it for her and then Kim and I headed to the start line.  There were a lot of people doing the race so the start was incredibly crowded.  Eventually I was able to find a good pace and go with it.  I clocked mile 1 at 8:05.  I will take it with all the congestion that was going on.  I worked on increasing my pace after the first mile.  Seeing the leaders headed back towards the finish line was definitely motivational.  I had just finished a mile and they were just about done with mile 2.  Amazing!  I continued to try and run a challenging, yet comfortable pace and was happy with the 7:39 on my watch at mile 2.  Shortly after mile 2 I saw Jean on the course and said hello.  As I continued on into mile 3 my knee did remind me it was there when I would lengthen my stride.  I did slow down a bit and clocked mile 3 at 7:44.  With just .10 to go I tried to push it into the finish.  Overall, I did pretty well with that final push at 6:52 pace.  Perhaps the look on my face in this picture tells the story of that last .10 best. 

For the record, I did pass the guy in front of me before the finish line

Of course it's a good thing I didn't have another mile to run because there is no way I would have been able to maintain that crazy pace!  I noticed Jessica as soon as I crossed the finish line so I went up to her and formally introduced myself.  A few seconds later Kim and Jean finished the race.  I also got to see my coworker, Danielle, finish her race.  I knew I hadn't placed in my age group because the ladies in the 35-39 age group are speedy.  I was quite happy with 17th out of 127 in my age group.  Kim and I said goodbye to Jean and headed out for a little cool down run.  About 1/4 mile into it we ran into my coworker, EJ, and we stopped and he asked about my knee and we talked for a bit.  As we continued on with our cool down, the pain in my knee diminished greatly.  I was quite happy about that.  One last hello to another coworker, Kelly, and Kim and I were back at her car with an additional 2 miles run.  Overall, it was a great race with ideal weather conditions!!


3.1 run and done

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

Eagle Run 5K Race Report

This morning was the Eagle Run 5K.  Kaelynn and I headed to the local baseball stadium for the race.  Deb called and asked me to fill out registration forms for her and Ellie since they had decided to run today as well.  With forms filled out, Deb and Elli arrived at the stadium.  We took a few pictures and headed to the start line.

The girls showing off their Bondi Bands

All Smiles

Mothers and Daughters

The race started and I planned to run with the girls.  They were doing great the first mile.  Running when they felt like it and walking when they didn't.  As we approached the 1 mile mark, Ellie started running again while Kaelynn kept walking.  I knew Deb was up in front of us so I decided Ellie would be okay to go on her own and I stayed back with Kaelynn.  After we got to the turn around I could tell Kaelynn was frustrated.  I ask her why she was upset and she said she had a cramp and couldn't run and she was disappointed because all the other kids were passing her and she knew she could do better.  Yep, once again like mother, like daughter.  I'm pretty sure I said "I'm better than this" repeatedly at the marathon.  She was near tears and very frustrated.  At this point I walked with her and explained to her that it was okay because we all have bad days.  I reminded her that I have bad days too.  Afterall, it took me almost 6 hours to finish the marathon and I know I am perfectly capable of running a marathon in 4:30.  Of course her response to this made me laugh a bit because she said "yeah mom but a marathon is 26.2 miles".  I told her I realized this but what matters is that we finish what we started.  As we were walking I further confirmed that Dave has the patience of a saint.  He walked, ran, and encouraged me for almost six hours and here I was doing the same thing with my daughter.  The only difference was we weren't even out there for an hour.  We continued on and I kept reminding Kaelynn that this was supposed to be fun and if she wasn't having fun then we shouldn't be doing it.  She mentioned again that she was having fun but she just couldn't get rid of the cramp.  As we returned to the baseball stadium grounds Kaelynn started running some more.  I mentioned to her that we were almost done and she kept going.  As we approached the finish line she spotted her friend Olivia and took off sprinting.  Yep, like mother like daughter....remember my sprint at the end of the marathon when I spotted the clock?!?  As we ran to the finish line Jenn was holding up a sign, snapping pictures, and cheering for us.

Entering the field

Rounding the corner

Down the homestretch

Nothing but air

Almost there

Finishing what we started

We grab some pizza and gatorade and walked to the car to head home.  Once we got in the car I took the opportunity to talk to Kaelynn.

Me:  Did you have fun today Kaelynn? 
Kaelynn:  I was just frustrated because I had a cramp.
Me:  You did your best and I am proud of you.  What matters most is that you had fun because if it isn't fun anymore than you shouldn't do it. 
Kaelynn:  I did have fun mom, can we do it again next year?
Me:  Absolutely, I would do it again in a heartbeat!

It's amazing what you can learn about yourself through the eyes of a child.  I had flashbacks to the marathon today and realized I CAN do it.  There is a lot to be said for an unplanned teaching lesson and I will say it again...like mother, like daughter.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love you to the moon and back Kaelynn!  Thank you for helping me to realize I CAN and I WILL!!

I love you to the moon and back

Keep running, you're simply the best, and Kaelynn you inspire me to keep running fun!

Run For The Homeless Race Report

A few weeks ago my friend Darlene extended an invitation to join Team Hershey for the Run For The Homeless 5K.  Once I saw the race took place less than five minutes from my house I decided I could go ahead and sprinkle a 5K into my marathon training.  I didn't do any tempo runs this week so I figured today's race could serve that purpose.  Of course the weather report wasn't promising at all with predictions of high winds and steady rain.  When I got to packet pick up it was pouring.  Fortunately the rain stopped before the race started but we still had to contend with the high winds.  I just kept telling myself that I can't predict the weather the day of the marathon so I have to prepare for anything that could possibly be thrown at me!  The race course was two loops around our local baseball stadium, finishing next to homeplate inside the stadium!  I had decided not to wear my Ipod since it was so windy.  I figured it would be one less thing to worry about.  As the race started, Darlene and I were pretty close to the front of the pack and were in second and third female position.  I looked down at my watch and saw 6:50 pace.  My mind immediately said: slow down Jodi, this is a tempo/training run not a sprint!  I quickly got into a good rhythm.  Prior to the first mile, I managed to take the first place female position.  The back half of the loop was incredibly windy and I felt like I wasn't going anywhere.  It was quite frustrating until the turn when the wind was at my back.  I noticed my breathing a lot since I didn't wear my Ipod and  it was sounding all kinds of crazy.  During the second lap, I caught up with one of the male runners and was able to draft off of him (with his permission) until we were out of the wind tunnel section.  It was such a welcome relief and I was able to pick it up at the end and finish strong inside the stadium.  Turns out I was in the top ten overall and first female overall.  Not bad for a tempo/training run that I completed in 24:23 (nowhere near a PR but good enough for a first place finish).  Looking forward to my scaled back 12 miler tomorrow!   

 

Team Hershey after the race

Darlene and I
Darlene 4th female overall, 1st place age group
Me 1st female overall

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



Reindeer Run 5K Race Report

Woke up Saturday morning and put on the cold weather running gear and then went into Kaelynn's room to help her and the following conversation took place.
Me: Make sure you put your long johns underneath your running outfit.
Kaelynn: Mom, it's just not comfortable. It hurts me. It doesn't feel right.
Me: Kaelynn it is cold out you have to wear your long johns.
Kaelynn: But mom it's not fair, you don't have to wear anything under your running outfit.
Me: Actually I have my Underarmour tights on underneath these pants.
Kaelynn: But mom yours are comfortable and cool. Mine aren't cool.
Me: Just put them on we need to get to the race.
Kaelynn: Fine!

After she finally gets dressed and ready we head out to drop off Grant at a friend's house. I get on the highway with my directions in hand and follow them exactly. Only problem is the road I need to get on is closed. I call Jenn (here) in a panic explaining to her that I am lost. She is using the GPS in her van to help me as well as her I-phone. I am feeling terrible because I have her bib and jingle bells with me because I did packet pick up for everyone on Friday night. I end up getting lost two more times and making two loops in the same area while apologizing to Jenn over and over again. Once we finally park and Kaelynn and I start running to the start line we see the race has already started. We catch up to Jenn and we all run back to the start line to register our shoe tags. I apologize to Jenn yet again and she tells me not to worry about it. I also tell Jenn to feel free to run ahead of Kaelynn and I and we will see her at the finish but she decides she is going to stay with us! Awesome! This is going to be a fun run/walk today! Jenn and I also had a chance to talk a little bit about our upcoming marathon training as well!

In true Kaelynn form she sprints for awhile then stops and walks for a bit. She pretty much does this most of the race. Jenn attempts to get a picture of Kaelynn and I running together and after many tries she finally succeeds!

After this photo I decide I am going to attempt to get a few pictures of Kaelynn running. Only problem was that I would run ahead and then Kaelynn would sprint up on me before I could snap the picture. I was successful eventually.

Shortly after these photos are taken I point out to Kaelynn that the lead runner is heading back on the course. She seems less than impressed by his speed. Although, I give her credit for her intelligence because she is quick to come up with the following statement: "Hey mom, can we just cut over and head back to the finish". Of course I said no. I reminded her that would be cheating and her response was: "I know mom". We finally hit the 1 mile marker. Jenn points out to Kaelynn that we only have 2 miles to go. Ironically at that very moment Kaelynn points to the ground and says: "I wish the finish line was right here".

Two seconds after this she decides she is thirsty and starts asking if there is water on the course. We see it up ahead and she is very happy. She grabs a cup of water and acts like she is going to dump it on her head and Jenn and I yell no in unison! Kaelynn was just kidding of course, phew! See how happy water makes her?

Right after I took this picture, the water stop volunteer offered to take a picture of all of us.

During the last mile of the race Kaelynn kept asking for a popsicle. Jenn and I found it very comical since it was really cold out! I told her she was crazy and that perhaps hot chocolate would be the better choice. We finally got to three tenths of a mile left to go and Kaelynn started jogging again. She was slowing down and wanted to stop but Jenn and I encouraged her to run it through to the finish and we all crossed the line running together in 44:27.

Kaelynn and I went into the pavilion after the race while Jenn used the restroom. I ran into Connie (here) so I took a minute to introduce Kaelynn to her. Connie did a great job and took home second place in her age group! Way to go Connie. Kaelynn and I headed back out to talk to Jenn and this is when we discovered she had lost her key fab to her van. Unfortunately, the porta-potty found it. Jenn called her hubby to rescue her. In the meantime Jenn walked back to the truck with Kaelynn and I so she could grab her race t-shirt. As we are walking Kaelynn decides she is going to wait for the bus to take her to the truck because her legs hurt and it's just to far to walk.

We finally get back to the truck so Jenn can grab her shirt and we head our separate ways. Of course in true Jodi fashion I get lost yet again! I sent Jenn a message about that one and she had a good laugh! Finally heading in the right direction Kaelynn starts yet another conversation with me.

Kaelynn: Mom, are you upset that I didn't run the whole way?

Me: Not at all Kaelynn. What matters is that you finished it.

Kaelynn: I couldn't run the whole time because I had to go to the restroom.

Me: Why didn't you tell me?

Kaelynn: Mom, there were no restrooms out there!

Me: Good point. Did you have fun?

Kaelynn: Yes!

Me: Did this make up for the Gobble Wobble?

Kaelynn: Yep! Can I have hot chocolate AND Subway?

Me: Why don't you pick one? We only have a little bit of time because you have ice skating lessons.

Kaelynn: But mom, it's such a hard decision because I love Caribou's hot chocolate and I really like the subs at Subway.

Me: Okay, we can do both quickly but we will have to leave free skate early.

Kaelynn: Ok, thank you.

It was definitely a FUN run!!

Oh, I bet you are all wondering if she ever got her popsicle.....she did not have a popsicle but she did have a slushie at the ice skating rink.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and Kaelynn you certainly inspire me to RUN FOR FUN!!

Reindeer Run for Fun Preview

If you recall, I had to tell Kaelynn that we wouldn't be running the Gobble Wobble 5k on Thanksgiving morning. She was very upset and asked me to see if there were any other races we could run soon. Luckily the Reindeer Run 5k takes places the first weekend in December each year. Fast forward to this past Wednesday and I had the following conversation with Kaelynn.
Me: Kaelynn are you absolutely positive you want to run on Saturday?
Kaelynn: Yes.
Me: Okay but just so you know the temperature is going to "feel like" 20 degrees.
Kaelynn: I still want to run it.

At this point I let it go and asked her dad to talk to her when he took her to school on Thursday morning to make sure she really wanted to run it before I registered us. So, he did just that and then he called me with her decision and shared with me the conversation that took place between the two of them.
Dad: Kaelynn are you sure you want to run Saturday?
Kaelynn: Yes dad.
Dad: You know the temperature is going to "feel like" 20 degrees.
Kaelynn: Yes dad I know mommy told me and I have gear for that.

So tomorrow morning Kaelynn and I will run a 5k together to make up for our punt on Thanksgiving morning. We may be slow moving but what matters is that we are out there having fun and exercising and we got a really cool shirt in the process!

We also got jingle bells for our shoes. Who doesn't love jingle bells?

And on a side note, it's official. I have paid off my elliptical and treadmill in full in less than a year and I did not pay one penny in interest! You have to love 12 months same as cash as long as you discipline yourself to make the proper payments each month!!

Stay tuned for a full race report including lots of pictures tomorrow!

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

A Pleasant Wednesday In Pennsylvania

We are in Pennsylvania visiting my family for Thanksgiving. No trip to PA during Thanksgiving is complete without a trip to Kraynak's Christmas Land!

Kaelynn and Grant in front of The Peanuts display

Grant checking out the gree, purple, and pink trees

Kaelynn and Grant unhappy about having to stand in front of the Steeler's tree

Kaelynn and Grant happy about standing in front of the Brown's tree. Where did I go wrong? When did they become Brown's fans? Perhaps the fact that their daddy gets a "suite" at the Brown's games that gives them unlimited access to food has something to do with it.

Kaelynn and Grant admiring the sports wall.

Once we finished up at Christmas land Kaelynn, my mom, and I headed to get Kaelynn a "running outfit" for tomorrow's Gobble Wobble 5K. It will be Kaelynn's second 5K and she is looking forward to it.

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

Apple Festival 5K Race Report

A little over a week ago my friend Darlene asked if anyone would like to join her and run the Apple Festival 5K. I mentioned to her that I would like to see how I was feeling after pacing Jenn in the 1/2 marathon and then I would let her know. I was feeling great after pacing Jenn last Sunday so I shot an email to my running coach/training plan creator Joe (here) and asked him what his thoughts were on me running today's 5K as well as a 5K next Saturday. Currently my training plan calls for a pace run on Saturday, followed by a long run on Sunday. Joe was very honest with his response: "If it were me Jodi – I take those long runs VERY seriously. I would run long on Saturday (as early in the day as I could) – dial the pace down a little, maybe :20/mile slower than usual, ice bath or at least a really cool shower, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and then race on Sunday. Same drill afterwards – if you feel good, jog a really slow recovery mile …. If you don’t and your legs feel spent, don’t sweat it and enjoy the post-race spread." As for next weekend's 5K, he basically suggested the same thing. The one bonus of next week is that the 5K falls on my pace run day which will allow me to complete my long run the following day. I took Joe's advice to heart and got out there at 5:30am yesterday for my 11 miler, came home and grabbed an ice bath, and then made sure to hydrate well throughout the day. I felt pretty good when I woke up this morning. A little bit of tightness in the legs but I was able to shake it out during a short warm up with Darlene.

Darlene and I before our warm up and race

I started the race out strong with a 7:14 first mile split. I knew the large hill would be coming between mile one and two so I tried to conserve some energy. I was able to climb up the hill without too much problem...yes, I am admitting that hill repeats are beneficial! For most of the race I was playing leap frog with "red sports bra" girl. The course was an out and back and sometime around mile two "red sports bra" girl's friend shouted out "get her". I of course knew she was referring to me because I had taken the lead in our leap frog game. Between mile two and the finish, "red sports bra" girl took back the lead. As I was coming around the corner toward the finish I set my eyes on her and ran my heart out to pass her at the end. Funny thing is I didn't realize I had also passed Darlene at this point until she yelled out "go Jodi". I crossed the line in 23:18 right before "red sports bra" girl. She thanked me for pushing her out there (she set a good 2 minute PR today). Always a great feeling to help a fellow runner out! I walked over and dropped my 36th overall place card in the 35-39 age group bucket. I noticed right away that I was first. Fast forward to Darlene and I running a cool down mile and the age group buckets got knocked over by a gust of wind and the cards went flying. I didn't think anything of it until we were at the awards ceremony and they announced the top 3 in my age group and my name wasn't announced at all. Imagine my surprise when I realized I had seen the girl they gave first place to finishing her race while Darlene and I were doing our cool down. I had also seen the girls they gave second and third to finishing their races as well. Darlene and I went and talked to the guy in charge. I explained the situation. Yep, I was 36th overall and they gave first place in my age group to the 78th finisher overall (oops, I would say we had a bit of a problem there). He got all of my information and will be re-checking all of the place cards, updating and correcting the information and mailing me my first place age group award. Darlene and I were both bummed out that we didn't have a picture with me and my medal. Fortunately, Darlene was thinking on her feet and realized she had also placed first in her age group, yeah Darlene, so she let me "borrow" her medal for the photo!

Me with "my" first place age group finish medal

While I didn't run a PR today (my PR is 23:01 on a pancake flat course during marathon training back in March), I am very pleased with how I did. I was amazed how good my legs felt today after running an 11 miler yesterday at 9:02 pace. I do believe I am getting stronger by the day! Looking forward to seeing what I can do at the Detroit 1/2!!

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

James Kerstetter Memorial 5k Race Report

Headed out to run a 5k this morning to honor the memory of Elyria Police Officer James Kerstetter, shot and killed in the line of duty in March 2010. I got to the packet pickup nice and early. I found it a little odd that we didn't have numbers for the race. When I asked another runner he told me that we would be handed a numbered index card as we finished the race. The number on the card would be our place overall. Once we received the card, we would write our name and city on it and then drop it into our respective age group buckets and then volunteers would tabulate the results prior to the award ceremony. After I found out this information, I headed back to my truck to drop off my "goodie" bag. When I came back to the starting area, I ran into Darlene and we had a quick picture taken. We then walked back to the parking lot to drop off my camera.

We walked back to the starting area and got lined up. There was a decent sized group of officers that ran together in formation each wearing a 1 or a 7, running 3 abreast. The fallen officer's badge number was 177. They let the officers have a "head start" and then we were off! It was somewhat of an out and back course with a few hills. I managed to run the first mile in 7:20. The next mile included some hills and my pace slowed a little and my two mile split was 8:00. Once again, I had to hold back tears in a race. As I was heading back on the course towards the finish line, the pack of officers passed me going the opposite direction doing a candence to the fallen officer. At this point in the race I started playing "leap frog" with another runner. I would pull away from her on the uphill and she would come back on the downhill. Once we approached the three mile mark, I managed to outsprint her to the finish and she walked up to me at the end and said "Wow, great job, I will run with you anytime". I crossed the line in an unofficial time of 23:23 and knew immediately that I had placed 1st in my age group because I was the first one to drop an index card in my respective age group bucket. Number two in my age group..."leap frog girl" of course! Thank goodness I found that final kick at the end! I got to see the pack of officers a second time when I was walking back to my truck to grab my camera and they were still in perfect formation, doing a cadence to the finish line. Right after I passed them, I saw my friend Heather. Today was her first 5K and she finished it in 32:15. She was very proud, as she should be! The best part is that she finished 177th overall which as I mentioned earlier was the fallen officer's badge number. What a great coincidence at her first race. I congratulated her on her success and we had our picture taken. Of course we were still sweaty, and red faced from the run!

After our picture we just talked with some people and waited for the awards ceremony. It was really great to hear them announce my name for 1st place female in the 35-39 age division. As I was walking back after receiving my award, one of the dispatchers I know was shouting way to go. As you can see in the photo, I looked her way instead of looking at the camera. At least I am still smiling!

Following this, my friend Darlene was called up. She placed 2nd in her age division. Darlene and I know each other because she owns Hershey's Ice Cream & More in Elyria, Ohio and I pretty much had ice cream from her store every single day of my pregnancy with my daughter. We still try and get to the store once in awhile to say hello and enjoy some ice cream. I think we both could have gone for some ice cream after this picture, it was getting HOT!!

I was very pleased with my time today even though it was only 23 seconds shy of a PR. I ran faster today than I did last Sunday on a flat course. Perhaps I actually know how to use the hills to my advantage. A side effect from growing up in PA maybe? I have no idea, but I will take it!
Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Smiles For Sophie Birthday Bash and Dash 5K Race Report

Headed out to run a 4th of July 5k this morning. This particular 5k tends to be emotional because it is held in memory of 4-year-old Sophie Quayle, who lost her battle with brain cancer, after a valiant fight, on October 6, 2007. Today would have been Sophie's 7th birthday. When we walked to the start line we received a carnation to be placed in Sophie's front yard during the race because part of the course goes right past Sophie's house. As we waited at the red, white, and blue rainbow start line, we sang "Happy Birthday to Sophie in Heaven" and I was brought to tears. This beautiful tribute to Sophie was followed by the singing of The National Anthem and a simple statement of "runner's to your mark, set...go" and we were off.


I felt pretty good for the first mile aside from the heat and the fact that I started to tear up again when I dropped the carnation in Sophie's front yard. I just kept pushing on and thinking about what this race was all about. I was out there supporting a cause and that made me happy. Got to the water stop around the 1 1/2 mile marker and I opted to pour the water on my head. Fortunately, just a few strides later, a little girl and her dad had set up their own "water station" and I was able to get a nice cold drink from them! Hit mile two about ten seconds shy of 15 minutes. As I came out of the development and crossed the street into the park, I started really concentrating on my stride. The timer read off the split at the three mile mark and I knew I could finish under 24:00 so I started my final kick and my ear buds promptly fell out and ended up right next to my knees as can be seen in the photo below.

Fortunately, I successfully made it to the finish line, unharmed, in 23:46. I was shy of a 5k PR by 46 seconds. I finished 5th in my age group. I decided to look up my results from last year and I ran a 26:26 and finished 11th in my age group. What a difference a year makes! We had parked at my mother-in-law's house and walked to the start line so of course we had to walk back after the race. My daughter asked if we could walk past Sophie's house so she could drop off her carnation which is exactly what she is doing in the photo below. I am so proud of her for having such compassion for others at the young age of 7.

I really enjoy this race and plan to continue running it every 4th of July!

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

June in Review

My 3.5 mile run this morning brought my June training to a close. Headed out today and decided to sandwich 3 x 800 meter repeats in my run. My goal was to run negative splits for the repeats. In the end, I was successful with splits of 3:50, 3:49, and 3:47.

June Stats

78--- running miles
0---- elliptical miles
0--- bike miles
78--- total miles
149--- weight as of June 30, 2010 (+1 pound since May 31, 2010)

Current 2010 Stats

581.12--- running miles

50.9--- elliptical miles

5.1--- bike miles

637.12--- total miles

I am very pleased with my June training. It was great to get back out there and "run" a race and actually place in my age group! I'm looking forward to my two 5k's in July, merely six days apart. I continue to follow a modified version of Hal Higdon's Intermediate Half Marathon Training Program in preparation for the Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon on August 1st!

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

Two 5K's for Two Great Causes

I will be running two 5k's the next two weekends. Both events are for great causes.

The Smiles for Sophie Birthday Bash and Dash 5K and 1 mile fun run takes place on July 4th. The event is a major fundraiser sponsored by Smiles For Sophie Forever, a foundation created in memory of four-year-old Sophie Quayle, who lost her battle with brain cancer, after a valiant fight, on October 6, 2007. Sophie would have been 7 years old this 4th of July.

The James Kerstetter 5K Memorial Run-Walk takes places on July 10th. This event is in memory of an Elyria Police Officer that was shot and killed in the line of duty on March 15, 2010. The event will take place on the New Kerstetter Way adjacent to the Police Station off West Ave.

I haven't really thought about my goals for these two races since they are merely six days apart. What I do know is that I am going to run to honor the memory of two very special people.

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

Girls With Sole 5K Race Report

This morning I ran the Girls With Sole 5k. It would be my first "race" back since my marathon attempt. My neighbor Brenda stopped by and picked me up and we headed to Rocky River for the race. Once there we met up with my sorority sister, Jenn and another neighbor, Laura. We made our way to the restrooms and then had some pictures taken before the race started.

Jenn and I

Me, Jenn, Laura, and Brenda

With pictures taken and the Star Spangled Banner sang (very brilliantly by a young girl I might add), we headed to the start line. I have to admit I was a bit nervous since this was the first time I was pushing in a race since the marathon in May and it was HOT today! My thoughts immediately went to the risk of dehyration. I just told myself that I would make sure to grab two cups at the water stop. One to drink and one to dump on me to cool myself off. My awesome friends knew I was a bit stressed out about the race and told me to just relax and have fun out there and then the bell rang and the race started. I went out a bit too fast. My first mile was a 7:42 and it was really getting hot at this point. I made a point to grab those two cups of water and they were very helpful. I also made it a point to run through the sprinklers that happend to be on in the neighborhoods. The next thing I knew I was at mile 2 with a split of 8:00. From mile two on I just focused on the people in front of me and tried to pass as many people as I could. After passing several people, I rounded the corner for the uphill finish. I even said to the volunteer that was directing us that this uphill finish was so wrong. I guess I was doing okay if I was able to tell him that! Once I hit the three mile mark I noticed a guy in front of me and gave it my all to catch him and beat him to the finish. The woman that put on the race yelled out to me to not let him beat me. In the end, it was a sprint to the finish between us. He put his hand out for a high five and I returned that high five right before I crossed the finish line BEFORE him in an unofficial time of 24:48. Once we both caught our breath he told me it was all my fault that he had to sprint. I laughed and said good job and then I went back out on the course to cheer on my girls! I walked back out to the three mile marker and I saw Jenn coming and I knew she was under her goal time. I ran up to her and told her the clock was still under 28:00 and she could do it. I took off running with her and helped her navigate through people and made sure she knew there was a speed bump right before the finish line so she wouldn't trip. She gave it her all and crossed that line with an unofficial time of 27:51, an awesome PR for her! Jenn and I walked together and grabbed some water and then went back to the finish line to cheer the other girls in. Laura finished around 31:00 with a huge smile on her face! Brenda came in shortly afterwards. She had a rough go of it out there today. See, she is a spinning instructor and she taught class yesterday and didn't hold back so her legs weren't real happy with her! We all went and grabbed some food after this and then Brenda and I decided to head home. Jenn was going to stay a little longer to cool down before she went home. Now, back to my finish time of 24:48. It was not a PR by far so imagine my surprise when I got a post from Jenn on Facebook informing me that I won 3rd place in my age group. I never place in my age group so I figured I had no reason to stay for the awards ceremony. A friend of mine used to work for the company that sponsored the race and he told me to contact them through their website so I sent them an email to see if they would mail the award or if I would be able to pick it up. I really want the award especially after my Cleveland DNF. I feel like this was my "comeback" race and I earned that medal!! Maybe I am weird and shouldn't care but I can't help it. This is my first age group award since I started running again in February 2009. I am really hoping to hear back from them sometime tomorrow. In the end, I am very pleased with the race I ran today. I do believe I have found my confidence in my running ability again!

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

Sunday 7 Miler and Race Week

I headed out this morning to do my longest run since Cleveland. I got out there at 7:15 am and it was hot and humid already! I recently shared information about the importance of hydration on my blog. I took said advice and weighed myself before and after my run today. Before I left the scale registered 148.4 and upon my return I saw 147.2. It appears I "lost" 1.2 pounds out there today and I even drank 16 ounces of water during the workout so the heat was definitely a factor especially since I could literally wring the sweat out of my running clothes when I got home. I, of course, came home and drank 16 plus ounces of water to make up for that 1.2 pound "loss". I felt pretty good out there today. I made sure to take it easy and came in at 1:11.05 (10:09 pace). I will take it. Tomorrow is a rest day for me and my last day of work for the summer. I am looking forward to my early morning runs and spending lots of time with the kids. Of course I say that now but ask me next week how many times I have had to hear "I'm bored". HAHA!! My training schedule this week will be a "mini-taper" of sorts for the Girls With Sole 5K I am running next Sunday. It will be my first "race" back. I am very interested to see what my legs can do out there after many months of marathon training and recovery. And let me be completely honest, I have some "unfinished business" with that little thing called the finish line!! The plan for the week is pretty light. Run five miles Tuesday and Wednesday, four on Thursday and rest days on Friday and Saturday!

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

Summer Running Schedule and Important Hydration Information

I have officially determined my summer running schedule. As I mentioned in my last post, I am currently doing the 4 week post marathon recovery schedule and will finish it with the "Girls With Sole 5K" on June 20th. After the 5K I will be following the latter part of Hal Higdon's 1/2 marathon training schedule. During this training, I will also be running the "Smiles for Sophie Birthday Bash and Dash 5K" on the 4th of July. Sophie is the little girl that I ran the Pittsburgh 1/2 Marathon in memory of. The 4th of July was her birthday and this is the 3rd year that her parents have put on this race in her memory. It starts with a 5K run and then there is a celebration with all kinds of activities for the kids. It is a great way to honor Sophie's memory and to raise money for pediatric brain tumor awareness. After the 4th of July 5K I will finish my half marathon training schedule just in time to run the Chicago Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon on August 1st. I will be running it with 3 great friends. Our race entry included tickets to an Uncle Kracker concert so we will be heading to Chicago for the entire weekend. A girl's running trip of sorts!

Now onto the hydration part of this post. Summer running brings summer temperatures and an increased need for water/sports drinks during long runs to prevent dehydration. I speak from experience...dehydration is a unpleasant, serious, dangerous condition. My good friend Joe that recently ran 2 marathons 13 days apart for his friend Dom who is battling cancer just wrote a great post on hydration. Do yourself a huge favor and take the time to visit his blog and read about the importance of proper hydration and then do every runner out there a favor and post a link to Joe's blog so that this very important information gets to as many runners as possible. I know for a fact that Joe is more than happy to share his knowledge with us and has granted permission for his blog to be shared with all runners, old and new out there! http://joerunfordom.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/10-tips-for-running-in-the-heat/.
Tip number 1 stood out for me because I only drink about 16 ounces of water after any of my training runs. Apparently, I should drink 16 ounces per pound lost during a training run...yikes, I need to work on that one!!

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

May in Review

Today's 3 mile run brought my May training to a close. It was quite hot and humid out there today but I was pleased to find my legs again. I was finally able to run under a 9 minute mile pace today (which I hadn't been able to do since the marathon attempt)!

May Stats

88.62-- running miles
0-- elliptical miles
0-- bike miles
88.62-- total miles
2-- shortest distance covered in May (end of marathon training schedule)
25-- longest distance covered in May (Cleveland Marathon DNF)
148-- weight as of May 31, 2010 (total weight loss to date...46 pounds)

Current 2010 Stats

503-- running miles
50.9-- elliptical miles
5.1-- bike miles
559-- total miles

Overall, I am pleased with my May training. I didn't plan on a DNF in the marathon but everything happens for a reason and I have to believe there was a reason I didn't conquer the marathon this time. I will in fact attempt 26.2 again.

As for now, I am completing the 4 week post marathon training program. I will end it with the "Girls With Sole 5K" on June 20.

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

Eagle Run 5K with my daughter Race Report

Today I ran a 5K for fun with my daughter, Kaelynn! I pretty much let her lead the way. We walked and ran but we got it done and had a great time doing it. I even took some action photos while we were out there! Since I took them on my blackberry, I just uploaded them to Facebook so stop on over and check them out! When she decided she wanted to run she would pretty much sprint from one mailbox to the next. I decided it would count as interval training for me since I really had to move to keep up with her during those mailbox repeats! She was thrilled when she got to run through a hose that a spectator had on during the race. She got to do that twice since it was an out and back course! I also let her dump one of the water stop cups of water on her head and she thought that was really cool. It was hot so I wasn't going to tell her no! When we got near the finish line she took off sprinting and of course she beat me. Truth be told, I asked her if she wanted to finish before me and she said yes so I let her outsprint me. Overall, it was a fun experience and we finished in 41:16. Not too bad for a 7 year old. I must mention that I actually didn't mind the running skirt Kaelynn insisted I wear. It was actually quite comfortable and looked good in pictures!! I leave you with pictures from today's "fun run".
Kaelynn before the race

The moms and their girls (and Grant)

Kaelynn, Grant, and I before the race

Kaelynn and I sprinting to the finish line

Kaelynn's "air" race photo

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

First Run Back

And there you have it...my first run after last week's DNF.

Headed out this morning for my first run in a week. My legs felt like brick weights but it felt great to get out there again and confirm that I am in fact still a runner! I may have been painfully slow, but what matters is I did it! 3.13 miles in 32:12 and I am thrilled with every last second of that time! Of course that 1.2 miles is going to haunt me until I conquer it. Sure enough, the first time I looked down at my watch today...1.2 miles exactly...seriously, I couldn't even make that up!!

My husband won a cruise through work so we will be heading out tomorrow morning. The kids will be in the very capable hands of grandma. I'm looking forward to running on the cruise ship. I figure I will try and get up early before it's too hot to even consider running.

This afternoon I signed myself and my daughter up for a local 5K next Saturday. My plan is to run the race for fun with my daughter and some of her friends. Of course, I am assuming that they will be running ten minute miles or slower and that there will be some walking involved. Then again, they may just school me...you just never know with kids! Either way, I am going to thoroughly enjoy all 3.1 miles with a great group of kiddos!

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