A Few of My Favorite Things - running edition

A couple weeks ago I Run Because I Can posted "A Few of My Favorite Things". I thought it was a great post and am going to copy her idea.

Favorite Pre-Race Food:

bananas

Favorite GU flavors:
I couldnt pick just one!
I also can't wait to try the peanut butter!

chocolate raspberry

chocolate outrage

mint chocolate

Favorite Headband:

sweatybands!!!

 Favorite Handheld:

GoLite HydraClutch 

 Favorite watch:

my (formerly Jeremy's) Garmin 305

Favorite Post-Run Socks:

CEP compression socks

Favorite Shoes:

Asics Gel Nimbus

Rushed the field

I got to mark something off Amy bucket list yesterday - rushing the field at a football game!!

We have had season UK football tickets for 5 years now. The field has been rushed several times during those 5 years but we were sitting in the upper deck when it happened. Last year our seats were moved to the lower level so rushing was a possibility. The one game the field was rushed though happened to be the same weekend of our first half and we had given the tickets to jeremys parents.

I have always wanted to rush the field. When I was in college I was never able to either I wasn't at the game or was sitting in the upper deck. Since having gotten season tickets it has been on my bucket list to rush the field!

This year we were even lower, only 5 rows back from the wall to the field. Unfortunately the team has not had a good season and would not go to a bowl game. We were playing Tennessee who we have a 26 game losing streak too. Jeremy and I both had a feeling that we might win but knowing how UK plays we weren't counting it as a win just yet.

UK led the whole game which for the most part was 3-0. Finally UK scored a touchdown, but TN scored a touchdown right back. We were still up.

With 4 minutes on the clock everyone was standing and hoping we could hold on. Students were coming into the gates getting ready to rush the field. At about 2 minutes left we got the ball back and took a knee til the time ran out.

We hopped down the bleachers. Jeremy went over first and then I followed! We helped me down and we took of running to the middle of the field! It was so awesome!




The wall looks small there but it's probably about an 6-8 foot drop.



On the field with several thousand of our closest friends.


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Black Friday

Last year was my first time ever black Friday shopping. Jeremy and I wanted a tv and target had some for pretty cheap. We got tithe store about 30 minutes before they opened not realizing you had to have a ticket to get items like that. So no tv for us!

This year I was ready to try again. Jeremy refused to go but my friend emily said she would go with me even though she had nothing to buy. I got to target at 9:45 - 2 hours 15 minutes before they opened and the line was already around the corner.

About 11:30 the line tightened up and started moving forward. People had put up there chairs and were ready for the doors to open. This caused us to be at least in front of the store rather than the side. The lady behind us had asked if they were giving out tickets and was told yes. However, no one ever came by. We just assumed they weren't after all.

When the doors opened I ran to the tvs while emily grabbed a cart. There were 2 different tvs a 46" and a 40" that were in our price range. We wanted to get the bigger one if we could but the 40" was ok as well. I got to the tvs and said I wanted the 46" one. The guy working asked if I had a ticket!! What? I told him they didn't pass them out! He held some up and said yes they did! Oh man! Not again!!!

We started to walk away and overheard the guy that was manning the 40" tvs that you didn't have to have a ticket for those!!! Woo hoo! Emily grabbed a cart and we loaded the tv up! Success!!




Emily went to get in the check out line and I went to check on a laptop. The line to get into electronics was crazy long. I called emily to see how long the check out line was and found that it was non existent, so I went to check out instead of staying in line. No sense making emily wait for me even longer, the laptop can be bought another day.

Jeremy installed it last night and hung up my painting of deuce!





Did anyone else shop black Friday?

Get any good buys?

Learn something for next years black Friday expedition?


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OPP - take 1

Wednesday 9:30 pm - I am writing this part the night before the 5k that is tomorrow (Thursday). I am not nervous but I am a little antsy. I am pretty sure I will be able to get a PR even if I dont go under 30 and I'm ok with that. I have my clothes laid out and am ready to go, although I must find my spibelt here in a minute. There are over 1500 people in this 5k so I am a bit worried about trying to navigate through them, to not waste energy, but still get a good time. I went to the chiro today and my hip and knee have been pain free all day. :) yay! I haven't run since sunday, so my legs will be good and rested for tomorrow. With any luck I'll at least have a PR in 12 hours and possible permission to get a puppy!

Thursday am - Well I did not break 30 by quite a bit, but I did get a PR. My official time was 35:02. Considering the course was crowded and hillier than I usually run I am happy with it. Mile 2 was again my worst out of the three miles. It was also the hilliest of the three. Mile 1 felt really good. I had to weave in and out of some people but tried not to as much as I could. Mile 3 was downhill for the most part so it was a nice fast finish.

My next 5k is in a couple weeks at the same place but the course is a little different.



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Hood to Coast movie

I was able to check out the Hood to Coast movie from my library via ILL. It came in this past week from Portland University. It was really neat to see the different teams and the history of the race.

Also learned that roadkill isn't dead animals but people you pass. Some of the bourbon chase vans had a road kill count written on them. Completely thought they were counting dead animals!!


My thoughts on the movie (spoilers)

Having done the Bourbon Chase in October i was more connected to the Thunder and Laikaning team. The girl that had the 3 mile theory (if you can run 3 miles you can run any distance) I thought was crazy! She was funny to watch though bc she had said she had never ran any of the distances before and yet had the second to hardest leg. "I kept thinking why would her team do that to her?" and "if you feel that bad now, just wait til that last leg when you feel like you want to die"

The R. Bowe team made me cry every time they came on. Especially when the wife told about him passing and her not wanting the baby. I would feel the same way I'm sure.

I could not get over kathy. She died, actually died in the race the previous year but yet wanted to do it again and to do the same legs even. Jeremy and I kept repeating to ourselves, that's Twila, she would do that!

Dead Jocks in a Box was quite humorous. I felt bad for the girls that they made run under/through them. No one wants to smell 4-6 men that have been running and not showered in 36 hours. yuck!

OPP and WW update

On Thangsiving morning, jeremy and i are going to do a 5k. It's called the Thoroughbred classic. we have never done this race before but have wanted to. they always have awesome tech shirts! Jeremy's dad is also planning on doing the race so it will be a fun family event. We would like to start this race as a family tradition.  It will also be my first chance at trying to break 30.  My treadmill runs have been going really well.  However, yesterday i had planned on running and did not.  The bookfair was delivered and I worked for a couple hours moving heavy boxes and cases of books.   Then last night my hip started hurting, very sharp stabbing pains.  :(   When i woke up this morning, my knee on the same leg was killing me.  All day long it is either my hip or my knee, my knee or my hip that have been bothering me.  I called the chiro and made an appt for tomorrow am.  I'm hoping he can get me back "inline" for Thursday. I would hate to not be able to run bc of it. 

I went to weigh in today and was DOWN 3 pounds.  Which is great, but that's only 2 pounds lost in 2 months! :(   Which is not the best!  I have noticed that since the half and i have been doing short, fast runs the past couple weeks my weight has been down.  I'm hoping to keep it coming off over the holidays but i know that will be a challenge.  I just have to stay focused!! 

Painting with a Twist - pug style

In the summer I tried to get a group of girls together to do a painting at our local community arts center. Unfortunately we couldn't get a group big enough.

One person through suggested we do Painting with a Twist in a near by city. I had never heard o it and was really surprised when I visited there website at all the different choices there were.




The walls were covered of paintings they do.





One of the choices was a "paint your pet" night. For anyone that knows me knows that my dog is my baby. He is 9 1/2 and the sweetest thing ever. So of course I had to paint him! Problem was the class that was offered for that was on a night I had to work. :(

I emailed them and asked that when the next calendar came out if they could please put it on a Friday or Saturday night. Sure enough they did!

I sent them a picture of Deuce and they sketched him using the picture.







The instructor told us to get our pets filled in first then we would do the background, then go back and add details to our pet.












I wasn't happy with his eyes so I went back and tried to fix those.







My friend Emily painted her pet "Charlie".



It was a little stressful bc you want your dog to look like they really do. I think that doing another picture would be much more carefree. Jeremy ad I need a painting over our couch and havent been able to find anything big enough to cover the area we like so I think we might go back to painting with a twist and each do a painting that would go together and hang them side by side.

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I'm down with OPP!

Operation Puppy Power that is!  Yeah, you know me! ha, couldn't resist myself there. anyway, monday was one of those days where i was scheduled to run but just wasnt' feeling it.  i was supposed to do three miles but didnt know how i wanted to run it.  did i want to do three 1 mile runs again, or maybe do two 1.5 miles trying to keep everything under 9:40 pace?? 

In the end I settled on one 1.5 mile run. since i had been putting the run off, by the time i got ready to run i didnt have time do do a fully thirty minutes.  I was able to run the mile and a half at 9:33 pace!

I think on my next run i will try to run 2 miles below 9:40, then 2.5 and finally 3 miles.   

Jeremy and I have been talking about puppy names.  we said that since we are getting a puppy bc of running we should come up with a running related name for it.

So far the names we have come up with are:
Miles (this is the leading name)
Garmin
Kilo (short for kilometer)
Fartlek (just kidding, but it was mentioned)
Mary (for a girl dog)

Anyone have a name suggestion??

Puppy Power

I have been wanting a puppy for quite a while now. Jeremy though says we are a one dog family. I had given up on a puppy after the scare with Deuce this summer but it has been on my mind again lately.

A couple days ago jeremy and I were talking about our plans an goals now that the half and full is over. I told him I want to break 30 in a 5K. He said he thought I could by the end of next racing season. I informed him I wanted it by the end of 2011. He politely told me that he didn't think I could do it.

I told him I thought I could. I asked what he would give me if I did.... (running is very extrinsic for me still). He said I want to say I'll give you a puppy but I'm afraid you would do it.

I told him that I have never broken 10 minutes outside and for me to do it three times back to back within the next month is pretty impossible and to just go on and make the suggestion. He did and we shook on it!

Today was my first day of training for a sub 30. I ran 3 x 1 mile on the treadmill, resting 2-4 minutes in between them. My splits were: 9:32, 9:21, 9:59. For an overall pace of 9:38! A 9:40 pace or under is what is needed to gut sub 30.

My legs felt good and were rested, especially since this was my first run since the half. However, my breathing was a struggle. I'm definitely going to have to work on that so I can do the three miles without stopping between them.




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We are MARSHALL!! Race Recap

On Sunday I ran in my second half marathon, Jeremy ran in his first full, and Twila ran in her 5th full! due to some last minute changes, Twila ended up riding to the race with Jeremy and I. We left home around 11am on Saturday and drove three hours to get to Huntington, WV. We went to get our packets first. There was one running store set up at the pick up center. No expo to report. The half marathoners got a long sleeve tech shirt, while the marathoners received a Brooks running jacket.

Jacket for full marathoners

tech shirt for half marathoners

my bib!

Marshall University Stadium, where we will finish

We went back to the hotel and rested for a couple hours before heading out to dinner. We ended up at O'Charley's. Afterwords, we went to the nearby mall and walked around for an hour or so. When we got back to the room jeremy and I got all of our stuff ready for the morning. the time change had us a little worried bc we weren't sure if our phones would automatically fall back, so we set the alarm clock in the room as well as both of our phones.

All week and all night I was not "up" for this race. I wasn't excited, but i wasn't nervous either. I just kept thinking "it's just another long run". I know I am in better shape than last year, but still anything can happen.
We got to the parking lot of the stadium and were 30 yards from the start line. Everyone was in their cars waiting. We went to the port a potties a couple times before the start and took some pictures.

running buddies

We Are Marshall - if you haven't seen the movie, you should! 

finally it was time to get in line. one of the things that was a negative about this race was that there was no starting line mat. so when the "boom" sounded we were off and everyone's time was started. even though i should have been closer to the back, i started close to the front with jeremy and twila. i didn't want to start at the back and have that be the reason that i missed my sub 3 goal.

about 1/2 mile in i ditched the gloves and hoodie. I was feeling really good. I ran 9 minutes and walked 1. I gu'd during miles 3, 6, and 9 whenever my walk break fell within that mile. at mile 3 i was actually a minute of over my 5k pr. i knew i was making good time and just hoped it would continue.

Even though in my previous post, I put that my A goal was 2:55, I had originally had in my head for under 2;50. but jeremy had talked me out of it and said that would be a lot to drop and to just go with sub 3 and 2:55. in my spi belt though i had pace charts for all three goals 3:00, 2:55, and 2:50. I knew where I needed to be at mile 5 and 10 for each and tried to not look at my pace while i was running until i got to mile 5. to break 3 hours, i needed to be at 1:08 at mile 5. i was at 1:00!!! so i knew I had plenty of time to play with if i started slowing down. after that though i continued to not look at my pace. i knew i had time to work with so i just wasnt' going to worry.

around mile 4-5 a speed walking man caught up to me. his shirt read "completed 50 states TWICE". I talked to him for a bit and found out that this race was his 278th marathon! he had done the monumental full in indianapolis the day before. his friend, tim, who he was very proud of had run savannah the day before and was doing marshall that day. his friend was a state or two away from completing all 50 states for the....wait for it..... 12TH time!!! yep, that's right twelfth time! amazing!!

during miles 6-9 we were running on some crushed rock that had small stones on it. of course, I had 2 to get in my shoe, one in each shoe! :( i was determined not to stop though and ran through it. it was annoying but not painful or so bad that i had to stop. at mile 10 i forgot to look at my watch to see where i was in terms of my pace charts, but I knew that i was going to be well under 3 hours.

at mile 10-11 i started feeling it. luckily at mile 11.5 i saw jeremy and twila running back out for the full. it was so good to see them and know that i was almost at the finish! for the finish you run into the Marshall University Stadium and onto the field. the worst part was that as you entered the stadium it was a steep downhill to get to the field. It was hard to get my feet to continue running down the hill without falling over them. The last 20 yards, they throw you a ball and you run to the finish line with it. I finished in 2:49:04!!!! Crushing my previous time by 11 minutes!!

I grabbed a water and a burger and walked to my car to put on my compression socks. about half way to the car, i realized my burger didnt taste right. i looked down and it was NOT cooked in the middle at all. Now, I eat my steak rare and my burgers pretty rare, so for me to say that it wasn't cooked was an understatement. I tossed it in the trash though and went on.

I waited for Twila and Jeremy to finish. both of them did incredible. Jeremy finished his first full in 4:09:53! he did amazing. Unfortunately, they had run out of drinks (water, soda) by the time he finished. We were told it was on it's way, so in the mean time Jeremy ate some ice cubes. After 20 minutes of waiting and NO water, we went back to the car to go to the hotel. At the hotel I discovered that my ipod had rubbed my stomach raw during the race :(

ouch!!!

On the way home I started feeling nauseous and wanted to throw up. I had Jeremy stop the car twice so i could get out and puke. then twice more when we were about an hour away from home I had to puke in an empty mcdonalds cup, and then once more when we got home. The hamburger got me!! :( I'm not sure if this qualifies me for a Pukie Award from BDD, but I think it should since it was the post race burger that got me!

After sleeping for a couple hours though, i felt ok and was able to hold down food. Today though I feel great! My knees are a little stiff, but other than that I feel fine! My muscles aren't sore at all like they usually are after a long run!  This was by far the best run I have had.  I'm already looking forward to the next one!

New Attire

Last winter when I bought running tights, I had no idea what i was doing.  Which showed when i bought tights that are to be worn to keep you COOL!!  Whoops!  I have had to wear them a few times and while they have done ok, I am freezing after my runs.

So on Saturday we went to Dick's Sporting Goods to find some tights to keep you WARM!!  :)   I was quite surprised by the fact that most of the ones they had were to keep you cool?  Very few were for warmth.  I was about to give up when Jeremy saw a back of a rack that I had missed and sure enough they had the right kind of tights!  I tried on two different styles and found one that fit and weren't as "long" as the other ones.  Being short makes it hard to find pants.....

Also while I shopping I found a base layer green long sleeve shirt.  Of course it was to keep you COOL but I love green and am a sucker for anything that color and it was on sale and jeremy said to go on and get it!! :)  yay! 

I also tried on some green (notice a pattern) Brooks Ghost 4 shoes.  I dont need shoes yet but will in the next couple months.  Although I love my local running stores I dont feel like I can just go in and try stuff on without buying something.  So I saw these shoes that I had eyed on the internet and decided to try them on so that when it is time to buy shoes if I find them cheaper online I'll know if i like them or not and what size to buy.

does anyone else feel guilty if you dont buy from your local running store?

Half Goals

My second half and Jeremy's first full marathon is quickly approaching.  Nov. 6th is the big day!  The forecast has been back and forth between cold and warm, rain and sun.  As of today it is supposed to be partly cloudy with a high of 61, low of 42. What to wear, what to wear???

While I have been training for a few months now and I know I'm in better shape than I was for last year's half I have to wonder, will i break three hours?  Last year, a trip to the port a potties cost me my 2:59.59, I ended up with a 3:00.42 :(   so close!

I have been going back and forth with my goals for this half and I think I finally have them done.
A Goal: under 2:55
B Goal: under 3:00
C Goal: to finish

I'm trying not to focus so much on my time goals. Yes, i desperately want to break 3 hours, but I know eventually I will. If I'm going to do 50 half marathons in all 50 states, then I have plenty of time to break it and to get faster.  i don't want to hurt myself in the process.  after last year's half i wasn't able to run for 2 months  because of a sore hip.  I don't want that to happen with this half too. i am finally starting to not dread running as much and want to be able to continue running in the next upcoming months. There are some 5K's I want to do and not being able to run sort of puts a damper on that.