Too Long!!!

Wow!  It has been way too long since I've posted on this blog.  I need to do an update and to get back to running again.

Since the last time that I blogged, I have run quite a few additional races, and been through many different changes.

In April of 2013, I married the love of my life, Andy.  It was a beautiful ceremony, and I've grown to love him more and more each day. I never thought it possible to love him more than I already did when I gave birth to our beautiful baby girl, Caitlyn Rose in June of 2014.  There is a long story behind that which can be read on my mommy blog http://toothpastemama.blogspot.com.

On the health side of things, I lost nearly 80 pounds when I was in the process of getting married, and was the thinnest that I have ever been.  I've never in my life been able to wear a size 6, and I was in a size 6.  It felt amazing. 

Then I got pregnant and everything changed.  I am now probably near the heaviest that I have been.  I am currently breastfeeding, so it difficult to figure out what I can and can't do without losing milk supply.  However, she just hit 6 months, and I think that I can attempt to cut some calories and start doing some walking/running.  I think that I will start with short walks and runs on the treadmill since it is blustery cold here in Minnesota.  I'm hoping to eat more protein and vegetables and hope that just eating healthier will help to shed some pounds. 

We are going to Tahoe this summer, and my goal is to look somewhat better for Caitlyn's 1 year birthday pictures.  I don't want to hide from the camera at that point.  I want her to see her mommy in her pictures. 

Running with Partner??

I thought it would be great training for a marathon with my fiance.  What better way to spend our time than running together?  Well, I've determined that it isn't all cake and candy.  My fiance is 6'4 and has a natural stride that is much faster than my own.  I used to be faster than him and I'd slow to his pace when we ran races.  I guess when the coin is flipped it doesn't quite work in the same way.  I'm a positive motivator by telling Andy he is a "rockstar" when we are running or that he is looking great.  Andy likes to tell me that I'm going too slow.  He tells me to go faster and it only makes my run absolutely miserable because I feel like I'm going at the fastest pace that I can go.  I started out today's run thinking I was doing great and that it felt awesome.  About halfway through the run, Andy said, "Let's race back."  I told him that I was going at the fastest pace that I could and that racing back wasn't going to happen.  He started to try to tell me ways to be faster by saying, "Just push off."  Like I knew absolutely nothing about running in my 4+ years of running.  I know what feels right and I stick to that pace.  These runs have become miserable.  What used to be fun seems to be daunting at times.  I think we are going to have to start doing our short runs apart.  This bothers me because I really do enjoy running with Andy when he isn't nagging me.  And it is nice to have a running partner.  But I guess that is what our long runs will be for.  I guess it isn't fair to make him run slower than he is capable of running either.  It's just a bit frustrating to not be able to run together.  :-(

First Day Down

The first day of marathon training has been completed.  Albeit we missed the first week of our training plan by  not being attentive enough.  However, we will easily catch up.  The 3 miles felt great as it was a bit on the cooler side today.  Andy was lagging behind me a bit in the end but still kept on my heels.

I also had a run on Sunday that didn't go quite as well.  I only ran 2 miles and it was near 85 degrees in the morning.  It got up to 95 degrees that day.

School got out last week so I'm hoping that I'll have more time to get some serious training completed.  I'm also running Ragnar with the NF Endurance Team and Women Rock with some coworkers so I've got some good races to look forward to.

I'll update with more exciting things as they develop.  Sorry this blog didn't have a lot of excitement to it.

The Hard Times

Oh man.  The first year of teaching really played a number on my running base.  Andy, my wonderful Andy, was complaining last year because I made him run back to back half marathons.  I was pulling him through the Seattle course just a year ago.  And now, he is tugging me along.   My speed has dropped drastically and it appears that Andy has surpassed my pace.  He is nice to me on the way out and sticks to my tortoise speeds.  However, on the way back, he is always pushing me to go faster.  He wants to race all the time and I already feel like I'm racing.  I've been letting him run the last half back on his own because I don't want to hold him back.  I'm excited that he is taking an interest in running but not so excited I can't keep up!

My hopes are that at some point Andy's speed will level out and I can catch up.  Duke and I went for a run all alone this evening as Andy wasn't home.  We ran a little over 2 miles, which seems so silly because 2 miles used to seem like a worthless run to me.  I never did anything under 3 miles.  I keep telling myself that building a base is important and that I will get there again.  It is just disappointing the way it is right now.

I have a new mantra that has made its way into my head lately.  My physical therapist from way back when I injured my knee once told me, "Pinch your butt cheeks when you run."  He was trying to get me to activate my quads so that I wouldn't put some much pull on my knee from my calves.  My calves were screaming last week, thus I've been telling myself to pinch my butt cheeks a lot lately.  :-)

I ran a 5k that was sponsored by a service learning group at the school that I work at a few weeks ago.  That is when I really realized that I was really out of shape.  I won't even tell you my time because it was HORRIBLE!  However, it was very nice to have my students on the sidelines cheering me on.  These are the moments when you really love being a teacher.  I also received two lovely notes from students this week telling me how much they appreciate my teaching.  These positive moments really help to push me forward.

Anyways, this summer will be a busy summer.  I plan on getting in to shape as my wedding is less than a year away!  Twin Cities Marathon will also be here before we know it.

That's all for now...I have to plan for tomorrow's school day!

I'm Baaaack!

I haven't blogged in forever.  I know.  The good news is I got a new job as a teacher at a charter school nearby.  I teach 7th grade writing, 8th grade writing, Composition I (9th &10th), and Creative Writing (High School girls).  It has been a blast but also keeps me over the top busy.  I joined the YMCA in November with the hopes that I would be able to make it to the gym.  I DID make it to the gym.  For about a month.  Then, the end of the semester coincided with the grading of a major paper for 4 classes, and my 2nd observation.  I literally only had time to work and sleep.  And barely enough time for sleep.  Then it was hard to get back into the groove of going to the gym because I would keep thinking "Well, I'll just get caught up tonight."  That happened every single night.

Then came Minnesota Weird March 2012.  Our weather has been like spring break to Florida without packing in the bags.  Mid 70's today and 70's all week.  I finally got somewhat caught up at work and I've been running outside.  I will be canceling my membership at the YMCA soon because I just don't need it when I have the beautiful outdoors.  Maybe next winter I will join a less pricey gym.  But right now, I don't need it.  I ran 3 miles this morning with Andy and Duke.  We had a beautiful walk this evening.  I would be lying if I said it was all peaches and cream though.  I put on a lot of weight this year.  More weight=more stuff to carry around on my runs.  More stuff to carry=turtle's pace.  I actually don't even know how fast I am running at but at this point, I don't care.  I just want to build up my runs and get back to my former skinnier self!

Other good news....I got ENGAGED!  Andy proposed the day after Thanksgiving in font of the Christmas tree after we finished decorating it.  He was so nervous that he put the ring on the wrong hand and I didn't have the heart to tell him until we went to sit down.  He then proposed another time with the ring on the correct hand.  We are planning an April 2013 wedding as we have to wait for my little brother, Joe, to return from Afghanistan. Joe will be leaving next month for Afghanistan.

So along with the motivation to feel healthy, I also have the motivation to look great in my wedding dress!  I am hoping lose about 40 pounds before our wedding and I am positive it can happen.  I lost 70 in high school in less time than I have now.  I can do it again.  Here we go: Operation Losing It.

Andy and I also signed up for the Twin Cities Marathon 2012!  It will be his first marathon.  :-)

If any of you are still out there in Blogland, let me know!

Running to Nowhere

Running is probably one of the only things that I can give myself credit for lately.  Usually I leave these sort of conversations for my "Ramblings of Rachel" blog but honestly that blog is dead and I need to do some venting.

I should just say that I've been exercising regurarly.  Not neccesarily running.  Although, I do try to at least get a mile in during every workout.   I did start some strength training that really seems to help my running along as well.  I've been trying out new classes (zumba, dancing, cycling) and new machines in the gym.  I love my gym time.

I don't love the rest of my day. I finished student teaching in December and went back to my old job at the library. Honestly, it is just a bad fit.  I want to be teaching.  I want to be doing something other than spending 2 hours of my day driving to and from work and $3.75 in parking.  I want to be doing something where people aren't calling me to tell me that "this" or "that" isn't working or that "so and so" is doing something that they don't like and can I deal with it?  I wake up every morning and wish I could just not go to work. 

Then sometimes I feel like I'm constantly waiting.  I don't want to talk specifics here because you all might think I'm silly.  But leaving a large part of your future in someone else's hands probably lends itself to the silliness.

Anyways, so running is really my outlet right now.  I've planned a few trips surrounded around running and visiting my little brother who is in the Army.  I will be headed out to Seattle in June to run the Rock N Roll Seattle half marathon and that should be a good time.

Back in the Groove (Tentative Race Schedule 2011)

Finally starting to get back in the groove with a steady workout schedule.  I have been taking a few classes at Lifetime and have enjoyed the exploration!  I go to Zumba every week with Andy's sis-in-law and it has been a blast.  I'm not very coordinated nor am I a great dancer but it has been fun.  I went to a spinning class this weekend that really kicked my butt.  I was so exhausted a the end!  I think I will attempt to make that one a weekly thing as well.

Everything seems to be falling into place as far as my race schedule goes.  I am so excited!  I am hopefully running at least one full marathon and quite a few half marathons this year.  Tentative race schedule below:

March 19- Get Lucky 7k
May 1 or 7- General Mills Run of the Mills (5k)
June 5- Minneapolis Half Marathon (w/ Andy!!!)
July- Lindstrom Loppet
June 25- Rock N Roll Seattle Half Marathon (little bro stationed nearby w/ Army)
Oct. 23- Rock N Roll St. Louis Full Marathon


I am also debating whether I want to attempt the Twin Cities Marathon on Oct. 2 so close to the St. Louis.  I may just try to enter into the 10 mile again or just volunteer.  I love that marathon though!  Also hoping to make it down to some other races in the midwest.  But these are my big races.

I'm a Yuppy

My boyfriend, Andy, calls everything that doesn't have to do with getting yourself dirty, "yuppy."  He even goes as far as calling tent camping "yuppy".  Now I'd probably disagree with him on most of the things he calls "yuppy" but I have to agree with him on my latest adventure.  I've joined a fancy gym.  I left Anytime Fitness (another battle I don't want to cry about) and joined Lifetime Fitness.  I call them a fancy gym because they have fancy wood lockers and marble-like counters.  They have towels for every member. They have a sauna and a whirlpool in their locker rooms.  But let me defend myself here.  They have an indoor track.  And lots of equipment.  And that is the real reason I joined (the other stuff is pretty sweet though!) 

If you haven't figure it out, I finally finished student teaching.  I have time to run again.  Woohoo!  I've already run into a few former students at the gym.  Kind of nice to see them--although probably not my preferred way to run into them.  Anyways, after my running hiatus, it has been interesting trying to get started again.  I gained some weight while not running- go figure!  So I'm now running with some extra poundage slowing me down.  Not cool.  Hopefully it will come off fast...

I'm hoping to try to run the Marine Corps Marathon next year.  Also thinking about the Rock N Roll in St. Louis.  I'll get a more definite list up as the new year rolls around.

Quick Update

Sorry folks that I haven't updated in forever. Hopefully I still have some followers that aren't spammers.  Student teaching has been a little more than I bargained for.  I've been up late every night working on lesson plans and grading and then wake up at 5 every morning.  As you can see, I have had no time for running.  However, I have run two races since I last blogged.  I ran the Twin Cities 10 mile earlier this month and then the Kansas City Half Marathon last weekend.  Both went well considering the fact that I had absolutely no training under my belt.  At least I now know that I can run a half marathon w/o any sort of training.  LOL.  My time was pretty bad-- 2 hrs 30 min or 2 hrs 40 min.  One or the other.  I didn't bother to check.  Anyways, I've barely remembered to put a shirt on in the morning so you can imagine that I didn't remember to bring a camera to either of these races either.  So just pretend that I've posted a not so flattering running picture here.  Both races were beautiful.  KC ran out of medals at the end.  I was pretty upset but loved the race itself so I couldn't hold too many grudges.

Anyways, we have a 4 day weekend so I'll have lots of time to get stuff done.  My student teaching isn't up until December so don't expect a lot of updates until then.  Hope you all are doing great!

One Run and Lots of Random

So I'll be honest.  I haven't gotten much running done lately.  My next race isn't until the Twin Cities 10 mile and I just haven't had the time lately.  I was trying to finish up my last class before student teaching and it was monopolozing every minute of my time.  Now it's been nothing but worrying about student teaching.  Sooo nervous!!  I feel so unprepared.

Needless to say, I did get a short run in on Saturday morning.  It was a bit cooler when I set out with Duke (our dog).  If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know that Duke is hit and miss.  He has his good days and his bad days.  I kind of gave up on him this summer because it has been so hot that he can barely even make it a mile before he slows way down.  Since it was cooler on Saturday morning, I decided to give him a try again.  Well, Duke and I made it about a mile and a half before I could really feel the sun heating up.  Duke started to show some signs of fatigue and I figured I should turn around to try to avoid having to pull Duke back home.  Duke was really starting to put on the brakes when I decided to try something new.  I decided to pace with Duke, as in to run Duke's pace and stop trying to get him to run my pace.  This seemed to work miracles.  Duke was smiling and seemed to enjoy running beside me rather than behind me.  We only needed one walk break to get him up a hill....otherwise he ran the whole way back.  I kept telling him what a good dog he was and he kept charging ahead.

In other news, I would LOVE to see some of you out at the Team Highlighter's Party in the Park this weekend if you have the time.  We are having a lunch and photo scavenger hunt (see past post).  The scavenger hunt starts at 10:00 and the rest of the event begins around 10:30-11:00 (Fridley's Spring Brook Nature Center). All proceeds benefit the Children's Tumor Foundation.  This event was planned by my cousin and I.  We have tons of raffle prizes as well!!!  See more info here http://teamhighlightersscavengerhunt.weebly.com/. 

Rock N Roll Chicago 2010 Race Report

Okay I'll add photos to this post later as I don't have access to them now.  Bare with me here as this may be a very long race repot.

The Journey to Chicago

I left Friday afternoon via Greyhound bus to Chicago.  Long story short, the Greyhound was the best way for me to get there in the evening when my cousin would be getting in.  If I flew, I would have to leave early morning as that is when the reasonably priced flights took off and there is no way I wanted to spend the entire day in Chicago all by myself.  So I boarded the bus.  I had read tons and tons of bad reviews of Greyhound so I was very wary of all of the warnings. Initially, a teenage boy who was very polite sat down next to me so I was doing alright.  Then, he went to sit with his mom when another seat opened up and a different lady got on and occupied the seat.  She was alright as well but then left at an earlier stop.  Somewhere in Wisconsin, I was graced with the smelliest dude ever to sit next to me.  It smelled so bad my eyes started to water.  I wanted off the bus but I had at least another 2 hours to go (which turned into 4).  As we got into Chicago, the traffic was very thick and we ended up spending an additional 2 hours just getting to our destination.  I was supposed to arrive at 7:30 but didn't get in until 9:00!  The bus dropped us in an area that seemed to be a bit sketchy and I was hassled right away after getting off the bus.  I hate traveling in a city that I don't know in the dark.  I ended up finding the train where I needed exact change and didn't have it.  I ended up finding a pizza place, sitting down and eating a few slices to calm my nerves before heading back out (I was starving by this time!) I headed back to the train station and got yelled at by the attendant because I didn't know that I needed to place my card in before going through the gate.  In Minneapolis our train runs on somewhat of a trust policy and if you get caught then you get fined.  Anyways, I figured out the whole bus system and finally made it the Congress Hotel where we were staying.


Saturday in Chicago
Saturday, Stephanie (my cousin) and I went to McCormick place to pick up our packets.  We had to walk a very long distance from our hotel to get to the packet pickup.  We ended up buying some IRunLikeAGirl shirts and browsed around before we left.  We then proceeded to walk all over the city.  We found a nice place to eat lunch before heading back to the hotel to drop off our packets.  Then, we hailed a cab to the Navy Pier but we only had 40 minutes there before we had to head off to the pasta dinner with the NF Endurance Team for this event.  We hailed another cab over to the pasta dinner and met up with the team.  Everyone was really nice and we had a great meal.  We took a quick group photo and then
Steph and I headed off to see the set from Transformers 3.  Then, we stopped for ice cream and bought some reduced fat muffins from Dunkin Donuts for in the morning.  By the time that we made it back home, it was 9:00 at night and we were completely exhausted.  We were both regretting our decision to walk all over the city on the day before our big race.

Race Morning
My alarm went off at 5:15 AM and I got up and threw my outfit on and ate my muffin while Stephanie continued to sleep.  Her alarm went off sometime around 5:45.  She quickly got ready and we were out the door around 6:15 and headed over to the race just a few blocks up.  I lost Stephanie as I had to run back to get my hat and sunglasses in the hotel.  I returned to the start line and found carral 20 which is where I needed to start. Steph was in carral 27.  The national anthem was being sung as I was trying to get into place and then before I knew it, the horn blasted and the first carral was let loose.  I'd never actually been to a race where they let each carral out with a separate start so I was suprised when we weren't moving shortly after.  It took about 30 minutes for them to finally get to carral 20 and let us loose.  They had announced that Jake from the first Bachelor was a few carrals ahead of me and Al Roker was also up there somewhere.  After waiting so long at the start, I needed to use the restroom right away but there were no porto-potties to be found until Mile 2.  I was trying hard to take in all of scenery but it was really difficult with a full bladder.  When I finally got to a Porto-Potty, there was a decent sized line.  The way the race was going so far, I didn't want to risk waiting for another one to show up down the road so I stood in line. 

After a quick visit in the John, I was off. The race was looking up from here. I held a steady pace and just took in all of the bands and fans along the course. I enjoyed running through the city and seeing all of the people who came out to watch.  They were giving out a product called Cytomax on the course instead of Gatorade or Powerade and I actually seemed to enjoy it at first.  Gatorade always leaves a gross taste in my mouth and I have to take lots of water along with it but the Cytomax seemed to be a little lighter.  However, I would later find out that my stomach didn't enjoy drinking too much of it.

Around mile 5 or 6, I realized that my face seemed to be beat red.  I was burning up hot.  I also kept getting stuck behind a bunch of people running really slow or walking.  It seemed like I was doing a lot of dodging during this race.

We started to head up to Soldier Field and the specatorship started to dwindle a bit.  There was hardly anyone on the stretch out there and back.  We went through a few dark tunnels and I was bit afraid that I might step onto a sewer plate that I couldn't see or something.  It also seemed to be pretty warm in the tunnels as there wasn't a breeze.  The nice thing about this race is they did provide a misters, ice, and cool wet sponges on the course to keep you cool. 

Mile 11 was the very last water stop.  I was a little shocked when they announced that it would be our last one.  The last few miles are always the hardest!!  Mile 12, indeed, ended up being my hardest mile of the entire 13.1.  I was exhausted and the Cytomax was not sitting too well in my stomach.  I started to get the goosebumps and I felt like I was going to puke.  I walked for a few minutes and then trying to push through.  I started to get frustrated with every spectator who told me that it was "Only a 1/2 mile up" or "Only around the bend" because they all seemed to be telling me that even though they were at least a 1/2 mile apart from one another!!  I ended up needing to walk about in the last 1/4 mile of the race as my body felt like it hit a halt.  Soon, I could actually see the finish line ahead and I started to run (rather slowly) towards the finish.  I made it through, heard my name screamed out from the sidelines and saw Martha and Bill from the NF Endurance Chicago team.  I said hello to them briefly and then continued on to get my medal, an ice cold wet towel, and some post race food. 

I knew that Stephanie would be a little ways behind me but wasn't sure exactly when she might come through because of the carral starts.  I headed back over to where I had gotten my medal and waited for her.  So grateful that our jerseys are bright because there were so many people going through.  I was worried I wouldn't spot her anywhere.  Eventually, Steph came through and said she wasn't doing so hot.  Her quad was killing her.  We both hobbled over to the beer tent and got our 2 free beers but neither of us could really drink more than a cup.  We then headed back to the hotel because we needed to shower and get checked out.

We got all cleaned up and packed up and Steph kept saying she wasn't feeling so great.  We both decided we just needed to get something to eat and then she should be better.  We headed out of our hotel room and over to the elevators.  One elevator came down and it was very full.  The people on the elevator kept trying to get us to go in and then Stephanie just took off and bolted back to the hotel room.  I wasn't sure what was up.  I watched another full elevator go by and then headed back to the room.  Stephanie was in the bathroom and had just puked all over the floor.  She said she never wanted to drink Cytomax again. She said she felt better and then we headed back down to check out and place our luggage in a holding place until our flights out that evening.  We went to eat lunch and Steph still wasn't feeling well so it took her awhile to eat.  We both agreed that we didn't feel like adventuring too much further our into the city as we were sore and tired.  We went back to the hotel and took a nap in the hotel lobby on the couches.  Then, we went to get ice cream and headed off to the airport.  I was so happy to be flying out this time instead of taking that bus!!!

Feeling a little sore today...and my face is a bit burnt.  Overall, I think this race needs to get a few kinks out before we will ever attempt it again.  Mainly being they could have used an extra water stop in the last mile.  They also really need to limit down the number of people they let in or work out their carral system a little better.  I was constantly getting jammed up in this race.

Chip Time: 2:27:14
Gender Place: 1686 / 2980
Age Grade: 44.7%

Lindstrom Loppet 2010

This weekend I went "home" to visit my parents in Lindstrom and attend the annual Karl Oscar Days events.  Saturday morning, I ran the Lindstrom Loppet.  I've been trying to catch up to my PR for this race for years but have yet to do so.  I still didn't catch it this year, but had a great time running.

This year, nobody was running with me.  Usually at least my dad runs with me.  But he said he was out of shape.  Andy had wanted to run this race with me but he had class so he couldn't come.  Dad dropped me off at the registration area early and then went home as the race runs right by the front of my parent's house.

I registered and then looked around for people I knew.  My old boss found me in the crowd and we chatted for a bit.  Then, I left her to go line up--realizing that I didn't have any place to put the Tshirt that they gave me at regisration.  I had to hold on to it until I got to my parent's house just a little past the 1 mile mark.

It was a bit drizzly for this race which was kind of nice because I didn't have to deal with the heat that hit us later that day.   I started out the race pretty good--finishing my first mile in 8:45.  There are a few big hills near the halfway point in this race that I charged up as I'm quite used to hills along my regular training route. 

As I came around to 2nd mile, I could feel my time slipping  a little.  I was starting to get a bit tired but pushed through it.  I came through the finish in 28:47.  This was 83 out of 347 females and 23rd out of 50 people in my age division.  A bit slower than last year's loppet but faster than my previous 5k for this year which was the Run of the Mills.  It appears that I just keep getting slower and slower.  I need to figure out someway to reverse this pattern!

I promise that is mostly rain glistening my skin--although I was pretty sweaty and stinky!

Also ran a 10 miler on Sunday--it went pretty good.  85 degrees at the start of the run but the clouds came out and I started to feel great!

Next Year

Some may say I'm absolutely crazy.  I've already begun to think about next year's races.  Honestly, there is good reason to this.  I put the limit on myself this year that I would not run a full marathon because I needed to dedicate my time and energy to student teaching and finishing up my classes.  So, I'm getting a bit antsy and dreaming a little. 

So far my dreaming has led me to the following races :

-Marine Corps Marathon  (Would LOVE to do this one next year)
-Grandma's Marathon
-Nike Women's Marathon


In other news...

I smacked my knee yet again and have some bruising and tenderness upon movement.  Yes...it should be clear by now that I am clutzy.  I ran a 5 miler yesterday that turned out alright.  A little bit of pain in the knee in the first mile but good after.

I will be running the Lindstrom Loppet this weekend (5k).  I run this race every year but have yet to beat my first year's PR of 26 minutes. I highly doubt I will beat it this year as I am more out of shape than ever.  BUT I hope to at least do better than my time for the Run of the Mills this year.

I'm assuming my little bro has made it down to Fort Sill and will be doing plenty of running of his own.  Perhaps he will run some races with me next summer if he isn't deployed...

Busy Busy Weekend

This weekend I said goodbye to my little brother as he left for basic training for the Army yesterday.  Kind of wierd to think that I won't see him until Christmas.  Kind of makes me sick to my stomach actually.

This weekend was really hot and humid here in Minnesota.  I ran a 4 mile on Saturday in the middle of the day and I felt like I was going to faint.  Not cool.  I had also planned on trying to fit a 10 miler in somewhere but only managed a little over 7 on Monday.  The run felt about like I was running in a rainforest but was definetly needed as I am a little behind in training for Chicago.

Speaking of Chicago.  We will be running in a little less than a month.  I booked my transportation yesterday and am kind of regretting one of my decisions.  I decided to take the Greyhound out there and then fly back.  Well...I should have read the reviews on Greyhound beforehand.  Just reading the reviews makes me extremely nervous.  Have any of you road Greyhound?  Please someone tell me the horror stories aren't true.  I may be just forfitting my 28 bucks and forgoing another method if I don't hear anything better.  I guess people are mugged and harrassed on these buses frequently according to reviews all over the internet.  I mean I can deal with a little discomfort...but you throw in robbery and craziness and I want out.

So so sleepy

Sorry I've been slacking lately.  I started up a summer class right after I finished the Minneapolis Half and I've really been short on time.  I missed two weeks of long runs and finally got a long run in this weekend.  I didn't take my Nike + or Garmin but I'm guessing it was somewhere around 9 miles.  The first part of the run was great--the last 2 miles were horrid.  I ended up with a mean side stitch that was also hurting my clavicle and it wasn't going away.  At one point, I thought it might be my fuel belt since I haven't really worn it this season but it continued to hurt after I took it off.  I haven't really had side stitches in awhle so I was getting really frustrated. 

My energy lately has been zapped.  Every morning I've had to try to keep myself awake on the drive in by singing to myself.  This might be due to the sudden change in running levels because of the class that is taking up all my time.  Thank goodness it is over this week!!

2010 Minneapolis Marathon (Half Marathon) Race Report

The picture is of my cousin, Stephanie and I before the race started.  Steph's longest training run for this half marathon was 5 miles so I was a bit concerned as to whether she would be able to pull through.  It was her first half marathon and she had never run a distance longer than 7 miles in her entire life.

Steph, Andy (my bf), and I left the house around 5:25 AM.  I told Steph the night before that we needed to leave by 5:15 but that didn't quite happen.  Needless to say, we still made it down to the Depot with plenty of time to spare.  As soon as we parked the car, I needed to use the restroom pretty bad.  We made it over to the Depot and I spotted an enormous line for the porto pottie.  Steph and Andy spotted Brian, another NF Endurance Team runner, and chatted with him while I waited in line.

After using the restroom, I joined Steph and the other NF Endurance Team members that were starting to arrive.  We chatted for a bit, took a team photo, and then headed over to the start of the race. I had been battling a cold since Friday and decided to start the race with Steph (who runs about 2 minute/mile slower than me) seeing as I didn't think it was going to be my best race with the nasal congestion.  We agreed on a middle ground and started just before the 11 min/mile pace group.  A few more NF team members showed up in the same pace area and we chatted for a bit before the start of the race.  As soon as the race started, Steph put earplugs in her ears for her Ipod.  I tried to stay back with her for awhile but I found myself consistently pulling ahead.  I finally realized that it wasn't really worth staying back since she was in her own music world anyway.  I eventually just charged ahead as I was having a hard time running at her pace anyway...

It was rather inconvenient, but I had to use the restroom really bad again.  I don't believe we had even made it to the first mile!  There was a row of porto potties with no line and I dived into one of them.  I quickly got back on course and found Steph just ahead of me.  I came up behind her and patted her on the back and she said, "How'd you get back there?"  I told her I stopped for the porto pottie and she waved me on.

The first 5 miles of the race seemed to fly by.  I had no idea what pace I was running at because I didn't bring any of my pacing tools (Garmin or Ipod).  The course was beautiful and I was just taking in all of the scenery.  Right around mile 3, we went over a bridge near Broadway Ave.  This is where I saw Andy's parents standing.  I gave them some quick hi-fives and thanked them for coming out.  Andy's dad said, "Get back out there!"

Somewhere around miles 4-6 the sun decided to come out from behind the clouds.  Steph had convinced me to wear a shirt underneath my NF jersey and I was really starting to regret it.  I was burning up!!  I kept envisioning a maneuver of taking off my shirt while still somehow keeping my jersey on.  It never happened.

The sun finally ducked behind some clouds as we crossed over the Stone Arch Bridge.  This was also an area where lots of spectators were gathered.  I seemed to get renewed energy somewhere around this area.

We went back past the Guthrie and race announcers were shouting "Next time by, you will be finishing".  (We crossed the Guthrie 3 times during this course).  It seemed like there were a few miles of downhill right after we crossed the Guthrie.  Shortly after, we saw the lead motorcycle for the race with the half marathoners coming behind it.  My first thought was, "Oh no, someone was hurt."  Then everyone kept clapping as the lead runner passed us.  I still didn't put two and two together.  It wasn't until the 2nd runner passed that I realized that the lead runners of the half marathoner had already made the turn around on the course and were headed back (there was a turn around at mile 9).

Eventually the downhill went away and it seemed like were climbing uphill for miles and miles.  I think this really only amounted to about 2 miles of uphill but I thought it seemed like forever.  I took a sports bean on one of the uphills to try to keep up my energy.  There were water stops at what seemed liked every half mile or mile and I took in as many as I could while still running the entire way.  I kept telling myself, just make it to mile 9, you saw the lead guys running downhill--it will be a nice downhill run to the finish.  Boy was I wrong on this.

I was so happy when we reached the turn around at mile 9.  We had a few uphills and downhills through here but I had a new thing to focus on.  I was looking for my cousin Stephanie in the crowd that was still coming out.  I saw Brian and high fived him.  Still kept looking for Steph.  About 10-15 minutes passed after I'd made the turn around and finally I saw Steph.   I gave her a quick high five.  She looked like she was in the zone but not quite hurting yet. 

After passing Stephanie, we had a short distance of downhills.  I pushed all of my energy into the downhill to maximize on the advantage.  I thought for sure that the entire rest of the race was downhill.  (This is what you get for not looking at the race elevation map!)  At the end of our glorious gift of downhill which lasted about a mile, we started to head uphill.  The hill was steep and windy but I figured it should be short lived.  I was wrong here.  I pushed through, wanting so badly to walk.  A man on the sidelines was shouting "Only half a mile left...you can do it!"  I felt weak and started to walk a bit.  A woman came up behind me and said, "Don't walk now, you can pull through!"  I started slowly running again.  I saw the 2 hr 20 min pacer pass me.  She was booking it and looking at her watch.  I wondered if she might have been a little off on her pace as she seemed to be really speedy all of a sudden....

I continued to try to run up the hill.  This was the most brutal hill for the end of a race.  People were shouting "Don't let the hill win!  Don't give in!"  I had had enough of that hill.  Eventually I ended up walking for about 10 seconds again before I trudged ahead.  The spectators were shouting "Just around the corner, you'll see the flags!"

"Just around the corner" seemed like forever!!  Eventually I saw the finish line but I had no energy left to do any sort of sprinting.  I passed Andy and my Aunt Ellen cheering me on and waved.  I passed Murray, Kari, and the rest of the NF Endurance Team on the right and gave them a wave.  Then I heard a shout from the left from a coworker who had come to watch some friends.  "Rachel!!!"  I quickly gave her a wave and went into the finish.  The clock read 2 hrs 26 min but I knew that my chip time would be much better because we didn't start the race til a while after the clock.

The food line was pretty far away from the finish line so I circled back to try to find Andy and my aunt.  I never did find them but I did run into my coworker and talked to her briefly.  Murray came over and talked to me as well.  He asked when I would be expecting Steph to come through the finish line and I said I wasn't entirely sure since she hadn't ever run this distance.  She looked okay when I saw her earlier but that was before the massive hill...

Murray returned to the NF Endurance group right across the road and I sat down with Kristia and watched for Steph to come through.  Kristia let me use her phone to call Andy and told him where we were located.  Before long, I heard Murray shouting, "Rachel, she's coming!!"  I looked up and Steph was coming around the bend.  I ran up to meet her and high fived her.  She came through just before the 3 hour mark.  Way to go Steph!

Andy and I tracked Steph down in the finishing chute.  We went down to the food line and rested at a picnic table for a short while.  Overall....a great race and so glad to have taken a part in this race with my cousin!!!

Chip Time: 2 hrs 22 min  (No PR....but still a good time considering the course and the cold I had!)

12 Splendid Miles

This weekend was jam packed and I still managed to get all of my runs in.

Friday, we went to the races in Montevideo. Andy's dad drives a dirt late model and he won both his heat race and his feature!

Saturday, I had a nice short 3 mile run in the morning. It was hot out but I was doing alright. Duke (the dog) was not doing so great and I had to drag him through the last mile or so of this run.

Sunday was the big 12 miler. It had been cloudy and threatening rain all day. The weather man made it look like it was going to rain around noon so I put off my run until later that evening. Well, it didn't start raining until about 6:15 when I finally set out for my run. It wasn't a bad rain though. I actually kind of enjoyed it. Andy was biking alongside me though and he "dreamed of a nice cozy dry place." Anyways, the weather was just perfect for a long run and I didn't hit that nasty wall that I've been hitting on all of my other long runs lately. YAY!

Next weekend...my little brother graduates from high school!! That and my cousin and I will be running the Minneapolis Half Marathon!

Party in the Park

To all Minnesotans (and those who don't mind travelling to Minnesota):

My cousin and I, "Team Highlighters", will be hosting a "Party in the Park" on August 21st at Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley. There will be a photographic scavenger hunt at the start of the event. We are also gathering raffle items and so far have an autograph from Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings!

Cost for meal tickets (no scavenger hunt): $10 adults, $5 children (12 and under)

Cost for scavenger hunt pre-registration (includes meal): $12 adults, $6 children (12 and under)

Get together a team of 2-6 people for the scavenger hunt! Register on Active.com or by emailing me for a registration form. http://www.active.com/community-services/fridley-mn/team-highlighters-scavenger-hunt-2010

All proceeds will benefit the Children's Tumor Foundation to help find a cure for Neurofibromatosis (NF)!

Email me heim0117@gmail.com if you would like to purchase meal tickets or if you have any questions!

Busy Bee

First, let's do some backtracking to last weeks smaller runs. They all went fantastic! I finished every single one of them feeling great!

Then came the weekend. I had a 5 mile and 11 mile run scheduled for the weekend. We were in Kansas City for a graduation and I knew it was going to be difficult to get these done but had faith I would be able to. Well, I never did get the runs done while we were in KC. Saturday was the graduation and I was stranded as my mom drove us to the grad party and I didn't know that it was going to take so long. I figured I would just push to get the 11 miler done when we got back to Minneapolis yesterday. However, Andy (the bf), needed to pick me up when we got to Minneapolis to drive me home as my parents live over an hour from our house. Well, it turns out that he had a graduation to go to in Burnsville during the same time that we were driving in to the city. So, he picked me up in Burnsville and took me to the graduation party. It turns out that I didn't end up having time for an 11 mile run by the time that we got back.

I did, however, manage to get 5 miles done on the treadmill. I was hoping to just try to get the 11 miler done today but now I'm starting to even doubt that. It is really really hot and humid here in Minnesota today. Almost 90 degrees and really humid. And I'm already sunburned from this weekend. But...I NEVER miss long runs so this has me worried. I do have a 12 miler scheduled for next weekend before the half marathon the following weekend. It might even be best to skip it to prepare for those big runs. I guess we'll see whether it gets cool enough this afternoon.

Wake Up

Yesterday my long run consisted of 9 miles. 9 miles that were a little better than last week's 10 miles but still not quite up to par. I was really dragging towards the end again. I felt really light headed once again and like my legs needed to be pulled along. I want my old long runs back--the ones where I didn't feel like passing out at any minute!

This weekend I will be headed down to KC for my cousin's graduation. I have an 11 miler on the schedule. Not sure when I'll be able to get that one done...I may have to rearrange my schedule and do it on Monday.