What a gorgeous day it is today! It's currently about 50 degrees and beautifully sunny. David is helping a friend's dad move some furniture at 10am today, so we headed out a 8am for a nice three mile run. I'm so thrilled that David is enjoying running. It's been great to run with him these past two days and I hope we have many more great runs together in the future.
Yesterday we discussed that he's interested in doing a half marathon some time in the future. We haven't identified a race yet, but you can bet I'll be ready and willing to sign up for it and run it alongside him (if I can keep up with him - he likes to pick up the pace!)
That's all I have to report for now. I hope everyone is having a great Sunday.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Milestone!
Recovery from Bayshore has been really smooth this week. I haven't run a ton, just 2-3 miles a day until today. This morning I went to Stony Creek to meet my friend Vicki. I planned to run six miles and she was planning 12 since she's training for a half later this month.
My beloved boyfriend David decided to come join us. We're running a 5K in Midland next Saturday - his first race - so he wanted to run three miles and make sure he could handle the distance since he's a new runner. I am so freaking proud of him and delighted, because he ran six miles today! We took a couple of short walk breaks but by far the majority of the six was running. He did a great job! I love running with David and I'm really excited about getting to do that more often.
He may be a convert to the delights of the early morning run, too. He felt great after finishing. I always love running first thing in the morning because then I don't care if I'm a lazy bum the rest of the day. I still know I accomplished something good. Now David understands that feeling. :)
My beloved boyfriend David decided to come join us. We're running a 5K in Midland next Saturday - his first race - so he wanted to run three miles and make sure he could handle the distance since he's a new runner. I am so freaking proud of him and delighted, because he ran six miles today! We took a couple of short walk breaks but by far the majority of the six was running. He did a great job! I love running with David and I'm really excited about getting to do that more often.
He may be a convert to the delights of the early morning run, too. He felt great after finishing. I always love running first thing in the morning because then I don't care if I'm a lazy bum the rest of the day. I still know I accomplished something good. Now David understands that feeling. :)
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Bayshore Half Marathon Report
I am proud to announce that I completed the Bayshore Half Marathon this morning in 2:16:51 which was a PR for me. (Previous PR was 2:20:02). Woo hoo! My Garmin battery died before the race started so I was running blind 
and actually that worked out okay.
and actually that worked out okay. The race course was so beautiful! Traverse City is located on a big bay of Lake Michigan and almost the whole course was on roads along the bay. Lovely views, great weather (mid-50s and some sun), awesome houses along the course that I would love to own.
I saw so many people I knew today, which was wonderful. I spent the time before the race hanging out with Sue, who was one of the Team in Training mentors when I trained for Phoenix. She's awesome and she will also be running the Detroit marathon so I know I'll see her a lot while training for that. She was aiming for a 2-hour finish time so I didn't run with her.
I set out alone at the start line, but about 2 miles in I heard someone say my name. It was Tracy, who was the TNT walk coach when I was a member. She is also awesome. She was running with her friend Tammy and I ran the remaining 11 miles of the race with them. That was so great. I wouldn't have gotten through it without them. Tracy was gunning for a 2:15 finish (which she didn't quite get) so I was pushing myself a bit to stay with her. It was soooo nice to have someone to run with, though, that I didn't want to fall back. Tracy and Tammy did pull away from me a bit in the last half mile because they wanted to try to sprint and I didn't have it in me.
With about 2 miles to go, we say Sandy who was my TNT running coach. She ran the last 2 miles with us. Are you seeing a theme here with the TNT people? Great group of folks and it's nice to feel
like part of a running community.
Overall, I had a fabulous time. I've attached a few pictures David captured. The finish line was on the high school track so there was a nice group of people there at the end giving encouragement.
Wheee! I'm so glad I did it. I feel surprisingly good right now. I have a blister on the arch of my left foot but it doesn't hurt so it's all good. David and I spent the day in downtown Traverse City checking out all the cute little shops. And I had some beer and some pie and some pizza and everything else that was delicious. And I have a nice shiny medal and a shiny new PR. :)
I saw so many people I knew today, which was wonderful. I spent the time before the race hanging out with Sue, who was one of the Team in Training mentors when I trained for Phoenix. She's awesome and she will also be running the Detroit marathon so I know I'll see her a lot while training for that. She was aiming for a 2-hour finish time so I didn't run with her.
I set out alone at the start line, but about 2 miles in I heard someone say my name. It was Tracy, who was the TNT walk coach when I was a member. She is also awesome. She was running with her friend Tammy and I ran the remaining 11 miles of the race with them. That was so great. I wouldn't have gotten through it without them. Tracy was gunning for a 2:15 finish (which she didn't quite get) so I was pushing myself a bit to stay with her. It was soooo nice to have someone to run with, though, that I didn't want to fall back. Tracy and Tammy did pull away from me a bit in the last half mile because they wanted to try to sprint and I didn't have it in me.
With about 2 miles to go, we say Sandy who was my TNT running coach. She ran the last 2 miles with us. Are you seeing a theme here with the TNT people? Great group of folks and it's nice to feel
like part of a running community.Overall, I had a fabulous time. I've attached a few pictures David captured. The finish line was on the high school track so there was a nice group of people there at the end giving encouragement.
Wheee! I'm so glad I did it. I feel surprisingly good right now. I have a blister on the arch of my left foot but it doesn't hurt so it's all good. David and I spent the day in downtown Traverse City checking out all the cute little shops. And I had some beer and some pie and some pizza and everything else that was delicious. And I have a nice shiny medal and a shiny new PR. :)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Now the taper really begins
I have the Bayshore half marathon coming up next Saturday. I had a pathetic week of running this week. Between Monday and Friday I think I only logged 8 miles. I know I should be tapering, but come on! That's just ridiculous. I was busy all day Saturday so I didn't run then.
This morning I headed out to the park with Vicki. She had 11 miles scheduled. I was planning to do six. My six ended up a little longer because I needed to sidetrack to a restroom after about four miles. Embarrassing! And then when we got to the end of the loop I felt good so I tacked on another half mile. Ended up at seven total for the day. It felt good. Now I won't run more than three at a time for the rest of the week. Friday will be a day off.
Keep your fingers crossed for good weather in Traverse City next weekend. :)
This morning I headed out to the park with Vicki. She had 11 miles scheduled. I was planning to do six. My six ended up a little longer because I needed to sidetrack to a restroom after about four miles. Embarrassing! And then when we got to the end of the loop I felt good so I tacked on another half mile. Ended up at seven total for the day. It felt good. Now I won't run more than three at a time for the rest of the week. Friday will be a day off.
Keep your fingers crossed for good weather in Traverse City next weekend. :)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Title 9K+ Race Report
On Sunday, May 10 I was in Boulder, CO to run the Title 9K+ race. (Sorry BlackBear, not Bolder Boulder!) Title 9K+ is a 9.9K women's only race sponsored by Title 9K clothing company.
What brought me to the race was a friend named Rachel from an online fitness forum that I belong to. There's a group of a few of us on the forum who are runners and Rachel invited me and another woman, Wendy, to come visit her and run the race. So I flew in on Friday evening, met my friends in person for the first time, and had a wonderful weekend!
On Saturday morning we went for a nice 4-mile run near Rachel's house. SO FREAKING BEAUTIFUL to go for a run with the Rocky Mountains forming the backdrop. Gorgeous! I was concerned about how the high altitude would affect a midwest flat-lander like me, but it turned out to be okay. I felt it, and my heart rate was up a bit, but it was manageable.
After our run, we cleaned up and headed up to Cheyenne to visit the Sierra Trading Post outlet. Wow, what a huge store! I bought a few running shirts, which I totally don't need but who cares, right? And also a cute casual skirt. Wendy and Rachel found even more and better deals than I did. It's probably a good thing I didn't buy more, since I hate checking luggage and my carry-on was already stuffed to the point of bursting.
On Sunday morning, we were up early and off to Boulder for the race! Rachel's husband and kids came with us. (It was Mother's Day, after all!) The race as at the Boulder Reservoir - really lovely there. It had been raining while were en route but fortunately stopped by race time. It was still cold, though. But Wendy (who is from southern California) was wearing shorts while Rachel and I were more bundled up. She's a tough one, that Wendy. :)
Rachel is super fast, so she lined up well ahead of me and Wendy. Wendy is also faster than me, so I was left in the dust pretty early on. I was wearing my jacket from the RNR Arizona half marathon, so that was fun because it caused a couple of women to start conversations with me. The race was mostly along dirt roads. Man, there were a couple of killer hills. But I kept on running. Really the only thing that slowed me down was about half a mile from the end when they had big pieces of chocolate at the aid station. Had to stop for that! Mmmm, chocolate.
The end of the race was a downhill, so I was able to turn on a little speed and feel what Rachel must feel like all the time when she runs! Crossed the finish line and collected my medal, which is actually a pretty necklace with a little pendant that says "Fit to Run" along with the name of the race and the date. Very nice! I haven't done a 10K before so I don't have a good point of comparison, but I was happy enough with my time. Mostly was glad the altitude didn't cause me to gasp for air and pass out. :)
Then we headed into town, did a little shopping, and then Wendy and I headed off to the airport. The weekend was much too short. And the race was a lot of fun, but mostly I enjoyed meeting my friends and hope I get to see them again soon.
What brought me to the race was a friend named Rachel from an online fitness forum that I belong to. There's a group of a few of us on the forum who are runners and Rachel invited me and another woman, Wendy, to come visit her and run the race. So I flew in on Friday evening, met my friends in person for the first time, and had a wonderful weekend!
On Saturday morning we went for a nice 4-mile run near Rachel's house. SO FREAKING BEAUTIFUL to go for a run with the Rocky Mountains forming the backdrop. Gorgeous! I was concerned about how the high altitude would affect a midwest flat-lander like me, but it turned out to be okay. I felt it, and my heart rate was up a bit, but it was manageable.
After our run, we cleaned up and headed up to Cheyenne to visit the Sierra Trading Post outlet. Wow, what a huge store! I bought a few running shirts, which I totally don't need but who cares, right? And also a cute casual skirt. Wendy and Rachel found even more and better deals than I did. It's probably a good thing I didn't buy more, since I hate checking luggage and my carry-on was already stuffed to the point of bursting.
On Sunday morning, we were up early and off to Boulder for the race! Rachel's husband and kids came with us. (It was Mother's Day, after all!) The race as at the Boulder Reservoir - really lovely there. It had been raining while were en route but fortunately stopped by race time. It was still cold, though. But Wendy (who is from southern California) was wearing shorts while Rachel and I were more bundled up. She's a tough one, that Wendy. :)
Rachel is super fast, so she lined up well ahead of me and Wendy. Wendy is also faster than me, so I was left in the dust pretty early on. I was wearing my jacket from the RNR Arizona half marathon, so that was fun because it caused a couple of women to start conversations with me. The race was mostly along dirt roads. Man, there were a couple of killer hills. But I kept on running. Really the only thing that slowed me down was about half a mile from the end when they had big pieces of chocolate at the aid station. Had to stop for that! Mmmm, chocolate.
The end of the race was a downhill, so I was able to turn on a little speed and feel what Rachel must feel like all the time when she runs! Crossed the finish line and collected my medal, which is actually a pretty necklace with a little pendant that says "Fit to Run" along with the name of the race and the date. Very nice! I haven't done a 10K before so I don't have a good point of comparison, but I was happy enough with my time. Mostly was glad the altitude didn't cause me to gasp for air and pass out. :)
Then we headed into town, did a little shopping, and then Wendy and I headed off to the airport. The weekend was much too short. And the race was a lot of fun, but mostly I enjoyed meeting my friends and hope I get to see them again soon.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Rounding out the week
I'm so lazy about blogging lately. But I've still been running!
Last Saturday afternoon after the trail race, David and I went to Stony Creek to hike on the nature trails. We managed to get caught in a rainstorm and I twisted my ankle in my rush to get back to the car. How nice that I can actually fall during a trail race without injury, yet I can't do a simple nature hike without hurting myself! My ankle was a bit sore for a few days, but nothing too bad. Certainly not enough to keep me from running.
On Sunday, we headed out to the bike/walk path at Stony Creek to do David's "couch to 5k" training plan. After we did that (about 2 miles), I was going to run out the rest of the 6-mile loop and David was going to walk it. When I got to the 5.5 mile mark, it started raining. Then it started raining pretty hard. So I was fairly well drenched by the time I got back to the car and called David to let him know I'd come pick him up. Unfortunately, the road set-up wasn't too cooperative so I had to do some goofy backtracking to get to David and he was soaked. Ugh, I felt bad about that.
Monday morning I got up early and did a lovely 5-mile run around David's neighborhood. I'm so happy that it's getting light out earlier now so I don't get all creeped out by early morning runs outside. It's nice to get away from the treadmill.
But speaking of the treadmill, on Tuesday and Wednesday it was back on the ol' belt of boredom to get my runs in because it was rainy and I'm a wimp! I took Thursday and Friday entirely off from any kind of exercise because I was feeling tired and my legs were a little dead. And frankly, I'm lazy so really that's my main reason for taking days off.
Today I met Sue, a former Team in Training mentor, to do a long run in Oxford. My regular running buddy Vicki is in Cincinnati this weekend for the Flying Pig half marathon and Sue was kind enough to invite me to run with her group of friends who usually meet on the weekends. Sue needed to get a good long run in, too, because she's also running the Bayshore half in a few weeks and her friends usually don't go more than 5 miles.
So Sue and I intended to get 12 in, but the route she chose ended up with us back at our cars after 11 1/4. We called it close enough because my legs were pretty sore anyway. But in a little while, David and I will hit the streets for his couch to 5k training so that will get me a couple of more miles, anyway. Then we're off to the Green Street Fair in Plymouth to walk around and then we'll probably hike at Maybury State Park. Gotta take advantage of the good weather and spend some time outside! Hoping not to get caught in a rainstorm this weekend. :)
Last Saturday afternoon after the trail race, David and I went to Stony Creek to hike on the nature trails. We managed to get caught in a rainstorm and I twisted my ankle in my rush to get back to the car. How nice that I can actually fall during a trail race without injury, yet I can't do a simple nature hike without hurting myself! My ankle was a bit sore for a few days, but nothing too bad. Certainly not enough to keep me from running.
On Sunday, we headed out to the bike/walk path at Stony Creek to do David's "couch to 5k" training plan. After we did that (about 2 miles), I was going to run out the rest of the 6-mile loop and David was going to walk it. When I got to the 5.5 mile mark, it started raining. Then it started raining pretty hard. So I was fairly well drenched by the time I got back to the car and called David to let him know I'd come pick him up. Unfortunately, the road set-up wasn't too cooperative so I had to do some goofy backtracking to get to David and he was soaked. Ugh, I felt bad about that.
Monday morning I got up early and did a lovely 5-mile run around David's neighborhood. I'm so happy that it's getting light out earlier now so I don't get all creeped out by early morning runs outside. It's nice to get away from the treadmill.
But speaking of the treadmill, on Tuesday and Wednesday it was back on the ol' belt of boredom to get my runs in because it was rainy and I'm a wimp! I took Thursday and Friday entirely off from any kind of exercise because I was feeling tired and my legs were a little dead. And frankly, I'm lazy so really that's my main reason for taking days off.
Today I met Sue, a former Team in Training mentor, to do a long run in Oxford. My regular running buddy Vicki is in Cincinnati this weekend for the Flying Pig half marathon and Sue was kind enough to invite me to run with her group of friends who usually meet on the weekends. Sue needed to get a good long run in, too, because she's also running the Bayshore half in a few weeks and her friends usually don't go more than 5 miles.
So Sue and I intended to get 12 in, but the route she chose ended up with us back at our cars after 11 1/4. We called it close enough because my legs were pretty sore anyway. But in a little while, David and I will hit the streets for his couch to 5k training so that will get me a couple of more miles, anyway. Then we're off to the Green Street Fair in Plymouth to walk around and then we'll probably hike at Maybury State Park. Gotta take advantage of the good weather and spend some time outside! Hoping not to get caught in a rainstorm this weekend. :)
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