In the Words of Ice Cube: Today Was A Good Day

The spoiler in case you don't wish to read any further: I finished 2nd overall woman today at the Scholtzky's Bun Run 10k in Austin! This was not expected, so I am over the moon excited, which is a much better feeling than mine of late which leaned more towards 'I hate you running.' To be noted: there was also a 5k with this race, which spread out the fast women, making it easier for me to place higher. Otherwise, it may have been a different story. But, what I am proud most of is not how I placed, but how I ran this race: smart and I didn't allow my mental game to turn negative. I went from 5th woman at the turnaround point (1/2 way) and patiently moved my way up the 2nd.

To be honest, I signed up for yesterday's Red Poppy Ride and today's 10k waaaay back when I was healthy and loving running big time. Come Friday afternoon, I wasn't too excited about my weekend plans of biking and running. Especially since our town's big Red Poppy Festival was this weekend and friends were doing happy hour Friday and tailgating for the Cory Morrow concert in town on Saturday night. A cold beer and live music sounded a lot more appealing than riding my bike and running in wind, heat and humidity. But, entry fees paid, I sucked it up and spent Friday night watching Footloose with my dogs, followed by encore movie night on Saturday night (this time Blindside), again with the dogs (this really makes me sound like a loser - maybe I am).

Saturday was the Red Poppy Ride. I have not been on my bike much and high winds were in the forecast so I wasn't thrilled about getting on my bike. I ended up running into my friend Dorothy at the start of the ride, which was a godsend, and we rode the 50-mile route together. The winds were like 20+ MPH out of the South and a real bitch. And, Dorothy is a bad ass on the bike, so I had to pedal my little heart out to keep up. But, we made it through, and I was happy to get the saddle time in. No open water swim yesterday as planned (too windy and dangerous for me), so I hopped in the pool for an easy 1600 yards after the ride before relaxing the rest of the afternoon on the couch.

Sunday was a 4:45 AM wake up call to head to Austin for the 10k. I was running this race without expectations. For those that know me and my type A anal ways well, an illustration of my laissez fare attitude for this race is that I didn't pick up my race packet until race morning. Normal for most, not for me. I NEVER wait until race day to pick up my packet and would usually drive many miles to have the race packet in hand pre-race. Anyway, got down to the start at 6 am, picked up my packet, ate my breakfast and headed out for my normal 20 min pre-race warm-up. It was already ridiculously humid, windy and warm and my warm-up miles were at a struggling 9 min pace. My goal was to just run the pace by feel and hope to keep my average between 7-7:05 min miles. I haven't done any speed work in 3+ weeks, so if I could hang there it would be a major win in my book.

I lined up at the start - further back than I usually do because there's nothing like getting passed by the masses to put you in a foul mood. The gun went off and I just ran. Miles 1-2, my legs were tight. I could count the women ahead of me, and I was sitting in 6th after Mile 1. I fully expected to get passed by more women so just stayed steady and run my OWN race. Around Mile 2, I had moved to 5th woman. At this point we headed up a hill towards Lake Austin Blvd where I slowed, but was still able to gain some momentum as it seemed everyone else was slowing as well. The air was really thick, and I could tell by their labored breathing that some people had started out too fast and the humidity/hill combo was getting to them.

The course was an out and back, so at the turn around (3.1 miles) I could see I was 5th woman but closing in on the 4th woman in front of me. That's the point for me where it went from a "fun run" to a "race." My legs were loosening up, and I was feeling pretty darn good. I passed Woman #4 just after the turn around. She was fading, and I knew she wouldn't stay with me. I got Woman #3 shortly after. She hung with me (or I hung with her) and we caught Woman #2 at Mile 4. I ran neck to neck with her (Originally woman #3 - very nice woman named Cindy) until Mile 5, and then pulled ahead of her. Not by much. We could see Woman #1 ahead, so I tried to give it all I had to close that gap.

When we turned down Congress Avenue Bridge, headed towards the  mile mark, I saw that I had enough lead to hold 2nd. Then MY NUMBER BLEW OFF. Thankfully, I grabbed it  - it had my timing chip on it, so otherwise I could have been SOL. I unsuccessfully tried to pin it back on, all while trying to gun it to the finish. At Mile 6, I gave up with the re-attachment and just held it to my chest while running towards the finish line. I'll be damned if I was going to lose my number and not get my second place counted!!

I was SO excited that I asked the first person I saw to take my picture. It was a homeless guy. He was very nice, and I gave him my banana and 2 bags of Scholtzky's chips.

Official results have still not been posted - not acceptable timing company - but here's what my Garmin said:

7:02 pace at the half way point; 6:52 at the finish. Well executed for once:)

While still nowhere near a PR, I'll take it. Times were slower for everyone due to the weather, and I feel like this race was stronger for me than the 10k a few weeks ago. And, while i know I lucked out with the field to finish 2nd, I will take my small victories where I can get them. My race today gave me the confidence that I CAN still run fast, hard and strong - whatever that may be for me right now.

One thing I've slowly learned through all of this is what people have been telling me for years (I'm a slow learner): sometimes LESS is more. I dialed way back on my mileage this week - focusing mostly on biking/swimming. My longest run this week was 7 miles and all runs were done hovering over 8:30 pace.

I couldn't stick around for the awards ceremony. It wasn't until 10 AM and I had hungry hounds awaiting me at home. But, they will mail my award. And, I will hang that one proudly. It's funny - awards mean that much more to me know then they did when I was running a lot faster.

Happy Sunday.

(I was really pumped to run into some friends this morning that I didn't expect to see! Middalia, Cristen, Mike & Sonny! And, Rain, who I know was going to be there, but deserves a shot out for kicking butt in the 5k with her dog! Good work guys!)

On Tap For this Weekend...

Anyone else glad that it's Friday? I am. Apparently I look tired. Walked in the door to work this morning and my co-worker says: "You look really tired." Is that a nice way of telling me I look like shit? Well, he's right, I am tired. Just didn't realize I look it. Mental note: maybe take time to put on some make-up for work.

Anyway, on tap for this weekend:
Saturday - Red Poppy Ride. This weekend is our town's annual Red Poppy Festival, and there is a recreational

ride that kicks off the festival tomorrow morning. Since it literally starts down the road from my house and I am in need of some outdoor saddle time, I signed up. Originally I had big plans to ride the 64 mile route, but I am definitely a fair weather rider and with high winds forecasted for tomorrow, I will likely stick to the 45 mile route.

I also have big plans for my first open water swim of the year tomorrow afternoon, but if it's super windy will I probably move it indoors due to the chop of the water at the lake.

Sunday - Scholtzky's Bun Run 10k. I signed up for this race awhile ago likely intending it to be more of a "race" then it actually will be for me. This is one of Austin's largest races, so I am just going to show up, blend into the crowd and run pressure free. I really don't have any goals other than to eat lots of free Scholtzsky's food at the end.

That's my weekend. Happy training to everyone!

It's Probably None of My Business but...

Warning: this post has nothing to do with running, but instead talks about my one of my other loves: dogs. Not my dogs. But a very sad looking dog that I have become very intrigued by.

Back story: Most of my morning running routes are some variation of a larger route that encompasses downtown. Most days, this route takes me down a certain street in our downtown area. Our downtown area is interesting: it's an older historic town and the houses are a mixture of really nice homes mixed in with some really crappy ones. I run at dark-thirty, but one morning thanks to the light of a full moon, I noticed a very sad and very gaunt/sickly looking dog sitting in the corner by the fence in one of the not-so-nice looking houses on a street I run often. I was imediately struck by how gaunt and sick it looked. It didn't bark - didn't make a peep - just stared at me sadly. I didn't stop and pet it - being dark and a shady looking house, I didn't feel comfortable approaching it. But, I made a habit over the next few weeks to check for the dog on my morning runs - and, every morning it was there, in the same spot.

I started to drive by every once in awhile during the work day to see if perhaps the dog was ever let inside...and, no fail, every time I drive by it's sitting sadly, staring out of the fence IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT.

I expressed my concerns to Dan. I was worried that it's not fed properly (or at all?). I worry that it's not getting water. Don't laugh, but I asked him if there was something similar to Child Protective Services for animals that I could call. Will the shelter check into something like that? To be fair, I don't know the dogs story. I don't know who the owners are. Maybe the owners take care of it? Maybe it has some sort of disease that is making him/her look so ill? What I do know is no matter what time of day, hot or cold, rain or shine, that dog is sitting out back, in the same spot, staring out of the fence. It breaks my heart.

I thought about bringing him/her treats. A meal maybe. A dog toy. Just slipping something through the fence. But, I haven't. It's not my dog, and I know if anyone messed with my dogs I would be pissed.

I also know the way I treat my dogs (they pretty much live better than I do) is not the way everyone treats their dogs.

This afternoon I was heading back to the office from a meeting and drove by the house...slowed my car to check...and the dog is sitting in his/her usual spot. It's 93 degrees out. I wish you could see this dog, because it truly is the saddest sight ever.

What would you do? Just mind your own business? Bring the dog treats? Call the Animal Shelter? Is there even anything I can do?

Honesty

2012 has been a very tough year for me in regards to running. 2011 was one of my best - if not the best - running years for me, so needless to say, I've really struggled a lot with my running. With many things actually. Mostly where I was running then, compared to with my running is now. I know my fault comes with putting my all eggs into running - letting it define who I am - but I don't know any other way. I understand the fault in this, but if I'm honest, it's affected me.

I recently read a book that has helped me deal with my *shortcomings*. And I put shortcomings in quotes, because I know my supposed problems are really not problems at all in the big picture - but, in my world, they are.

I ordered Amanda Beard's book "In the Water they Can't See you Cry" and finished it in 2 days. In her book, Amanda tells a story of how life as a premiere athlete isn’t all glitz and glamor and an easy road. The sacrifices made to practice and compete at that level combined with insecurity, low self-esteem and the deep rooted thought that she wasn’t worthy of success caused Amanda to find comfort first in bulimia, drug and alcohol abuse and to the extreme of cutting herself to make the pain she felt in her head go away with the physical pain she was inflicting on herself. I truly enjoyed about this book was how raw and honest Amanda was about her thoughts and feelings during those dark times. She was easy for me to identify with and the telling of her story made me want to root for her, her success, and her happiness. The story is honest and heart-felt and a truly inspirational read.

I think it is amazing that in our society, we all struggle with feeling adequate and able to receive love, no matter who we are.

Unlike Beard, my story isn’t one of prodigy, recreational drugs, depression, and Olympic medals. My recent tears are probably something most of us go through: feelings of doubt and frustration as we battle injury. I try to keep it together as much as possible but the truth is I get sad and frustrated and have a hard time dealing with the reality that is my injury.

Amanda Beard is a seven-time Olympic medalist. I am not in any way comparing myself to her, or saying I can relate in any way to the struggles of an Olympic athlete. Not at all. But, I can relate to her struggle in my own way as an injured athlete who wishes they could be better and feels like they are letting people down.

There are portions of the book that I have dog eared and read and re-read. The one that sticks to mind is after her first Olympics at age 14, her body's changes made her slower in the water and she lost races, generating whispers on the pool deck and the horrible feeling that she was letting people down. Her one-time safety zone was falling apart.

During this period she was at a meet in Long Beach. A girl came up to her and told her how great she was. Her response was: "I'm not that awesome anymore." To which the girl replied, "Oh please. You're going to win this easy."

Amanda wrote: "Even though the girl was trying to be nice, I wanted to tell her to shut up. While I struggled with most basic elements of my sport, everyone continued to assume I would always win the race. Swim meet after swim meet, I would always let everyone down. I was nowhere close to my normal times, easily adding 4-5 seconds to my 100-meter breaststroke, and by no means any longer a winner."

I've struggled with this in my own way. I live in a small town, and at the local 10k (week prior to Boston), I got asked the same question more than once:, "Are you going to win this thing?" And, while I appreciate their support and vote of confidence, it made me put a lot of pressure on myself.

Conversely, I've dealt with the same thing post-Boston. The question: "What HAPPENED to you?" A 3:55 marathon? Something must have gone wrong. While I would love to blame it on the heat, the truth is: It was the best I could do. If that makes you think less of me, then so be it.

Anyway, this post has been quite rambling. Bottom line: I recommend this book. I was not asked to review this book, nor was I provided or ever contacted regarding this book. This is just my simple and humble recommendation. What an inspiring story for women of all ages that have experienced the battles of pressure in order to be "perfect". In our society it is inevitable that a female will face at least one of these issues. This book shows the courage Amanda had to share her story and exhibit so overcame these issues and transformed into the individual that she is today. Truly a positive influence that change is possible.

Nothing to see here....

Lazy weekend.

These two words rarely describe my weekends, but they do in fact describe this weekend quite well. I didn't have any set plans for workouts this weekend - thinking I would get to the pool, or get on my bike, but neither happened.

By the time Friday rolled around I was exhausted. I was so tired at work Thursday and Friday that my head was literally pounding. Our Boston trip - from waking up at 2:45 to catch a flight, running a marathon and walking all over the City - wore me out. I didn't sleep well once we returned home from the trip for some reason, and so by Friday I was ready for a weekend without any looming workouts. It was actually very refreshing. I'm so used to following a schedule and always training for something, that it's nice step back from my normal weekend routine every once in awhile. And, coming off of Boston, it's just what I needed.

I'm trying to make my Boston recovery a smart one. My leg/hip/glute issue is still nagging, and I'd rather not have it hang around for the summer.

So, for the next two weeks I am keeping my running mileage low. Like under 30 miles per week low. Yeah. For a mileage monster like myself, it's like barely running. In fact, out of all of my morning workouts scheduled for this week, not one of them involves running. I'll be in the pool and hitting up some spin classes. While normally I would be less than thrilled by missing pre-dawn runs, I'm actually excited to cross train. This injury has made running more of a stressful chore for me, and I'm a bit burned out. I'll fight through this and stay positive because that's all I can do.

I'll leave you with some pictures from our trip to the park with the hounds. Because everyone should love pictures of hound dogs :)

Impossible to get them to smile for the camera

Yes, we take our dogs to the playground. And, yes, they go down the slide...

Boston Marathon Race Recap

I don't even know where to begin here. What a day it was. My in-real-life friend, Joe, summed up the race HERE a lot more eloquently than I will (and, if you don't read his blog already, you should).

I made the decision before we left for Boston that I was going to move forward with running the race. I was nervous about my leg/hip issues, but I was going into the race without any expectations and without any pressure on myself. Just enjoy the day, I told myself.

Pre-race

I heard a lot of people talking about the possible weather issues, but to be honest I blew them off. I was more worried about my leg and had a somewhat laissez-fare "I'm from Texas I can handle the heat" attitude. That attitude would later piss in my face.

The headlines in the paper Tuesday morning

The BAA sent out a chain of emails regarding weather forecasts predicted in to be in the upper 80's - with a race day high of 90 degrees - and advised people to really think through their decision to run the race if they didn't feel like they were adequately prepared. They offered a deferment option for next year - although, you still had to pay next year's registration fee and were not refunded this year's entry, so that wasn't really an option for me. And, to be honest, I still wasn't (literally) sweating the weather yet. I've run in plenty of hot marathons. Unfortunately, what I failed to realize is that the handful of hot marathons I have run began at 7 AM, so by the time it got in the 80's, we only had about 10K left. Plus, while I train similar type weather, there is a reason I run BEFORE the sun comes out - because running in the sun blasting full force is downright brutal.

Unfortunately, the Boston Marathon began at 10 AM. It was forecasted to be in the upper 80's by Noon. We didn't run a single mile while temps were in the 70's. I got up at 5 AM to catch the runner's bus to Athlete's Village. I got there shortly after 7 AM and sat for almost three hours in the sun feeling temps rise before the race began. We were sweating before the race even began. I knew I was in for a long day.

I ran into my friend Mike from Austin in my corral. He, too, is coming back from an injury was looking to run around a 3:45-3:50. We decided to run together. I was without Garmin and he was just wearing a stop watch, so we planned to run solely by feel. The first 10k I remember being enjoyable. We were chatting away, keeping it easy and enjoying the day. At Mile 7, my leg started to hurt (flashback Phoenix Marathon). I told Mike what was going on, and encouraged him to do his thing and not worry about me. We spent the rest of the race going back and forth running with each other, but barely speaking a word, trying to conserve all the energy we could. We ended up finishing within seconds of each other, and I appreciate his mere presence because it kept me going.

Lucky (or unlucky) for me, I had something else to occupy my mind other than my leg: the heat. To be honest, most of the time I couldn't tell which one was beating me down - my leg or the heat. I just felt like crap and couldn't determine which one was the cause. Every step just required so much effort. I was running through every sprinkler, hose, spot of shade I could find, and I was taking ice from spectators and shoving it down my sports bra. I did things I've never done before in a race: took popsicles from the crowd, twizzlers from little kids, a box of raisins from someone - I was trying everything I could to feel better in hopes of a second wind. I didn't have much luck.

I can't remember the point in which I started to add walking breaks into my race plan. I think it was around Mile 15. I was comforted in the fact that I wasn't the only one doing so. I told Dan this race actually reminded me of the final miles of an Ironman: a slow death march to the finish. There were people walking. There were people pulled over to the side of the road vomiting. The med tents were full. Several ambulances with sirens blaring were trolling the streets. It was a sad sight.

I had no idea what my pace was, or where I was time-wise. I really didn't care. I just wanted to make it to the finish line. I credit the people of Boston for helping me get there. Seriously, the City of Boston - the spectators, race officials, volunteers were all AMAZING. They made this race. My favorite part had to be the crazy kids at Boston College at Mile 21. I was high fiving them all, trying to draw strength from their contagious energy.

Eventually, I made my way to the finish line. I found out my time was 3:55:52. I took my medal proudly. It was a badge of honor. I would later found out we made history: In all of the 116 years of the Boston Marathon, that day was the hottest it had ever been for the race. It was hotter in Boston this weekend then it was in Texas. Unreal.

I was about 10 shades darker post race than pre-race :)

Do I regret the decision to run? No. I am not going to lie and say there weren't points in the race when I was cursing myself for being stupid enough to toe the starting line. But, the Boston experience is something that cannot be truly understood until you've been there. It's that special.

The funny thing? My legs actually feel better today than they have in a long time. That's karma for you.

All in all, we had fantastic trip. I am sitting at work today fondly thinking of Boston and looking forward to my next attempt at the Boston Marathon sometime in the future.

Boston

3:55 and some change. That was the time it took me to cross the finish line of my 18th marathon - the Boston Marathon. And, while it may not seem like an impressive time, it is one of my marathons that I am most proud of.

Some may wonder if I am disappointed with my time. I'm not. I didn't need to run a certain time to succeed on Monday. I wanted to do my best but I had some perspective. I was excited purely to be a part of the race.

I wish I could say my Boston time was just a walk in the park. An easy day for me. It wasn't. I had to fight for every single step out there. I battled leg pain, I battled the intense heat. I battled mental demons, I battled the urge to quit.

I did whatever I could to keep one foot moving in front of the other. I did my very best.

Boston is in the books.

Boston: I'm In

I'm running Boston. I needed to make a decision and go with it, because waffling back and forth was driving me insane. So, I'm in.

Our journey begins at the ripe hour of 2:45 AM tomorrow morning (DAMN YOU UNITED) as we'll take off  by 3:15 AM to catch our 5:20 AM flight and arrive in Boston around Noon EST.

If you're bored at work on Monday, you can track me on-line HERE. My bib # is 6,091 and my start time is 10 AM EST (although I may move myself back to Wave #2 which starts at 10:20 AM). I hope to run, walk, crawl or roll through the finish line in around 3:45-3:50. I won't be wearing a watch, so I'll be running at whatever pace my legs dictate, which I am guessing will be around 8:30's.

If you see me out there, say hello or tell me to pick it up, or whatever. I won't be wearing my planned Boston outfit. Considering it's supposed to be in the 80's on Monday, I don't think I'll need the arm warmers and leg warmers (bummer because they were festive). Instead, I'll be wearing a black tank top, these shorts and something sparkly in my hair. Unless I change my mind again. Which is possible.

Good luck to everyone running!

To Run Boston or Not to Run?

That seems to be the question this week that is causing me much anxiety and restless sleep.

The answer: I don't know.

My insecure answer invites people to log an opinion and everyone has one. My brain takes it all in. It’s what I do. I try to process all the messages.

Will I do Boston? Will I do Boston? The question rides along with me on what seem like endless hours every day at work.

I am tired of listening only to myself. Driven me (Yes–I’m going! Even if I am toeing the line with this hip/butt/leg issue– pain be damned!), Wife me (Time to just let it go totally and focus fully on just enjoying the vacation with my husband), Recreational running me (Sure! Who cares about my time–run it for fun), Competitive Running me (I’d love to run at least sub-3:20).

I am tired of my own voice. Its constancy starts to become stressful. I so get the overuse injury–over and over and over again relentlessly. Talking about it, thinking about it over and over. Has running become this much of my thought life?  I hadn’t realized the extent of the overuse.

Here's what's going on with my entire left side of my body. Same as before, it's a nerve issue, not a muscle issue. I get the radiating sensation down my left leg (sciatica). Though it's not what I would call pain, it more feels tight and like something is just whacked out. It's uncomfortable and my legs feel like lead. Yesterday I ran 4 miles and it felt like 20. And, that's after 2 days off from running. So, today I am doing nothing at all, will try and test run again tomorrow then rest on Saturday & Sunday and maybe I can run Monday?

After doing a lot of reading on sciatica, the nerve irritation gets triggered by two things: extended stride when doing speed work and running hills. Which made sense. I over extended doing a speed workout. Then Saturday's race was hilly, so running fast up hills really pissed off my nerve.

There are 4 days left until the Boston Marathon. I would like to do everything in my power to preserve my pride and my $130+ by completing the damn thing. But, as I said before, I will not toe the line if I am not 100% confident that I can complete the entire race. I have come to accept the fact that if I run, it will not be at the speed I would like to be running. Probably one of my slowest marathons ever. I have already decided I will not wear my Garmin or any sort of watch, so I will not be tempted to get caught up in my pace. Most people know how competitive I am, and that I don't run marathons for fun - I run them to race them. But, I am finally accepting that will not be the case on Monday. I can only do what I can do.

To be honest, I've had a pretty shitty week to the point of a mental breakdown last night. All over a stupid marathon. I woke up this morning and found some perspective. The cliche “Don’t sweat the small stuff” is tiresome, but really, don’t sweat the small stuff. Because there are always bigger things.Scarier things. It could always be worse. When you put it in perspective, missing another race isn’t so serious. Neither is my leg issue. Or a wasted entry fee. Or my 5:20 AM flight. Or any other mundane, bullshit thing I want to complain about.

WOMP Womp womp

So, here's the good news: I won a 10k this weekend (first female).

And, here's the bad news: My leg hurts. I don't know if I am going to be able to run Boston.

REWIND: Tuesday at run group we did a Mona Fartlek workout on the intramural fields. The last 15 seconds of the workout was a 15 second all out sprint. I hurt myself on the LAST 15 seconds of this workout - mother effer - I picked up the pace the last 15 SECONDS, STEPPED IN AN UNEVEN SPOT ON THE GRASS, OVER-EXTENDED AND PULLED A MUSCLE.

Here's the truth: It hurt like a mother, and I spent the rest of the week in denial that I was injured.

Obviously, it was not the best idea to run the 10k on Saturday. But, damn - I am stubborn, and I am f'in tired of being injured.

I did not run much this week  - like barely 30 miles. I should have felt great for the race on Saturday. I felt horrible. I ran horrible. I won the race (first female), but I ran horrible. I'm not happy. My leg hurt the entire time. Dan said he could tell my stride was was way off when he saw me finish. Damn. Damn. DAMN.

I don't know if I am going to run Boston. We will be going to Boston - plane tickets and hotel is paid for - but I may be going to Boston and cheering/drinking Guinness rather than running. I am going to have to play it by ear. The problem: my leg hurts doing nothing. Just sitting? It hurts. Not good.

But, as I told Dan, I will NOT be running if there is any way I think I will step off the course. Any chance of me not finishing equals me not starting. I won't do that.

This all sucks. I'm trying to be positive. I can use the vacation. I can use the time with Dan. I like Guinness! But, damn - to miss out on ANOTHER RACE that sucks.

We will see.

Race Pics:

Boston: See Me Coming

I typically don't do "costumes" for races. While I admit that I do match my running attire for races, I usually don't wear anything outlandish. The Boston marathon is a little different, however. When I ran Boston back in 2009, I was on a mission to find an outfit that would make me stand out (and easy to spot by my family) without wearing something that was difficult to run in.

This is what I came up with:

Hearts! I also have a the matching sports bra :)

The outfit made me easy to spot and elicited quite a few comments ranging from "I Love Your Shorts" to "Are you wearing boxer shorts?".

So, I've been on a mission to find another "unique" outfit for this year's race. It's Boston. I want to have fun with it. And, if I don't run well, at least I'll have on a cute outfit for race pictures (ha!).

Here's what I've got - weather permitting that it will work - it's functional and funkadelic :)

Red sparkles for my hair!

Muti-colored sports bra

Red Arm Warmers

Sparkly Black Shorts (This is not me, by the way).

I Love To Run Leg Warmers!

So, if you're running Boston, and see someone decked out in this outfit, it's me - say hello :)

What the ?... Wednesday

Not cool, United. Not cool. I got this email letting me know my flight to Boston has changed. To a 5:25 AM departure. We are about 50 minutes from the airport, so this means a middle of the night wake up call? Two days before the marathon. And, I can't sleep on planes. Or take naps (seriously). Mother effer.

This is why I prefer to fly Southwest.

Another what the ? Wednesday. I haven't had Mexican food in at least a month. Maybe longer? I can't remember the last time I had Mexican food. If you know me, you know this is highly unlike me. We tend to eat Mexican food a minimum of 1-2 times per week. There is never a shortage of good Mexican food living in Texas. Dan and I had a dinner date night last Friday, and I would usually 9-times-out-of-10 choose Mexican food for our dinner destination, especially on a Friday. This time, I chose Which Wich (like Subway, only better). Someone was not happy (Dan). I've actually stopped eating out pretty much at all. No wonder my pants are fitting better.

Here's a video story link to our Egg Drop last Saturday. For the most part, the hate mail has ceased. We ended up going out and buying a ton of extra candy, and we are giving away candy at our facilities this week for children who did not receive any eggs or candy at the event, or who didn't make it to the event. For the most part, people seem to appreciate it, expect for the one lady who informed me that handing candy out after the event does not make up for the let down of the kids. I'm never going to please everyone.
Video story at link:

http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/283983/world-war-ii-bomber-drops--egg-cellent--surprise

Happy Wednesday!

Week in Review

It's been a very trying weekend, so here's the quick and dirty of my training last week (which went really well, even though the actual work week didn't):

Monday: (Lunch): Some active recovery in the pool. Took a rest day from running after racing back-to-back, and swam 2,600 yards instead. (PM) 45 minutes of sweaty core work.

Tuesday: (AM) Run Group, 8.11 miles. I was still a little sore from racing, so I wasn't sure how this workout was going to go. We did 1x1600, 1x1200, 2x800 and 2x400 - kept all close to 6:30-6:40 pace, so I was happy with that. (Lunch) 35 min spinning on bike trainer

Wednesday: (AM) 10.11 miles easy @8:36 pace; (Lunch): 2,450 yd swim; (PM) 30 min core work.


Thursday: (AM) Run Group, 8.37 miles. We did a hill ladder workout - it doesn't sound fun, but it's actually one of my favorite workouts. (Lunch) 30 min core work.

Friday: (AM) Long Run, 20.11 miles @8:31 pace. (Lunch) 2,100 yd swim.

Saturday: (AM) 7.22 easy recovery miles @ 8:36 pace. The day went downhill from there with the Easter Egg Hunt which, according to all of the hate mail I am getting from parents, was an "epic fail." We usually have around 800 kids at our egg hunt, but this year we changed the concept and dropped the eggs from a plane for the kids to hunt. We anticipated we may get 5,000 kids with this change in concept and WE HAD 10,000 PEOPLE THERE. 10,000! 800 to 10,000. So, needless to say, we did not have enough candy, nor could we even come close to accommodating that many people at our venue, so a lot of kids did not get any eggs. This caused people send me hate mail, slam us on Facebook, tell me I suck and that I've ruined Easter for their children. It's all very lovely, especially since it's a free event in the first place. Anyway, I digress.


Sunday: Bike 42 miles (Austin Ride for Autism)/Run 5k @7:47 pace. This was my first outdoor ride of the year. I almost didn't go - I was so mentally drained from yesterday that I just felt like sleeping - but, I had already paid money to ride, so I went. I am SO glad I did. It was a beautiful ride through the country and just what I needed to clear my head. I ran a 5k strong off the bike and finished the morning feeling much better.

First outdoor ride of the year!

Total Miles:
Running: 57.13
Swimming: 7,150 yds/3 swims
Biking: 42 miles + one trainer ride
Core: 1 hr 45 min/3 workouts