Run for Mercy 2011

What a beautiful day for a race!!  I'm so proud of my daughter for placing 1st in her age group with the amazing time of 25:02 (that's an 8:04 pace)!!  And, big kudos to my husband for a great 1st 5K!  I'm so prould of both of them!  For the full story click HERE. 

1st Time!

Last night, my husband and oldest daughter decided it was time to start training for a 5K that is scheduled for the end of the month.  They are a little late to begin their training, but hey, they're training!  My middle daughter wanted to ride her bike with them and my husband suggested to her that she run with them.  I can't believe she said yes!  There is just something special about seeing your kids participate in things you love to do.  Plus, it's good for them, too.  As Charlie Sheen would say, WINNING!

Jo's total run was just over 1 mile!  Yes, there were a couple walk breaks, but hey, she's not even 7 years old, cut her some slack! :)  When I saw her coming up the street, I got up and started cheering and clapping for her.  This seemed to give her a boost because she sprinted to the finish leaving daddy in the dust!  So proud!  Now the hard part?....getting her to do it again. ;)

44 Miles, 6 Friends, 1 Tutu...and a whole lotta FUN!

The Brew-to-Brew race was, hands down, the funnest race I've ever been a part of.  Despite the 45mph winds, and the 91 degree temperature in the afternoon, we managed to have a total blast. 

There were 10 legs to this race, each averaging somewhere between 3-5 miles.  Since there were 6 girls on my team, 4 of us had to run 2 legs.  I ran legs 5 and 10.  Our first leg started at Boulevard Brewery in downtown KC at 7:30am.  We cheered on our 1st runner at the starting line, then hopped in the vehicle, pulled out the course map, and headed for the next stop.  Have you ever seen the show The Amazing Race, where people drive around aimlessly trying to find their next destination?  Well, that's what it felt like at first.  We saw parts of KC that we've never seen before...and that's a good thing...kinda scary!  But, after a while, we got the hang of it and were able to find the remaining drop off points without getting lost.

Since this was a relay, each team had to have a "baton".  Our baton was a tutu.  So, each runner had to put on the tutu, run her leg, then take it off and the next runner had to put it on.  Thank goodness we didn't care too much about our finish time because our hand-offs weren't very speedy!  At the beginning of each leg, each runner had to strike a pose for a picture before she started running.  It's not about the time, it's about having fun and making memories!...all the while raising money for cystic fibrosis.

My first leg, leg #5, was 4.7 miles...right into the wind...the WHOLE way.  Wow, that was definitely not easy.  One of my teammates said it is her goal each race to pass at least one person.  Well, on leg #5, I passed quite a few people (even some guys, heehee), so I was really proud of that leg.  However, 2 hours later and about 20 degrees hotter, I ran leg #10.  #10 was supposed to be 4.8 miles (my Garmin read over 5mi at the end, though).  So, here I was, nasty wind, 91 degrees and my tutu, trying to finish strong.  Did I mention we didn't care too much about our time?  Thank goodness for that, because I am a HUGE wimp in the heat and had to walk some of this leg.  After seeing an ambulance and a guy laying down on the side of the course, I decided it was a good thing to walk and not get overheated...even though, as a runner, I HATE having to walk.  I trudged through the last mile and finally saw my team at the side of the road!  Woohoo!  They all joined me and we all crossed the finish line together.  Perfect ending!

Me at the beginning of leg #5

You can see more pictures of our fun-filled day HERE.

And, for your viewing enjoyment, here is a really cool video HERE.

Trying to out run the lbs...

Since my marathon in October, I've changed up my workout routine to include spinning and strength training.  I've been a little lax on running...ok, a LOT lax.  Is lax even a word?  Much to my dismay, I've noticed that the scale doesn't like me much anymore.  Even when I was on vacation last week, I ran 3 mornings and even hiked one day.  However, when I came home, I managed to bring a few pounds back with me...ugh.  When I was training for the marathon, I had the luxury of being able to eat whatever I wanted and my weight stayed constant...I guess that was my reward for the early mornings and long hours!  I've decided that I can't be ok with 2 or 3 pounds, because then I'd be ok with 5 and then 10.  Not gonna happen!  So, I've decided to ramp up the running.  It's just what works for me.

This week I ran my fastest 6 miles in a long time.  6 miles in 53:00...8:49/mi avg.  Gotta out run those lbs...

Not Speedy Gonzales, but I'm working on it!

When I started training for my marathon last year, I had to switch my way of thinking when it came to running.  I used to think that speed was everything, but soon learned that that mentality was not smart in terms of getting through your first marathon. Now that the marathon is over, I'm trying to switch gears and get what little speed I had before back. 

Since I've had a couple sick kiddos that past couple weeks, I had to re-introduce myself to my dread--I mean treadmill.  I get so bored on that thing, but have found a way to break up the boredom and work on speed.  Quarter mile sprints at increasing speed, baby!  Definitely not easy, but I'm actually kind of addicted to them.  I got this idea from Elisabeth Hasselbeck from The View.  Even though listening to her speak on The View makes my skin crawl (her politial views are SO different from mine), she shared one of her workouts one day.  Since I rarely watch TV during the day, and haven't seen The View in years, I felt this episode was meant for me.  She warmed up by doing 6 quarter mile sprints at 10.5 on the treadmill.  That's flat out MOVING.  I haven't gotten to a 10.5 yet, nor have I worked my way up to 6 sprints, but it is my goal.  I have progressed from a 7.5 to where I'm at now, 9.5.  And, the most I've done in one workout is 4 sprints.  I guess that's not too shabby for this almost-40-year-old.

On the subject of speed, I had a great 5 mile hilly run the other day.  Did I just say "great" and "hilly" in the same sentence?  I hadn't run that fast in quite a while.  5 miles in 44:19.  We're getting there...



8 Miles of Therapy

After being homebound last week with a sick kiddo, I thought that this week I would finally get back to my normal workout routine.  However, on Saturday morning, another one of my daughters woke up with a fever...ugh.  So yesterday, I was bound and determined to get a semi-long run in to offset the spinning class I knew I would miss today.  The sun was out, it was 40ish degrees, so I headed out by myself for some much needed "therapy".  I wanted to go at least 6, but half way through my run I decided to try 8.  It felt great and I probably could've done 10, but I didn't want to push my "granny hip" (which is what I affectionately named my right hip after it started flaring up after my increased mileage during my marathon training).  I was very happy with my workout:  8 miles in 1:15.  Awww...now I think I can get through this week.

Gearing up for Brew-to-Brew

I am so excited for my next race!  Myself and 5 other awesome ladies are running a 44 mile relay called Brew-to-Brew from Kansas City, MO to Lawrence KS...from one beer brewery to another!  I've never had a beer after a race, but there is always a first!  Everyone whom I've talked to who has run this in the past has said that it is a total blast.  Running, drinking beer AND raising money for cystic fybrosis...sounds pretty awesome to me!

Today, 5 of us got together for a very cold, but sunny trail run.  Man, that felt GOOD!  It was one of those days I could've kept going and going.  Afterwards, we went to a coffee shop to plan out and pick our legs of the relay.  I'm running a 4.8 mile leg and am bringing the race home with the last leg of 4.7 miles. 

Since this race is a relay, all teams must have a baton that each runner hands off to the next.  The baton is the teams' choosing.  Well, our baton, much to my chagrin, is a tutu.  You heard me right, a tutu.  I am so NOT a ballerina!  But, I must say that this will make for HILARIOUS race pictures!  My team has also decided to get matching pink camo t-shirts with a quirky name for each of us on the back.  It is going to be so much fun! 

We are crossing our fingers for no rain...or snow.

Way More Than Just Ink

I ran my first marathon on October 16, 2010.  That 4 month journey was a tribute to my mom.  I figured if she could endure months and months of chemo and radiation treatments, as well as all of the side effects that go along with that (weakness, nausea, loss of hair, loss of fingernails & toenails, extreme sensitivity to sunlight...just to name a few), I could endure training and 26.2 miles at the end.  My original marathon blog post is here. 

During that 4 months, I really learned a lot about myself.  Things that surprised me, actually.  I learned that I can overcome fear and self-doubt.  I learned that I can do things that I never imagined I could.  I learned that the mind is so much more powerful than the body.  I learned that I am strong, stronger than I ever thought I was...not physically, but mentally.  A marathon is so much more than running.  It's proving to yourself that, for the right reasons, you can accomplish anything.

Ever since I finished the marathon, I've been wanting to get a tattoo to commemorate that event and all of the meaning behind it.  But, when am I ever near a tattoo shop?  When would I ever take time out of my day to find one?  Well, Grady and I were in Las Vegas last week on a business trip.  We had a couple afternoons of free time so we went exploring.  My original plan was to get a small 26.2 on my toe.  However, after being told that tattoos on hands and feet don't hold up very well, I decided to get it on my inner ankle.  The whole process took about 10 minutes.  It literally took the tattoo artist longer to set up his equipment than the actual tattooing.  Right when I was getting used to it, it was over.  So easy!  I love my little tattoo and everything that it represents.