Celebrating 30 at the Illinois Marathon

On April 28th, I celebrated my 30th birthday by running a half...and I wouldn't have wanted to celebrate any other way.

I got up at 4:45 that morning.  I was a little nervous about catching a shuttle and making my way to the start line by myself, but I was so pumped about my first race of the year.

My breakfast that morning (poor planning on my part) consisted of a brown sugar cinnamon poptart and a banana.  Because I wasn't planning on filling my bottles for my fuel belt, I was drinking water like crazy...which might have been a bit of an overkill.

At around 5:45, I went down and boarded a shuttle to the start line.  I hit the porta-potty (I am practically a pro by now and don't give it a second thought anymore) and followed the sea of people to the starting corals to freeze my butt of waiting for the race to begin.  It was cold and windy, but at least the rain stopped.

I had every intention of joining a pace group, probably right up until that morning.  I guess I decided against it because I felt this race was something I needed to do myself...to prove to myself that I can run by myself and be okay.  But, just in case I wasn't going to be okay, I got in right beside the 10:07 pacer and planned on staying on the outskirts of the group for the first couple of miles just to get comfortable.

It was such a rush crossing that start line.  It was nice being with the pace group at the beginning to keep me from getting too excited and starting out too fast.  I stayed with them until mile two and decided that it was time to run my own race.

At around two and a half miles, I looked and saw my little family standing on the side of the road.  I tried not to get too emotional.  My three kiddos were holding up signs that they made to cheer me on.  It was great to see them and gave me the little boost I needed.  I pictured them many times after that.

Shortly after seeing my family, I had to pee so bad.  After every mile marker, I would check out the porta-potties to see what waiting was like.  I couldn't justify standing in line at mile 3, 4, or 5 to pee.  So, I passed each of those up.  By mile seven, I was uncomfortable and it's all I could think about.  I had to stop.  Luckily, there was no waiting so I took a little pit stop.  This is where I noticed that the skin was pretty much gone on my left inner thigh, thanks to my stupid choice of shorts, which my husband would later inform me of.

It's the last 5K that usually plays a few mind games with me...this race being no exception.  I did a lot of praying and I knew that I had many praying for me.  I wrestled a lot with myself in mile 10 and by the time I was on to mile 11 my heart had won and I kept trucking.

Mile 12 I started to get teary...especially during the approach to the stadium.  The winding seemed to take forever and there was really no way to gain any speed weaving through the corals they had set up for us but I was happy to be so close to the finish.  As soon as I entered the stadium, "Knees to the Earth" came on my ipod and I crossed the finish to the verse couple lines to that song.  It was perfect.

I had so hoped to finish in 2:10 on my birthday, but there was no way that I could be disappointed with my time (and new PR!!!) of 2:12:48.  I was thrilled.  After I got my medal and grabbed a bottle of water, I stood in the stadium, looking around, and taking it all in.  While waiting to meet my family (who was in the stadium and saw me come in and cross the finish line) I sat up in the bleachers watching the other runners come in.  It was a neat experience.

The course was beautiful, flat, and one that I would like to run again.  It was the perfect way to ring in another decade!

Mile By Mile :

Mile 1 - 9:56
Mile 2 - 9:57
Mile 3 - 9:50
Mile 4 - 9:51
Mile 5 - 10:00
Mile 6 - 9:45
Mile 7 - 10:37 (potty break hurt me)
Mile 8 - 9:56
Mile 9 - 9:49
Mile 10 - 10:36 (where I became a headcase :) )
Mile 11 - 10:16
Mile 12 - 10:34 (my thigh was KILLING me!)
Mile 13 - 10:14

Average - 10:06/mile

Highlights of my Race - Seeing my family along the course holding the signs they made, proving to myself that I can keep running when my head is telling me to give up, running in to Memorial Stadium, Looking down and seeing my new PR!

Low points - Wearing tight cotton shorts (I guess it's a big no, no...which my husband failed to tell me before I walked out the door) and scraping off about six inches of the inside of my left thigh...which was pusing and bleeding for two days...now it's just one big scab.

What a way to start the year...couldn't be happier...couldn't be more excited for my upcoming races.

Here's to a great running season...my first season in my 30s!

Ready to run! 

My K with her running sign. 

My Littlest Man with his sign he made. 

Middle Man with his sign. 

Running in to the Stadium...almost there! 

Me with shirt on and my Finisher's Medal!

Happy Running!

Ten

I was up early this morning.  I had trouble falling asleep after getting home from work last night...and then my Middle Man woke me at around 3AM.  At 3:30, I decided that I would head to the gym and hop on the bike for ten.  I finished ten in under 40 minutes and felt like I could go home and go back to sleep...so I did.

After dropping the kids off at school, my husband, my Littlest Man, and I went to the trail.  My husband rode the bike with my Littlest Man on the back while I knocked out 10 miles.  I was determined to finish as close to 1:40 as I could.  Here's a rundown:

Mile #1 - 9:43
Mile #2 - 9:28
Mile #3 - 9:53
Mile #4 - 9:45
Mile #5 - 9:52
Mile #6 - 10:20
Mile #7 - 10:29
Mile #8 - 10:55
Mile #9 - 10:12
Mile #10 - 10:18

Total - 1:40:54  -- average 10:05/mile

My foot started killing me at around 7.5 miles...and I was so thirsty.  I didn't even think to wear my fuel belt and I really wished I had.  I had some serious dry mouth going on.  Other than that, I felt great and was so pleased with my time.  My half marathon is two weeks from tomorrow and I actually feel like I am somewhat ready.  I probably won't run any more long runs until that day...and then it will be time to cram for my full a month later.

I've been starving these last two weeks!  I'm always so hungry when I up my mileage.  I worked out for about three hours today so I had a huge salad with two hard boiled eggs and about a 1/4 cup of cheese on it along with a protein bar this afternoon.  Yum!

I am looking forward to having this weekend off...and hopefully getting in a few more miles tomorrow to finish off my week.

Happy Running!

Faster

I have always said, I will never be the fastest runner.
I will never run a sub 8 mile.
I will never come in first in any race...
but that doesn't mean that
I can't work at being fast-er.

Yesterday evening, despite my foot, I met my running buddy for a short three miles.  I always seem to do better when someone is beside me.  We started out and it didn't feel fast at all, until I looked down at my watch at mile 1 and we were at 9:11.  I didn't know if I could keep it up, but I told myself just to give it a shot.  My watch went off at mile 2 and we had run that in 9:09.  With a mile left, I knew I could pull it off.  I completed three miles in 27:21...one of my best times yet.

Today, I am giving my foot a break.  Tomorrow, my husband is joining me for another long run.  I'm planning on doing 10 miles and hoping to keep my time as close to 1:40:00 as I can.

Whatcha Eating...

I have tried a few different kinds of protein bars and these are by far my favorite.  I pair one of these with a salad (iceburg, romaine, cucumbers, broccoli, and carrots topped with a low fat dressing) and it's been my usual lunch lately.  These are my three favorite flavors : Chocolate Mint, Fudge Graham, and (most fav) Dark Chocolate Caramel Pecan.

Week in Review

I woke up Friday morning, after very little sleep, and went out for a trail run with my husband.  He biked while I ran.  It was enjoyable for me...but apparently a little boring for him.  I guess that's why he played a few pranks on me...one which caused me to scream and almost jump off the trail...and then laugh so hard that I had to stop and walk for about 20 seconds until I could compose myself.

Mile 11 was a terrible mile for me.  My right foot and knee started to bother me (my foot is still sore today).  I walked off and on that mile.  Here's a rundown on my miles:

mile #1 - 11:02 (warm up)
mile #2 - 10:17
mile #3 - 10:05
mile #4 - 10:01
mile #5 - 10:05
mile #6 - 10:06
mile #7 - 9:49
mile #8 - 10:20
mile #9 - 10:07
mile #10 -10:28 (started to feel it)
mile #11 -12:54 (fell apart)
mile #12 - 11:06 (tried to recover)
mile #13 - 10:49
mile #14 - 9:59 (finally got back in my groove)

Average pace - 10:30/mile

I tried to stay as close to a 10 minute mile as I could because it's my goal for my upcoming half...bummed that I started to fall apart after mile ten...something I need to work on...for me, it's always the last 5K that gets me.

Even with keeping up with everything around the house, the kids, and working 32 hours this past week, I managed to log 36 running miles and 11 miles on the bike!  Thirty six!!  I am so thrilled.

Here's to another great week!  Happy Running!

Fast Four and a Long Run on the Horizon

I love to run in the evening.  I wish races were in the evenings.  I love lacing up my shoes and hitting the road to pound out the stresses of the day.

I met up with my running buddy yesterday evening for a hilly run.  We've run many, many miles together.  I really enjoy having her beside me to push and challenge me.

When we finished our run last night, I could tell that it felt fast...especially the last mile.  With it being dark from about two miles on, I couldn't tell just how fast we ran the last half.  I check my Garmin and viewed each mile:

Mile One - 10:06
Mile Two - 9:58
Mile Three - 9:58
Mile Four - 9:00
and the last .06 - 7:14
Average pace - 9:43/mile

For our hilly run, I have to say I was pretty pleased.

On Friday, I have a 14 miler planned (if I'm feeling good it might turn into 16), and so I won't be lonely, I am bringing my husband along to ride his bike beside me.  I'm not really a talker when I run...I like to get in a zone and get it done...but it will be nice to have him there with me.  I'm looking forward to it.

March Recap and a Look Ahead to April

I have a vacation hangover.  We just got back from spending the week in Florida.  My weekly mileage suffered a bit, but it was so nice to getaway.  I logged a total of 111 miles in the Month of March!  I was pretty happy today when I added it all up before I tucked my mileage calendar away.  Right before we left on vacation, I met my weight loss goal for the month too...just in time for the beach.

Although I logged 12 miles while on vacation (I ran three 4 milers), my eating went down the tubes.  So, once I lose these couple of vacation pounds, I plan on dropping three more and will be good to go. 

I was back in the gym the morning after we got home and today I fit an 11 mile bike ride and some weight lifting in along with a four mile run...and let me tell you that my run felt a whole lot faster not running in 80 degree Florida heat.

My half is quickly approaching at the end of this month....as well as my 30th birthday!  I am so excited to run my first race of the season....bring on April!

Happy Running!