Cruiser Christmas Party

Arland wrote about the party on his blog so I will just post a couple of pictures. Unfortunately I didn't take very many just a few of Kylie singing. There were so many people to talk to that I completely forgot about taking pictures. I do know that Jackie had her proffesional camera so hopefully she will send us a link to the party pictures soon and I will post some more on here.
But for now I have mostly Kylie with a small supporting cast.
Last year at the Cruiser Christmas Party Kylie would not leave my side for one moment... Friday night she wanted to sing multiple times in front of the whole crowd! Kindergarten has really been good for her!

Exhilirating

I had a great run this morning with the girls out at Lake Pickthorn. I knew it was going to be cold this morning and there were times during the night and when I first got up this morning that I was doubting our sanity for running this morning but wow it turned out great!!!!
It was 24 degrees with a windchill of about 19 when we headed out to run this morning. Jane and I met Brenda and Cindy at McDonald's and then we all piled into Brenda's car and she drove us out to lake pickthorn.
I had on two pair of tights and two long sleeve tech shirts. I also wore my new wind vest I got at the Spa 10K, it is big but it was perfect this morning. Hmmm let's see I also had a neck gaitor and two head/ear bands oh and of course gloves.

The trail/path around the lake is dirt for about a mile and then a little over a mile and a half of gravel and grass. I really liked the packed dirt a lot it felt good to run on a softer surface, I didn't love the gravel/rock as well but it was still softer and it was a nice change. The four of us started out together but it didn't take long for Cindy and Brenda to get ahead of us. The wind was pretty fierce when we first started out and thank goodness for all the head bands I had on because I was able to cover half of my face which made it easier to deal with the wind. Whenever the gaitor would fall down the cold air would sting the inside of my nose! LOL The path is about 2.5 miles out and then turn around and come back. When we met up with Cindy and Brenda they told us they touched the gate so of course we did the same thing. On the way back I actually started getting really warm, the sun was in our eyes and I guess the wind was at our backs not that it felt any easier to run!! but I had to take off my gloves and one of my head bands. I was really glad I wore the vest because it has pockets so I was able to stash everything because once we got back onto the packed dirt and curved around we were right back in the wind and it was HOWLING so I needed to put everything back on. Jane and I just kept laughing because it was getting harder to run it felt like we were being pushed around a bit and the cold was just stinging our faces. Luckily we only had about .75 of a mile of that and then we rounded one more curve and we were back at the car. Brenda said if we ran around the parking lot we would get 5.5... I originally didn't care but once she said it I realized I wanted that even number!

It was such a beautiful morning.. the sun was shining bright, the wind was causing the lake water to crash against the shore so we had the sound of the water while running but as always the best part was the company. Jane and I chatted the whole time and we always had Brenda and Cindy just up ahead.
Brenda will get a kick out of this... Like I said the whole run we had Brenda and Cindy in our sight that is until the last bit and we went around a turn ... well when we got back to the road I couldn't tell which way we should go and I had a split moment of panic!!!! Luckily once I looked to the right I could see the parking lot but I'm serious for a second there I thought Jane and I were going to get lost!!!! LOL

During the run Jane and I were talking about how great it was to be out enjoying the beautiful morning and how most people would think we were idiots or crazy to be running in 20 degree temps... but I said we are going to have the biggest runners high when we get done with this run and I was right!! We were all so happy and chatty the whole way back to MC Donald's!

A fun run with the girl's

I have to say I was pretty sore after the Marathon and had decided to take the week off. Monday and Tuesday I don't think I could have run even if I wanted to, Wednesday was a little better but still had no desire to run. By Thursday I was itching to run.. just something short and easy so after a few e-mails and text messages I had arranged to meet Brenda, Jane, Michele and Karen for a run. It was pretty cold and windy all day Thursday but I kept reminding myself that it had actually been colder during the Marathon. It was probably about 6:15 when we finally got started, one of the great things about our little group is there is no pressure to start exactly on time.
I was so happy to be running and nothing was hurting. We were running a nice easy pace and we were having a great time!! We chatted and laughed a LOT... it just felt so great to all be together again. The week before the marathon I ran one night with Michele and Kelly but had not run with Jane and Brenda since the weekend before the marathon... and of course we all ran the marathon alone so we were all a little giddy being together again. I think all of the Christmas lights also helped contribute to the festive feeling.
We were just planning on 3 miles but with Michele in the lead we ended up running 4 instead. I was really pleasantly suprised when I looked down at my Garmin at the end to see that we had a 10:15 avg. pace.. I know that's not fast but it really felt like a very easy pace so I was expecting it to be closer to 11:00.
I had the biggest smile the whole time we were running and I don't think it went away until I fell asleep that night!!

Correction

Jane finished in 4:44!! I fixed it now but on the previous post I accidently wrote that she finished in 5:44.. sorry Jane! Thanks Arland for noticing!

Memphis Race Report Continued....

Where did I leave off.... Oh yeah the Krispy Kreme donuts! Yes they were delicious and Kelly and I both got three of them. We headed back to the group and when Michele saw all my donuts she took one of them away and threw it in the trash!! She said you only want those donuts because you are upset about your time... which probably wasn't entirely wrong but seriously those were some good donuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so proud of all my girls... despite the freezing temp's we all had Marathon PR's. Michele finished in 4:38 and would have finished in under 4:30 if not for a long port a potty break. Jane finished in 4:44 and looked great coming across the finish line or so I heard since I wasn't there! LOL
Kelly finished in 5:03 and I finished in 4:57. I think I already mentioned that Bailey finished in 4:33 and she also had a port a potty break. So weird that both Michele and Bailey who have iron stomach's and NEVER have to use the bathroom while running both had to stop and me who ALWAYS has to use the bathroom while running didn't.
Josh, Brenda and Andrea also had very impressive finishes!!! Josh in his first marathon finished in 3:01 and qualified for Boston.
Brenda trained so hard for this race but it wasn't meant to be her day. I think everyone thought she was going to be so devestated when she didn't meet her goal but she knew by mile 19 it wasnt' going to happen and was ok with it. Actually she said she was relieved because then she was able to settle into a more comfortable pace. I think the extreme cold and the constant inclines are what took her BQ away on Saturday but it doesnt' matter becasue she is fine and learned many lessons and she is such a strong runner..The BQ will be hers sooner than later I would guess... maybe next October possibly in California???? :)
This was also Andrea's first Marathon and she too didn't finish in her goal time but geez I think a 4:17 is amazing for a first marathon!!

I thought we were all going to go back to the Hotel and then find a Mexican place to eat lunch but the plan was actually we were going to the restaurant now! I am so glad I did the bag check thing otherwise I would have frozeen to death on the way to the restaurant. It was only a couple of blocks away but we were all moving pretty slow. My cramps had calmed down but now my legs were just plain sore!!
I don't even know how many people went to the restaurant with us but it was a huge group.. on the way I was walking with Vicki when I realized I didn't have any money!! Vic put her arm around me and said "I'll take care of you" I know I say it all the time but seriously... how lucky am I!!!!!!!!
Arland, Jane, Blake and Dillon eventually made it to the restaurant and I finally got to give Jane a big hug!! She has been such a great training partner and friend.

After lunch Brenda, Vicki and her group were all heading back to Cabot. Kelly, Robert, Jane and the boys were also heading back to Cabot but needed to go back to the Hotel first. I was really starting to fade but when we got to the Hotel Kelly bought me a coffee from the gift shop and wow I sure wish I could drink coffee while running!!!! It definately perked me up!!
A little while after they all left I talked to Michele on the phone... she had gone back to her room and taken a warm bath. Normally I would never take a bath in a hotel bathtub but I was really starting to hurt again so I followed her advice and soaked for about 20 minutes and then took a nice long shower... wow I felt so much better afterwards!!!

After a lot of texting back and forth we all made plans for dinner and Beale street. Lisa & Bob were already on Beale street with their son and the rest of us took the Trolley to meet them. Phil & Jackie, Jame's & Michele, Arland and myself. When we first got on the Trolley which by the way those steps are about 10 feet high!! it was empty but pretty soon it filled up with a large group of rowdy runners.. they had all run the half marathon so they were feeling pretty spunky.
Bob & Lisa were at "Alfred's world famous --- ? something or other. I had a cheese burger and a bloody mary... best bloody mary I think I have ever had as a matter of fact it was so good I had a second one!

Once we were done with dinner we wandered up and down Beale street before we finally decided on BB King's Blue's club. I had spoken to Ken B. Debbie's husband while we were at the restaurant and before long they found us at BB Kings. Those two Ken and Debbie are so nice and so much fun!!!! BB King's was fun we had a couple more drinks.. I slow danced with James and then several of us got up for a few up tempo songs. It felt good to dance kind of helped work out some of the soreness.
One by one the other couples left us... Michele wasn't feeling herself... Jackie was getting tired etc. Ken, Debbie, Arland and I were the last one's standing. We headed over to Jillians to see if anyone was still there watching the fight but when we got there we realized the fight was long over and everyone was gone. Ken and Debbie had driven over and were parked right across from Jillian's and it was so nice not to have to walk back to the Hotel in the freezing cold.
We got back to the Hotel about midnight and I think I fell into bed and was fast asleep within seconds!! It was a long day!

Sunday morning we had breakfast with James & Michele and then headed home about 10:45... we got home around 12:45 , I helped unpack the car and then talked Brett into going to the grocery store with me, came home made Enchilada's and Mexican chicken... the family came over to have dinner with us. I think they left around 6:30 and I finally sat down and relaxed for the first time that day. Good thing I took that little nap on the way home.

I have to give a big shout out to our cheerleaders... Cindy C. Phil, Arland, Bob, James, Ken. It was so nice seeing you guys and knowing I was going to get to see you guys at the end helped me in those last 6 miles!!
Phil... wow you were awesome I saw you a couple of times and I apparently also missed you a couple of times. I know that took a lot of foot work to be in so many places!! Thank you!

I ran with my i-pod for the first time during a Marathon and while I loved having the music I know I missed a lot too.

Nutrition... I think I finally got it right, not just the before the marathon but during. I never really crashed and although I was really tired and sore at the end I didn't get "sick" like I have many other times.
I know the port a potty thing was more than luck... I prayed a lot too... but I don't know that I can say I will be having pumpkin pie and chocolate cake the night before every marathon!

I took a few days off from running... was planning a full week but by Thursday I just couldn't stand it anymore and had to run... I'll tell you about it in the next post, hopefully that won't be a week from now!

Memphis Marathon Race Report

Saturday morning I finally decided to wear my running pants, they are very comfortable and have big pockets that come in very handy when running in the cold. The pockets are great but not very flattering!!
I also had on my black tank with the pockets in the back and pretty much all my pockets were packed! I had a small baggie of pretzels, 1/2 a pbj sandwich, a small baggie with 5 honey stingers and 5 gels. I also had a ton of kleenex.
I wore my I run like a girl bondi band and my cheetah ear warmer around my neck. Jane also gave me a bandana to wear for the first few miles.
We had arranged the night before to meet in the lobby at 6:50am. There sure was a lot of complaining about the time but by the time everyone came down and we gathered for pictures and hugs it was probably 7:15 before we left if not later. We thought we might take the Trolley to the start but they were jam packed with runners so we decided to just walk... I think it was about a mile and luckily it was through downtown so all the buildings helped block some of the wind. Everyone was bundled up, I had on a throw away sweat shirt and my foil blanket from the Soaring Wings 1/2 marathon, Brenda had on her tradtional trash bag... I am sure we were all a pretty funny sight!
Jane had given me some hand warmers to stick in my gloves and wow those things are awesome!!! I am going to have to stock up.
We kind of got split up at the Bag check.. but Michele, Jane, Kelly, Gary and I all managed somehow to stay together. Next stop was the port - o - potty line... Don't let me choose which line to get into.. ever! I picked a line that unfortunately only had 2 port o potty's and it took a long time. Fortunately Michele Gary and I were all huddled up and kept each other warm. I moved one of my hand warmers to the little pocket in the back of my running pants and that really helped keep us warm! Gary decided to go behind the port o potty instead of in and I tried to encourage all the men in our line to do the same thing!
Finally it was my turn and I took my time and let everything have a chance to exit my body!! I knew the people outside were probably getting antsy and I was a little embasrassed to be in there for so long BUT I am very glad I just let things flow naturally!!
Finally I'm done we meet back up with Jane and Kelly give big hugs to Gary and head to our Corral. I think we ended up in Corral 10 or 11... kind of at the end of the 4:30 pace group. I found us an empty spot and we huddled up. There was a lady standing there all by herself shivering away so of course we surrounded her and gathered her into our warm little group. We did ask if she minded before we invaded her personal space, I just couldnt' let her stand there all by herself! Her name was Terri and this was going to be her first marathon so she was kind of nervous. We gave her a little advice.. I told her just not to go out too fast in the beginning which we all know I rarely follow my own advice!!
I was sad to part with her when we started running but she was following my advice and running her own pace.

It was awesome to start the race with my partners and friends but once we got settled in I decided to follow my own advice and tried to keep a comfortable pace. My plan was to try to maintain a 10:45 avg. pace for at least the first 20 and then either try to maintain that pace or even speed up a little the last six. Of course nothing goes as planned on Marathon day!! We did stay together for the first couple of miles or at least I kept them in sight for the first few... at one point I saw Michele turn around and look for me I gave her a smile and a wave, she smiled back and went on to run her own race. This had been our plan all along, we would start together but after that we were on our own.
Beale Street is always a highlight of the race this is where the biggest fan support is. You have to run up a steep incline to get there so your heart is really pumping and then you hear all the screaming and the music and it is just really cool! Arland had sent me a text before the race started that the support crew would be somewhere between 3.5 and 4 miles so I was keeping my eyes peeled for them.
My hip flexor/inner thigh area really started hurting before I even made it to 4 miles.. I was very upset but i'm used to pain in those areas so I knew I could run through it.. I also thought maybe it would go away after I warmed up but no it stayed with me for the whole race.
I saw Arland and the gang... Bob, Phil, Cindy, Ken and James just before the 4 mile mark and I was so excited I started yelling at them and I ran by and got some high fives :) The best part was Arland's face when he saw me :)

After the excitment of Beale street and seeing the gang things quieted down I was feeling really good other than the pain in my hip flexor/thigh. I decided now would be a good time to turn on the i-pod and the music really did help.
I had brought along an 8oz bottle of water to carry for the first couple of miles so that I could skip the aid stations. Normally I cannot stand to have anything in my hands but the water bottle really came in handy and I was able to pass every aid station until about mile 15. I started my fist Acel-gel at mile 4.5 and it took about a mile to finish it. I also had maybe 2 pretzels. I lost my pbj sandwich sometime in the first couple of miles, I knew I felt like something had fallen out of one of my pockets but I didnt' realize what it was until later on.
I caught up with Kelly around mile 5 .. well she was just ahead of me and she turned around to check on me. She asked if I was eating and drinking. We would kind of leap frog each other most of the race until about mile 17 or 18.
I took a couple of ibuprofren sometime after my first gel the pain wasn't getting any better but it also wasn't getting any worse it had kind of settled into a dull ache.
I had on a 4:45 pace band that I had gotten in Nashville and around the 10K point I checked it and was really excited to see that I was way ahead of pace.
It was fun to run past the aid stations and not need to stop even better was running past the port o potties and not needing to stop!! The last couple of Marathon's I have had to stop within the first 2 miles but I am so happy to say that I did not have to stop at at port a potty the whole race for the first time ever!!

Just before the 1/2 turn off I felt somebody in my personal space and I turned to see Bailey ... what.. how in the world was she behind me??? Silly girl in Typical Bailey style she had started farther back and was lolly gagging for the first 1/2 of the marathon but you know what even with the lolly gagging she still finished in 4:33 and was hopping the orange cones around mile 24. It was a big boost to see her, especially at this point in the race. I knew the 1/2 marathon split was going to be a challenge for me mentally because the past two years when we would turn off for the 1/2 marathon finish I would think THANK HEAVENS I AM NOT RUNNING THE FULL!! I did have a few moments where I was wishing I could turn too especially thinking of all the people I knew who were running the 1/2 and were either already done or would be soon. BUT I did not let myself dwell on it and instead of thinking geez I still have over 2 hours left of running I thought wow I love running and how lucky am I that I get to keep doing what i love for a few more hours. This frame of mind worked until about mile 21! LOL

When I crossed over the1/2 way mat I had not had to stop once.. no bathroom breaks, no aid station breaks no walking breaks for any reason.. I had been running the whole time and I was thrilled, I think before this race the longest I had run without taking a walk break was 10 miles. Now not only did I have a time goal which i was ahead of by about 3 minutes at the 1/2 but I had a new goal to see how far I could run without taking a walk break.

I can't remember exactly what mile we were at but at one point Kelly and I had met up again and when she asked how I was doing I told her about the hip pain and she asked if I wanted some tylenol.. I had already taken some ibuprofen but I was still hurting so I decided to take it... she also asked me about my pb&J sandwich and i told her I had lost it so she offered to give me one of hers.

The miles were becoming a blur.. the hills and inclines were really starting to wear me down but I was determined not to walk. My water bottle was starting to get a low so I started taking water from the aid stations... The first time the water went up my nose but I did manage to swallow a little bit of it... the second time I got it all over my shirt but once again did manage to drink a little bit. Finally by the third time I was able to get a good drink without any mishaps. I still had my bottle ... it had become my security blanket and I didn't want to get rid of it but by about mile 17 it was empty and I finally threw it away.
I took my second gu around mile 11 this one was a Roctane orange vanilla gu and it was GROSS!!! I could only stomach about 1/4 of it and threw the rest away... unfortunaely while trying to fish it out of my pocket I had lost one of my accel-gel's.

Mile 14 they were giving out gu's...one girl tried to give me one but it was espresso so I said no thanks.. next up a guy said he had strawberry so I took it.. I didn't really need it yet so I was just going to put it in my pocket for later/backup. I shoved it in my pocket and felt something sticky... yep they had opened it which was really nice but i wish I had known. I fished it out of my pocket and went ahead and ate it and it wasn't bad much better than the Roctane orange vanilla!!

Mile's 17 and 18 were hard it was uphill and I was really starting to get a little tired... I almost took a walk break up one of the hills at mile 17 but I just couldn't do it... I had made 20 miles with no walking my goal.
Earlier Kelly had given me one of her 1/4 pbj sandwiches..she said she wanted to give it to me then because she didn't think she could catch up with me again... Ha!! It was me catching up with her!! She would get ahead of me and then at the aid stations she would walk and I would get ahead of her and then she would catch up... we kept this up until mile 18. Kelly asked if I had eaten my sandwich yet and I said no mile 20 about a minute later she took a walk break and I never did see her again until after the race.
Just before mile 20 we were approaching a large intersection and i could see the policeman was letting cars through but I really thought he would stop them as I/we got closer but no he let a car pull out in front of me and I had to put on the breaks so I wouldn't hit the car. I didn't come to a complete stop but I guess I went up on my toes or something because all of a sudden my calves seized up and the pain made me shout out something not very nice.. I heard the policeman yell back but i'm not sure if he was yelling at me or the car. Regardless the damage was done I was in intense pain BUT I kept on running. I had to make it to mile 20!! Finally just past mile 20 my claves were cramping and now something crazy was going on in my knee. I could almost deal with the calf pain but this knee thing was freaking me out so I took a walk break. My knee was spasming but after a minute or so of walking it calmed down and I started running again... and then my knee and calves started throbbing again so the next 6 miles were a mix of walking and running. I was so dissapointed but I knew if I didnt' give up completely I could still come in under 5:00 hours which was my primary goal for the race. 4:45 was more of a pie in the sky kind of goal... but i was so close!

All through the course there were so many signs with pictures of children who were or had been patients at St. Jude. For miles I had been following the Run for Jake signs... they had pictures of a smiling happy little blonde boy. Many times I would think I hope you are doing well Jake and in those last miles when I was really hurting I thought of Jake and Elijah Talley and all the other kids and how much pain they have to endure every day of their little lives.... I'm not sure exactly what mile I saw the sign but maybe 22 or 23 there was a big yellow sign that said "SMILE Jake always did" and I LOST it.. I started crying I was just devestated to know that this little boy who I had been following for over 20 miles had not made it.

Just before mile 24 I called Arland to let him know where I was and that I was really struggling... he told me to take some endurolytes and keep drinking water.

It was getting harder and harder the running sections were getting shorter... finally I was almost at mile 25 I was running and had just thanked a policeman when I heard my name.. I looked behind me and there was Jackie, she was a glowing vision in pink. She ran up to me and asked how I was feeling I told her about the cramping and she said ok we are going to to a "1 and 1" run 1 minute walk 1 minute. I was so happy and honored that she was going to stay with me and help me. She talked to me the whole rest of the way, constantly telling me how awesome I was and reminding me that yes this was hard but that's why we do it!! Just before the 26 mile mark we are running along and I see people running up this steep incline and I said oh no do we have to run up that thing... Yes we did. It is really cruel to put such a steep incline/hill that close to the end... but we ran up it, Jackie asked if I wanted to walk but I said no I just want this over!! LOL

In the past once you entered Auto Zone stadium the 1/2 and full marathoner's split off and the marathoner's had to run almost 3/4 around the track while the 1/2 was maybe 1/4. As we were approaching the stadium I was really just done and all I could think of was I still had to make it around that track.... so as we were running through the parking lot I had fallen a little behind Jackie when she turned her head to me and saw I was behind her she kind of turned sideways and held her hand out to me and said "come on Annette.. you can do this" I will never ever forget that... I was hurting but there she was holding out hope! Finally we turned into the stadium and there was the finish line just ahead, they had changed the course and we all had the same finish line.
I knew that Arland and the Cruisers would be somewhere at the finish and sure enough I heard my name and looked over and could see Arland and friends cheering me on. What a great finish... Jackie with me and my family cheering me on!!!
Jackie had been telling me we were going to make it under five hours and sure enough I could see the clock and it was going to be udner 5.. I wasn't sure exactly becasue I didn't know exactly how long it took us to cross the start line.. I knew it was at least 14 minutes.

Jackie gave me the biggest hug at the finish and then we went through the process of getting our medal, chips cut off... which by the way I could barely lift my let up onto that milk crate!!!

Arland gave me a big hug when I finally made it up the stairs but he had to leave so I went on to find the gang and some food.

I was really pretty emotional and kind of cranky by this point so when I got to the food. There were two men taking the food stubs from our bibs... the first man took mine and I was walking towards the soup when the second man said where is your ticket.. I said that guy took it and he said you can't go through twice..oh that was IT!!!! I said in a kind of raised voice I JUST GAVE IT TO HIM!!! I swear the second man didn't believe me but he finally let me go. The soup didn't look very appealing they only had one kind and so I passed. Next stop Krispy Kreme doughnuts... Normally I don't really care that much for Krispy Kreme but at that moment I was in heaven.. I dont' think anything has ever tasted that good!!!!

OK... speaking of food it is lunch time and Arland has been asking me for 30 minutes when we were going to eat... I will finish this later. I hope! ;)

St.Jude/Memphis Pre Race

Friday morning we met a large group of Cruiser's at Brenda's house for the trip to Memphis. Bailey hoped in the car with us and off we were with Joan in the lead while Brenda and Arland tried to keep up. We made one pit stop in Brinkley and thank goodness I know I woudln't have made it all the way to Memphis.

The Hotel we stayed in was across the street from the Expo and with the cold and wind we decided to go through the Hotel instead of around it. This turned out to be a very good thing since we were actually able to check into our rooms early. After checking in we went back out to the cars got our luggage and then we all headed to the Expo. The Memphis expo is pretty small but well organized and we were able to pick up our packets pretty quickly. I really wasn't much in the mood for shopping but I did get myself a new long sleeve running shirt and one for Kylie from the "I run like a girl" booth. I was in such a non shopping mood that I didn't even buy any Bondi Bands.. heck I barely even stopped by for more than a few seconds.

It seemed like everytime I turned a corner I was running into someone I know... we had a huge Cabot Cruiser turnout in Memphis and it was just so cool to have so many familiar faces around.
After the Expo we went back to the room and relaxed for a little while before dinner... I think I might have taken a 15 minute cat nap.
As a group we had decided to just stay at the Hotel Restaurant for a Pasta buffet. It turned out to be really good and we pretty much took over the front portion of the restaurant. I had a little penne pasta with red sauce and a little farfalle pasta with a white sauce... I also had a baked potato which was really good!! They also had some desserts so I had a small slice of pumpkin pie. It was fun to sit with Rick and Russ and hear them make plans for their race they were both running the 1/2.

Rock was running the 1/2 marathon and had driven up from Georgia with her mom... I have missed her so much and it was so good to see her and meet her mom. Her mom was just so NICE!!!!! and I bet she is a lot of fun to hang out with... maybe another time!

We had finished dinner and were headed back to the Expo when James and Michele finally made it to the Hotel so Arland and I turned around and went back to the restaurant.to hang out with them while they had dinner.

Tammy and Don were celebrating their 25th anniversry on Saturday and had invited everyone to have cake and water Friday night. Believe it or not I had a piece of cake... It was delicious but i was thinking what the heck and I doing to myself!!

Finally we were back in our room.... but no rest for the weary! I got everything ready for the next morning.. I laid out pants and skirt because I just couldnt' make up my mind what to wear. Kelly brought up some bread and we made peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. I made a couple for Michele... made one for my breakfast and one for the Marathon. Well not a whole sandwich a "fold over". By the time I finished getting everything ready it was almost 10:00 and I was a little freaked out about how late it was!!
I placed one of my PB&J foldovers on the nightstand by my side of the bed and asked Arland to set the alarm for 4:50......

Memphis - Maratnon # 5 Under 5

Just a quickie.....

I finished in 4:57-58 not sure what the offical time will be..I forgot to turn my Garmin off at the finish.

I had a big PR 17 or 18 minutes but I was still dissapointed for a little while at the end. I am over it now because seriously a 17 min. PR is pretty awesome. I also had another PR...I ran without taking one step walking for 20 miles!!! I also learned how to drink from a cup while still running.

I will post the whole report soon....lot's to tell. I will leave you with this teaser the traffic control or lack thereof is the reason I had to walk at 20 and then it all fell apart after that until about mile 25.5 when an angel in pink found me and helped pull me in.

Thank you everyone for your texts, comments etc... you were all with me during the race!!

Good Luck to Aron from Runners Rambles who is running the CIM Marathon tomorrow.

Preparing for Memphis

Tuesday activities:
Kid's Running Club
Massage
Dinner with/for Dennis

My massage was great! Christy really was able to get in there and work out a lot of knots and all though it was painful at the time I have felt great ever since... well except for the fact that most of yesterday I felt like I had done 100 squats on Tuesday! BUT everything feels great today and I feel much better going into the marathon knowing she worked out all those knot's and tension. When she started working on my glutes and hamstrings she started talking to me about Ghost Whisperer and Grey's Anatomy to help distract me from the pain. We usually don't talk during the massage so I knew what she was doing... but it did help!
Jane was waiting in the lobby for her appointment and she saw me come limping out.. I told her I have either worn her out or just gotten her warmed up for you!! LOL

I had to run home so I could prepare my veggies to take to Andrea's house for Dinner. We were having a "thank you" dinner for Coach Dennis. I haven't been going to the clinic much since about August but he has worked really hard with Andrea, Brenda and Josh to help them prepare for their marathon goals. I love Dennis so I wanted to be a part of it even though I haven't been a faithful clinic participant lately. We gave him a really nice Nike Live Strong pull over with Coach on the front and The Flyer's on the back. He really did seem to like it and I can't wait to see him wear it.

Wednesday was a stressful day, I got so upset at work that I was shaking for almost two hours and on the verge of tears almost that whole time.. All I could think was this cannot be good for my body and I really don't need this 2 days before my Marathon!! Arland took me to lunch and by the time I got back to work I was calmed down but today I have decided is a no stress day!!! I knew that hormones were also playing a role, I knew I must be PMSing but I was praying that mother nature would hold off until late on Saturday or Sunday...BUT NO she decided to grace me with her presence today. SO of course that means I am going to be on my period during the marathon and I am bummed but I'm trying not to freak out about it too much. I've been on my period during 20 milers and I think maybe I was for the San Francisco Marathon. The thing that really bugs me is I had some pretty aggressive goals for this race and now I'm afraid I'm going to have to lower my expectations.

My Mantra for today and tomorrow is No Stress No Stress.. LIFE IS GOOD!!

Running with Jupiter, Venus and Mr. Moon

It was a beautiful night the clouds finally blew away and we had a perfect view of the alignment of The Crescent Moon, Jupiter & Venus.
It was also FREEZING last night!! well ok maybe not freezing but cold enough that I had on two long sleeve tech shirts for our run. I also had a bondi band neck gaitor in addition to my head/ear band and gloves.

The run didn't start off so great!! I don't think I mentioned that after our run on Saturday my left knee was hurting a bit the rest of the day. I doubled up on my "triple flex" and fish oil since I hadn't taken any at all Thursday and Friday and thought maybe that was part of the problem but then the more I thought about it I came to the conclusion it might be my shoes. My Mizuno's have around 250 miles on them and I have read they don't usually last as long as some of the other brands... so anyway I decided it was the shoes and on my Sunday run I wore my Kenyano 13's and had no knee pain.
Ok back to last night I wore my Mizuno's... I thought it's just a short run 3 or 4 miles I'm sure they will be ok. Well as soon as we started running my left knee and right ankle both buckled and I came very close to falling down. It kind of scared me and we stopped and walked for a few seconds and when I started running again I was fine... just a strange fluke????
Abby was home so we decided to just run close by and we ended up running a 1/2 mile loop over and over with just a few side roads thrown in. Well we made it around the block one time and were headed back around when Kelly said she had to pee so we turned around and headed back to Michele's house... turned out we all needed to use the restroom!! LOL
We were at .82 of a mile when we stopped and seriously I was thinking can't we just be done now.. after all we are tapering!! We had just started to warm up when we had to stop so now we had to go through that all over again.... but it was a great run!! We just ran hard and enjoyed the view of the planets, we did some talking but during mile 2 & 3 we were all kind of strung out and not really within talking distance. We had been running pretty hard and at 2.6 I told Michele when we hit 3 miles I am slowing down but in the mean time I am going to push it as much as I can. I was doing great but we were running up one long incline and all of a sudden I felt a twinge in my left glute and hamstring I slowed down and although I could still feel something it didn't hurt anymore but I didn't want to take any chances so I backed off on the pace.
Once we got to 3 miles we slowed way down and we all started running together for the last mile. It didn't take long until I noticed we weren't running so easy anymore it wasn't hard but it wasnt' quite as slow and then when we got to the cul de sac with .2 left we all kind of just turned it on so we could get finished!!
Kelly had to leave as soon as we finished running but I went into to Michele's house and we did some stretching. Everything feels fine today but I'm very happy I have a massage appointment this afternoon!!

4 miles 37:26
9:22 avg. pace

1-9:53 (stumble & walk)
2-9:11
3-9:06
4-9:18 I was shocked when I saw this because that mile felt so easy! LOL

Contemplating running 3 miles at lunch today but I don't have anyone to run with so I don't see it happening!!

Single Digits

The long run for the week was 8 miles... wow only 8 miles, even though I am about to run my 5th marathon in just a little over a year on Saturday it still feels weird when I say only 10 miles or 8 miles.
It also still feels weird to think that sleeping until 5:30 on Saturday and Sunday is sleeping in!! But after starting most of our long runs at 5:00am during the summer a 7:00am start feels so late!

Jane and I decided we would meet the 7am group at the elementary school. Michele and Vicki were also joining us along with Karen. Vicki had mentioned that she wanted to maintain about a 10:15 - 10:30 pace. That was fine with me! We have been doing most of our shorter runs at a 9:30 - 9:40ish pace so it would be good to practice race pace... well actually a little faster than my planned race pace but still it worked.
We also had a couple of new people join us, Angie and her daughter Kelsey. Kelsey is a senior in high school and a dancer very sweet girl, Angie was also very nice and a natural athelete. They ran with us for about the first 4 miles.
It was pretty chilly when we started around 42 degrees but windy. I had on running pants and a short sleeve and long sleeve tech shirt a bondi band and of course gloves. The bondi band maybe lasted 3 miles and the gloves hmmm maybe the same. I did keep the long sleeve shirt on for the entire run.
Joan, Biker Lisa and Karen also ran with us... I had planned the route but couldn't remember some of the street names so we would circle back when we would get to a cross roads to make sure they knew which way to go. As is usual with Jane, Michele and I we adjusted the route occasionally just for a change of scenery. The miles pretty much sped by and I would occasionally look at my Garmin and see that we definately were running faster than a 10:30 pace but it felt good and we all chatted and enjoyed the run. With all the circling back a big chunk of my planned route wasn't necessary so we ended up running up HWY 89 back to the school for the last mile.... I switched the screen on my Garmin to show our avg. pace and I think it was a 9:58. The last mile we all stopped talking and we took the last few inclines and ended our 8 miles with a 9:55 avg :)
After the run we waited for Joan and her gang to make it back and then we all went over to The Diner for breakfast.
Brenda had run out at Bethlehem rd. but she came to breakfast with us... we wanted to go to Daily Grind but they were closed.

Sunday -
Today Jane came over to my house about 8:00am we had 5 miles on our schedule, well actually 5.05... yes that's a weird number but that is what Jane needed to reach 150 miles for the month of November.. her highest mileage month ever!!
It was also my highest mileage month ever too... 182.1
Today's run 5.1 miles 9:41 avg. pace not sure what pace my mouth was moving but I talked the entire run!! I had a few things I needed to get off my chest and Jane understands some of the issues I've been dealing with as she also has to deal with similiar situations and people.
After our run Arland made us some coffee and Jane stayed and chatted. We spent some of that time going over goals and plans for the Marathon on Saturday... wow less than a week away now!!
Brenda started her traditional Marathon weather obsession e-mail's last week.. I think it was when she started sending those that it hit me how close we are to the Marathon.

Not sure what's on tap for the rest of the day.. it's cold with on and off sprinkles so maybe just another day inside.
I don't think I mentioned that on Friday while everyone else was out in the cold fighting the crowds shopping I was hanging out with Arland and Brett in my nice warm fuzzy pajama pants and big old sweat shirt. I never got dressed all day so obviously I never left the house and it was great!!!!

Lot's to blog about.....

As usual I have fallen behind on the blog updates but believe me lot's has been going on. The Memphis St. Jude Marathon is right around the Corner. Actually it is one week from today!!! YIKES!!!
Training has been going really well I won't go into every single run but the colder weather has done wonders for my running. Brenda, Jane and I have been meeting at Michele's house for the majority of our week night runs. Michele and Kelly join us when they can. Arland was also joining us until the Doctor told him to take 10 days off but he will be back next week :)

We have really picked up the pace on all of our runs and have been averaging between 9:30 - 9:40 for almost all of our runs.
I do have a funny story about one of those runs..... It was on a Wednesday night and Lisa F (Tri-Lisa) was coming to run with us at Krooked Kreek. I love Lisa she is a very funny very generous overall nice person and oh yeah she's wicked fast!!
One by one my running partners were dropping like flies. Jane teaches a Latin Dance class on Wednesday nights so I knew she wouldn't be there but I was counting on Kelly and Michele. Kelly called first and said she couldn't come and then when I got to Michele's house James wasn't home yet... as in was still in a meeting in Little Rock. I was SCARED... I was going to have to run by myself with Lisa and Brenda!! Brenda is also very fast but I know she doesn't mind slowing her pace sometimes but I hadn't run with Lisa for more than a few minutes and wasn't sure what to expect.
We started off with a fast pace, not blazing mind you but fast enough, in the first mile we were stopped by a lady and man who had lot's of questions about running.. how often do we run, where etc. I love talking to new people but it was cold and I could feel my self stiffening up and the fear was still in my heart. I swear we talked to them for a least a minute if not longer but it ended up being easer to start back up than I thought it would. Once we started running again I let Brenda and Lisa do all the talking and we had a great run!! We ran in Blooming Ridge and it is pretty hilly/incliny over there so I was even happier with the outcome. 5 Miles with a 9:28 avg. pace and that includes the time we spent talking to those people in the neighborhood and having to wait for traffic crossing HWY 89.
I knew that Michele knew how scared I was about running with Lisa cause i flat out told her... but I didn't realize that Brenda had also seen the fear in my eyes!!

HOT SPRINGS 10K
I had been wanting to run this race for the past two years but something else always came up but this year I was determined to run it even though it was just two weeks before the Marathon. Everyone I know has run it including Cheryl who had told horror stories about "The Mountain" so I was prepared.. sort of.
Bailey and I met at Team 1 Saturday morning and then drove over to Burger King to meet Brenda, Joan, Vicki and Lisa.
It has been ages since I've really been able to spend any quality time with Bailey so I really enjoyed having her with me... even if she did sleep part of the way ;)
The temp reading in my car had been steadily showing 25 degree's until we turned onto HWY 70 and I watched it rapidly decrease to 19 degree's!!! Oh good grief I like running in cooler weather but 19 degrees is a little extreme.
I think it probably warmed up to about 24-25 by the time the race started. In usual Cruiser fashion we were very early but that gave us plenty of time to get our packets use the restroom multiple times and visit with friends and get and give lot's of hugs!
I wasn't "racing" this race I had decided ahead of time that although I wasn't technically racing I still wanted to have a decent time and not lolly gag so I set a goal of finishing in 1:00:00. I started the race off a little slow well I thought it was slow but when I ran by the first mile marker they called out 9:31 (my garmin showed 9:24). For most of the race I could see Cheryl, Bailey, Kim and Tammy. I ran right behind Kim and Tammy for the first couple of miles, until the mountain and then they left me behind.
The mountain was no joke.. It was steep and it was long but the worst part was the slant in the road I kept weaving back and forth trying to find a flat spot to run on.. there were none but I finally settled on running on the yellow line on the side of the road. I don't really know what you would call what I was doing going up that mountain whatever it was I'm sure it didn't look pretty but I was bound and determined not to walk ... and I didn't. After the first big climb we had a bit of flat and then a little bit of a downhill but I knew we had another climb ahead of us and didn't let myself enjoy the downhill as much as I should have. Once we crested the second mountain we had a nice long downhill, but after what happened in the SF Marathon I was afraid to just let loose and fly down so I was a bit of a sissy and didn't take full advantage but with Memphis just two weeks away I didn't want to take any chances with an injury. The rest of the race was a few rolling inclines but mostly either a gradual downhill or flat.
I love going to races with all my friends... it is so nice to have people cheering for you as you come into the final portion of the race. I could hear my name over and over and it was such a rush. Being slower has it's advantages :) I was also happy because I met my goal and finished in 1:00:02 and considering that I was a actually farther back in the pack at the start I actually finished a little bit faster but that is my official time so that's, that.
After the race we headed over to the awards ceremony and the Cruisers took home lot's of awards. Lisa was 3rd female over all and almost everyone else won either in Master's, Grand Master's or age groups. The Awards ceremony was outside and it was freezing but we all huddled/cuddled up and were able to keep reasonably warm. I think this was the first time that Gabby and James experienced the Cruiser Cuddle but they fit right in :)
Finally it was time for the best part of going to races... breakfast. We went to a pancake house and I had Blueberry Buckwheat pancakes that were delicious!!
Gabby and James also came to breakfast but unfortunately they didn't get there until late so we didn't really get to hang out with them. Gabby don't know if I have told you lately but I am so happy that you have become part of our Cruiser craziness.. you and James both!


12-miler
The next day after the race was our last "long" run of the Memphis Marathon training plan. It was around 45 degrees when we started at 7:00 which was 20 degrees warmer than the day before so we were very comfortable. Jackie met Jane, Michele and I at SSE we didn't have a specific route planned but just headed off in our normal direction and let Michele lead us through Cabot. I did have to make one or two pit stops but never had a cross my legs and stop kind of emergency. We did have to yell at a few dogs which is always fun... NOT. It was overall a very nice run, we pretty much all ran together the whole time so that was fun. My goal for the run was to try to avg. 10:30 for the 12 miles and we hit it was a 10:29 avg. pace. After the run we went to Starbucks and had their new Oatmeal and a pumpkin spice latte. As we were getting ready to leave Brenda and I both mentioned that we needed to go to Wal-Mart so we went together and it was great to have company while doing my grocery shopping.

THANKSGIVING
Thursday morning was the annual Cruiser Turkey run and we had 26 runners and 1 biker. It was so great to see so many people.. lot's of new faces and some old faces I haven't seen in awhile. It was cold -35 degrees when we started but it was supposed to warm up pretty quick and after the first mile I was very comfortable the rest of the run. It probably helped that we ran a very hilly route and we were keeping a pretty good pace.
Lisa F. started the run with a turkey call and then we were off with Jane and I leading the way down HWY 89 which was kind of comical because we had lot's of fast runners yesterday but they all stayed behind us until we turned onto Bradley and they they cut loose... oh well it was fun being in the lead while it lasted.
Jane, Vicki and I ended up running together for the whole 7 miles well most of it. Just before we got to 3.5 miles Vicki said she was going to take at walk break at 3.5 Jane walked with her but I kept going I did slow down and they did eventually catch up but it gave me a chance to catch my breath in my own way.
7 miles 9:38 avg pace... what a great way to start Thanksgiving day!! Somewhere around mile 6.5 I said to Jane BRING ON THE PUMPKIN PIE!!
This was the first Thansgiving I have spent with my Dad since I was 13 maybe 14 years old.. no I definately think it was 13... kind of sad but I don't dwell on the past and I'm very happy that we are together now.
Liva and Vanda really did a wonderful job the table's were very nicely decorated and the food was excellent.
Afterwards Kylie and I went out for a walk/bike ride and she had quite the crash but once I convinced her that was the coolest crash I had ever seen and repeatedly told her how strong and awesome she was the recovery was quick. I did have to hold an ice pack on her arm for the next 30 minutes. Tracy and little Alex my nephew Ricky's 2 year old stepson came out and joined us and we did a little running and walking and had some fun.

In the past we used to go around the table at Thanksgiving and say one thing that we were thankful for ... I wonder why we don't do that anymore?? Hmmm something to remember for next year.
This year I am thankful for Family and Friends my Dad and Stepmom moved to Arkansas, my son Brett and I have grown closer after a year of some tension. My circle of friends has grown this year and I couldn't be more blessed in that area. I am thankful that I am healthy and can run and bike and enjoy life.
Most important of all I am always thankful for Arland... my wonderful husband who I love so much and who loves me even when I am a little crazy!!!

Speaking of family it's time for us to go to Magness to say bye to the family members who are travelling home to Florida and Texas.

The last 20-miler with a few other runs sprinkled in

Saturday was our last 20-miler before Memphis and it was a good one. We went to the River Trail instead of running in Cabot with Brenda and Andrea. They were doing the Ballard Rd. Mountain Springs loop and after the weekend before Jane and I decided we didnt' want to do our 20 out there. The River Trail is great becasue it is familiar and has plenty of bathroom opportunities along the way no traffic and no dogs!!!!
I was dreading the run all week, orginally the weather people had forcasted 30 degrees and windy. We got lucky it was actually about 45 degrees but the wind was pretty killer!! There were times when it was pushing us every which way and on the Big Dam Bridge was the worst I bet we had 50mph wind gusts. I was really glad there weren't many bikes out because we were constantly getting pushed into the other lane.
We planned to start at 5:30 but it was almost 6:00 by the time we made it to the River Market and were able to start. We all had extra ear/head bands around our noses to keep us warm.. we looked pretty funny!! Cheryl it reminded me of our Rahling rd. run last winter!

I was wearing running pants, my favorite black tank with the back pockets a short sleeve tech shirt and a long sleeve tech shirt. I also had a throw away t-shirt which was great!! Right at the 1 mile marker there is a gas station it is at the bottom of the bridge I wasn't really feeling any stomach issues but I did need to pee and so did Kelly so we went ahead and stopped... well it was a darn good thing!! I took care of quite a bit of business that definately would have caused problems before the next bathroom stop.
It was a beautiful morning and the sunrise on the river was spectacular!! We were so happy we chose the River Trail. All summer long when we ran at the River Trail it was always dark until almost the Big Dam Bridge so it was nice that with the time change we actually were running in daylight. It was also great since portions of the trail were littered with tree limbs!! I was thinking of Cheryl when we were dodging all the debris!
Jane and I had decided earlier in the week that we were going to be good about our nutrition and we decided we would take in nutrition every 4 miles. I am proud to say we did a great job and I think it really made a big difference.
The hardest part of the run was the Big Dam Bridge because of the wind but I was really happy that I ran every bit of the way. We did have a weird encounter on the trail leading out to I-430 we were on our way back, Jane and I were running together and just a little behind us Michele and Kelly were running together. Up ahead we saw a man walking .. he would stop and then move from one side of the road to the other. We were a little nervous as we approached him there was just a really weird vibe coming off him but we passed without incident. Later we were kidding about the wind blowing us into the Arkansas River and Kelly said she was more worried about that man throwing us in the River!! That is how weird it was.
Karen met us at Murray Park which was at 14.5 miles for us... it was awesome she brought us PB&J sandwiches cut up into quarters, cheez its and water. AWESOME!!! What a sweetheart she is!! I'm bummed because she had been training so hard for the Memphis 1/2 Marathon but now she can't go because of work (National Guard). I'm glad that she is still running with us.
We had run through the trails around the Socceer Fields at Burn's Park so when we go to the River Market we we had our 20 miles. It was nice not to have to make loops around the President Clinton Library.
I left my Garmin on the whole run I never stopped it for any pit stops and there were a few but Jane would stop her's at most of the pit stops. It was interesting to see that we lost 20 minutes for bathroom stops
This was one of my best 20 mile training runs, I felt good most of the run and I never had any negative thoughts. Not one time did I think I dont' know how I am going to finish this and I felt great when we were done. Most of the time after a long run I start to feel dizzy and really tired after we stop running but not on Saturday. Really paying attention to our nutrtion really paid off and the pb&j at mile 14 really helped!!
I would take 1/2 a gel every 4 miles. Mile 4 and 8 it was a vanilla carb boom and then mile 12 and 18 was a strawberry kiwi Accelgel. I also would have a couple of pretzels when I took the gels to soften the blow on my tummy. Total intake was 2 gels about 6 pretzels and 1/2 pb&j sandwich.
After the run we met Curtis and Gary at Boulevard Bread Co. for coffee and toast and then it was a trip to Target for a few things. It was really fun having Jane with us! She usually drives her own car and has to leave early but she rode with us and was able to hang out :)
The Blackberry is on the fritz again :( now it's the little ball thingy. Arland has ordered me a new one and in the mean time I put my sim card in his Black Jack.. I don't like it I want my Blackberry back!!!

Bailey wasn't able to do her 20-miler on Saturday due to work so the plan was for Brenda to run the first 10 with her and Jane and I would run the second 10. Well it was a good plan and Brenda held up her end of the bargain but me not so much.
Jane and I met Bailey at Lisa's house I got there just a few minutes after 9:00am and it it was just a couple minutes later that Brenda and Bailey ran up.
We said good-bye to the other girls and off we went... from the very beginning Jane didn't feel good, she was really tight and just over all tired. We told Bailey that we didn't want our pace to affect her run and to not slow down for us. We all ran together for a little bit but soon enough Bailey pulled out ahead of us, we turned onto Mt. Carmel and had to run single file because of the traffic, next thing you know I look behind me and Jane has fallen back quite a bit... she had complained about her calf earlier so I turned around and told her I had Ibuprofren. She had already taken some so that wasn't going to help and she made the decison to turn around. I was in a quandry what should I do??? I didn't want Jane going back by herself but Bailey had gotten way ahead and I didn't want to turn around without her knowing what was going on. Jane told me she would be fine and to go on so I headed out to chase Bailey down. At first I was a little panicked because I didn't know if I knew the route, the only thing I knew for sure was we were turning on Lemay but when I rembered I had my phone and if I never caught Bailey I could always call Brenda for directions/help I felt better and relaxed. Luckily Bailey took a couple walk breaks and then stopped in a parking lot just before the turn to wait for me. We ran together for a little bit but mostly I was just just chasing her the whole time!! LOL I had just hit 5 miles when Brenda drove up to check on us.. I don't know what came over me but I decided to end my run and hitched a ride with her. I felt bad leaving Bailey out there along but we weren't really running together and I think she was running slower so I wouldn't get too far behind.
Considering I had run 20 miles the day before I felt pretty good the whole run.. no aches or pains just maybe a little tired. We went to Brenda's to let the puppy she was babysitting out for a bit and then we went back to check on Bailey. I think it was a good run for her... especially the first 1/2. The route she ran was pretty hilly and if she could have a good 20 miler on that route then she will do great in Memphis. Speaking of great 20 milers Brenda, Andrea and Robert had an awesome run on Saturday. They did two loops of Ballard Road and Mt. Springs and that is nothing but hills and they were blazing fast, they are definately ready to take on Memphis!!
So Brenda ran a very tough and fast 20-miler on Saturday and then turned around and ran a pretty hilly 10 miler on Sunday... is she tough or what??? :)

Monday night I met Kelly, Jane and Brenda in Krooked Kreek for an easy 5 miler. From the very beginning it was a tough run we hadn't gotten far at all when I really felt the need to pee but I was doing ok and then about mile 3 the stomach thing hit and it was all downhill after that. The one good thing I can say is that I was able to push through and get the whole 5 miles. It would have been very easy a couple of times to make turn towards Michele's house and put myself out of my misery but I kept going. The last mile was the hardest and I had to stop A LOT!

Tonight is another run in Krooked Kreek.......

Lunch Run

Yesterday Jane and I were able to sneak in a lunch run. The weather people had been predicting rain in the morning and then again later in the afternoon/evening on Tuesday and since Jane had the day off for Vetran's day we decided to try to sneak a run in around the rain.

We got started about 11:15 it was about 53 degree but pretty windy. I wasn't quite sure what to wear but 50's is pretty warm when it comes to running so I wore a short sleeve tech shirt and a skirt. The shirt was the dri fit shirt we got for running the Sara Low 5K back in September. It is kind of big so the sleeves are a little longer on me but it is very comfy, and light weight.
We started running from my driveway and as soon as we turned onto First street the wind hit us and I was freezing!! Mostly it was my hands and I was wishing I had gloves on but I know they wouldn't have lasted so I just sucked it up and tried not to whine too much.
About 1.5 miles into the run it started sprinkling on us and I was worried we might get caught in a downpour. We ran to the end of First street turned around and ran to Team 1. The timing was perfect I needed a bathroom break even more than I realized!! We were right at 2 miles when we stopped.
It was kind of cool to run into work, the guys all kind of looked at me like I was crazy but I'm used to that!
After the pit stop we headed back down First street, since we were running in the opposite direction we had no wind and it didn't take long for us to warm up! We did have light rain and I think that helped cool us off.
We chatted pretty much the whole run but we were pushing the pace a little bit so there were a few long stretches of silence.. well not really silence more like a lot of heavy breathing and sighing. We also talked about you Brenda, we were running up an "incline" and I said I bet Brenda would say this is flat!! LOL
To make sure we got our 5 miles we ran through the newish subdivision close to my house, I don't normally like to run in that neighborhood, it is just one long gradual incline... there wasnt' much talking going on during this section.
Luckily when we turned into my neighborhood we were at 4.75 and we hit 5 miles right at my house. We did another lap around the neighborhood walking as a cooldown lap. It was still sprinkling so we went into the house and did some stretching. I am really trying to be better about stretching after every run!! It's just so hard to do when it is cold!
After Jane left I made myself a turkey sandwich took a quick shower and headed back to work.
I felt so good I definately was feeling a runners high and it lasted pretty much the rest of the day. It felt so good to get the run done, and it was a good run we did 5 miles with a 9:40 avg. pace and we were very happy with those numbers!! Our fastest mile was our last mile in 9:15 and that was the section with the longest incline!
5 miles
48:23
1-9:51
2-9:54
3-9:37
4-9:44
5-9:15

The Hill's are alive with the sound of gunshot's

Disaster struck Friday morning... I fried my Blackberry!! I woke up still feeling good from a great run on Thursday night with Jane and Brenda but that went away as soon as Brett's sweet tea spilled onto the counter and onto my phone.
I immediately was sick to my stomach... Blackberry's are expensive and I knew that Team 1 was not going to pay for a replacement.
I took it apart and used a rubbing alchohol pad to clean it out, I waited a little while and then I put it back together... NOTHING but black screen. I repeated the process of taking it apart several times but in the meantime I'm panicking because I'm worried that the shops won't be able to get ahold of me and then I'll be in trouble.
Finally I decided I would just take it to the AT&T store and buy a new one if I had to although $300+ for a phone is not in my budget! I decided to stop at home first and I called Arland he suggested I put my sim card into his old blackjack and use it until he got home and could look at my phone and our contract. I am so glad I called him because of course once I switched out the sim cards my phone came back to life... not quite that quickly but I am happy to say that my Blackberry is fine and Arland didn't kill me!

So now onto fun stuff!!

Saturday morning Jane and I met Brenda, Andrea, Robert and Ginny at Magness Creek for our 13 mile HILLY long run. I am happy to say that I think I have conquered the Lila Loop curse and we had a good run. It was VERY hilly and there were times that Jane and I were really trash talking Brenda... I think her ears must have been burning a lot during that run.
Not only did we have the wonderful HILLs... but we also saw 3 foxes and several packs of dogs, luckily none of them decided to have us for breakfast. Saturday morning was also the official opening of Deer hunting season and we heard lot's of gunshots out in the woods.
My stomach held out for the most part until mile 10.85... I did have to slow down and walk around mile 7.5 because I thought I was going to have a problem but luckily it passed and we were able to keep running. Our goal for this run was to start off slow and then level out and hopefully maintain a 10:30 avg. pace. Mission accomplished although we didnt' really do it the way we planned. We started out with a 10:00 avg pace for the first 5 miles and then with the stomach issues and some a couple of killer hills we dropped back and ended up with the 10:30 avg.
It was pretty cold Saturday 39 degrees at 6:00am I don't know what the temp was when we ended but I never did take off my long sleeve tech shirt. I thought about it a couple of times but I had on a sleeveless shirt underneath and that just wasn't enough. I did have to take my gloves off within the first couple of miles and the bondi band came down about 1/2 way through.
I was wearing one of my running skirts and overall I was pretty comfortable. Jane on the other hand still had her gloves on at the end of the run and her bondi band.
When we got back to Magness creek and were passing by Livia's house I decided to take off my fuel belt and leave it on her mailbox... as soon as we started running again my stomach said excuse me there is a warm bathroom in that house and you better take me there right now!!!!
The wind never really was a factor for us during the run until the last 2 miles when we turned around and it was brutal!!!
After the run we all gathered in Andrea's home gym and stretched really good and then headed to Daily Grind for breakfast.
Cindy and Lisa weren't able to run for various reasons but they did join us for breakfast and as usual Donna and everyone at Daily Grind took really good care of us.
After breakfast I went back to Livia's house to pick up my fuel belt, I ended up staying for a few hours just kind of chilling with my dad and Vanda and then eventually Kylie and Livia. They all stayed up really late on Friday night so they were sleeping in on Saturday.
I took Kylie home with me to shower and change and then head back to Magness for a "Goal setting Seminar" with Dennis.
I think I finally got home around 5:30 made myself some dinner (lean cuisine) and relaxed until time to go to the airport to pick up Arland.

Sunday morning we had 10 on the schedule. Several people were supposed to meet us but it ended up just being me, Jane and Kelly. It was MUCH colder Sunday morning 31 degrees at the start and I was actually wearing pants!! I also had on a short sleeve tech shirt, a long sleeve tech shirt and a jacket along with gloves and a bondi band of course.
When we got to Michele's neighborhood I left my jacket and gloves on her mailbox, I was fine without the jacket but here were times later in the run that I really could have used the gloves!!
Our route took us past the Phillip's 66 at mile 4 which was perfect timing, Kelly and I both needed to stop. It was after that I really wished I had my gloves! This run was not easy I was feeling the hills from the day before and the last couple of miles I really had to push myself to keep running. I had 1/2 of a vanilla carb boom gel around 7 or 8 miles and it was pretty gross :( but I think it helped I think those last miles would have been even harder without it.
When we hit 10 miles we called the "Scarlata rule" and we stopped our Garmins and walked the rest of the way in. It wasn't far maybe a 1/4 of a mile or a little over. I was so happy to stop running but almost immediately after we started walking my stomach and lower back started cramping big time oh my gosh it hurt so bad!! and it was so cold. We all just walked to our cars and jumped in no chit chat and no stretching. I ran across the street to the gas station to get a chocolate milk, I was dissapointed they didn't have fat free or even 2% but I went ahead and bought one and only drank a little bit of it.
I had the seat warmers and heat on full blast but I could feel the chill setting in. As soon as I walked in the house I changed into warm clothes and crawled into the bed. I propped my feet up on the wall and pulled the covers over my head, eventually I started to warm up and soon fell asleep. I woke up an hour later with my feet still in the air and I felt so much better!!
The rest of the morning was spent in the office with Arland shredding several months worth of junk mail etc. I hate that job and we always put it off until it's a big ordeal :(

Sunday afternoon Vanda, Livia, Kylie and I participated in the Central Arkansas Just Communities Unity Walk but I will have to wait till later to post about it... work is calling.

Recovery

It's funny and I don't want to jinx myself but I really haven't had much recovering to do. I felt great the day after the marathon and I have had some great runs since then.
I think this is the first time I have felt this good after a marathon except maybe after San Francisco, although I do remember a lot of moaning and groaning about sore hips, butt, quads and feet the two days we were exploring SF.

Sunday I took a rest day, well a rest from running anyway. It felt good to sleep in and then I spent the rest of the day hanging out first with Brenda and then later having a family get together at Magness and then a party in Greystone.

Monday night Arland and I met Jane and Brenda at the community center for a run. I was nervous because although I was feeling really good I wasn't sure how running was going to feel.
Right away Jane and Brenda were setting a pretty good pace and my goal was just to try to hang on for dear life. The first mile of our route has a series of hills not monsters but challenging enough especially that early in the run. Jane and I had discovered a new route last week and we introduced it to Brenda and Arland. It is great because it does have the hills and then a few more inclines but it also has a couple of gradual downhills that feel nice.
It took a couple of miles for me to warm up, nothing was hurting but I was struggling to keep up, my chest was tight etc.... but then about 2.5 to 3 miles into the run I started feeling really good and running with Brenda we were pushing the pace a little bit. Arland was steadily going on and on about how I just ran a marathon and this was supposed to be a recovery run and I should slow down.. LOL It was kind of funny but I just was feeling so good and just went with that feeling. We talked the whole time and they made me do most of the talking because they wanted to hear about the marathon.
Around 4 mile Brenda made the comment that I hadn't had any trouble with my stomach.. I wisely said "not yet"!! and of course wouldn't you know it right at 4.75 boom it hit, I had to slow down to a jog and then stop completely and cross my legs. Luckily it didn't last too long and I was able to pick the pace back up for a strong finish.
We ended up with according to my Garmin a 9:51 avg. pace... now that isn't blazing fast but it was pretty darn fast for my first run 2 days after a marathon! It was great to have Brenda with us and now that it is getting dark so early we are hoping to have her as a regular running partner more often.

1-10:19
2- 9:52
3- 9:55 had to stop for a second to cross hwy 89
4- 9:30
5-9:34

Tuesday was Run club at Kylie's school. I know I say this every week but I truly get such a kick out of being involved! I think I might have mentioned the little boy who ran with us a couple of weeks ago when the kids did their timed mile... well he is so cute and sweet and he has attached himself to me and Kylie. He is taller than Brett was at that age but there is just something about him that makes me think of Brett when he was a little boy... I think it's a combination of his brown eyes and his sweet little face along with his personality. So when he said he wanted to "stay with us" again on Tuesday I was happy :) Kylie wasn't really in the mood for running so M. and I had to do a lot of circling back for her and I had to do a lot of prodding and bribing to get her to run.
Arland you need to order another box of Honey Stingers ASAP!! Kylie is going through them like crazy.
I hung around at Kylie's house until time to go for my run with Karen and Michele. We had limited time so we only got in 3 miles but they were good miles!
The first mile was slow we were warming up but the next 2 were much faster. This was Michele's first run after the Marathon and after being sick over the weekend she had some steam to blow off. The kids were with us on their bikes, Alex stuck with "miss Karen" and Abby came along for the ride with her mom and I. We had picked up the pace some and then Michele say's "come on" and waves her hand indicating that I needed to pick up the pace... so I did. Karen asked later if we were trying to set some kind of new record. We weren't that fast but it was fun.
We ended up with a 10:16 avg pace and that was with a slow beginning and then a slow ending. Our fastest mile was between 2.5 and 3.5 so I don't really know how fast it was. Michele turned back for the kids and then I slowed down as well because I needed to wait for Karen so I would know where to turn. I've been running in that neighborhood for almost a year now and I still get turned around sometimes.... just don't tell Michele! she thinks it is hysterical that Brenda, Jane and I are so geographically challenged.

This morning Jane and I met at the community center for a true recovery run. We once again started with the hills but this morning I knew right before we got to a crossroads that we should turn right and head to the Phillip's 66, good thing too! I did have to walk for a little bit about a quarter of a mile before we got to it but it wasn't too bad and after a fairly quick stop the rest of the run was fine.
We ran a very comfortable pace and talked the whole run... there was one bit of time when we were on South Jackson that we got kind of quiet and my breathing got harder and I realized we had picked up the pace a bit.. I said wow we must really be ready for this run to be over with! But I think it is just that section it is kind of long and dark and it is towards the end so I think it's just natural to pick it up in that spot.
When we got back to the community center we had 4.77 and of course that is just too close to five to stop so we ran loops in the parking lot.
5 miles
10:21 avg. pace
1-10:15
2-10:46
3-10:22
4-9:53
510:33

I was going to run again tonight but decided not to push my luck!!!! I don't want any injuries this close to the Memphis Marathon!

They are forecasting rain and possible thundershowers over night and into the morning so Jane and I have decided to move our run to tomorrow night. It will be nice to sleep in and that just give my body that much more recovery time.

The plan for the weekend is 13 on Saturday at Lila Loop and then 10 Sunday morning.
Next week is our last 20 miler and then it will be taper time :)

A few pictures

Michele leading the way at the finish with Kelly and I following along behind.

Annette, Gary & Kelly after

Kelly approaching the finish... doesnt' she look great!!!

Me approaching the finish. I look pretty happy. Kylie doesn't like this picture because my bangs are swept back! LOL


I really wish I would have carried my phone with me during the race. It would have been great to get pictures of the front runners and of the beautiful scenery.

Mid-South Marathon

Saturday Nov. 1st was the Mid South Marathon in Wynne AR. Several of my Memphis marathon training partners and I decided that we would use this marathon as a "training run", sounds good... right??? We had a 20 miler on the schedule so why not just run a marathon instead! As Saturday rapidly approached I started rethinking the wisdom of our plan!! LOL but we were commited and the fact that they were going to have a port a pottie every mile really sealed the deal!

Saturday morning I met Kelly at the elementary school I arrived promptly at 4:32am she was across the street getting her caffeine fix. It is an hour and a half drive to Wynn and we needed to get there early so I could register, yes I am a procrastinator! We were also planning on doing the early start at 7:00am. This race had a 6 hour cutoff and our orginal plan was to run 20-22 miles and walk the last 6 so we thought we might be squeaking by... well I felt confident we would finish in at least 5:30 but you just never know what can happen out on the road. An even bigger reason to do the early start was the weather, it was about 52 degrees at the start and was predicted to warm up to 76 degrees by noon with completely sunny skies and I think I have already let it be known in the past I prefer cooler weather for long runs!

Bailey, Curtis, James, Michele, Patti, Brice and Tami F. also did the early start along with about 10 others. We had been warned there would be no course support so I was happy to have a nice size group to start with. It was still kind of dark when we started and cool. I had a short sleeve throw away t-shirt on and I ditched it within a mile of the start.
Curtis led the group and luckily we were able to keep in sight for the first part so we would know where to turn. The one thing we didn't think about was that no course support meant NO aid stations for the first few miles!!

I really wanted our first couple of miles to be 11:00 miles and then after that try to maintain a 10:30 -10:45 avg. I was feeling really good and I thought I think my stomach is going to be ok.... well you know what happened next. Luckily it was not too far from the port a potty just past mile 2. I was able to duck in and take care of business. Kelly stopped with me and we lost the rest of the group, I was bummed but at least I was able to take care of business.
At the next aid station mile 3 they were setting up so we stopped and had to wait for them to open up but it didnt' take too long.
I think it was mile 4 when we saw Bailey coming out of a port a potty ahead of us she ran towards us and stuck with us the rest of the race until the last 2 or 3 miles.
It was a beautiful course, the fall foliage was beautiful!!! It was still cool and just a slight breeze the perfect running weather.
James was running the 1/2 marathon but started early with us so he could get back to Jonsboro and the kids. Michele ran with him for the first 6 miles and after the turn around when we saw James he said Michele would be waiting for us at the 7 mile aid station.
She was getting bored and just before we got there she was running towards us :)

Once the aid stations were set up they were GREAT!!!! They had pretzels, chips, cookies, fruit, all kinds of goodies at EVERY mile.
I had brought pretzles with me but I would grab a handful at every aid station and eat them instead of breaking into my stash. I also stashed a couple of cookies and pulled them out when I needed some extra help in the later miles. I also ate my honey stingers.
We stopped at a port a potty probably 8 times or more during the race and no they weren't all for me!! But there were a few where we all needed it and 4 girls and one port a potty definately slowed us down!

At the beginning of the race we were discussing the fact that the fast people would at some point pass us during the marathon and we were trying to figure out what mile that would be. It was mile 12 or actually just shy of 12 miles. It was really pretty cool and they guys were great!!! Obviously they knew we had started early but they were complimenting us telling us great job etc. The turn around (this was an out and back course) was at mile 13 and since they were so speedy and we were not we got to see them again when they were headed back. Again they were super nice!!
Maybe if I were more competetive the constant passing would have sucked but instead it was kind of fun. What was really funny was after we had turned around and were on the way back some of the runners who were on the other side of the road were giving us crazy looks, like how did those girls get so far ahead of me!!! Most of them eventually passed us but it was still fun! We were very considerate of the faster runners and stayed out of there way for the most part.. we even would run on the grass so they could pass us. A couple of guys were coming up behind us and I heard one of them say "hey were are skirt chasers" I loved it!

Not sure exactly what mile it was but sometime around 16 or so Kelly's calves really started hurting and she was having to do a lot of walking. We had been seeing a guy on a bike for miles and he would always tell us how great we were whenever he passed... we had no idea who he was but assumed he was part of the official race team. Turns out he was out there as support for another runner, after a couple of miles of mostly walking because of Kelly's calves we saw this guy off of his bike and asked if he had any ibuprofren... he didn't but he said he would find us some. A mile or two later he came back and as promised he had ibuprofen for Kelly :) too bad I didn't ask for some too. Because of the extented walk breaks my hips, piriformis etc all tightned up and I was starting to hurt. I had also done something weird when I put my chip on and the top of my foot was starting to throb from the pressure, I tried loosening my laces but it didn't help.
After the ibuprofen kicked in for Kelly we were able to run for longer stretches and I just kept thinking ok get to mile 20... and then 23 etc. Once we were past mile 22 we gave ourselves permission to walk as much as we wanted but really we wanted it to be over so we tried to do more running than walking.
Finally we made the second to last turn and we were on the final stretch... and it was a slight downhill which was awesome.
We all just kicked it in and ran as hard at we could to the finish.
Our final time was 5:23:xx Michele was first then Kelly and then me. It was really cool to see 4:23 on the clock but our time was adjusted for the final results.
The High school Gym was open and we were able to take showers which was heaven!! I had brought a change of clothes but it was so nice to be able to shower.
They had set up the food in the cafeteria and had BBQ sandwiches and Pizza neither really appealed to me that much but I had a sandwich. I knew the protein and carbs would be good for my poor muscles.

One of the only bad things I can really say about this race was the roads were slanted most of the way, and becuase they didnt' shut down all of the roads you were dodging huge 18 wheelers, dump trucks etc. We never had a problem but it was hard to be able to find a flat spot for very long and my feel could really feel it, along with my glutes!
We had also been told by everyone that this course is FLAT, FLAT, FLAT except for one good size hill at mile 24... well they were WRONG!! It wasn't a killer course but it definately had rolling terrain throughout the whole course. On the way out it felt like we were climbing the whole time so we thought when we turned around we would have more downhill... well you can imagine our suprise when it felt like we were climbing the entire way back! LOL

Still it was GREAT and I am really really glad we did it!! We also managed to have a women's team for the Grand Prix and Bailey, Kelly and I earned individual points as well.

Oh I mentioned the weather at the beginning of this post... it did warm up quite a bit but I never really got hot so that was another thing to be grateful for.

I know I'm leaving good stuff out but that's what happens when you get old and wait 3 days to write the race report.

By the time Kelly and I got home on Saturday it was 4:00 in the afternoon and I was starting to get sleepy. Brenda came over to visit for a little while though and that got me all wound up again just talking about the race. After she left Arland, Brett and I went out for Mexican food which was really yummy! We got home about 6:30 and by 7:30 I was passed out on the couch, about 9:30 Arland made me go to bed and I slept until 6:30 Sunday morning. When I woke up I felt great!! I had a little bit of soreness in my calves and quads oh and yeah the top of my right foot but otherwise I definately did not feel like I had run a marathon the day before.

Sunday was a jam packed day... I met Brenda at Starbuck's for a fun girl talk session and right after that we went to Magness Creek to have lunch with my Dad, Stepmom, Kylie, Livia, Jeff and Brett... right after that we headed to Greystone for some more fun. We finally dropped Kylie off about 7:30 and once again I was asleep on the couch about an hour later.

This morning I woke up and nothing hurt not even the top of my foot :)
Tonight I am meeting the girls for a run.... this will be the true test!

I will post the pictures that Gary took later this evening....

Soaring Wings 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Great Race and a PR for me :)

It was a beautiful morning, cold and crisp for the start with lot's of bright sunshine. We arrived in Conway way early and had plenty of time to pick up our packets and use the facilities. The race started at the McGee Center which is a very nice community center in Conway. They were open and we were able to stay inside to keep warm and had access to clean bathrooms! I took advantage of the clean bathrooms three times and I guess it did the trick because I didn't have any problems during the race.

Our/my goal for this race was just to use it as my long run for the week and to try and maintain a 10:30 avg. pace. We were all milling about and Tala said come on we need to move up so Jane and I followed her, but then we saw the 2:15 pacer who was wearing a Jesters cap and seemed like a fun guy. So I changed my plan from a 10:30 avg. pace to a 10:16. As we were waiting for the start signal I said to Jane "if you feel good don't hang back for me" she said same for you. Once we started it didnt' take long for her to be off ahead of me. At first it was hard for me to stay with the 2:15 group I kept getting ahead but I made myself slow down so that I could keep an even pace.
About 1.5 miles into the race I see James and Russ a little ahead of me, James hasn't done any runs over 4 miles since his Ironman in June so I figured they were just taking it easy... that was the only reason I was catching up with them!! LOL When I did catch up James asked me what my goal was and I told him I was planning on sticking with the 2:15 pacer. He said they were looking at a 2:20 - 2:25 finish. I said cool I'll just run with you guys, so I slowed down and watched the 2:15 guy get ahead of me but he was always in sight. I had fun with James and Russ we pretty much chatted away and I was feeling good. After a couple of miles I eventually went on ahead, I think it was on one of the bigger hills.
I made catching up with the 2:15 group my goal, but I will be honest I didn't know if I could and decided I would be ok with a 2:20 finish. Somewhere around mile 6 or 7 I started getting that yucky feeling that I got on my long run the weekend before... just kind of drained and I was thinking good grief what is wrong with me?????
I never took a walk break other than at the aid stations and that was just a few steps to take a quick drink of gatorade and then water. The aid stations were great plenty of them and always stocked, there were also people along the course handing out gu's, starbursts and stuff like that. I took a gu and I thought it was vanilla but when I looked it was blueberry pomegranate and I knew better than to eat it!! so I stuck it in my skirt pocket and kept going. I do wish someone would have had pretzels!!!!
Also around 6 or 7 I saw Jackie, as soon as I saw the Cabot shirt I knew it was her and I was worried. She is an awesome runner MUCH faster than me so for me to catch up with her meant she wasnt' feeling well. When I caught up with her just past an aid station we walked for a second and then ran togeteher for a little bit. As soon as I first saw her I thought I am just going to stay with Jackie, but I found myself pulling away a little and she said "Have an awesome finish" so I knew I should keep going, and anytime I started to feel like it was getting hard I just thought about Jackie and would keep pushing through. I wanted to have an awesome finish for her!! and I did :)
I think it was around mile 10.5 when I finally caught back up with the 2:15 group, I thought ok here I am now I can just relax and hang with these guys for the rest of the race. It was getting hard for me to stay with them I kept slowing down and then I thought why am I doing this..just go!! so I did and just prayed that I wouldn't die and have to watch them pass me.
When I finally made the turn for the final stretch I could hear people yelling my name but at first I couldn't see them, but then as I got closer I saw Brenda, Andrea, Lisa, Cindy... they were all yelling for me and as I got close to them Brenda screamed PUSH IT so I found that other gear and I was able to sprint in and that was a great feeling. My finishing time was 2:13:30 a 5 minute PR and on a hilly course, so I am very happy!!

One of the great things about this race was how many people along the course I knew... I think at least 4 or 5 times I would hear someone yell my name :) and then at the finish line the lady who put my mylar blanket around my shoulders was someone I've met at a lot of races and she knew my name and gave me a big hug and congratulated me.
After I got my medal and water I headed over to Brenda and the girls to help cheer on the rest of our Cabot bunch... along the way I got to see Cheryl, Kim and Tammy they all had GREAT races a huge PR for Cheryl and also a PR for Kim. This was Tammy's first 1/2 marathon and I think her first time running over 10 miles she and Cheryl finished in under 2:05.
When I got to Brenda and Andrea I found out they also had great races and PR's!! oh and Jane my running partner she finished in 2:03 I think whatever it was it was awesome and a big PR for her too!!

I really cannot say enough good things about this race it was so well organized and all the proceeds went to a great cause. Next year it will be part of the Grand Prix series and will be even bigger!

Tomorrow is another race.... the Mid South Marathon. We have said all along this is a training run but now that it is tomorrow I am getting nervous!!

Catching up... for real this time

Ok,where did I leave off???

Oh yeah the Cabot Fest 5K. That afternoon we had a birthday celebration for my dad's 70th. The party was at my sister's house in Magness, they bought ton's of great steaks, chicken, bratwurst etc, had lot's of great side dishes and desserts, but I had a long run the next day so I wasn't able to indulge. There was also plenty of wine and beer flowing but I especially did not indulge in either of those! I'm very happy my dad and Step mom are here in Arkansas now. Brazil is a beautiful country and Rio is an exciting city but also very dangerous so it is a relief to have them here. Now I just wish that Livia's mom, dad, sister & family could also move here. Contrary to popular believe not everyone who lives in another country wishes they could live in the U.S. and they are all very happy in Brazil but that doesn't stop me from wishing they were here instead.

The long run on Sunday oct 11th was 14 miles it was a back down week for us. We went back to the scene of my horrible, horrible long run a few weeks prior.

We had quite a large group meeting and we had several different start times, and at different times we had a variety of people running with us. At 5:30 it was Kelly, Jane, me, Pattie, Gabby, Andrea and Jamie. We ran loops that took us back to Andrea's house and the cast of characters would change, at 6:30 Cheryl met us and our group headed across Hwy 5 to Ballard Rd.

It was a nice morning, cooler but not as cool as predicted, still it was a good 15 to 20 degrees cooler than when I had my "melt down" a couple of weeks ago. We only got a few miles into Ballard rd when Jamie's asthma started bothering her so we headed back so she could end her run. It was a decent run, we had to keep running the same loop over and over to get our 14 in but it was ok.

While we were running on Ballard road we saw a toilet on the side of the road... well considering all of my issues I couldnt' resist taking a photo.

After the run we went to Livia's house and Vanda made us coffee...so GOOD!!! ton's better than anything you can get at any coffee shop!

Throughout the day on Sunday I started feeling sick, I had been fighting off a sore throat all week, and on Sunday morning when I woke up for the long run I had so much junk in my head it was making me gag and then that made me throw up.. I know gross :(

So anyway by Sunday night I knew I was sick... I called Kelly and she gave me some recommendations for over the counter med's so I followed her advice took the meds and went to bed early. Monday I woke up achy, sneezy throat hurt etc. I went to work but at lunch I went home and stayed the rest of the day. Needless to say I didnt' run on Monday.

Tuesday was the kid's running clinic and I was feeling better so I went... as usual it was great fun!! Kylie got a big kick when Jackie asked me to "lead" the kindergartners. Its the little things that made kids happy!

I felt better so Wednesday morning I met Jane for our regular 5am run. It would have been a good run but my stomach acted up and I had to make an emergency stop about half way through the run.

I was going to try to run again Wednesday night but by Wednesday afternoon I wasn't feeling good again :(

Thursday I felt better so I made plans to run Thursday afternoon with Brenda, but between my stomach and phone calls from work I wasn't able to get to her house in time.

No problem she had someone to run with and I called Michele and arranged to run with her. She wasnt' starting until late 7:15 or later and really that is too late for me in the winter. When I got to her house at 7:15 no one was home and the other girls hadn't arrived yet. I knew they were going to run 5 or 6 and i wanted a little more so I hopped out of my car and ran two miles by myself. Now to the average runner that doesnt' sound like a big deal, you have probably noticed reading my blog, but I NEVER run alone. Oh sure I might end up running alone during a group run, either left behind or running ahead but I never just go out and run by myself. I was very suprised at how much I enjoyed it!!! I still like running with other people better but it was good and hopefully it will help me get out the door when I don't have someone to run with. I ended up with 7 great miles that night!! That run was great for me mentally and physically. The endorphins really kicked in and helped kind of lift the fog I had been in for almost 2 weeks.

Saturday the 18th of October was our first 20 miler for the St. Jude/Memphis Marathon. The plan was to meet at the River Market and run the "River Trail Loop" it was the same route we had run many times while training for the San Francisco Marathon. Orginally we were all going to meet and do the route together but a few changes were made and it ended up just being Jane, Michele and Me.

It was a very cool morning right around 53 degrees and a little breezy. I wore my normal outfit of running skirt and sleeveless running top but I also added a long sleeve tech shirt. This one is very light and I knew it wouldn't bother me when I had to tie it around my waist. I also brought gloves but I gave them to Michele, it wasn't that cold!

The run started off fine, no problems, stomach or otherwise unless you want to count the constantly dripping nose. The first 5 miles ticked off so fast that we were all amazed when we realized we were at mile 5, of course on a 20 mile run that's pretty early to get too excited. I made it all the way to the Dog Park before I needed a port a pottie... I had skipped the one at the Golf course/boat launch I didn't feel the need and I didnt' want to stop at every port a pottie 'just in case". I did have a bit of an emergency and had to do that supid stop cross my legs and pray thing a couple of times. Oh well that was the only time for that problem anyway.

I guess it was about mile 9 when I started feeling kind of draggy, not terrible but I was a little worried that I was already feeling tired. Now I have already been lectured about this but I was stupid when it came to nutrition... because the first miles were so cool and clicked off so fast we didn't end even taking our first drink of water until mile 7.5 at least I didn't. It was also at mile 7.5 that we took our first bit of nutrition 1 honey stinger and 1 pretzel... I know, I know... not enough!!! Believe me I paid for it later. We didn't take our next nutrition until mile 10 and I was feeling it. I started eating 2 honey stingers at a time and I had several more pretzels. I started feeling better and I knew at around 13 miles Karen would be waiting with fresh cold water for us. Not that I really needed it since I hadn't been drinking very much. She was parked at Murray Park and I went to use the bathroom "just in case" when I stopped I felt a little light headed but it passed so I didn't worry about it too much.

Michele had a peanut butter & jelly sandwich (wish I would have asked her to bring me one too) we refilled our bottles and off we went. I was still feeling kind of fatigued but the next 3 miles were pretty uneventful until Michele said she needed to use the restrooms at the ball field next to "Cajun's Wharf". As soon as we stopped running I was light headed and nauseous I've had this happend before, it used to happen at the END of all my long runs when I was training for the Chicago Marathon summer before last. Anyway it scared me a little, I sat down in the stall just to steady myself and I thought maybe the feeling would pass. I had been eating my honey stingers but I guess it was too little too late.... after sitting in the bathroom a couple of minutes I went back outside and I wasn't going to tell the girls I was feeling bad but then another wave hit me and I knew I couldnt' run so I had to tell them. We were at mile 16.5 when we stopped for teh bathroom, I think I probably could have made it the whole 20 miles if we hadn't stopped. It is weird but as long as I'm moving I'm ok it is when I stop everything falls apart.

The girls were great, we were 2.5 miles away from the River Market and our cars and they walked the whole way with me. Honestly I dont' know how I did it!! My vision was kind of blurry and I was very light headed but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and eventually we made it back. We were at 18.69 on my Garmin when we got back to the River Market I was feeling a little better and I just can't stand an odd number so we kept walking until we got to 19. I wanted to keep going for 20 but the girls wouldnt let me. When we got into Boulevard Bread Co. I was able to order my coffee and toast but then I had to sit down. The toast and coffee helped a lot and by the time we left Boulevard I was feeling much better!!

I know that the lack of proper nutrition during the run played a role, but I have run other long runs with a lot less fuel and been fine. I think it was being sick the week before, the fact that I was on my period and it was my "heavy day" and maybe the lact of nutriton all combined that caused me to have such crazy reaction. I do need to start eating something before a long run.... just with this stomach it's so hard :(
We had been doing so well the first part of the run that even with a 2.5 mile walk I still had a 12:40 avg. pace for the 19 miles.
This picture was taken at the Boat Lauch at the end of the "1-430 trail"


Sunday morning after a night out with James and Michele to celebrate her birthday I slept in. It was so nice to just be able to sleep unil I naturally woke up. I slept until 7:30 and wasnt' sure if I was going to run or not, but when I asked Arland if he wanted to run he said yes so I got ready for a run.

We didnt' start until 9:00 and it was still cool out but the sun was beating down... still we had a nice run, other than my stomach problems this time I blame the gigantic margarita I had the night before... and maybe the fish tacos??? LOL

I ended up with 7 miles and Arland added on around the neighborhood and finished with 8. It has been a long time since Arland and I went on a run just the two of us and it was nice. We kept a nice easy pace and it was great running with him.

After our run we had brunch with James and Michele and while the boys went to Home Depot Michele and I went on a short bike ride to Mt. Mudd. When we got to Mt. Mudd as soon as we stopped I felt a little blah not really light headed but just not right. It was very discouraging because I was planning on meeting Vicki and Brenda at 1:30 for a group ride. For a few minutes I considered not going but changed my mind and I ended up having a great ride with Vicki, Brenda and Lisa. We had a nice social ride, we didn't bike hard, but we also didn't just coast either.

The weirdest thing happened to our friend Gary on this ride... he was bit by a squirrell while riding. Yes bit by a squirrel!!! He was in a pace line and Curtis who was right in front of him hit a squirrel with his back tire causing it to fly up and hit Gary in the chest and arm and it bit him. At first when Gary was telling the story we thought he was telling one of those 'when Curtis and I were kids" stories. Nope he showed us the bite mark, he got on the phone right away and had his wife call their family doctor to find out if he needed a rabies shot!!! How crazy is that?!

By Sunday evening I was starting to feel bad again, and this whole week has been a repeat of last week. Sick Sunday night, feeling yucky Monday no run... Etc.

This Tuesday at the Kid's running club they were doing a timed mile. I knew this wasnt' going to be easy for Kylie so I was prepared. She LOVES Honey Stingers so I brought her a package, I gave her half of it before we went outside and then I told her that I had 4 left, one of each lap. It worked great whenever she would want to quit I would give her another honey stinger and let her know she would get another one at the next lap.

She finished her mile in 14:43 :) We also had a little boy Michael who joined us for the mile. He was so darn cute and sweet and he chatted with me the whole time. Sometimes Kylie would lag behind but he would always wait for us.
One thing Kylie does have going for her is a competitive spirit and a great finishing kick!

After the run club I had dinner at Kylie's house and Vanda, Livia, Jeff, Kylie and I played Volleyball. Now that was fun!!!!! Also a good workout, I can really feel it in my arms and back.