Catching Up

These past two weeks have been quite busy, and semi productive, but my blog was pushed to the side, and now I need to catch up on all that has happened. First of all, I’ve taken out two races, the Parma 5k and the Winking Lizard 2 person relay. The Parma 5k was a last minute add so I wasn’t fully committed to it. And I lost my partner for the Winking Lizard race. I already have something to do to replace the time of these races….packing. I’ll be moving to a new apartment, and city in the last two weeks of July! I’ll miss my easy access to the metro parks, but I’ll have four of my favorite places to run just moments away via highway. July also brings new opportunities with a new job!

My training also hasn’t been going as planned. The past week has been spent looking at apartments and getting caught up on things I need to do before vacation, so my regular time to run hasn’t been regular. I also had some heart pains, either caused by acid reflux or too much caffeine  (I’m thinking the latter) that made me too nervous to go for a run. And even when I did, it was probably the worst run I’ve had in a very long time. I’d rather be too careful and be healthy than push myself too hard and really do some damage.

What I’m looking forward to most is being officially North Carolina bound! It’s for a wedding, but anything could easily persuade me into going to the beach. I’m also hoping I can convince Darren to visit some lighthouses. Unfortunately we’ll be back in Ohio on Sunday, but I’m excited for the holiday weekend. The 4th of July happens to be my second favorite holiday
Enjoy the long weekend, and while you’ll be at work this week, I’ll have my toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world and some cold drink in my hand

Runner Needed, Apply Within

Looking into my race calendar, I may need to make some changes. I was supposed to do the Winking Lizard with Darren, the two mile event, but he found out this weekend that there happens to be a bachelor party the same day as the race. I don’t blame him for picking the party, I’m even jealous he gets to go white water rafting. This means I won’t have anyone to do the two mile event with. So if anyone would like to be my partner, it’s only two miles, let’s get started!

I’m also looking at how my July races are shaping up. Changes, which of one I’ll reveal later on will be making July super busy for me. All of my free time will be spent packing, something I hate doing. July is my moving month, woohoo! Pretty sure I’ve been waiting for this for some time. This shouldn’t change too much, but it could put the July 9th race as a day of decision. Good news is that the rest of the races on the calendar should be staying put.

Small post, but nothing too exciting. This weekend was Columbus part two, actually Marion. Great time and I’m looking forward to heading back down again. Also for all of you that love food, there’s a place in Waldo (near Marion) that has famous bologna sandwiches. So next time you happen to find Waldo, pun intended, check out the G&R Tavern.

Andddd this time next week I’ll be on my way to North Carolina! Countdown begins….

Duathlon 101

There is a little over a month left until the Huntington Duathlon and I feel that I’m out of my league. This will be my first, and hopefully not my last. I decided not to do the full triathlon because, well, I can’t really swim. Pathetic, I know, but Lake Erie wasn’t always the cleanest growing up. I’m not completely hopeless, I can doggy paddle, but once it gets over my head (all five foot one inch of me) I start to panic. Anyway…I think I can handle this. The race goes as following, run a 5k, bike 12 miles, run a 5k. I have no time set in place, but I’m guessing around 2 hours, thinking that my second 5k will be slower. I’ve even started to come up with some sort of training plan. I can easily run, then bike, but my training will focus on being able to go from biking to running. So if anyone has any suggestions on ways to get some good training in, please let me know.

Yesterday I broke the mold from my Asics, well, not entirely, but I tried on a new kind of shoe. For the past many years, I’ve gone through the Asics 1000 series and 1100 series shoes. A few weeks ago I went to Second Sole and wanted to get suggestions on racing flats that I could also use for biking and future road races. They didn’t have any in my size, but they finally got them in! I am in love with the shoes, and they’re so light compared to my regular ones. I haven’t bought them yet, but I think these could be great for training and racing. These are my future babies, the Asics GEL-DS Trainer 16. Anyone ever try them?

I also checked out some tri shorts, and of course the only ones that fit me were the most expensive, so the search is still on for some great shorts to wear for the duathlon. I finished the evening with a run and a stop at this amazing crepe place that everyone needs to try. In the Beachwood Place there is a place by the food court that makes amazing crepes. Seriously, I would go there every week if I could. You must try it.

Auto what?

I wanted to switch things up a bit today and tell you about something that many people have never heard of. While most of my life has been consumed with running, I do have another hobby that I unfortunately pushed to the back burner. On and off in the past seven years, I’ve spent a few summer Sundays on the pavement, not running, but racing my car. When I was 15 my dad introduced me to autocross, and well, that was all it took. I spent the whole year waiting for my drivers license, not just because I was excited to drive, I was excited to race.

By definition autocross is “a timed competition where drivers navigate one at a time through a temporary course marked by traffic cones, rather than racing on a track with multiple other cars” I define it as fun. All I wanted for my 16th birthday was a helmet and my race numbers, so much for being a girly girl.

Clearly over excited

A few days later happened to be the driving school, which my dad highly suggested doing, to make sure I would like this before I started to race. After all I had the helmet, I had to try it out. I also had the optimal car to drive in autocross, a Mazda Miata. I seriously didn’t plan this all out, I didn’t even like my car when I first got it. It’s been a long time since I first got out on the track, but I can guarantee I was nervous. This car was my baby, and these people wanted me to drive around dodging cones, at a semi fast pace? Sign me up for more, I like going fast! My race number was 52ES. E-stock being the category my car fell under and 52, being my lucky number. I had the option of putting “L” at the end, for “ladies” but if you’re going to do this, go all in. I wasn’t the fastest, but I sure had fun, and everyone accepted me. I was also able to beat my dad a few times…around that same time, he stopped going….;)

Determination

Over the years, I started feeling more comfortable and would push my car harder and harder, sometimes causing it to spin out, but that was all part of the fun. It was my summer time sport that I looked forward to every year. But once I went to college, my racing wasn’t in autocross, it was in cross country. My freshman year of college, my car was supposedly seeing its final days. The brakes weren’t reliable and it was just too small to take back and forth to school. I upgraded into a bigger 4 door sedan just like everyone else, a Mazda 3, still an eligible car for autocross. I took that year off though, simply for the fear of anything happening to my new car. I finally had the guts to take it out, but only attended one race, and was extremely cautious. I’m pretty sure 80 year old ladies were driving faster than me. Last summer I was ready to really push it hard. The only reason I had the guts…I was in a ditch 6 months early, and knew if my car could save me then, it could handle a few swift turns on the blacktop.

The joy was short lived I had to get replacement tires this past winter and I’m just not ready to scuff those up yet. But next year, there’s always next year.

Bicycles and Buckeyes

Saturday began the busy weekend, I honestly don’t remember a weekend that wasn’t busy, and I know I won’t see another one until late July. After finishing finals ( Yes, finally done with Saturday morning classes!) we headed down to Westerville for the Tour de Cure. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned and Nicole was injured within her first hour of riding. But her uncle was still out there riding the complete 100 mile course so we set up camp at the finish line to support him. It was for a great cause, and even though she was injured, she was able to raise almost $700 for ADA. Somehow I was convinced to sign up for the 100 mile ride next year. We may be scaling it down to 30 or 60 miles after hearing stories about the course.

Sibling Support

The rest of Saturday became considerably better. We checked out The Pub, which I didn’t know was a chain. I knew of the restaurant in Rocky River and I was excited to find it down in Columbus. And I found authentic blueberry ale from Maine, which could be a new favorite! It just so happened that The Pub was right next to Dave & Busters, and we decided to check it out. I’ve haven’t been there since after prom in high school, its a little different when you can play skee-ball and have a drink in the other hand. You also realize that those prizes in the gift shop aren’t really worth the money you put into playing games. But it was fun, and I still kick butt at skee-ball

Sunday was unbelievable and overwhelming. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but knowing that there would be close to 10,000 graduates, I knew it would be big. This was also the first time I would be inside the Shoe, which by the way, is more amazing than seen on TV. It was incredible to see the line of soon to be graduates walking in, and walking in, and walking in. This line seriously went forever.

2011 Ohio State Graduates

President Gordan Gee gave a great speech, as well as an entertaining joke by House Speaker John Boehner. The bell began to ring as the graduates went down to receive their diplomas then made their way to exit the stadium.  But with that many people, we would have been there all day if they had said each name, so I’m glad it went quick. It was impressive to see such a great ceremony in only a matter of 2.5 hours. I was also able to find one of my closest friends from high school before she received her diploma.

One of my high school besties

All in all it was a great weekend, even with Nicole’s injury. Now I’m starting to countdown until my finals for my MBA….only 5 months and 2 days until I finish!

Congrats Nicole!

And don’t worry Columbus, I’ll be back Saturday for round two!

Columbus, let’s play!

For the next couple of weekends, I’ll be leaving the beautiful shores of Lake Erie to head to Columbus. All of which, I’m looking forward to, knowing they’ll lead up to my big trip to North Carolina!

First, I’ve completed my list of the 25 half marathons I’m going to be doing! The next challenge comes with organizing when I’m going to run these. April and October are full months, so I know these will have to be done each year. Other than that I have no schedule, except for a few races I’d like to do next year. 2012 race tab will be up soon!

Second, the Tour de Cure comes to Columbus this weekend! I’m not riding because I have a a final in the morning, but Darren’s sister (Nicole) is riding the 100 mile century ride. Yep, 100 miles. I’ve give her so much credit for doing this, and for a great cause.

Third, the class of 2011 graduates from the Ohio State University Sunday. Not only is Nicole riding in the Tour de Cure this weekend, but she is graduating from OSU on Sunday. Big weekend for her!

So this weekend will be busy, but fun. And I’m hoping to get some runs in at new places. As well as a congrats to all 2011 graduates

Change of Scenery

I’m in the habit of running in the same three places each week, and as much as I love them, they can get tiring. I love finding new places to run, so I wanted to share some of my favorites, in hopes that it will be your new favorite someday. I’ve grown up running these routes, and couldn’t imagine having a love for running without them.Warning- they’re not road runs, I’m a sucker for the metro parks.

1. Bur Oak, Black River Reservation, Lorain Country Metro Parks-Absolute favorite place to run. Located in Elyria, it’s perfect for all seasons with beautiful views. It recently went through a facelift and had two more sections added on, the middle being my route of choice. Perfect course for an out and back jog.

2. French Creek Reservation, Lorain Country Metro Parks-I grew up running here. Located in Sheffield Village. There are multiple paths that intertwine and connect to two different entrances, creating multiple options for a run. Also included is the Nature Center, which is fantastic.

3. Sandy Ridge Reservation, Lorain County Metro Parks- Located in North Ridgeville. This is a great place to get your feet on some soft ground. It’s a smaller loop, but takes you through the nature reserve. It’s a good place for mile repeats, nothing too long.

4. Carlisle Reservation, Lorain Country Metro Parks- Located in LaGrange. This is even a long drive for me, but its worth it. This was the home of many cross country meets, and shared by horses. It’s peaceful, shaded and has winding trails with two separate loops.

5. South Mastick, Rocky River Reservation, Cuyahoga County Metro Parks- If I had to, I would drive over an hour just to run here. Home of the Classic at Mastick 5k. This is one of my favorite spots to start in the CCMP because of the trails next to the river or the pavement path that goes along the road. This place has my heart

6. Mill Stream Run, Rocky River Reservation, Cuyahoga Country Metro Parks- I’m biased because I lived a stones throw away from the path for this section of the park. But, it’s beautiful, and includes Wallace Lake, and Berea Falls. There are multiple paths that branch off, so you never have to run the same path twice.

7. Salt Fork State Park- Located in Cambridge. Ok, so this is a bit of a drive, but I spent four wonderful years running through this park to get ready for cross season. There is more to do than just running, so it’s the perfect weekend getaway! Major hill training as well

Weekend Update

After work Friday I headed to Second Sole to pick up my race packet for the Girls with Sole 5k. I wasn’t expecting anything big, just a shirt and probably some info about the race. I was impressed with all that was included. We got a huge recyclable bag, candy, massage oil, coupons to some great restaurants around the area, and the shirt, which was a light cotton and true to its size. Other small things were included, but they weren’t as fun. I also may or may not have picked up a few small things for myself and future races.

Ralphie not included

D and I also decided on more states for my 25 Challenge, mostly places that we know someone so we’d have a free place to stay. I’m looking forward to starting it next year. This year is all about Ohio and the beautiful state I call home   Saturday was the usual four hour morning class, followed by the new tradition of going to Fat Heads Brewery in North Olmsted. I’m obsessed with their Blueberry Ale, seriously so good. While we were there I kept seeing runners come in, drenched with sweat. Not so appetizing. The bartender told us that they do this each Saturday during the summer. A group of runners start downtown or near Cleveland and run from bar to bar, eating and drinking during their workout. How fun, right? Made me feel guilty that I hadn’t run yet, and was already planning on a nap once I got home.

Saturday night we headed to the Jake to hopefully see the Indians win. Unfortunately they didn’t, but we saw some of D’s friends and as well as made an enemy. You can’t go to an Indians game, claim them as your team, and then bash them the whole night. Needless to say, it was one against many in our section. But it was a good time besides for the heat, and seats right behind Grady are totally worth it.

Sunday was the big day. My first 5k in a year and a half. Woke up tired, and strangely nervous. Headed to Rocky River and was pleased with the current weather, about 65 and sunny. The set up was great. There were probably 10 vendors, real bathrooms, and a DJ. About 5 minutes to race time we listened to the goal behind the organization, followed by a song and national anthem. That’s when the heat came and after 10 minutes, I was already feeling exhausted. The race started and I planned to go out slow, I didn’t have a pace or even knew what time I wanted, I just wanted to do it. First mile 8:35. Not bad. Second mile I slowed so I could try to keep on pace the whole time….that didn’t go as planned. Second mile 18:40. What! I made a habit of not looking at my watch until mile markers so I had no idea I had slowed that much. There were some small inclines and a water stop in mile 2, but I had no idea how bad it was. I tried to be a little quicker for the last mile, but by this time, the humidity wasn’t helping. Finish 29:01. My slowest 5k ever. Ever. All I could think of was how disappointed I was in myself. This is not what I had wanted, I was thinking 27 minutes at the worst. I’ve never felt this let down before, and I knew the hot topic of friends would be “How’d you do?”

I spent the next couple hours laying on the couch, not feeling like I had even ran earlier. I was still upset and knew I should have ran faster. I’ve been running and putting in the mileage. Looking back now, I knew part of it was the humidity. And after finding the results online, I feel a little better. I was 6th out of 25 in my age group, and times overall for everyone seemed to be much slower than most 5ks. I refused to let this race get the best of me, so I ended up doing extra miles on the treadmill that night. Looking into the future, I need to do more speed work, I need to get my times down or else I’m going to feel defeated. A year and a half later I’m still struggling with the mind game college times versus post college times. I’ve accepted the fact that I will never get down to my PR, but I have to keep going. I’m putting it in the past and focusing on my next two races. Winking Lizard and Huntington Duathlon. From here out, I’m getting much more serious.

Friday Round Up

It’s Friday, and I’ll make this short and sweet since my last posts have been more of novels. At any given moment this weekend I’ll be in any of these four places: A) Baldwin-Wallace College B) Rocky River Reservation C) The Jake or D) Second Sole. A pretty calm weekend with some fun thrown in, and light training before the race. Sunday is the Girls with Sole 5k in Rocky River, my first 5k since college. Not nervous, but not pushing to break a PR. I’m far away from 22:30. Suggested weather is 67* with 81% humidity, at least half of that is perfect weather. Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!

Be sure to check these out:

The 25 Challenge

River Run Half for Diabetes

The 25 Challenge

Between my love for traveling and running, I’ve given myself a new goal, The 25 Challenge. This is not something I plan to do before I turn 25, I don’t think it would be possible, but something I plan to do over the next couple of years. One of my high school coaches had a goal of running a marathon in every state. She’s always been a big inspiration to me so I blame her for giving me the idea.  Scale it back to something I would want to do, run a half in half of the states. This isn’t a new concept, and I’m sure many people have tried or want to do this as well. I’m not setting a time limit, but I would like to average between 3-4 half marathons a year. Ran one and now I can’t stop. Yes, I could be crazy, but when I’m passionate about something, I tend to be an over achiever. This is where I need your help. I’m in need of 24 states to cover, and I only have a few in mind. So if you know of any races out of state that would be fun to run or states to see, let me know. I’m hoping to compile the list in the next couple of weeks. Here’s what I have so far, not much, but it’s a start!

1. Maine-Mount Desert Island YMCA Half Marathon

Reason: I have a slight obsession with lighthouses and my favorite (Bass Harbor Light) is actually in Acadia National Park located on Mount Desert Island. I’m doing this one next September.

2. Colorado-Need your help!

Reason: Within the next year or so I’ll be taking a trip to Colorado for some snowboarding and I need a half to run, anything between Jauary-March?

3. Arizona-Rock & Roll Arizona Half Marathon

Reason: When I went to Phoenix in April, I fell in love with the area. I’m already looking forward to going back in the fall.

4. Nevada-Red Rock Canyon Half Marathon

Reason: As if I’d need a reason to go to Vegas again!

5. California-13.1 Los Angeles

Reason:  One of my oldest and closest friends lives outside LA and runs marathons, so I might be able to convince him to run the half with me.

6. Washington-Seattle Half Marathon

Reason: I’m on a search for McDreamy, but since he’s leaving Grey’s I’ll just load up on Starbucks instead

7. Illinois-Chicago Spring Half Marathon

Reason: I love Chicago, I’ve never ventured into the city, but driven past it. I am determined to get there

8. Wisconsin-Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon

Reason: Green Bay Packers, Start and finish at Lambeau Field. No other reasons needed.

Yes, these won’t all be accomplished within the next year, but it gives me something to look forward to and work towards. I appreciate any ideas of states and races. I love a good vacation, and when I can run, it makes it so much better!