Putting on my big girl shoes

It’s hard to believe that my “big” race of spring is over, I feel like spring just got here. But this doesn’t mean that my racing is over. This year hasn’t been my best for half marathons, I’ve been getting slower, and not training as well, but that’s changing. I’ve been looking over my summer and fall race schedule and I’m ready to point out my big races. Now, you can hold me accountable. There is definitely not a shortage of 5k’s in the mix, which is great. I love having the short, quick race to switch things up. Plus I’m determined to break 25:00 and then break 24:00.

I’ve got some great distance races coming up that I really want to point out, including one that may be a shock to many.

May 25, 2013 – Medina Half Marathon

The Medina Half is in it’s first year, and I couldn’t be more excited for the race.  Medina County Road Runners have created this race and received overflowing support through the community. It tops out at 350, but over 400 people signed up to run! The course has rollings hills, but I’m not too concerned. I’ve run about 95% of the course, so I’ll be familiar with where to go and what to expect. This has become my new “big” spring race to come back from the Pig.

July 21, 2013 – Double Trouble 10k

This will be my second 10k of the year, and I’m hoping I can PR. The event is set up as a 5k and/or 10k with the choice to run one or both of the races. I’m opting for the 10k to help focus on longer runs and to see what my legs are capable of at that distance.

August 17, 2013 – Wooster Heart & Sole Half Marathon

This was a half I had looked at last year, but since I was moving that day, I was told I wasn’t allowed to run. I’m familiar with Wooster and have run plenty of the hilly roads out there. I’m looking forward to this one and hoping it will be a good prep and check point for my next fall race.

September 28, 2013 – Akron Marathon

Marathon number 2!

What!  You’re probably wondering what I’m doing signing up for a marathon. You’re probably questioning why and when I signed up for this. Well, I signed up a few weeks ago, but running another marathon has been on my mind for months. When Courtney told me last December she was running Eugene, I was totally marathon jealous. I knew that Eugene wouldn’t be in my schedule for 2013, but I still wanted to find one to run. I thought about Chicago, but I was still on the fence when sign up rolled around. Then a few weeks ago, a friend told me she was interested in running her first marathon. At this point, I had two in my mind that I constantly thought about. It was pretty much a nightly ritual that I told Darren I wanted to run another marathon. So when I told my friend I was running Akron, I had finally verbally committed. A few days later I signed up and I’m so excited to be taking another shot at 26.2 miles. I learned a lot in my first marathon, but I’ve got a whole new plan figured out, and I’ll have someone at my side during the race instead of running alone. To top it off, standing under the mile 26 flag a few years ago was what started the whole thing. I’ll be glad to run past that flag instead of standing on the sidelines.

October 13, 2013 – Towpath Half Marathon

Post marathon my legs may be in rough shape, but I’m hoping that this will be my quickest half of the year. All year long I knew that this would be my best chance at running sub 2:00. With the marathon, it may not be, but I’m going to give it my best shot. And if I don’t run sub 2:00, I’ve got a back up….

 

What are your big races for 2013?

Flying Pig Half Marathon Recap

It’s done. The hardest race I’ve ever ran, and it’s complete. I don’t think I’ve ever been more relieved that a race and training cycle is over. I really stressed about this race, the hills, and the weekend. I wasn’t really prepared, and even though I was injury free, I knew I’d be hurting. I should have done more long runs, and probably hiked some mountains in preparation. As I made my 3.5 hour drive home after the race Sunday, I had a long time to reflect on the race and the weekend. It wasn’t my prettiest, but I finished, and sometimes that’s all that matters.

I drove down to Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon. I was road tripping solo, so I wanted to make the trip as quick as possible, hence such a late start in the drive. Luckily I was able to break up my drive by the 30 minute pit stops, thank you over hydration, and by visiting  a friend who PR’d at the Cap City Half that morning. After that, I made my way to Cincinnati and got to the expo around 6:00. I picked up my number and walked through the entire expo just to get my shirt. It was a little odd to have things spread out, and a lot of walking back and forth to do. I took a quick look through the merch and picked up two Flip Belts and a top and jacket from Asics. Not too harmful on my wallet.

I finished up my expo experience and headed towards the hotel. I booked a room in Kentucky, because it was the only place close enough or semi reasonable on price. To keep it short, I had a horrible hotel experience. The AC didn’t work, there were people knocking on doors and partying in the hallways until 3:30am and when runners came back after the race, the hotel was trying to hurry them out, telling us that we didn’t have time to shower. So if you run Flying Pig, book your hotel early and don’t stay at the Comfort Suites in Newport. Dinner wasn’t that good either. I went to the restaurant next door and they never put in my order so dinner was delayed an hour, it also made me feel sick throughout the night. I didn’t think you could make bad pasta, but apparently you can.

Sunday morning I woke up at 4am. I was exhausted, I hadn’t slept much and I was really nervous. I had my normal Clif bar, water and stretched while I was getting ready. I didn’t hear any rain, but took a garbage bag just in case. I wanted to park close to the start and finish, but not being familiar with the area, I ended up following a car with a 26.2 sticker on the back. Usually a good idea, but not this time, because once I parked, I realized we were still in Kentucky and had to cross the Ohio River to get to the start. I already had a feeling that this wouldn’t be my best race.

The start line was divided into “Pig Pens” and they were blocked off pretty well, sad, but understood. There was a ton of security all over, including local police, K-9 units and from pictures I saw on Saturday, some heavy artillery. Needless to say, I felt safe. Each pig pen had someone checking  your number and corral to make sure that you were where you needed to be. They also had port a potties in each corral, which definitely helped cut down the lines inside. I stretched, stood in line for the restroom and was ready to go by the time we had our moment of silence for Boston.

We started, and just like always I stumbled with my Garmin, so I knew I’d be off by a few second. I made a note to remember this throughout the race, and I’m glad I did. The course was actually a little long, even on my delayed Garmin. I tried to find an easy pace that would last me through the race. I knew that the second half would be hard, so I wanted to make sure the first half was solid. The first couple miles weren’t much to look at, we headed through an industrial area and made our way across the first big bridge. This was neat, but not too welcoming on the legs. I noticed the humidity was creeping up and tried to focus on staying cool. We headed into Kentucky and my pace was right around 10:00.

I honestly don’t remember much from this part of the race. I know we ran along some trains and would be heavy traffic roads, but it was pretty much the same for the next couple of miles. I made sure to drink from my handheld at every water stop and I took some Sport  Beans at mile 4, with the plan to take them every 40 minutes. I remember I went from being hot to cold and started regretting wearing long sleeves. Right around mile 5 it started to cool off, so I felt somewhat back to normal. Physically, my legs were feeling ok. They were a little sore from the rolling hills, but I tried to ignore it, knowing that my worst hills would  be coming at mile 6.

Right around mile 5, I noticed a big hill, and it came as a bit of a surprise, I couldn’t remember it from the elevation chart and thought maybe I had missed a mile marker. Nope. I didn’t have a set plan for the hills, I just knew that they would be hard and on going. I decided that I would attempt each hill as much as I could and if I had to walk up it, then ok. I would run once I got to the top and take advantage of the downhill. I ran about half way up the hill and started to “speed” walk up to the top. Once I got there I felt exhausted and worn down. I started to feel a little nauseous and lightheaded. Ok, maybe I went too hard on the hill, just try to keep an easy pace and you’ll be ready for the next one. But I just couldn’t shake it. I walked some more and took some Poweraid/Gatorade from the water stop. Luckily it was Lime, my favorite, so I didn’t expect anymore issues.

I started to perk up and continued to run. The next few miles had hills and and plateaus, running through downtown and neighborhoods. The feeling of either throwing up or passing out kept coming and going, and I relied on the crowd support to keep me going. I hit mile 6 at 1:03, and was surprised with how close I was sticking to the 10:00 pace. Between mile 6 and 7 we entered a park and it was a great distraction from the rest of the race. The grass was so green and fountains were flowing, it felt like an ordinary run, I felt good for about a half mile. And then I got to the top of the hill. I stopped at a porta potty and struggled to stand, I knew the awful feeling I had for the last two miles wasn’t going away. I felt weak, but I knew I couldn’t stop. I had seen so many posters to run for Boston, that I couldn’t just give up. After a 5 minute stop waiting at the bathroom, I started going again. I came around a turn and saw the beautiful views of Kentucky from the hill. I remember someone telling me to take it in and wished that I had my phone. The only time I left it in my car for fear of rain, and I would have given anything to take a picture of the view.

I kept trotting along, jogging and walking, at this point I wasn’t sure which was quicker. I followed the same plan on each of the hills, run half, walk to the top and take advantage of the downhill. I took another handful of Sport Beans at mile 8 and hoped I’d see a water stop with Gu so I could get something into my body. At one mile volunteers handed out bananas and orange slices, but I was too afraid that it would upset my stomach more so I passed. Looking back, I should have taken it anyway, it probably would have helped a lot.

Somewhere on course, sums up exactly how I felt

I made it to mile 10 and knew that I had a little over a half hour left of running. My pace and time were all over the place. I no longer focused on getting in under a certain time, I just focused on finishing. I was relieved to know that for the most part the hills were done, and that I had a nice 3 mile decline coming up. I saw people sprinting down the hills and knew better. I had to be careful if I didn’t want to destroy my legs. These next three miles went by slow, and almost as a blur. My legs felt ok, surprisingly, but the rest of my body was done. I continued to walk/jog these miles to make it to the finish. I think I ran most of mile 12, but only to get me to the finish line quicker. I came around the last turn and finished up the absolute worst race of my life.

My little flying pig

This race was hard. Even if I had my best training cycle, the course would have still eaten me alive. The hills are tough and can definitely put a damper on anyone’s race, but that wasn’t what got me. My legs for the most part felt ok. I had some hip pains, but my legs never held me back. I felt like passing out or throwing up from mile 5 on. I could never shake the feeling and I think that’s what really held me back from running harder than I did. Yes, my heart and mind weren’t 100% in this race, but I did expect a better race out. I’m disappointed in myself, but I know I’ll come back from this. One thing I’ve definitely learned from this training cycle is that I need to focus more on keeping mid race energy levels up. This hit me hard on Sunday. But of course, those hills didn’t help either….

Check out those hills

Overall, I’m glad to be done. I have about a month off of official training so that I can actually enjoy runs and do what my legs want to do. Even though this training clycle was tough, I’m looking forward to my next big race. Number 12 may have been my toughest, but I certainly won’t let it keep me down.

Half Marathon Number 12

Official Results:

Time: 2:38:05

Overall Place: 7637/11046

Female Overall: 4250/6951

Age Group 25-29: 858/1164

Flying Pig Training: Week Eleven & Wrap Up

Here we are, just a few days out from race day. And well, it’s been an interesting training cycle. Let’s start off and address the elephant in the room. High mileage wasn’t really seen in this training cycle. I had a few days of long runs, but other that that I stuck with base mileage. Am I going to regret this? Maybe, but I just ran a half marathon two weeks ago, so I know I can go the distance. The issue isn’t will I finish, it’s how I run the race. I signed up for this half at the Columbus Marathon expo, I was in great shape and could totally battle the hills. Also, I really wanted the medal and Asics bag a friend had received the year before. I finally checked the elevation chart for the first time in six months and realized this could be a little harder.

In the beginning I mentioned how this would be a different training cycle, focusing on creating solid runs and cross training. And I’ve done that. I’ve had great runs, I’ve learned to  pace myself better and most of the time I never regretted getting out there to run. I also threw in cycling and yoga. I was skeptical, but I think it helped. I’m a lot more flexible that I was three months ago, and my legs feel stronger by using more than just my running muscles. Sometimes it’s quality over quantity. And can we point out the most important thing. I’m not injured! At all. This is pretty much a miracle, considering I’m pretty injury prone. Maybe there really is a connection between cross training and being injury free.

This week I took it easy. The back to back races over the weekend left my legs tired and tight. Tuesday I tried to go for an easy run and it felt like my legs were cement, however, my pace at 8:39 was awesome. I took the rest of the week off from running to let my legs recover and hopefully prepare for this weekend. I tried a new spin class last night, which either destroyed my legs for the race or prepared me for the massive hills. I’ll let you know which one on Sunday. I followed it up with one hour of pure yoga, so relaxing and so needed. I plan to do a short run Saturday morning to shake out the legs and then I’ll see what I have in me come Sunday morning.

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 2 Miles

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: 1 Hour Spin, 1 Hour Yoga

Friday: Off

As of right now, the weather seems to be around 50′ and mostly sunny at the start. Rain is in the forecast, but hopefully it holds off until I’m back home. If you’re at the race, you can look for me and cheer me on. I’ll be wearing this colorful outfit I’ve tried out a few times, Lululemon top, Asics ARD shorts, and Pro Compression purple socks. I love this combination, and wish I found it sooner before it got hot.

If you’re at home, you’re free to track me using this link: http://tracking.endresultcompany.com/2013/pig/index.php

I’m bib 15285, we’ll see if it’s a lucky number. As much as I’m excited for this race, I’m excited for many more races over the next few months. I’ll be sharing my summer/fall plans next week. Have a good weekend, good luck racing and I’ll see you on the other side of half marathon number 12!

 

Love A Stray 5k Recap

Sunday morning, 12 hours after Yeti Set Go! 10k, I made my way up towards the lake and ran a 5k for some pretty adorable pups. I ran this race last year and loved it, but what made it such a great race was that proceeds were going to a local animal shelter, one that I volunteered at throughout high school. Love a Stray is a local non-kill pet shelter that takes in dogs and cats. In high school I adopted my favorite cat Carter from there, who sadly passed away last year. A few years ago I adopted the adorable and mischievous Ralphie, who makes many cameos on my Instagram feed. If you can adopt, do it! All of these animals need loving homes.

Who wouldn’t want to adopt this fun little creature, aka house destroyer

The course was a little different this year, starting at the high school instead of The Landings, but it still went through the same wooded park. The weather was chilly and was perfect for another trial of my Flying Pig race day outfit. Yes I did wear the same outfit for two back to back races, not ashamed. It was also sprinkling a little bit, but held off until after the race was over. I was feeling pretty good and my legs weren’t too tight. The starting line was full of 400+ runners, and their dogs, so it was a little crowded, but not too bad. Just as soon as we lined up, we were off.

I wasn’t looking for a time with this race, I just wanted to run and give back to the shelter. I settled into a comfortable pace at about 8:30. We headed into the woods and it was still a bit crowded, but the further we got, the more it thinned out. The path was paved and relatively smooth. I hit my first mile right around the 8:30 mark. I decided to slow down a bit, knowing that I didn’t have it in me to PR. My legs were a little sore, so I just wanted to loosen them up. I fell into the groove and made my way through the course.

The course was pretty much the same the entire way, black top through the woods. There was one water stop in between parks at the corner of a housing development, but I didn’t stop. It was a little boring, but if I was running with a dog it would have been a great course. It was well protected and didn’t interfere with traffic or any neighborhoods. I hit mile 2 at 8:54 and mile 3 at 8:49. I finished at 26:46, no PR but a solid, well paced run just 12 hours after some crazy trail running.

After the results were posted online I felt better about my run. I didn’t place in my age group, but I did well overall. If you’re looking for a race to run with your dog, I definitely recommend this one.

Also, the shirts are designed by local kids, which is great. I pre-registered, but they only had large left. My shirt, along with my Yeti Set Go shirt will both be arriving in the mail in two weeks. I’ll be sure to add those to each recap.

*Updated Picture

Official Results

Time: 26:46

Overall: 125/433

Female: 54/287

Age Group 25-29: 8/39

April Rewind

April, my favorite month has come and gone. But it can only mean that more exciting things are on the way, such as more races, warm weather and tons of functions with friends and family. We’re now in the transition to summer, a season we never thought we’d see. April for the most part was a good month, let’s take a look at the numbers.

Miles run: 55

Races run: 4 (Miles for Madison 5k, Tree Trotter Half Marathon, Yeti Set Go! Trail 10k, Love A Stray 5k)

Miles biked: 14

Books read: 1 (Best of Me)

Places traveled: 1 (Colorado!)

Unnecessary purchases cut down: Ehhh…

New recipes: 0

Check out the mileage. I more than doubled what I ran in March! It may have taken me a while, but I’m finally getting back into the swing of things. I just needed some time away from running so I could fall back in love with it. This shows by the amount of races I did, two 5k’s for great causes, a half marathon, and my first trail/night 10k. I even got on the bike a few times, including a ride downtown, something I plan on doing a lot this summer.

April also brought our vacation to Colorado! We explored new cities and caught up with friends, it was the perfect birthday trip, even if it was a week early. I was even able to finally finish my book that I started on my last trip in February.

I didn’t learn to cook anything new, but I did eat at a lot of new restaurants, so that counts, right? I also did a semi decent job at cutting back on spending, with so many weddings, bridal showers and bachelorette parties filling up my calendar, it’s hard not to cut back. Really, a majority of my spending was on races, you guys, running is expensive.

April went by quick, too quick, but I’m excited that summer is just around the corner. I’m hoping May brings more miles, more races and more patio reading!

Did you do anything exciting in April? What are your plans for May?

Yeti Set Go! 10k Recap

Surprise, I tried something new and ran a trail 10k Saturday night! I secretly had my eye on this race for quite some time when the Yeti Set Go adventure run series was sent out to the local Medina area. I went back and forth about it for quite some time, but decided to give it a shot. I am so glad I did and couldn’t wait to share my race recap. I didn’t have a time goal set for the race because A.) I haven’t run a 10k in about 4 years, B.) The race was at night, and by night I mean an 8:15 PM start and C.) The race was on trails, which isn’t something I normally run. I went into this race to have fun and enjoy 6 miles in a place I’ve never run.

I also used this race as a way to try out my Flying Pig race day outfit, Asics shorts, Pro Compression Socks, and Lululemon long sleeve shirt. I also wore my Brooks hat with the lights under the brim and used a head lamp. Some kind of light was a requirement because the sun was setting as we started. I also brought along a small flashlight and kept in in my back pocket. The course was set for us to run a loop around the pond/marsh, run a loop in the woods and then run the first pond/marsh loop again. The race wasn’t timed, but we lined up, and we were ready to go. I wish I was able to take pictures during the first part of the race, the first 15 minutes we absolutely beautiful with the sun setting over the lake and farmland.

Right before the start, courtesy of MCRR

Beautiful sunset, courtesy of MCRR

Once we started we headed through a small  portion of the woods and made our way through the first loop of the marsh. I ran without music, and was so glad I did. You could hear the frogs croaking and the geese honking and hissing as we ran past them. The first loop was about two miles, the ground was crushed gravel and it was absolutely perfect. I held steady at just under a 10:00 minute pace and was right in front of a larger pack. I didn’t want to go out too fast, but knew if I did, I could fall back and still have group support to keep going. The path made a few turns, and some small inclines, but it was relatively easy. I felt great running and I was so happy, a feeling that hasn’t been present in all of my runs this training cycle.

We finished up the first loop and headed into the woods, the sunset was still bright enough that we didn’t need the lighting. Those first two miles had the best views I’ve seen running in a long time, seriously I could go on for hours about how amazing the sunset was. We continued through the woods and were greeted by the Yeti, who chased a few of the runners. He had a ribbon on him and if you were able to catch him and grab it, you’d win a prize. I didn’t get it, but it was fun to see.

At this point we turned onto a smaller dirt path. I turned on my headlamp and was ready for the challenging part. There were a ton of tree roots so footing wasn’t always the best. My pace slowed down a lot, but I’d rather be safe than fall and twist something. It began to get dark much quicker now and I ended up following a man and his son. I felt safe behind them, knowing if they came along a root or hole, they’d be able to warn me. Around the three mile mark I passed them, and slowly gained some space in between. A little while up I realized I was by myself and was a little nervous I’d get lost. Luckily the path was well marked with giant arrows and volunteers were out to tell us which way to go. At that point the path was becoming grassy with spots of mud. We had a small out and back, which was no doubt the hardest part of the race. It was absolutely black and the trees on both sides were as thick as could be. I kept running, hoping I was moving in the right direction, and almost scared that an animal would jump out ahead of me. I got to the turn around and made my way back, this time the headlamps of oncoming runners welcomed me as I made my way towards the last part of the wooded loop. I was joined by a runner from the larger group and we ran in silence together, step for step we stayed in pace for a half mile until he pulled away for the final loop.

We headed towards the first loop around the marsh, this time it was much different. There was some faint light in the distance, and some from the stars, but it was still hard to see. It was odd knowing that I had just ran this path 40 minutes ago and it was lit up from the sunset. Now, I had some idea of where I was supposed to be running, but couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of me. My pace was started to quicken again and I could feel the adrenaline starting to fill my body. The frogs were much louder this time, kind of eerie, but also really neat. Some parts of the path were really cold and and some were warm and humid. With my sight limited to a small spot ahead of me, my other senses were on full alert, picking up things I’d normally ignore in a regular race. My Garmin beeped and I was at mile 5, my pace was around 9:30 and my legs were feeling great. I started to pick up my pace a little more, as I noticed how strong my entire run had felt. I finished up around the marsh, and headed back into the woods. The crushed gravel path let me back to the start and the closer I got, the faster I ran. I had a few more turns and I’d be done, finishing my first trail 10k.

I was handed my medal, but more importantly, I got out of my funk. Regardless of time or pace change, I felt strong the entire race. I never needed to stop and stretch or walk or take sport beans. My training this time hasn’t been exactly perfect, far from it, but I’ve been waiting for the run to pull me back to my normal self. I loved this race, the whole experience was amazing. Running at night was almost an out of body experience, and I encourage everyone to try it. I’m definitely going to consider more trail races if they fit into my schedule.

Official time: 1:01:16

New favorite medal

Flying Pig Half Training: Week Ten

This week was a total mix. I started off the week by switching my Monday/Tuesday run. Monday was my birthday, so I had a few things planned for after work. It ended up being an absolutely beautiful spring day, and I almost regretted not waking up early to run before work. And then I remembered how much I love sleep. Tuesday’s run was great. Over the past few weeks I’ve found about 10+ parks that are within 10 minutes of my home, so of course my plan was to check these out. I wasn’t familiar with the park or surrounding neighborhood, so I just followed one of the paths. The one I took ended up in a housing development, so it wasn’t exactly a park run, but the neighborhood was new to me so it went by quick. Once I got back, I had about a half mile left until the 3 mile mark. I followed another path and found it was exactly what I was looking for, a wide paved path between trees and beautiful green grass. I’m really excited to come back and run there again, and check out the other parks.

I also switched my Wednesday/Thursday run, so I could spend two hours on Thursday sweating it out. And then 5:00 Thursday came. I have a history of bad migraines, and they always start with tunnel/blurred vision. So when my vision was becoming spotty around 5:00, I knew I was pretty much down for the count. About 45 minutes later, I finally got my vision back and I was able to leave work. I chugged a ton of water and tried to eat a snack. I did a short run around the neighborhood hoping that the fresh air would help. It didn’t. Within 10 minutes of finishing my run, I was feeling worse. I decided to skip yoga and try to get rid of the horrible headache. By 8:00 I was finally feeling a little better so I did some living room yoga. I only lasted about a half hour and was back to laying on the couch.

The weekend however was filled with lots of running and racing! Saturday night I had my first trail 10k and it was such a great experience, I cannot wait to share the recap of this race. I followed it up with another race just 12 hours later. Both recaps will be coming up this week.

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 3 Miles

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: 1.5 Miles, Living Room Yoga

Friday: Off

Saturday: Yeti Set Go! 10k

Sunday: Love A Stray Fur Fun 5k

Total Miles: 15 Miles

I had a decent number of miles this week and I felt really strong. I’m looking to stay hydrated this week, as well as eat and sleep well. It may be the end of a training cycle, but it’s just the beginning of a great season of racing! Only 6 days until Flying Pig!

Also, great job to all of those who ran Eugene Marathon yesterday! Wonderful to hear about so many PR’s and BQ’s!

Did you race this weekend? Are you racing Flying Pig or have you in the past? Any tips?

Colorado Take Three

Two weekends ago, Darren and I took our spring vacation. After such a long winter we both needed to get away. It’s no surprise that we decided on Colorado and with plane tickets under $230 a few months back, it was easy to twist his arm. Since we’ve been to Colorado not once, but twice, we wanted to make sure we got a chance to see what we’ve missed. I also had a list of things I was hoping to check out, and well, I wasn’t disappointed.

We flew in on Friday and did the whole downtown Denver thing. We checked out the Rialto Cafe, Uptown Tavern and the Hornet Restaurant all while catching up with D’s friend from college. Nothing too exciting, but we were exhausted. I’m pretty sure I was asleep during dinner.

16th Street Mall

Saturday we got up early and headed up to Boulder. It was a beautiful day, so we were able to enjoy the local Farmer’s Market, hiking up the Flatirons, and do a little shopping. The Flatirons were absolutely amazing. The path up the mountain was perfect for a little morning hike. And while we weren’t fully prepared, I could see us doing a lot more hiking up there.

So, so neat

My hill workout for the day

Looking down on Boulder

Once we finished up around Boulder, we headed south to Golden. I really didn’t know much about it, other than the cool sign in town and it’s the home of Coors beer. But I had to get a picture of the sign, it was on my Colorado Bucket List.

Welcome y’all

Shortly after our drive through we headed towards Red Rocks and made a quick visit to see one of our favorite places.

So much beauty in Colorado!

Denver is hidden behind Darren’s shoulder, you almost miss it

With all of our exploring we were starving and headed back to Denver. We checked out TAG Restaurant, Osteria Marco and caught a live band at Appaloosa Grill.

Sunday morning I was able to sneak out for a few miles and run with Courtney through Washington Park. It was my first time there and I loved it, seriously so beautiful and full of runners all shapes and size. Reason number 5,937 to move to Colorado. We caught up, got 5 miles in and even saw an eagle in the middle of the park, how cool.

Next up on the tour of Colorado was a trip to Colorado Springs. I had heard that the Garden of the Gods was something to check out, but I had no idea how amazing it would be. The pictures I took can’t even describe how breath taking it was. If you’re ever in Colorado and have a few hours to explore, check this out.

Simply amazing

Natural beauty

Pikes Peak in the distance

If checking out these views doesn’t relax you, then I don’t know what will. While we were in Colorado Springs we checked out a local brewery, Trinity Brewing Company. The strangest thing was that there were no TV’s but the place was packed. It’s great to see that people still enjoy each others company and don’t need to be glued to technology.

We finished up the weekend back in Denver, checking out REI and of course D Bar Desserts. For the first time, I left the entire vacation up to spur of the moment decisions. I usually need to plan everything, but I’m glad I didn’t this time. The only bad thing was that I didn’t want to leave. Every time we go out to Colorado, I want to move there more and more. Hopefully we’ll be out there in the next two years.

Have you ever checked out any of these Colorado hot spots? Where else in Colorado do you recommend to visit?

 

Tree Trotter Half Marathon Recap

I knew I’d be running a half marathon this past Saturday, but Tree Trotter Half over in Wellington wasn’t my first choice. I had originally planned on running Run to the Beach over in Portage Lakes, but with my lack of long runs and last minute registration, the cost wouldn’t be worth my attempt at a half. I looked for other races over the weekend, and found Tree Trotter, a half I had my eye on last year. It was through the metro parks and it was much cheaper, a decision I hoped not to regret.

I got up Saturday feeling pretty good, my legs weren’t tight from Yoga and I was hopeful for a long run. I drove over to Wellington Reservation and noticed there weren’t many cars. The event offered a 3.5 mile run and the half, from what I could see, most people were running 3.5 miles. When I got out of the car, it was a pure white out. I questioned whether I should drop down to the shorter race or if I should sneak away. I was here, and I needed the miles, I had to suck it up and do it.

10 minutes before the start

Right before the race started, the sun came out and the wind died down, just about perfect weather. We started off on the first loop, 3.5 miles of soft trail. It was relatively flat with just a few rolling inclines. The views were beautiful as we went through the woods and around ponds. My pace was between 9:30 and 10:00 and I felt pretty good. Everyone seemed to be trudging along at the same pace and there was no urgency to speed up or pass anyone. I was pleased to find a few volunteers on the course making sure we followed the path and handing out water. We started to head back in and I noticed my pace dropped and would be the last time I was ever under 10:00.

I was doing ok, but I knew that I had to go slow if I wanted to finish. I was nervous how far I’d be able to go before I hit the wall. After the first loop, we headed towards the up ground reservoir.  The half marathoners turned off and suddenly everyone disappeared. There was one girl in front of me, and hopefully someone behind me. From this point on, I knew it would a  mental game between me and the road. Heading down the reservoir the wind started to pick up and once I got to the top I could barely catch my breath. I took a moment to take some water and sport beans and attempted to run with the winds pushing against me. The loop around the reservoir was about 2.5 miles and was a grassy path. There was no shelter from the wind, and it seemed to always be pushing against you. These were some of the hardest miles and I knew I was using too much energy in my legs that I’d need later on in the race. When I stopped to take some sport beans, a woman passed me. I was finally able to catch up with her around mile 6, and she too was struggling against the wind. We ran next to each other in silence, glad that there was someone else on the course. Before we headed to the next part, I looked around, only seeing two other people out there running. We really were out here on our own.

We passed another water stop, they were really great about these by the way, and headed into a housing development. It was a shock on the legs to go from trail, to grass and now cement. My running partner stopped to get water as I went along with my hand held. About 150 feet into the development I heard a dog bark, to my right a woman and her dog were getting the newspaper. The dog sprinted across the street and ran in front of me. I stopped, let him go around me and continued to run. Thinking he went back to his owner, I continued on my pace. Then suddenly I felt him jumping up my calves and back. I screamed and turned around, not sure of what the dog would do. The owner started hitting her dog with the newspaper and took him across the street. She never asked if I was ok or apologized for what happened, which I found personally to be rude. I was shaken up and started to run again. My lower back was a bit sore where the dog hit his head into my spine, so I tried to stretch it out a few times. I made it to mile 8 and stopped.

At this point, my legs were getting tired and I hit my wall. A few moments later my running buddy caught up to me. She saw the dog jump at me and asked if I was ok, knowing that If I hadn’t been there, she would have been attacked. We continued to walk and talk, talking about the race, Flying Pig, and our favorite races. We were both exhausted and mentally drained from not seeing anyone else on the course. We finally made it out of the development and headed back to the originally loop on the trail. We passed another water stop and she stayed behind as I kept going. I had 4 miles left, and I knew I could run them.

I was looking forward to the trail because I knew it would be easy on my legs. By this point I was feeling sore and knew I had pushed my limit on miles. Between miles 11-13 I ran/walked hoping to run more than walk. I used most of my energy on the reservoir against the wind and I knew the constant change of running on different paths wasn’t helping. More volunteers came out to push us on and I finally saw a few more runners on the path. By mile 12 I was ready to finish, I kept telling myself a little bit further, but that seemed to go on forever. As I came around the last turn, I couldn’t have been more excited to see the finish line. It was getting colder and the wind was started to pick up, but nothing was going to stop me from getting there.

I crossed the line at 2:22:47. Not my worst time, but no where near my best. I finished 9th out of 13 and completed my 11th half marathon. I was more than under prepared for this race, but I was glad I stuck with it and finished. There is no shame in walking during a race and I knew if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to finish. Despite such a small race, I definitely recommend this one. The course is great, mostly flat, and could possibly be a PR course for some runners. The only challenge would be that it’s a small race, so you’re mostly out there by yourself. With two weeks until Flying Pig, I think this was a great way to get myself ready.

 

Half Marathon number 11

 

Flying Pig Half Training: Week Eight & Nine

Last week it didn’t feel right to post my training, so I’ve combined weeks eight and nine into one post. Week eight was a bit of a jumble. I was rushing around to get things done before we left on vacation. We flew to Colorado on Friday and once we got there we made sure to stay active the entire weekend. We walked, hiked and ran in high altitudes. Coming from Ohio, all of these were a challenge at times, but it was good for the body and soul. I was still tight from Yoga though, this week’s class was about 95% Pilates with a focus on legs and about 5% yoga. The best part of training this week was running with Courtney! We got a 5 mile run in around Washington Park, making sure to catch up on running, racing, and life.

Surprisingly I enjoy running at altitude. It can be hard, but I feel that a few miles up there can really help clean up training. Best part is that it actually seems easier.

Week Eight

Monday: 3 Miles

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Off

Thursday:  1.5 Mile Run, Yoga-lates

Friday: Off

Saturday: Hiked 1-2 Miles

Sunday: 5 Miles (in 5,280 altitude)

Total Miles: 9.5 Miles

Week nine started with Boston. I was in between plane changes and found out the news through Twitter. It was and still is heartbreaking, but it shows just how strong the running community is. I hadn’t planned on running that night, but it was the first thing I did once I got home. I ran those two miles in silence, thinking of everything that had happened that day. The rest of the week was pretty low key, still playing catch up at work and home from vacation. I had thought of running a half marathon over the weekend, as part of a birthday race. I was up in the air about which race, but finally decided the day of. My legs weren’t tight and I was finally able to get a long run in. More on the race later this week.

Week Nine

Monday: 2 Miles

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: 1.5 Miles

Thursday:  Yoga-lates

Friday: Off

Saturday: Tree Trotter Half Marathon, 13.1 Miles

Sunday: Off

Total Miles: 16.5 Miles

I noticed that I’m really struggling with going from indoor running to outdoor running. I know it’s been windy, which hasn’t helped, but my pace seems to be so much slower than I thought it would be. I’m hoping in these next few weeks I can pick it up and get used to running outdoors again. I’m also hoping that we’re over winter, waking up to snow on Saturday wasn’t cool.