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.

Prayers for Boston

There really are no words to describe yesterday. It still seems so surreal, so unimaginable, so heartbreaking. As a runner, and marathoner, there is no greater glory than crossing the finish line after a race. To have this innocence and joy stripped from so many is unfair beyond words. My thoughts are with the runners, spectators, volunteers, race crew and everyone that was involved with the Boston Marathon. I only hope that this will not turn people away from this beautiful sport, but bring more out to experience it, to share in the compassion we have.  Thankfully, runners are strong, and this has shown throughout the running community in the last 24 hours. I have never been so proud to be a runner and so glad to be part of a community that will come together and be stronger than ever. So please keep this community and their families in your thoughts and if you’re able, go run for Boston.

We are runners and we are strong.

 

 

Miles for Madison 5k Recap

The longer I live away from the big city, the more I love running in the country. There’s just something special about running with the rollings hills of road in front of  you and not another person around. Add 600 or so other runners and the fresh smell of cows and you’ve got the setting for Saturday’s 5k. Miles for Madison 5k was in Creston, a small town in the middle of no where Ohio. I picked up my packet on Friday night, which had my shirt and free candle donated by Root Candles. I had also won free train tickets to Lodi Station, so I was able to give these back for a family with children who would really appreciate the ride.

I scoped out some of the course and noticed it was really flat, but had a bit of wind. Seemed to be a pretty easy course to run on the next day. I was really excited for the race, not only would I be hitting these country roads with speed, but this entire race was for one little girl. Madison was diagnosed with SJS last year. She’s in recovery, but it was a great way for others to learn about this rare skin disease and help raise money to a great fund. The event was put on by Medina County Road Runners and the family expected maybe 200 people to show up. They were blown away when 600+ people were there on race day. Even more awesome, many of Madison’s classmates came out to run as well. Cue the tears.

Saturday morning came and I was ready to go. I was feeling pretty good and was hoping to get close to my PR. It was a little windy, but I didn’t think it would be a big issue. After a warm up, I made it to the start line and took my place between the 8-9 mile markers. We started the race and I tried to find a pace I was comfortable with. I knew to ignore Garmin for a while so I could focus on what my legs wanted. A half mile in and I was pushing 7:50. I had no business being anywhere near that number so I quickly tried to slow myself down. I felt like I was moving in slow motion, but I hit the first mile in 8:15.

Shortly before the mile marker we turned a corner and were heading straight into the wind. I’m not sure what happened, but I slowed way down, almost to a point that I felt I was running backwards. I had a sudden change of heart, I didn’t want to run any longer, and I wanted to just sit down and stop. My legs felt heavy and it was as though I had already run 10 miles, not one. With so many 5ks under my belt, I knew that sometimes you get good races, and sometimes you get bad races. I kept going, knowing that since the race was flat, it shouldn’t be a total struggle to make it to the finish. I hit mile two somewhere around 17:xx.

With one mile to go, I focused on finishing. We rounded another turn and I could see a few rolling hills up in the distance. I didn’t expect these and wasn’t sure I’d have the energy to muster up the final half mile. All I could think about was how does someone plan to have hills in the last half mile? Obviously I still don’t love hills. I could hear my college coaches voice in my head, charge the hill, charge that hill in front of you. I told myself this over and over as I passed people and made it to the top. Half mile to go and I was at 22:xx.

There was a slight downhill that lead us to the school and around the back to the track. I started to pick up my speed and gave it all I had left in me. I crossed the line at 26:14.

I think this look explains it all

It wasn’t my best race, but I’ve done a lot worse. I was surprised with how close my time was to last week. Ok, 45 seconds may not be close, but I was pretty sure I’d finish between 27-28 minutes. It was a mentally rough day, between the brutal wind and my legs and the last few hills near the finish, but I completed the race.

Afterword I stood in line for my 5 minute massage and had my hamstrings stretched out. The woman working on me proceeded to tell me that my back was a mess and so were my hips. Thank you for reassuring me with something I already know. She gave me a few stretches and hopefully I can work these out in the future. Maybe this is what’s holding me back from running a quicker pace.

By 10:30 the awards started, I didn’t expect to win anything, but wanted to stick around and find out the fastest times. Little Madison was also handing out the awards, so I felt it was only right to stay for a while. When they got to the 20-24 age group, they called my name in third place. Completely shocked I went up to grab my award, a brick from one of the old local schools. How awesome.

3rd Place Female 20-24

I didn’t realize until I was on my way home, but it would be the last time I ran a 5k in the 20-24 age group. A bittersweet moment that will allow me to jump up to 25-29 and probably never place. But hopefully, it will push me to be a faster runner.

The race was such a great event that was put on in honor of one little girl. MCRR did such a fantastic job, and I hope that this race continues each year. I was impressed with the goodies from our grab bag too. They included a shirt, water bottle, a candle and some coupons for ice cream. Along with the grab bag, the treats after the race were all donated by local companies. They had quite the spread of chocolate milk, cookies, subway sandwiches and I think some ice cream. Seriously a community effort on this event.

Lots of goodies!

Official Results

Time: 26:14

Overall Place: 131/616

Female Overall: 39/382

AG 20-24: 3/20

Flying Pig Half Training: Week Seven

I have to be honest. This training cycle, is completely different than my others, yet, somewhat the same. It came to me Friday, right before lunch, when I do all my worst best thinking. I haven’t been taking my training seriously enough. Not a surprise? I didn’t think so. If you take a look back at the past weeks, I’ve done a ton of base running, but my long runs aren’t exactly there. It doesn’t mean I’m not ready or dreading them, I’ve just taken a new approach.  I’ve limited myself to three days of running, and I’ve added cross training. I’ve never mentioned a goal for this race, but I’ve also never mentioned that I’m injured. Injury free, party of one!

From the get go, I knew that Flying Pig would not be my sub 2:00 half marathon. I’ve been training on an indoor track for 95% of my runs, I am in no shape or place to run a PR on a hilly course. Am I ok with this? Yes. I’ve got other plans for this race year. That doesn’t mean I’m throwing sub 2:00 out the window, it’s still my goal, but it’s not my spring goal. My goal for Flying Pig was to have a healthy training cycle, to run uninjured for the first time in about a year. It’s working, and I’m enjoying what my legs are fully capable of doing.

I’ve used this training cycle to fall back in love with running and sweating. I’ve discovered that I look forward to my weekly hour of yoga. And that I’m not always bored when I’m on the stationary bike. I’ve also shifted my focus to speed and have already ran my best 5k since college. I’m training for a solid run at Flying Pig, and a solid running year. I’m not disappointed at all with how training is going. I’m listening to my body and doing what is right for me.

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 3 Miles Run, 7 Miles Biked

Wednesday: 2 Miles

Thursday: Yoga-Lates

Friday: Off

Saturday: Miles for Madison 5k + 1

Sunday: 5 Miles Run, 7 Miles Biked

Total Miles: 14 Miles Run, 14 Miles Biked

Looking back at this week, I over did it a bit in the beginning. I ran my fastest 3 miles yet and followed it up with some heavy biking. Lesson learned, my legs felt tight all week. I even had to cut my run short on Wednesday, I actually felt worse the more I ran. Stretching didn’t help too much, so I was more than excited for Yoga on Thursday. By the weekend, my legs felt back to normal and I was ready to get some miles in. Saturday morning I ran Miles for Madison, recap to follow, and decided to move my long run to Sunday. I haven’t had a solid long run outside yet, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t chop it up into segments.

Sunday, I took advantage of as much sun as I could get. I also had my first road bike experience of the year. I was a little nervous because I hadn’t been on my bike for months. I also didn’t know how the motorists of Medina would handle someone riding in the street. Surprisingly, the ride went smooth, and the rolling hills were nothing. Good to know that resistance cycling is paying off. I definitely see a lot more bike trips downtown in my future.

After re-hydrating, I headed out for my long run. I pushed it to the evening to hopefully avoid the wind. It didn’t work, but it added a nice challenge to the run. I combined a few short routes and wanted to get a decent amount of miles in. I went out to the lake to enjoy the soft path, but unfortunately I couldn’t avoid the wind. It was hitting me hard, and slowed down my pace by a lot. The other downfall of running at the lake was running stairs to get to the pathway, and the only way  back home meant I had to tackle a huge hill. Legs were toast.

I’ve come to realize that my legs have been spoiled. I’ve been running on the indoor track for so long, they forgot how to run outside in real conditions. Mainly hills. I definitely didn’t hit the mileage I wanted, and I plan to fix that this week. Now that the weather is nice, all runs should be outside. I’ve even got a hill workout lined up. Even better bonus of this week’s training? I’ll be hitting high altitude running with Courtney. Expect an interesting training recap next week.

How was your weekend? Did you get out there and enjoy the fabulous weather?

Flying Pig Half Training: Week Six

The more I think about this week, I’ve realized it was a necessary evil. It started off strong with my Monday night 3 miler. Each week I’ve seen my pace quicken on these runs, and I can tell it shows in my racing. But that was the only good run I had all week. Wednesday afternoon I started to feel like I was dragging. I was completely exhausted and struggled to make it to the gym. My pace was around 9:15, clearly something was off. By Thursday morning a plague was going around our home and both Darren and I were getting sick. I had no energy and unfortunately had to skip Yoga-lates. I even passed up on the Medina Country Road Runners meeting I’d been hoping to attend. I was in a fog, had a temperature, and my nose was running a whole lot more than I was. But now that this sickness is on its way out, I can focus on running again. I was mentally and physically worn down, and it caught up to me. Running wasn’t wearing me down, but outside influences weren’t letting me enjoy my runs.

Now I’m ready to get back in the gym, I’m ready to spend an hour sweating out everything and leaving with an refreshed mind. I’m craving a long outdoor run and hill repeats. I needed to get sick, so that I could start fresh on everything. I have 5 weeks left until Flying Pig. Not only will these weeks be important to the race, but they’ll set the tone on my summer workouts.

Monday: 3 Miles

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: 2 Miles

Thursday: Sick

Friday: Sick

Saturday: Sick

Sunday: Sick

Total Miles: 5 Miles

This next week brings a fresh start in training, and also a new month to rack up those miles. I’ve got a 5k this weekend that I’m really excited for. We’ll see if another PR is in these legs.

How was your week? Are you glad April is finally here?

March Rewind

I am so excited to be writing this recap. March is over, which means April is here! April is hands down my favorite month of the year, and not because it’s my birthday month. The weather allows us to hopefully break out those shorts on a weekly basis, trees are turning green and the race schedule starts to ramp up! I usually dread March and feel like it is the longest time of the year, but this time it wasn’t so bad. I was crazy busy all month between work, working out and planning out the next couple of months. Let’s take a look at the numbers for March.

Miles run: 39

Races run: 2 (Lakewood Irish Jig & Jog 5k and Avon Sole to Soul 5k)

Miles biked: 5

Books read: 0 (About 30 pages of Best of Me)

Places traveled: 0

Unnecessary purchases cut down: Well….

New recipes: 1 ( Barbeque Chicken)

My running and racing went up a  bit from March. Not only did I add more miles, but my pace got quicker and I even ran an adult PR in the 5k. I’m really excited that I’m able to get my times down again and hoping that this can continue into April. However, cycling went down hill this month, no pun intended. I need to get back on the bike, and maybe even get outdoors. Living 2 miles from downtown gives me the opportunity to bike to so many shops this summer, so I want to make sure I can handle it. I also added Yoga-lates to my schedule this month. I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first, but it gives me a great way to cross train, and to do some major stretching. I’m signing up again for another month of Om.

Things that didn’t stay on track this month? My reading. I only read about 30 pages of my book, which is awful. I’ll be traveling in April, so I know I’ll get a chance to read more. I just don’t want sitting on a plane to be my only reading opportunity. I also spent a little more than I had anticipated this month. With a new season, comes new clothes, so I may have purchased a few new outfits perfect for spring. What else is perfect for spring? The giant sunroof in my new car!

Blue skies anyone?

Let’s just call this an early birthday gift and continue to save money like my original plan. Sounds good to me! I’ve got a pretty laid back month coming up with an exciting vacation planned to Colorado. Funny, that’s also a birthday gift….

Happy April! And watch out for the jokers today!