Turkey Trot and 12 miler!

I had a big running week last week. I did my second Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. The weather was about the same...cold and threatening to rain. The rain held off for the run which was good! I wanted to break one hour (12/min miles). I felt pretty sore in the beginning...shins were not happy. The spectators were great. The kids yelling "Happy Thanksgiving" were precious. At around mile 4, I wanted to see if I could pick it up and not stop to walk. I think I ran the last mile in about a 10:30 pace. As I came into the finish, I knew it was pretty close to 1 hour. I finished at 1:00.30. That is ok by me!

On Saturday, we had our 12 miler. I had never done more than 9 miles in training last year. I had done 10 miles a few weeks ago, so was not too nervous about the 12 miler. I wasn't feeling that great (cold) and the weather was not good...windy, in the 30's. I said to myself...just see how you feel and you can always turn around and come in early. It was a 6 miles out and 6 miles back run. For the first few miles, my knee was not feeling good and it was a concern...wasn't sure if it would hold up for the entire run. I pushed through it and before I knew it I was at the halfway point. One of the TNT coaches, Rich, came up to me on his bike and biked with me for about 1.5 miles. That was very helpful as it took my mind off of the run and we just chatted. The last 3 miles were rough, but I was able to get through using a 3 min run/2 min walk ratio. Felt very proud of myself at the end!

We have 8 miles this Saturday. No problem! :)

2 x 8 milers and back pain

It has been a bit since I have updated my blog. Sorry! I ran 8.5 miles by myself Sunday 11/7(couldn't do the group training b/c I was managing one of the water stops). Felt pretty good. I have to admit that running with my ipod makes the miles go by much quicker! I ran 8 miles this past Saturday in Rock Creek Park. It was BEAUTIFUL. I have to say that 8 miles is becoming "no big deal" for me...never thought I would say that!

I got a massage and facial on Sunday and told the masseuse that my lower back was a little bit sore, I have a history of throwing it out, etc. During the actual massage, it was sore and I could feel it tightening up as she was loosening other muscles in my upper back and legs. By 5:00 that night, my back was a mess. I didn't technically throw it out again, but it is not in good shape. I am really, really frustrated!!! I hate having back issues. I don't think the running hurts it, but I also know that I can't run 10 miles this weekend and not expect to have some pain. I will see how it progresses and make a "game time decision" on Saturday am. I have 6+ weeks until the half marathon, so I am not too worried. I just need to be smart and take care of my back.

I am hitting the final stretch in my fundraising. I need about $900 more to hit my goal of $3,000.

Running 10 miles with wings is harder than it sounds

So, last Saturday's training was the "Halloween" themed training and we were encouraged to dress up and run in some form of costume. As a mentor, I felt the need to put in some sort of effort. I figured I could be some sort of fairy so I looked online for some fairy wings and a tutu.

This is the result:

I am proud to say that I won the halloween costume contest and got $50 towards my fundraising. Making a fool of yourself for a good cause is always a good thing :)

I started off the 10 miler with the wings on. I didn't really notice them for the first mile or so. After a bit, I good feel the one wing folding over onto the other one creating a not so aerodynamic aspect to my running. I did get a lot of looks, smiles, snickers along the trail. I am happy I was able to entertain everyone. The tutu was really classy with the water belt. Nice look, let me tell you! At around mile 4, I had to take the wings off. I was struggling. I knew I had 6 more miles and I was not feeling good. I ended up walking more than my normal 4:1 ratio and that helped. (probably ended up doing a 2.5/2.5 ratio for a solid 4 miles) At the water stop at mile 7, I gave myself a good old pep talk and said "you can do this". I did it. My first 10 miler. That is the most I have run since I ran the 13.1 miles last year at Disney!

I was pretty sore the rest of the day and on Sunday. I was actually worthless as far as productivity. Running KILLS me, but I do enjoy the feeling of accomplishing a goal!

11 miles this weekend!