Maybe this isn't a good idea?

I'm out of shape, still overweight, and in general feel exhausted and crappy.

So what am I doing this weekend?

Walking the Little Rock Half-Marathon! Isn't that a SWELL idea? The farthest I've gone in the past two months is just around 4 miles, and it made my feet hurt. I'm sure 13 will be no problem ... right??

Yes, this is probably not the smartest thing I've ever done. I know that I can do it, I'm a tough cookie - but it's going to hurt. I'm guessing that I'll start regretting it somewhere between miles 6 and 8, and wishing for death by mile 11. I know that I can walk that far, it's more that my joints, bones and muscles aren't going to be willing to accept that.

My overall hope is that I enjoy myself and remember how much I love to race and how much I love being a part of endurance sport. I know it'll bother me to just be walking, and to be really freakin' slow, so I'm hoping the experience encourages me to get back into serious training. I really want to run again and to shoot for those personal bests and to compete in multisport. Most importantly, I want to feel good about myself and hopefully get back a body that somewhat resembles the one I had two years ago.

I'm guessing that it's not the *best* idea I've had, but it's probably the best thing I could do to kick myself in the ass.

Stay tuned for a report ...

Tales from the Back of the Pack

I am officially a bad blogger! I'm like that person who gets a Christmas gift and doesn't send a thank you card til next Thanksgiving. Of course Miss Manners says better late than never - so here goes.

Last time we met, I was in training for the Bass Pro half-marathon and excited that I had completed a 10 mile training "run." (I seriously feel dirty when I try to classify what I'm doing as running). I was all on track to have an SR (slowest race) as opposed to a PR by a good 20 minutes and I was working on being ok with that. Then we started to have Gremlin troubles during my taper period. Our friendly little dude had suddenly turned into Mr. Separation Anxiety and tended to cry - a lot - when left without his parents. My trip with him to Illinois to visit my family a week and a half before the race sealed my fate. The little dude flipped out any time I left the room, even with Grammy K who is the family member that has babysat for him the most. I realized that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to leave him and his screaming self with my own Grandma in Missouri so that hubby and I could race. Despite her age of 87, she is most capable and would have been happy to help out, but I would have had a hard time concentrating on my race. So the decision was made that I would bow out and instead be mobile course support for Bryan on his quest to complete his first marathon.

To say I was bummed is an understatement. I'm pretty sure the phrase, "stupid baby" was uttered on more than one occasion. I was worried that some might perceive it as an excuse to not race or that I was being weak, but you can ask Bryan - it was a real disappointment. This whole putting your kids before yourself is new to me and there are times when it really blows.

Anyway, I decided that we would make the best of it. I enjoy crewing for races and thought it would be fun to drive all over Springfield, MO trying to catch Bryan along the course. We checked the race map (which was absolutely horrendous) and tried to plan a strategy. I was going to carry extra gels and pretzels for him so that he wouldn't have to be so loaded down with gear from the start. I had the good digital SLR so I also wanted to grab some pics along the way. As a bonus, some other Hot Legs were going to be running the half, so I hoped to cheer for them as well.

The week of the race, I was looking over the race website and suddenly realized Hey!!! They are having a 5/10K race on Saturday!!!
Maybe I can do that instead??
The site indicated that race changes would not be a problem and to handle it at the Expo.
Woo Hoo!! I can still race!!! Sure, it's not what I trained for, but I haven't done a 10K in 2 years so this could be fun!!

On Friday, we arrived at the Bass Pro Headquarters in Springfield, MO. Let me just say that if you are remotely into hunting or the outdoors, you MUST visit this store if you are ever in the area. It is the flagship store and it is HUGE!! They currently are undergoing some renovations, but it is still impressive. The Gremlin loved their giant fish tank, and terrarium with turtles. I loved their huge selection of outdoor clothing from Columbia, North Face and the likes, and both me and the hubby enjoyed the camping, guns and assorted crap that we really don't need. Like the giant overstuffed camouflage massaging recliners ... wouldn't they go with any decor?

Bryan got his packet and I went to registration to grab my packet and explain my dilemma.

Yes, I'm registered for the half-marathon. Can I change to the 10K?
No, I don't want to pay $35 to register for the 10K, I just want to transfer my registration from the half-marathon to the 10k.

There was definite confusion on how to accomplish it, but everyone from the store was very friendly in trying to help me out. I was sent to Customer Service to get a "refund" of my half registration fees. They asked, "do you have a receipt??"
Umm, no but I have this race packet with race bib and tshirt.
I kept explaining that I didn't want a refund of my race fees (which were $50), I just wanted to get into the 10K race and not pay again.
They apologized, "well all we can do is give you a Bass Pro store credit for the $15" (the difference in what I had paid and the current 10K price).
Ummm, sure?
I honestly wasn't expecting any money back, that's unheard of in the racing world. I just wanted to race and not pay a second time. Thanks Bass Pro!!

So off I went to return my cool technical half-marathon shirt, and exchange it for the generic technical shirt they gave out for the 5/10K. Nice New Balance shirts but ridiculously oversized. Luckily I was able to snag a small.

New race bib in hand and I was ready!! Saturday morning was beautiful fall weather with temps around 42 degrees at the start which is prefect running weather in my book. I had originally planned on racing in the awesome running dress that Bryan gave me for my birthday, but it will have to wait. It's not worthy of showcasing in a 10K in my opinion. Instead I went with shorts, my Hot Legs short sleeved shirt, Pearl Izumi arm warmers and cute Skirt Sports vest. The race started in front of the store and there were several hundred participants. I really didn't have a specific strategy other than to do some combo of a 3:2, either run 3 minutes/walk 2 minutes, or walk 3 minutes/run 2 minutes depending on how I felt.

As usual I started out really fast, it's hard to not get caught up in the crowd. After the mile mark, the 5K split off and it was obvious that the vast majority of the participants were going that distance. Very suddenly I was completely on my own which is a common phenomenon when you are a back of the pack kind of gal. I did NOT wear headphones or carry an iPod on since I am opposed to racing with them. It's a safety issue (especially since parts of the course had traffic sneaking onto the roads) and I think you miss out on the race experience. I decided to just enjoy the run and the people I encountered along the way.

Not too long after the split, a runner came up behind and passed me. As he passed he patted me on the shoulder and said, "looking good! Have fun!" Hmmm who was that slightly older runner in camouflage?? Oh, it's Frank Shorter, 1972 Olympic marathon gold medalist and featured speaker at the weekend's events. Thanks Frank!!

For the rest of the race, I was on my own except for the consistent leap-frogging with two gals ahead of me and one older woman behind me. On my run portions I would pass the two girls, then they would pass me once I started walking. The woman behind me was doing a walk/run as well and she would do the same to me during her run portions. Everyone was very friendly and we laughed about how consistent all of our pacing was.

The course left the road just before 2 miles and headed onto the Galloway Trail. I had assumed that the trail would be a nice surface like asphalt but it was concrete - YUCK! Basically the same as running on sidewalks which is not good for my legs. The trail portion was also an out and back so when you're the back of the pack, it gives you a chance to see ALL of the fast people in front of you! The winner (who is from Central AR and seen at our local events) was heading off the trail and to the finish just as I entered it. Of course, once you hit the turnaround, it also lets you see just how few people are still behind you.

Most of the race was uneventful. I switched up between running 3 minutes or 2 minutes based on my heartrate and how I left. In general,I was going faster than my normal 15 minute training pace which felt good!! I had originally planned a 1:30 finish, but knew that I could definitely beat that which made me feel great.

Around mile 4, my feet started to kill me! The same thing had happened at about mile 7 in my 10 mile training run, the balls of my feet just felt almost broken. It wasn't excruciating, but definitely uncomfortable. My shoes were pretty new, so I chalk it up to not enough time on the road in recent months, and likely the extra concrete on this particular course.

The last two miles were off the trail and through a neighborhood, parts of it with gentle uphills. I really didn't think much of it, but Bryan said they looked like mountains when he was 25 miles into his marathon and running the same course at the finish :) My heart rate was starting to get pretty high towards the end, but I was really wanting to push as much as possible. I did a 2 minute run, 2 minute walk the last mile and a half, and tried to walk as fast as possible while avoiding the dreaded side stitch. The best part was that before mile 5, I left my leap-froggers behind and then passed 3 more people before the finish!! It wasn't much of a kick, but it was something!! The race finished inside the store which was an interesting thing to do. I felt really good and though it was a slow 10k, 1 hour 19 minutes , it was much faster than I expected. Yeah me!!

The best part was having my husband and adorable Gremlin right there at the end cheering for me!! As I walked to the refreshment area which was awesomely stocked with muffins, scones, fresh fruit, ice cream bars, fountain soda, coffee and tea, I saw the three folks I had paced with for much of the race come towards the finish. I had gained a couple of minutes on them which was quite surprising.

My feet felt better later that day, so I think I just need to be more consistent in running often during the week. When the official results came out, I was definitely back of the pack, but it was still an accomplishment. I'm getting faster even if it is in a painfully slow fashion, and despite my initial disappointment in cancelling my half, I did get to race and to enjoy the fun of the Bass Pro Outdoor Fitness Festival.

Overall Time = 1:19:08
Pace = 12:46
Age Group Place (Female 35-39)= 11/12
Overall Place = 148/164

Next up, the Little Rock Half-Marathon 3/7/10. I was originally thinking of the full, but I would rather focus on getting back up to speed in the half distance. I'm not expecting to PR, but I'd love to do a 2:45. Can I do it? Never say never!

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Find out about the three weekend Bass Pro Outdoor Fitness Festival here

Let's Run with Babies

Wow! I'm bad about writing posts and then never posting them ..... this one is almost a full week old!! Bad Jenn!!

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Ok, so I didn't make my goals last week, but I am still pleased with a few things.

First, I did my first 5K in almost two years! The only race I've done since having Gremlin was a 2 miler back in February. This past weekend, there was a local Grand Prix race that had a very reasonable registration fee of $15 so Bryan and I decided to participate. Not only was this my first 5K in a LONG time, but also my first race pushing the Gremlin. Of course, as most racers know - jogging strollers are pretty much universally banned. I understand this from a liability perspective, but as running parents, it sucks to always have to choose which one sits out the race. I would never push an illegal stroller in a very large or crowded event, but I knew this was a small race and that with my slow pace I wouldn't be in anyone's way. I also had planned to slow down and let folks go in front of me in the finish chute if necessary since a stroller can definitely get in the way there.

Anyway,for the race I went with a 3 minute walk, 2 minute jog combo and it worked pretty well! I found that the 2 minute period of jogging was definitely a challenge but not too strenuous. I'm sure I could have gone faster overall, but I was only looking to get in a good workout as opposed to "race." In the end, I finished in 40:31 which is slower than my first 5K over three years ago ... but it WAS a stroller PR!!

My other point of praise is my long run this weekend. I had 6 miles on the schedule which was a little daunting given that I haven't gone farther than 4 miles since Gremlin was a wee embryo. I decided to take it nice and slow and watch my heart rate. The whole family hit the River Trail since Bryan had 10 miles on his schedule. I had Gremlin packed in the BOB and off we went! It was a foggy morning but there were plenty of folks out there to keep us company and to keep the Gremlin amused. It was a great workout! I did a 3 minute walk, 1 minute jog and felt really good throughout. I did notice that my heartrate was climbing pretty high towards the end and not recovering as well on my walk breaks. This just proves that my cardio still has a long way to go. The Gremlin fussed just a little at the start but after handing him a bottle, he was golden (thank goodness we have the BOB console which has room for my water bottle and HIS bottle or cup!!).

Bryan finished his 10 miles not to long after us and then the whole family headed to Panera for coffee and bagels. I might have missed the mark on some goals, but I managed a race and my farthest run in a LONG time. Not too shabby!

Oh yeah, and that long run was on my birthday! How about that for making my training a priority :)

No Beer for BJ :(

I can't believe it's taken me until Wednesday to post about this past weekend ... I am really becoming a delinquent blogger!!! Bad Jenn!!

This past weekend was the Little Rock Marathon and I have to say, that for a relatively small race (about 1200 for the full and 2200 for the half) they really put on a class act. I did the relay last year and I was struck by the very enthusiastic volunteers and how friendly everyone seemed to be. Of course the medals are envious, the half marathon medal is fancier than any I have and the full medal?!? They are the largest in the world and just GINORMOUS!! I personally think that you get a lot for your money in the race. I registered back in November during early registration and paid $55 which would have gotten me the big medal, the traditional cotton race tee, as well as a technical finisher's tee ... assuming I finished. Shoot, I paid $80 to do that half in Denver and just ended up with a really cheap, see through cotton shirt.

Anyway, I was a little bummed that I wouldn't be participating in any events, but I took the opportunity to have some fun and cheer for my man!! On Saturday we both volunteered at the Expo, BJ handed out timing chips and I handed out race shirts. I was amazed at the diversity of people running the races, enjoyed talking to out of towners, and could see the excitement of people clearly running their first long distance event. I will definitely take the opportunity to volunteer again, though BJ was thinking it had been a bad idea for him to be standing on concrete for four hours the day before his first half ... didn't think about that when I encouraged him to volunteer with me ... sorry :(

Race morning was just beautiful! I couldn't have asked for better weather with temps in the low 60s. When we arrived downtown at the River Market the streets were flooded with anxious people. I was a little sad to not be wearing one of my signature racing skirts, but it was fun to be a part of it. BJ met up with his training partner Merk who is a co-worker that runs right on his pace. She's a former Marine, Mom to a three year old, has a hubby in Iraq and I honestly don't know how she does it all. I was glad that he had her to run with because it's nice to have company when you're on the road a few hours. I kissed him good luck then disappeared into the crowd so he could get his game on.

The start had been moved since last year and was ridiculously crowded. BJ complained about all of the walkers mixed in with the runners and I noticed in the paper that there were obvious walkers (they had W's on their numbers) mixed in next to the 3:30 pace group .. WTF? So from what I hear the first mile or so was pretty miserable with walkers right smack dab in the middle of things and runners having to head for sidewalks to get around. Of course I'm a big fan of how walker friendly the course is, but just wish they would have ensured they were well behind the runners.

The course was very spectator friendly and with just a little hustle, I was able to catch them at the 1 mile mark (they didn't hear me given how thick the crowd still was), 3, 6, 8 and then I scoped out a great place at the finish. All along, they both looked great!! I also got the chance to cheer for some of the Hot Legs runners along the way as well as just use my junior high cheerleading experience for the greater good of complete strangers.

BJ's goal was to beat 2:30 and he ended up at 2:25 which was just awesome!! To think that when we met, he was just talking about running! I gave him the link to the Couch to 5K, he did his first 5K in August, 10K in October and then a very respectable half finish. He was very excited and the best part was he just had a little residual soreness ... nothing like my extreme inability to move after the first half!!!

The only downer to the whole day was that BJ has seen my pictures and heard about my love of the post-race beer. Even if I only take a few sips, it's always like manna from heaven after a race. Well, we walk over to the beer area (he was even sure to have me carry his ID that day in case he got carded) and ..... they wouldn't give any out to participants until noon!!!! Stupid Bible Belt!! It was just after 10:30 so there was no reason to wait around that long, besides it wouldn't be the same. He was quite dejected, mad about living in Arkansas, and of course we had no beer at home, and it's not sold at all on Sundays, so he was just screwed.

Poor planning on my part. Next time I'll throw a fat tire in the cooler just in case!! But congrats to BJ and Merk on an excellent race!! Can't wait to join you next year!!

Running Update

This has not been the most productive year thus far. I started out with a great enthusiasm to overcome my sloth, started making some minor progress, then was completely sidetracked by getting sick. I honestly haven't run since .... I don't even know. It's been a little more than 4 weeks I guess!?! I was doing a few training runs, going very slow but at least doing it, but that respiratory infection just killed it. Even after I got over the raging fever and inability to get out of bed, the slightest bit of exertion would bring on a horrible coughing fit, as would breathing in cold air. I would say that I'm pretty well cured now, but of course I've been working my tail off trying to make up for the hours I called in sick.

Anyway, the bummer of it all is that this weekend is the Little Rock Marathon. I had switched my entry to the half near the end of the year because I was kidding myself if I thought I was going to be ready for the full mary. After having some rocky starts in my training, I had lowered my expectations and just hoped for a fun run/walk and wasn't going to stress about my time. Now, I'm not even sure how well I could walk the damn thing. The last thing I need is something to show me how much I suck, so I've decided to just forgo the whole thing and take the opportunity to cheer BJ for his first half-mary. I've also signed up to volunteer the Expo and give a little back to the running community.

I'm really excited for BJ! He hasn't completely stuck to his training, but overall he has done well. He ran a 15K race two weeks back which was the farthest he had ever run, and he did it with quite a bit of ease which really surprised him. Instead of feeling like a failure for not taking part, I'm going to be happy that I can have the chance to really support him in his first long distance race, as well as cheer on the other runners.

There's always next year to look forward to because Little Rock really puts on one hell of a race and their medals are second to none!!

Jingle Bell Rock!

You might be thinking, "Wow, Jenn hasn't blogged about running lately. I wonder how her training is coming?" Well the short answer is that my training has been supplanted by unpacking, decorating and all other sorts of working around the new house. I'm sure it's not the smartest thing to take two weeks off, but it's just the way it's happened so no point in going on about it.

Yesterday, BJ and I participated in the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis which is a national series of 5K events. I had signed up for it last year when I was living in Denver, but it was ridiculously cold and I had worked the night before so I skipped it. This time around, it was about 45 degrees and sunny when we left the house and by the end of the race I was wishing I hadn't worn long sleeves it was so warm! Since I hadn't been running lately I didn't approach it as a race. I went no watch, no heart rate monitor and in the end no timing chip (I lost it somewhere between my warm up run and the start of the race ... stupid zip ties!) I just wanted to go for a run, breathe the cool air and enjoy the atmosphere! Since I had no watch I had no clue how fast I was going, and I was actually shocked when I brought it in at just under 34 minutes on the finish clock. To be honest, I was going pretty slow and I didn't feel like running - if BJ hadn't been registered as well I would have stayed home.

I'm glad I went though, it was a pretty fun event with lots of costumes, santa hats and reindeer antlers. It was also one of the few family friendly races that welcomed jogging strollers and dogs. I didn't run in the hat because it's a little too loose, but we did have jingle bells on our shoes and my pony tail holders. So it was 3.1 miles of giddy up jingle horse pick up your feet, jingle around the clock. Mix and a mingle in the jingling feet, that's the jingle bell rock!

The Chile Pepper Festival: Feelin' HOT HOT HOT!

This weekend BJ and I were up in Fayetteville to frolic with the family and the Razorbacks so we decided to participate in the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival. This unique running event is held on the University of Arkansas cross country course and starts with a 10K run open to the public then a morning and early afternoon of men's and women's cross country races at the collegiate, high school and finally junior high level. Several dozen collegiate teams were there from all across the south and there were masses of youngsters. It was a little chilly when we arrived, but once the sun came out and we started running, it was about as perfect of a fall day as you could ask for.

I've never run cross country so it was a very interesting course. Most of it was on grass with an occasional portion on a gravelly road or path. There were a few little ups and downs but nothing out of the ordinary when you run on Little Rock streets. The hardest part was staying sure footed on the sometimes uneven terrain, nothing outrageous like single track trail, but just required a bit more attention to detail than mindlessly running on pavement.

The course was three loops so the fast ass leaders looped us pretty quickly. Originally BJ and I had talked about running together and making it a pace run for our half marathon, but let's be honest, he's faster than me. It doesn't make me mad, but I also can't stand seeing him get irritated when I'm not keeping up and he wants to pull away. I kept saying, "take off and run, no seriously, just go" and he eventually did. There's no point in me holding him back when he can push harder and besides, I have no problems racing solo - I've been doing it for over a year anyway :)

We both were doing a 4:1 run/walk ratio and once I found my groove, it worked great. I wasn't pushing super hard because I was using this as my weekly long run for my half mary - the schedule was 7 miles but I figured 6.2 was close enough. I was just enjoying the people around me, watching the collegiate men warming up on the course as I was making my third loop, and the cheering of the crowd. In the end I was slightly behind my only other 10K race time and finished in 1:08:19 which is a 11:01 pace per mile. This put me 12/19 for my age group and 434/472 overall (yes, the people running in this race were very fast!) BJ had a 10K PR of 1:04:42 and finished 412/474. After the race, there was the typical post race fare of bananas, water and cookies, as well as tacos and sandwiches catered by a local Mexican restaurant. We didn't feel like staying around and watching the collegiate races (we didn't bring chairs or warm enough clothes) but it was interesting to note in the results how incredibly bunched all the racers are in the collegiate division. Also of interest was how fast the high school and junior high kids run their 5Ks, essentially all of them kick both of our asses which is just sad!! :)

She chose wisely

After reading all the horror stories about the Chicago Marathon all I can say is DAMN! I'm glad I didn't run that race!! Even had I in theory trained like I was supposed to, it really doesn't sound like an ideal situation for a first marathon. Not to mention, it would have hacked me off had I trained so hard and then been forced to walk. I mean I totally understand why the course organizers did what they did, it just would have been hard to stomach the disappointment.

All of my friends and fellow Hot Legs who did the race finished safe and sound, and have interesting stories to tell about the constant sirens, people collapsing, general craziness once the helicopters started telling people to walk etc.

So in the end I'm out $120 for the registration fee and the priceless opportunity to say, "yeah I was at the Chicago Marathon that they shut down half way through."

Maybe I'll have better luck debuting at the Little Rock Marathon. I mean it'll involve winter long runs (of course winter here is laughable at best for someone used to the bitter prairie cold in the Midwestern plains), some hill training, and it's exactly a week before I get married. What could be wrong with that situation???

A Couple that Runs Together .... Picks up Schwag Together!!

BJ and I participated in our first race together yesterday, the Tyler Curtis Memorial 5K, and it was also my first 5K in 6 months (did I mention I'm slow and I don't really like 5Ks???). Even though the 5K distance is not my favorite, I do like participating in local communtiy events, especially for a good cause. I also knew it was going to be fun to race with BJ even though I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to keep up with him the whole way.

The race was in an adorable neighborhood southwest of Little Rock that we actually liked so much we added it to our list of places for our realtor to investigate. The course was run on paved streets and had "rolling" hills which is a very appropriate description. It wasn't horribly hilly, but just enough here and there to really challenge you. We both planned to do a 4:1 run/walk strategy and he was hoping to keep the run sections at 8 min miles, while I thought of staying more at a 9 minute pace. Of course in the heat of the moment and the excitement of the race start, I just ran with him for the first mile and a quarter .... then got a horrible side stitch and had to drop back. He was able to bring it in for yet another PR of 28:45 - an excellent time given that both of his prior 5Ks were on flat as pancake courses. And I was able to put up a respectable (for me) 30:47 which I'm not going to complain about given that my side stitch continued the whole last mile and a half of the race.

I'm pretty sure that had I paced myself better in the beginning, I would have been able to break that elusive 30 minute barrier, but hey - you win some, you lose some, and sometimes you learn to just let your husband-to-be run faster than you.

The best part of the race was the chance to catch up with my Hot Legs running friends and meet some new ones!! My work schedule since moving back to Little Rock has prevented me from joining the group runs, so it was awesome to see everyone who came out to volunteer and run the race.

BJ and I also stuck around for the door prizes and were stoked when he won dinner for two at a fancy restaurant in the Heights and I won two rounds of golf. BJ also ended up with second in his age group, so all in all it was a most productive day of racing!

Fast Men and New Furniture

Is it wrong for me to admit that though I am very proud of BJ's latest race endeavors, I'm slightly irritated that he is now officially faster than me??? Yes, folks your friendly blog author really IS that shallow.

So yesterday was BJ's second 5K and the absolute gorgeous temps in the high 60s at the start were perfect for a run! I had worked an overnight shift so I was in a slight daze when I arrived. BJ was running with his friend Ken so I was on the lookout for Ken's wife and son - I rightfully assumed that a stroller would be an easy find in the crowd. After meeting up with JJM, we headed towards the finish line to await the arrival of our two favorite runners. The race was the Arkansas Clear Mountain 5K and it was one of the racing series for the Arkansas road runner groups so there were lots of FAST people, for example the winner came in just at 15 minutes. I knew that BJs goal was to beat 30 minutes (a goal I have long held missing twice and at 30:41 and 30:32) so I started looking closely at 27 minutes. I should mention that staying true to my vision of racing, BJ was concerned about what shirt to wear, whether it would good etc. Clearly I have taught him that it's not only about how you race, but how GOOD you look when you race! When I finally saw him, he was sprinting hard to the finish and made it right at 29 minutes!!!! You suck!! ...... err I mean, Good for you!! Great job!! Here's a pic of him and his friend Ken (copyright jjm) - what nice looking runners don't you think??? It's a shame they had both taken off their headbands, it gave them both such a nice retro 80s touch!!

After returning from the race, our new furniture was delivered! It was a shock to see the former bachelor pad living room suddenly turned into a warm, and welcoming living room as befitting the status of two, cool, young professionals. We now have a cream colored couch with sage and rust accents pillows, a kick-ass old fashioned leather club chair, and a fun, red hot swivel chair that we just threw in the mix because it was also on clearance and I loved it! Every time I walk into the room I still grin and the couch is hands down the MOST COMFORTABLE couch I've ever been on. Seriously, it's soft and wide and so roomy that even two people who really didn't like each other could lay down and barely touch. The dog children have sniffed around once or twice and I think we had to tell each of mine at least once to get down.







































And for when we're not watching?? We purchased these evil mats from Dr Fosters and Smith (my favorite dog stuff supplier!) to place on the furniture.I'm guessing that it will only take one time of jumping up and feeling unpleasantness on their paws before they stay away forever. I feel a little mean, but we are determined that this will NOT be dog furniture and given that they all have comfy beds (Cleo just got a new one this week that even matches one of the cushions on the couch) I refuse to feel guilty.

An update on athletic endeavors

Since this was originally *supposed* to be a blog about my running and triathlon pursuits, which later turned into a discourse on my travel nursing, I should really get back to business.

As to the running ... my training for the Chicago Marathon has officially derailed. There's no point in beating myself up about it because it is what it is. I knew when I signed up back in March that training for a marathon was a serious undertaking that requires commitment to putting in the miles. I haven't kept up my end of the bargain, simple as that. Instead of making excuses or beating myself up, I'm going to look forward to what's next. Yes, I'm out the $120 registration fee, but I'd rather not run it, than run it and risk hurting myself.

With that in mind, BJ and I decided to turn our attention to a late year half marathon. It will be my third and hopefully an opportunity to break 2:30, and his first attempt at this distance. We thought about Tulsa, but then looked at the Las Vegas Marathon/Half- Marathon on December 2nd. It has an awesome course that starts and ends on the strip, tons of running Elvi, a run through wedding chapel at mile 5 (it's tempting, let me tell you!) and of course all the excitement that Vegas has to offer. So starting this week, BJ and I will be training for this race. We're going to try to do all of our long runs together so that we can find a good pace that works for both of us. This race will be my immediate goal with the overall plan of debuting as a kick ass marathoner at the Little Rock Marathon in March. Now that I've disappointed myself once - I don't think I'll let it happen again.

In travel nursing news, I started my assignment at Arkansas Children's and I've quickly gotten back into the swing of things. It's a massive unit and I've been surprised at how many people remember me! I've gotten lots of "weren't you here before?" which was a surprise because there are so many nurses there, I just assumed that most wouldn't remember me at all.

Regarding the sibling rivalry, I am happy to announce that all of the dog children are now getting along. There are still occasionally tiffs, just as you would expect amongst stepsiblings, but the days of poor BJ's dog getting a daily ass kicking from my spaniel seem to be over. I'm still not sure what the pecking order is among them, I have a feeling that the small terrier (nicknamed the "Great White Devil" by BJ) is actually in charge of everyone. In any case, they can now be unsupervised which has relieved a great deal of stress on my part.

The last fun thing to report is that BJ and I made our first big purchase together! We were at Dillards doing some pre-wedding registry research when we happened to see a couch that we had previously liked on clearance as a floor model. [Side note: who knew there were so many patterns of crystal and that he and I would each have such strong opinions on the vessel for holding the wine that will hopefully get us drunk for years to come?!?!?] Given how excellent the price was we couldn't' resist, and if we're getting a couch, we might as well get a chair right? So next weekend our new living room furniture will be delivered and we will finally start having "our" stuff as opposed to his and hers. It's an exciting time, let me tell you!! Now if we can just figure out how to keep the dogs off of it ...

Running the race ... it's a family thing!

Since I have nothing good to report about my own athletic endeavors, it's time to praise some other adult onset athletes in my life!! I've mentioned my kick-ass ultrarunner cousin more than once, but now there are others jumping on the bandwagon. Despite my complete lack of serious training this summer, I managed to inspire BJ to start running!! Like I did a year and a half ago, he is following the Cool Running Couch to 5K program which has made runners out of many people. Since he was nearing the end of his program, we looked at the local racing calendar to find a 5K to race. He hadn't run the full distance as of yet, but I had confidence in his ability to make it though :) He ended up running the Rollin' on the River 5K this past Saturday in North Little Rock and finished in a very respectable time of 31:50!! (I'm trying very hard not to feel jealous given that I was 3 & 1/2 minutes slower in my first race) I waited at the end to cheer for him and he looked great, just like a real runner! Like many before him, the thrill of racing has ignited a competitive drive and he's already looking for a longer distance to shoot for - we're tentatively planning the Route 66 half marathon in Tulsa for both of us.

The other big cheer goes out to my Momma and my Auntie K who race walked their first 10K yesterday! My Momma has always been one of those fast walkers, you know the type, always walks as if she's the white rabbit running late for an important date. She finally channeled that energy into a training program with Abe's Army, a local group in Springfield, IL that trains folks for the Abe's Amble 10K. She and her sister Auntie K signed up and have been racking up the miles all summer and I'm so proud of both of them! Momma finished in just over 1 hour 31 minutes which is very respectable for such a hilly course and Auntie K was right behind her!! Who knew that there could be so many athletes among us?!?!

and since I didn't have a photo of Momma from her race, I grabbed the only "racing" photo that I have .... her at the Tomorrowland Speedway at Disney World :)

Don't Race After Work!! The Iron Girl 5 Miler

NOTE: This race report is ridiculously tardy which is totally in keeping with my personal habit of rarely, if ever being on time.

When looking at my race calendar for the summer, I realized that I had nothing scheduled until my marathon in October. Originally I had hoped to do two women's triathlons here in Denver, but after looking at the layer of dust on my unused bike and realizing that I hadn't swam since August of 2006 ... I wisely decided against competing in either of those races.

When flipping through my Colorado Runner magazine (can you imagine? A running community so large here that they have a monthly magazine) I fixated on the Iron Girl Denver event on July 1st. They had a 5K and a 5 mile distance and I thought a 5 miler would be fun. I looked at my schedule and saw that I was working on Saturday during the day and off the Sunday of the race so it would be perfect!! I registered online and after reading some reviews on my BT website, started to look forward to the event. It wasn't until a week prior that I realized that I was in fact working Saturday NIGHT!! This means I go into work at 7 p.m. on Saturday and get off at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. And my 5 mile race?? Yeah, that starts downtown at 8 a.m.!! Yet another example of poor planning on my part because I always run like crap after I've worked all night. Having put down my $35 and really wanting to do it anyway, I just accept that I'm not going to be particularly speedy and that I will be scrambling to make the start of the race on time.

I packed my race bag and took it to work with me that night, gave a speedy report to the oncoming shift (thanks to the day nurse for showing up a little early so I could get out quicker), changed in the locker room and was in my car headed downtown by 7:30. I made it to the start with 10 minutes to spare!! For my race outfit, I was debuting my pink camouflage marathon girl skirt, and given that the company who makes the skirt is based in Boulder I saw TONS of racers in skirts and quite a few in the pink camo one. Interestingly enough, I even saw another racer named Jennifer (our names were on the bibs) wearing essentially my same racing outfit! This was definitely the first time I had seen so many fashionable racers, usually I'm one of the few in a skirt so I really stand out whereas in this case I was just part of the crowd.

The start and finish was right in front of the Capitol and the approximately 800 racers for both events were starting together. It wasn't terribly hot yet (it's been RIDICULOUSLY HOT for Denver as of late) but the sun was full out and super bright. As usual I didn't warm up and I had peed twice in the portapotties. Immediately after the start is a huge climb for about two blocks - bascially my heart rate jumped into race mode about 500 feet into the race and I was already panting which didn't bode well for the rest of the race. I had decided on a 4 minute run, 1 minute walk strategy and though I didn't have any firm goals - I was hoping to break an hour. The first mile was tough, not only because of the hill, but because it always takes me about a mile to settle into my run. Unlike a lot of other races I've been in, the field spread out pretty quickly so I was mostly on my own. I didn't have an iPod, so it was mainly just the sound of my own feet on the pavement. Truth be told, I got a little lonely and I missed the occasional chatter with fellow racers.The course went east and then circled around Cheeseman Park, there was the occasional slight hill but all in all it was pretty flat. I stuck with my walk/run ratio but I was having some difficulty keeping my heart rate under control and it was really feeling like I was putting out a lot of effort. Basically it was the same type of crappy running feeling that I expect after a long night at work. As I was going into the last mile, I realized that I was going to break an hour so I decided to kick my running pace up a notch and really push it. I still took my walking breaks but was doing about a 9- 9:30 pace during my runs (which is fast for me). I still had enough left to sprint it out to the finish, then I grabbed some Gatorade and walked a bit until the dizziness left.

The best part of the race was the awesome breakfast spread! There were tables set up in the park outside the Capitol with white tableclothes and floral centerpieces, and the breakfast buffet was amazing!! Everything from fresh fruit and cereal to french toast and croissant sandwiches. I completely stuffed my face, waited around for the door prize drawings (came up empty handed as usual) then headed home for a much deserved nap.

My official time was 58:29 which is a pace of 11:42. I had an overall placement of 292/353 (seriously, runners in Colorado are FAST!) and was 65/76 in my age group. Though it's certainly not my quickest short distance race, given the circumstances I was quite pleased and I got a pretty medal, a technical tee, as well as a great breakfast out of it!!!

Oh, and my cute skirt?? I felt like I was flashing my butt cheeks the first half of the race. The bikini briefs beneath aren't *quite* as modest as I would like so I don't know that I'll be racing in it again. I have similar racing skirts in a another brand that cover my butt a little better, and then I have several with compression shorts beneath as opposed to the bikini. This was the only race where I've been constantly worried about my ass, and I'm just thankful it was an all women's event or I would probably have been mortified!!

Rocky Mountain High: the Colorado Colfax Half Marathon!!!

I've complained and moaned about the altitude, my lack of training and how slow I am, but apparently I'm totally full of shit because I had an AWESOME RACE yesterday!!! I felt great, had a lot of fun and ran my way to a new personal record of 2:37:42!!!!

I wasn't particularly psyched about the race because a point to point course along one major road didn't seem too exciting. I had picked this half because it fit into my schedule and I thought I needed the confidence booster before heading into my marathon training. The other reality was that I had to work both days before the race so I wasn't going to get much rest, and when I registered it also didn't occur to me that I wouldn't be able to make the expo and pick up my packet. I had a moment of panic when I realized that I was working the entire time of packet pickup and I really didn't have any friends that I could ask to go to the Convention Center and do it for me (I mean I do have friends - I'm not a COMPLETE loser - but no one who lives close enough to not make the trip an imposition). I have to say a HUGE thanks to AlexB the complete stranger from my online triathlon community who grabbed my packet for me. I posted my dilemma on the Colorado forum and shockingly had three offers from folks to get it for me ... BT'ers are the best!!!

Anyway, I got off work at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night, picked my packet up from my online friend, and made it home around 8. By the time I walked the dogs, ate some pasta, and got my race clothes and gear all together - it was almost 10 p.m. The race started at 6, and we were supposed to be there by 5 which means I was looking at an alarm clock going off at 4 a.m. which is VERY early for Jenn. I was still lying in bed stressed that I was still awake at 11:30 so in the end I was running on very little sleep.

I actually made it to the race on time - well 15 minutes late which is on time for me - and I wasn't feeling a lot of stress which was nice. I met several friendly folks while walking to and milling around at the start including a girl racing in the same skirt as I was (turns out she does a lot of sprint tris and we talked about good places locally to run and ride), another gal in a skirt who joined me in my quest to find the gear bag drop, and finally a cool chic in the portapotty line who's currently training for IronMan Kentucky. Despite the fact that I'm NOT a morning person, I'm always in the best mood when I'm racing and far more social than normal.

Speaking of portapotties there was a HUGE SNAFU with that!! There were approximately 1700 people in the half which started in City Park but only four portapotties. After I dropped my gear, I went to relieve the call of nature and found two massive lines, each snaking towards two portapotties staged separately near the start line. By this time, it was about 20 minutes to race start so I just jumped in line. As the starting time loomed closer, there was talk in the line of trying to find a tree to pee on/around, but honestly there was nowhere in sight where you could've peed without being blatantly in the open and risking a ticket from a cop. When the race participants started to actually toe the start line, there was still at least 200 people in line and as a group, many of us had decided "hey, we're wearing chips, our time doesn't start till we cross anyway." After a dude with a jet pack - yes, seriously he was called "Jet Pack Man" - flew 30 feet into the air over our heads, the race started and the runners headed out. As the fast runners went by, a race volunteer came up and yelled, "there's 30 portapotties 100 yards that way!" We looked to where he was pointing then took off sprinting to the spot where a truck was literally dropping portapotties on the ground. As quickly as they were off the truck, someone jumped right in. Me and IM Kentucky laughed saying, "well I guess this sprint is our warm up!!" So after emptying my bladder I jogged to the now empty start line and began my race a full 7 minutes after the gun!! It was such a crazy scene that I had to laugh, you would have thought it was a time trial start given that people were one by one heading out of the portapotties and towards the start :) In fairness to the race, they sent out an email apology today for the screw up in not having enough to accommodate the runners.

So with an empty bladder I was off!! As I mentioned before, the race started in City Park - home of the Denver Zoo and the Museum of Nature and Science - but quickly headed to Colfax Avenue which is the longest continuous street in the U.S. The full marathoners had started 13 miles east in the suburb of Aurora and all of us were headed towards the mountains and the Colorado Mills Mall in Golden. For people not familiar with Denver, there are a lot of sketchy neighborhoods along Colfax and it's not uncommon to find homeless folks, hookers and drug dealers along certain stretches. However, it also goes through the heart of downtown, past the Capitol, within view of Mile High Stadium and the Pepsi Center and along several small interesting business districts. This was the second year for the marathon whose goal is to highlight the diversity of this street that stretches for over 26 miles. I was reading an article today in the Denver Post and apparently the Denver Rescue Mission had a team of former drug dealers and homeless who trained for the marathon ... very cool!

Early on it was interesting because as I mentioned before, the main field of runners were minutes ahead, so I was passing walkers and slower runners for the first two miles at the same time that speed demons who had been in the portapotty line behind me were sprinting by. I felt really short of breath early on which was the effect of the altitude, but after about 15 minutes I fell into a good rhythm. I had decided to do a 4 minute run/1 minute walk ratio (courtesy of the Penguin's Marathoning for Mortals) and my first two miles it was keeping me under 12 minutes so I was just praying I could keep up the pace. The first section of the half went through the Capitol Hill area with lots of little shops, the occasional B&B, bars, etc. There weren't a ton of spectators out, but the ones who were there were very enthusiastic. It was actually a clear day and the mountains loomed spectacularly in the distance which was an awesome sight because it had been kindof smoggy earlier in the week and the mountains were obscured.

As for other runners, it was pretty spread out so there was a lot of times where I was running on my own which was fine by me. I never race with my iPod so I just enjoyed the experience and occasionally would chat with someone along the way. At each intersection, the police were keeping cars from crossing Colfax and at one point another runner said, "Hey that cop back there was totally checking you out as you ran by!" I asked him if the cop had been cute and whether I should go back, but we decided that there were plenty of intersections ahead and lots to choose from :) From mile 3 on, I kept seeing a lot of the same people. During my walk breaks they'd pass me, but then I'd catch up etc. I always love that about a race and I firmly believe that back of the pack folks are waaay cooler!!

When we hit downtown there was a nice downhill right in front of the Capitol, after that was a slight climb as we crossed over I-25. By the time we crossed over the interstate I had to pee again in a BAD way. At the next stop there was quite a line for the 3 portapotties, but I knew I had no choice but to go. As I waited in line, the girl who I had checked my gear with ran by and we waved and I thought to myself "damn I'm losing so much time!!" After checking my splits, I lost almost FIVE minutes at this stop - but what do you do?? I have a nervous race bladder and it's just a reality. I ran the next mile however to try to make it up a little. Soon after my lost time, we detoured off Colfax and around Sloan's Lake Park. I should mention that by this time the wheelchair marathoners had caught us, so occasionally the bikers escorting them were coming through telling us to stay right for the chairs. It's always humbling to see athletes pushing themselves along and even more humbling to realize they had already gone 13 miles farther than me!! After running the path around Sloan's Lake, we headed back to Colfax and were along the most enthusiastic part of the course through the suburb of Lakewood. Lots of volunteers, people cheering, the occasional band, folks with cowbells etc. By mile 8, I realized that I was doing well and on track to beat my last half mary time. I still felt great and there was only an occasional twinge in my knee but nothing to write home about, and I was still keeping my miles under 12 minutes. I was having a lot of fun, keeping pace with a lot of the same people, and just enjoy the view, the neighborhoods and the infectious spirit of the volunteers. I should even mention that along some of the "sketchier" stretches, there were folks out who had that homeless, drugged out look who had smiles on their face cheering the runners on. It was a cool thing.

At mile 10, I realized that I was far ahead of my projected time and that if I cranked out a decent 5K I might even be pushing 2:30. But unfortunately this is where the climbs started. I still felt great and I wasn't in any pain, but it was mostly uphill at this point. There's a huge hill around mile 11 that you can see looming in the distance and it was definitely tough! Right around this time I also passed the girl with the matching skirt that I had met prior to the start of the race, she was walking and I was still running. Actually, towards the end I noticed that I was passing several folks who had stayed ahead of me early in the race which made me think I had paced myself well. At the top of the evil hill there's a great down hill from 11.5 - 12 that was a nice relief ... almost to the point where you wanted to put your hands in the air and go "Wheee!!!" But then at the bottom of the hill it was a climb all the way to the finish. You can see the mall up ahead of you and you know the finish is there, but I was at the point where I couldn't push any harder. The last 1/4 mile was pretty much torture and I was actually saying out loud "Don't walk, you can do it!" There were plenty of spectators there to cheer me on but I was panting so hard I just wanted to finish before I passed out!! With the finish line in sight I tried my best to sprint and when they called my name I had tears in my eyes!! I couldn't believe that I had just ran a 2:37!!!

I was a little dizzy as they cut my chip off and handed me my medal, but I pretty much chugged a bottle of water and then felt much better. I grabbed my gear and immediately headed to the Heineken truck to redeem my free beer because I had definitely earned it on this run!!!!

After having several Panera bagels, drinking my beer and getting any free swag I wanted, I jumped on the bus for the ride back to City Park. My legs were a bit stiff, but honestly I felt great. I remember how after my first half, I could barely walk that afternoon, and the next day every step was painful ... and this time around I'm clearly in much better shape. So all in all it was an excellent race and I had a lot of fun. My official finish time was 2:37:42 which corresponds to a 12:02/mile pace and is a full 1o minutes faster than my last half marathon. In looking over my mile splits (for those not race savvy, that's how long it took me to run each mile) I was incredibly consistent and I was actually faster at the end than I was at the start ... even with big massive hills!! Mile 1= 11:55, 2=11:27, 3=11:56, 4=12:02, 5=17:05 (damn that long pee line!), 6=10:39 (ran the whole mile to make up time), 7=11:46, 8=11:55, 9=11:40, 10=11:48, 11=11:44, 12=11:45, 13=11:05

It is a little daunting to think that this is only half the distance that I'll be going in Chicago, but with every race I'm starting to realize that I have far more potential than I give myself credit for!! So I say BRING IT ON!!!

[edited to add: by the way, I also killed a toenail at this race!! Just noticed today that my 4th toenail is turning black ... I thought that only happened at marathons???]

Tweaking the Race Calendar

I've been very fortunate as to have no problems with my knee since my visit to my "psychic" massage therapist so it's time to seriously figure out what my upcoming race goals are gonna be. As my faithful readers know, I had originally planned the St Louis Half Marathon in mid-April, but decided to cancel in lieu of potentially injuring myself. Given that I had done really well in my training, it's time to find an upcoming half to challenge myself!!

The winner is the Colorado Colfax Marathon/Half-Marathon on May 20th. It sounds pretty boring and brutal given it's a straight shot down Colfax from downtown Denver to the Colorado Mills Mall in Lakewood, but it's the only race that works with my schedule. I would have LOVED to do the Steamboat Half but it's full, and the other two I wanted to do (Colorado Marathon/Half in Ft Collins, and Mickelson Trail Half in South Dakota) are both on weekends that I work.

I did a 10 mile long run yesterday to prove to myself that I'm in half mary shape, I'm still pretty slow but I'm hoping to at least do a 2:45. Of course I don't know how acclimated I'll be by then, so I think I'll just have to accept whatever I get as far as time.

Beyond that, it's time to start TRI TRAINING!! I've only been outdoors on the bike once and I loved it so I don't understand why it's so hard for me to get out there. My apartment is going to be right on the Cherry Creek Trail so I'm hoping the fact that I can just go out my front door and not worry about traffic will induce me to ride. There's a Y pretty close to my place that I'm planning on joining for the summer so I have a place to swim. I WILL get in the pool my first week in Denver if it kills me!! My first race that's planned is the Danskin Sprint Tri July 15th and though I won't be in optimal shape with 8 weeks training ... I don't think I'll embarrass myself.

Miles for Missions 5K

Man, I cleaned house at my 5K today!! Look at the trophies and the door prizes!!

Alright, so I was the only one in our running group to NOT get a trophy (hey the 30 - 39 year old women are FAST!) and I also didn't get a door prize, but they were kind enough to let me borrow their stuff for my picture :) Of course I'm not complaining because I did get a personal record of 30:32 and that's not too shabby!

So the race was the Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church Miles for Missions 5K benefiting their mission work with Habitat for Humanity, Katrina Relief, and Arkansas Hospice. A few gals from the Hot Legs mentioned it on our listserv this week and I thought it was time to try this distance again. The race started at the church which is in the Hillcrest district of Little Rock which is a great older neighborhood with lots of character and tons of great shops. When I move back to Little Rock, I'm hoping to find an apartment in this area. The race was small, but the church volunteers were very enthusiastic which is always fun.

The course was an out and back traveling most of the way along Kavanaugh Blvd which is the business district. The out part was downhill which meant ... yes, we'll be climbing back up on the way back! My goal was to keep a 9:45 pace and in the beginning I was going more like 8:30 but it was hard to slow down. Of course after the turnaround when I started heading up hill, there was NO problem slowing down!! I did take a few walk breaks when my heart rate got ridiculously high on the uphills and I didn't stress about it, not to mention I've learned that I don't lose a lot on my pace by taking strategic breaks. I had enough left over to sprint the finish but I was frustrated to not break that 30 minute barrier. On the bright side, it was a PR and on a hilly course to boot, and I ended up averaging a 9:51 pace which isn't far off my target.

I'm not sure where I placed in my age group - will add that later, but I was pleased with how well I did. I'll probably never be the fastest, but when I finish that marathon I'm not gonna care about my 5K times anyway :)

edited to add official results:
Women: 16/52
Age Group 30 - 39: 5/10
Overall: 34/87

Someone else in the family *really* got the running genes!!

I've mentioned my cousin Travis before in my blog - he's a few years younger than me and he started out doing tris and then got into ultrarunning a year ago. We raced together at my first sprint distance tri (he finished long before me), my first half marathon (he did the full), and the road bike I currently ride used to be his.

Anyway, he did his first 50 - yes FIFTY - mile race this past weekend. Not only was it 50 miles, but it was 50 miles on trails that had been rained on for most of the week. It's such an amazing accomplishment I almost can't wrap my head around it. You've gotta check out his race report here ..... WAY TO GO TRAV!!!

So now I'm thinking, perhaps the ability to be an endurance athlete runs in the Drake genes and maybe I just haven't tapped into my potential yet????? :)

Oh and since I mentioned the road bike I bought from Trav, I actually rode it outside yesterday for the first time since July!!!! It was on a paved trail well away from traffic so I didn't have to be scared, and honestly I forgot how much I enjoy the feeling of freedom on a bike. I'm clearly out of biking shape but I guess this officially marks the start of tri training 2007.

Kicking some 10K butt!!

Even though I decided to forgo the St Louis Half Marathon next weekend, I thought it would be fun to test myself at the Capitol City Classic 10K today. I've never run a 10K, but I assumed that I'd be good to go given that I've been building my mileage with my training for St Louis. My plan was to shoot for an 11:30 min/mile pace, but to have no guilt in slowing down for walk breaks if my knee started to bother me.

First of all, it was damn cold this morning in Little Rock! Despite having had temps up to 80 degrees earlier in the week, at race time it was 35 degrees, overcast and breezy. Of course after wintering in Denver, I'm not afraid of a little cold - I was just sad that I couldn't wear my new purple and black running skirt that I ordered from www.runningskirts.com. As usual, I was running late this morning ... had a fun date last night that went well but as previously mentioned we'll keep that off the blog this time around :) So I spent too much time in the shower trying to wake up since I am NOT a morning person, then I was scrambling to get dressed, feed the dogs, and gulp down a few spoonfuls of oatmeal. I couldn't find my warm running hat - cause it would have made too much sense to look for it the night before - but luckily I found my Mizzou beenie to keep my head warm.

I got to the race site with less than 10 minutes to spare, I shot a Gu, used the port-a-potties and only had to stand around freezing for a few minutes before the race started. A sidenote, while I was waiting for the port-a-pottie, I made a comment to another gal that "I hope there are some slow people here today!" because looking around you could just tell that these were some seriously, fast runners. She was very nice and reassuring, "oh of course there are! I'm not planning on going very fast either." Turns out she's got a marathon coming up so she's taking it easy, which marathon I asked? Yeah BOSTON!
Don't even pretend you're slow to me, if you're a Boston qualifier!! (for those not in the know, qualifying for Boston is a pretty tough thing to do - basically it would only be in my dreams!)

The race started and I went out pretty fast - like a 10 minute/mile pace. I felt OK and my heart rate was fine, but I didn't want to use up too much too soon. After the first mile, I settled into a nice 11 min/mile pace and found several people around me who were running right around the same speed. I wasn't feeling cold, it was a nice flat course on the road, and we even passed a few horse farms and a cattle lot (Moo!). By the second mile, I had decided to just run the whole thing and only stop to walk for water (I learned last year that trying to drink while running only gets me a really wet shirt!). The first water stop was around the 2.5 mile mark, which is where the loop of the course joins the out and back portion. The really fast runners were already heading back to the finish ... see I told you this was a fast group of people! I probably walked for 15 seconds tops, then was back at it. The rest of the race was totally uneventful, I struggled at times to stay on pace because I kept wanting to go faster, and it wasn't until the 5 mile mark that I just decided to let go and see what I could do. I had enough left in me to sprint the last portion and that was the only time I even felt a twinge in my knee. I finished strong at 1:06:18 which corresponds to a 10:41/mile pace - which is SMOKIN' for Jenn!!

I grabbed some pizza, cookies and fruit, then headed home to the warmth of my apartment. I knew that I was in the back of the pack so it wasn't like there was an award waiting for me or anything :) In reviewing the data from my Polar running computer, it turns out that I actually got faster as the race went on which is awesome! Since this is my first 10K it's a personal record, but I'm positive that next time I can definitely go faster!!

Results
Race time = 1:06:18 (10:41 pace)
Age group place = 16 of 19 (yeah, I'm a back of the pack kindof gal!)
Overall place = 234 of 264