Maybe it'll be a real tree by the year 2030

The uniqueness about the Earth Day Challenge is the small 2 year old pine tree you are given at the end of the race.  If you recall, it looked pretty much like a twig.

Oh wait, it looks like a plastic bag here!

For the last week, its been hanging out in our refrigerator waiting for us to figure out where we were going to locate it in our yard.  It wasn't a tough decision as we already have 2 sets of 3 very tall pines clustered together near the edge of our yard and there's a gap that lets us see our neighbor's lovely cornflower blue house trim.  The half finished house trim.  For the last 5 years.  So we decided there it would go and Biv started digging:

Checkout that blue!

And digging.

A better view!

The dogs, of course had to come out and help:

I think I could have dug it better!

The hole still wasn't big enough so Biv had to trim roots to make it bigger.  The hole finally was big enough and we were able to put the tree in!

Maybe by the year 2030, it will be taller.

And of course, we couldn't leave the little tree out there without a sniff & a kiss from a Riley dog.

Yum! They never feed me here!

Of course, this blog post wouldn't be complete without a picture of Annie dog too.  I can't quite figure out what she feels so guilty about in this one.

Promise me I will get a real meal.

Have you ever gotten a tree for finishing a race?

Did you race this weekend??

One & done!

I've read a few posts this weekend about "one & done" referring to not doing the same race again and I've decided that's the theme of this post on the Earth Day Challenge Half Marathon.  One & done.  Sums it up perfectly.

Sexy & I know it!

The race starts from the Kenyon College Athletic Center's awesome track.  It was a brisk 41 degrees when we started and my friend Kim had given me a trash bag to wear while we waited for the start.  It was a big help!  Even if I didn't wear it long.  The race was a really small field which was very nice!  Not a lot of congestion before we started out.  One lap around the track and a half mile to the first hill.  I had practiced hills and gradually paced myself up it.  I was excited to see some friends of mine at the top that were there to cheer us along.  Thankfully the hill wasn't a half mile long like I feared and we were off to a gravel path that felt like it lasted for 10 days. I am pretty sure it was less than a mile, but it was tough!  From there we headed into a little bit of the neighborhood around Kenyon College which was awesome and as I turned right to mile 3, there was a huge hill......at least it looked that way!  I couldn't help but go fast down it and my Garmin said I was at about a 9:39 minute mile!  It sure did feel like it!  Thankfully the way back up wasn't as steep as the way down was!  Or at least it did not seem like it.  From there we headed back to Kenyon College passing the track & heading out to the Kokosing Gap Trail.  The trail was absolutely beautiful but absolutely BORING!  Heading out, there was a runner in front of me who would stop running and begin strolling.  I'd catch up to him, pass him, he'd freak out that I was walking and then pass me.  We did this until mile 8.5 and then I don't know what happened to him.  During my races, I usually use my cell phone & the Pandora app.  Somewhere around mile 5, my lovely Motorola Droid X2 decided it would be good for it to start voice recognition and call my voicemail 145 times in my ear!!  I can't even tell you what I said to it whenever it said "say a command" because this is a PG blog, but it was not nice!  How it kept dialing it, I will never know.  I restarted it, no luck.  I finally decided, after incessant beeping in my ears, to pull it out of my ears.  It affected my pace as I was at about 11:18/mile at that point and I dropped to 11:37/mile or so.  Thankfully I had my own cheering crew at mile 8.5 who took my phone off my hands saving its life!  Verizon says I am the only one who has issues like this with the X2.  At least they've noted my record that this happened so when I call and say "I want a replacement" there will be no questions asked!

Coming up to mile 8.5.

After the 8.5 mile turn around, we headed back on the trail to the finish.  Along the way, I heard a biker come up to me and it turned out it was the First Aid bike.  I didn't need her but she did keep me company because being without music was suddenly very quiet & a tad lonely.  I told her I was trying to catch H from MIT who was ahead of me & she was awesome - said "with a pace like that - you will catch her & you will pass her."  I did finally catch her and ended up finishing with J who paces the 11:30 runners at MIT and was practicing for Cap City pacing.  I told her my goal of 2:30 and she said "you'll be there or under it!"  We headed back to the finish together with another runner.  The turns back to the finish were just awesome as my cheering crew had made it back and I saw them at 3 different places as we took the turn back into the track and the finish.  J kept pace between me & another runner until the finish.  She was awesome and I am not sure I could have crossed the finish line without her.  This was my first experience with being paced to a finish and not pacing someone else & I loved it! I definitely plan to do that again!

J & I coming in!

My Garmin & the chip time were almost a match.......2:30:31! I pulled an exact average pace of 11:30 minute miles!  WOOHOO!

Where oh where will my little tree grow?

Since it was Earth Day after all, finishers of this race got a 2 year old pine tree & a finisher's mug instead of a medal.  This was my 9th half marathon and my 8th PR........every time I've done a half, I've improved my time.  The only reason I don't have 9 half marathon PRs is because I paced 1 last spring.

My favorite part about this race was that 4 of the running buddies I've been working out with the most made their way up to Gambier to root me & other runners on.  I can't tell you how awesome it was to have people along side the course or screaming my name.  Many of the other runners were saying "wow, you have quite the cheering squad!"  I can't say thank you to them enough!!!

My cheerleaders.

I wouldn't have the awesome race pictures without them and I might not have crossed the finish.  Why do I say "one & done?"  It was a tough course & now that I know I can do it, I don't need to go back.  There's races in other cities I want to try.  Two of my cheerleaders want to head up there to do it next year & I'll be there to cheer them on!

Do you have a race you've done that you'll never do again??

Making the most of a business trip

I travel every week lately, it seems.  This week was no different.  Headed to Indianapolis for a quick business trip - 2 customers over 2 days.  I totally under packed - even forgetting my PJs!  Thankfully I brought enough shirts that the people who saw me in the same black suit didn't see the same shirt 2 days in a row!  Since I am in full on taper and today was a rest day so there was no need for running clothes or sneakers!  My bag felt so light!  It was almost liberating!

Of course, I had to hit up Indianapolis's new store, REI, and buy some gear:

That's what $116 looks like!

I am glad I found the REI.  Apparently the hotel I stay at each time I am there is only about 3 miles total from the store.  Score!  I would have to say that I do like the store - awesome stuff - but the prices are about the same as going to Dick's.  You really need to know your prices.  The bike jersey selection, however, made this girl very happy.  At Performance Bike, I had to buy a men's jersey for riding.  This time I found my size in women's and was really happy!  I also bought some Smart Wool socks for cycling & running which can apparently be worn year round, a new running hat (yay!) and this little winder for my headphones cord.  I had lots of different things in my hands while in the store but these are the things that called to me the most!  Thankfully you can order online & get free shipping - especially since I bought the membership!

In other exciting taper week news, Indianapolis actually has a frozen yogurt shop called FroYo (ours here are named Menchie's) so I had to treat myself:

Lowfat oreo w/ non-lowfat treats! Yum!

Truly, I am a rocking date.  It was the perfect way to unwind after a busy day and between laptop sessions at the hotel.  I am loads of fun!

Then I returned to Columbus to find this in my mailbox:

I love it!  We're not bumper sticker on car people, so I am not 100% sure what I will do with it but I had to order it when I saw it on Cafe Press.  There's a t-shirt there too that a woman I know locally had made that says "I may be walking but I just passed you" on the back.  She has them in tech shirts & I need to buy one from her!  What a great race day shirt!!  I need to figure out a time to meet up with her to buy one!

Do you have a frozen yogurt shop near your house?  We have a few in town but none of them call themselves FroYo like this one did.  And why are those cups so stinking big??

If you were me, where would you put the bumper sticker?

Do you ever want to run?

Being a part of a running group with a small walking contingent, I get sideways glances when I show up for a speed workout or walk at a pace that is the same as they are running.  Since I had 6 on my schedule yesterday, I turned around after 3 miles with one of the faster walkers and did 3 at what should be my Saturday pace - 12 minute miles.  I  caught up to a running group and as we crossed a street, they surrounded me, passing me.  One of them remembered me from a speed workout and started chatting with me about my pace.  One new question came up - "Are you really training to walk a whole race?"  Yes, and it is my 9th.  The famous question is "Do you ever want to run?"  I solidly answered that question with a no and here is why:  running hurts me.  

I want to know why it hurts me.  I can remember running in high school for soccer and for track but I can't remember ever feeling like I love this.  I remember being miserable and just wanting it to end.  I was fast - but I hated it.  That's probably why it never stayed with me as it should have.  Friday, I took Riley for a run at lunch time.  3 miles, close to what I can pull walking but for some reason, when I change from running to walking fast, he thinks we're out for a stroll and forgets to run.  Pretty sure it is the body language or something.  I love the feeling of having my dog running by my side - that was pretty awesome - but running hurts me.  Every step, I could feel my quads screaming.  By the end I was sore in my IT band.  Thankfully Saturday morning was only 6 miles for me since I am now in full out taper mode for Earth Day next weekend but I was sore.  I spent most of Saturday seriously questioning why I thought I was ready for another half marathon.  I even confessed to a friend I've been hiding pain.  In fact, I whiny texted her all afternoon about the quad pain all while knowing she has a much more serious injury going on then me.  Yup, I know, pretty selfish.  I needed to confess my issues.  After my shower yesterday, I finally broke out the free CEP Compression shorts I won from Sara's blog.  Under my jeans they went as we headed to dinner.  I think I need to remember to wear them more often! They really helped and using a rolling pin helped stretch them out a bit.  I felt much better today but opted for a rest day.

For the foreseeable future, my answer to the question will be no.  I will continue walking fast and trying to get faster and faster.  Running just isn't for me but I love my friends dearly who enjoy it and enjoy every second I get to spend with them!

Do you think I am crazy for racewalking?


Have you ever walked a race intentionally?

In Memory

Dad- June 23, 1949 - April 13, 2010

Someone, more spiritual than I, said to me recently that she likes to believe we are no longer who we were on Earth when we pass to the other side.  We're a better version of ourselves watching over those we love and helping guide them down the right paths.  On the second anniversary of my father's passing, that concept is giving me comfort.

The hill that taunts me

I blog a lot about the hill at Clubview Blvd. here in Columbus and what a challenge it is yet I never share any pictures.  Well, this past Sunday when Uncle Ron and I went out for our pre-Easter feast bike ride, I asked him to bring along his camera to snap a few pictures.  He rides a trike so it makes it a bit easier for him to take pictures while riding.  He also has an awesome harness that allows it to be well protected.  I don't even want to know how much the camera on his neck cost!  He got some great pictures!

Me in Uncle Ron's mirror behind him

The trike is a little slower then Trudy and I stayed behind Uncle Ron most of the ride out.  

Waiting to cross 315 to head up the hill.

To those of you who are pros at riding, you are seeing this and noticing my terrible form!  I still consider myself a very young rider and I'll get better!  I couldn't remember what "granny gear" was but thankfully Uncle Ron helped and I was able to get up the hill.  I give up still at the crest that is Colony Way, but at least I can get that far!

I am over on the left struggling to get up!

I will not let the hill get the best of me and one day I'll be able to ride both of the hills........not just give up at the first chance!  I have definitely noticed that my stamina is getting better each time I go out and ride.  I can also drink while moving without falling down!  Now if I would just get the gears right, I'd be golden!

Do you have a hill in your 'hood the challenges you to no end? 


Do you ride?  

I heart Easter

Sometimes there are days I am more thankful then others.  Today is one of them.  On the spur of the moment, I invited not 1 but 4 of my walking (okay, they run) friends & their families over for Easter dinner.  We went from an Easter dinner of 4 to an Easter dinner of 11 plus a baby & 2 dogs.  First, I have to say I have an awesome husband who can cook!  Biv spent maybe 15 minutes drawing up a menu and planning for 11......yesterday............not last week or the week before - yesterday!  Got to love the flexibility!  Then we went shopping.......the only thing we overdid was the ham!  But then again, who doesn't love a good spiral ham leftover???  There's never too much food at a holiday celebration, is there?

Having the laughter and joy in the house has left me thrilled beyond belief.  During the dessert course, I couldn't help but smile and think about how lucky I feel to have all these awesome people in my life.  We all had one thing in common originally but the more you talk on the trail the more you find out about each other.  These people (and others) are why I get up each Saturday morning and hit the pavement for my mileage. They have made the biggest difference in my life and have kept me motivated in ways they don't know.  They are my family whether they like it or not!

Yup, I love this group!

I have always firmly believed there is the family you are born with and the family you build.  I'd do anything for my friends and I am so glad we got to share a meal!

Hope your Easter was as awesome as ours!

Jinxing myself

I've been following the "experienced" schedule for the Earth Day Half that MIT puts out.  Every week I find it a challenge to get all of the miles in - work either gets in the way or the people I meet up with have different mileage to do.  Heading into a 12 mile workout tomorrow morning, I can say I've done the exact mileage this week that was put in the plan.  I had to get creative and had a lot of fun doing it but it was a great week.

Since Daily Mile thinks of weeks in Monday-Sunday not Sunday-Saturday, I have started to think that way too.  Monday was a 5 mile day so I headed out after I finished working.  Okay, lately I don't feel like I ever finish working so I just abandoned my job and got the miles in.  You'll recall that I chased Sarah down the Olentangy Trail on Sunday, so my quads were particularly mad at me on Monday.  Even happier when I took the left making me go uphill most of my 5 mile route and then headed down the Clubview hill and back up.  I've really got to be a better blogger and snap some pictures of it.   Even with a TRX Beginners class at PAI, I felt pretty good other than quad soreness during this workout.

Lowfat is not awesome

Tuesday, I hit PAI for power flow yoga before work.  I think this is going to be my new favorite thing to do to stretch everything out.  Since Mondays are a recovery pace and I blew it, I enjoyed every minute of my 4 mile meet up at Antrim Park at an even 13ish pace.  I thought it was proper to refuel with a chocolate shake from UDF.  If you aren't from around here, United Dairy Farmers (UDF) is the bomb when it comes to shakes.

See, I can't swing it up to your shoulder!

Wednesday, I had 7 on the schedule.  The group I was working out with had 4.  I had to make up the additional 3 so I headed out right around lunch for 2 then came back, held a conference call for work & went out for a mile more.  Worked out well.  Met up with the group for a nice 4 at Sharon Woods which is also a hilly course.  Apparently I don't like myself.  Mandy and I had to take a picture for the Jellybean Virtual Race at RunWithJess and that former cheerleader showed me her thigh and said "just step here and then swing your leg up on my shoulder."  Yeah, I've never been that flexible.  After a couple of failed attempts, we did manage to get a good shot of me on Mandy's back.  She is a machine!

We get points for creativity right?

As a group, we ate at City BBQ for dinner to help out a friend who was fundraising for her Avon Breast Cancer Walk.  I headed to Cleveland to spend my rest day with customers and got lucky!  After being with 2 of my accounts in the morning, I found out that I had a ticket to the home opener for the Cleveland Indians and could attend with a customer!  I've never been to a home opener and the Indians did it right!  It is too bad that they were winning all the way up until the top of the 9th and went 16 innings only to lose.  I left at the bottom of the 9th and headed off to Ft. Wayne, IN to meet with another customer.  If you've never done it, the drive from Cleveland to Ft. Wayne on I-80 is really long and very boring.  I wouldn't recommend it.  Other than the ride, getting some time at the Indians game was a great way to spend my rest day.  Totally perfect!

Last time I was in Ft. Wayne, I spied some pretty awesome looking trails and knew I wanted to hit it for my Jellybean 5K I needed to get in today.  After I finished up with the customer, I headed to Kroger, changed, and hit the trail.  Since I've never been there before, I texted Mandy just so someone know where I was in case I didn't come back.  What an awesome trail!  It was beautiful!  I am thrilled I followed through with it and got in my 5K!  Stubbed my toe this morning in the hotel but it felt okay.  Hopefully it heals quickly!

There was almost no one on it!

One last long workout until the Earth Day Half Marathon!  I can't believe it is already taper time!  The group I coach has 5 so I'll do their 5 and head out with my co-coach for a few!  All in all, it will be an awesome workout!

How was your week?


Do you always get in all of your "prescribed" mileage??

Chasing Sarah down the Olentangy Trail

What an awesome weekend.  Seriously.  A 10K PR on Saturday followed by outlet shopping all afternoon then sleeping in Sunday morning and heading out for a 21K (13 mile) bike ride with Sarah that turned into almost 36 miles.  The ride was all part of the JellyBean Virtual race being held at RunWithJess's blog.

She has some seriously awesome prizes and I realized yesterday that I can do all of the distances she listed this week because of my training schedule!  Oh, and you can still register - it runs through April 8th so get on it!  Well, almost all - I could just tack on 1.1 to Saturday's 12 miler and get a half marathon in.  Hmmm.......I've completely lost it.

So, you ask, how does an innocent 13 mile bike ride turn into an almost 36 mile ride?  Easy!  I met Sarah at the Olentangy Trail at a little after 11:30.  She was having trouble with her bike so we got off a bit later then planned.  The trail is 1.5 miles from my house, so I rode down to meet her.  Then we headed off.  Yes, this is where I should have taken some good pictures of us before hand considering at 50ish degrees we were both wearing extra layers that we didn't really end up needing.  Anyway, the Olentangy Trail starts at the Hills Market and winds through the city, switching its name to the Scioto Trail downtown and seemingly ending around the Grange Insurance Audubon Center.  I didn't even know it was there.

Anyway, at around mile 13, we were so close to downtown, we said why not?  Just a few turns of our tires later, we happened upon this beautiful view of downtown:

The geese add a little something to the photo, don't they?

Right about here, we were entering parts of yesterday's 10K course where I squished through some goose poop to get my PR.  I had to get them in the picture.  I begged forced Sarah to take a picture of me & Trudy with the skyline in the background since this was my first time using my own power to get down there!

Yup, overdressed.

In the meantime, Biv was at home patiently doing different deeds around the house fully expecting me to only be gone an hour.  I finally called him around mile 26 and begged him to meet us at the Hills Market so we could eat some lunch at Rusty Bucket.  We were about 8.5 miles away but we made it!  Inviting him to join us was supposed to make my life easier and not make me have to climb back up the Clubview hill.  Since he brought our Infiniti, I knew he was making me do it.  He did have a good argument - if he had brought the Rover and offered me a ride, I would have said he didn't think I could do it.  He really couldn't win either way.  See I fear this hill because it is steep and has a gradual grade increase as you go up.  I am definitely a new rider but Sarah was patient and willing to teach me a few things.  I set the bike in what she called "Granny gear" and headed up the hill.  I made it!  There's a street called Colony Way that I turned on then made it home.  Of course, not without huffing & puffing but it was worth it!

I totally failed at getting a real picture with the Virtual Race bib since I left it on the counter.  We took this shot in our sunroom where Trudy gets to hang out:

Sexy and I know it!

Apparently riding almost 36 miles makes you hungry.  I ate like a pig at Rusty then was starving about 3 hours later.  Again, Biv to the rescue with a bison steak (yum!) and salad.  I've been wanting homemade brownies for a week so I headed to Kroger to pick up eggs and these somehow made it into the bag too:

Love me some fruit slices!

The brownies came out okay but were too thin.......next time I will use a smaller pan:

Yummy!

Here's to hoping I can move tomorrow!  Realized I have a grueling schedule this week - 5, 4, 7, rest, 3, 12.  I am tired already!

How was your weekend?

Have you ever set out for a ride, run or walk & ended up with 3xs the amount of mileage because you felt good??