Spring running, 5k racing, snowbanks and more.

Last week started and finished with fine weather, but the middle part was pretty dank.

Typical April, a couple of cheerful days in the low 50's with plenty of rain.

I am going to rename this blog: Middleaged Runner, your up to the minute weather expert.....

As of a week ago, the ice in the pond was not yet out. (it was out by mid week though!!)

When you live in a small town, ice out dates are important!

I scooted up Bitch hill, mostly to check out the return to Spring. I had not been up there in a couple of weeks and there was not a trace of snow. 

Now it is BROWN!!

As mentioned, the middle of the week was dreary. My legs have been feeling fine, my post Boston experience has been closer to what you might expect after a few peak weeks, and then a cutback rather than a race. While I have not been putting in crazy mileage or speed I did run a few 800's just to see how things were feeling. 

Again, my feeling was not dissimilar to what I feel mid way through a training cycle. None of the typic post race gunk. A 4:12 will help with that ;-)

Post 800's in the mucky weather

Suddenly. at the end of the week, summer arrived!!!

HOORAY!!! Finally some temps to help all of us acclimate to what is coming. 

Back to sweaty hats, for sure.

I had a really enjoyable Friday run in 77 degree temps (Boston Marathon weather!!) I ran some steady miles and stayed well hydrated, despite being a dripping sweat mess. 

Yes, I am carrying an onion

At this point, I'm about ready to get along with acclimation. 

Yes. I prefer running when it is 43 and raining (Like today!!! A rest day....) But for christ sake, if I train when it is 40 and every race is 80 things are going to continue to blow goats!!!

So basically. When it below 70 I am currently running in pants and a sweater. Nice. 

Saturday morning was nice and warm too (72!) So I decided a small, local 5k was in order. It was only about 6 miles from where I live, and for a great cause, so off I went. 

The route was very familiar to me, and took us on local roads, STRAIGHT downhill, and then, (as so often happens) STRAIGHT back up. The long stretch of downhill made for a very pleasant start, and, since I was not trying to crack out a PR like a jackass, the return trip was not too shabby.

Not exactly flat as a pancake

I managed a 22:30 which is a 5k time that I have no quibble with. Go me! I had not run a 5k in a while, and I always forget how delightfully short they are! I was done in no time and back to work. 

And bless the small races, I totally won. #fuckingELITE #sponsored #bybeerandcheeseonly

Hey, I might not win them all but I do have fun!!

I went home and recovered the way a pro athlete does, duh. In #neoncompression

So cool

And yes, I am wearing Hoka slides, and YES they are amazing. 

Not fashionable. But really, stupid comfy. I have footgasms. 

And then, the good weather was over. 

Back to the crap on Sunday, for my weekly snowbank shot. 

Ever shrinking

I got a ride home with my Dad on the tractor (as one does in Maine...) And because it was 49 degrees and drizzling, we spilt a good winter beer. 

This one is a sipper, and perfect for a nice, cold April day. I liked it more as it warmed up, the cherry notes became less apparent and the bourbon/cocoa became more obvious. Tasty. 

Foundation Mortimer. Buy it for the name, enjoy it because it is good. 

So that was that for this week. 

I have a tentative goal of blogging once weekly all year, for the sole purpose of being able to look back on my own shenanigans in upcoming years. 

I believe, now that Boston Marathon training is over I shall shake up my weekly totals/sightings a bit. 

Weekly Stats:

Miles run: 35.something

Other activities: 2 core workouts

High temp: (now that it is not winter, right?) 80. But the low was 42 so that merits mention.

Best thing I ate: I made some Shrimp scampi that was ridiculous. And I had pistachio gelato. (I believe I will require pic of this category from now on.)

Unusual animal sighting: A huge turkey vulture

Current mood: I am tired today after a busy weekend and not enough water. FAIL.

Portland Brewers Dash Holiday 5k

It has been a few years since Eric and I have participated in the Portland Brewers Dash Holiday 5K.

While the weather can be a little uppity, it is a fun and super flat race. The other perks are a late (11:00) start plus a free beer PLUS a legit big post race brunch.

Required pre race selfie!

As a general rule we usually see 12,867 of our closest running/triathlon friends there. This year was a huge miss in that department, as we saw ZERO people we knew. This is almost unheard of!
(there was a lot going on this weekend to explain the absence of most of our friends. however, we literally saw nobody that we even "sort of" knew. we wondered if there had been an apocalypse?)

The weather first thing may have been enough to keep most logical people indoors.

OK wow. Hi winter, what's up.

By the time we arrived in Portland, and were more or less ready to run, there was decent weather. It was about 22 degrees with very little wind and abundant sun. (which really isn't ALL that decent, if I really think about it....) It was a pretty day though, especially if you were indoors......

A pretty day, a pretty scene

Neither of us are in shape to run a "fast" 5k, nor did we think that redlining it the whole time was worth it. We made our way to the start, and then, as I am apt to do, I ran off to look at things while everyone else lined up at the start. *focus, Sara....*

I'm over here looking at things..... While everyone else lines up...

I think *most* of us occasionally find it hard to not try to be competitive, even in a race that really doesn't matter. I know I have found myself pushing a pace I am not fit for before, and while I occasionally find this doable, it wasn't in my plans for Sunday.

We started in the middle of the pack and ran steadily throughout the race, maintaining a consistent pace. We had a nice chat, watched planes coming in to land at the jetport, and we made sure to beat the gingerbread man!

Since both Eric and I are in the midst of the "off season" it was easier than normal to hold back a bit, and we held a pace about a minute slower than our normal 5k pace.
There is no doubt that a 7:50 pace is still a great workout, but it certainly wasn't the agonistic level of suffering and pain that one attributes to a normal 5k. THANK THE LORD.

While it has not become worse, I continue to have some tightness in my right hamstring. Nothing seems to make it more uncomfortable so I wasn't worried about a little workout. I will be seeing my chiro soon to fix this problem, as it has been lingering around for over a week. Stupid! 

We both finished in 24:19 which is a completely respectable time and a good workout!
Sometimes a nice Holiday 5k is just what you need. Both of us had a really pleasant time and enjoyed the rapidity in which we were done! (sometimes being done is awesome!)
5k races are amazing because they are so short. Profound words! But, when one becomes accustomed to the challenge of a marathon, a nice little 5k is inspiring. (especially when run at a reasonable, not near heart attack, pace.)

Then, we went and drank a beer and talked about running and Pokemon and Christmas and a bunch of other weird things as one would expect.

Port race beer, post race hair

 So is that it for 2016? In the race department, I believe so! It's been quite the year and hopefully I will find the time for a big year end blog recap!

Harrison Old Home Days 5K

It seems to be the time of year when there are local races to choose from every weekend, or even more often.
The great thing about the shorter distances is how often you can race/run them without getting completely overcooked. I must admit that I get used to the marathon lifestyle and the limitations on how often you can race that many miles. It's nice to get out locally this time of year, see friends and get in some quality speedwork.

Or hill work with an attempt at speed.

Hills. Very hilly.

And of course, there is the always present 86 degree weather because we wouldn't have it any other way!

Last Wednesday Eric and I drove 5 whole minutes to participate in the Harrison Old Home days run by the lake 5k.
By some stroke of luck I won this race in 2012 and haven't been back since to defend my honor.

Pre race. Not too sweaty.

I was feeling loads better than I had on Monday the 4th and I was ready to push for a better race and faster time. I wasn't going to kill myself for the podium because my speed just isn't what it used to be (and 86 degrees. and I'm lazy) but I wanted to do my best.

I made it out pre race for a 2 mile warm up which was very helpful but hot, man was it hot!
(not as hot as VCM though, so there's that.)

5K race recaps are easy:
I ran 3 miles each one faster than the one before, which seems to be my thing lately. Then I ran .1 even more super fast and then it was done, the end.

There was also a huge hill, as previously mentioned. 

I ran it in 22:19 which is a 7:12 pace, a speed that I currently think of as "super fast"

Flying! Whoot!

I didn't win but I came in 2nd!! The woman who beat me was only ahead by 10 seconds but I'm in no condition to chase people down, she had it in the bag. 10 seconds could be 10 minutes as far as I'm concerned!

I like this race, I like that I see lots of people that I know, I like that they control the traffic well and have lots of water and whoopie pies at the finish. Mmmm lots of good stuff!

The other thing that there was lots of at the finish was BARFING. Several young people blew some massive chunks like, IN the finish chute which created a dreadful mess. Gross. Running is gross!

I had a great time and Eric did too, he finished about a minute behind me and was NOT one of the finish line pukers. It was a really enjoyable evening despite the hot temps and mountain! My legs felt really good, maybe not as quick as I'd like them to be but they are really appreciating the month I spent fixing them. I like it when hard work pays off!

Post race. Much more sweaty.

So that's it for the summer race recaps at the moment. More to come soon about summer marathon training at the busiest time of the year. Fun! 

2016 Dopey Challenge: 5K Day

Part two of our Dopey Challenge Experience. The one with an actual 5K race.

I lied in my last post, we did not have to wake up at 3AM on Thursday for the 5K, we had to wake up at 3:30 since the race didn't start until the leisurely hour of 6:00. This meant we had to be on a bus by 4:00 (for last call) instead of 3:45. PHEW!!
It might have made a big difference but we were all awake anyway so up we got.

This was when the suitcase of food began to come in handy. We all made PB&J, grabbed a granola bar or two, choked down some crappy Disney coffee (brewed in the room) and headed out.
Into the freezing cold, wind and drizzle.

Checking out the bus schedule

We were not sure what the bus schedule would be like and had been told that we could expect as much as 20 minutes between buses. This wasn't the case, a bus was there and we hopped right on for a short ride to the start line. There was a bus behind that bus so, no 20 minute wait.

In a very, very cold bus!

Eric and I had flip belts so we went thru the bag check line. Despite the fact that we got on a bus almost as late as we could, the line was very short. Maybe 3 people ahead of us. From here we took a quick look around (pretty typical parking lot staging area, an area with a small-ish crowd and a DJ, a few water stations and then corrals A-F.)

We were in corral F and since we were the last to start not too many people had gathered by the time we wandered in. It was quite chilly, and staying warm was a real challenge! (it was in the low 50's with a brisk wind and light mist that stopped around 5:30 or so.) We met some other runners who, like us had forgotten to submit their times and we exchanged some slightly grouchy stories of dealing with runDisney to that point. (no runDisney, you are not perfect! get a new website to start!!)

For the 5K there was a 5 minute hold in between corrals which honestly felt like forever! The corral were huge with about 2,000 starters in each, so the 5 minutes did make perfect sense in the traffic control department. By the time we made our way to the start we the winners were back at their resorts and showered but we were glad to finally get moving! By the time corral A had taken off our corral was fully packed, standing room only. While it was crowded we finally began to get warm since we were snuggling with 2K other people. #cozy

A terrible pic of the start! OMG. But that is it.

After the initial crush of the start the 3 of us found ourselves together again and we began to make some good headway UNTIL, we hit the back end of the corral in front of us. Using some teamwork we made our way through some congestion but never had any open area to run in.

Andy is there too, I promise! And it's dark, really dark!

We turned the race into more of an adventure run, dodging people who stopped short to take selfies, winding carefully around the droves of runners and walkers and kids; jumping, weaving through and going over cones, barriers and occasionally other runners. It was fun running together and we picked up a few friends along the way which made for quite the entertaining pace line.

Finishing in a blaze of glory!!

 It was dark for most of this race which made it feel all the more like an adventure obstacle run. We finished in about 28:00 which is a solid PW for all of us but, to be honest, better than we had hoped with a corral F start.

Victorious! And finally warm...

From there we walked directly onto a bus back to POFQ. This is what has sold me on Disney races, you finish, you walk to a bus, and you go home!
During this bus ride we met a Dopey challenge veteran who, in ominous tones, told us about how the corral hold for the marathon was a full 10 minutes. We were a bit shocked, being in Corral P and all but decided that being warned was the best thing that could happen to us and that we would be prepared. (stay tuned to see how this turned out.)

After we had showered, organized our nasty laundry and rehashed the experience we all felt like lunch.
Unfortunately, it was only 8:30.

Eric and Andy decided to try to get an hour of sleep and after a little bit I went back to the expo to try to pick up the things that the crowds prevented me from getting on the first attempt.
I had great luck! The crowd level was maybe 25% what it was the day before and I was able to find what I wanted and score a few good deals.
I timed the whole trip perfectly because as I left there were busloads of people arriving for one of the kids races. Smart.

From there we headed to Epcot for the afternoon.

YAY! Post race beer!

We enjoyed a beer in Canada as we always do and took advantage of the very light crowd level. We wandered around the World Showcase for a couple of hours before hitting some slower rides (like Nemo) to nap on as we had all hit the wall.

When I made our dining reservations I thought that a 4:30 dinner time would be really hard to deal with, and too early to be any good.
I could not have been more wrong...

We dined, 3/4 asleep at Via Napoli. This was ok because despite the rave reviews it gets, it, (like most Disney dining) is "Meh" at best. Being half passed out made paying $24 for a mediocre personal pizza seem less offensive. We are always prepared for "blah" food going into any culinary adventures at Disney so we aren't disappointed, just underwhelmed. (and I know that any die hard Disney fans are going to scream and yell about me slamming the beloved Via Napoli but whatever, I can get better pizza in my podunk hometown.) For me, the surprise at Disney is really GOOD food so when it is mediocre it's just part of the day.

Closing the park! Or, leaving at 6:00....

We hightailed it out of the park at 6:00 and Eric and Andy were passed out cold at 6:45. SMART.
We actually DID have a 3AM wake up call the next day so hitting the sack early was unavoidable. I proceeded to deal with a splitting headache and NO SLEEP again (which was getting old) but luckily, this was the last night of unsuccessfully counting sheep.

And since this IS an actual competition (between us anyway)
Today's results:
Andy: 28:29
Eric: 28:35
Sara: 28:35

Countown to the Dopey Challenge 2016!

With less than one week to go until we depart it has just occurred to me that I have barely talked about our (my, Eric and Andy's) upcoming Dopey Challenge adventure.

This has been years in the works, and this is no exaggeration! On our second date Eric and I were both about to take on major athletic challenges. He has his first Ironman a few weeks later and I was basically on the eve of my first marathon. I asked him what would be next for him. After all, an Ironman was basically the most outrageous athletic achievement that I could think of! What on earth would one do next?
It was then that he mentioned taking on the Dopey Challenge (for those of you who don't know, because I did not, the Dopey Challenge is 4 races at Disney on 4 consecutive days. A 5k, 10k, 13.1 and 26.2)
My reaction to this wasn't the most positive. First, having never done a marathon I could not see the wisdom in running a bunch or races beforehand (I still see the issue here.) Furthermore, I could not comprehend why someone would travel to Orlando, get up at 2AM every day to race, hardly be able to stay awake to enjoy the parks and ALSO pay about a gazzilion dollars to do so. I also spewed some stuff about feeding the corporate giant blah, blah. (at this point I feel like I do a bit of everything, big corporate giant and tiny homegrown. it's all ok)

As it so often happens as the years passed I began to get on board with this insane idea.
When Eric and I were in Orlando in 2015 we concluded that 2016 would be the year that we would take a crack at it. This may have been fueled by the fact that is was about 48 degrees while we were in Florida, so basically perfect running weather. We also might have had some wine. It's hard to say.

And THEN Eric and Andy turned 40 this year and that's a perfect excuse. Bucket list race! Spend all the coin! (which we did.)

So here we are TODAY. One week until the 3 of us hop on a plane to claim our destiny, or some such bullshit! It really should be a blast, I do enjoy a good Disney trip. Thus far, "RunDisney" has not exactly met the high standards that I expect from a Disney experience but I plan to head into this adventure with an open mind. If nothing else, we are going to be spending 5 days in Florida away from the dumb cold weather and that sounds excellent.

Here is what has happened to this point:
-Sometime last MAY the 3 of us waited with bated breath to drop about $550 each the second the race registration opened. For me, registration was chaos. Everything that you don't want to have happen did (the site would not load, it booted me out half way thru my registration, and THEN after completing the form AGAIN after I put in my credit card it took so long to try to process that it timed out and I had to do the whole damn thing AGAIN.) I know traffic was high and it happens but it was frustrating to me. I was ready to put in my race finishing times to improve my corral placement and there was no obvious or easy way to do this (runDisney- there must be a better way!) And you all know what happened then. I dropped the ball on figuring out what to do/who to email and am now enjoying life in corral P. Totally my mistake but big game changer. But it's cool- it's gonna be about 90 so no need to hustle!

-I literally bought plane tickets the day they went on sale. That was easy. Smart. It's just easier to fly out of Portland and flights sell out so damn fast (lesson learned on previous trips.)

-There was hemming and hawing about where to stay. I did an embarrassing amount of research on onsite vs offsite, the costs involved, transportation, getting to the parks easily. No stone was left unturned.  I should probably consider a career change and be a travel agent, jeesh.
In the end, we decided to stay onsite. Yes, you certainly can get somewhat more spacious accommodations offsite but within the budget we were working with the most logical and time saving conclusion was to stay in a Disney resort and use their transportation.

-I have been to Disney enough to know that if you want to sit down and eat, you get a damn reservation and you get it early. While I wasn't as on the ball as some, we are guaranteed a place to eat each and every night. Done.

-There has been some other behind the scenes crap. Typical stuff like making sure we are in the BEST building (haha I have a preference. Close to the pub. And the extra restrooms since there are 3 of us in a room.) Customizing magic bands (important) Locking down the Fast Pass (CRITICAL) Again, why am I not working in the travel industry? So confusing. 

And that's about it. There are some other details that will make for another amusing pre adventure blog (if I have time!)

I can't speak for Eric and Andy but I'm really looking forward to heading south for a few days. Doing a race like this is certainly something you only do once and I'm planning to slow down a bit (not that I have a choice, corral x for the win) and enjoy the sights!

Guess who's back?

And just like that, I'm back.
Just your typical 2 month blogging break!

Clearly, after such a long hiatus I have a lot to catch up on and absolutely no idea where to start.

Last time I was in a blogging mood I was about ready to begin my training for Philly and was being thwarted by a grouchy hamstring. I am pleased to report that my theory of time off equals healing proved to be true and I was back on my feet in no time. I was about 10 days late onto my short plan training program but being late is better than not showing up at all because you are an injured hot mess.

As is per the norm with my crazy self, once I began to train I was in, whole hog. While I might not want/need to run every day of my life, it seems that once I embark on a training cycle there is not much that stops me. I like the routine and I just suck it up and get it done with very little angst.
(I will post more later (maybe) about details of this round of training.)

In the meantime, let's recap shall we?

In early October Eric and I participated in the run2respond relay, a cross country relay to benefit first responders and to encourage them to have a healthy lifestyle.
We seem to jump into crazy adventures happily if it is for a good cause, especially if we have friends joining in. Once the baton had reached Maine we knew probably 90% of the people running so we concluded that it would be a fine adventure.
We began our leg/s quite late at night in Kennebunk and carried the baton straight up Rt 1 to Scarborough.

The handoff (s)!! And yes, MUCH darkness!

The moral of the story is that running at night on Route one is pretty scary and that I got a lot of confused looks from drivers who were clearly shocked to see me running at 1AM.
I do not suggest that anyone, ever, invite me to be on their 24 hour relay team because I am a terrible night runner.

To sum it up: I saw quite a few police vehicles in the first miles of my run and I prepared a lovely statement to give them should they pull me over for running in the pitch black night. "I am running to benefit YOU!!" I would say, joyfully. "Look a all my reflective/LED gear, I am clearly SAFE and running for a GOOD CAUSE!!!"
....fast forward 10 or so miles.....
*sees cop car*
"ARREST ME I AM CLEARLY UNSAFE!!!"
Sigh. We finished and I fell asleep, post haste.

A couple weeks later I ran my way down (literally) to the Waterford 5K for a bit of speedwork over hills. I had just run 15 the prior day and had zero expectations other than to sweat and suffer.
I got exactly that.
Actually, it was a nice time and a nice day. I enjoy seeing all the people in my town and they do a lovely job with awards (medals for overall winners and AG placements- plus legit jugs of maple syrup!)
Typical 5k performance for me, I managed to lope in as the 4th woman and take 1st in my AG with a 22:51.

The big finish!

Through the early days in October I was a bit disturbed, knowing that running MDI was going to be a little challenging for where I was at in my training.
(by the time I signed up for MDI they only had slots available for the full- totally my lazy fault!)
I had formulated a plan to run to a certain point (18/19) and then basically schlep to the finish and collect my Lobster Claw medal in a blaze of glory.
This was a solid plan with the exception of those 8 or so miles that I wasn't really excited about getting my legs over.

Anyway, as things have the tendency to do it all worked out.
While most of you know the story by now I will sign off for today on this cliffhanging note, and a guarantee that I will be back soon to conclude this alluring tale!

Before I sign off for good, it merits mention that the weather has been absoultely spectacular for the past couple of weeks! Sunny, mild to downright warm and basically delightful.
I will leave you with a pic from my hilly run route, a picture that seems to be making a regular appearance as the seasons change.
Top pic, late August. Bottom pic, late October. Hashtag no filter!

You just can't beat this view!

Running thru the humidity!

Last week was most definitely a Maine summer heatwave. Temps AND humidity in the mid to high 80's made for some downright soggy and unpleasant days.
Despite the sopping conditions I had a pretty decent running week. (decent for July means a 30 mile week- I'm totally happy with that!)

I had a couple of great runs- some varied workouts, one horrible hot run where I wished to just die and a spontaneous 5k last weekend.

I had not run a 5k since May of 2014 so my expectations were reasonable. I feel like I'm in decent enough shape but my speedwork has been more "you're late, hurry" than "strict track 800's!" (which is how I roll.) I'm NOT in sub 20 shape- hahahahahah funny- I don't plan to be! However, I decided that I was in sub 22 shape so (still Garminless) I struck out intending to do that.

21:40. Totally fine. It was cool, with 65 degree temps, light drizzle and absolutely suffocating humidity. So actually not cool at all, stifling in fact. Hot as balls.
My legs felt zippy but the lungs couldn't handle the tough facts of life, humidity and my dedication to a noticeable lack of speed training.
I had fun and felt good even though it felt like work. (and good = SWEATY GROSS)
I ate donuts and celebrated a race which is done in very short order! 5k's are so short. Also, you can run one and then continue on with your day like nothing ever happened. Indeed, a very odd contrast to the marathon.

This snap was the only decent pic. Quality blog skillz.

This week has been a different story- my mileage is super low. I took a couple days to let a funny hip flexor work itself out (it did) and to work quite a bit and feel a little crummy for no good reason, and to stack hay and crap like that.
And it's ok. I'll run more next week, tomorrow, or whenever the time is right!

Or I'll just stack more hay.

(Food post tomorrow. I'm sorry about the delay, I've been too busy for the internet!)

Towns2gether 5K... Yes, I ran a 5K!

The past couple of weeks have been devoted to getting back into the swing of things post marathon. After feeling shockingly good post race (thanks, 3:54...) I definitely came down with a case of the "oh shit my legs feel like crap-itis" last week.

It really was rather awful.
It was also 38 degrees in raining, which was disgusting.

DISGUSTING

I hate to admit it, but my body is very well acclimated to running in 38 degrees and rain, so if nothing else the cold, windy, damp weather had me feeling more like myself by last weekend. It was gross, but I was zipping around like a damn fool. Thank heavens.

And feeling better can lead to some solid life choices....
All last summer, while training or the GCI 50K I said "No" to every race or fun run activity that sounded amusing. This was because my sole focus was to get to the 50K uninjured, not over raced and ready to go. Basically my plan went as I hoped (lousy finish and all) but I got a little bit bummed, missing out on all the local races, saying "no" left and right like it was my second job.

So. When I found out that my best friend's school (she is a teacher) was having a 5K fundraiser I said "sure, why not"
(the day before, but it's not like training for a 5K would actually help, hahah!)

Not so sure it was a good idea before.... Happy after!

I showed up. It was cloudy and chilly. We ran around a little to warm up and to find a bathroom. Angie was pushing Quinners in his stroller because at 1 year old it's high time for the kid to learn to race. So we talked to him for a bit and he looked mad. I asked Angie if she would push me in the stroller too and she seemed oddly reluctant. Then I was mad too.
I tried to continue my warmup until the very second the race started but wasn't particularly successful, since I wasn't exactly sure where the start line was, or which way we were supposed to go. Luckily, one lone person had that info so I did not miss the start, as I have been known to do.

I hope that this race becomes a yearly event, as with the exception of absolutely nobody paying attention to the pre race announcements (I suggest a much more amplified communication device) and the slight confusion about where the race actually started from, it was a solid little 5K.
I never expect "big time" race support from small town 5k's but this one was pretty decent. They had an actual timing company working instead of a dude with a stopwatch (good), the course was marked well enough and at intersections there were volunteer and police support (good) the course seemed to be advertised as long- but was close enough for me (3.13 is close enough) there was plenty of water at the finish and I really enjoyed the relatively flat out and back route. Also, the volunteers at the bib pick up were extremely helpful and if it had been my first 5k I can't think of anything they could have done to make me feel more comfortable (so a good race for your first time.)

I was really surprised at the number of people starting- there were over 300 which is kind of insane for a town that has a population of 5. (I'm kidding. I basically live there so I can kid.)
I lined up near the front and suddenly we were starting.
All the little kids took off, ready to win the damn race.
100 feet later they all stopped. It was very funny but made for an rather creative beginning to the race. I liked the attitude of those 1st graders though, they were in it to win it until the discovered that a 5k is slightly longer than 100 feet.

At this point I had passed the 1st graders. And a few middle schoolers from the looks of it.

 A bunch of men and a few woman had broken off with the lead pack, and not wishing to kill myself in the first 0.3 miles I maintained a reasonable pace.
I have not run a 5K for real in about 2 years, and honestly had no idea what to expect. It had warmed up quickly and was 60 and sunny- and I felt warm. Duh. Where is my 38 degree weather?

By the half mile marker I had already caught several of the lead woman but could no longer see the front runners. Since I knew that a fast time was beyond my reach I aimed to maintain sanity in my pacing (and since I had had nothing but shit runs all week, the fact that I felt great was enough to make for a very fun run.)

There really isn't much drama to report, I ran fairly decent splits- 6:53, 6:51, 7:02 and since I have not seen "6" as the first number in so long I was really a bit shocked. I never gave up (although in mile 2-3 I was in no man's land with not a single person to chase, so perhaps got a bit lazy?)

Forrest Gump running style. Seriously, this is how I run.

 Anyway, to zero fanfare I finished. My time was 21:36 and of course my first thought was "ugh, slow!!!" I shut that down though, because at a 6:58 average pace that is fast for me and that's all that counts. Also, that's reasonable close to how I run when I train to be fast for short distances. So no tears here.

BIG FINISH.

I thought I might have been the first woman. Angie's husband was fairly sure. Nobody really knew!
So, needing to get to work I hopped in my car and left.

As it turned out I was 6th overall and the 1st place woman.
Yeah, I know that at a big race this time would not have been competitive. I don't care though, for me this was a fast time, a good effort and I'm really pleased with it.
And it was FUN.
I can't remember the last time I had so much FUN at a race! Go figure. I claim to hate 5K's...
I really enjoyed being done so fast.
I was ZERO percent tired or sore.
I then worked all day, no problem!
The next day I went on a 10 mile trail run over a mountain with no "race" feelings in my legs.

So bottom line, this was a great day. I was glad to say "yes!" to something spontaneous and fun, I was glad to feel fast, I was glad to have a good day with my friends. sometimes you just have to live a little and remember that running does not always have to feel hard!
And I was glad to see my little buddy Quinners really enjoy his first race. He looked so pumped once he got going! I expect him to be a big track star (no pressure or anything.) And really. I expect Angie to be a big track star because if you can run fast while pushing an enormous stroller than you can do anything (like push me next time!!)

August Recap

August Recap. A few days late but that's cool...

Miles run- 148. Well THIS is better than last August's 35 miles!

Miles Biked- 32 Hahaha whoops! Taking into account the fact that I had a couple of rest weeks I'm fine with this. Also, and importantly, I had a very tough time cycling with the summer traffic. The roads were crazy, there is no shoulder at all and my confidence on the bike is still lacking.

Core/Yoga- I did better this month. Still room for improvement but a good upswing from July.

Races run: 3!

Beach To Beacon. The day a 10k was actually an 8 miler.

Family 5K trail race.
This was a month when I was lucky to run so many races with excellent company!



Rev3 Half- another fun picture for the 2013 collection.
And the day when I remembered that I can actually run pretty well...

PR's set- Zero, unless you count the trail 5K which is semi-legit.

Number of times I puked on my shoes- ZERO. Going strong in the no puke zone!

Times I quit running: Zero. Strange but true.

Longest training run- 17. Going strong prepping for Smuttynose in early October.

Number of new shoes purchased: 1, which brings me to pair #4 for the year. Keeping Mizuno in business.

So in conclusion, August was a very strong month especially considering the post Ultra recovery time and my super busy work schedule. I feel really great going into the high volume weeks ahead and I'm very motivated to run a solid Marathon in October.

I'm really happy with my current running mileage (I thrive on 45-ish miles a week) and I know that I can incorporate some extra cross training into my schedule for an extra fitness boost. I'm hoping to be at my peak fitness for 2013 this fall so am ready to crank it up (more. basically I live my life that way, gosh...)

My family likes adventures! 5K and more....

Over the past weekend we had our annual family party! What this means, is that for 2 or 3 days we tend to have some amazing feats of athletics, we play an excess of overly competitive yard games, we drink beers and basically roll from meal to meal (we are talking dozens of lobsters, mile high lasagnas, piles of French toast, yeah you get the idea...)

We are a big crowd although we were a few short this year (Miss you Bia and Amy! Hope you can make it next year!) Regardless there were still around 20 crazy people who needed big adventures in which to create appetites for whatever meal was next.

There are quite a few runners in the family and about 10 of us decided to head off to a local 5K to test our mad skillz and try to take all the top prizes. On a side note, I awoke at 4:30 that morning to run 11 miles in the dark and humid night very early morning. Fall marathon season is starting to loom on the horizon and slacking on my "long" run wasn't such a fab option. If I had some hairbrained idea to try to PR the race I might have chosen to move the 11 to another day but seriously- I am in no way, shape or form ready or able to run a good 5K right now! So a few pre race miles happened and they happened well.

Pre race! Still looking clean and fresh..

Did I mention that this was a trail 5K?

The online description was rather ominous "roots, rocks and hills that will leave you gasping for breath..." Oh dear.

At the pre race meeting the race director explained the course turn by turn which only managed to confound all of us more. The basic conclusion was that all of us needed to choose a person to follow, and not each other.

We started with one lap around the track. This was straightforward enough and we all got a nice little push of speed from the flat and bouncy surface (if only that had continued!) the course then wound through a pathway and up a grassy hill. For the first mile it continued in that manner, grassy hill, sideways grassy hill where one leg felt a foot longer than the other, very steep downhill trail, and the (at the end of mile 1) a gigantic mountain. The description was correct- it was a beast!

 

Mile 1: 8:07. A touch off my normal 5K pace!

 

The middle mile was a study in coordination and directional skills, something that I am horribly challenged in. The terrain was all grass with a few rooty paths, quite a few tricky hills, several single track bridges and quite a bit of trying to follow the spray painted arrows (and trying to find someone to follow!)

 

Mile 2: 8:22 At least I was not lost.

 

Around mile 2.25 we finally hit some pavement and the angels sang! Also at that point I saw almost the whole family since it was a place where you could see several parts of the course. Fun! Finally on the road/parking lot I was able to muster a tiny bit of speed.

 

Mile 3: 7:22 Well, that was a bit better!

 

The last .25 was a final lap around the track, I could see Evan about 20 seconds ahead of me (with the lead women, actually) and I knew there was no catching him. I finished in 24:50 which is a far cry from my 5K PR BUT is a Trail 5K PR since I had never done one before. So there!!!

 



Post race, a bit sweaty and smelly!

 

So, before this finishers picture was taken we watched almost everyone finish. Evan and I missed seeing Eric and Doug run in because they were about 30 seconds behind us and we ran a couple laps to cool down. A few minutes behind them Laura and Kathleen ran in together, looking strong. As we waited for the last few of our team to run in we started to wonder where on earth Kate was! I had seen her twice on course and she was sandwiched in right between Doug and Laura/Kathleen. When we saw Bill round the corner to the finish we were actually baffled (no offence Bill! hahah!) as Bill had just re-started running 7 days prior to this event. I began to think that she had broken, become lost or been eaten by a sasquatch. All bad things. Then, right behind Bill she popped up. "RUN KATE" we all yelled "Don't let Bill beat you!" (poor Bill!) She managed to catch him in the homestretch and came thru the finish announcing that she had become terribly lost and had managed (along with 5 other people) to run an extra mile. Damn overachiever! If this had been an important race she would have been bummed but she did not care and figured that she earned more bang for her buck.

Jeff and Katelyn officially won the last place award. They have dominated at yard sports for the last 10 years so this was good payback! (kidding guys, kidding...)



The obligatory horrible face shot

Evan almost immediately curled into the fetal position to await a horrible race induced death. That will happen. I was just glad it wasn't me for a change.

We really finished strong as a group, Evan was 8th, I was 9th (and 3rd woman) Eric and Doug were in the teens and almost everyone else was in it for an AG prize. Kate won for most miles completed.

The race itself wins for having real bathrooms and actual bottles of water at the finish (take note, Old Port Half...) The race was Kelli's Run by the way- all the money raised goes towards a lovely little playground that Kelli's family sponsored after she lost her cancer battle in 2010. Sad stuff but a great cause which we were all happy to contribute to!

The first good choice of the day!

After everyone recovered we did indeed go out for a beer which was delicious! 



I tend to think the 5K may have been an easier choice!

While all of us crazies we off racing the rest of the crazies climbed a huge mountain. OOOFF!!!
As previously mentioned, we all like a good adventure. I am also quite certain that all of us who chose the 5K had an easier, more restful day. (now I feel like a slacker!)



Party time! Annual Beer Geek competition!

After the activities were over we got the party underway. One of the highlights is the Beer Geek competition. This years theme was to find a beer with a name, or description that best described your own personality. (yes, awesome. no, not easy!) To make a long story short my beer was named "Dangerously close to stupid" which is freaking amazing.

A few of the fabulous entries...

And yes, we ate dozens of lobsters and about 6 gallons of ice cream.

We played yard games, took silly pictures and had an awesome little bonfire.

A perfect end to a great day of running around!