So, Diana, you will be happy to hear that I'm running the 15K.
:-P
Somebody check my temperature.
My friend Ang texted me last night and said that she was going to go and run the 15K. She hasn't been to a race since the Fly with the Eagles Half in February. She claims that she isn't running much, so we can finish last together. However, I know her too well. She will say that and then run off and leave me.
Oh well, bring on that pity applause at the finish line because I'm ready to come in last.
Ah, well, I'll probably still win first in my age group.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Rain Rain Go Away!
The past 2 days, I've had the best intentions of getting up for an early morning run, but there have been thunderstorms between 5-6am both days. Ugh!
The rest of the day: sunny, with no clouds in sight.
Run in the evening? Ha!
Once I get off work, I go straight into couch potato mode. Running later in the evening does not appeal to me at all. Maybe if I had a training partner, but certainly not alone.
It seems I have a choice to make for Saturday. I usually run the Crossroads Dash 15K every year. Last year, I finished dead last at this race with a pace of 11:36/mile. I don't foresee running the race any faster this year than last year. There is also a 5k distance that I could run, but I wouldn't get my planned distance that way. Time for a good old pro-con list for my 3 available options.
Option 1: Run 15K race:
Pros:
Get 9 mile distance for the day.
Run faster than I would at home
Likely to win an age group award, since most people run the shorter race
Spend time with friends
Cons:
Likely to be last finisher, which I HATE
Pay $20 to finish last
Option 2: Run 5K race:
Pros:
Run faster than I would at home, speedwork
Spend time with friends
Cons:
Don't get very many miles for the week.
Pay $20 to run a shorter distance and probably not win anything
Option 3: Run 9-10 miles at home:
Pros:
Get 9 mile distance for the day.
No embarassment of finishing last.
No need to wait until 8am to start running.
FREE
Cons:
Will run slower
Won't get to see my friends at the race, although we could always get together later
I'm leaning toward Option #3, even though I may have led some of my friends to believe I was going to run the 5K. I really can't get myself motivated to think that it's a good idea to go to this race this year, especially when I start thinking about the killer hills near the end.
No. Thank. You.
The rest of the day: sunny, with no clouds in sight.
Run in the evening? Ha!
Once I get off work, I go straight into couch potato mode. Running later in the evening does not appeal to me at all. Maybe if I had a training partner, but certainly not alone.
It seems I have a choice to make for Saturday. I usually run the Crossroads Dash 15K every year. Last year, I finished dead last at this race with a pace of 11:36/mile. I don't foresee running the race any faster this year than last year. There is also a 5k distance that I could run, but I wouldn't get my planned distance that way. Time for a good old pro-con list for my 3 available options.
Option 1: Run 15K race:
Pros:
Get 9 mile distance for the day.
Run faster than I would at home
Likely to win an age group award, since most people run the shorter race
Spend time with friends
Cons:
Likely to be last finisher, which I HATE
Pay $20 to finish last
Option 2: Run 5K race:
Pros:
Run faster than I would at home, speedwork
Spend time with friends
Cons:
Don't get very many miles for the week.
Pay $20 to run a shorter distance and probably not win anything
Option 3: Run 9-10 miles at home:
Pros:
Get 9 mile distance for the day.
No embarassment of finishing last.
No need to wait until 8am to start running.
FREE
Cons:
Will run slower
Won't get to see my friends at the race, although we could always get together later
I'm leaning toward Option #3, even though I may have led some of my friends to believe I was going to run the 5K. I really can't get myself motivated to think that it's a good idea to go to this race this year, especially when I start thinking about the killer hills near the end.
No. Thank. You.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Two Race Weekend
Memorial Day Weekend I wound up with 4 days off. Our building was closed on Friday, so I was left with a freebie day off. :)
On Friday, I went and saw Sex and the City 2, in the afternoon, when there were only a handful of others there. OK, so I had to take my 16 year old daughter, since my friends were all at work, but it was worth it.
Saturday morning, I ran the Odin Sesquicentennial 5K race. At 8am. In the heat and humidity. My only goal for this race was to NOT run my slowest 5K ever.
Result: Pass! I ran a 32:18, which is very close, but not quite my slowest ever. The course was ok, just the right amount of sun and shade, but the weather was so hot and so humid that I was just glad that it was over.
Saturday afternoon, I spent at my BFF's house for a girls day in. Ang, Barb and I spent the day drinking margaritas and eating chips and salsa. Yum!
One more race- Herrin has their Herrinfesta Italiana over Memorial Day weekend. The race takes place on Memorial Day and is a 10K. I knew what to expect, as I have done this race many times before. As usual, I had talked myself out of how bad it was. I'm good at that selective memory when it comes to race courses. My goal for the race was once again to NOT run my slowest 10K ever.
Result: FAIL! I ran a 1:14. My slowest 10K prior to Monday was 1:05. The race is one giant loop, most of it taking place in the hot hot sun. And, let me tell you, it was HOT on Monday. I think it was in the mid to upper 70s at the race start, and humid. I was miserable and just didn't care that it was a race. I just wanted to get it over with. And, finally, I did. :)
So, even though I failed at my goal, I was not disappointed with my time. I really didn't care.
My friend C had her grandson there and wanted me to come out and run the 1 mile race back with him. I've run with him before, he hasn't quite learned to pace himself yet so there is a lot of walking involved. I agreed to help, and wound up getting in another 2 miles- one out to the 1 mile start and then the mile back.
After the race, we went to G's house and took showers and got ready to go out for lunch. Who would have thought that every place we decided to eat would be closed for Memorial Day? We were on a wild goose chase! We tried 3 different restaurants- all closed. Then, there were signs up all over talking about a wine and arts festival that was taking place Memorial Day weekend. When we found the park where the festival was to be held, we saw one last truck packing up one last display. Ugh! Seriously, isn't Memorial Day a part of Memorial Day weekend?
We were all craving pulled pork, so we finally settled on a little hole in the wall place that was actually open. So disappointing. The barbecue was dry and not very good. The side dishes all tasted like they were served directly from a can. Yuck!
Later, we went to a Southern IL winery. That made up for the race fail and the lunch fail.
It wound up being a fantastic day, I'm glad we stuck it out.
On Friday, I went and saw Sex and the City 2, in the afternoon, when there were only a handful of others there. OK, so I had to take my 16 year old daughter, since my friends were all at work, but it was worth it.
Saturday morning, I ran the Odin Sesquicentennial 5K race. At 8am. In the heat and humidity. My only goal for this race was to NOT run my slowest 5K ever.
Result: Pass! I ran a 32:18, which is very close, but not quite my slowest ever. The course was ok, just the right amount of sun and shade, but the weather was so hot and so humid that I was just glad that it was over.
Saturday afternoon, I spent at my BFF's house for a girls day in. Ang, Barb and I spent the day drinking margaritas and eating chips and salsa. Yum!
One more race- Herrin has their Herrinfesta Italiana over Memorial Day weekend. The race takes place on Memorial Day and is a 10K. I knew what to expect, as I have done this race many times before. As usual, I had talked myself out of how bad it was. I'm good at that selective memory when it comes to race courses. My goal for the race was once again to NOT run my slowest 10K ever.
Result: FAIL! I ran a 1:14. My slowest 10K prior to Monday was 1:05. The race is one giant loop, most of it taking place in the hot hot sun. And, let me tell you, it was HOT on Monday. I think it was in the mid to upper 70s at the race start, and humid. I was miserable and just didn't care that it was a race. I just wanted to get it over with. And, finally, I did. :)
So, even though I failed at my goal, I was not disappointed with my time. I really didn't care.
My friend C had her grandson there and wanted me to come out and run the 1 mile race back with him. I've run with him before, he hasn't quite learned to pace himself yet so there is a lot of walking involved. I agreed to help, and wound up getting in another 2 miles- one out to the 1 mile start and then the mile back.
After the race, we went to G's house and took showers and got ready to go out for lunch. Who would have thought that every place we decided to eat would be closed for Memorial Day? We were on a wild goose chase! We tried 3 different restaurants- all closed. Then, there were signs up all over talking about a wine and arts festival that was taking place Memorial Day weekend. When we found the park where the festival was to be held, we saw one last truck packing up one last display. Ugh! Seriously, isn't Memorial Day a part of Memorial Day weekend?
We were all craving pulled pork, so we finally settled on a little hole in the wall place that was actually open. So disappointing. The barbecue was dry and not very good. The side dishes all tasted like they were served directly from a can. Yuck!
Later, we went to a Southern IL winery. That made up for the race fail and the lunch fail.
It wound up being a fantastic day, I'm glad we stuck it out.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
I... Was... Running!
Forrest Gump: "Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows.
From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running."
Last night, I was at my son's 8th grade graduation.
When I got home, I watched my must-see TV on my DVR ~ American Idol, Biggest Loser, and my favorite... glee!!
I wound up going to bed around 11pm, with plans to wake up at 5am and run. When I was still tossing and turning around 12:30am, I was doubting my plan.
Then, when I woke up at 1:30am and again at 3am, I was almost certain that I wouldn't run this morning. I haven't gotten up at 5am to run in ages, I've been using insomnia as an excuse even on nights when I've slept well.
This morning, when my 5am alarm went off, I was up and out the door.
I. Was. Running! :)
Friday, May 21, 2010
Change is Coming
In more ways than one.
This summer, I will be making a move. The kids and I will be moving to the city. Well, probably more like the suburbs, of Chicago.
I'm ready for change, and the opportunities in the new location will be much more plentiful than they are here.
Stay tuned for the relocation saga.
The other upcoming change is the always present weight loss dilemma. I sound like a broken record, I know.
I recently met up with some old friends for lunch.
My regularly scheduled races will have to be changed.
This makes me sad.
I'll miss the Tunnel Hill Trail Run, all of the tiny little 5Ks, the Turkey Trot 15K that is 3 loops of the same 5K course, and many others. I may travel down here for some of them, but not all.
I do have two races on the schedule in Chicago for this Summer/Fall already ~ the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on August 1, and the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10.
I'm considering a local 10K on Memorial Day in the meantime, and possibly one of those small 5Ks this Saturday the 29th...
This summer, I will be making a move. The kids and I will be moving to the city. Well, probably more like the suburbs, of Chicago.
I'm ready for change, and the opportunities in the new location will be much more plentiful than they are here.
Stay tuned for the relocation saga.
The other upcoming change is the always present weight loss dilemma. I sound like a broken record, I know.
I recently met up with some old friends for lunch.
Problem #1: I hate the way my hair looks. That will be easy to fix, and will be fixed very soon.
Problem #2: I am twice as big as everybody else in the picture. Granted, I am 5 inches taller than they are, so I will never be as small. I do want to be confident in the way I look, however. Right now, I am not.
Over the weekend, I decluttered my house, including my closet. I found more clothes than one person could ever want or need. The only problem is that these clothes are in 5 different sizes, and I have the least amount of clothes in the largest sizes, the sizes I wear now.My regularly scheduled races will have to be changed.
This makes me sad.
I'll miss the Tunnel Hill Trail Run, all of the tiny little 5Ks, the Turkey Trot 15K that is 3 loops of the same 5K course, and many others. I may travel down here for some of them, but not all.
I do have two races on the schedule in Chicago for this Summer/Fall already ~ the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on August 1, and the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10.
I'm considering a local 10K on Memorial Day in the meantime, and possibly one of those small 5Ks this Saturday the 29th...
Friday, May 7, 2010
Laptop!! Plus, let's talk about my last couple of races...
So, once again, it's been a while since I last posted. My laptop has been sooooo slow, I haven't even wanted to fire it up long enough to do anything from home. I took it to the shop this week for some TLC, and it's like a new computer now. We all have computers that are right as rain at Casa de Tammy now!
My 2 most recent races were the River to River Relay (8 runners - 80 hilly miles) and the Flying Pig Half Marathon.
The Relay was on April 17. The relay team that we put together was the bestest relay team ever. I've run this relay 5 times, and I've never had such a good time. Every single person made the day that much better. We couldn't find 8 runners that were fast enough and uninjured, so we wound up running the race with 7 runners (2 of the runners split up the 8th leg).
Here's Mustang Sally and the Tipsy Rousers at the finish:
We finished the entire 80 miles in 11:03. That's an average of 8:17/mile. And, I was a slowpoke. Our goal was 12 hours, and we smashed it! Mustang Sally and the Tipsy Rousers rock!
A couple of weeks later, four of us went to Cincinnati to run the Flying Pig Marathon. I hadn't done the training, and I've been continuously gaining weight, so I decided to run the Half instead of the Full.
It was POURING the morning of the race, and a part of me was hoping that they would cancel it. It had been storming just prior to the race, but the lightning and thunder managed to move on just before the race start. Yay. :(
So, we all started the race soaking wet. On top of that, I had some stomach issue going on and wound up in the port-a-potties along the race course 5 times. Yes, 5 times in the port a potty with soaking wet clothes. One of those times, I had to wait in a line for 15-20 minutes. My goal became to beat my friend G to the finish line. He was planning to run a 3:10 full marathon. Ugh.
It was miserable.
It is over. Hallelujah.
I must drop some weight and get back in running shape this spring and summer. I'm registered for the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10, and I intend to have a good race there.
My 2 most recent races were the River to River Relay (8 runners - 80 hilly miles) and the Flying Pig Half Marathon.
The Relay was on April 17. The relay team that we put together was the bestest relay team ever. I've run this relay 5 times, and I've never had such a good time. Every single person made the day that much better. We couldn't find 8 runners that were fast enough and uninjured, so we wound up running the race with 7 runners (2 of the runners split up the 8th leg).
Here's Mustang Sally and the Tipsy Rousers at the finish:
We finished the entire 80 miles in 11:03. That's an average of 8:17/mile. And, I was a slowpoke. Our goal was 12 hours, and we smashed it! Mustang Sally and the Tipsy Rousers rock!
A couple of weeks later, four of us went to Cincinnati to run the Flying Pig Marathon. I hadn't done the training, and I've been continuously gaining weight, so I decided to run the Half instead of the Full.
It was POURING the morning of the race, and a part of me was hoping that they would cancel it. It had been storming just prior to the race, but the lightning and thunder managed to move on just before the race start. Yay. :(
So, we all started the race soaking wet. On top of that, I had some stomach issue going on and wound up in the port-a-potties along the race course 5 times. Yes, 5 times in the port a potty with soaking wet clothes. One of those times, I had to wait in a line for 15-20 minutes. My goal became to beat my friend G to the finish line. He was planning to run a 3:10 full marathon. Ugh.
It was miserable.
It is over. Hallelujah.
I must drop some weight and get back in running shape this spring and summer. I'm registered for the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10, and I intend to have a good race there.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
128.8
At 47 days into 2010, that's how many miles I should have run after the end of today in order to reach my 1,000 mile goal for the year.
So far this year, I have run 49.1 miles. I'm considerably short of my goal at this point. I will need to make up almost 80 miles throughout the rest of the year.
I know that I can achieve this.
There are 318 days remaining, and I have 950.9 miles left to run. That averages out to just a hair under 3 miles per day, or 21 miles per week.
(I'm a math geek, I can't help it).
21 miles per week, I can do. I have two marathons planned for the year, I have no excuse for not running an average of 21 miles per week. Never mind that I did it last year. If I can do that much training, my speed will have no choice but to improve, and as promised I'm not even going to mention my weight.
This weekend, I'm headed to Florida to run the A1A Half Marathon in Ft Lauderdale. I'm looking forward to it, hopefully the short vacation will re-energize me.
So far this year, I have run 49.1 miles. I'm considerably short of my goal at this point. I will need to make up almost 80 miles throughout the rest of the year.
I know that I can achieve this.
There are 318 days remaining, and I have 950.9 miles left to run. That averages out to just a hair under 3 miles per day, or 21 miles per week.
(I'm a math geek, I can't help it).
21 miles per week, I can do. I have two marathons planned for the year, I have no excuse for not running an average of 21 miles per week. Never mind that I did it last year. If I can do that much training, my speed will have no choice but to improve, and as promised I'm not even going to mention my weight.
This weekend, I'm headed to Florida to run the A1A Half Marathon in Ft Lauderdale. I'm looking forward to it, hopefully the short vacation will re-energize me.
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